Peak Mastery

Peak Mastery

The previous three years.

Han Yi had broken through from Qi Refining Layer 4 to Qi Refining Layer 5.

But over these past three years, his cultivation had remained at Qi Refining Layer 5, still a short distance away from the sixth layer.

The further one advanced, the harder it became to rise through the realms.

However.

The bottleneck in his cultivation did not hinder breakthroughs in his skills.

First came the breakthrough of the Spirit Void Finger, advancing from Comprehensive Mastery to Peak Mastery.

And the Spirit Void Finger after its breakthrough had not disappointed Han Yi in terms of power.

With merely one-tenth of his spiritual power compressed within his body, a single finger strike had directly shaken the courtyard's formation.

Han Yi estimated that the power of that strike had already reached the level of Qi Refining Layer 7.

In other words.

After this breakthrough, Han Yi could contend against Qi Refining Layer 7 cultivators with his Qi Refining Layer 5 cultivation. Though victory or defeat remained uncertain—after all, this was merely his own conjecture, and he had yet to face a true battle—it undoubtedly gave Han Yi a tremendous boost in confidence.

After the Spirit Void Finger's breakthrough.

The second skill to break through was not the Sword Control Technique, but alchemy.

After spending money to avert disaster three years ago, Han Yi's pockets had been emptied of Spirit Stones, so he devoted a great deal of time to alchemy.

The breakthrough in alchemy had raised his pill-refining skill by a huge margin.

Now.

When refining Qi Nourishing Pills, his success rate was essentially one hundred percent, and out of every ten batches, he could refine at least six batches of Standard Quality Qi Nourishing Pills.

When refining Evil Warding Pills, his success rate had also reached fifty percent, and from time to time, he could even refine Standard Quality Evil Warding Pills.

One had to know.

Breakthroughs in the Qi Refining Late Stage all required Standard Quality Evil Warding Pills.

Pills of that quality sold on the market at prices that soared exponentially compared to ordinary-quality ones.

Each Standard Quality Evil Warding Pill had a market price of around thirty Low-grade Spirit Stones, a full six times the price of an ordinary Evil Warding Pill.

At the same time.

Besides the original four pill formulas, he had acquired two more: one for Spirit Sensing Pills and one for Qi Fusion Pills.

These two types of pills were commonly kept by Qi Refining Late Stage cultivators.

Han Yi had spent a hefty sum to acquire those two pill formulas in order to open up the Qi Refining Late Stage market.

With his current alchemy, refining ordinary pills took no more effort than blowing dust away, and the profit margins were simply too small.

That was why he had sought out pills that could command high prices.

Spirit Sensing Pills and Qi Fusion Pills were the pills he had selected as suitable for making money.

A Spirit Sensing Pill was used at Qi Refining Layer 7 to expand one's sensitivity to spiritual energy, providing a perceptive foundation for the enlarged pool of spiritual power within the body.

The moment one entered the Qi Refining Late Stage, one had to begin preparing in advance for the immortal path's Foundation Establishment. It was a stage that linked what came before to what followed, the core reserve strength of a sect.

Qi Fusion Pills, meanwhile, were used in conjunction with Spirit Sensing Pills, transforming absorbed spiritual energy into one's own spiritual power at a faster rate.

These two types of pills complemented each other and were generally sold as a set, fetching high prices.

Over three years, refining and selling pills had allowed him to accumulate wealth even more substantial than before, multiplying his net worth several times over compared to three years ago.

After alchemy broke through came the Sword Control Technique, followed by the Body Lightening Technique.

And over the past three years, aside from moving among the many markets of the Outer Peak, he had also entered the Inner Peak Market to sell pills.

In truth.

Originally, the Mystic Pill Sect had no such thing as markets, whether on the Inner Peak or the Outer Peak. All inner and outer sect disciples exchanged, traded, and purchased goods through the sect's platform.

But later, the sect discovered that quite a few disciples did not conduct exchanges and transactions through official channels. Instead, they formed private trading gatherings to conduct business.

What cultivator did not have secrets of their own? For instance, after encountering a bloody battle, one might obtain some magical artifacts that could not be openly sold and had to be dealt with in secret.

Or perhaps one might suddenly obtain an immortal cultivation inheritance, a mysterious pill formula, or high-quality pills.

If such things were traded on the sect platform, they would be investigated and could easily draw unwanted attention.

Private trading gatherings gradually arose on such a foundation.

More and more people gathered at these trading events, and the status of participants grew ever higher. Many Foundation Establishment inner sect disciples and steward elders even took part.

