Devouring Spirit Stone

In the days that followed, Shen Hao settled into a monotonous routine between two points. Every day at Mao Hour, just as the sky began to lighten, he would pocket the medicine hoe issued by the sect and head to the Back Mountain Medicine Garden for his chores. Weeding, watering, driving away pests, loosening soil—he performed each task with meticulous care. The meager Spirit Stones he earned in exchange became almost his sole reliance for cultivation. At You Hour, when the last rays of sunset spilled over the peak of Qingyun Peak, he would carry his empty medicine basket back to his Room C, shut the door tight, and completely shut out the clamor of the outside world.

The light inside the room gradually dimmed. Shen Hao sat cross-legged on the simple wooden bed, the warm Companion Jade Pendant resting in his palm. The pendant felt warm to the touch, and as a faint green light swirled within it, a weak yet steady pull spread outward. He pressed a Low-grade Spirit Stone against the pendant's surface, and the pale white spiritual light on the stone visibly faded, dissolving into strands of pure Spiritual Energy that flowed through the pendant and into his Meridians.

The devouring ability of this Companion Jade Pendant was far more formidable than Shen Hao had initially expected. Ordinary disciples would often take an entire night to absorb the Spiritual Energy from a single Low-grade Spirit Stone, and they still had to worry about impure energy damaging their Meridians. But under the pendant's transformation, in just half an hour, a Low-grade Spirit Stone would become dull and lusterless, its Spiritual Energy refined completely clean. When it flowed into his Sea of Qi through his Meridians, there was not the slightest hint of obstruction—it was as gentle as spring rain nourishing the earth.

Shen Hao dumped all the Spirit Stones he had saved from his chores onto the head of the bed, pressing them one by one against the pendant. The stones dimmed faster and faster, while the Spiritual Energy in his Sea of Qi grew denser. The once-thin mist of Spiritual Energy was slowly condensing, showing signs of turning into liquid Spiritual Energy.

The days slipped away quietly as the Spirit Stones were consumed. In just ten days, when the last Low-grade Spirit Stone lost its luster, Shen Hao felt his Sea of Qi swelling as if it might burst. A surge of power rushed through his limbs and bones. He looked inward at his Sea of Qi and saw that the Spiritual Energy, which had been at Mid Stage Qi Refining Second Layer, had now climbed to the peak of the late stage, faintly touching the barrier to Perfection.

"Time to break through the bottleneck." Shen Hao closed his eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and slowly stopped the pendant's devouring. He formed a cultivation hand seal, guiding the Spiritual Energy in his Sea of Qi like a surging tide, crashing again and again against the barrier to Qi Refining Second Layer Perfection.

That barrier was like a transparent membrane, incredibly tough. On the first impact, the Spiritual Energy struck it, only to ripple and dissipate into nothing. On the second impact, the barrier trembled slightly but remained unmoved. Shen Hao gritted his teeth, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Ignoring the growing soreness in his Meridians, he mobilized every bit of Spiritual Energy, condensing it into a sharp torrent that slammed viciously into the barrier.

Once, twice, three times...

He lost track of how long it took. When nearly half his Spiritual Energy was spent, a faint, almost inaudible "crack" finally reached his ears. Joy surged in his heart, and he quickly urged the remaining Spiritual Energy to tear along that tiny fissure, ripping it wide open.

"Boom!"

The barrier shattered. Rich Spiritual Energy, like a burst dam, flooded into the deeper layers of his Sea of Qi. An indescribable wave of comfort washed over his entire body. His Meridians felt as if they had been widened, and the Spiritual Energy in his Sea of Qi had condensed into a clear, shallow lake, its concentration several times greater than before.

Shen Hao slowly opened his eyes, barely able to contain the joy shining in them. He clenched his fist and gave a light swing. A sharp gust of wind whistled past his knuckles, and the sense of power, several times more condensed than before, brought him a measure of calm.

"Qi Refining Second Layer Perfection—finally broke through!"

He looked down at the pile of dull Spirit Stone fragments on the head of the bed and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth, a pang of heartache rising in his chest. In these ten days, he had consumed a full twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones—savings he had painstakingly accumulated from over two months of laboring under the scorching sun in the Medicine Garden. Now, they were all gone.

"The consumption of Spirit Stones is still too great," Shen Hao muttered to himself, his brow furrowing slightly. He knew very well that as his cultivation advanced, the Spiritual Energy needed for subsequent breakthroughs would only increase, and the consumption of Spirit Stones would multiply. Relying solely on the meager income from the Medicine Garden chores would eventually leave him in a predicament with no Spirit Stones to use.

"I have to find a way to get more Spirit Stones." Shen Hao sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed, his gaze gradually turning resolute. He suddenly remembered that deep in the dense forest of the sect's Back Mountain, there were many Low-tier Demon Beasts. The Inner Cores of those beasts contained Spiritual Energy even richer than Spirit Stones. They could be used directly for cultivation or traded for a large number of Spirit Stones at the sect's market.

"Hunt demon beasts, obtain Inner Cores!" The thought grew clearer in his mind.

Shen Hao hesitated no longer. He stood up, picked up the Basic Flying Sword leaning against the corner of the wall, and carefully wiped the rust off the blade. He pushed open the door, and the last rays of the setting sun spilled over him, stretching his shadow long and thin.

In the distance, the dense forest of the Back Mountain loomed deep and mysterious in the twilight. Shen Hao took a deep breath, tightened his grip on the flying sword, and strode boldly toward the forest.