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

Chapter 5 Qi-Replenishing Pill

In Zhou Li's eyes, the red fragments scattered on the blue bricks were reflected.

Qi-replenishing pills...used by Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Even if it's just fragments, the power of blood and qi contained within them is probably unfathomable to him now!

His six legs trembled slightly, and he did not pounce immediately. Lu Changye's glance just now was not an unintentional sweep, but a genuine look at him.

Was this senior disciple testing him? Or was it just a casual act?

In any case, this is an incredible opportunity, and there is no reason not to seize it.

Without further hesitation, Zhou Li darted out the moment Gu Siwei lowered her head to write!

Instead of taking the largest piece, he picked up the smallest piece of cinnabar residue near his feet.

If Lu Changye's action was unintentional, he could pick up the pill residue at any time, and I must preserve at least one pill residue as quickly as possible.

If he did it intentionally, then he could simply have the ant colony work together to slowly transport the remaining dregs back to the nest.

Zhou Li rushed into the purple bamboo forest, bypassed the spider web, and headed straight for the entrance to the anthill.

The spiny-bellied spider seemed to sense the movement and poked its head out of its nest, but it quickly withdrew when it saw the red spot in Zhou Li's mouth.

Its animal instincts told it that the thing exuded a dangerous aura.

Zhou Li burrowed into the anthill and, without stopping for a moment, swiftly moved deeper into the anthill.

Inside the nest, the worker ants were still repairing the damage caused by the wire snake the previous night. When they saw Zhou Li rushing towards them carrying a bright red object, they all gave way. Although they lacked intelligence, they still understood the principle of seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

Zhou Li carefully placed the dregs of the pill deep inside the nest, and the fragrance of the medicine gradually spread.

He then rushed outside the cave and saw that the remaining dregs of the pill were indeed still lying quietly in the courtyard.

Zhou Li dared not delay and immediately directed the ant colony to work together to transport the dregs back one by one. Along the way, he also reminded the ant colony to avoid the spider web.

In no time, the ant swarm had carried away all the dregs on the ground, and Zhou Li even had time to listen to Lu Changye's sermon.

"...Therefore, the key to foundation building lies in opening the spiritual platform and condensing the qi sea." Lu Changye suddenly paused and looked towards the western sky.

As the sun sets, the bamboo shadows are stretched long and slanted by the afterglow.

"That's enough for today." Lu Changye stood up, flicking his sleeves lightly. "You need to carefully understand what I just said, and don't rush it."

Gu Siwei hurriedly stood up and bowed, holding the densely filled paper with notes as if it were a priceless treasure: "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother. I will go back and study it now!"

After saying that, he hurriedly returned to his room, leaving only Lu Changye in the courtyard.

He walked slowly to the edge of the purple bamboo grove, looked down at the blue bricks, and saw that the few dregs of the pill were long gone, as was the ant.

Lu Changye stood still for a moment, then suddenly chuckled softly, "He's quite clever."

"If you truly gain sentience, then this is the good fortune I bestow upon you. Whether you can seize it or not depends on your own destiny."

After saying that, he turned and went back to his room.

Deep within the anthill, Zhou Li was piling the last bit of elixir residue into the safest corner of the nest. Small as dust, large as sand, the residue gleamed faintly in the dim anthill, giving the surrounding soil a faint blood-red hue.

Zhou Li lay prostrate to one side, his beard trembling slightly.

He could sense that the vital energy contained within these pill residues was slowly dissipating; if he didn't consume them now…

No rush, we've already gained too much today.

The senior brother's explanation needs time to be digested, and these pill residues need to be handled with even greater care. With my current meager cultivation level, rashly consuming them would likely bring more harm than good.

Zhou Li slowly lowered his beard and began to review what he had heard that day.

From the true meaning of the three words "quiet, focused, and guarded" to the subtle key points of the flow of spiritual energy, every word flowed through his heart.

Unconsciously, Zhou Li's six legs naturally stretched out, and his breathing gradually became longer and more even. The small fire in his abdomen circulated on its own, slowly circulating through the body according to what he had learned that day.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhou Li stopped his cultivation and sighed.

The body of an ant is ultimately different from that of a human.

For the past four years, he has been diligently cultivating himself. He can clearly sense when spiritual energy enters his body, but that spiritual energy is like a stream flowing over sand, coming and going quickly.

Even though he had successfully refined his Qi, the embers in the ant's belly remained weak and smoldering. In the past, he had only thought that cultivation was difficult, but after listening to Lu Changye's teachings today, he finally understood the crux of the problem.

"My frail body is thin and lacks vital energy, unable to retain spiritual energy. If I cultivate step by step, with only this meager spiritual energy to nourish me, when will my physical body ever be able to repay me?"

Zhou Li recalled the menacing spiny-bellied spider, the wire snake that frequently attacked, and the monks chatting and laughing in the side room.

The phrase "greed will cause the meridians to become like ravines" from the "Qi-Guiding Technique" came to mind, and then he remembered what Lu Changye had said: "Sufficient Qi and blood can keep the meridians from being damaged."

After weighing the two options, Zhou Li made a decision in his mind.

He opened his upper palate, slowly approached the smallest dreg of the pill, and swallowed it in one gulp.

The moment the elixir entered his mouth, it felt as if lava was poured in and rushed down his body.

Zhou Li's entire body suddenly curled up, and wherever the heat flow passed, his outer shell cracked inch by inch, and his internal organs seemed to be on fire.

The excruciating pain was a hundred times worse than when I was run over by a dump truck in my previous life!

Ah, my past life... In my past life, I was devoted to the Dao, but I did not have a good end. Now, although I have been reborn, I am just an ant.

Life is like a mayfly, death is like dust.

God, are you playing a trick on me? The great path is right before my eyes; how can I be content if I cannot reach the summit?

Zhou Li desperately clung to the last vestige of clarity, forcing himself to circulate the Qi-guiding technique.

Something amazing happened.

The medicinal power emanating from the elixir residue was slowly converging from all directions of the anthill, repairing Zhou Li's damaged body.

The energy and blood within his body seemed to have found a path, beginning to circulate along the smoothest trajectory.

One lap, two laps...

With each cycle, the burning pain lessens slightly, and the essence of qi and blood seeps into the compound eyes, palate, and six legs, before merging into the embers on the ant's abdomen.

After an unknown amount of time, the pain subsided, and Zhou Li loosened his curled-up six legs, sensing the changes within his body.

The dregs of the pill that had been swallowed had completely disappeared, and the ball of charcoal in his abdomen had noticeably grown larger.

Zhou Li understood that the circulation of qi and blood he had just experienced must be what Taoists often refer to as the Zhou Tian cycle. Since spiritual energy was gathered in the ant's abdomen, he would call it the Dantian.

What surprised him even more was that the cracks on the shell had not completely healed, and his bodily fluids, tinged with gold, could be faintly seen through the cracks.

Immersed in the pale golden fluid, faint golden light shines through the cracks, like fine golden lines embedded in the outer shell.

Zhou Li was extremely excited: "It worked!"

Without hesitation, he immediately crawled to the second pill residue, picked it up, and swallowed it.

This one was slightly larger, but Zhou Li's body was no longer as weak as before.

With experience, he used his dantian as a furnace to refine the surging qi and blood little by little, and the golden patterns on the outer shell flickered and shimmered with the circulation of qi and blood.

The pain was still intense, but it was bearable.

The third one, the fourth one...

Deep within the anthill, a transformation that begins in the smallest detail is quietly taking place.

The nest was devoid of sunlight and moonlight, and Zhou Li lost all sense of time. He would only rest briefly after each refining process before continuing to consume.

His consciousness fluctuated between lucidity and confusion, but most of the time, only one thought occupied his mind:

"Live on."