The Second Layer of Qi Refinement
After closing the door, Shen Jingchuan took out the pills he had stored in his Ring for a long time.
The eight low-grade pills that were initially placed in—five Qi Nourishing Pills and three Qi Gathering Pills —have all been upgraded to mid-grade pills thanks to the continuous nourishment of the Spiritual Qi in the space.
The pill was crystal clear and full, radiating a faint, soft light. Its Spiritual Qi was restrained and mellow, far surpassing the original low-grade pill.
Ever since he switched to this new "Five Phases Spirit Guiding Instruction Cultivation Method," he has noticed a difference in his daily practice. It is much more efficient than his previous Everlasting Spring Breathing Technique. Unfortunately, the Spiritual Qi in this other world is too thin, and progress is too slow by relying entirely on absorbing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
Today he decided to try taking the elixir. He hasn't had much to do lately, so he can finally focus on his cultivation.
He first picked up a Qi Nourishing Pill and swallowed it. The pill melted instantly in his mouth, and the warm Spiritual Qi sank directly into his Dantian. He circulated his cultivation Cultivation Method to guide the Spiritual Qi to flow slowly along his meridians. With the help of the medicine, his cultivation speed was many times faster than absorbing spiritual energy from thin air.
He secluded himself and cultivated for five days, absorbing all five Mid-Grade Qi Nourishing Pills, and the Qi cluster in his Dantian had solidified.
He then swallowed another Qi Gathering Pill. Once the medicinal power of the pill was completely refined, the Qi in his Dantian suddenly swelled, and his meridians became unobstructed. He broke through to the Second Layer of Qi Refinement.
After breaking through, Shen Jingchuan did not immediately stop. Instead, he focused his mind and calmed his spirit, slowly circulating the Five Phases Spirit Guiding Instruction through his meridians for a full Greater Celestial Circuit, steadily settling into the new realm he had just broken through.
As he practiced, he gained a deeper understanding. In the past, when he cultivated the Everlasting Spring Breathing Technique, the five Spiritual Qi of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth in his body acted independently, often clashing and hindering each other in his meridians. This needlessly depleted the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi that he had painstakingly cultivated, naturally slowing down his progress.
He used to think it was because his Five Spirit Root qualities were mixed, but now he realizes that it was mostly due to the wrong Cultivation Method.
This set of "Five Phases Spirit Guiding Instruction" is completely different. The five streams of Spiritual Qi flow in the order of the five elements' mutual generation: wood generates fire, fire generates earth, earth generates metal, metal generates water, and water generates wood, cycling endlessly and continuously. Far from having any internal friction or hindrance, they complement and promote each other. With each cycle, the Spiritual Qi becomes more refined, and even the meridians become wider and stronger under the alternating nourishment of the Five Phases Spiritual Qi's spiritual energy.
After completing the entire Cultivation Method, not only did his cultivation level stabilize at the Second Layer of Qi Refinement, but he also gained a deeper understanding of the origin of the Five Elements' operation.
Previously, I only thought of the Five Elements as five attributes of Spiritual Qi, but now I have vaguely grasped the secrets of the cycle and mutual generation of all things in the universe.
Although he had only scratched the surface, he understood that if he practiced this Cultivation Method to a deeper level, he would touch upon the most fundamental Great Dao of the Five Phases of the universe, which was far more than just cultivating Spiritual Qi.
After finishing his practice, Shen Jingchuan first smelled a faint fishy odor—exactly the same smell as when he first expelled impurities from his body during the Qi-guiding exercise, only this time it was much milder.
He raised his arm and saw that his skin was covered with a layer of fine black mud spots, all of which were impurities seeping out of his body from his pores.
He knew this was the tempering effect of Spiritual Qi washing over his body during the breakthrough, which was a good thing. He felt refreshed all over, but also felt sticky.
He didn't linger in the courtyard; he traveled straight back to the modern era and took a thorough bath first.
