First Test of Length Cultivation

Time flew by, and another half month passed.

During this half month, Li Xiuchang devoted all his free time to cultivation, aside from curing meat and tending fires.

He increasingly felt that his "Pay-to-Win Cultivation Method" was becoming strenuous. The pills, Immortal Brew, and Spirit Delicacies he consumed had developed a tolerance, their effects diminishing.

He had to vary his consumption, which meant spending more Spirit Stones.

This was just the Early Qi Condensation stage. He could foresee that the Pay-to-Win Cultivation Method would become even less effective in the later stages.

This also indicated that "Pay-to-Win Cultivation" was not a long-term solution, and he needed to prioritize "Length Cultivation" as soon as possible.

Li Xiuchang's daily cultivation expenses were growing, averaging over a hundred Spirit Stones per day, which made Wang Long, who procured cultivation supplies for him, feel a constant sense of dread.

The Spirit Stones Li Xiuchang spent in a single month were equivalent to Wang Long's expenditure over several years!

It was only thanks to the successful opening of the Inner Sect market for Smoked Spirit Meat that Li Xiuchang could afford these high costs.

However, this left him with almost no savings.

Furthermore, the Inner Sect market was nearing saturation, making it increasingly difficult to earn Spirit Stones, and he was on the verge of financial strain.

Fortunately, under Li Xiuchang's guidance, Wang Long found some itinerant merchants in the outer market and established cooperation with them.

While the Immortal Dust Sect's market for Smoked Spirit Meat was indeed saturated, the Immortal Shade Realm was home to countless cultivation sects, all of which were virgin territories waiting to be developed.

Li Xiuchang and Wang Long couldn't extend their reach that far, nor did they have the time or energy. Therefore, selling Smoked Spirit Meat to various parts of the Immortal Shade Realm through these itinerant merchants was the most sensible choice.

To secure cooperation, they naturally had to leave sufficient profit margins for the merchants, so Li Xiuchang made appropriate concessions on pricing.

Although the profit margins narrowed, these merchants purchased in large quantities and paid promptly, making it a case of small profits but quick turnover.

The number of merchants coming to restock grew, even including some merchant guilds. Li Xiuchang had only one requirement for them: they were forbidden from selling within the Immortal Dust Sect's territory.

Suddenly, the demand for Smoked Spirit Meat outstripped supply, and many merchants paid deposits and joined the waiting list.

Li Xiuchang and Wang Long had to temporarily expand their production scale, renting several hundred more kilns and hiring dozens of Talisman Masters as fire tenders, increasing their output severalfold.

The two had already agreed to stockpile a significant amount of goods this time and then temporarily halt the production of Smoked Spirit Meat.

After this wave of wholesale demand subsided, they believed it would be difficult to open up new markets for a while. The demand for Smoked Spirit Meat would then stabilize, relying primarily on repeat customers.

Smoked Spirit Meat could be stored for over a decade without spoiling, so they didn't need to worry about unsold inventory if they produced more; they could gradually sell it off later.

The advantage of this approach was that once the production line was halted, both Li Xiuchang and Wang Long would be completely free. They would no longer be tied down by the daily production of Smoked Spirit Meat and could dedicate themselves entirely to other pursuits.

Wang Long had already accumulated a considerable amount of Spirit Stones from the Smoked Spirit Meat business and had long wished to enter secluded cultivation to attempt breaking through to Tier 2 Talisman Master.

Li Xiuchang also had a pile of things to do: cultivate and practice various skills.

After the production scale of Smoked Spirit Meat was increased severalfold, it was halted after only half a month of operation.

The output from this half-month not only met the procurement demands of all the merchants but also left a substantial surplus, enough to sustain sales for a considerable period.

Li Xiuchang had also earned a hefty six thousand Spirit Stones during this half-month. However, with money coming in and going out, his final savings amounted to four thousand Spirit Stones.

Senior Brother Wang Long officially entered secluded cultivation to attempt breaking through to Tier 2 Talisman Master after finishing the closing work.

