Novel Full Chapter 55: Breakthrough: Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer
Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Breakthrough: Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer
Zhang Chi first took the Profound Turtle Shield from the box. It was palm-sized, dark, and round, with a tortoise-shell pattern on its surface. It felt cool and quite heavy in his hand.
RRRIP...
Zhang Chi tore off the golden seal that marked it as new and poured his Spiritual Power into it. The Profound Turtle Shield immediately began to tremble, emitting a faint black glow.
At the same time, it also began to violently devour his Spiritual Power.
But since Zhang Chi cultivated a Top Grade Demon Technique and was already at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, he felt no strain at all.
An hour later, the Profound Turtle Shield finally fell silent.
A mystical connection had formed between Zhang Chi and the shield, as if it had become an extension of his own limbs.
Zhang Chi’s heart filled with joy; he knew instantly that he had completed the initial Refinement of the Profound Turtle Shield.
This was only possible because his strength was far greater than before. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have happened so quickly.
SWOOSH!
With a flicker of his Divine Thought, the miniature shield absorbed Spiritual Power, instantly growing to half a man’s height and circling around him.
He could control the Shield to appear anywhere around him and could even make it larger.
When faced with an attack, the Shield could even intercept it automatically to defend him.
However, compared to his direct control, its automatic reactions were slower and its defense weaker.
"Go!"
Zhang Chi raised his hand and pointed. The Profound Turtle Shield shot out violently, crashing into a large boulder not far away.
BOOM!
Amid the huge explosion, the large boulder was smashed to pieces on the spot.
But the Profound Turtle Shield remained completely unscathed.
Apparently, it could also be used for offense, but it was no match for attack-type Magical Artifacts of the Same Tier, so Cultivators rarely used it that way.
By Zhang Chi’s estimate, with this Small Shield, it would be very difficult for Cultivators of the Same Tier to breach his defenses.
Even Qi Cultivation Late Stage cultivators would likely have to expend considerable effort.
After toying with it for a while, Zhang Chi put the Small Shield into his Storage Bag, took out the Fire Crow Gourd, and began its Refinement.
The Gourd was fiery red, slightly hot to the touch, and also miniature enough to be held in one hand.
The Refinement process was similar to that of the Profound Turtle Shield, with the initial stage completed in about an hour.
SWOOSH!
Then, with a push of his power, the Gourd rapidly expanded, reaching a length of one zhang in the blink of an eye.
Of course, as Zhang Chi’s Cultivation increased in the future, he would surely be able to make it even larger.
SWOOSH...
Zhang Chi suspended the Gourd in mid-air. He formed a Spirit Technique with his hands, pointing toward the nearby Earth Fire magma. A massive amount of Earth Fire instantly transformed into a fiery serpent and was sucked into the Gourd.
It took quite some time for the Gourd to become full.
BOOM!
Zhang Chi slapped the Gourd, and a Fire Crow with a three-foot wingspan shot out with a sharp cry.
The Fire Crow slammed into the magma and exploded, instantly kicking up a massive wave.
However, the magma was already unstable and suppressed by a Grand Array, so this small disturbance had no real impact.
BOOM!
Zhang Chi then released a Fire Crow using his own Spiritual Power. This time, he found the Fire Crow was noticeably larger, with a wingspan of one zhang, and the explosion it created was far more powerful than before.
However, this also consumed a great deal more Spiritual Power. Even with his considerable Cultivation, he couldn’t use it indiscriminately.
’This is good. It’s faster to unleash than the Fire Bomb Technique, and its Mighty Power is far greater. Unless someone has reached a very high level of mastery with the Fire Bomb Technique, there’s simply no comparison.’
Zhang Chi was very pleased.
He put away the Gourd, rested for a moment, and then began the Refinement of the Flood Dragon Snake Armor.
This Refinement consumed even more Spiritual Power and time.
Upon success, the fist-sized black Bead instantly melted into a liquid state. It then formed a snake-shaped bracelet, biting its own tail, and clasped itself around his wrist.
When he activated it with his Spiritual Power, the bracelet melted once more, rapidly spreading to cover his entire body and forming a layer of Black Armor.
This Armor could also change its form.
It could cover his entire body or just a single part.
For instance, it could cover only his arms or leave his head and face exposed.
The Armor could harden like metal or soften to feel like a layer of Snake Hide.
