Qi Refining Layer Seven

Old Clan Leader Zhou Minghan, a Third-tier High-grade Artifact Forger, personally forged Tier 2 High-grade Artifacts. Naturally, there was no possibility of failure.

Foundation Establishment Cultivators could already transform their mana into Foundation Establishment true fire. Though this true fire was somewhat cooler than earthfire, it was far hotter than the white flames produced by burning Blazing Sun Wood.

More importantly, true fire was formed from a cultivator's own mana. It could gather and disperse at will and was exceedingly convenient to control, something spiritual flames such as earthfire and heavenly fire simply could not compare with.

So that Zhou Yang could see clearly, the Old Clan Leader deliberately slowed down while forging. At certain crucial points, he even divided his attention, using divine sense transmission to explain things to him. This was treatment reserved for Personal Disciples.

Clearly, in the Old Clan Leader's eyes, Zhou Yang, this junior, was the final heir he had chosen for his Artifact Forging Art.

Zhou Yang also understood how precious this opportunity was. Whether he understood the Old Clan Leader's explanations or not, he committed them earnestly to memory. When he had spare time afterward, he would make notes of them as well, lest he forget them in the future.

Although cultivators possessed the ability to remember everything at a glance, after remembering too many things, they could still forget certain memories sometimes. Thus, taking notes on important matters was still very necessary.

It was said that after Great Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators formed their Nascent Souls, they would gain the great divine ability of "memory retracing." So long as they wished it, they could retrieve even memories from when they had been fetuses in their mothers' wombs. At that point, there would be no need for notes at all.

After roughly two hours, the Old Clan Leader completed the forging.

The two finished artifacts were a defensive inner armor forged from rat hide and a set of four short daggers forged from four old rat incisors.

Because two drops of Zhou Yang's blood essence had been used to consecrate the artifacts during forging, they could be used directly as soon as they were completed.

He did not stand on ceremony with the Old Clan Leader. He immediately removed his outer robe and put on the defensive inner armor, then inserted the four short daggers, each about seven inches long, into leather sheaths tied around his waist for easy access at any time.

Once he had finished, Old Clan Leader Zhou Minghan spoke. "Your cultivation should break through to Qi Refining Layer Seven very soon, correct? Once you break through to Qi Refining Layer Seven, with these two artifacts, the Black Gold Armor and Armor Piercing Daggers, along with the Silver Gang Shield this old man gave you before, you will be able to fight even an ordinary Qi Refining Layer Nine Rogue Cultivator!"

A cultivator's cultivation determined the number and tier of artifacts they could wield. With Zhou Yang's current Qi Refining Layer Six cultivation, wielding two Tier 2 High-grade Artifacts at once was already somewhat strenuous. If he could break through to Qi Refining Layer Seven, greatly advancing his mana and divine sense, only then could he truly bring out the power of the three Tier 2 High-grade Artifacts on his person.

As for even more powerful Third-tier Artifacts, even if he consecrated them, his current mana and divine sense would not allow him to display even half their power. They would be less useful than Tier 2 High-grade Artifacts.

Therefore, despite being a Third-tier High-grade Artifact Forger with spare Third-tier Artifacts in his possession, Old Clan Leader Zhou Minghan would not grant them to Zhou Yang for consecration. Not only would that waste resources, it would also bring Zhou Yang a fatal disaster.

After all, many Foundation Establishment Rogue Cultivators still used Tier 2 High-grade Artifacts even after achieving Foundation Establishment. If they saw a Qi Refining Cultivator like Zhou Yang carrying a Third-tier Artifact, it would be strange if they did not develop murderous intentions.

Zhou Yang understood this principle as well, so even though Old Clan Leader Zhou Minghan valued him highly, he would not make such a request.

Hearing the Old Clan Leader's words now, his expression immediately turned solemn. He answered with great respect, "This grandson was just planning to report this matter to Great-Grandfather. Recently, this grandson has already sensed the barrier to Late Qi Cultivation and wishes to use the abundant spiritual energy in the mountaintop cave dwelling to make a breakthrough. I ask Great-Grandfather for permission."

"Very good. Then go into seclusion in the cave dwelling opposite this old man's. This is that cave dwelling's formation token. Remember to return it to this old man once you are finished."

With a wave of his hand, the Old Clan Leader took out a cave dwelling token and handed it to Zhou Yang.

"Thank you, Great-Grandfather. This grandson takes his leave."

Holding the token, Zhou Yang impatiently bade farewell to Old Clan Leader Zhou Minghan and moved into the cave dwelling opposite his.

