The Third Layer of Qi Refining

"Shopkeeper Zhu, you died a truly ugly death."

Gao Xian looked at Zhu Hong'an's corpse and gave his honest assessment.

The shopkeeper had turned into a charred, desiccated corpse. His little eyes were dull as ash, and he didn't answer Gao Xian.

Gao Xian thought for a moment, then added, "But you look a lot better like this than you did alive."

He was being honest. When Shopkeeper Zhu had been alive and kicking, he'd been like a greedy pig—ugly, filthy, and insatiably avaricious. Just thinking about him had been enough to irritate Gao Xian.

Dead Shopkeeper Zhu was much better. His deathly appearance gave Gao Xian the creeps, but at least he was quiet and harmless.

Zhu Qiniang looked at Shopkeeper Zhu's corpse and let out a soft, regretful sigh. "What a shame. I didn't get to kill you with my own hands."

Gao Xian stayed silent. He didn't know why Zhu Qiniang hated Shopkeeper Zhu so much, but he suspected there was a painful story behind it. He didn't want to pry.

Zhu Qiniang didn't dwell on it. She bent down and picked up a black crystal the size of a mung bean.

"The Evil Spirit left behind an Evil Spirit Core. This is valuable."

She examined it and said, "It's worth a hundred Spirit Stones."

Most Evil Spirits turned to ash when killed. Some, however, left behind special cores.

These cores were called Evil Spirit Cores and were valuable materials for crafting artifacts.

She smiled at Gao Xian. "An Evil Spirit of this level rarely condenses an Evil Spirit Core. You're pretty lucky."

Gao Xian was delighted, too. This was worth a hundred Spirit Stones! He'd have to sell a thousand doses of Deer Antler Powder to make that much.

"I'll hold on to it as evidence for now."

Zhu Qiniang said, "Once things have settled down, I'll sell it and give you the Spirit Stones."

"Let's not worry about that between us. Do as you see fit." Gao Xian liked money, but he wasn't going to quibble with Zhu Qiniang over it.

If Zhu Qiniang hadn't helped him this time, he would've had a hard time getting through this.

Killing Shopkeeper Zhu hadn't been difficult, but Gao Xian had no way to cover it up afterward.

The Lianyun Sect aside, the lineage behind Shopkeeper Zhu could crush him with a flick of a finger.

Gao Xian also knew that Zhu Qiniang had hated Shopkeeper Zhu deeply. She hadn't joined forces with him just to help him; she'd wanted to vent her own anger, too.

To that end, she'd even withheld crucial information, letting events unfold as they had.

But that didn't affect their relationship.

Zhu Qiniang had always looked after him, and she was the only person willing to go out of her way to help him.

Zhou Ye and Huang Ying were only business partners. They'd help him with small matters, but they'd never help him kill Shopkeeper Zhu.

After this murder, his relationship with Qiniang had clearly grown closer. He had to look after that bond.

Besides, Zhu Qiniang had given him the Azure Wood Armor without batting an eye. It would be petty of him to haggle over a mere Evil Spirit Core.

Zhu Qiniang didn't care much about the Evil Spirit Core, but Gao Xian's trust in her warmed her heart.

She gave a slight nod and said nothing more.

"Shopkeeper Zhu was killed by an Evil Spirit after Yang An got drunk. Qiniang noticed something was wrong and killed the Evil Spirit."

Gao Xian went over the story from beginning to end, then concluded, "That should be convincing enough."

It was common knowledge among cultivators that Evil Spirits couldn't be controlled.

Shopkeeper Zhu had been killed by an Evil Spirit, and his corpse had been left shriveled and charred—a clear sign that an Evil Spirit had killed him.

Even if anyone suspected foul play, it would be hard to find evidence.

Zhu Qiniang also thought the story would hold up. "I can handle it."

"Then I'll be going."

Gao Xian didn't want to linger. It would be hard to explain if someone saw him there.

"I'll come find you in a few days." Zhu Qiniang also thought Gao Xian should leave. She still had to call the workers over to deal with the body and have them serve as witnesses.

Gao Xian flicked a finger against himself. A glimmer of light flowed down his body as the Flying Feather Art activated.

He put a little force into his feet and drifted lightly over the high wall around the rear courtyard.

Beneath the moonlight, Gao Xian's robes fluttered. He was as light as a feather, borne by the wind until he drifted far away and landed without a sound.

Gao Xian felt wonderful. He loved the graceful, nimble sensation.

