Immortal Refiner

Time flowed on, unnoticed and unfeeling.

In the world of cultivation, the gradual rise and refinement of one’s strength was an addictive pleasure.

Thus, the saying circulated among immortals: ”In cultivation, time has no meaning; winter’s end comes unnoticed.”

Within the cave abode, Li Qing’s hair was disheveled, his face grimy—he bore no trace of an immortal’s ethereal grace.

He had been residing in this cave abode for nearly four years. During that time, he had barely bothered to groom himself. If thrown into a remote mountain forest, he would be indistinguishable from a wild man.

At this moment, Li Qing sat cross-legged on a cushion, his eyes tightly closed, his brow faintly trembling.

After a long while, Li Qing slowly opened his eyes, a hint of pain flickering in his pupils.

”Hiss! Four years, and I still haven’t mastered the Soul Condensing Slash! Why is cultivating divine soul attacks so difficult?”

Li Qing grimaced. Just now, he had forcibly condensed his divine soul into a sharp blade, causing subtle damage to his divine soul. The resulting feedback manifested as a persistent throbbing pain in his brow.

The pain in his divine soul felt like having a whisker forcibly plucked from just above his lip, except the sensation originated in his brow and was relentless, excruciating.

Even Li Qing, with his unwavering resolve, struggled to endure it. Over the past few years, he had nearly given up several times.

Of course, his four years of practice hadn’t been entirely fruitless. At first, he didn’t even know how to begin. He had no idea how to condense his divine sense into a sharp blade.

Now, his control over his divine sense had improved significantly. He could perform many intricate maneuvers, a remarkable achievement.

At this rate, if he persevered for a little longer, he would master this secret technique for attacking the divine soul.

Gently rubbing his brow, Li Qing retrieved the Soul Nurturing Bell, a secret treasure he carried with him. With practiced ease, he infused it with his potent spiritual energy.

Ring, ring, ring!

A series of crisp chimes echoed through the cave abode. Just hearing the melodious collision of the bells eased the throbbing pain in his divine soul.

Soon, the Soul Nurturing Bell, after being refined, began to gently nourish his divine soul, gradually increasing its strength bit by bit.

It’s worth noting that over the past four years, thanks to his daily and nightly refinement of the Soul Nurturing Bell, Li Qing’s divine soul had experienced a slight increase in strength.

However, the growth was minimal. Ever since he had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm and gained Foundation Establishment-level divine sense, the rate of improvement had become incredibly slow.

The good news was that even a mosquito’s leg was still meat. As long as he continued refining the bell, he would eventually see some progress.

Li Qing carefully returned the Soul Nurturing Bell to his chest, concealing it securely.

He didn’t need to worry about the bell’s sound giving him away. This secret treasure was truly remarkable. Only when refined with spiritual energy would it emit a soothing chime. When struck normally, it sounded just like any ordinary bell, making it impossible for outsiders to detect its true nature, no matter how they probed.

Just as Li Qing was about to resume his cultivation, footsteps suddenly echoed outside his cave abode.

”Master Li, Senior Qingyang asked me to deliver the Beast Nurturing Pills and Beast Taming Pellets you requested!”

Hearing this voice, Li Qing didn’t even need to use his divine sense to know who it was.

A polite and handsome young man stood outside the cave abode. This was the Cao child who had received an inheritance from Li Qing four years ago.

The stubborn, tearful child of the past was now nearly thirteen years old.

With his Three Spirit Roots, a cultivation aptitude considered quite promising, Cao Xiu’s cultivation had reached the Third Layer of Qi Refining and was on the verge of breaking through.

Over the past few years, Cao Xiu had been running errands for Li Qing, responsible for delivering daily necessities. He purchased the Beast Nurturing Pills for Fan Tong, as well as the spiritual rice or Qi Replenishing Pills that Li Qing consumed daily.

Of course, there were benefits. Li Qing had allowed him to practice cultivation for two hours each day in front of his cave abode, enjoying the spiritual energy of a Second-Tier Spiritual Vein.

”Mm, take the pills to the secret chamber,” Li Qing said calmly.

”Yes!” Cao Xiu cautiously approached the secret chamber in front of the cave abode, clearly nervous.

His timidity wasn’t surprising. Fan Tong’s intimidating presence had grown considerably over the years.

Ever since Fan Tong consumed a Crimson Crystal four years ago, its bloodline and constitution had undergone a complete metamorphosis. In those four years, it had also broken through to the late stage of the First Tier!

This was a feat typically achieved only by Black Fiend Tigers with pure bloodlines, yet Fan Tong, with its mixed bloodline, had reached this milestone as well!

Li Qing had once examined Fan Tong and believed it still possessed considerable potential. With the right opportunities in the future, even breaking through to the Second Tier might not be impossible.

At this moment, Fan Tong was lying in its den, snoring soundly as usual. In front of its chamber lay the skeletal remains of a fearsome White Python—the same one it had slain four years ago.

The White Python’s flesh and hide had all been devoured by Fan Tong, leaving only a clean, bare skeleton lying there.

