Late Qi Refining

Lu Yang took the opportunity to run three kilometers along the mountain path. After completing his run, he leisurely walked to the entrance of Lin Ying's cave abode.

A few withered leaves, seemingly drifted from some tree, had settled on the bluestone platform by the entrance; their edges were softened by the dew.

The two heavy stone doors were tightly closed, and the basic defensive array patterns on the doors flowed slowly, glowing with a very faint fluorescence in the afternoon light.

Lu Yang pushed open the stone door and stepped inside.

The layout of the cave abode dwelling was similar to his.

Passing through the corridor, one enters a spacious hall. Several spirit lamps are embedded in the dome and stone walls, their light dimmed compared to his own hall, creating a tranquil atmosphere conducive to quiet contemplation.

Several corridors extend from the side of the hall, leading to areas such as cultivation rooms, bedrooms, Alchemy Chamber, weapon-refining rooms, and meditation rooms.

A faint, refreshing scent of herbs filled the air, like the lingering aroma of spiritual herbs slowly roasted over a gentle fire in Pill Furnace —warm and serene.

The cave abode was quiet, but Lu Yang could clearly feel the Spiritual Qi fluctuations coming from the direction of the cultivation room.

The fluctuations were deep and profound, with signs of an impending transformation.

Qin Nanyue was cultivating.

Her cultivation had already reached the Peak Qi Refinement, and she was only one step away from the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Lu Yang did not disturb them.

Spiritual Qi also emanated from the other bedroom, more gentle and peaceful, more lingering, and full of vitality.

Lin Ying was cultivating inside.

This girl had been refining pills for several days in a row, and now she started meditating and cultivating diligently.

Alchemists are also cultivators; if their cultivation level is not high enough, they cannot even process high-grade spiritual herbs.

Moreover, the higher the grade of the elixir, the longer the refining time and the greater the continuous consumption of Spiritual Qi.

If one's cultivation level is insufficient, in the end one will not even be able to precisely control the Pill Flame, let alone successfully refine pills.

Lu Yang walked to the bedroom door and gently knocked twice.

The fluctuations in Spiritual Qi within the door quickly subsided.

Footsteps approached from afar, and the door was gently pulled open.

Lin Ying stood inside the door.

Today she wore a plain white dress with a few very faint flowers embroidered on the hem. The fabric was light and soft, which made her look even more gentle and graceful.

Her black hair was loosely tied back with a plain ribbon, with a few strands falling beside her ears, the ends of which were slightly disheveled from being blown by Spiritual Qi during meditation.

She was slightly taken aback when she saw Lu Yang standing outside the door.

"Lu Yang, what brings you here?"

Lu Yang leaned against the doorframe, smiling as he looked at her, "I came to see you. Shiqing said you came to see me yesterday, but unfortunately I was discussing Dao with Elder Su."

Lin Ying suddenly realized, and smiled gently, "I went to deliver the Supreme-Grade Hundred Herbs Pill to you. Did you get the pill? How was the effect?"

Lu Yang chuckled, "I haven't used it yet, and I'm not poisoned right now."

Lin Ying realized she had asked a question and felt a little embarrassed. She chuckled and said, "Haha, that's true."

Lu Yang looked at the somewhat dazed Lin Ying and couldn't help but chuckle. Then he said earnestly, "Yingying, I missed you."

Lin Ying's eyelashes trembled slightly.

Junior Brother Lu... Lu Yang often says some blunt things to her, and no matter how many times she hears them, she still doesn't quite get used to it.

However... after hearing it, her heart would always be filled with sweetness.

Lin Ying's ears turned slightly red. She lowered her head, almost burying it in her chest. Her lips moved a few times, but she didn't know how to respond.

Lu Yang bent down slightly, getting closer to her, a mischievous smile appearing on his face, "Have you missed me?"

The blush on Lin Ying's cheeks deepened.

After a long while, she nodded gently, her voice soft and gentle. "... Mmm."

After speaking, she paused, then said in a coquettish tone, "... You're bullying me again."

Lu Yang looked at Lin Ying, who looked like a wronged little wife, and his heart softened. He gently ruffled her hair and said softly, "Let me in?"

Lin Ying twisted the hem of her clothes with both hands, and the blush from her ears spread all the way to her neck.

Then, she quietly stepped aside, clearing the doorway for herself.

Lu Yang stepped inside, and Lin Ying gently closed the door behind him.

The bedroom wasn't large, but it was very well-maintained.

Several paintings of medicinal herbs, drawn by herself, hung on the wall. The brushstrokes were delicate and clean, and the paintings also indicated the medicinal properties and the best time to harvest each herb.

The bed was covered with plain-colored bedding, neatly folded, and beside the pillow lay an open book of alchemy notes, with a small folded mark on the corner of a page.

On the table sat a celadon vase, in which two unidentified wildflowers were arranged, their petals pale purple, drooping slightly in the light of the lamp.

The entire room was almost identical to the one she lived in outside the main room.

