In the next half month, Zhou Xun exhausted all the Tier Two High-Grade Spirit Medicine at hand, transforming them into numerous pills.

In doing so, he mastered the refining methods of three or four types of Tier Two High-Grade Spirit Pills.

However, he is not planning to release these pills anytime soon.

Having made some breakthroughs in Alchemy Techniques, he plans to reduce his focus on this aspect.

He decided to focus his energy on the Path of Talisman.

The situation over at Red Leaf Square is becoming increasingly dire, and with it, a large number of Tier Two Demon Beasts have been killed, leaving Zhou Xun with a significant accumulation of materials for Tier Two Talismans.

As of now, he has over a hundred Tier Two Low-Grade Talismans and more than fifty Tier Two genuine talismans.

All those Tier Two Low-Grade Talismans he sold at Danhai Pavilion through Old Daoist Chuyun.

Nowadays, Zhou Xun intentionally or unintentionally showcases his talisman-making level.

Of course, what he reveals is only the Tier Two Low-Grade Talismans.

This earned him quite a few Spirit Stones.

...

Underground lake cave mansion.

Zhou Xun used his Divine Sense to introspect. With each breath, strands of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi were drawn into his body, circulating through his meridians, and finally transformed into a thread of mana, merging into the liquid magical power within his Dantian.

"I'm fifty-eight this year, cultivating for over forty years, and the liquid magical power in my Dantian has finally reached ninety-nine drops, achieving the Peak of Sixth-Layer Foundation Establishment!"

The rich spiritual qi in the underground cave mansion greatly accelerated Zhou Xun's cultivation.

This was much faster than he originally estimated for reaching the Peak of Sixth-Layer Foundation Establishment.

The next breakthrough would be Late-Stage Foundation Establishment.

Without hesitation, Zhou Xun closed his eyes again, employing the Cyan Wood Spirit Technique, attempting a breakthrough to Late-Stage Foundation Establishment.

Suddenly, Zhou Xun's entire body emitted cyan light, and the dense spiritual qi around him rapidly surged into his body,

accompanied by the continuous ebb and flow of cyan light, untold amounts of time seemed to pass.

Suddenly!

Zhou Xun's expression changed slightly as he clutched his Dantian.

It seemed as if countless flying needles were piercing indiscriminately inside his Dantian, making his face turn colorless, showing an expression of pain.

Puff!

A muffled grunt.

"Still failed!"

Zhou Xun's face was somewhat pale as he immediately slapped his waist, fetching a Tier Two High-Grade Healing Elixir.

After consuming it, he began to close his eyes and refine it.

After quite a while, a hint of color finally returned to his face.

If not for his Body Refinement Technique, his meridians being stronger than ordinary people, the injury would have been much worse.

He wouldn't have recovered so easily.

"Indeed, it's called the hardest checkpoint in the Foundation Establishment Stage; it's not easy to breakthrough!"

Zhou Xun sighed, though he wasn't surprised by the result.

In cultivation, reaching the limit of a realm doesn't guarantee a successful breakthrough.

The majority of cultivators find themselves stuck at a certain stage, wasting countless years.

The bottleneck at Late-Stage Foundation Establishment is something over eighty percent of Middle-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators can't overcome in their lifetime.

"Fortunately, I possess the High-Grade Spirit Root Extreme, so even encountering a bottleneck isn't too severe; it's relatively easier to breakthrough!"

Generally, when a cultivator faces a bottleneck while breaking through, there are only a few options.

One is to consume pills that aid in breakthroughs, such as the Jade Condensation Pill, which assists in breaking through Late-Stage Foundation Establishment.

If Zhou Xun can find this pill, consuming it will likely lead directly to a breakthrough.

The second is to go on adventures or engage in Magical Combat, breaking through in enlightenment, which is also a choice for many cultivators.

Another is to rely on the power of time, slowly grinding away, with persistence breaking down resistance.

Eventually, one day the bottleneck may be broken.

However, this method consumes vast amounts of time, and most cultivators haven't broken the bottleneck before passing away.

"Alas! It's unfortunate that the cultivation level I've revealed is only Third-Layer Foundation Establishment; otherwise, there must be pills to break through Late Stage in the White Cloud Immortal City's Treasure Pavilion!"

"Given my importance to the Immortal City, obtaining a Jade Condensation Pill should be no problem!"

"However, this attempt wasn't entirely without gain!"

"Although it failed, I can feel that the bottleneck has loosened under this impact!"

"With a few more attempts, surely I can break through!"

Zhou Xun then closed his eyes, continuing to regulate his breath.

After about three days, Zhou Xun finally returned to normal.

He then opened his eyes, stood up, and left the closed chamber.

Through the underwater passage of Wangchuan Lake, he returned to Lake Heart Island.

He didn't disclose the information about the underground Spirit Vein to anyone.

The secret of a Tier Three High-Grade Spirit Vein, if leaked, would attract all the Core Formation experts in the Eastern Wilderness.

By then, this Spirit Vein would certainly be beyond his reach.

In Jingxin Pavilion, Zhou Xun sat, sipping tea and enjoying the scenery.

With nearly a year spent in closed cultivation, his whole body felt rigid.

"Husband, when did you leave seclusion!"

At this time, a gracefully poised woman in a palace skirt walked up the stone steps outside the pavilion.

It was Song Yiqing,

after a year of separation, she truly missed him.

"Just now!"

Zhou Xun watched his concubine with keen interest.

"You've finally reached the Peak of Sixth-Layer Qi Refining!

Seeing Zhou Xun, Song Yiqing was quite pleased.

"Why haven't you consumed the Cyan Spirit Pill?"

"I want to try breaking through on my own!" Song Yiqing said.

Generally, those who break through on their own have a slightly more solid foundation, with fewer bottlenecks in future cultivation.

"Alright, I'll give you three more months. If you still can't breakthrough, consume the Cyan Spirit Pill and breakthrough; after all, you are forty, time waits for no one!"

Zhou Xun sighed.

"Husband, I understand!" Song Yiqing nodded.

"How are those three creatures?" Zhou Xun asked about his three Spirit Beasts.

"The Profound Armor Armadillo is progressing rapidly, close to reaching Tier Two Middle-Grade, and the Dragon Carp is near Tier One Peak,

but the Red Fire Simurgh is slower!"

Song Yiqing answered.

"What about the Thousand-Answering Insect?"

During the exploration of the Luo Family Treasure Vault years ago, Zhou Xun encountered a group of Gao Family cultivators, and the Thousand-Answering Insect was a spoil of that battle.

"It has grown somewhat larger, but hasn't awakened yet!"

Zhou Xun nodded.

The Thousand-Answering Insect has an extremely sensitive affinity for spiritual power, making it a great help in breaking arrays.

"Has Erniu sent any messages?"

In the past, he communicated with Wang Erniu every three months.

To stay updated on the situation with the Demon Beasts in Hundred Savage Mountain.

"Yes!"

Song Yiqing nodded, saying as she took out several unopened letters and continued:

"I've already sent a letter informing him of your seclusion!"

Zhou Xun took the letters, starting to read.

Red Leaf Square has now become the frontline in the battle against Demon Beasts.

Numerous human cultivators gather there, hunting Demon Beasts flowing out from Hundred Savage Mountain.

Wang Erniu expressed increasing concern in the letter.

"Brother, I have a feeling that the day the Beast Tide truly erupts might be when our Red Leaf Square falls!"

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