Qi Refiner

Time flew by, and the seasons came and went.

Aside from going out to deliver goods, Xia Dong spent most of his time cultivating in Tiger Hill Cave Abode, using gathering herbs as an excuse.

As for Zhao Ting, he had naturally guessed that Xia Dong was hiding plenty of secrets. But their interests aligned, so he helped cover for him.

Besides, Xia Dong wasn't trying to take power from him. Zhao Ting was perfectly satisfied with the way things were.

So although Xia Dong rarely showed his face, his performance review with the Eagle-Wolf Guard in Pingyang County was consistently excellent. He even received a larger monthly allowance than the others.

For the past six months, Xia Dong had practiced the Divine Treasury Chapter of the Evergreen Qi-Circulation Art day after day. At last, he had experienced firsthand the wondrous benefits of "Innate Qi returning to its hidden place within the body."

After the Divine Treasury Chapter had opened, it was as if an unfathomably deep spring of vitality had appeared inside him. Before, whether he spent his mental energy making talismans or pushed his mana to its limits refining pills, afterward he always felt deeply exhausted from the inside out. It was a sign that his essence, energy, and spirit had been damaged.

Now, he seemed not to know what fatigue was. He could spend days and nights tending the pill furnace, and as long as he took a little time afterward to regulate his breath and rest with his eyes closed, wisps of Innate Qi would quietly circulate through him. Like rain after a long drought, they nourished his parched meridians and sea of consciousness, sweeping away every trace of mental and physical exhaustion.

Such abundant energy meant Xia Dong had several times more effective cultivation time than ordinary cultivators.

With resources poured in without regard for cost and tireless, painstaking cultivation, the Profound Yin Scripture mana within him grew ever deeper and more viscous, like a dark underground river.

Last month, everything had fallen into place. His mana broke through the bottleneck without a ripple, and he officially entered the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.

With the mana of the Qi Refining Mid-Stage as his foundation, Xia Dong felt more confident than ever.

But he didn't rush to try condensing a Talisman Seed. Instead, he devoted even more effort to Organ Strengthening in martial cultivation and opening the Divine Palaces in his kidneys.

That would give him a deeper foundation and better odds of condensing a Talisman Seed.

Until today.

In the secret chamber, Xia Dong sat cross-legged with his eyes shut.

As he looked within, his qi and blood surged like molten lead and mercury, while his Mysterious Yin Mana flowed together like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, gathering without pause toward his kidneys, behind his waist and abdomen.

"Drip..."

A clear drop of water seemed to sound deep within his soul.

After more than half a year of constant tempering and extreme compression by his qi, blood, and mana, a subtle transformation had finally taken place inside the illusory Divine Palace deep within his kidneys.

A single drop of liquid, deep blue and seemingly imbued with both extreme cold and immense vitality, slowly took shape at the center of the Divine Palace.

Profound Yin Divine Water had finally been born.

The instant that drop of divine water appeared, a sudden change swept through Xia Dong's body.

The life essence in his entire body seemed to answer some mysterious summons, surging toward the Kidney Divine Palace like a river bursting through its banks. The shadowy region of his kidneys suddenly blazed with dazzling light, as if it had been illuminated within the darkness of his inner landscape.

At the same time, the wonders of the Evergreen Qi-Circulation Art unfolded. The Innate Qi normally hidden deep within his limbs and bones flowed into the Kidney Divine Palace, one stream after another, like pilgrims on a holy journey.

The green Innate Qi and the deep-blue Profound Yin Divine Water shone in tandem, transforming the small organ into an ancient, sacred, and solemn inner Divine Treasury.

Hum!

The greatest sound was silent.

As the Divine Treasury inside him lit up, Xia Dong felt a heaven-splitting, earth-shattering roar in his mind.

In that unseen realm, he seemed to have taken an immensely crucial step along the long road of cultivation—a step that could even mark a watershed.

Deep in his sea of consciousness, the long-dormant, mottled Bronze Ancient Bell shook violently, ringing out with a clear, resonant peal like a great temple bell.

