Qi Guiding Pills

At seven, Chen Yan joined Empty Mountain Sect. He tempered his body at nine and reached Forty-one Qi Condensation at forty-one. It wasn't until he was seventy-two that he broke through to Qi Condensation Realm Mid-stage.

Over the next twenty-eight years, he made no progress beyond a slight increase in the depth of his true qi.

But now, having been reborn at fifteen, the cultivation bottleneck that had held him back for so long was finally loosening.

He quickly guessed why.

As his body aged, his meridians and blood had both steadily deteriorated.

Now that he was fifteen again, his blood was vigorous and his meridians clear.

Naturally, cultivation breakthroughs came twice as easily!

Inside Scripture Hall, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth began streaming toward Chen Yan.

But Chen Yan, who had yet to reach Martial Spring, couldn't absorb such a large amount of spiritual energy quickly. As a result, the energy around him grew increasingly dense.

This sudden change naturally caught Lu Li's attention. The refined, scholarly-looking man merely glanced toward Chen Yan.

Then, as though nothing had happened, he continued his lecture.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth washed through Chen Yan's meridians. He felt more abundant in true qi than he ever had before.

He seemed to be just one step away from breaking through to Qi Condensation Realm Late-stage.

But that final step remained frustratingly out of reach, no matter how hard Chen Yan tried.

Another half an hour passed.

"That's all for today. You're all free to leave."

Lu Li sat upright on his cushion and spoke slowly.

"Thank you, Instructor Lu!"

The Outer Court Disciples in Scripture Hall rose and bowed to Lu Li in thanks.

Chen Yan also came back to himself.

He had one foot across the threshold of Qi Condensation Realm Late-stage, but it seemed he wouldn't manage to break through today.

He needed more time to consolidate his progress.

Chen Yan stood and bowed to Lu Li as well.

"Young friend in the eastern corner by the entrance to Scripture Hall."

Lu Li spoke softly.

"Wait a moment. There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

The Outer Court Disciples in Scripture Hall all turned their eyes toward Chen Yan in the corner.

Chen Yan paused slightly, then bowed again.

"Yes, Instructor Lu."

Once the disciples had all left, only Chen Yan and Lu Li remained in the vast hall.

Chen Yan could more or less guess why Lu Li had asked him to stay.

"Qi Condensation Realm?"

A few moments later, Lu Li asked.

Just as he'd expected.

"Yes, Qi Condensation Realm Mid-stage."

Chen Yan answered honestly.

There was no need to hide anything. Lu Li already knew the answer and was only asking to confirm it.

"What's your name?"

"Answering Instructor Lu, this disciple is Chen Yan."

"How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"Who is your master?"

"This disciple has no master."

Having no master was the norm among Outer Court Disciples.

Most relied on the lectures in Scripture Hall and their own trial and error to cultivate.

Of course, among the Outer Court Disciples with some talent, there were plenty whom instructors and stewards took as disciples.

"Next time someone asks your name, just answer all of that in one go."

Lu Li said mildly.

"...Yes, Instructor Lu."

Chen Yan paused, then replied.

In his previous life, Chen Yan had been a complete nobody even among the Outer Court Disciples.

He'd had almost no opportunities to deal with the sect's elders.

Only the occasional new disciple would call him Martial Uncle or senior and ask him for advice on cultivation.

After all, with his head of white hair, Chen Yan looked like a reliable sort.

That had left him unsure of how to speak with the sect's higher-ups.

"Fifteen, and already at Qi Condensation Realm Mid-stage. Not bad."

Lu Li nodded.

Indeed.

Among the Outer Court, a fifteen-year-old at Qi Condensation Realm was as rare as a phoenix feather or a qilin's horn.

But that was only true of the Outer Court.

Among the Inner Sect, disciples who broke through to Qi Condensation Realm before fifteen were a dime a dozen.

And there were even prodigies like Chu Xiyao, Chief Disciple of Qingchan Peak, and Li Haowen, Chief Disciple of Yuanhua Mountain, who had reached Martial Spring Realm before turning fifteen.

"Have you run into a problem?"

Lu Li's tone was calm.

Chen Yan hesitated, then nodded.

"Yes. This disciple is dull-witted. I've hit a bottleneck at the final stage of breaking through to Qi Condensation Realm Late-stage."

Lu Li said nothing. He simply took a small bottle from his robes and tossed it lightly.

Chen Yan caught it hurriedly.

"Qi Guiding Pills. They can help regulate the true qi wandering out of control in your meridians. They might help you."

Lu Li said.

"If you run into any difficulties with cultivation in the future, you can come find me at Scripture Hall anytime."

Chen Yan was overwhelmed. He bowed toward the Lecture Stage.

"Thank you, Instructor Lu."

Though he did his best to stay calm on the outside, inside, a storm had already surged up.

Qi Guiding Pills!

Having spent most of his life at Qi Condensation Realm, Chen Yan knew how precious these pills were to cultivators at that level.

Most of them were used by Inner Sect Disciples. Only a very small number ever made their way to the Outer Court.

The reason he'd managed to break through from Qi Condensation Realm Early-stage to Mid-stage at seventy-two had been the help of Qi Guiding Pills.

In his previous life, Chen Yan had only ever taken three Qi Guiding Pills in total.

And this porcelain bottle most likely held twelve.

As expected of a Martial Spring Realm cultivator. The sect resources he enjoyed were worlds apart from those of a marginal disciple like Chen Yan, who'd spent his whole life trapped at Qi Condensation Realm.

Lu Li lifted his chin slightly, signaling that Chen Yan could leave.

Lu Li looked young, no more than twenty, but in truth, he was nearly forty.

His cultivation was around Martial Spring Realm Peak. From Chen Yan's memories, Lu Li would be transferred to Qingchan Peak in two years, and shortly after that, he would advance to Qi Sea Realm.

Empty Mountain Sect was one of the Five Great Sects of Chenping Continent. Beyond the Outer Court, it had the "Three Mountains" and "Four Peaks."

The Three Mountains were Kongyuan Mountain, Linwu Mountain, and Yuanhua Mountain.

The Four Peaks were Qingchan Peak, Yibai Peak, Mingxiao Peak, and Yunyin Peak.

After leaving Scripture Hall, Chen Yan stared at the small bottle of pills in his hand.

Since Instructor Lu had given him pills, that meant he must have made a fairly good impression, right?

If he could become Instructor Lu's disciple, then in two years, when Lu Li received his transfer order to Qingchan Peak, Chen Yan would naturally go with him as his disciple and become an Inner Sect Disciple.

And once Lu Li became an elder, Chen Yan could transform once more into a Personal Disciple, the envy of the entire sect.

With the cultivation resources of the Inner Sect, perhaps he had a good chance of reaching Martial Spring Realm in this life.

"Tsk."

Chen Yan clicked his tongue.

He'd better stop dreaming for now.

As he walked down the street, Chen Yan felt the true qi flowing through his meridians.

It was more than twice as strong as before.

The progress he'd made in those few incense sticks' worth of time was far greater than what he'd achieved in the twenty-eight years he'd spent stuck at Qi Condensation Realm Mid-stage.

But that wasn't because the Qi Guiding Pills were especially effective.

It was simply that Chen Yan's talent was abysmal. After reaching Qi Condensation Realm, he'd spent most of his time treading water.

Perhaps he really could reach Qi Condensation Realm Late-stage in this life.

And if he could seize the right opportunity, might he even have a chance to touch the threshold of Martial Spring Realm?

Chen Yan thought.