jiē xià lái ， lín xuān kāi shǐ quán lì tí shēng xiū wèi ， yǐ dān yào zuò wèi fǔ zhù ， jiā shàng tóng yǐ qián yī yàng de qín fèn kè kǔ ， guǒ rán huò dé le hěn dà shōu huò 。
接下来，林轩开始全力提升修为，以丹药做为辅助，加上同以前一样的勤奋刻苦，果然获得了很大收获。
Next, Lin Xuan began to fully enhance his cultivation, using medicinal pills as an aid. With the same diligence and hard work he had shown before, he indeed reaped significant gains.
gǔ jí shàng de jì zǎi méi yǒu cuò ， jí shǐ méi yǒu líng gēn de fán rén ， zhǐ yào yǒu zú gòu de yào cái zuò wèi zhī chēng ， tóng yàng kě yǐ sǎo qīng xiū xíng shàng miàn de zhàng ài 。
古籍上的记载没有错，即使没有灵根的凡人，只要有足够的药材做为支撑，同样可以扫清修行上面的障碍。
The ancient texts were correct; even ordinary people without spirit roots could clear away obstacles in their cultivation if they had sufficient medicinal materials to support them.
zài què dìng le zhè yì diǎn zhī hòu ， lín xuān gèng shì dà liàng fú shí xǐ suǐ dān ， ruò bú shì yào shū shàng jì zǎi měi tiān bù néng chāo guò jiǔ lì ， tā zhēn xiǎng jiāng líng yào dāng fàn chī 。
在确定了这一点之后，林轩更是大量服食洗髓丹，若不是药书上记载每天不能超过九粒，他真想将灵药当饭吃。
After confirming this point, Lin Xuan consumed large quantities of Essence Cleansing Pills. If not for the daily limit of nine pills as stated in the text, he would have gladly eaten more medicinal herbs like food.
ér zài líng yào de fú yòng fāng fǎ shàng ， lín xuān yě jiàn jiàn zǒng jié chū yī xiē xīn dé ， bú yào yī lì yī lì de fēn kāi fú yòng ， nà yàng yào lì yǒu xiàn ， xiào guǒ bù lǐ xiǎng 。
而在灵药的服用方法上，林轩也渐渐总结出一些心得，不要一粒一粒的分开服用，那样药力有限，效果不理想。
Regarding the method of consuming these medicines, Lin Xuan gradually developed some insights. He no longer took them one by one; doing so limited their effectiveness.
dāng rán ， xiàng chōng jī píng jǐng nà cì ， yī xià zi chī jiǔ lì ， yě shì bú duì de ， suī rán méi yǒu chāo guò xiàn é ， dàn yào lì tài měng ， bù jǐn huì ràng zì jǐ chī kǔ tóu ， ér qiě yě bù róng yì yī xià zi xī shōu ， nà xiē duō yú de yào lì huì zì jǐ sàn fà diào 。
当然，像冲击瓶颈那次，一下子吃九粒，也是不对的，虽然没有超过限额，但药力太猛，不仅会让自己吃苦头，而且也不容易一下子吸收，那些多余的药力会自己散发掉。
Of course, during his attempt to break through a bottleneck, taking all nine at once was also inappropriate. Although it didn't exceed the limit, the intense medicinal power made him suffer and was hard to absorb completely, with excess dissipating on its own.
zhè xiǎn rán shì yī zhǒng làng fèi de xíng wéi ， bù kě qǔ ！
这显然是一种浪费的行为，不可取！
This clearly was a wasteful behavior that should be avoided!
zhèng què de fāng fǎ yīng gāi shì ， měi cì fú yòng sān lì ， zǎo zhōng wǎn gè yī cì ， rán hòu jiù zuò xià xíng gōng ， zhè yàng xiào guǒ zuì hǎo 。
正确的方法应该是，每次服用三粒，早中晚各一次，然后就坐下行功，这样效果最好。
The correct method was to take three pills each time—morning, noon, and night—and then practice cultivation. This proved most effective.
