Breaking Through Two Realms

After returning to his room, Ning Xiaochuan first took out the ten Nourishing Heart Grass stalks and laid them in a row on the bronze table.

With two experiences of refining Nourishing Heart Grass, he had gained a deeper understanding of how to more precisely control its medicinal properties.

"The ratio of Profound Qi to Nourishing Heart Grass Qi should be controlled at one to ten—this yields the highest purity of Heart Nourishing Elixir. It also saves more Profound Qi and medicinal power from the grass."

The first time he refined Nourishing Heart Grass, it took an entire hour.

But this time, he only used half an hour to fully refine one stalk, turning it into three drops of pale green Heart Nourishing Elixir. Moreover, some medicinal vapor remained in the Heart Nourishing Cauldron, enough to refine into half a drop.

Ning Xiaochuan didn't pause. He immediately grabbed the second stalk of Nourishing Heart Grass, crushed it into vapor, and moved it into the cauldron to continue refining.

Sure enough, this time he refined four drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir, and the speed was even faster.

Ning Xiauan pressed on, entering a state of self-forgetfulness. He refined four stalks of Nourishing Heart Grass in one go, until the Martial Dao Profound Qi in his body was reduced to just one-tenth. He was drenched in sweat, his face flushed red, and he was panting like an ox from exhaustion.

But he didn't stop. He intended to challenge the limits of his body.

It was precisely at the limits that a person's potential could be most quickly awakened.

Hidden within his blood was a large amount of Earth Martial Essence Qi left by the Old Marquis. Now, like squeezing water from a sponge, the Earth Martial Essence Qi was being forced out, transforming into Ning Xiaochuan's own Martial Dao Profound Qi.

In the end, Ning Xiaochuan finished refining the fifth stalk of Nourishing Heart Grass. Only a thread of Martial Dao Profound Qi remained in his veins, nearly snapping.

"Haha! Five stalks of Nourishing Heart Grass yielded eighteen drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir—that's equivalent to eighteen thousand Small Coins!" Ning Xiaochuan was thrilled, but he didn't immediately channel the eighteen drops out of his body. Instead, he began cultivating "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi" to restore his cultivation.

Just now, he had been squeezing his body's potential, nearly exhausting all the Martial Dao Profound Qi within him, leaving himself utterly drained. Sweat had soaked through his clothes.

Following the explanations in "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi," he started absorbing the Profound Qi between heaven and earth.

Those strands of Profound Qi were as fine as silk, drilling into his pores one by one, seeping into his blood.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, the speed at which Ning Xiaochuan absorbed Martial Dao Profound Qi doubled.

The Profound Qi between heaven and earth surged into his body like rain, causing his blood, tendons, bones, and internal organs to tremble slightly as they greedily breathed in the Qi.

"I've reached the second layer of 'Heaven and Earth Profound Qi'—my absorption speed has doubled."

"Heaven and Earth Profound Qi" circulated in every corner of Great Ning. It was a basic manual for Profound Qi cultivation, used only by commoners who couldn't obtain advanced cultivation techniques.

Thus, those who cultivated "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi" were almost all ordinary people with poor talent. Those with good talent were recruited by major powers and naturally had access to higher-level techniques.

Very few managed to reach the second layer of "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi," and those who reached the third layer could be counted on one hand.

Ning Xiaochuan had now reached the second layer, doubling his absorption speed.

He didn't think this was anything special. After all, the first layer of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion's "Heart Furnace Divine Canon" had ten times the absorption speed of "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi."

He was only at twice the normal absorption speed now, while at least eighty members of the Fourth-Generation of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion had mastered the first layer of the "Heart Furnace Divine Canon."

"Boom!"

A low rumble sounded again from Ning Xiaochuan's body. His Martial Heart Palace shook gently, and a torrent of Martial Dao Profound Qi surged forth, forming a hazy little lake.

This truly delighted him—he had reached Profound Qi Fifth Level!

Through this session of refining Nourishing Heart Grass, squeezing his body's potential, and awakening the Earth Martial Essence Qi in his blood, he had smoothly crossed into Profound Qi Fifth Level. The Martial Dao Profound Qi in his body had grown significantly.

At Profound Qi Fourth Level, the Martial Dao Profound Qi in his body could only support refining five stalks of Nourishing Heart Grass.

Now, even if he refined ten stalks in one go, his internal Profound Qi wouldn't necessarily run out!

With his cultivation reaching Profound Qi Fifth Level, Ning Xiaochuan was even more energized, without a trace of sleepiness. He quickly refined the remaining five stalks of Nourishing Heart Grass.

With his improved cultivation, his control over Profound Qi became more refined. When refining the tenth stalk, he actually managed to produce four drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir from a single stalk.

Don't underestimate the difference of just one drop—this was a goal countless Heart Nourishers strived for. For a Heart Nourisher, it was a massive hurdle.

