Chronicles of the Green Vine: A Mortal’s Path to Immortality

Most cultivation methods in the world of cultivators are single-attribute techniques, although there are also multi-attribute techniques, and even those encompassing all five elements.

Multi-attribute techniques are extremely difficult to cultivate, often requiring the cultivator to manage the spiritual energy within the body, which carries significant risks. If the spiritual energy becomes chaotic, it can lead to damaged meridians at best, and death by explosion at worst.

However, these techniques are also powerful and offer numerous benefits. Only cultivators with strong willpower choose such techniques.

Most of these individuals only switch to or concurrently cultivate other attributes after gaining some strength.

For Qi Refining cultivators, cultivating multi-attribute techniques is simply not feasible.

No cultivator would simultaneously practice two techniques. After all, Qi Refining cultivators are still mortals. If they fail to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, they will eventually die of old age after a century.

Lifespan is an insurmountable barrier.

For example, a cultivator practicing an earth-attribute technique who reaches the twelfth level is at the peak of Qi Refining.

If they then cultivate a five-element technique to the same twelfth level, they will have spiritual energy of two attributes within their body, but they will still be a Qi Refining cultivator.

Even if they cultivate each of the five basic elemental techniques once, they will remain in the Qi Refining stage as long as they do not break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, and their lifespan will only be around a century.

Even the special spiritual energy cultivated by demonic and heretical cultivators is still a single attribute. Therefore, Qi Refining cultivators only cultivate one basic five-element technique.

However, his situation is special. Due to the parasitic vine, he can use some wood-attribute spells, especially Entangling Technique, with the help of the vine.

Although Zhang Ling does not plan to cultivate a wood-attribute technique, this green bead will greatly aid in his research of the parasitic vine.

As long as a cultivator can sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, they can cultivate techniques. The same applies to spells; as long as they have spiritual energy, they can cast spells.

This is the mystery of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth does not exist in isolation. The five elements are the most fundamental: metal generates water, wood generates fire, fire generates earth, earth generates metal, metal overcomes wood, wood overcomes earth, earth overcomes water, and water overcomes fire.

The various elemental energies depend on each other, restrain each other, and can assist in transformation. They are mutually generating and mutually overcoming. Depending on the technique, the spiritual energy absorbed into a cultivator's body also differs.

By spending some time converting spiritual energy into other attributes beforehand, one can cast spells of corresponding attributes. This is why spells containing multiple spiritual energies take longer to cast.

The five-elemental spells each have their own uses. Those powerful spells originate from these basic spells. However, it is more difficult for cultivators to cast spells of other attributes, and their power is reduced by a third.

For example, he cultivates an earth-attribute technique, and he can temporarily convert earth spiritual energy into fire spiritual energy, albeit temporarily.

However, most of the spiritual energy in his body will naturally remain unchanged, still earth spiritual energy. He can only convert a small amount, a dozen wisps of fire spiritual energy. This fire spiritual energy can only be used to cast two or three of the lowest-level fire-attribute spells like Fireball.

It's a thankless task.

Of course, with increasing cultivation and spiritual energy conversion, it naturally becomes faster.

If one can cultivate to the Golden Core stage or higher, they can use special magical treasures to cast spells of other attributes, and the power will not be much weaker.

In general, as long as one's cultivation is profound, none of this is difficult.

...

One day, Zhang Ling was cultivating in his cave when he suddenly opened his eyes. A white light flew in from outside.

He grabbed the white light, which contained a yellow spiritual talisman, a message talisman.

He probed it with his divine sense and discovered the information within. After reading it, Zhang Ling revealed a thoughtful expression.

Two days later, at the Guangyuan Trading Company.

"Yan'er, I was able to return this time thanks to your big brother. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to see you."

"Yan'er thanks Brother Zhang."

"Elder Mu, you are too kind. I killed those two people in self-defense. I dare not take credit."

"Friend, you need not be modest. If you had not killed two of them, this old man would have died on the spot," Elder Mu said with a smile, stroking the teacup in his hand.

"By the way, how is Yan'er's cold poison? Has it been resolved?" Zhang Ling took a sip of tea and sized up Mu Xiaoyan.

This girl has grown taller in the three years since he last saw her. Her round, oval face was adorned with two beautiful red blushes.

"Thanks to you, friend, Yan'er has already taken the Marrow Cleansing Pill. The cold poison in her body has been completely eliminated. She just needs to rest for a while to fully recover."

"That's good."

Zhang Ling chatted with Elder Mu, and a quarter of an hour passed in the blink of an eye. Elder Mu took out a jade bottle and placed it on the table.

"Elder Mu, what is the meaning of this?" Zhang Ling frowned as he looked at the jade bottle on the table.

