Qi Refining Sixth Layer

Back at his cave abode that evening, Shen Jingchuan told Xiao Mingshu about the invitation sent by Accountant Wu and the grand auction to be held in Spirit Creek Market in five days.

"An auction?" Xiao Mingshu's eyes lit up:

"That's great! Let's go take a look, broaden our horizons, and see if there's anything of interest."

She changed the subject, looking him up and down:

"By the way, do you have enough Spirit Stones? I haven't seen you idle these days, you've been out every day, how much business have you been doing?"

"It's alright," Shen Jingchuan smiled, "I've saved up some more."

"Hey, still hiding it from me." Xiao Mingshu narrowed her eyes, leaning closer with a half-smile. "Tell me honestly, have you been secretly saving up a lot of money?"

Shen Jingchuan paused in his tea-serving hand, looked up at her, and had a strange expression on his face.

"Secret stash of money?"

These are words usually spoken by wives when questioning their husbands. As soon as Xiao Mingshu said them, she realized her mistake, her face flushed slightly, and she coughed awkwardly.

"Alright, alright, never mind." She waved her hand, quickly changing the subject, "I was just worried that if I saw something good, I wouldn't have enough Spirit Stones."

After dinner, he got up and went back to his room, took out the Spirit Gathering Formation Plate, put it down, and sat cross-legged on the bed.

After more than a month of cultivation, he had vaguely sensed that barrier, and tonight he felt it particularly clearly, fearing he was about to break through.

He didn't rush to break through the barrier; instead, he took a High-Grade Spirit Concentrating Pill.

As the pill entered his stomach, a cool sensation rose directly to his brow, and after refining it, his mind became inexplicably clear.

To be on the safe side, he refined two more pills in succession until his Divine Sense was at its peak before stopping.

With his Divine Senses fully restored, he focused his gaze, took out two bottles of High-Grade Qi Condensing Pills, gritted his teeth, and stuffed two pills into his mouth.

Logically, he was still in the Middle Stage of Qi Refining and could only use Qi Gathering Pills; Qi Condensing Pills were only used in the Qi Refining Late Stage, and their medicinal properties were so potent that even a single pill could not withstand the effects of an ordinary mid-stage cultivator.

Relying on his strong meridians and solid foundation, Shen Jingchuan had always used pills beyond his level, but he had always only dared to use them one at a time.

He was determined to succeed tonight.

After swallowing the two pills, a surge of powerful Spiritual Qi exploded in his Dantian, more than twice as fierce as usual. It surged and crashed through his meridians, causing them to ache painfully.

Shen Jingchuan frowned, a pang of regret creeping into his heart—he had acted too hastily.

Fortunately, he was practicing the "Five Elements Qi Refining Instruction".

With a thought, the five meridians of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth began to circulate simultaneously, like five ditches diverting floodwaters. The five elements mutually generated and supported each other, connecting end to end, forcefully dismantling and enveloping the violent Spiritual Qi strand by strand, and then slowly refining and incorporating it into the Dantian.

He calmed himself down, closed his eyes, and circulated his energy through one cycle after another.

With each cycle, the rampaging Spiritual Qi becomes a little more docile, repeatedly washing away the invisible barrier of the Qi Refining Sixth Layer.

He didn't know how long he had been practicing, but just as sweat began to bead on his forehead, he channeled all his Spiritual Power and launched a powerful attack. Suddenly, a soft "pop" sound came from inside his body, as if something had been broken open.

The Spiritual Qi suddenly flowed through him, surging in and circulating freely throughout his body.

Shen Jingchuan exhaled a long breath and slowly finished his practice.

Upon further introspection, he found that the Spiritual Qi within his body was far more refined and abundant than before, and he had firmly overcome that barrier. His Divine Sense was also much stronger.

He has reached the Qi Refining Sixth Layer.

Unable to contain his excitement, Shen Jingchuan clenched his fist and swung it forcefully into the air.

