Early Qi Refining Fourth Layer

Day by day, Shen Hao's life grew ever more regular, running in orderly fashion like a tightly wound clockwork mechanism.

Every morning, when dawn had only begun to break, he rose on time and practiced the Flowing Cloud Steps for two hours in the open space inside his room. He trained the footwork until it reached the pinnacle of perfection, striving to make every movement precise and flawless, every circulation of spiritual energy smooth and natural. With each passing day of practice, his command of the Flowing Cloud Steps became more proficient, and his movements more graceful and ethereal.

Afterward, he sat cross-legged atop the Jade Bed and cultivated the Ziyang Inner Sect Basic Qi Cultivation Art, drawing in the dense spiritual energy of the Inner Sect. The Inner Sect's spiritual energy was already more than three times denser than that of the Outer Sect. Combined with the intricacy of the Ziyang Inner Sect Basic Qi Cultivation Art and the purification boost of the Companion Jade Pendant, his cultivation speed was astonishingly fast, far surpassing cultivators of the same realm.

In the afternoons, he cultivated the Meridian Tempering Art, hammering and refining his meridians. Meridians were the channels through which spiritual energy flowed; only sufficiently resilient and broad meridians could contain more spiritual energy and support a higher cultivation level. Every session of the Meridian Tempering Art came with piercing pain, but Shen Hao gritted his teeth and persevered, never once entertaining the thought of giving up.

At night, he cultivated the Spirit Devouring Art, opening the Spirit Devouring Vortex to devour the spiritual energy within the Spirit Stones in his Storage Pouch. The spiritual energy inside Spirit Stones was denser and purer than the free spiritual energy between heaven and earth, and devouring it could rapidly increase one's cultivation. With the Companion Jade Pendant's support, he devoured Spirit Stones several times faster than ordinary people.

Under such day-after-day bitter cultivation, his cultivation soared like a rocket. The spiritual energy within his Sea of Qi grew increasingly dense, and the barrier to the Early Qi Refining Fourth Layer drew ever closer.

That day, Shen Hao was cultivating the Ziyang Inner Sect Basic Qi Cultivation Art. He sat cross-legged on the Jade Bed, his eyes slightly closed, his breathing long and steady. The Inner Sect's spiritual energy flowed continuously into his body like a trickling stream. After being tempered by the Ziyang Inner Sect Basic Qi Cultivation Art and purified by the Companion Jade Pendant, it became even purer spiritual energy and flowed into his Sea of Qi.

Suddenly, he felt that the spiritual energy in his Sea of Qi had reached saturation. The color of the spiritual energy lake had changed from pale blue to a rich deep blue. Spiritual light flickered upon its surface, and the spiritual energy was so dense it was almost turning liquid.

It's time to break through to the Early Qi Refining Fourth Layer! Shen Hao's heart stirred, and a gleam flashed through his eyes.

He took a deep breath, stopped his breathing exercises, and began mobilizing all the spiritual energy in his Sea of Qi. Under his control, the dense deep-blue spiritual energy gathered into a surging tide and slammed fiercely against the barrier of the Early Qi Refining Fourth Layer.

The barrier of the Early Qi Refining Fourth Layer was far sturdier than that of the Perfected Qi Refining Third Layer, like a wall of bronze and iron. The first impact did not budge it in the slightest, not even leaving behind the faintest trace. The rebounding force sent a slight stabbing pain through Shen Hao's meridians.

Shen Hao was not discouraged. He knew that breaking through a realm had never been something accomplished in a single stroke. He mobilized his spiritual energy once more, condensing it into an even more powerful tide and launching a second assault.

Once, twice, three times...

He did not know how many times he had attacked. Beads of sweat covered Shen Hao's forehead, his meridians ached and swelled in waves, and more than half the spiritual energy in his body had been consumed. Yet he still refused to give up, gritting his teeth as he battered that sturdy barrier again and again.

At last, through his unrelenting efforts, a tiny crack finally appeared in the barrier of the Early Qi Refining Fourth Layer.

Joy surged through Shen Hao's heart, and an excited light flashed in his eyes. He hurriedly increased his spiritual energy output while activating the Companion Jade Pendant. The jade pendant instantly emitted a dense azure glow, purifying all the remaining spiritual energy in his body into an even purer force and injecting it into that tide.

Wave after wave, the tide rolled onward like a rushing river, ceaselessly battering the crack. The crack grew larger and deeper, changing from a hair-thin line into one as thick as a finger.

Break for me! Shen Hao roared inwardly, pouring even the last thread of spiritual energy in his body into the tide.

With a crisp crack, as though something had shattered, the barrier of the Early Qi Refining Fourth Layer collapsed with a thunderous crash.

Dense spiritual energy surged into the deeper layers of his meridians like floodwaters bursting through a broken dam, nourishing his limbs and bones. The spiritual energy lake within his Sea of Qi expanded as well, growing to more than twice its original size, while its spiritual energy density increased severalfold.

"I've finally broken through to the Early Qi Refining Fourth Layer!"

Shen Hao slowly opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing within them. He clenched his fists and could clearly feel that the power within his body had become more robust, while his control over spiritual energy had grown even more natural and effortless. A powerful aura spread from his body, bringing him an unprecedented sense of ease.

He looked inward at his Sea of Qi and saw that its spiritual energy had condensed into a dense deep-blue lake. Spiritual light flickered on the lake's surface, and the spiritual energy was so concentrated it was nearly liquefying. This was precisely the mark of the Early Qi Refining Fourth Layer!

"Wonderful!" Shen Hao murmured, an excited smile appearing on his face. Breaking through to the Early Qi Refining Fourth Layer meant his strength had risen to another level. Among the Inner Sect Disciples of Qingyun Peak, he could now be considered one of the finest.

He rose to his feet and stretched, feeling refreshed from head to toe and brimming with strength. Spiritual energy flowed freely through his meridians without the slightest obstruction. The fatigue and aching from his earlier cultivation had vanished without a trace.

He walked to the stone table, took out a jade bottle from his Storage Pouch, poured out a Body Tempering Pill, and swallowed it. The pill entered his stomach and transformed into a warm current that flowed through his meridians and spread throughout his body, nourishing his flesh. After breaking through, his body needed to be tempered as well, or it would not be able to withstand denser spiritual energy.

He knew that breaking through to the Early Qi Refining Fourth Layer was only the beginning. His path of cultivation was still long—very long. Within the Inner Sect, powerful experts gathered like clouds; there were plenty of disciples at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer and Sixth Layer. He had to cultivate even more diligently if he wished to stand out among the Inner Sect's host of strong cultivators and walk farther down the road.