But the Flying Feather Art was useless in a fight. Floating through the air like that made him a sitting duck.

The Flying Feather Art made him light; the Wind Control Art made him fast.

Once the Flying Feather Art's power faded, Gao Xian activated the Wind Control Art on his Water-Fire Lotus Silk Boots. Light flashed, and his speed suddenly increased.

But all that speed came from pushing off with his feet. Each step sent a cloud of dust billowing up from the packed-earth road, and he could no longer maintain that graceful, drifting posture.

When he returned home, the talismans pasted over the doors and windows were untouched, proving no one had come by.

Gao Xian breathed a sigh of relief. There were quite a few medicinal ingredients in the room, and he would've hated to lose them.

He'd been busy all night without eating and was starving.

He lit a fire in the kitchen to cook. Soon the aroma of food filled the air, and the Little Black Cat came running over with a series of meows.

This time, the Little Black Cat eyed Gao Xian warily before sidling up to his feet, meowing and rubbing against him.

Gao Xian found it amusing. Ever since he'd been afflicted by evil energy, the Little Black Cat had acted like a scheming little minx, eating and drinking his food but never letting him touch it.

Now that the evil energy was gone, the Little Black Cat was finally acting affectionate again.

Gao Xian didn't mind. He picked up the Little Black Cat and gave it a good scritch. "Today's a good day. I'll give you an extra helping..."

He'd dealt with Shopkeeper Zhu just as planned. It felt as if a huge stone had been lifted from his chest, and his whole body felt light and free. He was happier than he could say.

After feeding himself and the Little Black Cat, Gao Xian took advantage of his good mood and began cultivating the Five Elements Technique.

Sister Lan appeared deep within Gao Xian's brow. With her guiding him, he drew spiritual energy into his body and circulated it along the Five Elements Technique's pathways.

After circulating it through thirty-six cycles, the flowing spiritual energy naturally entered his spine. His spine shuddered, each vertebra linking to the next, and then the energy flowed through his limbs and bones.

The spiritual energy circulated like this until, at last, a stable vortex of spiritual energy formed at the center of his spine.

When he finished cultivating, Gao Xian was beaming. He sat on the bed and savored for a long while the comfortable feeling of spiritual energy flowing through his limbs and bones.

He'd been at it for months, but he'd finally opened the path through his spine and into his limbs and bones, condensing a second Qi Aperture.

According to the most widely accepted explanation, a cultivator reached the first layer of Qi Refining once they sensed qi and circulated spiritual energy through their body.

Condensing a Qi Aperture in the Lower Dantian meant reaching the second layer. Opening the spine and sending qi through the limbs and bones meant reaching the third.

In everyday parlance, people called the third layer "opening the bone apertures."

In truth, that was only a figure of speech. It wasn't literally what happened.

Zhu Qiniang had told Gao Xian that the so-called bone aperture was actually the Lingtai Acupoint, located beneath the sixth vertebra.

Once spiritual energy passed through the spine and circulated through the limbs and bones, another Qi Aperture naturally formed at the Lingtai Acupoint.

In other words, a cultivator at the third layer of Qi Refining gained an additional Qi Aperture through which to absorb and circulate spiritual energy.

This Qi Aperture was closely connected to all the bones in the body. It strengthened a cultivator's spiritual power while also fortifying their sinews and bones.

The cultivation method and the cultivator's constitution both made a difference. Even among cultivators at the third layer of Qi Refining, there could be enormous differences in their abilities. There was no single rule that applied to everyone.

Gao Xian felt that his spiritual power had at least doubled, and he could absorb spiritual energy much faster—probably seventy or eighty percent faster than before.

As for his body, he could clearly feel more strength in every joint. His coordination and flexibility had both improved enormously.

He tried it out a little. If he wanted, he could fold himself into a ball.

If he had a pimple on his butt, for instance, he could see it clearly.

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

Lifespan: 24/80

Cultivation: Third Layer of Qi Refining (1/300)

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

Reaching the third layer of Qi Refining had added three years to his lifespan. That was the biggest surprise.

After months of diligent cultivation, his Five Elements Technique had also reached the Proficient Level. It wouldn't be long before he advanced to the Expert Level.

The higher his level in the Five Elements Technique, the more efficiently he could absorb spiritual energy and circulate his spiritual power.

Gao Xian was very satisfied with his progress over the past few months. Still, cultivating diligently was just too slow.

Using Humanity Aura to level up—that was the real rush...