Warm and elegant, every corner bears the traces of her earnest life.

Lu Yang withdrew his gaze and looked towards the cultivation room, asking curiously, "Judging from Nanyue's cultivation fluctuations, is she preparing to Foundation Establishment?"

Lin Ying nodded. "Yes. She had already Peak Qi Refining stage before, and originally planned to accumulate more energy before attempting to break through the bottleneck. However, the Spiritual Qi on this mountain was too dense to suppress, so she naturally went into seclusion to break through."

At this point, she looked up at Lu Yang, a sly smile appearing on her gentle face, "Before Nanyue went into seclusion, she specifically told me that she would challenge you to a duel once she broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. She said she'd show you what's what then."

Lu Yang raised an eyebrow, then immediately chuckled, "Let me show you what's what? I'm really looking forward to it."

After obtaining the Golden Radiance Sword Bone, the power of his Sword Dao and Metal Dao Law Technique has completely entered another level.

Furthermore, having already cultivated the Golden Rainbow Sword Canon to level 3, the combat power boost brought by this Earth Grade Supreme Quality golden sword cultivation Cultivation Method far surpasses that of ordinary Cultivation Method.

He now felt that he could defeat even a cultivator who had just broken through to the Early-stage Foundation Establishment.

Looking at his confident demeanor, Lin Ying gently curved the corners of her mouth, without saying anything more.

Perhaps to others, the idea of a Qi Refining stage Qi Refining Realm fighting against the Foundation Establishment Realm seems like a pipe dream, but since Lu Yang is confident, he can definitely do it.

Lu Yang reached out and put his arm around Lin Ying's slender waist, pulling her to sit down on the edge of the bed and letting her sit on his lap.

His arm encircled her waist, and he could feel her body stiffen slightly from nervousness.

Lin Ying lowered her head shyly, her eyelashes trembling, her hands clenching the hem of her clothes, and she didn't say a word.

Lu Yang didn't rush to tease her, but first asked about the important matter, "Yingying, can you refine second-tier pills now?"

"Second-tier pills?"

When Lin Ying heard Lu Yang asking her about Dao of Alchemy, she suppressed her shyness, frowned, and pondered for a moment before saying, "I'm not sure either; I haven't tried it yet. But my cultivation isn't high enough. Even if I could barely refine it, I definitely wouldn't be able to refine a top-grade one."

Lu Yang nodded.

Just as he guessed.

"Then focus on improving your cultivation first. You've already reached the Peak Qi Refinement Refining stage; once you've consolidated your strength, you can attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment."

Lu Yang suddenly thought of something.

It seems that Lin Ying is currently practicing Cultivation Method at the Yellow Grade.

This Cultivation Method technique is of too low a grade.

The quality of Cultivation Method directly determines the upper limit of Spiritual Qi energy quality, and the success rate of breakthroughs is much lower than that of high-quality Cultivation Method.

When Lin Ying initiated the Beauty Cultivation Plan, the system rewarded her with a complete set of Dao of Alchemy manuals, but without any accompanying main cultivation Cultivation Method.

Perhaps it's because her training direction is towards Immortal Emperor of the Dao of Alchemy?

However, this was not a problem for Lu Yang.

He thought for a moment and said, "After that, go find Elder Su and ask her to help you find an Earth Grade Wood Dao Cultivation Method. If there isn't Earth Grade, find a high-quality high -Profound Grade one, and just say that I recommended it."

Since Su Jinxuan and Qi Yunshu had proactively brought over their sect's most treasured Cultivation Method, the "Golden Rainbow Sword Canon," they clearly needed something from him.

Moreover, it's obvious what he wants: he wants the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect to increase its Spiritual Qi concentration.

Lu Yang wondered if Qi Yunshu hadn't spoken up before because he was afraid Qi would refuse, and he planned to build up some goodwill before speaking up.

Since that's the case, Lu Yang naturally wouldn't stand on ceremony and would simply do them a favor.

He doesn't have any Wood Dao Cultivation Method at the moment, but Su Jinxuan is the Supreme Elder of the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect. Picking out an Earth Grade Wood Dao Cultivation Method from the sect's library shouldn't be a problem.

Lin Ying blinked, a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "Elder Su? Will she really help?"

Lu Yang smiled and pinched the tip of her nose, "Of course they will. They need my help and are just waiting for me to make a request."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ying looked at Lu Yang with a hint of pride in her eyes and said softly, "Lu Yang, you're amazing."

Lu Yang raised an eyebrow, wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

His tone lowered, a distinctly mischievous smirk playing on his lips. "When Nanyue was here, what did you call me?"

Lin Ying was taken aback, then immediately understood. She lowered her head shyly, her voice barely a whisper, "... Husband."

Lu Yang smiled contentedly.

He leaned down, his lips brushing against her earlobe, his warm breath gently caressing the most sensitive skin behind her ear. "My dear Yingying, were you cultivating just now? Why didn't you call your husband to join you? Let your husband help you cultivate."