bié de dī jiē dì zǐ ， měi gè yuè yě cái liǎng kē xǐ suǐ dān ， lín xuān yī tiān jiù chī diào jiǔ lì ， zài zhè yàng jìn hū shē chǐ de yòng líng yào tuī dòng xià ， tā de jìn zhǎn jí kuài ， suī rán bù néng shuō yī rì qiān lǐ ， dàn líng lì de zēng zhǎng què měi tiān dōu néng yǒu gǎn jué 。
别的低阶弟子，每个月也才两颗洗髓丹，林轩一天就吃掉九粒，在这样近乎奢侈的用灵药推动下，他的进展极快，虽然不能说一日千里，但灵力的增长却每天都能有感觉。
Other low-rank disciples only received two Essence Cleansing Pills per month, but Lin Xuan consumed nine daily under this almost luxurious use of medicinal herbs. His progress was extremely fast; while he couldn't say it was like traveling a thousand miles in one day, his essence energy increased noticeably every day.
rán ér hǎo jǐng bù cháng ， yí gè xīng qī hòu ， lín xuān de xǐ suǐ dān gào kōng ， suī rán tā shǒu lǐ hái yǒu liǎng lì cóng zhāng yǔ shēn shàng shōu guā lái de gèng gāo jí de dān yào 。
然而好景不长，一个星期后，林轩的洗髓丹告空，虽然他手里还有两粒从张羽身上收刮来的更高级的丹药。
However, good times didn’t last long. A week later, all his Essence Cleansing Pills were depleted. Although he still had two more advanced pills from Zhang Yu, they were of a red, pea-sized variety that Lin Xuan had never seen before. He wouldn't ask the elders for clarification; doing so would be tantamount to admitting his involvement in the disappearance of Zhang Yu and Zhou Yan.
nà shì yī zhǒng hóng sè de ， wān dòu dà xiǎo de yào wán ， lín xuān yǐ qián cóng lái méi yǒu jiàn guò ， dāng rán ， tā yě bú huì qù wèn běn mén de zhǎng lǎo ， nà yàng děng yú shì bù dǎ zì zhāo ， gào sù zhāng yǔ hé zhōu yàn de shī zōng tóng zì jǐ yǒu guān xì ， sī xià lǐ ， lín xuān qiāo qiāo qù cáng shū gé chá yuè le diǎn jí ， nòng qīng chǔ zhè shì bǐ xǐ suǐ dān gèng gāo jí de yī zhǒng líng yào 。
那是一种红色的，豌豆大小的药丸，林轩以前从来没有见过，当然，他也不会去问本门的长老，那样等于是不打自招，告诉张羽和周燕的失踪同自己有关系，私下里，林轩悄悄去藏书阁查阅了典籍，弄清楚这是比洗髓丹更高级的一种灵药。
In private, Lin Xuan quietly consulted the archives at the library and learned that these were even more advanced medicinal pills than Essence Cleansing Pills—Base Foundation Pills!
zhù jī dān ！
筑基丹！
These were used by disciples in the Flexible Spirit Period, not by those who had already reached the Base Foundation stage.
líng dòng qī de dì zǐ yòng bù shàng ， shì zhù jī qī de gāo shǒu yòng lái zēng jìn xiū wèi de 。
灵动期的弟子用不上，是筑基期的高手用来增进修为的。
With this understanding, Lin Xuan carefully stored them away for future use. The immediate priority was to obtain more Essence Cleansing Pills so he could continue his cultivation.
yǒu le zhè yàng de rèn shí ， lín xuān jiāng tā men xiǎo xīn cáng hǎo ， liú dài yǐ hòu ， xiàn zài dí dàng wù zhī jí ， shì dé dào gèng duō de xǐ suǐ dān ， zhè yàng cái néng jì xù zì jǐ de xiū liàn 。
有了这样的认识，林轩将它们小心藏好，留待以后，现在的当务之急，是得到更多的洗髓丹，这样才能继续自己的修炼。
Lin Xuan's goal was the "rubbish" waste pills considered worthless.
lín xuān de mù biāo shì nà xiē bèi rèn wéi shì “ lā jī ” de fèi dān 。
林轩的目标是那些被认为是“垃圾”的废丹。
On the west side of Drifting Cloud Valley stood a small mountain whose interior had been hollowed out, creating a large tunnel leading deep underground. This was an active volcano sealed by generations of ancestors using great divine power. The volcanic heat was channeled into various rooms in the walls for alchemical purposes.
