Outside the Sect's Instructor Hall.

From afar, Huang Qingxu, who was organizing scrolls inside the hall, lit up upon seeing Chen Sheng's figure. He immediately put down the jade scroll in his hand and briskly walked out to greet him.

His gaze swept over Chen Sheng's body and clearly captured the divine sense and spiritual pressure that belonged to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Huang Qingxu clasped his hands and smiled:

"Congratulations on mastering the True Inheritance Foundation Establishment Technique! Judging by this degree of condensed aura, your foundation must be incredibly solid."

Chen Sheng nodded with a smile, his gaze falling upon this Elder of the Instructor Hall.

During a banquet at Wanxiang Tower that day, this person was by Zhao Jinhua's side, along with two others, all of whom were elders of various halls.

Chen Sheng showed a light smile and spoke warmly:

"I have come today specifically to select a cultivation technique."

Huang Qingxu was moved, knowing this was an excellent opportunity to build a relationship. He was about to introduce several suitable fire attribute cultivation techniques.

But Chen Sheng waved his hand with a smile:

"There's no need to trouble Elder Huang. My master has already chosen the 'Pure Yang Qi Technique' for me. Please just fetch it."

The enthusiasm on Huang Qingxu's face did not diminish at all. Although he secretly lamented missing an opportunity to shine, he continuously praised:

"The Hall Master's foresight is indeed sharp!"

"This 'Pure Yang Qi Technique' seems plain, but it's actually the best for advancing to Golden Core. For a true inheritor, it's practically a tailor-made advancement tool."

After saying this, he quickly called over a steward from the hall, instructing him to retrieve the jade scroll containing the technique from the depths of the Scripture Pavilion.

Chen Sheng took the jade scroll, feeling the cool jade texture with his fingertips, and then asked:

"May I ask Elder, is there a method regarding the Sea of Consciousness Restriction within the sect that I can view?"

Huang Qingxu, upon hearing this, displayed an understanding smile and lowered his voice:

"This method requires a high level of divine sense strength. According to the rules, it can only be viewed by those at the late-stage of Foundation Establishment."

"However, since Chen the true inheritor is interested, I can make an exception and show you the initial two foundational heart techniques."

Having said that, he winked meaningfully at Chen Sheng.

Chen Sheng immediately understood this was Elder Huang showing goodwill. He feigned hesitation and said: "Wouldn't this be too troublesome for the elder?"

"It's no trouble at all!" Huang Qingxu quickly waved his hand, "To serve a true inheritor is Huang's duty."

Chen Sheng laughed heartily, clasped his hands, and said:

"Thank you, Elder. Having such dedicated elders is truly the fortune of the sect."

After some pleasantries, while waiting for the steward to fetch the jade scroll, Chen Sheng asked Huang Qingxu for advice on many cultivation technique details and escape techniques.

Then, he found that this elder was definitely talented, having a profound understanding of the sect's teachings.

Whether it's the strengths and weaknesses of techniques, cultivation challenges, or the compatibility of escape techniques, he spoke with clarity and depth.

Clearly having immersed in the role at the Instructor Hall for many years, he had honed a solid set of skills.

Before leaving, Chen Sheng cupped his hands and invited:

"Recently, I've been busy with cultivation. In a few days, I will host a banquet and invite Brother Zhao, Elder Li from the Internal Affairs Hall, and Elder Qin from the Disciplinary Hall."

"It's been half a year since we last met at Wanxiang Tower, and since we are all in the sect, we should get to know each other better."

Upon hearing this, Huang Qingxu was overjoyed and quickly agreed.

As Chen Sheng's figure disappeared at the end of the mountain path, the enthusiasm on Huang Qingxu's face gradually faded, revealing a hint of complexity.

Although he was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he was merely a 'pioneering generation' of a small family, with even less background than Zhao Jinhua, whose ancestors at least had some prominence and connections.

If not, Huang Qingxu would not have been assigned to the Instructor Hall—an almost unprofitable place.

He now barely earned enough to maintain daily cultivation, but he also had a family behind him…

It was truly a drop in the ocean!

If he didn't seize the opportunity to network and seek opportunities, he might remain stuck at the early-stage Foundation Establishment for life, and even his family would struggle to sustain.

…

Returning to the Hidden Dragon Cave.

Chen Sheng immediately took out the 'Pure Yang Qi Technique' jade scroll and immersed his divine sense in it to study carefully.