Gazing at the skeletal remains and listening to the thunderous snores echoing from the chamber, Cao Xiu, who was only in the Early Qi Refining Realm, struggled to keep his legs from trembling.

Fan Tong’s malevolent energy had become excessively potent, and combined with the pressure emanating from its higher cultivation level, even after delivering Beast Nurturing Pills countless times, Cao Xiu couldn’t get used to this bone-deep sense of oppression.

After placing the pill, Cao Xiu hurried away. Only after leaving the cave abode did he wipe the cold sweat from his forehead and say, ”Oh, right, Master Li, Senior Qingyang asked me to pass on a message. In ten days, he’s planning to hold an auction with other Foundation Establishment Realm seniors right here at Azure Radiance Pool!”

”He might even invite cultivators from other places to attend. Senior Qingyang asked if you’d like to participate or if you have any items you’d like to consign.”

Inside the cave abode, Li Qing, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, pondered for a moment before saying, ”Hmm, I’ll need a few days to consider this.”

With that, he closed his eyes again.

Not long after, as Li Qing sat cross-legged, he faintly sensed a surge of agitation in his dantian qi sea. He had experienced this sensation once before, two years ago, when he broke through to the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining!

Now, two years later, the signs of another breakthrough had finally reappeared!

A slow smile curved Li Qing’s lips, revealing a hint of joy.

Without hesitation, Li Qing immediately took out a Foundation Nurturing Pill from his storage bag and swallowed it.

Boom!

Spiritual energy in the cave abode surged violently. Combined with the potent medicinal power of the Foundation Nurturing Pill, the mana in Li Qing’s dantian qi sea became even more agitated, surging like waves crashing against a shore.

The Fire Origin Art circulated rapidly, drawing vast amounts of spiritual energy into Li Qing’s body as he simultaneously refined the pill’s medicinal power.

Soon, his meridians began to swell slightly, filling with pure spiritual energy.

Through cycle after cycle of cultivation, this pure spiritual energy settled into his dantian qi sea, thickening the mana within his body.

After a long while, roughly fifteen minutes, the agitation finally subsided.

The moment he opened his eyes again, Li Qing’s aura had strengthened severalfold. He had reached the Ninth Layer of the Qi Refining Realm!

”A Second-Tier Spiritual Vein truly is extraordinary. Combined with the pill, it allowed me to advance two layers in cultivation in just four years.”

Li Qing was quite satisfied with this result.

Li Qing was now only one layer away from reaching the peak of the Qi Refining Realm. Once he broke through to the Tenth Layer, he could prepare to take the Foundation Establishment Pill and attempt to advance to the next major realm.

Feeling pleased with his progress, Li Qing stood up, stretched, and slowly walked out of his cave abode.

”Congratulations, Master Li, on your cultivation breakthrough!” Cao Xiu nervously clasped his hands in a salute.

”Mm, you should also work hard in your cultivation. Don’t disappoint your Mother’s expectations,” Li Qing said with a smile.

Inspired by Li Qing’s words, Cao Xiu nodded vigorously like a chicken pecking at rice. ”Yes, yes, I understand!”

Ignoring Cao Xiu, Li Qing began walking around the mountain peak, circling the summit before finally standing at the very top. From there, he gazed out at the breathtaking scenery of the Azure Radiance Pool.

Perhaps it was due to his recent breakthrough, but the place he had called home for four years now seemed more and more pleasing to the eye. He couldn’t help but spread his arms wide, as if trying to embrace the entire Azure Radiiance Pool’s exquisite beauty.

After a long while, once the unstable aura of his recent breakthrough to the Ninth Layer had stabilized, Li Qing murmured contentedly to himself, ”Now it’s time to gather some information about the Mu Kingdom and the Lingyun Sect!”

He currently possessed a substandard Foundation Establishment Pill, which could only increase his chances of success by about ten percent—a small safety net.

Li Qing, who preferred stability, naturally wasn’t satisfied with just one Foundation Establishment Pill.

He planned to travel south, enjoying the magnificent landscapes of the Immortal Path while heading to the Lingyun Sect to confirm whether the token bearing the characters ”Lingyun” was indeed an Ascension Token.

If it was, that would be ideal. He could join the Lingyun Sect and obtain another Foundation Establishment Pill!

If not, it wouldn’t matter. As a ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivator, he could still consider participating in the Lingyun Sect’s Ascension Conference to join this peaceful Cultivation Sect.

At this level of cultivation, he already possessed absolute self-preservation capabilities among rogue cultivators.

Of course, there were age restrictions for participating in the Ascension Conference.

Li Qing’s true age far exceeded the thirty-year limit. However, his bone age remained youthful. Having gained a significant amount of Lifespan through artifact refinement, he was still in his prime.

With over three hundred years of abundant Lifespan, his few decades of cultivation hadn’t even left a trace on his face.

His mastery of youth-preserving techniques and the subtle marks of time were perfectly embodied in Li Qing.

(End of the Chapter)

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