Born as an ant, I was summoned to ascend to immortality.

Chapter 37 If Heaven grants something and you don't take it, you will suffer the consequences.

After bidding farewell to their master, Zhou Li and Qingqing descended the mountain together.

Qingqing said enviously, "Master has treated you very well. I've seen her wearing this magic artifact ever since I met her."

Zhou Li awkwardly fiddled with his hair and asked, "Senior Sister Qingqing, what is a magic artifact?"

After hearing this, Qingqing's eyes narrowed into crescent moons, and she said smugly, "Junior brother, let your senior sister explain in detail."

"In the cultivation world, treasures are divided into spiritual artifacts, magical artifacts, and magical treasures, and each type is further divided into four levels: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow."

"During the Qi Refining stage, one can only use spiritual artifacts. After Foundation Establishment, one can use magical artifacts. As for magic treasures, one can only get involved after reaching the Golden Core stage."

Seeing Zhou Li listening intently, Qingqing seemed to gain immense satisfaction: "Before, I was always the one listening to Father and Master's teachings, but now I can teach my junior brother too!"

After listening, Zhou Li asked in confusion, "But Master just said that I can activate this treasure by refining my Qi..."

Qingqing didn't understand, and awkwardly put on a straight face, mimicking her father's tone: "When I teach you things, you need to pay attention! Ask less and listen more!"

Zhou Li noticed the hint of panic and bravado in Qingqing's eyes and said gently, "Senior Sister is right."

He then asked, "Senior Sister, is there a small courtyard on the back mountain of Ziyun Peak?"

Qingqing nodded: "Junior Sister has always lived in the backyard. Last year, Senior Brother was still in seclusion in the backyard."

Zhou Li exclaimed with delight, "Junior Brother is new here and was just about to pay his respects to Senior Brother."

But Qingqing shook her head again: "It's too late, it's too late. Senior Brother has already formed a false core during his seclusion and left the mountain this morning to seek opportunities."

Zhou Li was quite disappointed when he heard this, and then he heard Qingqing say, "Junior Sister is not on the mountain either. The Yuwen family has been sending people to look for her for the past few days, but she has gone to hide on Tianchi Peak."

"The Yuwen family? What do they want with Junior Sister?" Zhou Li's heart tightened, sensing that something was amiss.

"But I didn't know..." Before she could finish speaking, Qingqing raised her hand and gave Zhou Li a sharp rap on the forehead. "What 'Junior Sister'? You should call her Fourth Senior Sister!"

Zhou Li rubbed his forehead, muttering to himself, "Come to think of it, I actually started climbing the mountain even earlier than my junior sister..."

After the two parted ways, Zhou Li returned to his cave and discovered that there were actually two entrances to the cave, one in front and one behind.

The first crevice in the rock led to the sword corridor on the side cliff, while the second cave entrance connected to the mountain path in front of the mountain.

He smiled suddenly. If it was just that one cave entrance, did the handyman disciples have to go through the cliffside sword corridor to deliver the spirit rice up the mountain?

The sun was already setting in the west, and Zhou Li knew that there was still one unfinished task for him today: to contemplate the ancient demon.

He immediately sat cross-legged on the futon, calmed his mind, and the key points of the "Five Elements Painting Manual" came to mind.

"Visualize ancient demons and monsters in the Qi Sea..." Zhou Li muttered to himself, "This Qi Sea should refer to the Dantian."

He guessed that this was a deviation in the ancient description, but how could one visualize the ancient demon in this dantian?

Zhou Li was somewhat relieved that his ant-like body had devoured a large amount of ancient demon flesh and blood in the Demon Suppression Realm. Now, as soon as he thought of it, the images formed from that flesh and blood appeared in his sea of ​​consciousness.

Following the lineage of the five ancient demons—Red Ferocious, White Ape, Xuan Turtle, Bifang, and Zunyang—Zhou Li controlled his spiritual power to begin sketching.

Strands of spiritual energy entered Zhou Li's body through his limbs and bones, and the boiling spiritual power in his dantian clumsily changed shape with Zhou Li's spiritual thoughts.

After a moment, Zhou Li stopped. This step, which seemed simple, was actually fraught with resistance.

The ability to draw spiritual energy can be improved through diligent practice, but the drawn spiritual patterns, due to the interaction of the five elements, sometimes gather and sometimes disperse, making it impossible to take shape. This is the crux of the problem.

Fortunately, Zhou Li was not an impatient or reckless person. He sat quietly for a moment, dipped his finger in the dew, and silently wrote the "Five Elements Painting Secrets" from the inscription on the stone table.

