Immortal Refiner

The process of pill refinement was monotonous and tedious. Even Li Qing, who considered himself capable of enduring solitude, couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of fatigue and boredom.

This was unlike artifact refinement, which demanded boundless creativity and allowed his thoughts to roam freely as he forged his desired creations.

Pill refinement, especially when refining the same type of pill repeatedly, involved strictly adhering to the pill formula and repeating the same steps over and over. Li Qing felt like a mindless puppet, devoid of independent thought.

Yet he persevered. As the number of Spirit Nourishing Pills gradually increased, a sense of accomplishment and joy welled up within him.

This was perhaps one of the few pleasures to be found in pill refinement!

”Hah... this must be why I ultimately didn’t choose the path of Pill Dao,” Li Qing muttered, shaking his head. Though artifact refinement had initially led him to the immortal realm, he had later received inheritances related to pill refinement techniques. Yet he had never pursued that path.

With a casual flick of his wrist, Li Qing cleared the Black Furnace, scattering the slag and pill ash.

The entire Pill Refinement process lasted nearly three months. During this time, Li Qing never left his cave abode, remaining constantly by the Black Furnace under Dao Lord Bai Ling’s guidance as he refined the Spirit Nourishing Pills.

Naturally, after such a prolonged period, Li Qing’s gains were substantial.

He refined a total of nine furnaces of Spirit Nourishing Pills, completely exhausting all the third-tier demon beast inner cores he had obtained during his overseas hunting expedition.

The majority of these inner cores came from the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm, with the remainder harvested from sea beasts hunted in the vast ocean.

In total, he had nine demon beast inner cores, allowing him to refine pills nine times.

Across these nine refining sessions, he produced a staggering forty-six Spirit Nourishing Pills!

This quantity was truly astonishing, considering these were spirit pills capable of rapidly enhancing the mana of core formation realm cultivators.

A single pill dropped into the outside world would undoubtedly cause a sensation, sparking fierce competition among core formation realm cultivators.

”This harvest far exceeded my expectations,” Li Qing murmured. ”I originally thought nine demon beast inner cores would yield around thirty Spirit Nourishing Pills at best.”

As he spoke, Li Qing spread his hand, revealing all forty-six Spirit Nourishing Pills.

There were forty-six pills in total, each perfectly round and plump, about the size of a quail egg.

A rich, pill fragrance wafted from the pills. Just inhaling the aroma brought a satisfied smile to Li Qing’s lips.

With such a large quantity of Spirit Nourishing Pills, he could undoubtedly push his cultivation to the peak of the core formation realm, reaching the very limits of this stage.

”Among the forty-six Spirit Nourishing Pills, nine are of inferior quality, while the remaining thirty-seven are finished spirit pills with potent medicinal power and minimal pill toxin.”

After confirming his harvest from this Pill Refinement session, Li Qing stored forty-five pills, leaving only one finished Spirit Nourishing Pill in his hand.

That’s right, he didn’t want to wait. He planned to consume the spirit pill immediately to aid his cultivation.

Gulp!

Li Qing swallowed the perfectly round, plump, dark brown pill whole, without chewing.

Boom!

Almost instantly, the concentrated medicinal power within the Spirit Nourishing Pill erupted.

A torrent of energy surged through Li Qing’s abdomen like a raging river, then began to ripple outward, violently impacting every meridian in his body.

Hiss!

”As expected of a spirit pill refined from a third-tier demon beast inner core—it’s even more potent than the dragon marrow I consumed before! No wonder this medicinal power is effective even for late-stage core formation cultivators!”

Li Qing exhaled deeply, clearing his mind of distractions and focusing entirely on refining the overwhelming medicinal power.

Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art!

Drawing on his extensive experience, he immediately activated this supreme Fire Dao cultivation technique. Simultaneously, he channeled the two heavenly spirit fires within his body to accelerate the refinement of the Spirit Nourishing Pill’s potent medicinal power.

Under the combined influence of the two heavenly spirit fires, the medicinal power—originally as ferocious as a wild beast—was swiftly tamed, transforming into pure, surging energy that flowed into the Golden Core floating within his dantian qi sea.

Once immersed in cultivation, his sense of time blurred.

Li Qing cultivated with unwavering focus. With each spirit pill he refined, his aura grew stronger. He would then immediately consume another Spirit Nourishing Pill, repeating the process.

Time flowed swiftly in this cycle.

Before he knew it, another half-year had passed.

Within Li Qing’s cave abode, his aura grew increasingly potent, like a slumbering dragon coiled in the abyss, poised to shatter its restraints and soar through the nine heavens.

