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

Lu Zaian has been cultivating the "Bibo Water Source Note" for half a year, and is now stuck at the bottleneck of minor completion.

To break through, one must understand the principle of how water-based magical power changes from stillness to motion.

Perhaps extreme compression is one way to achieve this.

Drops of water gather to form streams, streams converge to form rivers, and rivers flow into the sea.

From a gentle stream to a raging torrent, perhaps that is the key to a breakthrough.

Just as Lu Zaian was pondering, Fatty Han had already stepped off the stage with the triumphant stride.

Lu Zaian stepped forward with a smile and congratulated him, "Congratulations on your first victory, Senior Brother Han!"

"Hehe~ It's nothing to boast about the power of magic weapons..." Fatty Han waved his hand, seemingly humble, but actually quite proud.

Lu Zai'an seized the opportunity to ask:

"Senior Brother Han, this Golden Dragon Armor is both offensive and defensive, truly domineering. I wonder which master craftsman forged it? I am also very interested in it. I wonder if Senior Brother Han could introduce me?"

Fearing that Fatty Han would refuse outright, Lu Zaian added, "Don't worry, spirit stones are not a problem."

A top-grade first-tier defensive magic weapon like this, including the materials, would cost no more than two thousand spirit stones. Lu Zaian could definitely afford it right now.

Fatty Han raised his eyebrows beneath his glass mask, looking smug.

"Haha, Junior Brother Lu is indeed worthy of being one of my kind. Only such domineering armor is worthy of us cultivators."

"No problem, to tell you the truth, this armor was made by my grandfather."

"Oh? I never expected it to be your father, who possesses such exquisite craftsmanship in weapon forging." Lu Zaian couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

This is the advantage of having a family background.

The path of cultivation is not a solitary battle, but rather one supported by an entire family.

"I wonder how many spirit stones it would take to forge a complete set of armor?"

"Hmm... I wouldn't have earned these spirit stones without Junior Brother Lu, so I'll give you a friendly price: 1,900 spirit stones!"

Fatty Han made a generous promise and quoted a price.

"...Alright! Then I'll thank Senior Brother Han."

However, I hope the armor color won't be so bright; black would be more understated.

Then it should be compatible with water-based magic, and ideally, easy to wear and take off. Would that be suitable?

Lu Zaian bowed and thanked him, while making a small request.

Han Pangzi's golden armor was far too bright and eye-catching, and was destined to be unsuitable for Lu Zai'an.

"No problem, it's all covered."

Han Pang patted his chest and agreed to everything.

Han Pangzi had his own ulterior motives for readily agreeing to Lu Zaian's request.

Despite his slick and high-profile demeanor, and seemingly arrogant and disdainful attitude, he is actually quite meticulous and has his own set of principles for dealing with people and things.

First of all, he could already make a profit from the custom-made armor costing 1,900 spirit stones.

Secondly, in his eyes, although Lu Zaian was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, he was someone who did not like fighting, did not want to cause trouble, and was focused on diligent cultivation.

Han Pangzi visited Lu Zaian's cave several times to make transactions and found that Lu Zaian was either cultivating or studying formations. It could be said that he never slacked off.

What's remarkable is that even at over seventy years old, Lu Zaian did not give up on himself, and he never showed any signs of decadence or decline.

Whenever Han Pangzi interacted with Lu Zaian, he could always feel a calm, gentle, and vibrant life force.

There are indeed cultivators in the cultivation world who achieve great things later in life.

Even if we take a step back and assume that Lu Zaian's cultivation level doesn't improve, a Qi Refining stage cultivator only has about twenty years to live.

But just based on his status as a formation master, he can still be quite popular among Qi Refining disciples.

As a weapon refiner in the upstream industry, he could also make a fortune by helping Lu Zaian refine array plates.

Just like this time.

That's why Fatty Han was willing to cultivate a good relationship with Lu Zaian...

The competition continues.

As the matches progressed, the various methods employed by the disciples gradually intensified.

Often, it takes both sides a long and drawn-out battle, sometimes even until they've played all their cards, before one side can win.

And its ranking gradually fell out of the top 100.

Lu Zaian also studied hard, his mind churning with countless ideas and inspirations.

Incidentally, I also remembered who received the two spiritual materials I needed.

It just so happens that both of them are disciples of the herbalist and plant master.

Lu Zaian planned to purchase spiritual materials from them after the competition, as he owed them a debt of gratitude for his array formations, so it shouldn't be a problem.

On the other side, Fatty Han came on three more times during the game.

He won the first hard-fought victory, but then lost the next two!

He ultimately ranked thirty-first.

One of those times was when he was defeated by Jiang Qiuyue.

Jiang Qiuyue, as Xiao Fenlin's personal disciple, possessed a superior fire spirit root and had a remarkable cultivation level, reaching the seventh level of Qi Refining.

He also possesses the "Red Jade Silk" first-tier top-grade magic weapon.

Although Han Pangzi was unafraid of fire despite wearing golden armor, he was eventually entangled by the red jade ribbon and thrown out of the arena, resulting in a regrettable defeat.

The second time, however, it was an instant defeat.

Because he encountered Leng Sheng, the second senior brother of the inner sect!

Let's return to the battle we just fought.

Although Leng Sheng's cultivation level was only at the eighth level of Qi Refining, the weapon he used was only a first-grade high-quality treasure sword.

But with just one swing of the blade, a river of blood gushed forth, the intense killing intent and stench of blood directly causing Fatty Han to faint.

Jin Jia was unharmed, but he was genuinely "frightened" into fainting.

Even outside the arena's barrier, the disciples, including Lu Zaian, could feel the trembling as if facing a formidable enemy.

That surging river of blood, swirling with murderous intent like a tidal wave, made the viewer feel as if they had fallen into an icy hell, their limbs stiff and unresponsive.

How much bloodshed must it have taken to create such overwhelming killing intent? It's terrifying... Lu Zaian thought to himself.

.........

On the high platform of the martial arts training ground.

Elder Zhong, whose face was contorted with distress, couldn't help but click his tongue when he saw the blood river of killing intent that Leng Sheng unleashed.

"Tsk tsk, this little guy, he clearly cultivates water-based techniques, but he's actually forged a path of bloodshed, using rivers of blood to carry his killing intent and intimidate his enemies..."

Elder Jin, with a full beard, laughed heartily.

"Haha, no wonder this kid was unwilling to become an apprentice and wouldn't let anyone teach him. Our Spirit Medicine Valley really can't teach him the Blood Slaughter Dao."

As long as he doesn't stray from the right path, once he reaches the Foundation Establishment stage, our Spirit Medicine Valley will likely gain a remarkable new figure.

Valley Master Zhuge Qing, seated at the head of the table, also nodded slightly.

"Leng Sheng's entire family had died in the beast tide. Since then, he has devoted himself to killing beasts and practicing the Blood Killing Technique. Although he is somewhat obsessive, as long as his temperament is not affected, he will definitely be a good prospect."

Elder Jin then changed the subject again: "That Fatty Han's golden armor does have its merits, but unfortunately his temperament is too poor, and he can't withstand the killing intent."

"Even a Qi Refining Level 6 cultivator can produce top-grade armor. It seems that this year's disciples are quite impressive in both strength and wealth."

Another Foundation Establishment elder said with a smile.

Elder Wei, standing nearby, stroked his magnificent beard and explained calmly:

"You're wrong. It's just that the chubby guy recently made a big deal and earned several thousand spirit stones, which is why he changed into the top-grade armor."