Condensing the Qi Sea

"This journey may hold risks, and I may not be able to ensure your safety, sir. However, slaying demons and eliminating evil is a duty our kind cannot shirk. I have three sword talismans to gift you; you may remain here to cultivate in peace. In three days at the shortest, or five at the longest, I shall certainly return."

Su Chunyi raised her jade-like hand, and three beams of white light shot toward Chen Ye like arrows. Then, with a light tap of her lotus-like feet, her figure transformed into a streak of light, galloping away toward the northeast.

Chen Ye still had a belly full of words he wanted to say, but the moment his fingertips touched the three sword talismans and he looked up, only the lingering afterimage of the sword light remained in the sky, fading away like a shooting star.

Chen Ye could not help but heave a long sigh: "This Miss Su is truly one who hates evil with a passion!"

No sooner had the words left his lips than the voice of Mo Ci drifted from the white banner in his hand: "Pity, this little girl has no experience in dealing with devils."

Chen Ye asked in surprise: "Master, why are you awake? It would be better to rest for a few more days."

Mo Ci replied: "Sleeping more is of no benefit. I only remained silent earlier because I feared that little girl might notice something amiss."

"Indeed, Master, you would have exposed yourself the moment you spoke. How could a treasure spirit that has just birthed spiritual resonance have the voice of an old man? It should have been the voice of a chirping child."

Mo Ci retorted angrily: "Less glib talk. I spoke to remind you that this Abandoned Corpse Land is unusual."

Chen Ye laughed: "Rest assured, Master, I noticed it long ago. I even wanted to warn Miss Su, but she moved too quickly; I didn't even have the chance to speak."

To a Devilish Cultivator, a corpse pit is by no means a simple place to discard bodies.

Generally speaking, a Devilish Cultivator skilled in the Blood Refining Technique would never leave behind so many corpses.

Heart blood is an excellent material for alchemy, and the same goes for bones and flesh. Even those lingering souls are treasures in the eyes of a Devilish Cultivator; every part has its use.

Since corpses cannot be discarded at will, this corpse pit must have some special purpose, and it most likely hides some good things.

Hearing Chen Ye's words, Mo Ci said with some excitement: "Why warn her? Do you not want the treasures hidden inside?"

Chen Ye shook his head and explained: "Even if there are, they would be devilish treasures. If she returns in a few days and finds that I have secretly kept these devilish items, she will slice off my head with a single sword. By then, Master, you would truly become a lonely ghost."

"Can't you hide the treasures first? Do you actually want to marry into the Qinghe Sword Sect?!"

Chen Ye stroked his chin, recalling Su Chunyi's peerless beauty, and muttered to himself: "If Miss Su doesn't mind, I wouldn't mind either."

Mo Ci mocked: "Pah, keep dreaming. If a little devil like you entered the Qinghe Sword Sect, you wouldn't even pass the Heart Inquiry trial. That is far more formidable than soul-searching; even the slightest evil thought would be reflected with perfect clarity."

"Master's teaching is correct."

Chen Ye did not argue back. After all, he was born a Devilish Cultivator; heaven knows if the Qinghe Sword Sect would mind, and there was no need to take that risk.

Mo Ci urged: "Then what are you waiting for? Why not hurry and retrieve the treasures?"

Chen Ye refused once again.

"Master, now is not the time for treasure hunting. I have just obtained the Xuanji Dew; naturally, I should focus on refining the pill and cultivating. Why create extra complications?"

Mo Ci asked again: "Are you not curious about what treasures are hidden inside?"

"Curiosity is natural, but there is a priority to all things. Now that I have hope of condensing my Qi Sea, I can succeed in just two days. If I am distracted by treasure hunting, it will only lead to unnecessary trouble. Master, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. It won't be too late to hunt for treasures after I have condensed my Qi Sea."

"What if that Su Chunyi returns early?"

Chen Ye said calmly: "Then it is fated that I have no connection to this treasure."

Mo Ci had not expected Chen Ye to have such strong willpower, being able to temporarily set aside obvious treasures placed right before his eyes.

If he himself had possessed such steadfastness back then, perhaps he would not have ended up in such a state.

"Fine, decide for yourself."

Mo Ci sank back into the Ten Thousand Soul Banner and said no more, while Chen Ye truly did not even glance at the Abandoned Corpse Land, turning around to return to the cave.

To be safe, Chen Ye carefully set up a few simple warning traps at the cave entrance.

Once prepared, Chen Ye began to refine the pill.

The method for refining the Qi Condensation Pill was not difficult. Chen Ye skillfully started the fire, threw all the auxiliary herbs into the pot at once, and slowly boiled them into a medicinal broth. Then, he gently dripped the most crucial Xuanji Dew into it.

As soon as the Xuanji Dew entered the pot, a marvelous thing happened: a vortex formed naturally within the liquid.

If the quality of the Xuanji Dew were poor, it would be more troublesome; he would have to boil it slowly over a low flame, and Chen Ye would have to personally stir it continuously to assist the formation of the vortex.

