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

Deep within the Spirit Plant Garden.

The cold mist that originally lingered and drifted over the black soil was something that Lu Zaian dared not approach.

But at this moment, it was blown away by the chubby little guy in one breath.

"Hiss...not a buddy?"

Lu Zaian turned his head and looked at the adorable little guy on his shoulder in utter shock. He never expected that such a small body contained such magical power.

Could it really be a rare and precious creature nurtured deep within the cold mist?

Moreover, with the little guy sitting on his shoulder, he didn't feel cold at all.

A slight coolness came over him, but Lu Zaian felt quite comfortable.

"Ee-woo~"

The little guy blinked his bright, sparkling eyes and stared at Lu Zaian, completely unaware that he had just done something big.

It's as easy as breathing to blow away the cold fog...

'This little guy seems quite extraordinary. In that case, I'll see what treasures are inside!'

Lu Zaian's heart, which had been immersed in the past, warmed up again. It was clear that this snow doll, which resembled an elf, had no ill intentions towards him.

Most importantly, it can control the cold mist, allowing it to penetrate deeper into the fog.

Lu Zaian took small, careful steps as he walked inside.

Although the little guy cleared the way through the cold fog, Lu Zaian was still afraid of other dangers, so he proceeded cautiously, taking each step with utmost care.

Half an hour later.

Lu Zaian felt that he had advanced another hundred feet.

A faint purple light could be seen blooming in the cold mist ahead, which actually pierced through the mist and stung Lu Zaian's eyes.

"What...what is that?" Lu Zaian was taken aback.

"Ee-woo ee-woo~"

The little guy sitting on Lu Zaian's left shoulder waved his chubby little hand, and the cold mist dissipated.

Before Lu Zai'an, a spiritual plant about two zhang tall appeared, like a shy woman whose dress had been lifted, revealing its entire form.

This is a spiritual plant that resembles a tree.

Strangely, the tree trunk and branches were a crystal-clear, icy blue, which complemented the surrounding cold mist.

On the branches, more than a dozen fruits radiating purple light were hanging.

Each fruit is about the size of a fist, crystal clear, like a transparent amethyst hanging on a branch!

"smell good!!"

As Lu Zaian approached the amethyst-like fruit, he immediately smelled a strong and mellow fragrance.

The aroma is as rich and mellow as a fine wine that has been brewed for a thousand years, as if it can intoxicate and fascinate one's body, mind and soul.

As Lu Zaian gazed at the fruit, his mouth watered, and his pores opened wide, greedily absorbing the exotic fragrance from afar, completely beyond his control.

It's like a parched traveler in the desert receiving a downpour of sweet rain, or a greedy drunkard indulging in fine wine...

"This...this...I'm about to break through?!"

Lu Zaian's face lit up with joy. He hadn't expected that just smelling the fragrance of the amethyst fruit would cause his energy to surge and make him feel like he was about to break through.

Lu Zaian didn't have time to think much. He quickly approached the divine tree, sat down cross-legged, and began to circulate his cultivation technique, "Azure Wave Source Infusion."

"Hey~"

The little guy floated up, circled Lu Zaian twice, and made a puzzled sound.

It seems to be asking why it stopped?

However, it did not disturb Lu Zaian. Instead, it swayed and climbed up the branch of the spiritual plant.

The little guy sat upright on a crystal-clear branch, his two little hands supporting him on either side, his two short legs dangling in mid-air, gazing at Lu Zaian with a face full of curiosity.

At this moment, Lu Zaian is at a crucial juncture in his breakthrough.

The exotic fragrance of the amethyst fruit was actually an incredibly rich energy, which was absorbed by Lu Zaian's pores.

Then, through the circulation and refinement of the body's meridians, it transforms into the purest magical power and is stored in the dantian.

Once a certain limit was reached, Lu Zaian's aura overflowed like water, breaking through to a new level.

"You've reached the fifth level of Qi Refining!"

Lu Zaian opened his eyes and felt the magical power flowing through his meridians like a gentle stream. His eyes couldn't help but radiate joy.

Back then, it took me three years of hard work to break through from the third level of Qi Refining to the fourth level in the outer area of ​​the Black Soil Mountains.

However, it has taken a total of half a year to go from the fourth level of Qi Refining to the fifth level.

That's a six-fold difference!

But Lu Zaian knew that the main reason was that he had been cultivating on the second-tier spiritual vein of the Spirit Medicine Valley for the past six months.

Furthermore, as a disciple of Lingyao Valley, he also consumed some pills to increase his cultivation level and switched to the mid-grade cultivation technique "Azure Wave Water Source Inscription".

These are all key factors for accelerating speed.

Wealth, methods, and location, as essential elements for cultivating immortality, laid a solid foundation for Lu Zaian to break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Of course, most importantly, I absorbed the aroma of the mysterious fruit in front of me!

Lu Zai'an calmed his breath and looked at the divine tree with burning eyes.

He couldn't believe that he had broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refining simply by smelling the aroma; what would happen if he actually ate one?!

Could it be that he instantly broke through to the sixth level of Qi Refining? The seventh level...?

However, the next moment, Lu Zaian shook his head, and his eyes regained their clarity.

"From what I understand, the more powerful these rare and precious herbs are, the less they should be consumed casually. If I were to actually swallow one, I'm afraid I'd explode and die before even breaking through to the next level..."

Lu Zaian inherited Elder Xiao's memories from the Spirit Medicine Valley, and having spent more than half a year there himself, he learned a great deal about rare and precious herbs.

The amount of energy contained in a fruit that resembles a high-level spiritual plant is unimaginable.

The meridians and dantian of Qi Refining cultivators are inherently weak and cannot withstand such energy exertion.

If one were to force oneself to consume it, the violent energy would likely surge forth like a raging flood.

However, one's own delicate meridians cannot withstand this energy and will be torn apart instantly, like a balloon being burst!

"It's a pity I can't take them now... but they all look ripe, so I can pick them and store them in my storage space!"

Lu Zaian's eyes flickered, but then he looked at the little guy swinging his legs on the tree branch.

'I wonder what the relationship is between this little guy and this sacred tree? What if it tries to stop us?'

Seemingly noticing Lu Zaian's gaze, the little creature in the tree stood up and jumped back onto Lu Zaian's shoulder.

"Ee-woo ee-woo~~"

The little guy pointed behind the sacred tree, indicating to Lu Zaian to continue deeper.

Do you want to go further in? What's inside?

Lu Zaian noticed the little guy's thoughts, pondered for a moment, and pointed to the amethyst fruit on the tree and asked.

"Little one, can I pick these fruits and take them with me?"

"Eee-ooh!!"

Along the way, Lu Zaian thought the little guy was quite easy to talk to and that things should work out.

To everyone's surprise, upon hearing Lu Zaian's question, the little guy shook his head violently, made a dissatisfied sound, and glared at Lu Zaian with a huff.

It seems to be saying, "Don't even think about touching my baby..."