Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation!

"Water Bind Technique: Use powerful Water Spiritual Qi to create a water sphere that can restrict an enemy's movements."

"This one."

When Xu Chunniang used the Spirit Blast Technique, splitting Spiritual Qi took time. She could first trap someone with the Water Bind Technique and gain the opportunity to cast it.

Holding the Jade Slips imprinted with the Water Bind Technique and the Complete Guide to Level One Spiritual Plants, Xu Chunniang left the Merit Pavilion. Ten Spirit Stones had vanished from her person, leaving her with only nine.

She shook her head. These Spirit Stones really disappeared too easily.

After returning, Xu Chunniang stopped meditating and began studying the Water Bind Technique.

She did not intend to devote herself to cultivation all day as she had before. Cultivation required diligence, but it also called for a balance between work and rest.

Over the following days, Xu Chunniang lived a somewhat leisurely life. She no longer forced herself to cultivate for ten shichen every day.

She slept until the Hour of the Rabbit before rising. The first thing she did upon waking was send Spiritual Qi into the Spirit Soil.

After a full year of meditative cultivation, more than half the Spiritual Qi contained within the Spirit Soil had been depleted. She needed to replenish the missing Spiritual Qi inside it.

If the Spiritual Qi within the Spirit Soil was exhausted and not replenished, it would gradually become barren soil.

Once all the Spiritual Qi in her body had been thoroughly squeezed dry, Xu Chunniang did not immediately meditate to recover as she had in the past. Instead, she unhurriedly took out a copy of the Complete Guide to Level One Spiritual Plants from her Storage Bag and studied it carefully.

Only after noon did she begin practicing the Water Bind Technique.

Such days passed in the blink of an eye, lasting four months.

After Xu Chunniang finished reading the Complete Guide to Level One Spiritual Plants, her Water Bind Technique had also reached an extremely high level of proficiency. She could instantly cast three separate binding water spheres.

By then, only one final month remained before the three-year grand examination.

Over those four months, Xu Chunniang no longer kept her mind wound tight as she cultivated all day. Instead, her cultivation gradually became more solid.

That day, Xu Chunniang woke as usual at the Hour of the Rabbit. Upon waking, she seemed to sense something. Rather than using the Spiritual Soil Technique as usual, she began sensing the Spiritual Qi within her body.

Compared with four months earlier, the Spiritual Qi in her dantian had even shrunk by a full circle, yet its purity had increased considerably. Her cultivation had undoubtedly become more solid as well.

Xu Chunniang faintly sensed that the barrier that had usually seemed unbreakable had developed a small crack.

She sat down cross-legged, took out the five bottles of Spiritual Dew richest in Spiritual Qi, and began adjusting her condition.

Because she had rested sufficiently during this period and had not expended much energy, she needed only half a shichen to bring herself to peak condition.

Xu Chunniang opened her eyes, picked up the first bottle of Spiritual Dew, and drank the entire bottle in one gulp!

A vast amount of Spiritual Qi entered Xu Chunniang's body. With no distractions in her heart, she circulated the Carefree Art, rapidly absorbing the Spiritual Qi within her body. After gathering it into her dantian, she charged it toward that small crack.

Next, she consumed the second bottle of Spiritual Dew and launched a fierce assault at the crack.

Then came the third bottle, the fourth bottle...

And under the ceaseless barrage of Spiritual Qi, that tiny crack grew larger and larger!

When Xu Chunniang absorbed the immense Spiritual Qi contained in the fifth bottle of Spiritual Dew, a sharp "crack" rang out, as though some barrier had been shattered.

That tottering crack finally broke apart!

Xu Chunniang's mind trembled. As her realm rose, a marvelous insight surged into her heart. Her physical strength and the sensitivity of her five senses rose to another level.

Xu Chunniang could feel that the Spiritual Qi in her dantian had transformed into a thin mist of Spiritual Qi. Though it was countless times thinner than before her breakthrough, the two were fundamentally different.