Li Yuhuan, Li Qing’s registered disciple, felt this most keenly, as she resided on the same spirit peak. As an elder of the sect, she had few duties during this period and remained in seclusion within her own cave abode.

The moment Li Qing began cultivating with the Spirit Nourishing Pill, Li Yuhuan clearly sensed a growing power emanating from her master’s cave abode at the peak of the spirit peak.

”Incredible! Master has already reached the core formation realm, yet he’s still progressing at such a miraculous pace!” Li Yuhuan stared in astonishment, her face soon filled with deep reverence.

Having walked the long path of the dao, she understood well that the higher one’s cultivation realm, the greater the difficulty in advancing further.

In fact, as a foundation establishment cultivator herself, she had already begun to feel those constraints.

Were it not for her thunder attribute variant spirit root and her ability to occasionally exchange for Purple Yang Pills within the sect, her cultivation progress would likely have been far less smooth.

Even so, she still had a considerable distance to travel before reaching the mid-foundation establishment stage.

Even she, with her exceptional spirit root aptitude, found cultivation challenging. For cultivators with ordinary spirit root aptitude, the difficulty was naturally even greater.

Li Qing spent a full seven months on this endeavor, working tirelessly without rest. During this time, he consumed thirty-two Spirit Nourishing Pills.

Finally, his cultivation reached the peak of the core formation realm, the very edge of this stage, just one step away from the nascent soul realm!

No, if one were to be precise, Li Qing could almost be considered to have reached the Half-Step Nascent Soul Stage.

Having cultivated to this point, the only path forward was to break through the core formation and condense a nascent soul.

Inside his cave abode, Li Qing slowly opened his eyes.

His pitch-black pupils now seemed even deeper, like bottomless abysses.

”Thirty-two Spirit Nourishing Pills consumed. Just as I predicted.”

Li Qing’s voice carried no trace of emotion, not even a hint of joy. It was as if everything had unfolded naturally, as inevitable as water flowing into a channel.

”Nascent Soul Realm...”

How to break through to the nascent soul realm?

Though his spirit root aptitude was ordinary, his heart burned with an unwavering determination to pursue the Dao.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have cultivated to this point.

Now that he had completed the entire core formation realm, it was natural for him to begin contemplating his breakthrough to the nascent soul realm.

However, on the path of cultivation, breaking through realms was far from as simple as eating or drinking. It wasn’t just a matter of saying it.

Failure to break through almost always meant death and the dissipation of one’s cultivation.

The deeper Li Qing’s cultivation grew, the clearer he understood the treacherous and arduous nature of the cultivation path. Throughout history, countless brilliant and extraordinary talents had perished before reaching the nascent soul realm, their hearts filled with regret.

”Even the Dragon Transformation Pill, this heaven-defying great pill, can only offer a slight advantage.”

”Combined with the Stone Embryo transformed into the Exquisite Immortal Embryo, which contains the Exquisite Immortal Sound, perhaps the chances of successfully forming a nascent soul can be improved further.”

”After that, it will all depend on my own efforts.”

This was already remarkably difficult. After all, across the entire immortal realm, there were virtually no cultivation methods that could increase the success rate of nascent soul formation.

Over the ages, only the Dragon Transformation Pill, a pill formula passed down from ancient times, had shown even a marginal effect.

To refine the Dragon Transformation Pill, the pill formula was absolutely essential.

Moreover, the pill’s primary ingredient, the Dragon Blood Vine, which had matured for a millennium, was no ordinary herb.

Legend had it that this spirit herb could only be found in forbidden lands, and its growth conditions were incredibly stringent. Some even claimed it could only sprout where the essence blood of a true dragon had been spilled.

No one knew how True Lord Yang Tian of the Shangqing Sect had previously obtained the Dragon Blood Vine.

Now that the Dragon Blood Vine had fallen into the hands of the Lingyun Sect, Li Qing undoubtedly intended to refine it into the Dragon Transformation Pill.

After carefully assessing his current condition and confirming that his vital energy had stabilized, Li Qing exhaled a final breath of turbid air.

”Hah!”

”Senior Bai Ling, I would like to know what precautions I should take when breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm?”

Yes, this time Li Qing asked directly. With someone who had already experienced this realm by his side, it was only natural to seek guidance from this seasoned expert.

Dao Lord Bai Ling readily shared his wisdom, considering such knowledge trivial:

”Heh, first and foremost, you need a solid foundation. I’d say you’ve done quite well in that regard. Though you’ve relied on external aids to boost your cultivation, your foundation remains remarkably sturdy.”