He didn't stop there; he took out another High-Grade Qi Condensing Pill and swallowed it. Now that he had stepped into the sixth level, the medicinal power of the Qi Condensing Pill seemed to become more peaceful in his body, no longer as violent as before. He calmed his mind and guided his Spiritual Qi to circulate for a full cycle, solidifying the foundation of his new breakthrough.

When he opened his eyes again, it was already bright outside the window.

At the breakfast table, Xiao Mingshu only glanced at him before her chopsticks stopped moving. Her cultivation was higher than his, so her eyesight was naturally excellent. She looked him up and down twice, her eyes widening with each passing moment.

"Little brat, you... you broke through?"

"Good luck, good luck." Shen Jingchuan picked up a piece of food, looking casual. "It happened last night."

Xiao Mingshu's mouth was open, and she couldn't close it for a long time.

"Sixth floor?" She put down her chopsticks and leaned closer. "You're too fast! Tell me honestly, do you have a Heaven Spirit Root? Have you been hiding this from me all along?"

"No, really," Shen Jingchuan waved his hand dismissively, "I was just lucky."

Xiao Mingshu refused to believe it and stared at him intently.

Shen Jingchuan didn't intend to hide it from her. In front of outsiders, he would simply use his cultivation Cultivation Method;

But the two of them lived in the same courtyard every day, seeing each other all the time, and couldn't keep holding their breath all the time.

As time goes on, there will inevitably be times when things slip up and the truth comes out. Rather than being caught by her one day and feeling awkward for both of you, it's better to take the initiative and reveal it yourself; that would be more reassuring.

He couldn't say a word about the real reason. He couldn't say that his Cultivation Method was good, that he ate Qi Condensing Pills like food every day, or that his meridians were several times stronger than ordinary people. He could only let her misunderstand.

He thought for a moment, then took out two porcelain bottles from his Storage Ring and stuffed them into Xiao Mingshu's hands.

"Sister, I'm not trying to criticize you, but you just aren't working hard enough." He looked at you with exasperation. "Look at you, guarding so many good pills, how come you still haven't broken through?"

Xiao Mingshu was speechless at his words and weighed the bottle in her hand.

"Do you think everyone's like you?"

She rolled her eyes at him, annoyed.

"These top-grade pills are so precious, how could I bear to use them every day? I haven't even finished the bottle you gave me last time."

"Don't try to save it, what's the point of saving it?"

Shen Jingchuan waved his hand:

"I have a way to make money, and I have plenty of pills. Here, this bottle contains Qi Condensing Pills, and this bottle contains Spirit Concentrating Pills; both are top-grade. You should diligently refine one every day, or I'll catch up to you soon."

Xiao Mingshu looked down at the two bottles of pills in her hand, still radiating Spiritual Qi, then looked up at her ridiculously fast-progressing younger brother opposite her, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.

After a long pause, she finally let out a hum, but couldn't help but curl her lips upwards as she deftly put the bottle into her Ring.

"Catch up with me?" She deliberately raised her chin. "Then you'll have to train for another two years."

Despite her outward bravado, Xiao Mingshu was anything but calm inside.

Who exactly is this Shen Jingchuan? And what kind of Lineage is the Shen Household? High-grade Qi Condensing Pills and Spirit Concentrating Pills are not easily found even in the pill shops of Spirit Creek Market; they are not things that money can buy.

These elixirs of his could not possibly have been found in this market.

If he had just stumbled upon a few occasionally, she would have believed him. But he had already given her a bottle before, and she hadn't dared to ask about it in detail then;

Not long after, two more bottles were handed over, one for Qi Condensing Pills and one for Spirit Concentrating Pills, each bottle filled to the brim with ten pills.

The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them back.

Forget it, why bother digging into the details? If he's willing to give it to her, she'll take it. Focusing on improving her cultivation is more important than anything else.

Having spent time together these past few days, she knew Shen Jingchuan's personality well; he harbored no ill will towards her and, on the contrary, took care of her in every way.

If he were willing to speak, he would have already; if he isn't, it must be because he has his reasons—everyone has secrets they keep to themselves.

Besides, another thought secretly popped into Xiao Mingshu's mind: if she kept asking and annoyed the person so much that they stopped giving her the money, that would be a real loss.