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Chapter 5: Advancement

At this moment, Lei Dong's brows lifted slightly, and joy surged in his heart. Qi Sensation—he had finally experienced Qi Sensation for the first time. Yet now, he dared not make the slightest move, carefully recalling the marvelous feeling of Qi coalescing in his Dantian. Only when he could no longer hold his breath did he exhale a mouthful of turbid air. Whether it was an illusion or not, his Dantian now felt faintly cool, and his spirit was invigorated.

Striking while the iron was hot, Lei Dong entered the next Breathing Technique session. One after another. As if in the blink of an eye, an entire day had passed. Lei Dong opened his eyes, a hint of excitement gleaming in them. Although among that day's many Breathing Technique attempts, fewer than one in ten had succeeded, the first step had finally been taken. Now that he had found the Qi Sensation, he believed his Breathing Technique would grow increasingly proficient from here on.

Lei Dong quietly contemplated again. After a full day's accumulation, a faint, cool, barely perceptible strand of True Qi was now drifting within his Dantian. If he didn't focus carefully, he could hardly sense its existence. Yet that mere trace of coolness filled Lei Dong with delighted surprise. After twenty grueling days of effort, he had finally taken the first step onto the path of immortality.

Bit by bit, he refined his True Qi. Three months—a full three months had passed. Now, even without using the Breathing Technique, his Dantian felt slightly swollen. Of course, the ten Lesser Vitality Pills he'd received upon entry were already gone—eight of them consumed. Without them, cultivating True Qi to this level would have taken far longer. Lei Dong estimated that each Lesser Vitality Pill was roughly equivalent to ten days of hard training.

Now, his entire being—spirit, energy, and essence—was surging and full. Even without internal sight, he could feel that the time to break through to the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage had arrived.

Following the guidance of the Profound Yin Heart Sutra, Lei Dong slowly drove the True Qi accumulated in his Dantian downward along his Meridians, the process slow and steady. A cool, refreshing sensation flowed from his lower abdomen downward. That feeling, mingled with slight swelling yet extreme comfort, nearly made him groan. But Lei Dong had thoroughly studied the Profound Yin Heart Sutra and knew that during a breakthrough, he absolutely could not be distracted. Taking a deep breath, he focused his mind and forcibly concentrated on the flow of True Qi.

After about a quarter of an hour, the slow movement of the Profound Yin True Qi suddenly hit a snag. Lei Dong knew he had reached the first critical point. Holding his breath, he forced the True Qi downward to break through, but a sharp, needle-like pain shot through his lower abdomen, drenching him in cold sweat. He quickly stopped his reckless approach and rested for a moment until the piercing, heart-rending pain subsided somewhat.

Having learned his lesson, Lei Dong dared not act rashly again. Instead, based on his understanding of the Profound Yin Heart Sutra, he began to massage that acupoint—like a gateway—with extreme gentleness and precision. Whenever the barrier loosened slightly under the massage, he would transform the True Qi into fine threads, seeping through every crack.

Beads of sweat as large as beans kept rolling down Lei Dong's forehead. Yet his expression was exceptionally resolute. Perhaps others wouldn't understand, but Lei Dong, who had crossed over, knew that in this world of cultivators with heaven-defying power, only by becoming a true strong one could one control one's own destiny. Otherwise, under the law of the jungle, one wouldn't even have the right to resist.

Boom—just as his True Qi was nearly exhausted and Lei Dong thought this breakthrough attempt would only add to his experience, that tormenting barrier finally melted like ice under the relentless erosion of his True Qi. The remaining True Qi surged forward, rushing into that acupoint, spinning continuously like a vortex, or like a galaxy spiraling in the cosmos.

As the True Qi spun, it gradually became more refined and pure.

The residual waste True Qi was then driven back into the Dantian and expelled from the body through Breathing Technique.

Lei Dong was overjoyed. The capacity of the Dantian was, in fact, limited. The more condensed and pure the True Qi, the greater the energy it could unleash per unit. Striking while the iron was hot, Lei Dong simply resumed Breathing Technique to gather Qi. The strands of True Qi drawn in with each breath were further purified. The efficiency of the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage far surpassed before. After just a few hours of seated Breathing Technique, his internal True Qi had recovered to its peak. Not only that, but the True Qi in his Dantian was several times purer than before.

Only then did Lei Dong slowly open his eyes. What met his gaze were scenes of vivid clarity. The dimly lit Cultivation Chamber, with its sparse decorations, was not bright. Previously, the stone walls had seemed hazy, but now he could even see the fine grains on their surface clearly. He stood up and stepped forward, feeling as light as a feather, as if he might ride the wind and fly away. Pushing off the ground with force, his entire body floated forward three or four meters.

Cultivating immortality was truly the best way to unlock human potential. Lei Dong couldn't help but sigh inwardly. When he calmed down, he noticed that his now sharper nose had picked up an indescribable stench from his own body. He quickly called for a maid, had a bath tub prepared, and washed himself with three buckets of water before he was clean. His whole being felt refreshed, light as if floating on air.

After asking the maid the time, Lei Dong realized that, without noticing, he had been in Closed Door Cultivation for nearly four months without stepping out the door. After staring blankly for a while, Lei Dong sighed, understanding what it meant that in cultivation, time had no meaning. Looking at himself in the copper mirror in the bath, his skin was paler, almost sickly white, as if from long days without sunlight. He understood that now that he had reached the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage, he had barely entered the gate of cultivation. Not only had his physique been greatly improved, but he could also formally begin learning some spell applications. Besides, after being a shut-in for four months, it was time to go out, get some sun.

After slowly savoring a delicious meal, he stepped out of his quarters and felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity. Looking around, he didn't know where to go. He had to summon a middle-aged servant and inquire carefully, especially about where to learn spells and such.

The servant also realized that this new disciple had already cultivated to the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage. He dared not be negligent and quickly led him to meet Steward Tang Qian, who was in charge of the spell cultivation manuals.

Tang Qian appeared to be in his sixties or seventies. Yet to Lei Dong, he gave off an inscrutable aura. Knowing that courtesy never hurts, Lei Dong treated him with utmost respect, humility, and deference. After verifying Lei Dong's identity, Tang Qian was somewhat surprised: "Lei Dong, based on the aptitude test before your entry, you were ranked in the middle—neither good nor bad. According to experience, someone with your aptitude usually takes over eight months to reach the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage. I didn't expect you to do it in just four months..."

"Steward Tang, this disciple hasn't stepped out of his room in those four months." Lei Dong deliberately gave a bitter smile. "That bottle of Lesser Vitality Pills has also been completely consumed."

"Lei Dong, just call me Senior Brother Tang. I'm only at the ninth layer of the Qi Refining Stage myself. All Qi Refining disciples are considered third-generation disciples, and we address each other as Brothers based on cultivation level." After learning that Lei Dong's aptitude was ordinary yet he had achieved minor success in four months, Tang Qian's attitude toward him improved considerably, a smile spreading across his face. "It seems Junior Brother Lei has excellent comprehension. Otherwise, ten Lesser Vitality Pills alone wouldn't have been enough."

"Senior Brother Tang flatters me." Lei Dong smiled in return. "May I ask how many people before me have already reached the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage?"

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