"Ah? You..." Lin Ying panicked and tried to shrink back, but Lu Yang's arm was holding her waist tightly, so she couldn't shrink back any further.

She was about to speak when Lu Yang silenced her with a kiss.

Her fair hands involuntarily grasped the hem of Lu Yang's clothes, and she slowly closed her eyes.

The mountain wind rustled through the pine forest outside the cave abode, blending with the occasional soft sounds coming from the bedroom, quickly becoming indistinguishable.

Time passed.

Twenty days passed in the blink of an eye.

The mist on the nameless mountain peaks never dissipates.

The difference is that there are several newly cultivated spirit fields on the mountainside. Jiang Shiqing had Wang Shiyi help her turn them over in her spare time, and planted some common spirit herbs, saying that they were for Lin Ying to use in alchemy.

Pale golden sword light often flashes in and out of the cave abode by the hot spring, as Su Jinxuan discusses the Dao back and forth.

She used to change back into her golden-red phoenix feather robe and meticulously fasten her gold hairpin before each discussion, but now she occasionally just walks into the main hall of Lu Yang's cave abode wearing plain-colored cultivation clothes.

She herself was unaware of this change.

Inside the training room.

Dense spiritual mist swirled slowly in the room, like a bottomless vortex, and at its center sat a tall, slender figure sitting cross-legged.

Lu Yang placed his ten fingers in a mudra on his knees, his eyes tightly closed.

He wore a simple cyan cultivation robe, the fabric of which had no extra patterns, but it shimmered with a very faint fluorescence under the influence of spiritual mist.

Golden rays of light flickered around him, and faint sword patterns could be seen moving within the depths of the light.

Twenty days of accumulation, a Spiritual Qi environment ten times more concentrated, the blessing of Earth Grade Supreme Quality Cultivation Method, an unlimited supply of Supreme-Grade Yellow Dragon Pills, plus Jiang Shiqing and Lin Ying taking turns practicing dual cultivation...

The combination of all these factors caused his spiritual power to increase at a visible rate every day.

At this moment, that growth finally broke through the bottleneck.

The Spiritual Qi seemed to be suddenly grasped by an invisible hand, surging into Lu Yang's body from all directions at the same time.

The spiritual mist was stretched into countless thin white threads, spinning rapidly and converging around him, emitting an extremely faint buzzing sound.

The golden light on his body suddenly brightened, and the sword patterns on his body moved faster.

Buzz...

A deep hum emanated from the depths of Lu Yang's Dantian, and an invisible wave spread out, causing ripples to spread through the spiritual mist in the cultivation room.

The ripples hit the stone wall and bounced back, overlapping with the next ripple, causing the air in the entire training room to tremble slightly.

Lu Yang's aura suddenly surged by a large margin.

The mist gradually calmed down, resuming its unhurried swirling rhythm.

Lu Yang opened his eyes, and a faint golden sword light flickered in the depths of his eyes before disappearing in an instant.

He exhaled a breath of stale air, which condensed into a cloud of white mist in the air before being swallowed up by the spiritual mist.

A hint of joy appeared in his eyes, and he smiled.

Late Qi Refining, breakthrough!

He had only been at the Mid-stage Qi Refining for a little over two months, yet he had already broken through to the Late Qi Refining!

This cultivation speed is comparable to that of Mu Yunxue, who possesses Transcendent-Grade Spirit Root!

It's worth noting that it took Mu Yunxue a month to progress from the initial stage of cultivation to the Mid-stage Qi Refining.

The time required to progress from the Mid-stage Qi Refining to the Late Qi Refining will inevitably be longer.

Lu Yang, who currently only High-Grade Spirit Root, broke through to the Late Qi Refining in just two and a half months!

If word got out about this cultivation speed, it would probably break the defenses of a large number of cultivators!

You should know that many people spend their entire lives without ever even touching the threshold of the Late Qi Refining!

The elders of the Lu Household are now in their seventies or eighties, and their cultivation has only just reached this level.

The path to immortality is too difficult.

Comprehending Cultivation Method takes time, practicing Law Technique takes time, earning Spirit Stones and accumulating resources takes time, and meditating and breathing exercises to refine Spiritual Qi also require daily practice.

For Rogue Cultivator, two months might only amount to a tiny bit of Spiritual Qi!

Even for disciples of a major sect like the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect, the time it normally takes to progress from the Middle Stage of Qi Refining to the Late-stage Qi Refining is measured in years!

Only someone like Lu Yang, with his top-notch cultivation environment, high-level Cultivation Method, unlimited supply of top-grade pills, and High-Grade Spirit Roots, could achieve such a leapfrog breakthrough in such a short time!

Moreover, his current Spirit Root experience bar has reached 8350.

It's just over 1,600 short of the 10,000 mark.

By completing a few more side quests related to Beauty Cultivation, or accumulating daily quests for a few more days, you can upgrade your Spirit Root from superior to top-grade.

At that time, his cultivation speed will increase several times over!