I Live Forever In The World of Cultivation World

Chapter 86: The sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm 

As for whether the tunnel would ever be used, even He Song himself wasn’t too sure.

After preparing this backup plan, He Song spent his days focusing on cultivation and studying the Introduction to Talismans Book.

It had to be said that, having already learned the Introduction to Formations Book, He Song’s comprehension of the Introduction to Talismans Book progressed rapidly.

Based on his calculations, it would take him about a year to fully grasp the concepts of the Introduction to Talismans Book.

By that time, he could start practicing the actual crafting of talismans.

Another year dedicated to talisman crafting should allow him to start earning spirit stones through it.

He would begin with the low-grade Thick Earth Talisman, followed by the low-grade Golden Sword Talisman, and the low-grade Swift Step Talisman.

Once he achieved a stable success rate with low-grade talismans, he would then attempt crafting mid-grade talismans.

The Introduction to Talismans Book and Introduction to Formations Book had their differences.

Although the talisman guide only included methods for creating three types of talismans, these talismans were categorized into low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade versions, corresponding to the early, middle, and late stages of the Qi Refinement Realm, respectively.

In other words, purchasing the Introduction to Talismans Book allowed one to learn how to craft these three talismans at all three quality levels.

Compared to the Introduction to Formations Book, which only contained methods for setting up three formations, the talisman guide was clearly more cost-effective.

However, this was likely because talismans were consumables by nature.

Furthermore, formation mastery required innate talent; without it, even studying for decades might not guarantee success.

With different levels of difficulty and rewards, it was natural that there was a disparity between the two fields.

He Song was fortunate to possess a talent for formations, which allowed him to achieve entry-level proficiency after three years of study and successfully set up a Spirit Gathering Formation.

Without such talent, he might have wasted decades without even mastering the most basic formation.

Talisman crafting, on the other hand, was different.

Even ordinary cultivators, through years of practice, could eventually master talisman crafting and achieve a decent success rate.

With some luck, they could even amass significant wealth from it.

Due to this disparity, most cultivators who sought a trade skill flocked to learn talisman crafting.

This also led to intense competition and price reductions in the talisman market.

Meanwhile, formation techniques and other cultivation-related crafts were rarely pursued.

Aside from talisman crafting, most other cultivation arts either required a heavy investment of spirit stones, exceptional talent, or years of dedicated effort.

In the cultivation world, which valued raw power above all else, these factors deterred most people.

Large sects and powerful clans undoubtedly had individuals skilled in various cultivation arts, but for wandering cultivators, opportunities to learn such skills were scarce.

No one wanted to waste precious cultivation time chasing an uncertain future.

Time was the ultimate adversary.

In the cultivation world, hierarchy was determined by one’s cultivation level.

On one side was talisman crafting—an accessible, everyday necessity that could quickly turn into a source of income.

On the other was formation study—an uncertain, long-term investment that could potentially slow down cultivation progress for years, with no guaranteed success.

For wandering cultivators lacking time, resources, and power, the choice was obvious.

Even if they understood that success in formations could change their fate,

The long period of unseen returns and the continuous loss of cultivation progress deterred them.

It wasn’t that no wandering cultivators had tried,

But most of them gave up during the lengthy investment phase.

As for those lucky enough to have formation talent and successfully learn the three basic formations to establish their own spirit farmlands—

He Song had never encountered such people and had no idea of their fate.

Thus, a year passed in the blink of an eye.

Throughout the entire year, He Song heard no concrete news about the evil cultivators outside the Immortal Market.

Even Wei Fan had no updates regarding them.

Every time they met at the beginning of the month, He Song would ask about the situation.

But Wei Fan would always shake his head, indicating that he had no news either.

Seeing this, the slight concern He Song initially felt gradually turned into a heavy burden in his heart.

No news was often the biggest news.

Perhaps he should leave the Immortal Market and hide among mortals for a while?

This thought flashed through He Song's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

No, that's not an option.

He wasn't fully prepared yet—he hadn't even learned all the spells of the Qi Refinement Realm, nor had he stocked up on a sufficient number of protective talismans or acquired a life-saving artifact.

If he left the Immortal Market now, his safety might be even more compromised than if he stayed.

Rather than leaving now, it would be better to wait for his spirit rice to mature, sell it a few times to build up his reserves of spirit stones, and significantly enhance his combat capabilities before making any decisions.

That way, he wouldn't have to fear being killed by evil cultivators while traveling outside.

At that time, this was He Song's train of thought.

And he acted accordingly.

Now, a whole year had passed.

As He Song opened his eyes, a surge of spiritual pressure burst forth from his body.

"Sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm! Excellent, excellent!"

Feeling the sudden increase in spiritual energy within his body, a fleeting look of joy appeared on He Song's face.

A year ago, when he set up the Five Elements Formation, he had a vague feeling that he would break through to the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm within a year.

He hadn't expected that it would take an entire year to finally achieve this breakthrough.

Although it came later than he had anticipated,

A breakthrough is always a good thing.

At sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, he could now be considered a mid-tier cultivator within Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market.

If he could break through the next bottleneck and reach seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm, he would instantly rise to the ranks of the upper echelon, standing shoulder to shoulder with high-level cultivators like Wei Fan.

Thinking of how Wei Fan was only at Level Eight, while he had now reached Level Six, a hint of pride flashed across He Song’s eyes.

Choosing formation studies as his cultivation trade had indeed been the right decision.

If not for the support of the Spirit Gathering Formation, his cultivation progress would have been much slower.

He might have barely reached fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm by now at best.

However, despite his breakthrough to Level Six, He Song’s momentary joy did not last long.

Sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm...

The next challenge would be progressing to the late-stage of Qi Refinement Realm.

If he encountered an insurmountable bottleneck during this phase, what would he do?

This thought crossed his mind, and his gaze unconsciously shifted to his storage bag.

Inside, a hundred spirit stones gleamed brightly.

Talisman brushes, talisman ink, and talisman paper were all neatly arranged.

"Thankfully, everything is ready; all that’s needed now is the right opportunity. Once I become a talisman master, even if the bottleneck proves difficult, with my spirit farmland, at least I'll have enough spirit stones to purchase a Breakthrough Pill."