After leaving the capital city of the Northern Qi Kingdom, Qin journeyed into the territory of the Great Zhou Kingdom, settling in a small, unassuming town where he lived in seclusion. Every day, he refined three Guiyuan Pills for cultivation to replenish his vitality, while diligently practicing the Sitting in Oblivion Sutra.

He calculated carefully that, based on his current intake of spiritual elixirs and the pace of his cultivation in the Sitting in Oblivion Sutra, it would take him slightly over a year to complete the first layer of the Foundation Establishment stage. To finish the initial stage—layers one through three—would require roughly six years.

This speed was simply staggering for the vast majority of Foundation Establishment cultivators, primarily because most simply did not possess a sufficient supply of mid-tier spiritual elixirs. In the market, a single Guiyuan Pill (suitable for low-tier Foundation Establishment cultivators) fetched a price as high as thirty low-grade spirit stones. Furthermore, once ingested, adequate time was required for the spiritual energy of the elixir to be absorbed; thus, a cultivator could take a maximum of three pills per day. If one were to consume three Guiyuan Pills daily, even a great immortal cultivation family would find their finances rapidly depleted.

Therefore, for typical Foundation Establishment cultivators, managing to consume more than a dozen spiritual elixirs a month was already considered quite excellent.

However, for Ye Qin, as long as he had spirit stones, he could cultivate the necessary spirit herbs within his Purple Mansion at an extremely low cost, using these herbs to refine the Guiyuan Pills required for the first layer of the Foundation Establishment stage and boost his cultivation. The cost to refine a single Guiyuan Pill was only about three low-grade spirit stones. This cost was vastly lower than that of the average Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Yet, Ye Qin was acutely aware that despite the immense advantage conferred by his Purple Mansion, he was not the only Foundation Establishment cultivator capable of consuming enough elixirs. Within the Azure Pill Sect, Huangfu Bing'er, the granddaughter of the Golden Core Ancestor Huangfu Rui, had been allocated a substantial medicinal herb field on Azure Pill Peak since she entered the sect. After cultivating and harvesting for over twenty years, she had accumulated enough spirit herbs to refine mid-tier spiritual elixirs and fully focus on breaking through to the Golden Core stage, meaning she lacked nothing in terms of elixirs.

Within the Azure Pill Sect, there were actually more than ten core cultivators like Huangfu Bing—those with direct blood ties to Golden Core Ancestors or members of the sect’s major immortal cultivation families. These cultivators typically possessed very high spiritual root potential and benefited from the sect's massive financial and manpower support. They were almost guaranteed to reach the ninth layer of the Foundation Establishment stage within thirty to forty years, representing the sect’s greatest hope for producing new Golden Core cultivators.

Considering the two-hundred-year lifespan of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, forty years was quite brief. Reaching the Golden Core realm during their prime years would lay the foundation for a full-scale push toward the Nascent Soul stage later on. In other major immortal cultivation sects within the Spirit Mist Mountain Range, these core Foundation Establishment cultivators receiving such intense focus were all aiming directly for the rank of Golden Core experts.

Of course, being heavily cultivated by the sect did not guarantee that these core cultivators would definitely become Golden Core cultivators; considerable fortuitous encounters were still necessary. The bottleneck of the Golden Core stage and the Minor Heavenly Tribulation presented extremely difficult thresholds. But unquestionably, these core cultivators, upon whom the sect poured vast resources, possessed a greater chance of achieving their Core Formation than others.

Ye Qin felt a sense of urgency regarding this matter. Because of the existence of the Purple Mansion, he could cultivate large quantities of spirit herbs in a very short time, surpassing ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. But when compared to those few core cultivators backed by an entire sect, his advantage in cultivation was not so obvious—perhaps, almost negligible. Everything depended solely on diligent, relentless practice; not a moment could be wasted. Consequently, even while traveling toward the Northern Qi Kingdom, he had not ceased his cultivation for a single day.

After months of secluded cultivation in the Great Zhou Kingdom, Ye Qin’s spirit stones were exhausted. Once his existing supply ran out, he was compelled to venture out in search of more spirit stones. He had obtained a large quantity from the caves in Ten Thousand Withered Ridge, but most had been used to refine Foundation Establishment Pills. He had sold some spiritual artifacts in the Southern Liang Kingdom, exchanging them for a portion of low-grade spirit stones, but the majority had also been consumed. The speed at which he acquired spirit stones never seemed to outpace the speed of their consumption. Ye Qin felt quite helpless about this situation.

However, due to this massive, continuous expenditure of spirit stones for diligent practice, his cultivation finally saw a small advancement: he broke through to the second layer of the Foundation Establishment stage. It was worth noting that progress became increasingly difficult after achieving Foundation Establishment; advancing one layer in just over a year was already quite rare.

Before heading out to search for spirit stones, Ye Qin practiced the "Phantom Shadow Technique" from the Heavenly Heart Art he had acquired from Prince Liao’s residence within his secluded dwelling. This spell was a mental cultivation technique for Foundation Establishment cultivators: one used powerful magic to form a mirror surface of spiritual power, projecting one's own image onto it, and then transforming that magical mirror surface into a humanoid form.

He could already create the magical mirror surface; only the final step—shaping the magical reflection into a human figure—remained. As Ye Qin continuously executed the intricate hand seals, a smooth mirror surface of spiritual power soon manifested before him. But how to transform it into a humanoid form stumped him. Holding the damaged secret manual of the Heavenly Heart Art, after pondering for a long time, a flash of inspiration struck him. He sent a surge of spiritual power toward the mirror, and the surface began to rotate around him, completely absorbing the shadows of Ye Qin from all directions—front, back, left, and right. The mirror erupted in a burst of light and began to contort, gradually forming a three-dimensional human shape. Half a day later, as the light faded, another vivid 'Ye Qin' stood opposite him.

