In the days that followed, Shen Hao lived a monotonous life that ran between two points and one line. Every day at Mao Hour, when the sky had only just begun to brighten, he would tuck the sect-issued medicine hoe under his arm and head to the Back Mountain Medicine Garden on time to do his assigned work. Weeding, watering, driving off pests, loosening the soil—he handled every chore with meticulous care. The meager Spirit Stones he earned had become almost his entire support for cultivation. Once dusk arrived and the afterglow of the setting sun spilled across Qingyun Peak's summit, he would carry his empty herb basket back to Room C, shut the door tight, and completely block out the clamor of the outside world.
The light in the room gradually dimmed. Shen Hao sat cross-legged on the crude wooden bed, the warm Companion Jade Pendant resting in his palm. The jade felt warm to the touch. As azure light flowed across its surface, a faint yet steady pull slowly spread outward. He pressed a Low-grade Spirit Stone against the pendant's surface, and the pale white glow on the Spirit Stone visibly faded, transforming into strands of pure spiritual energy that flowed through the jade pendant and into his meridians.
The Companion Jade Pendant's devouring ability was far more formidable than Shen Hao had initially expected. Ordinary disciples often needed an entire night to absorb the spiritual energy from a Low-grade Spirit Stone, all while worrying that its mixed energy might damage their meridians. Yet with the jade pendant's conversion, a Low-grade Spirit Stone would turn dull and lifeless in just half an hour. The spiritual energy within would be refined completely clean, and when it flowed through his meridians into his Sea of Qi, there was not the slightest hint of obstruction. It was as gentle as spring rain moistening all things.
Shen Hao poured all the Spirit Stones he had saved from his days of menial labor onto the bedside, then pressed them against the jade pendant one after another. The Spirit Stones dimmed faster and faster, while the spiritual energy within his Sea of Qi grew ever denser. The originally sparse mist of spiritual energy gradually condensed, beginning to show signs of turning into spiritual liquid.
Days slipped quietly by amid the constant depletion of Spirit Stones. In just ten days, when the final Low-grade Spirit Stone lost its luster, Shen Hao felt as though his Sea of Qi had swelled to the point of bursting, an abundant force surging through his limbs and bones. Looking inward at his Sea of Qi, he saw that the spiritual energy that had originally been at the Mid Stage Qi Refining Second Layer had already risen to the peak of the late stage, faintly showing signs of touching the barrier of perfection.
"It's time to break through the bottleneck." Shen Hao closed his eyes, drew a deep breath, and slowly stopped the jade pendant's devouring. Forming the cultivation hand seals, he guided the spiritual energy in his Sea of Qi like surging tides, battering the barrier of Qi Refining Second Layer Perfection again and again.
The barrier was like a transparent membrane, exceptionally tough. On the first impact, the spiritual energy merely sent ripples across it before vanishing without a trace. On the second, the barrier trembled slightly, yet remained utterly unmoved. Shen Hao clenched his teeth, fine beads of sweat seeping from his brow. Ignoring the waves of soreness swelling through his meridians, he mobilized every last shred of spiritual energy and condensed it into a fierce torrent that smashed viciously into the barrier.
Once, twice, three times...
Who knew how long passed? When nearly half of Shen Hao's spiritual energy had been consumed, he finally heard an almost imperceptible crack by his ear. Joy surged in his heart. He immediately drove the remaining spiritual energy forward, following that tiny fissure and tearing it open with all his strength.
Bang!
The barrier shattered with a thunderous crash. Dense spiritual energy poured into the deeper reaches of his Sea of Qi like floodwaters bursting through a broken dam. An indescribable feeling of comfort swept through his entire body. His meridians seemed to have widened by several degrees, while the spiritual energy in his Sea of Qi had already condensed into a crystal-clear little lake, its density more than several times greater than before.
Shen Hao slowly opened his eyes, unable to suppress the delight filling them. He clenched his fist and gave it a light swing. A sharp gust howled from his knuckles, and the sensation of power—several times more condensed than before—settled his heart considerably.
"Qi Refining Second Layer Perfection—I finally broke through!"
He lowered his head toward the pile of dull, lifeless Spirit Stone fragments by the bed, and the corner of his mouth could not help twitching. His heart ached. Over these ten days, he had used a full twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones. That was the savings he had accumulated only after working beneath the blazing sun in the Medicine Garden for more than two months, and now it was all gone.
"The consumption of Spirit Stones is still too great." Shen Hao muttered, his brow furrowing slightly. He knew full well that as his cultivation rose, future breakthroughs would require ever more spiritual energy, and the consumption of Spirit Stones would only multiply. Relying solely on the meager income from Medicine Garden chores, he would sooner or later fall into the desperate predicament of having no stones to use.
"I have to find a way to get more Spirit Stones." Shen Hao sat cross-legged at the edge of the bed, his gaze gradually hardening with resolve. He suddenly remembered that deep within the Dense Forest of the sect's Back Mountain lived quite a few Low-tier Demon Beasts. The inner cores of those Demon Beasts contained spiritual energy even denser than Spirit Stones. They could be used directly for cultivation or taken to the sect Market in exchange for a large number of Spirit Stones.
"Hunt Demon Beasts and obtain their inner cores!" The thought grew clearer and clearer in his heart.
Shen Hao no longer hesitated. He rose and picked up the Basic Flying Sword resting in the corner by the wall, carefully wiping the rust from its blade. He pushed open the door, and the setting sun's afterglow happened to fall across him, stretching his shadow long and slender.
The Dense Forest of the distant Back Mountain looked deep and mysterious in the twilight. Shen Hao took a deep breath, gripped the Flying Sword in his hand, and strode toward the forest.
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