Breakthrough True Qi!

A few more days passed.

After the first batch of city-building supplies was inventoried and stored, Meng Nan summoned his second disciple, Xu Rong.

She also hailed from one of the three hundred tribal villages. She was a bit older than Chen De, Wang An, and the others. However, by the fiftieth year of the Immortal Calendar in her third life, she had already reached the fifth level of True Essence Sense Imprint, making her a promising Qi Refining disciple in Tianlin Cave. Later, when Tianlin Cave was taken over by Sky-Scraping Cliff, Xu Rong followed Immortal Master Zheng Shanpeng to Chashan. Her subsequent developments were unknown.

In this life, Meng Nan found Xu Rong early. Through a series of 'coincidences,' he took her as a disciple, guided her cultivation, and had her enter Tianlin Cave early.

Now, at only twenty-nine years old, she was already at the second level of Sense Imprint, the same cultivation as Zhao Xiaoshuang in her previous life.

She was proficient in sorcery and possessed exceptional combat strength.

"Teacher."

"Mistress."

Xu Rong approached and paid her respects to Meng Nan and Zhao Xiaoshuang.

"Xu Rong," Meng Nan looked at his disciple and said loudly, "I have an important matter that requires you to handle. Can you get away?"

"Your disciple obeys!"

Xu Rong was extremely respectful of Meng Nan. He had guided her cultivation and helped her greatly over the past decade. In her heart, he was like a father.

"Very well."

"Take a look."

Meng Nan flicked his sleeve, and a scroll unfurled before them.

Xu Rong looked.

The scroll marked the location of Tianlin Cave and extended southeast, indicating a road.

The southeastern end was Ghost Mother Mountain, and outside the mountain, five locations were marked.

"These places are fifty thousand miles away, outside Ghost Mother Mountain. There are many markets, and these five are the largest and most productive."

"You will go with your Mistress and bring ten junior disciples. On my behalf, sell some miscellaneous items at these five locations. Exchange them for Spirit Sand, Spirit Pills, cultivation methods, sorcery, or other treasures."

"I've already told you and your Mistress the specifics. Once you get there, you two can discuss and act as you see fit."

"Your safety is paramount."

Meng Nan had embezzled a large amount of building materials this time, and they were useless to him. He had to sell them to improve himself.

The five locations outside Ghost Mother Mountain were first-class markets in his third life, far surpassing Qingtian Market.

They had many rogue cultivators.

They were rich in products.

Spirit Sand.

Spirit Pills.

These could be used to improve his cultivation.

Cultivation methods.

Sorcery.

These could be memorized and then carefully chosen to cultivate later. If they could find secret techniques like 'Blood Arrow' or 'Giant Spirit God,' it would be a huge profit.

Meng Nan could only stay in his fourth life for eight years at most.

Tianlin Cave and Ghost Mother Mountain were fifty thousand miles apart. A round trip of one hundred thousand miles was not an easy feat. Even if they left now, it would take at least two to three years for Zhao Xiaoshuang and Xu Rong to return.

He would have to send more people later.

With two or three waves of personnel alternating, he might be able to sell all the stolen goods within eight years and rapidly improve himself.

During this period.

Meng Xingzhe, Meng Jian, Meng Santan, and other close associates would also need to be transferred successively.

As for eight years later—

Meng Nan would certainly be gone, so he wouldn't fear any repercussions.

However, he was unsure if this time-space would be destroyed or continue to roll forward after he was gone, so the aftermath needed to be arranged properly.

This wave would allow Meng Nan and the others to be well-fed. Then, Zhao Xiaoshuang and the others could retreat into the deep mountains and old forests, or into Ghost Mother Mountain. With the vastness of the world, even a Qi Refining Immortal Master would have difficulty finding them.

The most crucial thing was not to be discovered during these eight years.

The city-building matters were proceeding in an orderly fashion.

Meng Nan's cultivation had not lagged behind either. The new era and new identity brought new cultivation methods.

One day.

In a cave dwelling on Wuyun Peak.

Meng Nan sat in cultivation.

In the cave dwelling, formation flags were arranged, and spiritual energy permeated the air. This was one of the six Spirit Lands connected to the Angming City site.

In fact, Meng Nan had cultivated here in his early years, even completely exhausting the two Spirit Sand Veins within Angming Mountain.

With the help of Spirit Sand.

With the help of the Spirit Land.

