Qi Refining Fourth Layer

Elder Yun and Li Yanshan immediately opened their eyes, staring at the old man in the yellow robe beneath the Glazed Bell.

"It's the Peak Master of Yellow Springs Peak!"

Upon seeing the old man in the yellow robe, many people immediately exclaimed in surprise.

They knew that the peak masters of the seven main peaks of the Glazed Sword Sect all possessed cultivation at the Void Integration Realm.

The Peak Master of Yellow Springs Peak was named Huang Su, his Daoist title was Huang Li, and he was known as Daoist Huang Li.

After the Peak Master of Yellow Springs Peak appeared, he gently waved his hand. The yellow sand beneath Fang Chen and the others' feet seemed to come alive, flowing towards the center of the lake. Finally, it condensed into bridges, each three zhang wide, leading directly to the center of the Sky Lake.

"The Sky Bridges are formed, you may now enter the path of trial!"

The Peak Master of Yellow Springs Peak's ethereal voice echoed within the Sky Lake's barrier.

"Charge!"

The Outer Sect Disciples who had been waiting by the lake rushed onto the sand bridges one after another, heading towards the center of the lake.

Fang Chen and the others were not in a hurry. Their strength wasn't very high, and those rushing ahead were the powerful Outer Sect Disciples, many of whom had already reached the Grand Perfection of Qi Refining, just one step away from Foundation Establishment.

After most of them had rushed onto the bridges, Elder Yun spoke to Li Yanshan and Fang Chen, "Let's go too!"

"Okay!"

Fang Chen nodded, and then followed Elder Yun and Li Yanshan onto the sand bridge.

Since Fang Chen, Elder Yun, and the others were the last to step onto the sand bridge from this direction, the sand bridge behind them immediately dissipated after they crossed it, turning into sand and scattering at the bottom of the lake.

Seeing this, Fang Chen secretly marveled at the power of cultivators. He wished he could learn such a skill, to conjure sand into a bridge with a mere wave of his hand.

Walking on the sand bridge, Elder Yun said to Fang Chen, "Fang Chen, after we enter the path of trial, we will all be randomly separated. You'll have to rely on yourself then!"

"We'll be separated?"

Fang Chen frowned slightly, his expression showing surprise.

Elder Yun nodded and said, "Yes, not just us. Everyone who enters the path of trial will be randomly dispersed. The Sect does this to maximize the search area within the trial grounds, thus allowing everyone to find more Glazed Mushrooms!"

"Mm!"

Fang Chen nodded, and then quickened his pace with Elder Yun.

After walking nearly a thousand zhang on the sand bridge, Fang Chen and the others finally reached the end of the bridge, where a vast expanse of white mist lay below.

Elder Yun smiled at Fang Chen and said, "Below us is the entrance to the path of trial. I'm going down first!"

With that, Elder Yun picked up the black dog, Little Six, and leaped from the sand bridge. His body plummeted rapidly, immediately swallowed by the white mist. The Glazed Paper Crane that had been following Elder Yun also plunged into the mist below.

Li Yanshan smiled at Fang Chen and said, "Let's go down too!"

Fang Chen nodded, and then leaped off the sand bridge with Li Yanshan. The sand bridge beneath their feet completely vanished, and the Glazed Paper Crane beside them plummeted with them.

Fang Chen and Li Yanshan fell rapidly, soon dropping into the white mist. The moment their bodies entered the mist, Fang Chen could no longer see Li Yanshan. He could only hear the whistling wind in his ears.

After about twenty breaths, Fang Chen's body emerged from the white mist. He could see a continuous range of mountains below, which looked reddish-gold. Just as he was about to hit the ground, the Glazed Paper Crane that had been following him suddenly appeared beneath his body, emitting a seven-colored glow. An invisible force emerged, counteracting Fang Chen's falling momentum, allowing him to land steadily.

After Fang Chen landed, the Glazed Paper Crane circled him, flapping its wings playfully.

"What a magical paper crane!"

Fang Chen reached out to playfully touch the Glazed Paper Crane. It seemed a bit shy and immediately flapped its wings to dodge.

"Haha, it can even dodge?"

Fang Chen chuckled. He didn't continue to tease the Glazed Paper Crane but instead looked up to observe his surroundings. He found himself in a forest of Black Scale Red Leaf Pines. These pines looked ancient, with an average trunk diameter exceeding three zhang and a height of over ten zhang. The bark on their trunks was dark, resembling black fish scales, faintly shimmering with a metallic luster. A thick layer of pine needles covered the ground, and stepping on it felt soft and comfortable.

"Pines this large must be at least ten thousand years old, right?"

Looking at the surrounding Black Scale Red Leaf Pines, Fang Chen couldn't help but sigh. These pines were a special kind of Spirit Wood, growing extremely slowly. A thousand-year-old Black Scale Red Leaf Pine would have a trunk diameter of about three feet, while the smallest ones he saw here had a diameter of at least one zhang.

The lamp oil refined from the resin of the Black Scale Red Leaf Pine was a high-grade fuel frequently used by alchemists, as it could improve the success rate and quality of some elixirs.

Fang Chen hadn't expected to find so many high-quality Black Scale Red Leaf Pines within the path of trial.

The leaves of the Black Scale Red Leaf Pine were red. After falling, the spiritual energy in the leaves would dissipate, eventually turning them yellowish-brown.

The Glazed Mushrooms they were looking for were buried beneath this thick layer of pine needles, and one had to dig through them to find them.

Fang Chen stared at the Black Scale Red Leaf Pines before him and muttered, "These Black Scale Red Leaf Pines are much more advanced than Fire Spirit Sword Bamboo. I wonder how much spiritual energy my Floating Immortal Sword can absorb from felling these pines?"

The next moment, he immediately summoned the Floating Immortal Sword and swung it at a Black Scale Red Leaf Pine in front of him.

"Clang..."

Sparks flew. Numerous silver mystical runes suddenly appeared on the bark of the Black Scale Red Leaf Pine. A powerful recoil force came from the Floating Immortal Sword, stinging Fang Chen's tiger's mouth. The bark that the Floating Immortal Sword had struck didn't even show a scratch.

"So tough!"

Fang Chen looked at the spot where the Floating Immortal Sword had struck the Black Scale Red Leaf Pine and couldn't help but exclaim.

The next moment, a cold stream of energy instantly surged from the Floating Immortal Sword into Fang Chen's body. Fang Chen shivered and immediately circulated the Glazed Qi Refining Art. However, this stream of energy was too strong, continuously pouring into his body from the Floating Immortal Sword. Even though Fang Chen circulated the Glazed Qi Refining Art to its limit, he couldn't refine it all in a short period.

A massive amount of spiritual energy surged into Fang Chen's Dantian, causing it to expand.

"Such potent spiritual energy! If this continues, my Dantian will explode!"

Fang Chen gritted his teeth, a look of pain on his face.

Suddenly, he remembered the Glazed Body Refining Art he had just obtained from the Glazed Bell. He closed his eyes, recalled it, and then attempted to cultivate the Glazed Body Refining Art.

"Chichi..."

As soon as he began cultivating the Glazed Body Refining Art, his heart rate instantly accelerated, and his blood flowed rapidly through his body. The next moment, he felt the spiritual energy within him being quickly absorbed by his own body.

"It's working!"

Fang Chen's eyes lit up slightly, and he then circulated the Glazed Body Refining Art with all his might.