Novel Full Chapter 74 - 73: Level 6 Qi Refining
Chapter 74: Chapter 73: Level 6 Qi Refining
The next morning, Li Yuan went out with the team.
This patrol route was longer than the past few days, but paradoxically, it was also safer.
After exiting the south gate of the marketplace, the dirt road was much quieter than before.
The nearby low hills and thickets had been swept several times by the guard patrols recently, and the common Tier One Low Grade Demon Beasts were now much scarcer.
He Shou walked at the front, explaining the current situation to Li Yuan and the other four team members as they went.
"We’ve cleared out a lot of Demon Beasts. At least the area immediately around the marketplace is much safer than before."
"But we’ve also lost a lot of people."
He Shou spoke matter-of-factly, his pace unwavering.
"Two teams were broken up by Top Grade Demon Beasts, and another encountered a beast that can damage the Divine Soul. Of those who made it back, two are still incoherent."
Li Yuan glanced at He Shou as Liu Cheng moved closer and asked.
"What kind of Demon Beast?"
"We still don’t know what kind of beast was responsible. Few Tier One Demon Beasts can use Magic, and even fewer can attack the Divine Soul." He Shou shook his head.
They didn’t encounter any Demon Beasts along the way, only spotting another guard patrol heading toward a distant hillside.
"There have been fewer raiding Cultivators recently, too."
"It’s not because they don’t want to make a move. It’s because there are so many people around the marketplace now, with guard patrols constantly coming and going. The average raiding Cultivator sees this and doesn’t dare come close."
"But there are still one or two groups that dare to cause trouble."
"Those are the ones you have to worry about."
Li Yuan didn’t comment.
’Raiding Cultivators usually pick easy targets. With the marketplace in its current state, no sane person would try a frontal assault.’
’Anyone who still dares to show their face is either a fool or has powerful backing.’
...
The journey back was largely uneventful, aside from encountering two lone Tier One Low Grade Demon Beasts.
Both were detected by the Spirit Detecting Disc and dealt with easily.
As the team headed back, He Shou spoke while walking.
"The Wang family sent another team up the mountain today. You saw them earlier."
"Mn."
"They brought even more people this time. Besides the guards, they even pulled a group from their peripheral forces stationed elsewhere." He Shou clipped the Spirit Detecting Disc back to his hip. "I hear they’re going to continue investigating the Array, and also scout out the dangerous sections of the mountain."
Li Yuan didn’t respond to that.
By the time they walked back to the marketplace, the sun was already setting in the west.
’The matter with the Talisman Master isn’t urgent. I’m still on the guard patrol, so I don’t have time to learn anyway.’
’I’ve already decided on a gift—I’ll give the Tier One Top Grade Demon Beast hide.’
Arriving at the trading area, Li Yuan found it much livelier than it had been in previous days.
Before, it was rarely crowded; most people with needs used the purchase request or consignment services.
Now, the temporary wooden stalls were packed with people. The sounds of those buying materials, selling Demon Beast Flesh, and trading talisman paper and ores overlapped in layers.
Li Yuan walked down the outermost aisle, first glancing at a few stalls selling medicinal pills before gradually slowing his pace.
’The new people here are different from the Loose Cultivators of the eastern and northern alleys.’
A middle-aged Cultivator in worn-out armor was squatting in front of a stall buying meat, chatting with the person next to him.
"The marketplace you guys are from is far from the mountains. It’s not usually this dangerous, so guard duty is much easier than here."
A tall, thin man next to him grunted.
"Easier, sure, but the profits aren’t as good as here, are they?"
"That’s true," the middle-aged Cultivator grinned. "But it’s stable."
Besides Qinghe Marketplace, the Wang family had another marketplace that was, by comparison, much safer.
Li Yuan walked up to a temporary stall selling medicinal pills and stopped.
The stall owner was a traveling merchant in his forties. A dozen or so small porcelain bottles were arranged on his stall cloth, their medicinal scents mingling into a muddled aroma.
"Do you have any Vein Relaxing Pills?"
"I do. Two Spirit Stones each. I have three left."
Li Yuan bought them all.
Then he went to the next stall to ask.