zài piāo yún gǔ xī cè ， yǒu yī zuò xiǎo shān ， rán ér zhěng zuò shān fù ， què bèi tāo kōng le ， yí gè jù dà de suì dào ， zhí tōng rù dì dǐ shēn chù ， zhè ér shì yī zuò huó huǒ shān kǒu ， què bèi liè dài zǔ shī yòng dà shén tōng fēng yìn ， zhǐ shì jiāng dì huǒ yǐn rù dào shān bì de yí gè gè fáng jiān zhī zhōng ， zuò wèi liàn dān zhī yòng 。
在飘云谷西侧，有一座小山，然而整座山腹，却被掏空了，一个巨大的隧道，直通入地底深处，这儿是一座活火山口，却被列代祖师用大神通封印，只是将地火引入到山壁的一个个房间之中，做为炼丹之用。
Danxia Mountain was one of the most important restricted areas in Drifting Cloud Valley, as significant as the library where all sorts of secret techniques and methods were stored.
dān xiá shān ， piāo yún gǔ zuì zhòng yào de jǐ chù jìn dì zhī yī ， qí zhòng yào chéng dù sī háo bù xià yú shōu cáng zhe zhǒng zhǒng mì jí gōng fǎ de cáng shū gé 。
丹霞山，飘云谷最重要的几处禁地之一，其重要程度丝毫不下于收藏着种种秘笈功法的藏书阁。
Spirit beasts patrolled, high-ranking experts kept watch; any unauthorized intruders would be killed without mercy!
líng shòu xún luó ， gāo shǒu jǐng jiè ， shàn chuǎng zhě ， shā wú shè ！
灵兽巡逻，高手警戒，擅闯者，杀无赦！
Even inner sect disciples weren't allowed to enter casually. If there was a matter, they could go to a building in front of Danxia Mountain for visitors.
jí shǐ shì běn mén dì zǐ ， yě bù xǔ suí biàn jìn rù ， rú guǒ yǒu shén me shì ， zài dān xiá shān de qián miàn yǒu yī zuò jiàn zhù ， nà ér kě yǐ fù zé jiē dài wài kè 。
即使是本门弟子，也不许随便进入，如果有什么事，在丹霞山的前面有一座建筑，那儿可以负责接待外客。
Before coming here, Lin Xuan had gathered all the necessary information and confidently entered the building.
zài lái zhī qián ， lín xuān jiù jiāng yī qiè qíng kuàng dǎ tīng qīng chǔ ， rán ér xiōng yǒu chéng zhú de zǒu jìn le jiàn zhù zhōng 。
在来之前，林轩就将一切情况打听清楚，然而胸有成竹的走进了建筑中。
Inside, it was spacious with hundreds of square meters. A few young boys were idly sitting around; upon seeing Lin Xuan enter, one of them quickly approached him, respectfully bowed, and called out: "Mystic Master."
lǐ miàn shí fēn kuān chǎng ， yǒu shù bǎi píng fāng mǐ ， jǐ gè tóng zi bǎi wú liáo lài de zuò zài nà lǐ ， jiàn lín xuān jìn lái ， yí gè bù yuǎn chù de tóng zi lián máng yíng shàng qián ， gōng gōng jìng jìng de xíng le yī lǐ ， jiào dào ：“ xiān shī 。”
里面十分宽敞，有数百平方米，几个童子百无聊赖的坐在那里，见林轩进来，一个不远处的童子连忙迎上前，恭恭敬敬的行了一礼，叫道：“仙师。”
These boys weren't cultivators from Drifting Cloud Valley but outer sect disciples.
zhè xiē tóng zi bìng fēi piāo yún gǔ de xiū zhēn zhě ， ér shì wài mén dì zǐ 。
这些童子并非飘云谷的修真者，而是外门弟子。
Outer sect disciples referred to those without spirit roots but who had other talents. They were admitted by the valley but not taught cultivation techniques; instead, they could receive other benefits.
suǒ wèi wài mén dì zǐ ， shì zhǐ méi yǒu líng gēn ， dàn zài qí tā fāng miàn yòu yǒu tiān fù ， cóng ér bèi piāo yún gǔ shōu lù ， bú huì chuán shòu xiū zhēn gōng fǎ ， dàn què kě yǐ dé dào bié de hǎo chù 。
所谓外门弟子，是指没有灵根，但在其他方面又有天赋，从而被飘云谷收录，不会传授修真功法，但却可以得到别的好处。
In the eyes of ordinary people, cultivators were like deities. Thus, even as outer sect disciples, applicants would vie for spots, and the sect would carefully select them based on merit.
