Mid-Stage Qi Refinement

Returning to his Cave Residence, Lu Yan closed the restrictions at the entrance.

In a way, He Luyuan's sudden appearance was actually a good thing.

This Storage Bag of unknown origin was ultimately a hidden danger. He Luyuan's appearance served as an early warning, giving him enough time to prepare for the crisis behind it.

"Suspected Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Red Lotus Demonic Sect? It just so happens I also need the subsequent cultivation method for the Red Lotus Karma Fire Sutra. Coming to my doorstep saves me a lot of trouble."

"However, confronting a Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator with my current strength might be somewhat risky. To be safe, I must improve my strength."

Lu Yan took out the Jade Spirit Pills purchased from Jade Mountain Market Street from his Storage Bag.

In fact, what Lu Yan said to He Luyuan wasn't an excuse. He bought so many spirit pills precisely to break through the early stage of Qi Refining in one go.

He Luyuan and the person behind him certainly wouldn't care about this matter. In their eyes, there was no difference whether Lu Yan was in the early or mid-stage of Qi Refining.

But for Lu Yan, once he advanced to the mid-stage of Qi Refining, his strength would undergo a qualitative leap.

Taking a Jade Spirit Pill, Lu Yan began his cultivation for the day.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. With ample spiritual energy and medicinal pills, Lu Yan reached the mid-stage of Qi Refining with almost no hindrance.

The smoothness of his cultivation surprised Lu Yan, who had even prepared breakthrough pills in advance.

His aptitude could only be considered average, and his total cultivation time was less than a year. Advancing too quickly could easily lead to bottlenecks.

But during his cultivation, Lu Yan didn't encounter any bottlenecks at all.

After the breakthrough, Lu Yan carefully examined his own condition and only then noticed that the reason he didn't encounter a bottleneck was primarily because his Mana was too pure, as if he had never taken any medicinal pills and had slowly cultivated by refining his Mana step by step.

This result immediately made Lu Yan think of the Great Sun Spiritual Energy he absorbed in the Apocalypse Version.

Compared to steadily absorbing Moonlight Spiritual Energy every night, Lu Yan spent relatively less time cultivating during the day. Generally, after slaughtering an area, he would let the Soul Banner refine the wandering souls while he took some time to cultivate.

Due to the extremely low Great Sun Spiritual Energy content in the ruined city, and it being completely integrated into the sunlight, Lu Yan couldn't clearly perceive the existence of Great Sun Spiritual Energy and didn't notice any abnormalities after cultivating for three months.

Thinking back now, the reason his Mana was so pure should be the contribution of the Great Sun Spiritual Energy.

Thinking of this, Lu Yan took out three Sun Stones from his Storage Bag and examined them carefully.

"These three Sun Stones contain the purest Sun Spiritual Energy. If refined, they should also have the effect of purifying Mana. This is definitely a rare treasure in the cultivation version."

"Whether Mana is pure or not is largely related to the stability of one's foundation and the breakthrough of realms. If sold to disciples of those major sects, it might fetch quite a few benefits."

"It's just that I am currently only a small mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator and temporarily lack this trading channel."

Feeling a bit regretful, Lu Yan put the Sun Stones back into his Storage Bag.

Now that his foundation was stable, he didn't need the Sun Stones to purify his Mana again.

Only half a month had passed, and Lu Yan had already completed his cultivation breakthrough, but this was just the beginning for Lu Yan.

Opening his Storage Bag, Lu Yan took out a set of array plates and began arranging them inside the Cave Residence.

This Spirit Concealing Array was obtained from the few plundering cultivators he had encountered before and was one of the few things Lu Yan kept.

The Spirit Concealing Array was not a profound array, but its effect was highly valued by Lu Yan. The Spirit Concealing Array could conceal spiritual energy fluctuations and isolate external prying.

The purpose of Lu Yan arranging the Spirit Concealing Array inside the Cave Residence was only one, and that was to re-refine the Hundred Soul Banner!

As the array activated, Lu Yan took out the Hundred Soul Banner stored in his Storage Bag. The Ghost Mist permeated the entire Cave Residence, instantly transforming it into a Netherworld Ghost Domain.

Hundreds of Vengeful Souls gathered within the Cave Residence, and at the forefront of the numerous Vengeful Souls, two Peak Qi Refining Main Souls knelt on one knee, their heads bowed low.

If not for the Spirit Concealing Array's concealment, the mere activation of the Hundred Soul Banner would have been enough to cause a sensation throughout the entire Cave Residence area.

Lu Yan's gaze swept over the many Vengeful Souls present. He raised the Soul Banner in his hand high, fully activating the Mana within his body.

The seemingly endless black mist began to contract, actively merging into the bodies of the Vengeful Souls. The next moment, the eight hundred Vengeful Souls began to undergo a transformation.

The hideous, venomous faces covering their bodies began to recede inward, their ethereal soul bodies gradually solidified, and a fierce aura erupted from these ghostly beings.

Normally, Lu Yan killing over a hundred thousand zombies in three months should have resulted in far more than eight hundred Vengeful Souls being refined, but Lu Yan did not do so.

Eight hundred was already the limit he could control with his cultivation at the time. While a larger number could be suppressed with the help of the Profound Yellow Merit Fire, it would affect combat.

Therefore, Lu Yan only refined eight hundred Vengeful Souls, integrating the excess Zombie Wandering Souls into the Hundred Soul Banner to be stored as Ghost Mist.

Once Lu Yan advanced to the fourth layer of Qi Refining, he could integrate this Ghost Mist into the bodies of the Vengeful Souls, allowing them to advance together.

The aura of Mid-Stage Qi Refinement was revealed from the Vengeful Souls. Their pale faces were filled with a ferocious and vicious intent. This emotion seemed to be integrated into their souls, and even their ghostly energy became aggressive, wanting to tear apart all living beings.

At this moment, they were no longer Vengeful Souls, but Fierce Ghosts at the Mid-Stage Qi Refining level. Although they had only crossed a small realm, their strength had almost doubled.

With the eight hundred Fierce Ghosts completing their advancement, their cultivation once again caught up to Lu Yan's. The increase in strength made the Fierce Ghosts restless again, and their eyes held a hint of eagerness as they looked at Lu Yan.

Facing such a scene, Lu Yan didn't even bother to lift an eyelid.

The next second, a torch-like radiance suddenly erupted from Lu Yan's body. The Profound Yellow Merit Fire ignited from the void.

The massive Merit from eradicating the Apocalypse Version's disaster flowed around Lu Yan's body. Where the radiance reached, it seemed as if the chanting of gods and buddhas from the heavens manifested. The majestic and righteous aura easily suppressed the Netherworld Ghost Domain before him.

Under the illumination of the Profound Yellow Merit Fire, the Fierce Ghosts let out mournful roars, their solidified soul bodies melting like ice and snow.

During this process, only the two Main Souls at the very front were unaffected.

A moment later, the radiance of the Profound Yellow Merit Fire receded. The Fierce Ghosts, given a moment to breathe, trembled and prostrated themselves on the ground, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.

Lu Yan's gaze calmly swept over the eight hundred Fierce Ghosts present, knowing clearly that this was just an appetizer.

Waving the Soul Banner in his hand, a massive soul bound by Ghost Mist appeared within the Cave Residence. It was the soul of the Gigantic Zombie King, the last one hunted in the Apocalypse Version.

Previously, limited by his weak cultivation, Lu Yan had kept the Zombie King's soul suppressed within the Soul Banner.

Now that he had broken through to Mid-Stage Qi Refining and the Vengeful Souls had advanced to Fierce Ghosts, he could finally add another Main Soul to the Soul Banner.