Immortal Refiner

Under the crimson glow of the Red Moon, in a courtyard within Giant Rock City, a series of thunderous roars echoed faintly, sounding like the surging waves of a stormy sea or the relentless flow of a mighty river.

The dense crimson moonlight gathered from the sky, intensifying the thunderous roars.

Rumble!

In an instant, a formidable aura erupted, Vital Energy surging skyward.

Within the courtyard, Li Qing slowly opened his eyes. The thunderous roar of Vital Energy within his body gradually subsided, returning to stillness.

At that moment, he seemed to have undergone a complete metamorphosis, his body now flawless, every muscle radiating raw power.

”Hah!”

Li Qing exhaled a long breath of stale air, then carefully sensed the changes in his physique.

”Qi blood six revolutions... My current physique should be comparable to a true second-tier body refiner,” he murmured to himself, slowly channeling the dispersing Vital Energy back into his body until it settled into a calm, undisturbed state.

Yes, he had already achieved qi blood six revolutions—and in just two years!

Over the past two years, Li Qing had devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivating the vital energy martial dao. To his astonishment, he had undergone a series of rapid metamorphoses, breaking through qi blood gates one after another until he reached the qi blood six revolutions realm.

A self-deprecating smile crossed Li Qing’s face as he mused, ”My talent for body refinement far surpasses my aptitude for qi refining. If I had spent two years on qi refining, I doubt I would have made much progress.”

Of course, his rapid breakthroughs were largely due to his exceptionally solid foundation and unimaginable reserves of vital energy.

His physical cultivation had already reached the quasi-Second-Tier realm, allowing him to hold his own against some Second-Tier Demonic Beasts.

When he switched to cultivating the vital energy martial dao, his strength naturally surged forward. In just two years, he completed six qi blood sublimations, firmly establishing his body arts cultivation at the Second-Tier level.

Now, even if a Second-Tier early-stage Demon Beast were to appear, Li Qing was confident he could contend with it using only his physical prowess, without resorting to mana or other external means.

Stowing away the Jade Pendant that had drawn in moonlight, Li Qing stepped out of the courtyard. He surveyed the street scene, muttering softly to himself:

”It’s been over two years. It’s time to leave. Staying in an environment devoid of spiritual energy for too long will harm my cultivation.”

Having reached the foundation establishment realm, his mana had liquefied within his body. Lingering for another two years wouldn’t pose a significant problem.

However, if he were to remain for three or four more years, his cultivation would inevitably regress, his mana would gradually dissipate, and he would slowly adapt to this spiritless world, eventually becoming an ordinary mortal.

Of course, if his cultivation were higher, reaching the core formation realm where mana solidifies into a core, the duration he could maintain his cultivation would extend considerably.

The time had come for farewells. Over the past two years, aside from pursuing the qi blood nine revolutions, Li Qing had devoted his remaining time to meticulously guiding the four children.

It was impossible to leave without a trace of reluctance. After two years of companionship, Li Qing had come to regard the four children as his half-disciples, having inherited his Martial Dao legacy.

After much deliberation, Li Qing, never one for sentimental farewells, ultimately chose to depart without a word.

Before leaving, he left four Crimson Crystals in the courtyard.

In the two years since the flattening of Tianliang Mountain, life in Giant Rock City hadn’t been entirely peaceful. Strange beasts still occasionally attacked the city.

Li Qing, who resided within the city walls, personally intervened several times, slaying several formidable beasts that only Martial Artists at the fifth Vital Energy revolution or higher could hope to withstand.

After leaving the Crimson Crystals, Li Qing focused his energy into his fingertip and carved a line of characters into the ground, imbued with his Martial Dao Will:

Do not dwell on thoughts or memories; those destined to meet will find each other in time.

With that, he took a step forward, his movements as agile as a hunting leopard as he leaped across the rooftops of houses. In moments, he effortlessly cleared the majestic city gates of Giant Rock City, his figure vanishing into the horizon.

Some time later, four children around the age of ten skipped toward the courtyard where Li Qing had lived.

”Uncle Li!”

Xiao Jing pushed open the courtyard gate, but before her greeting could fully escape her lips, the line of characters carved into the ground ahead of her struck her young mind like a thunderbolt.

It was the overwhelming pressure of a Martial Dao Will, as if she were facing an unparalleled Martial Dao master!

The other three children fared no better. Though they had trained with Li Qing for two years, their youth still left them vulnerable to the oppressive force.

Yet, facing this single line of text imbued with Li Qing’s Martial Dao Will, they found it difficult even to stand.

After a long while, their backs drenched in cold sweat, they barely managed to adapt to the oppressive aura of the Martial Dao Will.

”Uncle Li’s gone?”

”Why so suddenly? Does Master have some urgent matter? He didn’t even say goodbye.”

”Hmph, it’s probably Xiao Jing who upset Master!”

”Master...”

The children spoke over each other, a sudden emptiness settling in their hearts.

In that moment, they tasted the bitterness of their first farewell.

Among them, a particularly resolute child gazed at the words on the ground, his eyes burning with fierce determination.

So powerful! Just a single line of text left behind can make me struggle to stand. Is this what it means to reach the pinnacle of Martial Dao cultivation?