Only an Intermediate Heart Nourisher could refine four drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir from one stalk of Nourishing Heart Grass! Of course, Ning Xiaochuan's current level was still far from that of an Intermediate Heart Nourisher.

Because an Intermediate Heart Nourisher not only had to control the medicinal principles with extreme precision but also had to refine Mysterious Pills from the medicinal herbs. Only then could they be qualified to be called an Intermediate Heart Nourisher.

The value of each Mysterious Pill was beyond ordinary imagination; they could only be seen at the auctions of large trade associations.

Thus, the status of an Intermediate Heart Nourisher was unattainably high. The price from refining a single Mysterious Pill was enough to support an ordinary family for a lifetime.

For Ning Xiaochuan, an Elementary Heart Nourisher, to refine four drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir meant he had the talent to become an Intermediate Heart Nourisher.

If Yu Qianqian found out, she would surely think he was a genius in Heart Nourishing cultivation and offer even more generous terms to recruit him—far beyond a monthly salary of five hundred thousand Small Coins!

Ning Xiaochuan spent the entire night refining all ten stalks of Nourishing Heart Grass, producing a total of thirty-seven drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir.

"Thirty-seven drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir—that's thirty-seven thousand Small Coins." Ning Xiaochuan felt like he had struck it rich overnight, trembling with excitement.

He was rich! It wasn't yet dawn, and the gates of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion hadn't opened. Otherwise, Ning Xiaochuan would have been eager to sell these thirty-seven drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir right away, first to repay the three thousand Small Coins he owed Ning Xiner.

He hated owing others anything, whether money or favors.

Of course, he now felt a faint sibling bond with Ning Xiner, seeing her as his first family in this world. Once he grew stronger, he would protect her well, rather than always relying on her shelter.

"Still half an hour until dawn. I'll use this time to try refining a stalk of Blood Accumulation Grass."

Heart Nourishing Elixir was used to nourish a martial artist's heart and strengthen their Martial Heart Palace. A martial artist who took one drop of Heart Nourishing Elixir daily would far outpace others in cultivation speed.

Blood Accumulation Elixir was used to nourish a martial artist's blood vessels, elevate the grade of their blood, and increase their blood energy intensity. The stronger the blood energy, the stronger the physical body, and the greater the explosive power and endurance in battle. Taking one drop of Blood Accumulation Elixir daily had astonishing effects, leaving peers far behind.

The value of one drop of Blood Accumulation Elixir was slightly higher than Heart Nourishing Elixir, selling for about ten thousand Small Coins.

However, because Heart Nourishing Elixir and Blood Accumulation Elixir were far too expensive, very few people could afford to take a single drop each day.

Ning Xiner, a genius of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion, could only receive ten drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir and ten drops of Blood Accumulation Elixir each month; everything else she had to purchase herself.

Thus, only the key-cultivated descendants of nobles and marquises could barely manage one drop of Heart Nourishing Elixir and one drop of Blood Accumulation Elixir per day. Ordinary people naturally couldn't even dream of it.

It was no wonder that the descendants of nobles and marquises were stronger than those from humble backgrounds.

Ning Xiaochuan had already become adept at refining medicinal herbs. Although this was his first time refining Blood Accumulation Elixir, he handled it with practiced ease, quickly condensing four drops of Blood Accumulation Elixir within the Martial Heart Palace. Just as a smile spread across Ning Xiaochuan's face, the Blood-Colored Small Sword in his Blood Aperture suddenly flashed violently. A streak of Blood Radiance surged into his Heart Aperture, actually trying to seize the four drops of Blood Accumulation Elixir within the Heart Nourishing Cauldron.

"Boom!"

Ning Xiaochuan's heart trembled violently.

The Blood Aperture and Heart Aperture actually began to contend with each other, rapidly spinning around his heart.

The small sword within the Blood Aperture wanted to seize the Blood Accumulation Elixir within the Heart Aperture. The Heart Aperture, in turn, moved to evade the Blood Aperture's attack.

The two chased each other, faster and faster, until they finally transformed into two beams of light—one red, one white—forming a mysterious Taiji Pattern that revolved around Ning Xiaochuan's heart.

When the Heart Aperture and Blood Aperture finally calmed down and returned to their positions beneath the left and right ventricles, Ning Xiaochuan let out a long sigh of relief.

The Heart Nourishing Cauldron within the Heart Aperture grew still, and the small sword within the Blood Aperture also fell silent.

"No, the four drops of Blood Accumulation Elixir in the Heart Nourishing Cauldron are gone. Did the small sword absorb them? What a rip-off! That's forty thousand Small Coins."

"No, the Martial Dao Profound Qi within the Martial Heart Palace has increased. I... I've reached the Profound Qi Sixth Level."

Ning Xiauchen grabbed his scalp with both hands, his heart filled with shock.