After all, only when Spiritual Qi became dense to a certain extent would it form Spiritual Qi mist.

Xu Chunniang did not withdraw from her meditative state and immediately began consolidating her cultivation.

She took out all the Spiritual Dew stored in her Storage Bag and drank it, regardless of how much Spiritual Qi each bottle contained.

After breaking through to the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation, the supporting effects of Spiritual Dew had, without surprise, been discounted once more.

Xu Chunniang estimated that one full bottle of Spiritual Dew that had not lost any Spiritual Qi was roughly equal to one-tenth of her cultivation.

Once she reached the Fifth Layer of Qi Condensation, Spiritual Dew would likely lose its effect entirely.

Xu Chunniang shook her head. She had long been mentally prepared for this. Though it was regrettable, she could accept it.

The Spiritual Dew Technique had already aided her so much along her path of cultivation. She was content.

Three days later, Xu Chunniang had thoroughly consolidated her cultivation.

After entering the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation, the most immediate change was that her body and mind felt better than before.

"Let's see whether the Spirit Void Steps have improved."

Xu Chunniang was eager to try. She immediately performed the footwork within the cave, then leaped out of it and dashed in one direction.

With a light tap of her toes and a flicker of her figure, she had already appeared five or six zhang away.

Within several breaths, she had already run a considerable distance.

After thoroughly enjoying the pleasure of racing through the mountain forest, Xu Chunniang stopped. Due to the intense exertion, her breathing was somewhat unsteady.

Excitement flashed through her eyes. After breaking through to the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation, her speed had increased considerably when using the Spirit Void Steps, while her endurance had doubled.

After recovering the Spiritual Qi in her body, Xu Chunniang did not return to the cave.

She wanted to test the limits of the Spirit Blast Technique once more!

More than a year had passed since the last time she used the Spirit Blast Technique, when she had nearly blown herself apart.

During that year and more, Xu Chunniang had not dared to attempt the Spirit Blast Technique again.

But after breaking through to the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation, she had a feeling that she might achieve a breakthrough this time.

Without further hesitation, Xu Chunniang raised a hand. Two streams of pure Wood Spiritual Qi instantly split into four masses of Explosive Spiritual Qi, then quickly split a second time, becoming eight even smaller masses of Explosive Spiritual Qi.

She took a deep breath. After preparing to use the Spirit Void Steps to retreat at any moment, a trace of determination appeared in her eyes as she began the third split directly!

The eight masses of Explosive Spiritual Qi instantly divided into sixteen masses, faintly radiating terrifying power!

"One breath, two breaths... I'm reaching the limit!"

Xu Chunniang's expression changed slightly. She fiercely shoved the sixteen masses of Explosive Spirit Power outward while activating the Spirit Void Steps and retreating.

She had only taken two steps back when a huge explosion erupted behind her, deafeningly loud.

Turning to look, she saw that every tree within that area had been utterly destroyed.

A bright light flashed through Xu Chunniang's eyes. This time, she had successfully controlled the two streams of fissioned Wood Spiritual Qi.

Though she could control them for less than three breaths, that amount of time was enough to barely control the Explosive Spiritual Qi.

"Now that I have reached the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation, I have the Spirit Blast Technique for offense, the Water Bind Technique for control, and the Spirit Void Steps for self-protection. I can go to the Hundred Demonic Mountain Range to gain experience."

The Hundred Demonic Mountain Range was a vast mountain range north of the Carefree Sect. It contained many natural medicinal herbs and abundant resources.

However, correspondingly, there were also many demonic beasts within it, ranging from the First Layer of Qi Condensation to the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation.

It was said that demonic beasts with Foundation Establishment cultivation even appeared in the depths of the Hundred Demonic Mountain Range. But that was deep within the mountains; under ordinary circumstances, one would never encounter them.

A trace of determination appeared in Xu Chunniang's eyes. She was going to the Hundred Demonic Mountain Range!

Thank you, Fellow Daoist Weak Water Weak, for the reward, and thank you to all the fellow Daoists who have been following along!!