Xia Dong immediately sank his mind into his sea of consciousness.

On the verdigris-covered body of the Bronze Ancient Bell, beneath "Name," "Codename," "Talent," and "Spirit Root," a line of new text appeared, flickering and twisting in a wash of crimson light:

[Cultivation Identity: Qi Refiner]

Qi Refiner? It was neither the "martial artist" of common parlance nor the "cultivator" or "immortal cultivator" generally used in today's cultivation world. It was a title with an ancient, primordial air: Qi Refiner!

The character for "Qi" was the one in Innate Qi, not the one for acquired spiritual energy.

Xia Dong fell into deep contemplation.

He had never figured out what profound meaning lay behind the codename "Gouchen" the Ancient Bell had given him.

Now, without warning, it had added another designation: "Qi Refiner."

"Why now?"

Xia Dong was utterly perplexed.

He had already been cultivating Innate Qi while also practicing the mana of the Profound Yin Scripture and refining his martial qi and blood. Yet the title representing his "identity" had never appeared on the Ancient Bell before.

Why had this identity been activated precisely now, when he had lit the Divine Palace in his kidneys and given birth to Profound Yin Divine Water, bringing his essence, energy, and spirit into perfect union within the Kidney Divine Palace?

What profound mysteries of cultivation and secrets of heaven and earth lay behind this?

Though his mind was full of questions, Xia Dong keenly sensed that this "Qi Refiner" identity was no ordinary thing.

What it represented was likely even more precious than the Dao Registry he possessed.

Xia Dong recalled the years he had spent consulting the Eagle-Wolf Guard's records, as well as the various books Qin Wan had brought back from the immortal sect, such as Cultivation Miscellany and Eastern Wasteland Records.

Yet he couldn't find a single mention of the words "Qi Refiner" in his memory.

"A common man is innocent, but a treasured jade invites trouble. If the books don't mention it, then I have even less reason to go asking around."

Xia Dong took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed his curiosity.

The cultivation world was full of dangerous undercurrents. Touching certain ancient secrets could easily invite disaster. Before he had grown strong enough to protect himself, he absolutely could not reveal any of his unusual secrets.

He had a vague feeling that these so-called "Qi Refiners" might be older and more orthodox practitioners of the Dao than the cultivators of the Qixia Immortal Sect—or even all the cultivators of the present age.

Today's cultivators practiced acquired "qi" and sought the mana of heaven and earth. But from what Xia Dong had experienced so far, Qi Refiners cultivated the Divine Treasuries within the human body and refined the Innate "Qi" that pointed straight to the source.

Gradually cutting off his distracting thoughts, Xia Dong opened his eyes. Feeling the radiant Kidney Divine Palace within him, he smiled.

Whatever magnificent ancient secrets lay behind the "Qi Refiner," as far as he was concerned, the road had to be walked one step at a time.

The deeper his reserves, the steadier his path to immortality.

Qixia Immortal Sect, Lone Moon Peak.

"Disciple Pei Hongling."

"Disciple Lu Qingshan."

"Disciple Feng Fei."

"Disciple Qin Wan."

"We respectfully welcome Master out of seclusion."

True Person Lone Moon had finally ended her long period of seclusion.

"Your master failed to break through," True Person Lone Moon said calmly.

Her cool eyes held a deep, helpless melancholy. Even across the Three Islands Sea Region, her talent would have ranked among the very best.

But without condensing Innate Qi or receiving even a trace of Innate Primordial Yang from an orthodox Qi Refiner, she could never open her Purple Mansion and achieve an Upper-Grade Golden Core.

In the end, the fortune allotted to her in this life was limited.

If she couldn't open her Purple Mansion and achieve an Upper-Grade Golden Core, then what would be the point of obtaining the Ascension Order from that boy's descendants and going to the wider Three Islands Sea Region?

"My Dao is alone, and my road has come to an end."

A scene from years ago surfaced in True Person Lone Moon's mind: the moment her master had passed away.