Immortality and Cultivation: This old man seeks enlightenment through mere survival.

Upon entering the inner perimeter of Black Rock Market, Lu Zaian's eyes lit up.

On both sides were rows of shops, one next to another, densely packed together.

These shops vary greatly in style, some are grand and imposing, others are petite and exquisite, and still others are uniquely designed.

They are arranged in a staggered manner, like winding dragons lying on both sides of the street.

The first thing that catches the eye is a pavilion called "Lingdan Pavilion".

Looking out from the entrance, you can see shelves filled with all kinds of rare and precious elixirs, a dazzling array.

As Lu Zaian stepped into the Spirit Pill Pavilion, a rich aroma of medicine wafted towards him.

Upon seeing this, the maid at the door hurriedly came forward.

Surprisingly, this seemingly ordinary maid actually possessed the cultivation level of the second stage of Qi Refining.

The maid smiled just right and said to Lu Zaian:

"Welcome to Lingdan Pavilion! Our shop is owned by Lingyao Valley. All our pills are rigorously selected and meticulously refined, ensuring top quality and absolute reliability!"

Lu Zaian was secretly surprised. This was the shop of the Spirit Medicine Valley, which monopolized most of the spiritual medicine resources in the Black Soil Mountains.

No wonder they were able to open their shop at the entrance of the market, in the area with the highest foot traffic.

Lu Zaian nodded calmly on the surface, and then said.

"Uh... are there any pills that can help break through the bottleneck of the early stage of Qi Refining?"

The maid smiled and nodded, leading the way, and said:

"Of course, we have just put a batch of Meridian Opening Pills on the shelves, which were carefully refined by the alchemists of Lingyao Valley."

This Meridian-Opening Pill is specifically formulated to address the bottleneck in the meridians of the third level of Qi Refining. Its effects are immediate, and it can even assist cultivators who are already at the bottleneck of the mid-stage of Qi Refining in breaking through to the next level.

Lu Zaian's eyes lit up. He followed the maid to the new product shelf next to him and saw the Meridian Activation Pills displayed there.

One ice-blue Meridian-Opening Pill was displayed as a sample, emitting a captivating fragrance, while the rest were placed in jade bottles specifically for storing pills.

I don't know if it's just psychological, or if that Meridian Activating Pill really does contain something.

Lu Zaian took a light sniff, as if the bottleneck in his body had indeed loosened a little.

"How much does one of these Meridian Opening Pills cost?"

"Each pill costs only five low-grade spirit stones. However, the strength of a cultivator's bottleneck varies from person to person. To prevent the potency of one Meridian Opening Pill from being insufficient, we recommend that customers purchase by the bottle. A bottle contains ten pills and costs forty-five spirit stones."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zaian shook his head vigorously, like a rattle drum.

"What? Forty-five spirit stones a bottle? I can't afford it! Besides, didn't you say that this Meridian Opening Pill is effective immediately? How could it be not potent enough?"

Seeing Lu Zaian's impoverished expression, the maid's smile immediately turned cold, and she said:

"Sir, as you said, the effects vary from person to person, and quantity is also a form of quality. If you are not satisfied, you can take a look at other products."

Lu Zai'an stood there, seemingly conflicted. His expression was hidden beneath his cloak, but his awkward and conflicted state of mind remained unseen.

"Okay, just one, I only need one..."

After a long while, as if he had finally made up his mind, he gritted his teeth and slowly raised one index finger.

'poor scumbag'

The maid rolled her eyes inwardly and cursed under her breath, but still maintained a professional, forced smile as she urged, "..."

"Okay, if you don't need any other items, please pay at this counter."

Feeling the maid's undisguised contempt and disdain, Lu Zaian stepped out of the Lingdan Pavilion.

On the street, Lu Zaina's lips curled slightly beneath her cloak.

'As long as I bought it, that's fine. However, it's my first performance, and my acting skills are still a bit raw.'

Although he possessed 450 low-grade spirit stones, Lu Zaian did not dare to spend them lavishly in public.

When you're out in the world, you have to give yourself your identity. A Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator should have the wealth and status of a Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator, especially since he's just a rogue cultivator.

Lu Zaian had already made up his mind that if this Meridian Opening Pill failed to break through the bottleneck, he would come to the Spirit Pill Pavilion again in a year or two, and presumably the maid would not connect the two then.

After all, he wasn't the only one wearing a black robe and cloak on the street.

As Lu Zaian pondered, he passed by a five-story building called "Lianbaolou" next to him.

The outer walls of this treasure pavilion shimmered with a strange golden light, as if the entire pavilion had transformed into a powerful magical artifact standing there.

Many cultivators were coming and going from the Treasure Refining Pavilion, carrying all sorts of magical treasures and refining materials.

Lu Zaian couldn't resist going in to take a look.

After declining the waiter's offer to lead him around, and explaining that he was just looking around casually, Lu Zaian still got his fill of visual enjoyment.

"Golden Edge Sword, a first-tier low-grade magic weapon, is about three feet long and is made by incorporating a small amount of Gengling Gold. The sword is engraved with magic arrays that enhance its power, such as Qi Condensation, Sharpening, and Blade Destruction. It is priced at seventy low-grade spirit stones."

"Fire Spirit Seal, a mid-grade first-tier magic weapon, is forged from materials such as Earth Profound Fire Core and Fire Spirit Vine. It has effects such as suppression and spirit burning, and is priced at 150 spirit stones."

"..."

Each gleaming magical artifact was simply labeled with its effects and power.

Lu Zaian was itching to see this, but he noticed that the auras of the passing cultivators were terrifyingly strong, ranging from mid-stage to late-stage Qi Refining, and he rarely saw any early-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

He calmed down afterward.

'I can only gradually reveal some spirit stones without arousing suspicion once I reach the mid-to-late stage of Qi Refining.'

Although Lu Zaian knew that exchanging spirit stones for magic weapons to enhance combat power was better than simply keeping them in his storage space.

However, compared to the potential trouble that spending spirit stones might bring, Lu Zaian chose to play it safe.

After strolling around Black Rock Market, Lu Zaian gained a great deal of knowledge.

It contains all sorts of rare and unusual cultivation materials, treasures, and even cultivation techniques.

There were even several top-grade first-tier water-based cultivation techniques that Lu Zaian coveted.

Some claim to increase the probability of breaking through to a higher realm, while others claim to be invincible among those of the same level once mastered...

Regardless, after entering Black Rock Market, Lu Zaian realized that the first-tier low-grade cultivation technique he had been practicing, "Water Flow Technique," was nothing more than a common, ubiquitous skill.

Not only is the speed of spiritual energy circulation and conversion slow, but it also does not help in breaking through the bottleneck of Qi refining.

'Damn it, this cultivation system is so wasteful! Breaking through realms requires buying pills, fighting and surviving requires buying magic weapons, the speed of cultivation depends on buying cultivation techniques, and mastering skills requires buying materials to practice...'

Lu Zaian didn't even look at the materials needed to practice making talismans, which must have been very expensive.

Fortunately, the initial practice of formations does not require material costs; a sand table, a pile of stones, and wooden sticks are enough.

The only cost might be energy and time, which is a precious expense for other cultivators, but it is something Lu Zaian has no shortage of.

'So I should start with the art of formations?' Lu Zaian pondered to himself.