zài fán rén de yǎn lǐ ， xiū zhēn zhě dōu shì rú tóng shén xiān yì bān de cún zài ， suǒ yǐ jí shǐ shì zuò wài mén dì zǐ ， bào míng de shí hòu yě huì jǐ pò tóu ， ér mén pài huì zé yōu xuǎn lù 。
在凡人的眼里，修真者都是如同神仙一般的存在，所以即使是做外门弟子，报名的时候也会挤破头，而门派会择优选录。
For example, these boys lacked spirit roots but came from renowned medical families, familiar with various medicinal herbs and their properties, suitable to assist in alchemy at Danxia Mountain.
bǐ rú shuō ， zhè xiē tóng zi ， suī rán méi yǒu líng gēn ， dàn chū shēng yú míng yī shì jiā ， duì yú gè zhǒng yào cái ， yào xìng shí fēn shú xī ， kě yǐ pài lái dān xiá shān dǎ xià shǒu 。
比如说，这些童子，虽然没有灵根，但出生于名医世家，对于各种药材，药性十分熟悉，可以派来丹霞山打下手。
The sect rewarded such individuals with valuable medical or martial arts texts, like those Lin Xuan had seen in the first floor of the library.
ér mén pài gēn jù biǎo xiàn ， zé huì jiǎng lì tā men yī xiē zhēn guì de yī shū huò zhě wǔ xué mì jí ， jiù shì lín xuān zài cáng shū gé dì yī céng kàn jiàn de nà xiē 。
而门派根据表现，则会奖励他们一些珍贵的医书或者武学秘笈，就是林轩在藏书阁第一层看见的那些。
While these books were considered worthless in the cultivation world—like trash—they were invaluable treasures for ordinary people. After serving as outer sect disciples for a decade or two, they would leave the valley and become either renowned doctors or masters of extraordinary martial arts.
suī rán zhè xiē shū jí zài xiū zhēn jiè bù zhí yī tí ， yǒu rú lā jī ， dàn duì fán rén ér yán ， què shì wú shàng zhì bǎo ， zài piāo yún gǔ zuò shàng shí nián bā nián de wài mén dì zǐ ， rán hòu jiù kě yǐ xià shān ， nà shí hòu tā men yǐ xué yǒu suǒ chéng ， zài shì sú jiè bú shì yí dài míng yī ， jiù shì shēn huái jué shì wǔ gōng de dà háo 。
虽然这些书籍在修真界不值一提，有如垃圾，但对凡人而言，却是无上至宝，在飘云谷做上十年八年的外门弟子，然后就可以下山，那时候他们已学有所成，在世俗界不是一代名医，就是身怀绝世武功的大豪。
The benefits were obvious.
hǎo chù bù yán ér yù 。
好处不言而喻。
Knowing that Lin Xuan, without spirit roots but still admitted as an inner sect disciple, was rare, being an outer sect disciple was already fortunate. This good fortune came from his rescue of a powerful elder in Drifting Cloud Valley.
yào zhī dào xiàng lín xuān zhè yàng méi yǒu líng gēn ， què bèi shōu wèi zhèng shì dì zǐ de ， shǎo zhī yòu shǎo ， néng zuò wài mén dì zǐ jiù bù cuò le ， lín xuān yǒu zhè yàng de fú yuán ， yě shì yīn wèi jiù guò piāo yún gǔ pǒ yǒu quán shì de zhǎng lǎo 。
要知道像林轩这样没有灵根，却被收为正式弟子的，少之又少，能做外门弟子就不错了，林轩有这样的福缘，也是因为救过飘云谷颇有权势的长老。
Though this boy didn't recognize Lin Xuan, he knew him to be a cultivator of the valley and thus treated him with respect.
zhè ge tóng zi suī rán bù rèn shí lín xuān ， bù guò kàn fú shì ， yě zhī dào tā shì piāo yún gǔ de xiū zhēn zhě ， dāng rán bù gǎn yǒu sī háo qīng màn 。
这个童子虽然不认识林轩，不过看服饰，也知道他是飘云谷的修真者，当然不敢有丝毫轻慢。
Lin Xuan's respectful attitude stirred some emotions within him. Over these three years, due to his slow progress, he had endured ridicule from fellow disciples, almost forgetting his identity.
duì fāng gōng jìng de tài dù ， ràng lín xuān xīn zhōng yě chǎn shēng le yī sī gǎn kǎi ， zhè sān nián lái ， tā yīn wèi xiū xíng sù dù màn ， bǎo shòu tóng mén de jī fěng yǔ bái yǎn ， dōu kuài wàng jì le zì jǐ de shēn fèn 。
对方恭敬的态度，让林轩心中也产生了一丝感慨，这三年来，他因为修行速度慢，饱受同门的讥讽与白眼，都快忘记了自己的身份。
Although without spirit roots, he was still an ordinary person, but as a member of the cultivation world, he was like a deity in the eyes of commoners.
