Chapter 6: The Arduous Path of Immortality

  At this moment, Zhang Heng had a feeling of falling from heaven to hell. The previous moment he was still rejoicing in the acquisition of such a powerful technique, trying to conquer the world of cultivation where opportunities and dangers coexisted. However, in the next moment, he became extremely depressed, even having thoughts of death.

  After a long while, Zhang Heng finally recovered from this maddening state and couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "Getting such an against-the-heavens cultivation method is both my opportunity and my misfortune."

  It cannot be denied that the power of transformation is absolutely capable of being called against the sky, comparable to the powerful physique of a demon beast, far surpassing the spiritual consciousness of cultivators of the same rank, and different from the usual cultivation routine. The extraordinary properties of refining all things are all heart-stirring advantages.

  But where can one find so many high-grade, rare and precious treasures? Moreover, as the cultivation of the Deviant Path progresses further, it is likely that even higher-level treasures will be needed. This is not something that ordinary cultivators can afford, let alone a major sect.

  According to Zhang Heng's idea, even if the entire cultivation world is destroyed, it may not be possible to successfully cultivate this abnormal skill to the ninth layer of the Great Perfection Realm.

  However, there isn't such a perfect thing in this world after all. The power of the Deviated Cultivation is itself an unbalanced cheating device. If the cultivation conditions were still that simple, it would go against the rules of heaven and earth.

  Some lower-level techniques have mediocre power, but the conditions for cultivation are not very restrictive. The higher the level of technique, the more stringent the conditions for cultivation, and the stronger the back means more hardship and sacrifice than others.

  It is therefore understandable that the harsh conditions required for the cultivation of Xian are also acceptable.

  After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Heng's mentality had adjusted and balanced out, but he still hadn't given up on the perverted skill in his heart.

  Because he absolutely did not want to spend decades in this cultivation world in obscurity, and then die silently, turning into a pile of yellow earth.

  Moreover, eternal youth is also an irresistible temptation for anyone.

  Who in this world doesn't want to live forever? Who doesn't want to possess supernatural powers that can overturn the seas and traverse a thousand miles in an instant?

  If it were on Earth, Zhang Heng would not have pursued these seemingly elusive things, but since he could come to this world through a series of coincidences, he couldn't give up such an opportunity.

  Pursuing the pinnacle, pursuing eternal life, this is the path chosen by Zhang Heng for himself.

  However, on the road to pursuing longevity and peak performance, an individual's talent and opportunity are most important. Opportunity is something that no one can decide, but talent can be made up for with other things.

  As for the qualifications of this flesh, Zhang Heng was very clear that Tang Feng, although an inner disciple of Feng Xing Gate, did not necessarily have a much stronger qualification than those outer disciples, and was far inferior to those true inner disciples.

  Tang Feng's qualifications were just ordinary, and the reason he was able to enter the inner door of Feng Xing Men was also because he had taken a shortcut, which was the same as Zhang Heng's Earth.

  The inner door of the Xiuzhen school is like a rocket class or experimental class in high schools on Earth, only people with good qualifications can enter the inner door by virtue of their strength. However, if they have some kind of kinship relationship with certain elders in the school, they also have the opportunity to enter the inner door, this is the backdoor of the Xiuzhen world.

  One of Tang Feng's ancestors had a romantic relationship with an ancestor of the Wind Walker Sect, who promised to give a spot in the sect to one of Tang Feng's descendants, provided that they had the potential to cultivate.

  What is referred to as spiritual potential is actually the quality of a person's spiritual root, in fact, every single person in the world of cultivation has a spiritual root.

  After all, humans are the spirits of all things, and the spirits of all things refer to the fact that humans have spiritual roots from birth, which is an advantage that other demons and beasts do not possess. Although demons and beasts have extremely strong physical bodies from birth, they rarely have spiritual roots, so their cultivation is a hundred times more difficult than human practice.

  Of course, every person has a spiritual root, but it does not mean that everyone can embark on the path of cultivating immortality.

  According to the classification of Xiūzhēnjiè, spiritual roots are generally divided into three grades: inferior spiritual roots, ordinary spiritual roots, and innate spiritual roots, as well as several legendary top-grade spiritual roots.

  Inferior spiritual roots are almost impossible to embark on the path of cultivation, also known as waste spiritual roots. This kind of person occupies more than 90% of the mortal world and can only live a mediocre life. However, in theory, this type of spiritual root still has the possibility of cultivating immortality, but theory is just theory, and there is an insurmountable gap with reality. From ancient times to the present, almost no one has been able to enter the foundation-building period relying on inferior spiritual roots.