As Zhou Li wrote down each obscure passage, his mind gradually calmed down: "It's nothing more than trying to understand them one by one and deciphering them one by one."

Upon reviewing the entire text, Zhou Li found several points that were difficult to understand.

The secret formula is: "Inscription marks the Dao, lotus plate nurtures the spirit...transform the mortal to preserve the true, the five elements originate from the same source...the will unites with the spirit, embraces the orifice and swallows the spirit."

Zhou Li muttered, "The inscription on this path must be meant to trace the veins of an ancient demon, in order to support its spiritual power."

Looking further down, Zhou Li scratched his head: "The 'five elements' in 'transforming from the mortal to the true, the five elements originating from the same source' must refer to the five elements of spiritual energy, right? But what does 'transforming from the mortal' mean? And what does 'preserving the true' refer to?"

"What is the meaning of this final phrase, 'The mind unites with the spirit, embracing the orifices and swallowing the soul'?"

As Zhou Li pondered and experimented, a whole night passed before he knew it.

As the first rays of morning light shone into the cave, Zhou Li wearily closed his eyes. A night of deep thought had left him exhausted, but the result of his visualization was no different from his first failed attempt.

Ordinary cultivation methods only require guiding spiritual energy to break through the Xuan Guan (mysterious gate) to perform the Great Circulation according to the meridians shown in the method.

However, the Five Elements Danqing Technique has a very high threshold, encompassing the ancient demons to be visualized within the Great Circulation. If one cannot visualize them, one cannot perform the Great Circulation.

Without the ability to circulate spiritual energy throughout the body, the flow of spiritual energy becomes sluggish, hindering both cultivation and recovery speeds. Most importantly, the spiritual energy available for combat is insufficient, making it easy to become exhausted.

Over the next few days, Zhou Li tried many methods, constantly attempting visualization and writing the incantation on the stone table again and again, but still made no progress.

He sighed softly, "I never imagined that the hardest step wouldn't be breaking through the barrier, but rather visualizing this ancient demon."

"No wonder Master said that no one has ever successfully cultivated the Five Elements Painting Technique. Could there be something wrong with the technique itself?"

Zhou Li knew that if he were to switch to another cultivation method, he might be able to easily get started. However, without the outer shell of the "Five Elements Spiritual Roots," he would only have the potential to reach the fourth rank in other low-level single-attribute cultivation methods.

Having obtained the Five Elements Spiritual Roots and possessing a Heavenly Rank cultivation technique, I should not give up halfway. Only by using my human body to nourish my ant body can I break through to the Foundation Establishment stage before my lifespan ends!

"But if this cultivation method really has a problem, wouldn't it be cutting off our own path to immortality?" Zhou Li sighed helplessly, "It's truly a case of success and failure both stemming from the Five Elements."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a distant sword cry was heard, and a voice came from outside the cave: "What a fitting end, both made and broken by the Five Elements!"

Hearing that someone had arrived, Zhou Li quickly left the cave and saw an old Taoist priest with snow-white hair and beard, and sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, standing in front of the steps, smiling at Zhou Li:

"Young friend Zhou, I am the Sword-wielding Elder of our sect, my Daoist name is Yan Qing."

"Disciple Zhou Li greets True Man Yan Qing." Zhou Li bowed deeply, having heard of Yan Qing's name many times from his master and senior sister, and dared not be negligent in the slightest.

Master Yan Qing helped Zhou Li up and circulated a breath of true energy into him. Zhou Li immediately felt refreshed and warm all over, and the fatigue of the past few days disappeared.

"It is said that the ancestors of the He family also said this when they first started practicing magic." Yan Qing looked Zhou Li up and down and said, "Hmm, the Xuan Guan has been broken, and the face is as smooth as jade. Good."

Zhou Li gave a wry smile: "Breaking through the mysterious barrier is easy, but observing the ancient demons is difficult."

Yan Qing smiled slightly upon hearing this: "Have you considered giving up? If you find it too difficult, I can allow you to choose another Earth-rank cultivation technique to help you cultivate."

Zhou Li pondered for a moment and said, "No. The path of cultivation is long and arduous; I haven't even taken the first step yet. What difficulty could there be?"

After hearing this, Yan Qing stroked his beard and laughed, "You are not angry or disapproving, you are teachable. I will give you another piece of advice."

"In the struggle of the great principles, destiny comes first. One should respond to the will of Heaven and be of the same age as the Way. If Heaven gives it to you but you do not take it, you will suffer the consequences."