”Next, you’ll need to find a secluded place where you won’t be disturbed. When I broke through to the nascent soul realm in the demon realm, several Peerless Demon Kings were hunting me across the land. One even nearly pinpointed my exact location.”

”Fortunately, I had set up a Heaven-Concealing formation, allowing me to narrowly escape. Later, I triggered the heavenly tribulation. Even if those demon kings had discovered me then, it would have been futile.”

Dao Lord Bai Ling recounted these past events with casual detachment. Yet even through his understated tone, Li Qing could sense the sheer peril of Dao Lord Bai Ling’s experiences.

If written down, it would undoubtedly become an epic tale of breathtaking scope.

Just as demon beasts undergo transformation, human cultivators must face a tribulation when breaking through to the nascent soul realm.

Most only face the heart demon tribulation.

However, exceptionally talented cultivators—those of extraordinary brilliance—often trigger a Heavenly Lightning Tribulation as well.

Only by overcoming both the thunder tribulation and the heart demon tribulation can one successfully reach the nascent soul realm!

Legend has it that some exceptionally gifted individuals, whose spirit root aptitude is so astonishing that it provokes the heavens’ jealousy, must endure the thunder tribulation.

As for the true reason, it remains a mystery. One can only say that cultivators who embark on the dao walk a path against the natural order.

”Finally, there’s the state of mind. I must say, the heart demon tribulation is truly deadly.”

”This is what I consider the most critical aspect. During the heart demon tribulation, you lose all self-awareness, completely unaware that you’re undergoing the trial.”

”It’s as if your spirit platform becomes clouded, obscuring all memories. You’ll instinctively accept the illusions conjured by the heart demon tribulation as reality!”

”If your state of mind has any flaws, this stage will be nearly impossible to overcome. Even those who believe their minds are flawless may still fall victim to the heart demon tribulation.”

”Among cultivators who fail to form their nascent soul, nearly half likely encounter problems during the heart demon tribulation.”

Hearing Dao Lord Bai Ling’s experienced insights, Li Qing’s expression grew solemn.

Heart demon!

Since embarking on the dao, Li Qing had always acted with a clear conscience, believing he should have no mental flaws.

Yet even so, he couldn’t guarantee a flawless passage through the heart demon tribulation.

”Senior Bai Ling,” Li Qing asked humbly, ”do you have any advice regarding this heart demon tribulation?”

Dao Lord Bai Ling chuckled softly before replying, ”My suggestion is to travel the world or retrace your steps, carefully examining your life for regrets and moments of guilt.”

”Sometimes, even when you believe you’ve lived a life free of remorse, you won’t uncover hidden flaws in your mental state unless you deliberately re-examine your past.”

”The demon realm’s harsh environment meant I never underwent Heart-Refining in the Mortal World before reaching the nascent soul realm, nearly causing me to fail the heart demon tribulation.”

”In short, venturing into the world to temper your mental state and perfect it can only be beneficial.”

Dao Lord Bai Ling had shared all he could. The rest—how to proceed and how to examine his own mental state—was up to Li Qing.

”Examining my life for regrets?”

”Some regrets I might not even be aware of? This heart demon tribulation truly is mysterious.”

Li Qing murmured to himself, falling into deep contemplation.

Li Qing had always prided himself on keeping his word. Years of cultivating the Dao had forged his inner resolve into an unyielding fortress, making him believe that no external force could ever disturb his mental equilibrium.

But was this truly the case?

Were there some things he had subconsciously overlooked, things so deeply buried that even he couldn’t perceive or acknowledge them?

For the first time, Li Qing felt his confidence waver.

”Retrace the path I’ve taken?”

He took a deep breath, realizing the necessity of such a journey.

”It seems I’ve underestimated this matter.”

Previously, he had relied on the Exquisite Immortal Sound to aid him, dismissing the heart demon tribulation as a minor obstacle.

The Exquisite Immortal Sound could dispel mental impurities, which was why many had predicted that Exquisite True Lord, with her Exquisite Treasure Physique and heavenly spirit root, had an exceptionally high chance of breaking through to the nascent soul realm.

Her heavenly spirit root had allowed her to cultivate smoothly to the core formation realm without encountering any bottlenecks. With the Exquisite Immortal Sound’s assistance during her nascent soul breakthrough, success seemed almost guaranteed.

After Li Qing devoured Exquisite True Lord’s primordial origin with the Stone Embryo, he had largely dismissed the heart demon tribulation as insignificant.

Now, Dao Lord Bai Ling’s cautionary words had finally dispelled his complacency.

The heart demon tribulation, it seemed, was far more formidable than he had imagined!

(End of the Chapter)

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