As expected, the Armor could also be hidden beneath his skin, making it completely unnoticeable.
Doing so just consumed slightly more Spiritual Power.
The speed of the Armor’s transformation depended on his Divine Thought and Spiritual Power.
In its bracelet form, it consumed no Spiritual Power at all.
Furthermore, when the Armor was fully activated, it could emit a hint of a flood dragon snake’s imposing aura, which must have come from that trace of Demonic Qi.
But Zhang Chi remained completely unaffected by the Demonic Qi; only the color of his Jade Pendant had changed slightly.
’This is great!’
With this Armor, Zhang Chi’s sense of security skyrocketed. He admired it for a long while before finally stopping.
In the days that followed, Zhang Chi continued his Cultivation in Seclusion.
Unlike before, however, he now attended every private trade fair organized by Qin Susu and her group.
Partly, it was to show his support.
And partly, he hoped to try his luck, to see if he could stumble upon treasures like the Flood Dragon Snake Armor or the Divine Concealment Technique.
Furthermore, he used whatever spare time and remaining Spirit Stones he had to buy materials for Refining Spirit-Storage Pills.
Soon, ten days passed, and news of the changes to the assessment finally began to spread among the disciples.
Five days after that, the Sect made an official announcement.
During this time, prices fluctuated dramatically, just as expected.
The prices of all sorts of Spirit Pills, materials, and Magical Artifacts began to rise without exception.
Clearly, all the disciples were eager to increase their strength as quickly as possible.
A few days later, prices surged even higher. A single Spirit-Storage Pill, for instance, jumped to 1.3 Spirit Stones.
The price of a Small Realm-Breaking Pill also rose from around three hundred to over four hundred.
A strange phenomenon appeared in the Marketplace: the higher the prices rose, the more buyers there were.
Some feared that prices would climb even higher, and they wouldn’t be able to afford things later. Others were deliberately trying to speculate and profit.
Just then, however, Qin Susu and her group suddenly rushed to the Earth Fire Hall to find Zhang Chi. They told him the Sect was about to intervene and stabilize prices.
As it turned out, Chen Bufan was now at the Foundation Establishment realm, putting him beyond their reach. However, Chen Bufan had an Immortal Cultivation Clan behind him, which included junior Qi Cultivation disciples and new Outer Sect disciples—perfect contacts for them to cultivate.
Their inside information this time came from one of Chen Bufan’s younger female cousins.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chi didn’t hesitate. He immediately headed to the Marketplace with Qin Susu and the others.
They rented a stall and sold out their stock before noon.
Of course, Zhang Chi primarily sold off his Spirit-Storage Pills. As for the Small Realm-Breaking Pill, he disguised himself and sold it privately to the Treasure Pavilion.
He could have sold his other items, but he still had use for them.
If he sold them and tried to buy replacements later, he might make a small profit, but there was no guarantee he’d find items he liked as much, so he left them alone.
Even so, after subtracting his costs, he still made a profit of nearly two hundred Spirit Stones.
And just as predicted, barely two days after they sold their stock, prices had largely returned to normal.
For example, a Spirit-Storage Pill cost no more than 1.1 Spirit Stones at its peak.
This was because the Sect had intervened, explicitly forbidding exorbitant price hikes and flooding the Marketplace with a large supply of Cultivation Materials.
Many would-be speculators who didn’t sell off their goods in time either lost money or made far less profit.
In contrast, some of the major clans and high-ranking Sect members, who were well-informed, suffered no losses. In fact, they sold off their stock beforehand and made a hefty profit.
Zhang Chi, Qin Susu, and the others were also among the beneficiaries, though they had only caught the tail end of the opportunity.
Afterward, Zhang Chi bought a batch of Medicinal Materials for Refining Body Refining Elixirs.
Even with stable prices, this batch of Medicinal Materials was expensive, once again wiping out his savings.
Another ten days passed in the blink of an eye. That night, after a session of meditation, the Spiritual Power within Zhang Chi’s body finally reached its peak once more.
Without hesitation, Zhang Chi began his push for the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer.
BOOM!
In an instant, his Spiritual Power transformed, the breakthrough happening almost effortlessly.
His Spiritual Pressure expanded as the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi rushed toward him like a tide. In one fell swoop, Zhang Chi reached the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer.