Chapter 225 The Last Qi Refiner

Chapter 225 The Last Qi Refiner

Chapter 225 The Last Qi Refiner
Xiao Jie immediately asked respectfully, "Old man, may I ask who you are?"

"Hehe, I am the master of this place, the last Qi Refiner in the world - Hongchen Zhenren."

As he spoke, a line of words appeared above the old man's head.

Hongchen Zhenren (ancient Qigong practitioner): Level 59, hermit master. HP: 8752.

What a high level!
However, with the previous experience of Shen Ji Zi, he was not so shocked. After all, no matter how strong he was, it was nothing compared to an immortal.

Xiao Jie was not too nervous, but he was still a little surprised. There were still ancient Qi-refining masters in this world? Wasn't it said that the inheritance of ancient Qi-refining masters had been lost?
This old guy is actually level 59, which is 4 levels higher than Qingfeng Zhenren of Xuanxu Palace. Doesn’t that mean he will become an immortal soon?

It's weird, really weird.

"It turns out to be Senior Hongchen. Senior, I am right." As he said this, he clicked on the action module and used the 'salute' action.

The old man didn't appreciate it, "Humph, what senior or not, you are just a wild man in the mountains."

It’s true, this old man, with his tattered clothes and disheveled hair, really looks like a savage.

The Red Dust Immortal sat down in front of Xiao Jie, tapping his feet and asking unhappily, "Tell me, which conscienceless bastard or damn immortal asked you to come here?"

"Uh, it's Kaiyang Xingjun and Tianxuan Zhenren."

"Humph, those two bastards actually still remember this place, and somehow they tricked you into coming here. Tell me, what benefits did those two bastards promise you?"

Xiao Jie thought that this old man was quite resentful. Why did he keep calling people like turtles and bastards?

He then asked cautiously, "Does the old man have any grudge against those two immortals?"

"What two of you? It's all the immortals. They all ascended to heaven and never came back. They didn't come to help me. We stayed together for thousands of years, but they watched me stay here alone without doing anything. Their consciences have been eaten by dogs!"

The Taoist priest from the mortal world roared like a madman. His voice kept echoing in the valley, deafening the ears and making the speakers buzz.

Xiao Jie saw his health bar decreasing continuously, and he was so scared that he hurriedly drank medicine to restore his health.

"Senior...Senior, stop yelling."

Fortunately, the old man finally stopped after yelling for a long time.

He looked at Xiao Jie and asked, "Did those two bastards never mention me?"

"Indeed, no. The two immortals said that there is a legacy of Qi Refining Technique here, and that's why I came here. But just now, the senior said, 'It's all useless nonsense. No matter how much you read, you can't practice it.' What does that mean?"

The Taoist in the Red Dust completely ignored Xiao Jie's question and complained to himself, "Humph, maybe they have forgotten me, but I still remember them. After I ascend to heaven, I will definitely fight with them to relieve the hatred in my heart."

When Xiao Jie heard this, he had already vaguely guessed the old man's identity.

He was probably a repeater among the immortals, and was probably the worst at cultivation. As a result, everyone else ascended to heaven, leaving only him.

But being able to live this long is pretty impressive.

"Why haven't you ascended to heaven in all these years, Senior?"

"Ascension is useless. Those bastard immortals sucked up all the spiritual energy. How can I have the spiritual energy to ascend when it's my turn?" This Taoist in the world might have really gotten used to being alone and doesn't care about his image at all.

Xiao Jie was a little puzzled, "Ah? Can the spiritual energy be absorbed? But the immortals all said that a great disaster had occurred, causing the spiritual energy to dissipate..."

"Hahahaha, those bastards are really good at telling lies. They sucked away the spiritual energy themselves, got the benefits, and ruined the immortal heritage, so naturally they want to distance themselves from it.

But how could I be fooled? I have been thinking about what happened back then over and over again in this valley for so many years, and finally I figured it out. Think about it, the spiritual energy in this world is limited. If a Qi cultivator wants to cultivate immortality, he must have a large amount of spiritual energy. Every time this spiritual energy enters the body of an immortal, the spiritual energy in the world will naturally be one point less.

There are dozens of immortals in Konglao Mountain alone, and there are probably hundreds of immortals in the entire Jiuzhou world. This amount of spiritual energy is not enough for them to cause trouble.

It's just sucked away.

At the beginning, I was also blinded by their lies and believed them, saying that everyone should practice Taoism and not be blinded by utilitarianism, and should be restrained and help each other. But everyone was practicing in secret and I was the only one who was kept in the dark.