Later, at the proposal of a Golden Core Stage great cultivator of the sect, markets independent of the sect platform gradually emerged.

These markets were considered semi-official. They could keep transactions relatively confidential, guarantee the safety of sect disciples, and bring income to the sect as well. Why not have the best of all worlds?

That was how the Inner and Outer Peak Markets came into being.

There were eighteen markets on the Outer Peak and three on the Inner Peak, all operating steadily over the years.

For most of these past three years, Han Yi had been at the Outer Peak Markets. He had entered the Inner Peak Market only three times.

Each time, he had prepared thoroughly and exercised the utmost caution.

He knew that doing so was risky, but on one hand, it was a risk he had no choice but to take. At the Outer Peak Markets, most of the disciples were in the Qi Refining Middle Stage, and few could afford his pills.

On the other hand, the breakthroughs in the Spirit Void Finger, Sword Control Technique, and Body Lightening Technique meant that his overall combat strength had surged by a great deal, giving Han Yi a measure of confidence as well.

Little Spirit Void Peak, within the courtyard.

Han Yi finished his cultivation and rose to his feet. Before him, the translucent pale-red panel displayed his current state.

Lifespan: 28/99

Realm: Qi Refining Layer 5 (86/100)

Cultivation Art: Fire Pill Profound Art (Proficient 89/100)

Skills:

Alchemy (Peak Mastery 7/100)

Spirit Void Finger (Peak Mastery 4/100)

Sword Control Technique (Peak Mastery 2/100)

Body Lightening Technique (Peak Mastery 2/100)

"In the blink of an eye, it has already been seven years since I crossed over."

"Qi Refining Layer 6 is not far away either. I believe that in another year, I'll be able to break through to Qi Refining Layer 6."

Han Yi took a deep breath. He had his own plans and confidence for the cultivation ahead.

"Besides, the Demon Cave battle ended not long ago."

"Fortunately, I emptied my entire fortune back then to have my slot exempted."

Whenever he thought of the outcome of the Demon Cave battle that he had heard about, Han Yi still felt lingering fear.

Not long ago.

The expeditionary force had returned.

Of the original force, more than half had been killed or wounded in the slaughter within the Demon Cave.

Of the three Golden Core Stage Supreme Elders, two had fallen. Of the twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators, only eight had survived. As for the Qi Refining cultivators, the losses were even more devastating: of the 3,400 Qi Refining cultivators, only 800 had returned.

This battle had dealt a blow to the Mystic Pill Sect severe enough to damage its sinews and bones.

In truth, it was not just the Mystic Pill Sect.

The Demon Cave battle had been a devastating blow to the entire Great Qian cultivation world.

In that battle, even a Divine Transformation mighty figure from Jade Capital Mountain had perished, killing an arriving Heavenly Demon God with their life. Beyond that, many Nascent Soul cultivators had also fallen.

These were all bits of unofficial news Han Yi had heard at the markets.

Piecing those tidbits together, Han Yi could sense just how brutal the Demon Cave battle had been.

If a mere Qi Refining Layer 5 cultivator like him had truly been swept into it, life and death would have been beyond his control.

Spending money to avert disaster had been money well spent.

Three years ago, Han Yi might have felt that Fan Mo had cheated him. Now, though, he felt somewhat fortunate.

Before his life, he could accept losing a few Spirit Stones to a scam.

After making a few preparations, Han Yi took his pills and headed straight up Little Sea View Peak.

Over the past three years, he had kept this connection on Little Sea View Peak. It counted as one of his personal networks.

What had happened three years ago had also made Han Yi understand that merely closing one's eyes and lying low in this world would not do. He also needed to keep abreast of sect news at all times.

Even lying low required being prepared.

Connections, channels, and information were what he had deliberately worked to expand over the past three years.

After ascending Little Sea View Peak and seeing the person who had come to receive him, Han Yi was slightly stunned and somewhat surprised.

The newcomer was Yan Ru, her figure still as explosively curvaceous as ever.

And this reunion came after three years apart.

Three years ago, Yan Ru had been selected to join the conscripted army. She had also been fortunate enough to survive three years of slaughter.

"Junior Brother Han, long time no see." Yan Ru's expression was even colder than it had been three years ago. Though she was greeting him, Han Yi felt an invisible killing intent rushing toward him.

That killing intent had accumulated through three years of unceasing slaughter. It was not deliberately directed at Han Yi, but unconsciously radiated from her.

Han Yi's heart tightened.

Anyone who could survive three years of slaughter in the Demon Cave was a ruthless figure.

(End of Chapter)