One month later.

Xu Ping, who had already gathered seven bottles of Demon Beast blood, did not continue hunting them, as the blood was sufficient for his use.

After leaving the Nightmare Marsh, Xu Ping returned straight to the Zhang family and resumed his silent cultivation.

In the following days, the offensive from Hu Country was slow and steady, seemingly not eager to achieve quick results.

However, the Luoyun Sect grew increasingly impatient, even beginning to forcibly summon Loose Cultivators to join the battle, which made the entire situation in the Yue Country increasingly chaotic.

In stark contrast, the Ten Thousand Mountains at the periphery remained relatively undisturbed.

After all, Yue Country was vast, and there were very few Loose Cultivators who fled to the Ten Thousand Mountains, their strength barely significant.

Occasionally, troublemakers were inevitably eradicated by the four Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Ten Thousand Mountains.

...

Time passed by swiftly, and a year slipped away quietly.

On this day, inside the cultivation room.

"The last one!"

Xu Ping poured out the last Qi Refining Pill from the Jade Bottle, swallowed it silently, operated his Cultivation Technique, and began cultivating with full concentration.

As the Pill's power was refined, a boundless rush of Spiritual Qi surged towards him, enveloping his form completely in a thick spiritual mist.

Cultivation makes one lose track of time.

No one knows how long it took, but suddenly, a green light burst around Xu Ping, illuminating the secluded room with flickering brightness.

Whoosh!

A stream of air lifted his robe, dispersing the thick spiritual mist around him.

Xu Ping suddenly opened his eyes, and a gentle green flashed past.

"Phew!"

He let out a long breath, feeling the changes in his body, overwhelmed with emotion, "This... is the Minor Achievement of the Longevity Skill?"

The excitement surged in his heart, as he eagerly opened his panel.

[Name: Xu Ping]

[Lifespan: 38/288 years]

[Realm: Early-Stage Foundation Establishment: 78/100; Blood Demon Body Refining Layer Two: 65/100]

[Cultivation Technique: Longevity Skill Minor Achievement: 1/800]

...

"It truly is a Minor Achievement!" Xu Ping couldn't help but grin widely, the joy in his heart welling up like a tidal wave.

He tried hard to suppress his inner excitement, closed his eyes, and carefully sensed the changes in his body.

First, his cultivation speed had increased by a third again; at his current speed, it was at least comparable to an Upper Grade Spirit Root.

Secondly, the purity, or rather the quality of the liquid Mana within his Dantian had improved again. This drop of liquid Mana was at least equivalent to one and a half drops of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator's.

Under the same conditions, the power of his Magic or Magical Artifacts would be at least twice that of a regular Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

"At this rate, who knows if the liquid Mana in my Dantian will show signs of solidifying once the Longevity Skill reaches Perfection." He speculated in his heart, imagining all sorts of possibilities for the future.

"If it does, coupled with the 'Thousand Leaves Scripture,' my success rate for forming the Golden Core could reach at least sixty to seventy percent." Xu Ping couldn't help but clench his fist, with excitement flashing in his eyes.

With such a terrifying success rate, how could anyone not be mad with envy, apart from those with Celestial Spirit Roots?

If he could further obtain one or two Spiritual Objects for Core Formation, while it might not be a hundred percent, but an eighty to ninety percent success rate could still be achievable.

"Eighty to ninety percent!" Xu Ping muttered to himself, as the excitement within him gradually dissipated.

He understood that meals had to be eaten bite by bite, and paths walked step by step. For now, he was only at the Early-Stage Foundation Establishment, still a distance from Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment, let alone the Golden Core.

Once his emotions settled, he turned his gaze towards the lifespan section on the panel.

"Wait a minute... my lifespan has actually increased by fifteen years!"

He was surprised to see that the original "273" had turned into "288".

He knew that breaking through the Longevity Skill would increase his lifespan, but he didn't expect it to be so much at once.

"Could it be that the further the Longevity Skill progresses, the more the lifespan increases? Wouldn't that mean when the Longevity Skill reaches Perfection, my lifespan could approach four hundred years!"

A four-hundred-year lifespan for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator would likely mean a considerable chance of breaking through to the Golden Core, even without any other methods, just by slowly honing the Mana.

"Indeed, choosing the Longevity Skill back then was an incredibly wise decision!" Xu Ping smiled, yet a hint of regret lingered in his heart, "The only flaw is that my realm hasn't advanced!"

He lowered his gaze, focusing on his realm.

"Just 22 points short. At my current cultivation speed, it would probably take about... two years!" Xu Ping estimated the time it would take him to break through to the Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment, "Two years later, I'll be just forty... Forty years old at the Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment, still very young, with a good chance of reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection before a hundred!"

Foundation Establishment Perfection is essentially considered the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment, though it refers to a Late-Stage Foundation Establishment where the Mana has reached its limit.

The gap between entering the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment and reaching the limit at Foundation Establishment is significant, so in the Cultivation Realm, the limit is specifically referred to as Foundation Establishment Perfection.

"However, how long has it been since I've used the identity of Zhang Yu!" Xu Ping stroked his chin, contemplating.

When Zhang Yu went to Qiu Xuan Immortal City, he didn't have much lifespan left, and now after a few more years, in the eyes of others, he was probably on the brink of death due to exhaustion.

In the current chaos in Yue Country, while resources in the Ten Thousand Mountains were somewhat lacking, it was safe and stable, and Xu Ping didn't want to leave rashly before the situation became clear.

"Perhaps I can spread the word that I've found a Spiritual Object that extends life." He mused to himself.

Although Spiritual Objects that extend life are extremely precious and rare, probably no one in the entire Ten Thousand Mountains could verify the truth of his claim.

"Forget it. With my current means, staying with the Zhang family won't be difficult. For now, I should focus on collecting Spirit Medicine to refine Qi Refining Pills; without them, my cultivation speed would drop significantly."

Just as Xu Ping was preparing to head out to gather the herbs.

Buzz!

The Sound Transmission Talisman given by Duan Shuang, which Xu Ping kept in his bosom, suddenly began to flicker.

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