Qi Cultivation Level Three

"Shopkeeper Zhu, you really died looking hideous."

Gao Xian looked at the corpse of Zhu Hong'an and offered a very sincere evaluation.

Shopkeeper Zhu, who had already turned into a carbonized, dried corpse, merely stared with his small, ash-gray eyes and did not respond to Gao Xian.

Gao Xian thought for a moment and added, "However, you are much easier on the eyes like this than when you were alive."

He was speaking the truth; the lively Shopkeeper Zhu was like a gluttonous pig—ugly, filthy, and exceptionally greedy—which was truly infuriating.

The dead Shopkeeper Zhu was better; although the state of his corpse made him feel a bit creeped out, it was very quiet and very harmless.

Zhu Qiniang sighed softly at the corpse of Shopkeeper Zhu with a hint of regret: "What a pity, I didn't get to kill you with my own hands."

Gao Xian remained silent. He did not know why Zhu Qiniang hated Shopkeeper Zhu so much, but he felt there must be a heartbreaking story behind it, and it was not his place to ask.

Zhu Qiniang did not dwell on the matter; she bent down and picked up a black crystal the size of a mung bean from the ground.

"The evil entity left behind an Evil Spirit Core. This is a good item."

Zhu Qiniang examined it and said, "It can fetch one hundred spirit stones."

After an evil entity is killed, most of them turn into fly ash. However, some evil entities leave behind special crystals.

This type of crystal is known as an Evil Spirit Core and is a precious material for artifact refining.

She smiled at Gao Xian: "It is very difficult for an evil entity of this level to condense an Evil Spirit Core. Your luck is quite good."

Gao Xian was also happy; this was a good item worth one hundred spirit stones. He would have to sell one thousand packets of Deer Antler Powder to earn that much!

"I'll keep it as evidence for now."

Zhu Qiniang said, "I will handle it after some time and then give you the spirit stones."

"Let's not talk about this between us; you handle it as you see fit." Although Gao Xian liked money, he would not quibble over trifles with Zhu Qiniang.

If not for Zhu Qiniang's help this time, it would have been very difficult for him to get through this.

Killing Shopkeeper Zhu was not difficult, but he had no way to deal with the aftermath.

Not to mention the Lianyun Sect, even the family behind Shopkeeper Zhu could crush him with a flick of their fingers.

Gao Xian also knew that Zhu Qiniang held immense hatred for Shopkeeper Zhu, and conspiring with him was not purely to help him, but also to vent her own anger.

For this reason, she even withheld key information to let things develop to this point.

However, this did not affect their relationship.

Zhu Qiniang had always taken good care of him and was the only person willing to put in the effort to help him.

Zhou Ye and Huang Ying were merely business partners; they would help with minor matters, but they would never help him kill Shopkeeper Zhu.

After this murder, his relationship with Qiniang had clearly taken a step forward. He had to maintain this bond well.

Moreover, Zhu Qiniang had gifted him the Azure Wood Armor without blinking an eye. If he were to haggle over a small Evil Spirit Core, it would be too petty.

Zhu Qiniang did not care about the Evil Spirit Core, but Gao Xian's attitude of trust made her feel very comfortable inside.

She nodded slightly and said nothing more.

"Shopkeeper Zhu and Yang An were killed by an evil entity after getting drunk, and Qiniang discovered something was wrong and killed the evil entity."

Gao Xian went over the sequence of events and finally said, "This explanation should be convincing."

It was a consensus among cultivators that evil entities were uncontrollable.

Shopkeeper Zhu was killed by an evil entity, and the withered, carbonized corpse left behind had the distinct characteristics of being killed by such a creature.

Even if others suspected something was amiss, it would be very difficult to find evidence.

Zhu Qiniang also felt that this explanation was fine, and she said, "I can handle it."

"Then I'll be going first."

Gao Xian did not want to stay any longer; if someone else saw him, it would be hard to explain clearly.

"I'll come find you in a few days." Zhu Qiniang also felt that Gao Xian should leave; she still needed to call the shop assistants over to handle the corpse and use them as witnesses.

Gao Xian flicked his finger against his own body, and a point of spiritual light flowed and shimmered from top to bottom as the Flying Feather Art was activated.

He exerted a slight force with his feet, and his body leaped lightly over the high wall of the backyard.

Under the moonlight, Gao Xian's robes fluttered, his body as light as a feather, drifting quite a distance with the wind before landing soundlessly.

Gao Xian felt very good about himself; he really liked this feeling of being elegant and agile.

