Chapter 93 - 71 : Mid Qi-Refining

Chapter 93: Chapter 71 : Mid Qi-Refining

The ravine slowly settled after the fighting. Ethan could hear the faint chirping of insects around him and the soft rustling of leaves as the breeze passed through the trees. The air had grown cooler, and without the sound of footsteps or weapons cutting through the darkness, the silence felt deeper than before. Ethan stood still for a moment, listening to the quiet around him before closing his eyes.

Time to round things up. He thought as he let his Blood Perception spread through the ravine. It moved between the trees and along the uneven ground until the two remaining presences came into his senses.

One was moving quickly within its range, while the other had stopped near his horse, its stronger vitality easy for Ethan to notice beside him. Ethan opened his eyes, picked out their positions, and immediately moved. He slipped between the trees and rushed into the darkness, his steps carrying him swiftly toward the first presence.

The first cultivator was trying to climb the slope, using his hands to steady himself against the rocks as he hurried upward. He had nearly reached the top when Ethan appeared above him. The man looked up, and the moment his eyes met Ethan’s, the color drained from his face. He turned to run, but Ethan was already moving. Ethan dropped from above, his short dao cutting down in one swift motion. The cultivator staggered backward and fell down the slope, disappearing among the rocks and leaves.

Ethan turned toward the other presence.

The final cultivator had stayed near his horse. He had abandoned his weapon for a moment while struggling to calm the frightened animal, his attention fixed on its restless movements. The horse suddenly jerked its head toward the trees. The man followed its gaze and turned.

Ethan was already there.

The man’s eyes widened, and he reached toward his weapon, but Ethan closed the distance before he could properly react. The short dao moved once. The fight lasted only seconds before the man’s resistance ended.

The frightened horse bolted into the darkness.

Ethan watched the horse disappear between the trees before turning back toward the ravine. The trees stood quietly beneath the fading moonlight, and the sounds of insects had already returned. A few leaves and stones had been disturbed along the paths where the fighting had taken place, but otherwise, the ravine looked almost the same as before.

It was hard to believe that seven people had entered this place together. Six had come after one, certain they could catch him. Now, only Ethan remained standing.

He looked around the quiet ravine, his robe stained with blood. His side no longer hurt, and the wounds from the earlier fight had already disappeared. For a moment, he simply stood there, listening to the quiet that had returned.

He had never fought several cultivators in one hunt before. The experience had taught him more than he expected.

Ethan exhaled slowly. Looking back on the fight, it had not been as easy as it might have seemed. There had been moments when a slight mistake in his movement could have left him surrounded or taken another strike. The wind blades had been especially dangerous; if he had been even a little slower, one of them could have wounded him badly. Even against the last cultivator, he had been forced to rely on his speed and the terrain to avoid being overwhelmed by the man’s strength.

Ethan looked down at his bloodstained robe.

He had won, but the fight had shown him something important. Speed, regeneration, and strength were not enough on their own. Against several cultivators, one mistake could quickly turn the situation against him.

He would remember that.

The difference between knowing that Qi could strengthen a weapon and actually fighting someone who used it was considerable. The same went for his speed. Having the ability to move quickly was one thing; knowing when and how to use it in a real fight was another. Tonight had made that clear.

There had been moments when his Blood Perception gave him the advantage and others when the terrain gave him room to move, but there had also been moments when a single mistake could have put him in real danger.

Ethan looked into the darkness of the ravine.

He still had much to learn.

Ethan glanced at the cultivator lying nearby. The others were scattered throughout the ravine, left where they had fallen during the hunt. Their blood was already soaking into the earth.

That would be a waste.

Ethan moved through the ravine, retracing the paths he had taken during the fight and gathering the bodies one by one. It took some time, but eventually he had brought them all together at the lowest part of the ravine.

There, the ground dipped between two rocky walls, forming a shallow depression where the blood slowly gathered. Dark streams ran over the stones and collected in the hollow, carrying the lingering warmth of the cultivators who had died there.

Ethan stood beside it for a moment before removing his outer robe. He stepped into the blood, letting it rise past his knees and reach his waist before lowering himself into the pool. The cold stone pressed against his body as he settled down and closed his eyes.

The Blood Seed stirred.

Almost immediately, the blood around him began to move. It gathered toward his body in slow currents, drawn inward by the Blood Seed. Ethan focused on the sensation as the blood entered him and began to change.

These cultivators had spent years cultivating Qi. Traces of that energy remained within their blood, and the Blood Seed slowly separated and refined it. What could be used was drawn inward, merging with his own Living Blood while the rest was left behind.

Ethan remained still as the process continued.

The longer it went on, the fuller the Blood Seed became. A steady warmth spread through his body, replacing the exhaustion that had settled into his muscles after the night’s fighting. His breathing gradually slowed, and his mind became quiet as he focused entirely on the changes taking place within him.

Then the Blood Seed pulsed.

Ethan’s body tightened slightly.

A second pulse followed, stronger than the first.

The pressure building inside him suddenly increased. His breathing deepened as the energy gathered within the Blood Seed began to flow outward, entering his meridians and joining the Qi already circulating through his body.

The resistance he had grown used to feeling suddenly weakened.

His Qi moved.

At first, the change was faint. Then the circulation became smoother, faster, as though something inside him had finally opened. The pressure continued building until it reached a point where Ethan could no longer contain it.

Then it broke.

Energy surged through his body.

Ethan’s muscles tightened as the wave passed through his meridians, spreading from his core into his limbs. His breath caught, and for a moment, every part of his body seemed to tremble beneath the sudden change.

Then everything settled.

Ethan slowly opened his eyes.

He could feel it.

The Qi inside him was different now. It moved through his body with far less resistance, following a circulation that felt more natural than before. The Blood Seed had also changed. It felt denser and fuller, while his Living Blood flowed steadily through him.

Ethan raised his hand and activated Blood Perception.

The surrounding life entered his senses.

He could distinguish the small movements around him more clearly now—the insects hidden in the grass, the creatures beneath the roots, the faint vitality of the plants around the rocks. His Blood Perception had not suddenly reached farther, but the sensations within its range felt cleaner and easier to separate.

Ethan lowered his hand.

Mid Qi-Refining.

He remained there for a moment, letting the new sensation settle.

Then he climbed out of the pit.

The eastern sky had begun to pale, though the ravine still lay beneath the last darkness of night.

Ethan picked up his robe and looked toward the bodies gathered in the depression. His cultivation had advanced another step since entering the ravine.

Ethan glanced at the bodies again. So this was what plundering felt like. He had to admit, it was an easy way to grow. Someone else had done the hard work, and he had simply taken the result. The thought was almost amusing as he pulled his robe on and turned away.

Ethan dressed and picked up his short dao, wiping the blade clean with a piece of cloth before returning it to its sheath. His gaze lingered on the ravine for a moment. It had been a long night, and as he pulled his robe tighter around himself, he finally turned away.

The sun had not risen yet, but the darkness was beginning to thin. A faint grayness touched the eastern sky, barely visible through the trees, while the ravine remained quiet beneath the fading night.

Ethan walked toward the other side of the ravine. His footsteps were soft against the damp earth, gradually disappearing into the stillness as he left the bodies, the blood, and the night’s violence behind.

By the time he reached the slope, the first hint of dawn had begun to reach between the trees.

Ethan did not look back.

He continued into the forest as the darkness slowly gave way to morning.