Novel Full Chapter 124 - 120: Qi Refining Level 7
Chapter 124: Chapter 120: Qi Refining Level 7
That morning, after handing a new batch of Talismans to He Shou, Li Yuan ran into the captain of the guard team in the courtyard.
The captain was a member of the Wang family’s main clan, at the Qi Refining Ninth Level. He usually didn’t spend much time at the outpost, as he was mostly out on patrol or attending meetings at the Wang family headquarters. In the days since Li Yuan had joined the guards, he had only seen the captain from a distance twice.
Captain Wang had just returned from outside. He wore a travel-worn, blue-gray robe and was standing in the middle of the courtyard talking to He Shou.
Seeing Li Yuan approach, Captain Wang glanced at him.
"You’re the Talisman Maker sent over from the Talisman Hall?"
"Yes."
Captain Wang nodded, his gaze lingering for a moment on the talisman-engraved token at Li Yuan’s waist.
"I’ve seen your Talismans. The quality is good. He Shou has mentioned you to me."
He didn’t waste time with pleasantries and got straight to the point.
"I hear you’re looking for two types of Tier One Top Grade herbs?"
Li Yuan glanced at He Shou. He Shou gave him a slight nod; it was clearly he who had brought it up.
"That’s right."
Captain Wang tucked his hands into his sleeves.
"You can find those two things in the outer regions of the Yuanheng Mountain Range. The guard patrols have seen them before in a few medicinal valleys on the edge of the range. They aren’t particularly rare, but finding them at Tier One Top Grade is difficult. You have to go deeper."
He paused.
"However, the situation in the mountain range is different now."
"There may be fewer Demon Beasts than before, but things are more dangerous."
He jutted his chin toward the west, in the direction of the market square. "The Li family isn’t just harassing us on the outskirts of the market; they’ve also bought off a group of rogue cultivators. Unlike the Li family’s regular Cultivators, who hit and run, these people hide in the mountains and set up ambushes, specifically targeting isolated patrol teams and lone Loose Cultivators."
"Last month, we had a three-man team go into the mountains to gather herbs. On their way back, they were ambushed by four evil cultivators. Of the three, two were killed and one was injured. All their supplies were stolen."
Captain Wang’s tone wasn’t heavy, but the faces of the few guards in the courtyard changed as they listened.
"Besides the evil cultivators, the Li family’s own people will attack as well," Captain Wang continued. "The last time He Shou led a patrol in the outer range, they ran into three Li family Cultivators. They managed to drive them off, but we still suffered losses."
After listening, Li Yuan didn’t reply, waiting for Captain Wang to continue.
Captain Wang looked at him.
"As for the two herbs you need, I can have the patrol team look for them for you. They’re heading into the mountains anyway, so keeping an eye out for two extra herbs won’t be much trouble."
He held up one finger.
"The condition is that you must produce more Talismans. For the duration of your time with the guard team, you need to carve out some of your cultivation time each day to make a few extra Talismans."
"Done," Li Yuan agreed without hesitation.
Captain Wang grunted in acknowledgment, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
Li Yuan returned to his stone house and continued making Talismans.
Fireball Talismans still made up the bulk of his production. His success rate with the Heart-lock Talisman was gradually increasing, and he could now reliably produce two to three per day.
He interspersed his Talisman making with cultivation. He alternated between circulating the Spirit-Introducing Skill and the Hundred Veins Returning to Origin Skill. Under the dual enhancement of Pure Spiritual Power and Spiritual Power Condensation, the Spiritual Power in his Dantian grew more solid with every cycle.
The permanence progress for the Mid-grade Spirit Stone was also advancing steadily.
[Permanence Progress for Pure Spiritual Power (Green): 267/500]
「Two days later.」
As evening fell, He Shou pushed the door open and entered, carrying a cloth bundle in his hand.
"Your things have arrived."
He placed the bundle on the table and untied it.
Inside were two herbs, each wrapped in Oil Paper.
Li Yuan picked up the first one, unwrapped it, and took a look. The stalk was a mix of green and purple, and the edges of its leaves shimmered with a faint, silvery light. Its Spiritual Power fluctuations were restrained, but its grade was clear—Tier One Top Grade.
The second herb was deep red in color, with a thick root and long, thin leaves. It had a spicy yet bitter scent. It was also Tier One Top Grade.
These were the two Mutually Repulsive Herbs Old Sun had mentioned.
"The patrol team found them in a medicinal valley on the eastern side of the mountain range," He Shou said. "The quality is decent. See if they’re good enough for your needs."
Li Yuan rewrapped the two herbs.
"They’re more than enough."
He Shou nodded and left.
Li Yuan placed the herbs into his storage pouch, planning to ask Old Sun to process them the next time he returned to the Talisman Hall.
That night, Li Yuan sat cross-legged and began to circulate his energy as usual.
