Artifact Flight: Refining Qi to Spirit

Mountain Splitting Axe (One-Star Artifact): Requires Qi Cultivation Realm Second Layer, Attack 16–24, Unique Passive: Attack Speed +10%, Durability 22/32, Weight 13.

Savage Bull Leather Armor (One-Star Artifact): Requires Qi Cultivation Realm Third Layer, Defense 15–20, Unique Passive: Maximum HP +30, Durability 30/33, Weight 9.

Tiger Bone Demon Ring (One-Star Artifact): Requires Qi Cultivation Realm Second Layer, Attack 6–8, Unique Passive: Attack Speed +10%, Durability 24/26, Weight 1.

Boots of Speed (One-Star Artifact): Requires Qi Cultivation Realm First Layer, Defense 4–6, Unique Passive: Movement Speed +20, Durability 31/35, Weight 4.

The string of artifact data brought an involuntary smile to Zhuge Xiang's face. Neither he nor Niu Geng could use an artifact like the Mountain Splitting Axe for now, so Zhuge Xiang tossed it into his storage belt. As for the Boots of Speed, he already had a pair of Star Chasing Boots, so they naturally went to Niu Geng. The Savage Bull Leather Armor and Tiger Bone Demon Ring, meanwhile, would both greatly boost his combat strength, so Zhuge Xiang accepted them without ceremony.

After equipping the Savage Bull Leather Armor and Tiger Bone Demon Ring, Zhuge Xiang nodded in satisfaction at his current gear. Among disciples of this cohort, his artifact equipment could truly be called extravagant—none could compare.

From head to toe, Zhuge Xiang was practically covered in artifacts: Frost Headband, Savage Bull Leather Armor, Flowing Cloud Cloak, Tiger Bone Demon Ring, storage belt, Star Chasing Boots. His weapons included the Blood Refinement Saber, the Hundred Refinements Bow for ranged combat, and the Blade of Blockade as an auxiliary off-hand weapon. For a newly inducted disciple, such a lineup was exceptionally lavish.

Although Zhuge Xiang was only at the Qi Cultivation Realm Third Layer, with the bonuses from these artifacts alone, he believed his combat strength would stand among the best even in the Qi Cultivation Realm Fourth Layer.

Opening the Character Interface, Zhuge Xiang saw that he only lacked two bracers, one ring, and a final piece of lower-body armor—pants or greaves—to fill every equipment slot. He was equally fervent in his pursuit of equipment. Stronger gear meant a greater ability to kill monsters above his level, which in turn meant faster growth.

Before long, Lu Yuling and the others opened their eyes and rose one after another. A dense series of crackling sounds, like beans popping in a pan, rang out from their bodies, while joy they could not suppress filled their faces. Clearly, the Nine Aperture Profound Pill had brought them benefits beyond words.

"This Nine Aperture Profound Pill truly is marvelous. My Qi Energy cultivation speed has increased by 50%." Feeling out her current cultivation speed, Lu Yuling could not hide her delight. For a genius at her level, increasing cultivation speed by half was absolutely terrifying.

As Lu Yuling finished speaking, Ling Wufeng and the others reported their own improvements. Compared to Lu Yuling, their talent was not far behind, but their cultivation was a layer lower, so the benefits they received were even greater. Their Qi Energy cultivation speed had increased by around 60%, while Hua Nongying's had only increased by about 70%.

Facing everyone's strange looks, Hua Nongying appeared somewhat deflated. "Right before taking the Nine Aperture Profound Pill, I happened to break through to the Qi Cultivation Realm Third Layer."

Seeing Hua Nongying's expression, everyone smiled. A cultivation breakthrough should have been a joyous thing, but she had broken through just before taking the Nine Aperture Profound Pill. No wonder she looked so dejected—the lower one's Qi Energy cultivation, the greater the benefits.

"What about you, Niu Geng? How much did your cultivation speed increase?" Finally, Zhuge Xiang turned to Niu Geng with anticipation in his eyes. The others also stared at him intently.

Niu Geng was only at the Qi Cultivation Realm First Layer, and he had comprehended Qi Energy merely days ago. Added to that, his innate talent had always been poor, so his improvement was certain to be substantial. After all, the figures Lu Yuling and the others gave were based on their own talent, whereas Niu Geng was merely of below-average aptitude. Especially since he had only comprehended Qi Energy during the Grand Tournament with the help of a Blood Spirit Fruit, his aptitude could be said to rank at the very bottom among the several thousand disciples of this cohort.

"It doubled." Meeting Zhuge Xiang's expectant gaze, Niu Geng discreetly swept a glance over Ling Wufeng and the others beside him, unable to conceal the joy on his face as he spoke.

A doubling was not bad, but with Niu Geng's poor aptitude, even if his cultivation speed doubled, he would still only rank around the middle among this cohort of disciples. Though Zhuge Xiang was disappointed, it was still an extraordinary benefit for Niu Geng.

Soon, a rumbling sound came from the cave passage. Zhuge Xiang and the others exchanged glances, all wearing smiles. As usual, Niu Geng gathered some poisonous materials from the Demonic Moth, while Lu Yuling collected some of its essence blood. Then the group left the cave.

Standing at the cave entrance, everyone looked back, each with the sighing feeling of having been reborn. This time, they had truly escaped death by a hair's breadth and nearly died inside. Yet the gains they had received were equally astonishing. Especially for geniuses like Lu Yuling and the others, their cultivation speed and aptitude had both improved. Already geniuses, they had climbed another step higher, and would surely shine even more brilliantly within the sect.