When I had enough freedom and wanted to cultivate immortality again, my spiritual energy had been taken away by these bastards. I couldn't ascend any higher. Wow, I'm so angry!"

After saying that, he raised his hand, and I don't know what kind of moves or spells he used, but with a bang, a big hole was blasted out on the stone wall.

Stones flew everywhere and Xiao Jie gasped in shock. If these stones had hit him, he would have been killed instantly.

I became more cautious at the moment, so as not to make the other party angry.

"Oh, these immortals are really bastards. Oh, I was stupid too. I actually believed their lies! Does this mean that the path to immortality is cut off? Did I come here in vain?"

Hearing Xiao Jie's angry curse, the Taoist priest Hongchen was obviously happy.

"Haha, isn't it? You came here for nothing. Fortunately, you met me and I explained it to you clearly. Otherwise, your hard work would be in vain and your years would be wasted."

"Thank you for your guidance, senior. I will never forget it." Use the 'Kneel' action again.

Xiao Jie thought to himself, let's establish our relationship first. You are my benefactor, how can you still have the nerve to attack me?

"That's fine, but it's just a matter of opening your mouth."

"Why doesn't the old man leave this place?"

Taoist Hongchen sighed, "It's not that easy. Although I haven't been able to cultivate to become an immortal, I can be considered a half-step immortal, so I can live to this day. Now I just need the last breath of spiritual energy... But if I leave this place, I'm afraid my realm will fall immediately."

Xiao Jie asked in confusion: "Why is this?"

The old man explained: "This spiritual energy is like water, and the Qi cultivator is like a sponge. As long as you absorb enough spiritual energy, you will eventually be able to ascend to become an immortal.

If a sponge is soaked in water, it will naturally absorb more and more water.

But if it is exposed to the air and the scorching sun, what do you think will happen to the sponge? "

"Will I become dehydrated?"

"Oh! The spiritual energy in this world is now exhausted. To me, it is like a dry desert with the sun shining brightly in the sky. If I leave this place, the spiritual energy in my body will continue to dissipate. The spiritual energy between heaven and earth is exhausted, and I have no way to absorb it back. In a few days, I will turn back into a mortal body. This body of mine is supported by the spiritual energy cultivation. If I turn back into a mortal body, I am afraid that my skin and flesh will turn into mud and my blood and bones will turn into ashes immediately. I can only live in Konglao Mountain and Tianpu Cave, barely surviving."

Xiao Jie thought to himself that this person was really miserable. Everyone else became immortal, but you were the only one left to die. But he still didn't want to accept it. He paid a huge price for the inheritance of the ancient Qi Refiners. It was not easy to break through the three tests. "So this Qi Refining Technique is a dead end?"

"Of course, otherwise why did I say that just now? It was to remind you."

"But the immortals told me that there are still some blessed places in this world where spiritual energy remains and can be used for cultivation..."

"Hahaha, idiot, look at the Tianpu Cave in Konglao Mountain, isn't it a blessed place? But I have been here for hundreds of years and have not been able to become an immortal, why do you think that - the spiritual energy between heaven and earth is dissipating, just like the sea drying up. Even if there are still some residual water in a few small puddles, they are just struggling to survive. No matter how much you absorb this spiritual energy, you can't practice anything famous. At most, you can only practice to the first or second level.

If you want to become an immortal, that is a long way off.”

Xiao Jie felt a chill in his heart when he heard this. This ancient Qigong technique is divided into ten levels. Every time you master a level, you can unlock the ability of a new level. In theory, you can keep getting stronger.

However, no matter how strong the first nine levels are, they still belong to the category of mortals. Only by practicing to the tenth level can one ascend to become an immortal.

If it is only the first or second level, then it can only be said that it is slightly stronger than ordinary people, and it is probably not even half a method.

Then what's the point of this profession?

Xiao Jie did not give up. Since there was such a hidden profession in this game, and it was a legendary profession, there must be a way to practice it.

And since this old man in front of me knows so much and has told me so much, he must have some explanation.

I asked tentatively: "Hasn't the old man come up with any solution in all these years?"

"Hehehe, you are quite knowledgeable, boy. That's right, I have been thinking hard and contemplating for thousands of years, and finally found a ray of hope from this inevitable death - look!"

As he spoke, he suddenly pulled out a gourd from behind him.

This gourd is one foot high and half a foot thick, with a big round belly. The texture of the gourd is like a lake, shining with orange oil. There are many runes and spells engraved on all four sides of the gourd, which is obviously an extraordinary item.