He activated the Spirit-Introducing Skill, and Spiritual Qi flooded into his body. The Pure Spiritual Power trait removed the impurities, and the Origin Condensation Skill compressed the Spiritual Power, sinking it into his Dantian.
One cycle completed, and a second one followed.
Toward the end of the third cycle, Li Yuan felt a change.
The Spiritual Power in his Dantian was saturated.
’This isn’t a feeling of being almost full, but true, literal saturation.’
The Spiritual Power filled every corner of his Dantian; any more would cause it to overflow. The pressure on the walls of his Dantian reached its limit, and the Spiritual Power churned within, like a kettle about to boil.
The bottleneck of the Qi Refining Sixth Level.
Li Yuan didn’t rush. He first circulated the Spiritual Power through his body once more, ensuring that every meridian and every micro-meridian was in its optimal state.
After mastering the Hundred Veins Returning to Origin Skill, his Spiritual Power flowed through his body at incredible speed, filling every inch of his meridians. And after reaching Minor Achievement in the Microelement Meridian Introduction Skill, even the most minuscule meridian branches were clear and unobstructed.
Everything was ready.
Li Yuan took a deep breath and began to assault the bottleneck.
He circulated the Origin Condensation Skill with all his might.
Under the compression of the Origin Condensation Skill, the density of the Spiritual Power in his Dantian skyrocketed. The already saturated Spiritual Power was squeezed even further, like forcing another half-cup of water into a full glass. The pressure on the walls of his Dantian surged, and a dull ache spread from his abdomen to his limbs.
The condensed Spiritual Power slammed against the bottleneck on the walls of his Dantian.
The first wave of impact.
VMMMM.
His entire Dantian shuddered.
The bottleneck shattered.
Spiritual Power surged through the breach into a deeper layer of his Dantian, pouring down like a flood from a broken dam. The new space was a full size larger than the original, and as the Spiritual Power rushed in, it quickly spread out to fill every corner.
At the same time, his meridians were also changing. Under the impact of the Spiritual Power, all the meridians in his body expanded slightly, and the capacity of their walls increased. The speed at which his Spiritual Power circulated was now more than twenty percent faster than before his breakthrough.
Li Yuan slowly withdrew his energy and exhaled a breath of turbid air.
Qi Refining Seventh Level.
The panel appeared.
Immediately, a second notification popped up.
[Permanence Conditions Met for Spiritual Power Condensation (Green)]
[Make Permanent?]
A thought formed in Li Yuan’s mind.
’Yes.’
[Permanence Successful]
[Spiritual Power Condensation (Green) Has Become a Permanent Trait]
[Equipment Consumed]
His condensed Spiritual Power, already far superior to that of other Cultivators at his level, became even more compressed, and the process felt more natural and smooth.
In the next instant, the Spiritual Power in his Dantian changed again.
This was not a change in quantity, but in quality.
The Spiritual Power that had just surged into the new space after his breakthrough now began to condense on its own. It no longer needed the Origin Condensation Skill to guide it; the Spiritual Power itself was compressing toward a higher density.
A third notification immediately popped up.
[Condition Met for Breaking Through to Qi Refining Seventh Level. Fourth Equipment Slot Unlocked.]
[Current Equipment Slots: 2/4]
[Next Equipment Slot Unlock Condition: Make Three or More Green-Quality or Higher Traits Permanent / Reach Foundation Establishment Cultivation]
’A fourth equipment slot.’
Li Yuan looked at the numbers on the panel.
’2/4. The Soul Mirror and the Mid-grade Spirit Stone are still equipped. The Origin Condensation Skill was just consumed, freeing up two slots.’
’The unlock condition has also changed. The next slot requires three permanent green traits or reaching the Foundation Establishment realm.’
’Right now, I have two permanent green traits—Flame Marrow Body Tempering and Spiritual Power Condensation. I’m still one short.’
’The Evil Stone’s Evil Qi Affinity is a green trait, and its permanence condition is to absorb a strand of Tier One Top Grade Evil Qi. I already have the herbs; once I have Old Sun refine them, I can make progress on that.’
’Pure Spiritual Power is also green. Making it permanent requires five hundred cycles. I’m at over three hundred now, so I need a little over a hundred more.’
’I’m making progress on both paths.’
Li Yuan dismissed the panel, stood up, and stretched his muscles.
His body at the Qi Refining Seventh Level felt different from the sixth level. His Spiritual Power was more abundant, his meridians were wider, and his cycles ran faster. Combined with the significant increase in Spiritual Power density from the permanent Spiritual Power Condensation, the same Magic he cast would be more than a whole level stronger than before his breakthrough.
Outside the window, it was late into the night. The guard outpost was so quiet that the only sounds were the footsteps of a few Cultivators on night watch.
Li Yuan sat down on his bed plank and closed his eyes to cultivate.
Spiritual Qi surged into his body from all directions. The Pure Spiritual Power trait removed the impurities, and the Spiritual Power condensed on its own before sinking into his Dantian.
Each cycle was faster and more solid than before his breakthrough.