This 'Phantom Shadow' shared the exact appearance, temperament, and aura as the real person—its only flaw being the lack of physical substance. What was truly astonishing was that he could control 'it' with his divine sense to perform simple actions.

"Success!"

Ye Qin let out a sigh of relief, stopping his efforts, a look of unexpected delight crossing his face. He had attempted the technique hundreds of times before finally mastering this spell. The first time he projected the Phantom Shadow using the illusionary mirror consumed a great deal of time, but with practice, the required time could be drastically reduced. This was only the first layer of the "Phantom Shadow Technique"; upon reaching the third layer, he could manifest three Phantom Shadows simultaneously. At the sixth layer, the aura of the Phantom Shadows could reach several times that of the original.

Having been in seclusion for several months, it was time to venture out.

On the border of the Great Zhou Kingdom lay Danyang City, a critical military stronghold. A few dozen miles further north was Dingbian Pass. Beyond the Pass lay a valley shrouded in dense, uninhabited forest, leading into the territory of the Northern Qi Kingdom. This city had originally served as a hub for north-south travel and trade between the two kingdoms, usually bustling with merchant caravans. However, since the war began, the Pass had been sealed, and border trade severed. Thousands of merchants were stranded in this city closest to the frontier. Since the start of hostilities, the first wave of Great Zhou troops had been conscripted to Danyang City, where nearly half a million soldiers were already amassed, ready to march to the border to fight the Northern Qi Kingdom.

Danyang City. A palace guard galloped his horse furiously to the city wall, leaped down, and rushed up to the ramparts of the heavily fortified gate. He posted a notice: "By order of the Great Zhou Kingdom: Public recruitment for Guardian Immortal Masters to accompany the army on the expedition against Northern Qi."

Immediately, many merchants and common folk gathered, pointing and chattering. "Recruiting Guardian Immortal Masters? Are there Immortals in our Danyang City?" "Sir, when will the pass be opened?"

The guard cracked his whip toward them. "Opened? Absolutely not! All supplies are forbidden from being sent to Northern Qi! Do you wish to aid the enemy? Disperse immediately, don't clog the gateway!" The crowd scattered instantly.

After this announcement was posted in Danyang City, very few people volunteered. Being a Guardian Immortal Master was not a title available to just anyone; it required a genuine Immortal, whose whereabouts were often elusive. The notice had no choice but to be posted on the walls of every city within the Great Zhou Kingdom, hoping that passing Immortals might see it.

This yellow paper notice had hung on the city wall for several months.

One day, a sturdy peasant man, clad in coarse cloth and with dark, weathered skin, arrived at the city wall carrying a hoe. After observing the wall for a moment, he roughly pulled down the recruitment notice for Guardian Immortal Masters and announced loudly, "I will serve as a Guardian Immortal Master. Where do I sign up?"

The palace guard stationed at the notice post glanced at the sturdy man. This guard was from the Northern Qi palace, where he had seen many genuine Immortals. This peasant man looked exactly like someone who had just finished working in the fields, and the guard couldn't help but mock him, "You farmer, what skills do you possess besides tilling the soil?"

The dark-skinned man caught the derision in the guard's tone, glared at him, let out a low growl, and his body violently shook. Immediately, a thin layer of yellow earthen armor covered him. He adopted a solid horse stance and punched a massive stone used for mounting flags on the city wall. The multi-thousand-pound stone received a punch that created a massive, arm-deep crater.

The dark-skinned man dispelled the earthen armor, cast a contemptuous glance at the guard, and asked, "Tell me, what skills do I have?"

The guard was startled, inwardly exclaiming, Good heavens! This sturdy peasant was truly an Immortal. That punch could have smashed an armored man to death. "My apologies, esteemed Immortal. Please follow this humble one to the Danyang Grand Camp! Many Immortal Masters have already gathered there."

Just then, a young man walked up from a distance, arriving at the base of the Danyang City wall. He watched the guard and the sturdy man with interest for a moment, then interjected, "Wait a moment. What are the requirements to become a Guardian Immortal Master for the Great Zhou Kingdom?"

This young man had ordinary features, showing nothing remarkable, yet his expression was gentle. The guard, having just been chastised, dared not judge by appearance and replied respectfully, "To be a Guardian Immortal Master for our nation, one only needs to be an Immortal. However, our country’s Guardian Immortal Masters are divided into several tiers. The lowest earn twenty low-grade spirit stones per month, and slightly more accomplished masters can earn a hundred low-grade spirit stones monthly. But with the war intensifying, our Guardian Immortal Masters must accompany the army on the expedition."

"A hundred spirit stones a month? That is not bad."

The young man considered it. This should be enough for his monthly needs. Furthermore, since the Great Zhou Kingdom had many cultivators, he should be able to exchange for some useful items with them. He smiled and said, "Then I will follow you to the military camp."

The dark-skinned sturdy man stared at the youth with shock. This man's cultivation was too low—only the second layer of Qi Refining. Since the youth had deliberately suppressed most of his cultivation, the sturdy man could not discern the young man’s true level. Yet, the sturdy man clearly understood that this cultivator before him was far superior to himself.

"This junior is Li Tiecheng from White Granary Fort in the Great Zhou Kingdom. May I ask the senior's name?"

"Qin."

The dark-skinned peasant man quickly bowed. "So it is Senior Qin!"

The young man smiled faintly and nodded. (To be continued. To know what happens next, please log in to www**comm, for more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!)