Immortality: Raising an Ant Queen to Cultivate by increasing stat points - Chapter 540

Chapter 540: 532

This is also why the direct descendants of many major families, as long as their talent isn’t exceptionally poor, are generally not weak.

Breaking through to the Innate Realm is very difficult, but there are still some methods to think of.

As long as one works hard enough, has access to advanced cultivation resources, and their talent isn’t at the extreme low end, they generally have a chance to step into it.

The difficulty of advancing to the Spirit Qi Realm thereafter increases by several times, but as long as one has perseverance, determination, and a long enough lifespan, they can generally step into the Spirit Qi Realm. In fact, being able to cultivate to the Innate Realm means one’s talent can’t be that bad.

Therefore, though experts in the Spirit Qi Realm seem scarce, in the eyes of many Innate Realm experts, it’s never been considered a major obstacle.

The biggest concern is just that one’s lifespan might not be long enough to withstand the breakthrough period.

There’s even a saying among cultivators, “those with the longevity of a turtle can all enter the Spirit Qi Realm.”

Advancing to the Immortal Scholar Realm, whether in terms of difficulty or soft and hard conditions, requires ten times more effort than advancing to the Innate Realm.

This is the main reason why there are so few Immortal Scholars.

While the Innate Realm also doesn’t have many practitioners, a sect could still find a few hundred or even a thousand of them.

But at the level of the Spirit Qi Realm, having thirty or forty in a sect is already quite impressive.

As for the Immortal Scholar Realm, the Black Tiger Gang has only one native Immortal Scholar, the Black Tiger Gang Leader.

Qin Niu dreamed of stepping into the Immortal Scholar Realm, but unfortunately, it was too difficult.

Even with the immense opportunity bestowed by the Elm Money Immortal Tree, he had only managed to cultivate the Everlasting Spring Technique to the pinnacle of the Spirit Qi Realm. He could not, however, make that final step no matter how hard he tried.

This time, encountering such bizarre purple flames in the underground level of the Medicine King Tower, he couldn’t help but reignite his hopes.

A seventeen-year-old Spirit Qi Realm expert and a seventeen-year-old Immortal Scholar are completely different concepts.

At this moment, there was only one belief in his heart, to seize this opportunity and strive to step into the Immortal Scholar Realm.

Even though he had made many preparations for this Water and Land Dharma Assembly, after witnessing the Immortal Might of the Great Immortal Envoy, he felt his current level of cultivation was only good for swaggering around in the Black Tiger Gang. Here, it barely counted for anything.

He gritted his teeth and continued to walk down step by step, reaching the twentieth step with his face swelling red.

Another step forward, his right foot stepping onto the twenty-first step.

Boom!

Tremendous resistance nearly caused his alchemy stove to collapse.

But with the support of his strong will, the alchemy stove remained intact like an indomitable cockroach, despite being severely deformed and without a single crack.

The alchemy stove quickly returned to its original state.

Qin Niu bit his teeth and took another step forward.

The resistance he was facing this time had clearly risen several levels. The alchemy stove was twisted for a long time before it returned to normal.

With a firm belief and unwavering willpower, he descended step by step to the twenty-seventh step. By then, the alchemy stove was severely deformed and had developed numerous grave cracks.

He was very clear that the last step was like a chasm in the sky.

If he dared to take this step, the alchemy stove would inevitably rupture and collapse, and he would be brutally ejected by the terrifying resistance. The rebounding force was far beyond the limit his physical body could bear.

If nothing unexpected happened, his body would shatter in an instant, leaving not even dregs behind.

Thinking of Tang Caixian, who was already pregnant, and Wang Wanyan, who was waiting for his return at the inn, Qin Niu hesitated at this point.

Faced with death, he couldn’t help but be afraid.

Anyone faced with such a choice would be extremely cautious. The vast majority would retreat.

Some opportunities for trial and error come many times, even countless times.

But the current opportunity for trial and error was zero.