The Vein Relaxing Pill wasn’t a popular elixir. Compared to pills for Breaking Realm, nourishing Qi, or healing, fewer people bought it, so there weren’t many on the market. But for that same reason, the price hadn’t been driven up too high; it still hovered around two Spirit Stones.
Li Yuan made a partial circuit of the area and managed to buy another eight pills.
After returning to his residence, Li Yuan slid the bolt on his door and took out a Vein Relaxing Pill to consume.
The medicinal power quickly spread through him.
His meridians were gently expanded once again.
Li Yuan immediately sat cross-legged and began circulating the Spirit-Introducing Skill.
The Spiritual Qi drawn in by his Qi gathering was more intense than usual. Once he activated his circulation acceleration, Spiritual Power coursed through his meridians like a flowing stream. Normally, this speed would have caused his meridians to swell, but the Vein Relaxing Pill had widened the pathways, making the Spiritual Power flow even more smoothly.
After several cycles, Li Yuan switched to the Hundred Veins Returning to Origin Skill.
The Spirit-Introducing Skill was responsible for absorption, while the Hundred Veins Returning to Origin Skill was for refinement.
The two Cultivation Techniques worked in perfect harmony, transitioning from one to the other without the slightest pause.
By the time the medicinal power of one Vein Relaxing Pill was completely exhausted, the Spiritual Power in Li Yuan’s Dantian had grown considerably denser.
That night, Li Yuan didn’t make any talismans, focusing solely on cultivation instead.
The next day was the same.
He would go out during the day to fill in gaps for the guard and patrol teams, then return to consume pills, meditate, and circulate his Cultivation Technique.
During this time, Li Yuan bought another batch of Vein Relaxing Pills. He spent a lot of Spirit Stones, but it was offset somewhat by selling Demon Beast materials. Still, it wasn’t much, as Demon Beasts had become scarce lately.
On the evening of the third day, Li Yuan swallowed the last Vein Relaxing Pill.
The medicinal power dissolved, and his meridians were once again expanded.
This time, Li Yuan didn’t rush to cultivate but immediately began circulating the Spirit-Introducing Skill with all his might.
Spiritual Qi surged in from all directions, pulled into his body by his Qi gathering, and was then thoroughly refined by his Qi filtering. Spurred on by his circulation acceleration, the Spiritual Power cycled at an incredible speed.
The Spiritual Power in his Dantian was already very dense, and the Vein Relaxing Pills had forcibly pushed it even further over the past few days.
As he circulated it now, the sensation was different.
The Spiritual Power washed over the borders of his Dantian again and again. The previous feeling of heavy fullness gradually turned into a taut strain.
Li Yuan kept his eyes closed, his breathing steady, and continued to push forward.
One cycle, two cycles, three cycles.
The Vein Relaxing Pill’s effects lingered, and the slight extra space in his expanded meridians was just enough to allow the Spiritual Power to keep surging forward.
At a certain moment, the border of his Dantian felt as if it had been abruptly forced open by a hair’s breadth.
It wasn’t a loud sound.
It was just that the Spiritual Power within him, which had been compressed to its absolute limit, suddenly had somewhere to go.
In the next instant, external Spiritual Qi flooded into him frantically.
The flow of Spiritual Power in his meridians suddenly accelerated. His Dantian expanded along with it, and the Spiritual Power that had been filled to the brim dispersed, only to be immediately replenished by even more Spiritual Qi.
The entire process didn’t take long.
The residual power of the Vein Relaxing Pill was completely drained in that moment, and the expanded space in his meridians quickly shrank back, but he had already crossed into the next realm.
Li Yuan slowly opened his eyes. He wiped a hand across his face, then looked down at his palm.
’My Spiritual Power circulates more steadily now.’
’It’s a level denser than when I was at the Qi Refining Fifth Level, and also lighter and faster.’
[Current Realm: Qi Refining Sixth Level]
Qi Refining Sixth Level.
Li Yuan sat on his bed and regulated his breathing for a moment before slowly standing up.
The night outside was dark, but Li Yuan felt that the room was a bit brighter than before.
It wasn’t a psychological trick, but a tangible sensation.
He was another step closer to the Late-stage of Qi Refining.