Of the three cave dwellings atop Jade Spring Peak, aside from the one occupied by Old Clan Leader Zhou Minghan, the other two were unoccupied. If anyone in the Lineage needed the abundant spiritual energy of the mountaintop cave dwellings to break through their realm, they could apply to the Old Clan Leader to stay there temporarily in seclusion.

However, there were not many Late Qi Cultivation cultivators in the Zhou Lineage. Moreover, for a Late Qi Cultivation cultivator to advance by one layer often took more than ten years. Thus, of those two unoccupied mountaintop cave dwellings, they stood vacant for eight years out of every ten.

Dust-clearing formations had been arranged within the cave dwellings, so even after being unoccupied for many years, they remained as clean as new. Holding the cave dwelling's control token, Zhou Yang entered, briefly looked over its layout, then went straight to the seclusion chamber at its deepest point.

The seclusion chambers in these mountaintop cave dwellings connected directly to the spiritual eye of Jade Spring Peak's spiritual vein. They were the places with the densest spiritual energy on all of Jade Spring Peak, and each seclusion chamber contained a Cold Jade Bed carved from second-tier spiritual Cold Jade.

The chill emitted by a Cold Jade Bed helped cultivators clear their hearts and focus their minds, preventing Qi Deviation. Basically, any Foundation Establishment Cultivator with some means would add such a treasure when building a cave dwelling.

Some well-heeled Foundation Establishment Cultivators, besides having Cold Jade Beds, would also prepare treasures that aided cultivation, such as Calming Meditation Cushions and mind-concentrating incense, carrying them with them at all times.

Zhou Yang sat cross-legged upon the Cold Jade Bed and immediately felt a bone-piercing chill surge from the bed beneath him into his body, rushing straight toward his head.

Washed over by that chill, he became much more alert, and he entered meditation nearly twice as fast as usual.

Over the next few months, Zhou Yang did not take a single step outside the mountaintop cave dwelling, devoting himself peacefully to secluded cultivation. When hungry, he cooked himself a bowl of Golden Pearl Rice. When thirsty, he used a spell to condense clear water to drink. Unless he reached Qi Refining Layer Seven, he would not leave the cave dwelling by even one step.

Driven by such determination, one day three months later, the door to the seclusion chamber opened from within with a creak. Zhou Yang, now at Qi Refining Layer Seven, emerged with exhaustion written all over his face.

After three months of seclusion, replacing rest with meditation every day, Zhou Yang's mind had reached the limits of exhaustion.

He had relied on that single breath of resolve to break through the barrier between the Mid Qi Refining Stage and Late Qi Cultivation. Now that the barrier had broken, he could no longer hold on. He staggered into the bedroom beside the seclusion chamber, plunged headfirst onto the Warm Jade Bed inside, and fell into a deep sleep.

He slept for three days and three nights before waking. Once awake, Zhou Yang felt indescribably refreshed all over, as though he had never had such a good sleep in his entire life.

That was only natural.

Not only was this the first time in both his past and present lives that he had slept for so long, but even the Warm Jade Bed he now slept upon was a treasure he had never been qualified to enjoy before.

Like Cold Jade, Warm Jade was also a second-tier spiritual material. The difference was that the chill emitted by Cold Jade helped cultivators concentrate and clear their minds, avoiding Qi Deviation, while the warmth emitted by Warm Jade helped soothe the spirit and greatly improve the quality of sleep.

"No wonder everyone wants to become a high-tier cultivator. Compared to low-tier cultivators, high-tier cultivators differ not merely in lifespan and divine abilities. Even the treatment they enjoy in food, clothing, shelter, and travel is the difference between nobles and commoners!"

Looking at the smooth, warm Warm Jade Bed beneath him, Zhou Yang could not help sighing with feeling.

Behind vermilion gates, wine and meat reek; by the roadside lie the bones of those frozen to death.

In the world of cultivators, the unequal distribution of resources was far more severe than in the world of his previous life.

Bottom-tier Rogue Cultivators would fight to the death over a single low-grade spirit stone, yet they did not know that even after struggling desperately for decades, they still could not afford a bed for high-tier cultivators to sleep in.

"Fortunately, I'm the one sleeping on the bed now!"

For some reason, an odd expression crossed his face as he muttered this. Then he rose gracefully and left the cave dwelling.

After leaving the cave dwelling where he had stayed for three months, Zhou Yang had intended to visit Old Clan Leader Zhou Minghan and tell him the good news of his breakthrough to Qi Refining Layer Seven.