"Niu Geng, these are the boots we stripped from Lei Potian. None of us can use his axe, so we put it away. The other two artifacts are useful to me, so I kept them," Zhuge Xiang said after leaving the cave. He slowed down and came to Niu Geng at the rear, taking out the Boots of Speed.

"Alright." Niu Geng did not stand on ceremony with Zhuge Xiang and directly accepted the Boots of Speed. He had no dissatisfaction over Zhuge Xiang keeping the other two artifacts. Since Zhuge Xiang could use them, Niu Geng, with his sense of loyalty, naturally had no complaints.

Seeing that Zhuge Xiang and Niu Geng were discussing artifacts behind them, Ling Wufeng and the others did not pay much attention. After all, those artifacts were the spoils of the two of them. To them, gaining a Nine Aperture Profound Pill this time had already been an enormous profit.

"By the way, did the Nine Aperture Profound Pill really only double your improvement?" Seeing that no one ahead was paying attention to them, Zhuge Xiang suddenly asked in a low voice.

When he had asked this question inside the cave earlier, Niu Geng had glanced at the others before answering him. Zhuge Xiang had caught on. Niu Geng might appear honest and simple, but he was meticulous at heart and naturally wary of the others. Though they were companions on this journey, they had only banded together to survive. The Asura Sect was, after all, a Demonic Sect; conflicts over interests would be unavoidable in the future.

At the mention of the Nine Aperture Profound Pill, Niu Geng smiled as well, excitement impossible to hide from his face. He said nothing, merely raising four fingers for Zhuge Xiang in secret.

Zhuge Xiang's pupils contracted slightly. Four times the improvement? Did that not mean his cultivation speed was now five times what it had been? No wonder. His aptitude was vastly inferior to Lu Yuling and the others, and his cultivation was the lowest as well. It was hardly strange that Niu Geng had gained so much. With a cultivation speed roughly five times that of an ordinary person, a single Nine Aperture Profound Pill had already propelled Niu Geng into the ranks of geniuses. He likely would not be far behind Ling Wufeng and the others now.

If the Nine Aperture Profound Pill were worth one hundred taels of silver, then Lu Yuling and the others had originally possessed two hundred taels. Naturally, the pill could only help them by around half that amount. But Niu Geng was different. Compared with them, he had originally possessed only twenty or thirty taels. Naturally, the increase would be much greater. Coupled with the fact that the lower one's cultivation, the greater the benefit, Niu Geng might have gained one hundred and thirty taels, perhaps even one hundred and fifty taels of silver...

Though it was only a simple analogy, Zhuge Xiang understood that this was exactly how the Nine Aperture Profound Pill had improved Niu Geng. They had all taken the pill, and with Niu Geng's current aptitude, even its greater benefits might not be enough for him to catch up to Lu Yuling and the others. But compared to how they had been before taking the Nine Aperture Profound Pill, he should not be inferior.

With less than a hundred li left to travel, Zhuge Xiang and the others advanced cautiously. After killing several One-Star High-Grade and more than a dozen One-Star Mid-Grade Monster Beasts along the way, they finally arrived beneath the Aurora Asura Tower as evening fell.

Only upon arriving beneath the Aurora Asura Tower could they truly appreciate its towering scale. Looking up, they saw the pillar of light nearly piercing through heaven and earth. The enormous tower-shaped beam rose roughly two thousand meters high; such a presence standing between heaven and earth could surely be seen clearly from hundreds of li away.

A sea of heads packed the area beneath the Aurora Asura Tower, but at a glance there were only around one thousand seven or eight hundred people. Zhuge Xiang could not help sighing inwardly. By this point, a large portion of those who were going to arrive should already have arrived, yet there were only one thousand seven or eight hundred people. It seemed that the escape through the heartland of the Endless Mountain Range had indeed inflicted grievous casualties.

Beneath the Aurora Asura Tower, its light enveloped a circular clearing roughly a thousand meters in radius. At the edge of that radiance, ten Asura Sect disciples floated in the air, seated cross-legged—some atop swords, some atop sabers, and others atop gourds...

"Whew, we're finally safe." Upon entering the circle of light cast by the Aurora Asura Tower, Niu Geng and the others all let out long breaths of relief. Reaching this place meant they were finally safe. Though they had fled for only two days, those two days had felt unbearably long, and the dangers they had faced were beyond description.

While Niu Geng and the others relaxed at the feeling of safety, Zhuge Xiang's gaze was fixed on the ten disciples floating in the air, his eyes burning with eagerness. In truth, many of the disciples present held varying degrees of longing and yearning as well.

Artifact Flight—this was the mark of having broken through to the Refining Qi to Spirit stage, the mark of having passed the Heavenly Tribulation and truly cast off the shackles of mortality. Setting aside the formidable power of possessing spells, simply breaking through to the Spirit Transformation Stage increased one's lifespan by three hundred years. That alone was enough to make people flock to it like ducks. It seemed the sect had reacted swiftly indeed to this attack, directly dispatching ten disciples at the Refining Qi to Spirit stage to stand guard.

"One day, I too will reach that realm—and surpass them." Looking at the ten disciples high above, Zhuge Xiang clenched his fists. Why had he come to the Asura Sect? Was it not to stand above the masses, just as they did?

(PS: Today is Sunday. The homepage's new author and new book rankings will refresh at midnight. I wonder if we can make it up there? Let us wait and see. As always, if we get on there, adding extra chapters will be no problem. Keep in mind that my chapters average around three thousand characters; I have never entertained the idea of writing two-thousand-character chapters like other authors just to gain more clicks. I also consistently update twice a day, never missing or reducing updates. After more than twenty days, surely my character has been proven through action? I'll add an extra chapter around ten minutes after midnight. Brothers and sisters, if you have votes, throw them in at midnight—I need your support.)