This cultivation technique's structure was clear, allowing cultivation up to the early-stage Golden Core, with every cultivation node marked in detail.

He sat cross-legged on a mat.

Following the technique's guidance, he moved the liquid mana in his dantian along a new meridian path, slowly refining the surrounding spiritual qi into pure yang magical power.

However, without the reinforcement of cultivation experience, the limitations of a lower-grade spiritual root suddenly became apparent—efficiency in refining mana drastically decreased.

After several circulations, Chen Sheng couldn't help but sigh:

"Cultivation with lower-grade spiritual roots is indeed arduous at every step."

He then took out a Tier Two Lower Grade Essence Storage Pill, flicked it, and the pill dissolved upon entering his mouth, transforming into a gentle medicinal power nourishing his whole body.

Upon activating the technique again, his meridians seemed like a dredged riverbed, with an efficiency increase in refining mana by thirty percent.

Chen Sheng noted:

"It definitely requires the aid of elixirs."

His divine sense swept over the jade bottle in front of him, and he pondered:

"One Essence Storage Pill costs two hundred lower-grade spirit stones, three per month amounts to six hundred, and six thousand for a year…"

"Ordinary loose cultivators, after Foundation Establishment, almost fall into a situation of having no elixirs to consume, so it's no wonder they can hardly progress throughout their lives."

He casually picked up an Essence Storage Pill, his divine sense swept over it, and although he couldn't fully deduce the complete pill formula, he identified three of the core ingredients.

Calculating the costs and selling price, Chen Sheng's eyes lit up:

"The profit from Tier Two Elixirs is nearly seventy percent. Indeed, high-end alchemy is a treasure trove."

Thinking of this.

Chen Sheng decided to refine more Tier Two Elixirs in the future, which would not only aid his cultivation but also earn spirit stones.

This is much more cost-effective than focusing solely on Tier One Elixirs.

"If I can improve a few pill formulas to cut costs, it's a long-term strategy."

Three hours later, his meridians had absorbed mana to full capacity, and Chen Sheng stopped the technique and closed his eyes to calculate:

"At this pace, condensing a drop of pure yang mana would take three years, and reaching the initial peak stage would require thirty drops, taking ninety years!"

This number struck him:

"Adding the time to break through bottlenecks, by the time I reach the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, I might already be old."

It was at this moment that he truly understood why his fourth senior brother repeatedly lamented that lower-grade spiritual roots struggled to advance past the early-stage Foundation Establishment.

The 'Pure Yang Qi Technique' required the least amount of mana.

If he had chosen those powerful techniques requiring fifty drops of mana at the initial stage, merely accumulating would take one hundred and fifty years, enough to exhaust an ordinary person's entire life.

"Although my spiritual roots are poor, I have advantages such as elixirs, high-tier dojos, and body refining, making my cultivation speed comparable to resource-deprived high-grade spiritual root cultivators."

Chen Sheng shook his head:

"This means that even high-grade spiritual root cultivators, without sufficient resources or the right chosen technique, have a slim chance of reaching the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment in their lifetime!"

Clearly, most who achieve Foundation Establishment are talented individuals with high-grade spiritual roots, but over half of these remain trapped at the early-stage Foundation Establishment throughout their lives. Knowing this, Chen Sheng fully understood the reason!

This was merely the accumulation of mana; considering bottlenecks made it even more challenging.

As he speculated further, his heart grew cold: the mana requirement from mid-stage to late-stage Foundation Establishment doubled, and reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection required three to four hundred years!

Far beyond the lifespan of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator!

"No wonder most cultivators don't dare to dream of Golden Core; they can't even afford the time for Foundation Establishment Perfection."

Chen Sheng quickly took out the jade scroll given by the Dragon Void Daoist, scanning with his divine sense the cultivation records of those lower-grade spiritual root cultivators.

These cultivators progressed rapidly, clearly for a reason!

After a long time, he opened his eyes, a realization dawning in his heart, a decisive glint in his eyes:

"With poor aptitude, I cannot cultivate leisurely in Refining Qi. My previous ways of taking pills were too conservative."

"During the Foundation Establishment stage, I must aggressively use elixirs to speed up progress, complemented by cleansing spiritual items to maintain mana purity, facilitating breakthroughs."

"This is the only way to race against time."

Chen Sheng looked at the deepening evening outside the cave and slowly exhaled a turbid breath:

"The Immortal Dao is ethereal, and every step is arduous."

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