suī rán méi yǒu líng gēn ， shì píng fán de pǔ tōng rén ， dàn zì jǐ bì jìng shì xiū zhēn zhě zhōng de yī yuán ， cháng rén yǎn lǐ shén xiān bān de cún zài 。
虽然没有灵根，是平凡的普通人，但自己毕竟是修真者中的一员，常人眼里神仙般的存在。
The high status and respect it brought were pleasant. This further solidified Lin Xuan's resolve to cultivate, though he kept no expression on his face: "Is your manager here?"
gāo gāo zài shàng ， bèi rén zūn jìng de gǎn jué bù cuò ， zhè gèng jiān dìng le lín xuān xiū zhēn de jué xīn ， bù guò de liǎn shàng sī háo bù dòng shēng sè ：“ nǐ men de guǎn shì zài ma ？”
高高在上，被人尊敬的感觉不错，这更坚定了林轩修真的决心，不过的脸上丝毫不动声色：“你们的管事在吗？”
The boy nodded: "The manager is present. Mystic Master, please wait a moment while I inform him."
tóng zi tīng le ， diǎn le diǎn tóu ：“ guǎn shì dà rén zài ， xiān shī qǐng shāo zuò ， wǒ zhè jiù qù bǐng bào 。”
童子听了，点了点头：“管事大人在，仙师请稍坐，我这就去禀报。”
The boy respectfully led Lin Xuan to an adjacent side hall and offered him tea. As Lin Xuan sipped the fragrant tea, he pondered how to proceed. Soon, an elderly man entered the room.
nà tóng zi bì gōng bì jìng de bǎ lín xuān dài dào páng biān de yī jiān piān tīng ， yòu fèng shàng xiāng chá ， lín xuān yī biān pǐn chá ， yī biān sī liáng zhe gāi zěn me zuò ， bù yī huì er ， yí gè lǎo zhě zǒu rù le fáng jiān zhōng 。
那童子毕恭毕敬的把林轩带到旁边的一间偏厅，又奉上香茶，林轩一边品茶，一边思量着该怎么做，不一会儿，一个老者走入了房间中。
With full white hair, around seventy years old, also a low-rank cultivator. The path of immortality was difficult; having a spirit root didn't guarantee success. Spirit roots came in different qualities, and personal opportunities and efforts varied.
mǎn tóu bái fà ， dà yuē qī shí yú suì nián jì ， tóng yàng shì yī wèi dī jiē xiū zhēn zhě ， xiān dào jiān nán ， bìng fēi yǒu líng gēn jiù yí dìng néng yǒu suǒ chéng ， yào zhī dào líng gēn yě fēn hǎo huài ， gè rén de jī yù ， nǔ lì yě bù jìn xiāng tóng 。
满头白发，大约七十余岁年纪，同样是一位低阶修真者，仙道艰难，并非有灵根就一定能有所成，要知道灵根也分好坏，个人的机遇，努力也不尽相同。
For example, in Drifting Cloud Valley, ninety percent remained at the low-rank stage. This elderly man, now seventy years old, still had only reached the late Flexible Spirit period, far from the culmination of his cultivation. He would never have a chance to reach the Base Foundation stage. Thus, he decided not to continue striving and instead took up the easy job as an alchemy receptionist in the outer sect.
Next, Lin Xuan began to fully enhance his cultivation, using medicinal pills as an aid. With the same diligence and hard work he had shown before, he indeed reaped significant gains.
The ancient texts were correct; even ordinary people without spirit roots could clear away obstacles in their cultivation if they had sufficient medicinal materials to support them.
After confirming this point, Lin Xuan consumed large quantities of Essence Cleansing Pills. If not for the daily limit of nine pills as stated in the text, he would have gladly eaten more medicinal herbs like food.
Regarding the method of consuming these medicines, Lin Xuan gradually developed some insights. He no longer took them one by one; doing so limited their effectiveness.
Of course, during his attempt to break through a bottleneck, taking all nine at once was also inappropriate. Although it didn't exceed the limit, the intense medicinal power made him suffer and was hard to absorb completely, with excess dissipating on its own.
This clearly was a wasteful behavior that should be avoided!
The correct method was to take three pills each time—morning, noon, and night—and then practice cultivation. This proved most effective.