Although he killed the two cultivators who were besieging Elder Mu, indirectly saving his life, it was, as he said, for self-preservation.

Zhang Ling vaguely guessed what was in the bottle.

"Friend, you saved this old man's life. This Marrow Cleansing Pill is a token of gratitude. Surely you don't think this old man's life is less valuable than a pill."

"Don't decline. This old man has cultivated all his life, and although I have reached the peak of Qi Refining, there is no possibility of further progress. Yan'er has already taken a Marrow Cleansing Pill, so the remaining one is of no use to me."

Hearing Elder Mu say this, Zhang Ling looked at the pill on the table.

The Marrow Cleansing Pill can cleanse the body and remove impurities. It rarely appears on the market and is usually only seen in auctions. He was naturally tempted by a pill that was offered to him, and Elder Mu did not ask him to promise anything.

It was nothing more than asking him to take care of the little girl, given their past relationship. Understanding this, Zhang Ling no longer declined and accepted the jade bottle.

Seeing him accept the pill, Elder Mu said to Yan'er, "Yan'er, your big brother and I have something to discuss. Go out and look after the bookstore first."

"Grandpa..." Yan'er looked at her grandfather and Zhang Ling, seeming reluctant. However, Elder Mu seemed to really have something to say to Zhang Ling and nodded to the little girl.

"Go."

"Oh."

After Mu Xiaoyan left the room, Elder Mu coughed lightly twice and took out a cyan jade slip.

"Friend, please."

Zhang Ling didn't know what the old man was going to do, but jade slips were for recording information. Although puzzled, he still picked up the jade slip and began to read it.

After a few breaths, Zhang Ling put down the jade slip and looked at Elder Mu, saying, "This is a Foundation Establishment Pill formula."

"That's right. The jade slip contains three methods for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill. Since ancient times, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth has weakened, making it increasingly difficult for cultivators to break through realms, especially major realms."

"Friend, do you know that the Foundation Establishment Pill is the best auxiliary pill for Qi Refining cultivators to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage? It is said to increase the chance of success by 30%."

"Except for the legendary Heavenly Spiritual Root cultivators, who can break through to the Foundation Establishment stage peacefully, other cultivators, without the assistance of the Foundation Establishment Pill, can still break through, but the chance of success is pitifully small, less than one in a hundred. And there is a risk to their lives."

"The Foundation Establishment Pill not only increases the chance of breakthrough but also protects the cultivator's dantian and meridians. Even if one fails to break through after taking the Foundation Establishment Pill, they will not be injured and can continue to cultivate."

Zhang Ling also knew this information, but now he heard Elder Mu explain it in more detail.

He has a large number of pills to assist him, and in a few years, he will reach the peak of Qi Refining. It is time to consider the Foundation Establishment Pill.

The jade slip records three methods for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill. The formulas are very similar, and 80% of the spiritual herbs are identical.

Only a few are different, and they are all main ingredients. Without these main ingredients, the Foundation Establishment Pill cannot be refined.

Zhang Ling has been in contact with alchemy for more than three years, and he has collected most of the common spiritual herbs, but he has never heard of any of the main ingredients for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill.

"Elder Mu, are you saying that we cannot refine the Foundation Establishment Pill?"

"That's right. Ordinary cultivators cannot refine the Foundation Establishment Pill."

"From ancient times to the present, breaking through realms has become increasingly difficult, and alchemists have researched the Foundation Establishment Pill. However, with the passage of time, most ancient formulas are no longer applicable."

"The Foundation Establishment Pill formulas have been deduced by countless high-level cultivators. Even so, some of the spiritual herbs and grasses are nearly extinct."

"It is impossible for rogue cultivators to find those spiritual herbs. Only some closed spaces, secret realms, and other places have a small amount of production. And these secret realms are mostly controlled by the great cultivation sects."

"Only the great sects, which control these resources, have the ability to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill. Even so, it is not easy for disciples within the sect to obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill. We rogue cultivators should not even think about it."

Zhang Ling's face turned ugly when he heard this. Although he didn't know what his spiritual root aptitude was, it wouldn't be a Heavenly Spiritual Root. To break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he must obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Even with the mysterious little bead, without medicinal spiritual seeds and seedlings, he cannot conjure spiritual herbs out of thin air.

"Do we rogue cultivators have no chance at all?" Zhang Ling couldn't help but ask the question in his heart.

"Haha, friend, don't be distressed. Although we cannot refine the Foundation Establishment Pill, we still have a chance. The recruitment ceremony of the nine great sects is one such opportunity."

"The nine great sects?"

A thoughtful expression appeared on Zhang Ling's face. Then, Elder Mu began to explain it to him in detail.