However, the Flying Feather Art was too impractical in combat. Floating in the air like that made him a living target.

The Flying Feather Art was for lightness, while the Wind Control Art was for speed.

Gao Xian waited for the mana of the Flying Feather Art to dissipate, then activated the Wind Control Art on his Water-Fire Lotus Silk Boots. With a flash of spiritual light, his speed suddenly increased.

But since the speed was pushed entirely by the force of his feet, every step he took kicked up large clouds of dust on the dirt road, and he could no longer maintain his previous elegant posture.

Returning home, the talismans pasted on the doors and windows had not been moved, proving that no one had come.

Gao Xian breathed a sigh of relief; there were still many medicinal herbs in the room, and he would have felt terrible if they had been lost.

Having been busy all night without eating, he was starving to death.

He went to the kitchen to light the fire and cook, and soon the aroma of food wafted out, drawing the Little Black Cat over with a series of meows.

This time, the Little Black Cat scrutinized Gao Xian cautiously before trotting over to his feet to rub against him and meow coquettishly.

Gao Xian found it somewhat amusing; ever since he had been entangled by that evil energy, the Little Black Cat had acted like a calculating little schemer, eating and drinking his fill but refusing to be touched.

Now that the evil energy was gone, the Little Black Cat had finally taken the initiative to get close to him again.

Gao Xian didn't mind; he picked up the Little Black Cat and began to stroke it, saying, "Today is a good day, I'll give you an extra meal..."

Having successfully dealt with Shopkeeper Zhu according to his plan felt like a heavy stone had been lifted from his chest, and Gao Xian felt completely refreshed, experiencing an indescribable sense of joy and relief.

After feeding himself and the Little Black Cat, Gao Xian took advantage of his excellent state to begin practicing the Five Elements Technique.

Deep within Gao Xian's brow, Sister Lan appeared. Under her guidance, he channeled spiritual energy into his body and began to circulate it according to the path of the Five Elements Technique.

After completing thirty-six cycles, the circulating spiritual energy naturally flowed into his spine, causing it to tremble slightly as it connected segment by segment, followed by the energy flowing through his limbs and bones.

As the spiritual energy circulated in this manner, it eventually condensed into a stable vortex of energy at the center of his spine.

When the practice session ended, Gao Xian's face was full of joy as he sat on the bed, savoring the comfortable sensation of energy flowing through his limbs and bones for quite a while.

After months of hard work, he had finally opened up his spine, allowed energy to flow through his entire body, and condensed his second energy aperture.

According to the most common explanation, a cultivator who develops a sense of energy and circulates it through the body has reached the first level of Qi Refining.

Condensing an energy aperture in the lower dantian marks the second level. Opening the spine and allowing energy to flow through the entire body marks the third level.

In layman's terms, the third level is often referred to as opening the bone apertures.

In reality, this is just a figure of speech and not literally the case.

Zhu Qiniang had told Gao Xian that the so-called bone aperture is actually the Lingtai Acupoint, located at the lower end of the sixth thoracic vertebra.

Once spiritual energy connects through the spine and circulates through the body, it naturally condenses into another energy aperture at the Lingtai Acupoint.

In other words, a third-level Qi Refining cultivator gains an additional aperture for breathing and circulating spiritual energy.

This aperture is closely linked to the entire skeletal system, strengthening the cultivator's mana while also fortifying their muscles and bones.

Due to different cultivation methods and physical constitutions, there is a huge gap in the specific states of cultivators even at the same third level of Qi Refining; it cannot be generalized.

Gao Xian felt that his mana had at least doubled, and his speed of absorbing spiritual energy had also increased significantly, by about seventy or eighty percent compared to before.

Physically, he could clearly feel that every joint was more powerful, and his body's coordination and flexibility had been greatly improved.

He tested it slightly; if he wanted to, he could completely fold himself into a ball.

For instance, if he had a pimple on his butt, he could see it clearly.

Gao Xian took out the Wind and Moon Mirror to admire his upgraded stats.

Lifespan: 24/80

Cultivation: Qi Refining Third Level (1/300)

Five Elements Technique: Third Level (Proficient 241/300)

Reaching the third level of Qi Refining also increased his lifespan by three years, which was the biggest surprise.

After months of diligent practice, the Five Elements Technique had also reached the Proficient level and would soon reach the Expert level.

The higher the level of the Five Elements Technique, the higher the efficiency of absorbing spiritual energy and circulating mana.

Gao Xian was very satisfied with his progress over the past few months, but diligent cultivation was still too slow.

Using the Humanity Aura to upgrade directly—that would be truly satisfying...