Second Layer of Qi Refining (Third Update!)

Zheng Que skillfully gathered his thoughts and entered the void space, continually seizing the spiritual energy tangled in a chill...

Soon, he realized that his cultivation efficiency this time was far beyond anything he'd experienced before.

If his previous attempts to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had been like catching flying insects by hand beside a pond at dusk, this time it was as if he had a great net, scooping up a whole swarm at once.

Zheng Que immediately focused and circulated his cultivation technique with all his might.

As his mind sank into the process, wisps of spiritual energy were refined into his body. In his Qi Sea, the white Spirit Power, once no more than a thin mist, grew denser and stronger...

After cultivating for a long while, Zheng Que opened his eyes. The familiar, dilapidated Wide Hall came into view. The Life and Death Book lay open before him, continuously absorbing the black energy rising from between his brows.

Feeling the abundant spiritual energy within him, Zheng Que was very satisfied.

The three Medicine Whiskers the town chief had given him could greatly increase the speed of his cultivation.

In just that stretch of cultivation, he had absorbed more spiritual energy than in all the time he had spent cultivating since beginning his path!

What's more, after taking the Medicine Whisker, he had absorbed very little yin energy while cultivating.

That wasn't much use to him, but for ordinary cultivators, it might be even more useful than the increased cultivation speed!

Two of the three Medicine Whiskers remained. Once he'd used them all, his cultivation should reach the Second Layer of Qi Refining.

And this was only what the Medicine Whisker could do... Who knew what miraculous properties that true Great Medicine possessed?

As his thoughts raced, Zheng Que looked toward the Life and Death Book.

"Species: Human Race."

"Name: Zheng Que."

"Place of Origin: Changfu Town, Taiping County, Tu Prefecture, Great Li Dynasty."

"Lifespan: Sixteen years, seven months, and ten days. Died at the hour of the Boar."

Reading the meager entry, Zheng Que's expression turned grave. Tomorrow at the hour of the Boar, his tribulation would arrive!

In his first tribulation, he had faced the Call-Sound Ghost, whose cultivation was one minor realm above his own.

Would the second tribulation also involve a Tricky Specter?

With Qing Li here, he should be able to get through any ghost below the fifth level of Tongue-Pulling Hell...

As he considered this, Zheng Que sat in the Grandmaster Chair and waited quietly.

The hall was vast, cold, and deserted. Beyond the gaping hole, the yin wind howled and swept through with overwhelming force.

As time passed, less and less black energy rose from between his brows. Soon, the Life and Death Book had absorbed it all.

The scene around him changed, and in the blink of an eye, Zheng Que was back in the ruined temple.

Silence reigned inside and out. A sliver of warm gold light leaked through the crack in the door. The Golden Crow was sinking in the west, and dusk was drawing near.

His cultivation this time had taken a little over two hours.

After looking around and finding nothing amiss, Zheng Que picked up the second Medicine Whisker without hesitation and put it in his mouth.

Just like before, the Medicine Whisker entered his stomach and surged like flames. In an instant, it became a warm current that flowed through him, nourishing his entire body.

Zheng Que circulated the Life Planting Technique once more. As the technique flowed, a great deal of spiritual energy was drawn into his body.

Time passed slowly. He sat cross-legged on the bed, motionless, yet the aura he gave off grew stronger and stronger.

The daylight beyond the window slowly faded. When the last ray of light vanished behind the western mountains, the day was over and night fell... Gradually, the darkness grew thicker and thicker.

Zheng Que's eyes were half closed. He continued drawing in spiritual energy, having already reached the peak of the First Layer of Qi Refining.

He felt the spiritual energy within him boiling to its limit, as if it wanted to break through some invisible barrier. But by then, the second Medicine Whisker's medicinal power had been used up by more than two-thirds. Spirit Power churned in his Qi Sea, yet something was always missing. After struggling again and again, it gradually began to falter.

Zheng Que immediately snatched up the last Medicine Whisker and tossed it straight into his mouth.

Another wave of warmth burst forth. The Spirit Power in his Qi Sea gained fresh support and roared and churned with unprecedented force, forming a vortex of Spirit Power like a whirlwind.

Outside, spiritual energy was drawn in from every direction, swirling around him. With each breath, invisible waves seemed to surge through the room, its doors and windows shut tight, like a dormant giant beast.

This state was extraordinarily strange, and Zheng Que couldn't help but sink into it.

At that very moment, he suddenly noticed that the Spirit Power in his Qi Sea had stopped growing.

Zheng Que was startled. Looking closely, he saw that although the white, mistlike Spirit Power in his hazy Qi Sea had stopped growing, his body was still absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth under the circulation of the Life Planting Technique—and at an ever-increasing speed!

Vaguely, he seemed to understand. He immediately cast aside every distracting thought and circulated the technique with all his might.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

In the silent room, the faint sound of a heartbeat gradually emerged. The currents around him surged like tides. Both spiritual energy and yin energy poured into Zheng Que's body at speed, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.

His hair and the corners of his clothes rose without a breeze, whipping and fluttering.

This continued for a long time. The temperature in the room kept dropping until it was like an ice cellar. Zheng Que sat motionless, his complexion growing paler as he absorbed too much yin energy. He seemed to be losing his vitality by the moment.

Suddenly, the Spirit Power in his Qi Sea spread outward in an explosive burst. In the blink of an eye, this already-refined Spirit Power surged into every limb and bone in his body, and his aura soared!

Feeling his strength increase by a clear margin, Zheng Que immediately opened his mouth and breathed out a mouthful of stale air. His delight was plain on his face, impossible to hide.

He'd reached the Second Layer of Qi Refining!

The little town was quiet.

In the ruined temple's courtyard, Qing Li hung leisurely from the old tree, swaying with the breeze.

Suddenly, she tilted slightly and looked toward the temple.

That little Human Race brat had broken through!

Still, he needed several days of cultivation just to break through a minor realm. His aptitude really was dull.

He couldn't compare with a Ghost of Destiny like her!

At the thought, Qing Li turned around and continued hanging from the tree, drifting back and forth.

The Underworld.

Zheng Que opened his eyes. The familiar scene still surrounded him.

Great billows of black energy poured from between his brows and rolled into the Life and Death Book.

As more and more yin energy was drawn into the Life and Death Book, Zheng Que immediately felt the Spirit Power in his body gradually growing more solid.

He sat quietly in the one-legged Grandmaster Chair, carefully sensing the changes brought by this increase in cultivation...

Cultivation in the Qi Refining Realm was, in essence, the continual tempering of the Spirit Power within the body. Once that Spirit Power had been tempered until it was utterly pure and could be tempered no further, it would liquefy and transform into True Essence. That was Foundation Establishment!

The way the Spirit Power in his Qi Sea had just stopped growing while he continued absorbing spiritual energy was precisely the process of tempering his Spirit Power.

Of course, his cultivation was still too low. He understood only this basic principle and didn't know how the Life Planting Technique accomplished that tempering...

The author has never been a fan of any celebrity. All characters in this book and their previous books have no real-world originals, nor do they have anime or manga originals. They are all original characters created for this book.

Three updates done! Please vote with your monthly tickets, bookmark the story, and keep reading!