  Ordinary spiritual roots are much stronger than inferior spiritual roots, barely meeting the lowest standard for cultivating immortality. Ordinary spiritual root holders also make up the largest population base in the cultivation world. However, due to the ordinariness of ordinary spiritual roots, the path of cultivating immortality is extremely arduous. In the history of the cultivation world over the past few thousand years, there have been very few successful cases of forming a golden elixir using an ordinary spiritual root. Ordinary spiritual root holders make up about half of the population in the mortal realm, meaning that on average, one out of every twenty people will be an ordinary spiritual root holder.

  Innate Spiritual Root is a type of spiritual root that is very suitable for cultivating immortality. In the process of cultivating immortality, it has an unparalleled advantage over inferior and ordinary spiritual roots, making it easier to harmonize with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Often, the achievements of an innate spiritual root cultivator in one month can surpass those of an ordinary spiritual root cultivator who struggles for one or two years. The number of people with innate spiritual roots is roughly one in a million among the vast population of the mortal realm. However, considering the mortal realm's population is counted in billions, there will inevitably be some innate spiritual roots in every sect. Without a doubt, innate spiritual root holders can easily enter the inner circle of any sect.

  This is a huge gap in the process of cultivating immortality, some people are born with advantages that ordinary people can't compare to, destined to have greater potential and go further.

  Zhang Heng's physical body was just an ordinary spiritual root, barely meeting the lowest standard for cultivating immortality.

  Originally, with Tang Feng's qualifications, it would be very difficult for him to enter the inner circle, even though Feng Xing Gate was just a small sect.

  However, thanks to the support of the ancestor of Feng Xing Gate, he was able to break the rules and enter the inner gate, and was even rewarded with a low-grade spiritual artifact by his master.

  In addition, since the ancestor of the later period of the foundation-building stage was destined to have no hope of forming a dan, and there were only over ten years of life left, he took great care of Tang Feng, this junior, and gave him many spiritual pills. Otherwise, relying on Tang Feng's ordinary qualifications as a cultivator, it would be very difficult for him to reach the refining stage from the initial stage before the age of 20.

  However, relying on Tang Feng's ordinary qualifications, without any opportunities, it is estimated that he will never be able to enter the foundation period in his lifetime.

  The foundation-building period is the first hurdle in the arduous journey of cultivating immortality. Only by entering this period can one be considered to have truly stepped into the threshold of cultivating immortality. Once entered, a person's lifespan will increase by over a hundred years.

  So, before the foundation-building period, there wasn't a big difference between cultivators and ordinary people, they just could cast some spells.

  The foundation period is a huge gap that makes countless low-level cultivators look up to but cannot reach.

  Zhang Heng wanted to rely on his current physical body to advance in the cultivation of immortality, but it was definitely impossible through conventional methods. The Variant Technique provided him with an opportunity, as its cultivation did not have strict requirements for innate talent, and the only condition was a large amount of "external objects". As long as he continuously refined these "external objects", he could naturally reach the pinnacle.

  However, Zhang Heng still decided to put this abnormal cultivation method aside for the time being. After all, the conditions required for its practice were too harsh, requiring so many rare items. The only thing on Zhang Heng's body that met the "foreign object" condition was a single low-grade spiritual artifact, and this low-grade spiritual artifact couldn't be easily taken out to refine, he still hoped to use it to save his life.

  In this vast and boundless spiritual realm, a Qi-refining cultivator is too insignificant to be mentioned. The road ahead is still long.

  Throughout the night, Zhang Heng was in this small forest considering his future development path in this cultivation world.

  A sleepless night.

  On the second day early in the morning, a patch of pale white appeared on the horizon, and the chilly air of dawn made Zhang Heng's body slightly cool.

  Fortunately, with his cultivation in the Refining Qi stage, he had no problem spending a night here.

  After a night of consideration, he had already booked a rough direction for his own development.

  He finally decided to return to Fangyun Mountain, after all, there was still the care of the ancestor of Fengxingmen on Fangyun Mountain. Moreover, a lone cultivator without any backing or support would find it very difficult to survive in the world of cultivation.

  Zhang Heng made a few spiritual decisions in the void, his hands slightly awkward, after all, he had not yet perfectly merged with this flesh.

  The inferior spiritual instrument, the Wuling Sword, emitted a faint hum and released a faint blue light all over its body. In an instant, it flew out of his body and transformed into a huge sword that was over 45 feet long, carrying Zhang Heng, this outsider, flying far away...