Li Xiuchang also entered secluded cultivation to attempt breaking through to the Third Layer of Qi Condensation.

Two days later...

Red mist swirled within Li Xiuchang's cultivation chamber, resembling the fiery clouds of dusk.

"Success!"

In his excitement, Li Xiuchang took a deep breath. The excessive intake of Spiritual Qi made his chest feel hot, and his head spun slightly, giving him a feeling akin to oxygen intoxication.

It had only been a little over a month since he broke through to the Second Layer of Qi Condensation, and now he had advanced to the Third Layer of Qi Condensation!

Breaking through the minor bottlenecks in the Early Qi Condensation stage was not difficult to begin with, and with Spirit Stones paving the way, Li Xiuchang's breakthrough was a natural and smooth process, without any setbacks.

This increase in cultivation was secondary. The crucial point was that upon reaching the Third Layer of Qi Condensation, he could begin attempting to increase his cultivation through length.

He quickly calmed his emotions, continued circulating his cultivation technique to stabilize his cultivation, and absorbed the remaining Spiritual Qi in the cultivation chamber.

This Spiritual Qi had been purchased with Spirit Stones; it couldn't be wasted.

After a while, Li Xiuchang had absorbed most of the Spiritual Qi in the cultivation chamber, and his cultivation was completely stable. He then closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and entered a state of internal observation.

The biggest change after breaking through to the Third Layer of Qi Condensation was the emergence of a faint Spiritual Sense.

With Spiritual Sense, Li Xiuchang no longer had to blindly search when retrieving items from his Storage Bag.

With Spiritual Sense, he could enter a state of internal observation at any time, clearly seeing the condition within his body.

In previous cultivations, Li Xiuchang relied entirely on his body's senses for Spiritual Qi and Mana. Now, however, he could use his Spiritual Sense to see the Mana within him.

He gathered all his Mana in his Dantian. In his internal observation state, he could clearly see a small mass of black Mana.

At this point, he should spread the Mana out, expanding its area as much as possible, and then attempt to increase its length to maximize the benefits.

However, this was Li Xiuchang's first attempt. Adhering to a principle of caution, he did not do so.

Li Xiuchang couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Success or failure depended on this step.

He tightly gripped a handful of healing pills, ready to administer them immediately for self-rescue in case of any accidents.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Give me more!"

Residence of Zhang Wanzhi, Eastern Geng District, Number One.

Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu were sitting opposite each other, playing a game of Go. Gui Wuyan's physical body was unceremoniously tossed on the ground between them, arranged in a "square" shape.

Suddenly, both of them turned their heads in unison towards the direction of Eastern Geng District, Number Eighteen.

"Already at the Third Layer of Qi Condensation... that's understandable, I suppose. At least the Spirit Stones weren't wasted," Zhang Wanzhi chuckled, shaking his head.

Even through several formations, Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu instantly detected the subtle Spiritual Qi fluctuations when Li Xiuchang broke through.

They didn't pay it much mind and continued their game.

However, after only a short while, the two suddenly shot to their feet, shock evident on their faces as they once again looked towards Eastern Geng District, Number Eighteen.

Zhang Wanzhi, in his excitement, knocked over the Go board, scattering black and white pieces all over the floor.

This caused a murderous glint to appear in Mo Tu's eyes... he was just one move away from getting five in a row!

Zhang Wanzhi, however, seemed oblivious to Mo Tu's gaze and muttered, "Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation? How is that possible!"

Mere moments after breaking through to the Third Layer of Qi Condensation, Li Xiuchang had actually advanced to the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation!

Consecutively breaking through two minor realms was rare even in the Qi Condensation stage, let alone the fact that there was a small bottleneck between the Third and Fourth Layers of Qi Condensation, marking the transition to the mid-Qi Condensation stage.

Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu's Spiritual Sense pierced through the layers of obstruction, falling upon Li Xiuchang.

Their expressions immediately changed. Li Xiuchang's condition was not good!