Unexpectedly, after taking only a few steps out of the cave dwelling, he discovered that Seventh Grandfather Zhou Yun, who had long sat beneath the Dragon Scale Tree, was nowhere to be seen. White cloth had also been hung from the tree.

The instant he saw that white cloth, Zhou Yang's expression changed sharply. Hanging white cloth from the Dragon Scale Tree was something done only when an elder of the Lineage had passed away.

"Which elder has died?"

His heart sank, and the joy of breaking through to Qi Refining Layer Seven was instantly scattered by this terrible news.

The Zhou Lineage had only eight elders in total. Suddenly losing one did not merely mean losing an elder; it also meant losing a high-end combatant. The loss to the Lineage was absolutely not something the addition of a Qi Refining Layer Seven cultivator could make up for.

Daring not to delay, Zhou Yang immediately changed course and hurried toward the Lineage ancestral hall at the foot of the mountain.

Only upon arriving at the ancestral hall did he discover that every Family Cultivator within the Jade Spring Lake Oasis, including Old Clan Leader Zhou Minghan, was there handling the funeral arrangements for the deceased elder.

Only then did he learn that the elder who had passed away was none other than the Zhou Lineage's Great Elder, Zhou Qian—the Qi Refining Layer Ten Perfection cultivator who had once taken a Foundation Establishment Pill yet failed to achieve Foundation Establishment.

The Zhou Lineage's Great Elder Zhou Qian was the eldest of the "Guang" generation. He possessed a Mid-grade Spiritual Root and was also a rare Tier 2 High-grade Formation Master.

It was precisely because Zhou Qian possessed such exceptional talent in formations and decent spiritual root aptitude that the Zhou Lineage had placed its hopes on him back then, giving him the Foundation Establishment Pill purchased with the entire clan's savings.

If he could achieve Foundation Establishment, the Zhou Lineage would not only gain a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, but also a rare third-tier Formation Master. By then, the strength of the entire Zhou Lineage would double.

Unfortunately, he failed!

His failure not only cost the Zhou Lineage an incomparably precious Foundation Establishment Pill, but also clouded his Dao heart. From then on, he had no chance of breaking through to become a third-tier Formation Master. Furthermore, throughout the remaining half of his life, he worked desperately to repay the Lineage's debts, not even leaving behind a descendant.

"Your First Grandfather was only three years older than this old man. With his Qi Refining Perfection cultivation, he should originally have been able to endure for several more years. But after learning that the Lineage was preparing to develop that Crimson Flame Iron Ore mine, he resolutely wagered his entire remaining lifespan to forcefully charge at the realm of a third-tier Formation Master. He wanted to leave the Lineage a third-tier formation and a third-tier Formation Master's inheritance!"

Outside the ancestral hall, just as Zhou Yang emerged after paying respects to the deceased elder Zhou Qian, he happened to see Third Grandfather Zhou Quan, his eyes red-rimmed. Then he heard the old man explain in a hoarse voice the reason for Elder Zhou Qian's passing.

Zhou Yang had not originally held any particularly deep impression of this First Grandfather, because unlike Elder Zhou Quan or Elder Zhou Yun, this First Grandfather rarely appeared before the younger generations of the Lineage to teach them cultivation.

Counting carefully, over the past twenty-two years, he had likely seen this First Grandfather fewer than five times. Every meeting had been at important Lineage gatherings, and he had merely followed his parents' instructions to step forward and offer greetings. Their interactions had truly been few and far between.

But now, after hearing Elder Zhou Quan speak of the reason for this First Grandfather's death, he was filled with solemn respect. Great admiration arose in his heart for this old man who had silently devoted himself behind the scenes all along.

Then, looking at Elder Zhou Quan, whose reddened eyes seemed to show that he had wept, he consoled him in a low voice. "Third Grandfather, please restrain your grief. Although First Grandfather has passed away, his achievements and contributions to the Lineage will forever be remembered in the hearts of us who remain alive!"

He did not ask whether Elder Zhou Qian had ultimately succeeded, because it was no longer important.

Many people often valued only the result, yet they did not know that the process was sometimes more important than the result.

If Elder Zhou Qian had not made up his mind to charge at the realm of a third-tier Formation Master, how could there have been any result at all?

Therefore, the result was sometimes truly unimportant. What mattered was having the heart to attain that result!

Thanks to readers Oath Little Cloth and Dirty Lin for their gifts of 500 Qidian coins each, and thanks to reader Black Cloud Daoist for a gift of 100 Qidian coins. With the support of these three readers' gifts, this book has finally barely held onto tenth place on the category New Book Ranking. Continue asking for recommendation votes and for people to join the new book investment group.