After finishing his tidying up, he checked the time and realized it was almost time to leave work in the afternoon. He had arranged to have dinner with Meng Ke, hoping to relax his tense mind after days of cultivation.
Shen Jingchuan pushed open the door and entered Meng Ke's studio. Meng Ke was looking down at the jade ornaments on the table when she heard footsteps. She looked up, saw it was him, and stopped what she was doing.
After not seeing him for a few days, Meng Ke felt that Shen Jingchuan seemed to have changed. His appearance was still the same, but his overall demeanor had become much more composed, and his eyes were brighter, as if he had shed some of his former frivolity. She frowned and looked him up and down.
"Jingchuan, why do I feel like you're different from before?"
Shen Jingchuan smiled, walked up to her, and kissed her. They kissed for a while before separating. Meng Ke's cheeks were burning from the kiss, and her breathing was a little erratic. She leaned against the table and glared at him.
"And now? Do you still notice any difference?" Shen Jingchuan asked with a smile.
Meng Ke's ears turned red, and she gave a soft hum:
"He's just become sweeter with his words."
Shen Jingchuan took her hand and walked out:
"Let's go eat."
The two arrived at their usual nearby restaurant, sat down in a private room, ordered their food, and Meng Ke whispered to him:
"By the way, did you know that the Brilliance Group has been seized?"
Shen Jingchuan paused for a moment while holding the cup:
Why?
Meng Ke said in a low voice:
"It involved many illegal transactions, and the tax issues were particularly serious. The entire Huang Household was implicated; Huang Zeyu's father, his brother, and even his mother were taken away. Most of the company's senior executives were also arrested, and the entire group collapsed."
Shen Jingchuan was a little surprised. He had originally been thinking about how to wipe out the Huang Household and eliminate them completely, otherwise he was always worried about Meng Ke's safety.
But after all, the other person's son had disappeared and hadn't come to retaliate. Moreover, he hadn't figured out a specific plan yet, with surveillance cameras all over the world, unless he disregarded the consequences.
He hadn't expected the Huang Household to suddenly run into trouble, so quickly and so thoroughly. He hesitated for a moment, then looked at Meng Ke: "Do you think it could be...?"
Before he could finish speaking, Meng Ke nodded firmly:
"It must have been Elder Yang's side that made the move. No one else would have had the power to mobilize the Huang Household. I heard it was handled very decisively; the higher-ups gave the order directly, and no amount of persuasion helped. The entire area was sealed off overnight, without showing any leniency."
After finishing their meal, the two lingered in the car for a while longer. Shen Jingchuan dropped Meng Ke off downstairs, told her to wait a moment, and then went around to the back of the car, pretending to take out the last three wild ginseng roots from his Ring's storage space from the trunk.
This thing silently absorbs Spiritual Qi when placed in a space. Although the amount is not much, it is still not worthwhile to waste Spiritual Qi for no reason. Every little bit saved is a bit more.
He handed the ginseng to Meng Ke, saying that these were three more he had found, and asked her to deliver them to Elder Wen later.
Meng Ke's eyes widened. "You found three more? But Professor Wen didn't say he wanted any."
"Silly girl, don't you know how much they helped you this time?" Shen Jingchuan said. "We need to be sensible; we have to repay this favor."
Meng Ke pondered for a moment:
"Then I'll send two over, and keep one as a spare."
"Okay, you can arrange it as you see fit." Shen Jingchuan had no objections.
The two kissed for a while before separating. Meng Ke carried the ginseng into the building, glancing back at him every few steps before reluctantly going upstairs.
After dropping Meng Ke off at home that evening, he went straight to the warehouse, filled his Ring with the supplies he had prepared in advance, and then hurried back to the West Mountain Separate Garden.
After taking a shower and changing clothes, I traveled back to the other world. I put the supplies from the Ring space into an empty room before returning to the East Courtyard.