If he successfully stepped into the twenty-eighth step, he might allow the Fire Lotus to absorb the energy of these purple flames, which could then take his Medicine King Sutra’s cultivation power to a higher level. More likely, however, he would fail and die instantly.

According to his estimation, the chance of success was less than 1%.

Sweat continuously emerged on Qin Niu’s forehead, then slid down his cheeks. His brows were tightly furrowed, and after thinking through all possible solutions he could imagine, he sadly found that in the face of the horrific rebounding force of the array, all his proud techniques were useless.

With his current cards and resources, there was absolutely no need to be so desperate.

He believed that even if he gave up on this opportunity, he would inevitably advance to become an Immortal Scholar in the future. It was just a matter of time.

After numerous struggles between heaven and man, Qin Niu, surprisingly, abandoned his previous caution and decided to take the most dangerous step in his life, risking the very likely possibility of being killed.

In his view, this step was one that needed to be taken sooner or later.

If he shrank back now, when faced with the same choice in the future, he might retreat again.

Advancing to the Immortal Scholar Realm might just be the first step on the road to everlasting life.

Because he heard that experts of the Spirit Qi Realm who could live up to six hundred years were rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Those who could live eight hundred years, one in ten thousand.

But as long as one could advance to the Immortal Scholar Realm, one’s lifespan would immediately increase significantly.

How much it would increase specifically varied from person to person.

It was related to each person’s Cultivation Technique, constitution, and other factors.

“This step is one to break through the self! If I don’t succeed, I will die with honor!”

All hesitation and cowardice in Qin Niu’s eyes had dissipated, leaving only resolute determination.

This struggle between heaven and man was also an important part of his inner growth.

It could even be called a transformation in every sense.

Before, he would give everything careful thought, and as soon as he felt that the risk was too high, he would immediately choose to give up.

His fear of death was most vividly demonstrated in his actions.

This time, he broke through the self, ready to rid himself of all concerns for the sake of advancing to the Immortal Scholar Realm, ready to give his all, including his life.

Even in death, he would be willing.

“If you can’t step out of the prison in your mind, you’ll always be a prisoner. Today I took this step, no longer a prisoner, but truly freed from the shackles of my soul.”

Qin Niu’s understanding of life and the Dao had clearly deepened a lot.

After all, he was still a bit too young, and even if he was mature beyond his years, his inner world still lacked the experiences and insights that those old monsters who had lived for hundreds of years possessed.

This insight was extremely important to him.

Once he had made up his mind, there was no more hesitation; he lifted his foot and stepped directly onto the twenty-eighth step.

“Don’t!”

A cry of alarm from Xiao Qing came from behind him.

But Qin Niu seemed as if he had heard nothing, his expression calm, showing no fear of death.

What he had was indifference, the composure and persistence that came after understanding the Dao and the law.

This might well be his Dao.

Boom!

An overpowering force of resistance mercilessly struck the alchemy stove protecting Qin Niu’s body.

Bang!

Like being hit by a meteorite, he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.

This force of resistance was terrifying, not even weaker than the Immortal Might of a Great Immortal Envoy.

Choosing life in the face of death, choosing the Dao in life, come on!

He was shouting in his heart, with his body, soul, Medicine King Sutra Cultivation Power, Everlasting Spring Technique Cultivation Power, his entire being was in an extremely mystical state. He was in harmony with nature, with the Dao, with everything around him.

It was as if he himself was nature.

Even though his heart had become so strong and the Dao he perceived was so profound, it did not change the fate of the alchemy stove shattering.

In the face of this overwhelmingly strong resistance, the alchemy stove seemed incredibly fragile.

It was torn apart in an instant.

But Qin Niu was not thrown out, nor did the alchemy stove completely dissipate. Instead, a miraculous scene unfolded.

The alchemy stove actually broke and then reformed, with the Fire Lotus and Ice Lotus, along with that special energy, complementing each other, recondensing into a cauldron.

It became more solid, and unfamiliar runes appeared on the cauldron walls, continuously revolving.