This is a long process that cannot be stopped for three hours. If one's physical strength is lacking, a single moment of carelessness could lead to all previous efforts being wasted.

However, high-end materials often only require the simplest refining techniques. Just like this high-quality Xuanji Dew, Chen Ye did not need to worry much; it would actively absorb the essence of the other medicinal herbs on its own.

In this way, Chen Ye became idle, but he did not wander around. Instead, he stayed honestly in place, patiently waiting for the final formation of the Qi Condensation Pill.

Having read so many novels in his past life and heard so many cautionary tales from his master in this one, he knew of all the accidents that happened due to carelessness during alchemy—either the pills were stolen, or various mishaps occurred, leading to failure.

Chen Ye would not drop the ball at this critical moment; instead, he became even more focused, not daring to blink even once.

He waited patiently for a full three hours until the medicinal liquid in the pot had completely vanished.

A cyan pill, as if born from thin air, floated leisurely above the iron pot.

From a distance, this pill looked like it had been carved from jade, exquisite and peerless. If one looked closely, one could discover a miniature vortex hidden inside, just like a dantian Qi Sea.

Without a second thought, Chen Ye grabbed the pill, tilted his head back to swallow it, and immediately sat cross-legged, closing his eyes to enter a state of meditation.

Once the Qi Condensation Pill entered his belly, it instantly transformed into a formless entity, slowly sinking into his dantian under the control of Chen Ye's divine sense. The meager spiritual energy that had been dormant there seemed to respond to a call, gathering around the Qi Condensation Pill and rotating on its own, peeling away the jade-like outer shell bit by bit.

A moment later, the vortex trapped within the pill broke free and began to rotate slowly within Chen Ye's dantian.

One cycle, two cycles... three hundred and sixty cycles. With every rotation, the vortex faded by a fraction.

Chen Ye focused all his attention on controlling this nascent vortex, not daring to slacken in the slightest until it completely dissipated.

It might have seemed as though the medicinal effect had worn off and nothing had been gained, a situation that would have surely panicked any rogue cultivator left to fumble through their own training.

However, Chen Ye possessed the heritage of his sect; although his master was only capable of reciting texts by rote, he had been quite diligent in teaching these fundamental basics.

The moment the vortex dissipated was the most critical juncture, for success or failure hinged entirely upon it.

Chen Ye completely released all control, his consciousness even becoming blurred and indistinct, as if he had fallen into a deep slumber.

He did not know how much time had passed, until a faint current of energy quietly formed within his dantian.

At first, it was nothing more than a thin thread, but in the blink of an eye, it seemed to possess a magical power, attracting countless strands of spiritual energy that swarmed in to transform into a vortex as brilliant as a nebula.

Chen Ye suddenly opened his eyes and let out a hearty laugh, the sound echoing endlessly throughout the mountain cave.

Breaking and then establishing, the vortex had formed of its own accord.

The Qi Sea in his dantian had been successfully condensed; from this day forward, even without sitting in meditation, Chen Ye could absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth on his own, his cultivation speed now more than a hundred times faster than before.

In the Qiling Realm, one was little different from a mortal, but once one stepped into the Qi Sea Realm, everything changed completely. With abundant spiritual energy, one could cast more spells and could no longer be viewed as a mere mortal.

For a cultivator in the Qi Sea Realm, the primary task was to strengthen the Qi Sea in the dantian while simultaneously choosing the spells they needed to cultivate with great care.

One must never be greedy when it comes to practicing spells, as every single one required years of time to master.

Just like the sword technique used by Su Chunyi, which was not only astonishingly powerful but could be cast the moment a thought arose, its incredible speed was undoubtedly the result of long and arduous practice.

Even if someone were to hand over all the sword manuals of the Qinghe Sword Sect to Chen Ye, he reckoned he would still have to chant incantations for half a day just to make a flying sword take off.

The lifespan of a Qi Sea Realm cultivator was only two hundred years, and that amount of time could not be squandered recklessly.

Therefore, most Qi Sea Realm cultivators would choose one spell to focus on exclusively for combat, while practicing other auxiliary spells selectively, aiming only for proficiency.

As a Devilish Cultivator, the variety of spells available for combat was vast, yet most devilish arts were cruel and vicious to practice. Chen Ye was not a bloodthirsty person by nature, so there were not many options for him to choose from.

"If only I could learn the Qinghe Sword Technique; after all, the Qinghe Sword Technique is the best in the world."

Although Chen Ye thought this in his heart, he understood it was nothing more than a pipe dream. The rules of the Qinghe Sword Sect were strict, and for an outsider to obtain their true teachings was as difficult as ascending to heaven; no matter how easygoing Su Chunyi might be, she would never pass on her sect's secret techniques to him.

Furthermore, it was impossible for Chen Ye to join the Qinghe Sword Sect; if his identity as a Devilish Cultivator were exposed, it would be a stroke of luck just to keep his head.

However, there was no need to rush for the moment. Now that his cultivation had improved, it was time to go and investigate that mysterious corpse pit.

Perhaps he would find some unexpected gains.