24: Qian'er remained true to herself, her sword aura concealing a hidden sharpness.

In stark contrast to Liu Yueer's persistent hard work and Su Wantang's cold focus was Zhou Qianer's casual indifference.

Possessing a Low Grade Triple Spiritual Root, her Aptitude was considered decent among the three women. It only took her three months to draw Qi into her body, which was a month faster than Liu Yueer.

However, after successfully stepping into the first layer of Qi Refining, she appeared quite half-hearted about her cultivation.

After completing her daily routine of circulating spiritual power through her Meridians, she rarely spent long hours sitting in her Immortal Cave to Cultivate like Liu Yueer, nor did she spend a lot of time studying complex Talisman-making techniques like Su Wantang.

Instead, she often went down the mountain to return to the Qi Residence, helping the increasingly busy Ye Yao manage the Family's secular affairs.

She would enthusiastically learn how to check accounts and deal with tenant farmers and Bailiffs, and she even showed great interest in the new pastry and dish recipes being researched in the kitchen.

Qi Yuan once asked her why she didn't spend more effort on cultivation.

Zhou Qianer tilted her head and thought for a moment, a slightly naive smile on her face, and replied:

“Master, I think things are quite good as they are now.

As for cultivation, I'm content as long as it can strengthen my body and extend my Lifespan.

I've heard Master say that for a Cultivator in the Qi Refinement Stage, whether they are in the early, middle, or Late Stage, the difference in Lifespan isn't actually that great—it's only about a hundred years or so.”

She paused, her voice soft yet carrying a sense of open-mindedness:

“On the contrary, the higher the cultivation, the easier it seems to get caught up in disputes and killing. Isn't that dangerous?

One mistake and one's Dao is extinguished.

For someone like me, with lower cultivation and a quiet life, perhaps I can live longer and more freely.

To be able to stay by Master's side, watch the children grow up, and help Sister Ye manage the household... such days make me feel as happy as an immortal.”

Her words weren't entirely about a lack of ambition; they were more like a clear-headed choice.

Her Spiritual Root was decent, and if she had enough resources and perseverance, she might have been able to go further on the path of the Dao.

But she knew well that her Heart-Nature did not enjoy conflict, nor did she have great ambition; she was more attached to the mundane world and the warmth of Family.

In her view, using endless boring meditation and potential risks to gamble for a slim chance at Foundation Establishment was far less practical than grasping the tangible happiness right in front of her.

Moreover, she hadn't completely given up on cultivation; she was just letting it take its natural course, integrating it into her life rather than letting it become her entire life.

Qi Yuan listened and remained silent for a moment, not forcing her.

There are three thousand Great Daos, and each has its own path.

Liu Yueer's tenacity was admirable, but wasn't Zhou Qianer's open-mindedness and contentment also a form of wisdom?

A Family needs both brave and enterprising pioneers and a cornerstone like her who can maintain stability.

After seeing off Su Wantang, who went to a side room to study Talismans, Qi Yuan did not leave the Immortal Cave. Instead, he sat cross-legged on a prayer mat in the center of the quiet room, holding his breath and concentrating.

He first began to circulate the Wood Spirit Art.

This Cultivation Technique was balanced and peaceful. Although it was slightly lacking in killing power, its strength lay in its long-lasting and mellow spiritual power, which was especially good for nourishing the Physical Body and extending Lifespan.

As the technique circulated, the pure wood-attribute Spiritual Qi in the Immortal Cave was slowly absorbed, merging into his Meridians and finally flowing into his Dantian's Qi Sea.

After more than a year of continuous feedback and nourishment from the Green Wood Sword Qi, his Dantian, which had been covered in fine cracks and silent for many years...

Was now as good as new. He had even gained a blessing in disguise; under the repeated tempering of the Sword Qi and the vegetation essence, his Meridians were tougher and wider than before.

Spiritual power surged through his Meridians without any obstruction, finally coming to a steady halt before a certain limit.

Qi Refining Sixth Layer Peak!

Qi Yuan slowly finished his exercise and opened his eyes. His gaze contained an internal brilliance, and his spirit and Qi were full.

He carefully felt the surging spiritual power within him and his Dantian, which no longer felt any sluggishness or pain. A heavy stone in his heart finally dropped completely.

His mind sank into his Sea of Consciousness, and next to the Evergreen Soul Tracing Seal, it clearly displayed—

【Lifespan: 125】

“Six years of life...”

Qi Yuan murmured to himself, a hint of gratification flashing in his eyes.

These six years of Lifespan didn't increase out of thin air; they were a normal manifestation of the longevity effect of the Wood Spirit Art after he had repaired his hidden injuries and returned to his Peak.

For an ordinary Cultivator in the Qi Refinement Stage, if they have no special opportunities or techniques, their Lifespan is about two cycles of sixty years.

However, most Qi Refining Cultivators struggle to reach a hundred years due to the fighting and killing involved in climbing the Realms.

But the Wood Spirit Art he practiced inherently had a longevity effect. Now that his hidden injuries were gone and his body had returned to its best state, his Lifespan naturally increased to one hundred and twenty-five years.

He raised his hand again, pressing his fingers together like a sword. With a slight thought, an extremely condensed green Sword Qi emerged from his fingertips, about two inches long, with flowing brilliance and a sharp aura that also contained vibrant vitality.

“Two inches of Sword Qi...”

Qi Yuan looked at this Sword Qi with burning eyes.

“Once this Sword Qi is condensed to five inches, I can try to use it as a guide to tear through the Bottleneck and impact the seventh layer of Qi Refining!”

This Green Wood Sword Qi was, for him, no longer just a means of attack, but also a holy medicine for healing and a Sharp Weapon for assisting cultivation, with infinite uses.

He became increasingly convinced that this fragment of the Yimu Longevity Sword Art obtained from the Zhou Family's ancestral hall was far more valuable than imagined and would surely become the foundation of his Qi Family.

His gaze couldn't help but turn toward the Jade Slip that recorded the sword manual, a hint of fervor and desire rising in his heart.

According to the Jade Slip, only by cultivating the Green Wood Sword Qi to a length of one foot could one meet the minimum requirements to practice the supporting basic sword move—the Coiling Silk Sword.

“Coiling Silk Sword...”

Qi Yuan recited the name in his heart. Just thinking of that mysterious sword move, which combined the abilities of entangling and binding, made him feel fascinated.

Just one inch of Sword Qi could easily pierce through a Medium Grade Rank One Wood Shield Talisman.

If he could master this Coiling Silk Sword, given its characteristics, he feared that among Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators, few could face its edge directly!

By then, his survival ability and deterrence would undergo a qualitative leap.

More importantly, who would expect that an old man who looked to be over sixty with a cultivation only at the Mid-Stage Qi Refining...

Would actually be a Sword Cultivator with attacking power unsurpassed in the same stage?

This was undoubtedly an excellent trump card.

“Sword Qi cultivation cannot be rushed.”

Qi Yuan suppressed the urgency in his heart.

If his goal was the Late Stage Qi Refining, he had plenty of time and didn't need to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs.

The spirit plants in the Immortal Cave still had their uses and could not be used lightly.

Trying to Cultivate new spirit plants would take another five or six years.

He would have to find some spirit plants rich in the vegetation essence himself; the few types in this Immortal Cave were all used for making Talismans, and it wasn't cost-effective to absorb their essence.