Only then could he have enough wealth to expand his connections in Tianlin Cave, and be able to cultivate rapidly with Zhao Xiaoshuang, Qian Yu, and others.

At this moment, monopolizing the spiritual energy, combined with his textual experience, Meng Nan's cultivation remained swift.

In a short time after arriving, he advanced to the Inner Qi Greater Heavenly Cycle, catching up to his third life.

At this point, he had to comprehend what 'embracing the origin and guarding the one' meant, and what 'inner qi like water' meant.

In the cave dwelling.

Meng Nan sat cross-legged.

Before him, two great banners fluttered in the wind, as if surging water waves, stirring the inner qi within him.

He felt it with meticulous detail.

He sensed all sorts of profound mysteries within, which could not be fully described or counted.

Every time he cultivated, every time he gained insight, he always reaped rewards.

One month.

Two months.

Three months.

Daily cultivation, his Dao progress advanced slowly, but the advantage was that he made some progress every single day.

These two banners were called the 'Water Yuan Banner', which Meng Nan had borrowed at great expense from a fellow disciple in Tianlin Cave. This item had the effect of assisting inner qi in breaking through to True Qi.

The effect was outstanding.

This continued for half a year.

Finally.

Meng Nan felt a hint of an opportunity.

He flipped his hand, took out a Great Pill, and swallowed it. He felt his inner qi surge, and his Greater Heavenly Cycle trembled. In the next moment, his inner qi suddenly boiled and continuously evaporated.

Clouds and mist seemed to surround his body.

A brand new power appeared within him, sweeping through him in an instant, completely transforming.

He didn't know how much time had passed.

Meng Nan opened his eyes, a look of joy on his face.

"True Qi is finally achieved!"

Meng Nan sensed himself, filled with emotion.

In his third life, he was stuck in the Inner Qi Greater Heavenly Cycle for over four years. In this life, by absorbing his experience, and with the assistance of various pills and talismans, and finally with the help of the 'Great Pill', the 'Water Yuan Banner', the spiritual energy of the Spirit Land, and even the 'Spirit Sand'.

Only then did he break through in one go.

This was using the network resources of the Grand Steward of Tianlin Cave to assist a mere Inner Qi cultivator.

The effect was truly outstanding.

True Qi was finally achieved.

This threshold was like a layer of window paper; once broken through, everything became clear and distinct.

"For ordinary cultivators, the True Qi Stage is the longest cultivation stage before advancing to Qi Refining."

The True Qi Stage was divided into two stages: 'Qi Accumulation' and 'Body Cleansing'.

Among them--

'Qi Accumulation' was divided into three realms: 'Water', 'Silver', and 'Plateau'.

'Body Cleansing' was divided into five stages: 'Flesh', 'Tendons', 'Skin', 'Bone', and 'Viscera'.

Qi Accumulation in True Qi, as the name suggests, was a process of accumulating True Qi, where the water level rises with the tide.

This hurdle could not stop geniuses.

Geniuses either had exceptional Comprehension, allowing them to quickly grasp the three realms of 'Water', 'Silver', and 'Plateau', thereby driving the rise of True Qi and rapidly completing this stage.

Or they had exceptional Bone Structure.

In this realm, True Qi grew rapidly, and as the water level rose, their Dao cultivation realm could also increase.

If one possessed both exceptional Comprehension and Bone Structure, their progress would be like a breaking bamboo.

For example, Xu Rong cultivated extremely quickly in the Qi Accumulation stage, completing it in just half a year.

Therefore, this stage only blocks mediocre talents.

The second stage, True Qi Body Cleansing, is relatively fairer.

This stage requires successively refining one's 'flesh', 'tendons', 'skin', 'bones', and 'internal organs', delving deeper in sequence, causing the body to constantly transform.

Ultimately, it involves blood exchange and marrow cleansing, making the body firm like steel, compressing True Qi into True Essence. This is also to lay the foundation for 'Sense Imprint' in the True Essence Stage.

This step requires meticulousness, so time is essential. It consumes True Qi, thus resources cannot be lacking.

Meng Nan had Zhao Xiaoshuang and Xu Rong go sell the stolen goods. Among the supplies purchased this time were many elixirs and spiritual items that aid in body cleansing.

Combined with the various details in his cultivation notes.

With these internal and external synergies, the progress in this realm should not be slow.

"It would be best to advance to True Essence!"

Meng Nan was greedy.

While thinking this, he habitually opened his information panel--