Mid Qi Refining

Over the next few days, Shen Hao went to the Back Mountain Medicine Garden every morning at Mao Hour, returned to his quarters at You Hour, and then immersed himself in Breathing and Cultivation.

With the aid of Spirit Stones and his unrelenting daily efforts, his cultivation progress advanced by leaps and bounds. The Spiritual Energy within his Sea of Qi grew denser and denser, and the white mist had condensed into faint liquid droplets.

One morning, Shen Hao went to the Back Mountain Medicine Garden as usual. Steward Li, seeing that he worked diligently and attended to details, transferred him to the rows of Spirit Awakening Flowers, putting him in charge of tending them.

Spirit Awakening Flowers love moisture and need daily watering, with extremely high demands on water quality—only the mountain spring water from the Back Mountain would do. Every day, Shen Hao carried buckets back and forth between the Medicine Garden and the Back Mountain spring. Though the work was hard, he found joy in it.

He noticed that during his labor, his body grew stronger and his sensitivity to Spiritual Energy became keener. Sometimes, he could even sense faint ripples of Spiritual Energy emanating from the leaves of the Spirit Awakening Flowers.

That evening, after finishing his tasks, Shen Hao received a Low-grade Spirit Stone. Instead of returning to his quarters immediately, he sat on a Green Stone by the Medicine Garden, took out the Spirit Stone, and began to cultivate.

Spiritual Energy flowed continuously along his Meridians, surging into his Sea of Qi. Shen Hao could clearly feel that the liquid droplets of Spiritual Energy in his Sea of Qi were increasing, gradually gathering into a small puddle.

"Almost there." Shen Hao's heart stirred, and he began attempting to break through to the Middle Stage of First Layer of Qi Condensation.

Following the advanced techniques of the Qi Cultivation Art, he guided the Spiritual Energy in his Sea of Qi to surge deeper into his Meridians. The Spiritual Energy rushed like a tidal wave, battering the walls of his Meridians.

The walls of his Meridians, as thin as a sheet of paper, trembled slightly under the impact of the Spiritual Energy. Shen Hao clenched his teeth, mobilizing all his Spiritual Energy to strike with full force.

"Boom!"

A faint, muffled sound echoed inside his body. The walls of his Meridians were breached, opening a small gap. Spiritual Energy poured through the gap, flooding into the deeper layers of his Meridians.

Shen Hao felt his entire body jolt, and a wave of comfort swept through his limbs and bones. He looked inward at his Sea of Qi and saw that the Spiritual Energy had condensed into a clear, small lake—its concentration more than ten times denser than before.

"Mid Stage Qi Refining Layer One—finally broken through!" Shen Hao opened his eyes, his gaze brimming with joy.

He could clearly sense that the power within him had grown stronger. He tried swinging his fist, and a gust of wind whistled past his knuckles.

Just then, Steward Li walked over. Seeing the delight on Shen Hao's face, he smiled and asked, "Little one, from the look of you, have you broken through?"

Shen Hao quickly stood up and bowed respectfully. "Reporting to Steward Li, this disciple was fortunate enough to break through to the Middle Stage of First Layer of Qi Condensation."

Steward Li nodded, a glint of approval in his eyes. "Not bad, not bad. In just a few days, you've broken through to the Middle Stage of First Layer of Qi Condensation. It's clear you've put in a lot of hard work these past days."

He paused, then added, "The path of immortality is like sailing against the current—if you don't advance, you fall back. You must not become complacent over a small breakthrough. In the future, you must be even more diligent if you wish to go further."

"This disciple will bear your teachings in mind," Shen Hao replied respectfully.

Steward Li smiled and said, "Alright, it's getting late. Go back and rest early. Remember to come to the Medicine Garden on time tomorrow."

"This disciple obeys."

Shen Hao took his leave of Steward Li and turned to walk toward his quarters. His steps were much lighter. The glow of the setting sun spilled over him, stretching his shadow long and long.

When he returned to Room C, Zhang Shan was already waiting at the door. Seeing Shen Hao come back, Zhang Shan hurried over, his face brimming with excitement. "Senior Brother Shen, I broke through! I broke through to the Early Stage Qi Refining Layer One!"

Shen Hao smiled and congratulated him. "Congratulations, Junior Brother Zhang. Truly a cause for celebration."

Zhang Shan scratched his head, looking a bit shy. "It's all thanks to you, Senior Brother Shen. If you hadn't guided me every day on how to tend the Spiritual Medicine and how to breathe efficiently, I'd probably have had to wait a few more days to break through."

Shen Hao smiled and said, "This is all the result of your own efforts. I only lent a small hand."

The two walked into the room and chatted about their cultivation experiences. Zhang Shan's talent was slightly better than Shen Hao's—he had a mid-grade Dual Spirit Root—so his cultivation speed was naturally not slow. With Shen Hao's guidance, breaking through to the Early Stage Qi Refining Layer One was only a matter of course.

As the night deepened, each returned to their own quarters and began cultivating.

Shen Hao sat cross-legged on his bed, feeling the dense Spiritual Energy within him, his heart brimming with drive. He knew that Mid Stage Qi Refining Layer One was only the beginning. His path of immortality still stretched long and far.