The old man looked at the gourd with a look of satisfaction in his eyes, "This is the demon refining gourd, a magic weapon that I have spent hundreds of years and used all my wealth to refine. This thing can refine the inner elixir of the demon into spiritual energy, and this is the key to my breakthrough!
You know, the demon race is born with the nature of absorbing spiritual energy. In ancient times, when Qi refiners had not yet been born, the demon race had already mastered the ability to absorb spiritual energy and refine it into magical powers.

It's just that the demon race is limited by their physical form and it is difficult for them to cultivate to become immortals. Only by cultivating into human form first can they have such a chance.

However, there are very few monsters that can cultivate into human form, and most of them are half human, half beast.

Although the demons have lost the way to absorb spiritual energy and become immortals in the past thousand years, they once ruled the world in the past tens of thousands of years. There are more than hundreds of great demons left in the world. These demons absorb spiritual energy into their bodies and form inner pills, which are not easy to dissipate. Now, as long as we kill dozens or hundreds of demons, put their inner pills into the gourd, and refine spiritual energy, we can naturally continue to advance and eventually ascend to become immortals. "

Xiao Jie was delighted when he heard this, but then he became confused.

Why did this old man say so much to me? He couldn't possibly be so kind as to give me the gourd, right?
There is no such thing as pie in the sky in this world.

"Why are you telling these things to me, senior?"

The Taoist's eyes lit up and he laughed wildly, "Hahaha, kid, to be honest, you are lucky today. I think we are destined to be together. As long as you promise me one thing, I will give you this gourd to help you become an immortal. How about it?"

Xiao Jie thought to himself, damn, there must be something fishy going on here.

But he said excitedly: "Oh my, that's great, but how can I be so blessed? I don't know what the old senior wants me to do?"

"What I'm asking you to do isn't difficult. When you ascend to become an immortal and have all the skills, I'll ask you to kill a few thousand-year-old monsters, refine their inner elixirs into spiritual power, and bring them to me to help me achieve the last step of my immortal career. What do you think?"

【System prompt: Trigger the task [The Promise of the Taoist Priest in Red Dust].】

Mission description: You met an ancient Qi-refining master, Hongchen Taoist, in the Tianpu Cave. He hopes to reach an agreement with you and ask you to help him become an immortal in exchange for the Demon-Refining Gourd.

Mission objective: Help the Taoist priest in the mortal world to become an immortal.

Mission Reward: Demon Refining Gourd (obtained in advance). 】

It turned out to be the case.

Xiao Jie suddenly realized it, but he still felt something was wrong. Could the other party trust him so much? They had just met.

And it always feels a little too easy.

Another thing is, refining the inner elixir of the demon race and absorbing the spiritual energy therein to become an immortal, this method always feels a bit weird and does not seem like a proper way to become an immortal.

The Taoist in the world of mortals continued, "How about this deal? Is it possible? As long as you swear to help me become an immortal, I will give it to you.

If you don't agree, you will never have the chance to become an immortal again."

Xiao Jie was not in a hurry to agree. These words were only one-sided from the other party. What if they were false?

There are too many NPCs in this game that deceive people, and the other party is a neutral unit, so I always feel that they are not that reliable.

"Senior, could you please allow me to consider this?"

"Of course, just think about it." Taoist Hongchen said, but pretended to be indifferent and left on his own. Although he looked like an old man, his body was extremely agile. He could jump dozens of meters away with ease. In two or three jumps, he jumped into a cave on the stone wall and lay down inside to fall asleep.

However, Xiao Jie continued to read the contents of the Qi Refining Technique on the stone wall. Regardless of whether he agreed to this task or not, he had to learn this ancient Qi Refining Technique first.

I read the ancient Qigong technique from beginning to end.

[System prompt: You have learned a new skill [Ancient Qigong]. You can check it in the skill list.]

Xiao Jie was delighted. He didn't expect it to be so easy!
Click to see——

[Ancient Qigong (professional inheritance skill)
Use 1: Refining Qi. Absorb the spiritual energy into your body. The higher your spirituality, the faster the absorption efficiency. The current absorption rate is 3 points per second.

Use 2: Spiritual Advancement (Not enough spiritual energy, cannot be used). Consume 1000 spiritual energy points to improve your Qi Refining Realm. The spiritual energy points required for each realm upgrade will increase accordingly.

Current aura: 0/1000.

Current state: outside the gate.

Skill Introduction: In ancient times, Qigong practitioners created a special cultivation method that absorbed spiritual energy to transform their souls and bodies, ultimately achieving the goal of ascending to immortality. Due to the changes of the times, this inheritance has long been lost, and now it has been found again by you. 】

(End of this chapter)