Qi Refining Level Seven!

Li Qingshan held the spirit stones, medicinal pills, and talismans in his hands, only straightening his back once Ye Lingshuang's figure had vanished into the horizon.

He looked at the cultivation resources in his hands, especially the two talismans, feeling a surge of emotion in his heart.

This Ye Lingshuang was truly a woman of her word, and her generosity was quite impressive.

With her promise and these resources, his safety should be guaranteed, at least for the short term.

He did not linger, quickly returning to the Hall of Discarded Treasures.

The following day, Li Qingshan still felt a lingering sense of unease, wondering how Zhang Hongxiu would react.

He cleaned while keeping a close watch on the activity outside the hall.

As noon approached, Zhang Hongxiu did not appear, but Zhang Ming arrived at the Hall of Discarded Treasures in a hurried state once again.

"Junior Brother Li! Junior Brother Li!"

As soon as Zhang Ming entered, he lowered his voice, his face wearing a strange expression—a mix of lingering fear and a hint of schadenfreude.

Li Qingshan immediately put on a look of trepidation and hurried to meet him: "Senior Brother Zhang? Is it... is it Senior Sister Zhang..."

"Don't even mention it!"

Zhang Ming waved his hand, still shaken: "Something huge happened! Did you really not find that jade pendant yesterday?"

Li Qingshan nodded blankly: "That's right, this old man searched everywhere, but I truly couldn't find it..."

"Heh! It's a good thing you didn't!"

Zhang Ming leaned in close: "Guess what? That Vermilion Sparrow Jade Pendant wasn't lost in the Hall of Discarded Treasures at all! It was picked up by Junior Sister Ye Lingshuang!"

"Ah?"

Li Qingshan opened his mouth at the perfect moment, feigning complete shock.

"Early this morning, Zhang Hongxiu got wind of it from somewhere and charged straight to Ye Lingshuang's cave dwelling to demand it back. They didn't even exchange a few words before they started fighting!"

Zhang Ming spoke with great animation: "Good heavens, both junior sisters are experts at the peak of Qi Refining. The scene... tsk tsk, Sword Qi was flying everywhere! I heard that the formation outside the cave dwelling was heavily damaged!"

"And... what was the outcome?"

Li Qingshan asked nervously.

"Outcome? Zhang Hongxiu was no match for Ye Lingshuang. Ye Lingshuang used a sword technique to shatter her protective artifact, leaving her quite badly injured! In the end, it took the arrival of the brothers from the Hall of Law Enforcement to stop the fight."

Zhang Ming paused, lowering his voice further: "I heard the matter reached the elders, and even Grandmaster Zhang Yuzhen was alarmed. Junior Sister Ye claimed she found it herself, and Zhang Hongxiu didn't have a leg to stand on—after all, she was the one who trespassed into someone else's dwelling first, and Junior Sister Ye was acting in self-defense. In the end, the elder ruled that the pendant belongs to Junior Sister Ye, and Junior Sister Zhang was sentenced to six months of confinement to reflect on her actions!"

Li Qingshan felt a wave of relief wash over him, but at the same time, a sense of vigilance arose.

Ye Lingshuang truly had a powerful background; she dared to defy even a Golden Core elder, and her strength was formidable.

He had gambled correctly this time.

However, Zhang Hongxiu being confined for six months only provided temporary safety. That woman was vindictive by nature; after six months, she would likely still harbor a grudge and might eventually vent her anger on him.

He wore an expression of relief and lingering fear: "So that's how it is! So that's how it is! Many thanks for informing me, Senior Brother Zhang! It was truly too dangerous... if this old man had found it, I fear..."

"Hmph, consider yourself lucky!"

Zhang Ming looked somewhat disgruntled; his plan to curry favor with Zhang Hongxiu had fallen through.

He gave Li Qingshan a few perfunctory words before turning to leave.

After seeing Zhang Ming off, Li Qingshan stood in the empty Hall of Discarded Treasures, his gaze becoming incredibly firm.

Six months—Ye Lingshuang had bought him six months of safety!

In these six months, he had to improve his strength as much as possible!

Fourth level of Qi Refining was far from enough!

From this day on, Li Qingshan began a period of near-maniacal closed-door cultivation.

Every day, he consumed top-grade pills refined by the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd. Whether they were Qi-Gathering Pills, Qi-Boosting Pills, or other miscellaneous pills, as long as they could improve his cultivation, he took them all.

The Longevity Technique ran at full capacity, refining the massive medicinal power and converting it into pure, thick Longevity mana.