Other low-rank disciples only received two Essence Cleansing Pills per month, but Lin Xuan consumed nine daily under this almost luxurious use of medicinal herbs. His progress was extremely fast; while he couldn't say it was like traveling a thousand miles in one day, his essence energy increased noticeably every day.
However, good times didn’t last long. A week later, all his Essence Cleansing Pills were depleted. Although he still had two more advanced pills from Zhang Yu, they were of a red, pea-sized variety that Lin Xuan had never seen before. He wouldn't ask the elders for clarification; doing so would be tantamount to admitting his involvement in the disappearance of Zhang Yu and Zhou Yan.
In private, Lin Xuan quietly consulted the archives at the library and learned that these were even more advanced medicinal pills than Essence Cleansing Pills—Base Foundation Pills!
These were used by disciples in the Flexible Spirit Period, not by those who had already reached the Base Foundation stage.
With this understanding, Lin Xuan carefully stored them away for future use. The immediate priority was to obtain more Essence Cleansing Pills so he could continue his cultivation.
Lin Xuan's goal was the "rubbish" waste pills considered worthless.
On the west side of Drifting Cloud Valley stood a small mountain whose interior had been hollowed out, creating a large tunnel leading deep underground. This was an active volcano sealed by generations of ancestors using great divine power. The volcanic heat was channeled into various rooms in the walls for alchemical purposes.
Danxia Mountain was one of the most important restricted areas in Drifting Cloud Valley, as significant as the library where all sorts of secret techniques and methods were stored.
Spirit beasts patrolled, high-ranking experts kept watch; any unauthorized intruders would be killed without mercy!
Even inner sect disciples weren't allowed to enter casually. If there was a matter, they could go to a building in front of Danxia Mountain for visitors.
Before coming here, Lin Xuan had gathered all the necessary information and confidently entered the building.
Inside, it was spacious with hundreds of square meters. A few young boys were idly sitting around; upon seeing Lin Xuan enter, one of them quickly approached him, respectfully bowed, and called out: "Mystic Master."
These boys weren't cultivators from Drifting Cloud Valley but outer sect disciples.
Outer sect disciples referred to those without spirit roots but who had other talents. They were admitted by the valley but not taught cultivation techniques; instead, they could receive other benefits.
In the eyes of ordinary people, cultivators were like deities. Thus, even as outer sect disciples, applicants would vie for spots, and the sect would carefully select them based on merit.
For example, these boys lacked spirit roots but came from renowned medical families, familiar with various medicinal herbs and their properties, suitable to assist in alchemy at Danxia Mountain.
The sect rewarded such individuals with valuable medical or martial arts texts, like those Lin Xuan had seen in the first floor of the library.
While these books were considered worthless in the cultivation world—like trash—they were invaluable treasures for ordinary people. After serving as outer sect disciples for a decade or two, they would leave the valley and become either renowned doctors or masters of extraordinary martial arts.
The benefits were obvious.
Knowing that Lin Xuan, without spirit roots but still admitted as an inner sect disciple, was rare, being an outer sect disciple was already fortunate. This good fortune came from his rescue of a powerful elder in Drifting Cloud Valley.
Though this boy didn't recognize Lin Xuan, he knew him to be a cultivator of the valley and thus treated him with respect.
Lin Xuan's respectful attitude stirred some emotions within him. Over these three years, due to his slow progress, he had endured ridicule from fellow disciples, almost forgetting his identity.
Although without spirit roots, he was still an ordinary person, but as a member of the cultivation world, he was like a deity in the eyes of commoners.
The high status and respect it brought were pleasant. This further solidified Lin Xuan's resolve to cultivate, though he kept no expression on his face: "Is your manager here?"
The boy nodded: "The manager is present. Mystic Master, please wait a moment while I inform him."
The boy respectfully led Lin Xuan to an adjacent side hall and offered him tea. As Lin Xuan sipped the fragrant tea, he pondered how to proceed. Soon, an elderly man entered the room.
With full white hair, around seventy years old, also a low-rank cultivator. The path of immortality was difficult; having a spirit root didn't guarantee success. Spirit roots came in different qualities, and personal opportunities and efforts varied.
For example, in Drifting Cloud Valley, ninety percent remained at the low-rank stage. This elderly man, now seventy years old, still had only reached the late Flexible Spirit period, far from the culmination of his cultivation. He would never have a chance to reach the Base Foundation stage. Thus, he decided not to continue striving and instead took up the easy job as an alchemy receptionist in the outer sect.