”Master was this strong all along? No wonder even Alliance Leader Miao respects him so much.”

The other children nodded in agreement, finally grasping the true extent of Uncle Li’s power—the man who had lived among them for two years.

”Hey, there are four small red stones here.”

”These are Crimson Crystals from strange beasts!”

”Master must have left them for us. Quick, put them away! We can’t let anyone see them.”

The Red Moon Secret Power contained within the Crimson Crystals of strange beasts was exceptionally pure, making them highly valuable in Giant Rock City and throughout the World of Eternal Night.

Even practitioners of the vital energy martial dao needed the pure Red Moon Secret Power from Crimson Crystals to guide their Vital Energy transformation.

However, strange beasts were formidable opponents, each one dangerous. Some powerful and berserk beasts could easily kill Martial Artists with advanced cultivation.

This made Crimson Crystals extremely valuable, capable of being exchanged for many things.

The four children each received a Crimson Crystal—Li Qing’s final gift to them.

Martial artists couldn’t remain under others’ protection forever. Eventually, they had to grow their wings, soar independently, and venture further on their own.

Flowers nurtured in a greenhouse rarely achieve greatness on the martial dao path.

They all understood that their future now depended on themselves.

Time flowed steadily onward. The Lingyun Sect continued to enjoy eight months of peace and tranquility.

At least, for most qi refining realm disciples, these eight months remained as calm as ever. The only change was an increase in missions from the General Affairs Hall to explore the Forbidden Speech Snowfield.

Wild Cloud Peak, inside a cave abode.

”Ah, it’s so refreshing to be back in an environment rich with spiritual energy!” Li Qing sighed contentedly, having just returned from over two years in the World of Eternal Night.

After meditating briefly to replenish his mana, he extended his divine sense beyond the cave abode.

”Hmm? Someone actually came looking for me while I was away?” Li Qing’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly retrieved two weathered letters that had clearly been left outside for a long time.

No one had bothered him during his extended seclusion, yet now someone had come calling, and he’d even received two Spirit Bird Transmissions.

”Ji Bai, that rascal, invited me to join his team for a sect contribution mission to the Forbidden Speech Snowfield.”

The invitation was already four months old. Even if Li Qing wanted to go now, it would likely be too late.

”Well, it’s not a big deal. With Ji Bai’s social skills, he could probably recruit a fellow sect member or elder to go to the snowfield even without me.”

Truth be told, even if Li Qing had received the invitation immediately, he wouldn’t have accepted.

While the snowfield wasn’t as perilous as the Forbidden Speech Snow Mountains, it was still far from safe. He had no intention of wasting his time there.

If he truly needed contribution points, he could simply take a position as a refining elder at the refining hall. By refining magic artifacts for disciples, he could easily earn a substantial number of contribution points.

After all, with his current level of artifact refinement, Mid-Grade Magic Tools were child’s play. He could refine one with minimal effort.

The second letter was from Fatty Wu, sent just a month ago.

”Fatty Wu has already reached the mid-foundation establishment stage? This is truly...”

Wu Chong’s letter first mentioned his cultivation progress, noting that he had advanced to the mid-foundation establishment stage.

Seeing this, Li Qing felt a pang of envy.

”He can cultivate just by eating and drinking all day, and his progress isn’t even slow!” Li Qing sighed, looking up at the sky. Why can’t I cultivate the Gluttonous Divine Art?!

The letter contained no urgent matters, merely Wu Chong’s breakthrough and his plan to venture into the mortal world for experience.

Recently, the mortal kingdom of Mu Kingdom had been plagued by unrest. Suspected demonic path practitioners had appeared, slaughtering several remote mortal villages. The Mu Kingdom’s court had failed to apprehend the culprits.

Having just broken through, Wu Chong intended to train in that region and invited Li Qing to join him.

Li Qing carefully considered Wu Chong’s invitation but ultimately decided to decline.

”Ah, I’m not like you,” he sighed. ”You can cultivate just by eating and drinking.”

Unfortunately, Li Qing’s time was currently stretched thin. He had plundered a vast trove of treasures from Tianliang Mountain, all of which required cultivation. He couldn’t afford to casually emerge from seclusion.

However, since he had received a letter, basic courtesy demanded a reply.

Without hesitation, Li Qing retrieved his brush and ink and began writing:

”Junior Brother Ji Bai: Greetings. I’ve been deeply immersed in seclusion lately and missed the Spirit Bird Transmission outside my cave abode. Please forgive my delayed response.”

”...”

With a flourish of his brush, Li Qing swiftly penned replies to both Ji Bai and Wu Chong.

The letters radiated sincerity, their words conveying both his yearning for the Dao and his helplessness in the face of his current circumstances. He also offered heartfelt apologies for the delayed replies.

No one could find fault with these letters.

After finishing the letters, Li Qing emerged from his cave abode and summoned the Sect’s Spirit Birds. He entrusted the letters to them for delivery.

”Phew! Now, the real arduous cultivation begins!”

”Let me think... with so many secret techniques, which one should I start with?”

Li Qing, plagued by indecisiveness, fell into deep contemplation.

(End of the Chapter)

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