His cultivation began to climb at a speed visible to the naked eye.

After all, even the descendants of Nascent Soul ancestors could not afford the luxury of consuming top-grade spirit pills for cultivation constantly.

Although Li Qingshan was old and frail, he possessed a Heavenly Spirit Root. Combined with the use of top-grade spirit pills, his cultivation speed was not the least bit inferior to those geniuses with Heavenly Spirit Roots.

More importantly, every cultivation session was a process of rebirth and marrow-cleansing for Li Qingshan.

The shackles of his hundred-year lifespan were gradually being broken, no longer able to hinder his path to immortality.

Mid-fourth level of Qi Refining, late-fourth level, peak-fourth level...

Two months later, accompanied by a violent expansion and contraction of the Qi vortex in his dantian, he broke through the bottleneck as naturally as water flowing, stepping into the fifth level of Qi Refining!

He did not stop, continuing to consume pills to consolidate his cultivation before launching an assault on even higher levels.

Outside of cultivation, he did not neglect the practice of spells.

Although the Fire Arrow Technique and Flying Rainbow Technique were still difficult to fully master, with his cultivation raised to the mid-stage of Qi Refining, he could now barely unleash two or three tenths of their power.

Streaks of crimson fire arrows shot forth, fast as lightning, capable of piercing through solid bluestone.

With the Fire Arrow Technique mastered, one could unleash hundreds of fire arrows, blanketing the sky and forcing even late-stage Qi Refining cultivators to meet their doom.

Li Qingshan was now able to manifest over a dozen fire arrows simultaneously, posing a significant threat to mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

When executing the Flying Rainbow Technique, his figure moved like electricity, leaving behind trails of afterimages within the Hall of Discarded Treasures.

He could even leap over a dozen zhang high, scaling mountain rocks with the agility of a swallow.

As for the Turtle Breath Technique, he had practiced it to increasing proficiency; now, not only could he perfectly conceal his cultivation, but he could even simulate a lower-level aura, making it indistinguishable from the real thing.

Furthermore, he had taken the top-grade magical short sword he found among the refuse—which had been repaired and upgraded by the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd—named the Crimson Dragon Sword, and stored it within his dantian, beginning to nourish and refine it with his mana every day.

Refining a magical tool is a slow, grinding process that requires imprinting one's own mana signature deep within the artifact until it can be wielded as easily as one's own arm.

This Crimson Dragon Sword was of exceptionally high quality, a first-tier top-grade magical tool sufficient to be used until the Great Perfection of Qi Refining; refining it was quite taxing on his spirit and mana, yet Li Qingshan never tired of it.

With every bit of refinement, his connection to the Crimson Dragon Sword grew tighter, and the power he could unleash with it grew stronger.

Time flew by in the midst of bitter cultivation.

The Hall of Discarded Treasures seemed truly forgotten by the world; aside from the occasional chore disciple delivering new waste, no one else disturbed him.

Spring departed and autumn arrived, and half a year passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, the aura around Li Qingshan inside the stone room surged violently, and the emerald-green vortex of Longevity mana within his dantian spun frantically, its volume expanding once more and becoming denser and heavier, the mana within surging like a river and emitting a faint, whistling sound!

A powerful spiritual pressure instantly filled the entire stone room, but it was quickly suppressed as he activated the Turtle Breath Technique.

Li Qingshan slowly opened his eyes, a green glint flashing through them before vanishing, his aura now deep and vast as the sea.

He looked inward at his dantian, feeling the massive mana that far exceeded what he had possessed before, and a gratified smile appeared on his face.

Seventh level of Qi Refining!

After half a year of bitter cultivation, relying on a massive quantity of top-grade pills and the power of the Longevity Technique, he had finally broken through to the late stage of Qi Refining in one go!

At this moment, the thickness of the mana in his dantian was enough to rival an ordinary ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator, or even one at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining!

The heaven-defying nature of the Longevity Technique was becoming increasingly potent.

More importantly, he felt that his bodily functions had recovered significantly; there was more gray among his white hair, his wrinkles had faded slightly, and his entire body was brimming with vitality.

"Half a year has passed... Zhang Hongxiu, it is time for you to come out." Li Qingshan whispered to himself, his gaze calm yet carrying a trace of cold sharpness.

Though he was still far from being a match for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, with his seventh-level Longevity mana, numerous top-grade spells, talismans, and the Crimson Dragon Sword he had mostly refined, he now had the strength to fight even a cultivator at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.

Li Qingshan knew that he could not pin all his hopes on Ye Lingshuang.

He could only rely on himself!