Breakthrough to Mid-stage

Above Black Soil Fortress, a figure appeared out of thin air.

"Brother Chehou, get up here quickly!"

Shen Yue shouted, launching two Fire Explosion Talismans that lit up the night sky, followed by the shimmering golden light of the Nine Heavens Profound Mirror.

"How dare you!"

Chehou Yan was furious.

"Heavenly Tripod Jade Slip, detonate for me!"

He instantly activated the restriction, intending to trigger the jade slip.

"Hm?!"

The jade slip, which should have detonated with a single thought, was now completely unresponsive to his senses!

"Impossible!"

The restriction within that jade slip was a secret technique passed down only within his Chehou family; even from ten thousand miles away, as long as he remained within the Azure Ancient Forest, he should have been able to trigger it.

But he clearly had no time to ponder the reason, as streams of divine sense shot out from Black Soil Fortress, locking onto him tightly.

"Who dares to intrude upon this fortress at night! Get out here and die!"

Black Qiu led dozens of men rushing out of the fortress, surrounding Chehou Yan in an instant.

"It's you again!"

"Looking for death!"

Black Qiu recognized Chehou Yan and sneered repeatedly.

"I let you escape last time, but this time, I will surely scatter your soul to the winds!"

My life is at an end!

Chehou Yan was ten thousand times unwilling, but he only had one Life-Replacing Golden Cicada, and facing Black Qiu, it was nearly impossible for him to escape tonight.

"Miss Longyu, save me! It's me, Lin Yan..."

"Father, I want him alive." Black Longyu, her face covered in freckles and sporting prominent buck teeth, walked out and looked at Chehou Yan with great interest.

"It doesn't matter if he's crippled, as long as he's still usable."

Outer Refining Lake.

Shen Yue steered the Tide Rising Pearl to an island and immediately began circulating the Geng Metal Art.

The spiritual energy of earth and wood in Ancient Wei was abundant, and the spiritual energy within Linjiang Immortal City was even richer; waiting three days at Chehou Yan's house had allowed him to reach the perfection of the third level of Qi Refining.

The spiritual power in his dantian was full, yet it was restrained by an invisible barrier, just one step away from breaking through to the middle stage.

He sat quietly on a reef, guiding his spiritual power to flow slowly along his meridians.

At first, it was like a murmuring stream, then like a surging river.

The spiritual power rotated rapidly in his dantian, forming a vortex that pulled the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into his body.

He sank his divine sense into his dantian, guiding the energy within to charge at the invisible wall.

"Break!"

The barrier cracked, and spiritual energy, like water from a burst dam, roared into the higher-level meridians.

A cool sensation instantly spread throughout his body, washing over every inch of his bones and flesh.

He opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance flickering in his pupils.

"Done."

His spiritual energy was now as responsive as his own limbs, and his sensory perception had greatly increased; every rustle of wind within dozens of feet was within his awareness.

The fourth level of Qi Refining was indeed a new world.

However, Shen Yue only rested briefly before condensing two golden hands once more.

[Heaven Origin Golden Light Hand +1]... [Heaven Origin Golden Light Hand +1]...

[Heaven Origin Golden Light Hand (Second Level → Third Level)]

The golden hand split into three, reaching perfection.

"Fourth level of Qi Refining, first level of Breath Control, plus my divine sense, the Tide Rising Pearl, and the perfected Heaven Origin Golden Light Hand—with my current strength, I shouldn't fear the sixth level of Qi Refining."

Shen Yue even faintly felt he could hold his own against a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

Of course, that was just a lower-level cultivator's thought; he wouldn't actually try it.

"Gather a few pearls, then it's about time to head back."

With the aid of his divine sense, everything within a hundred meters was clear to him, and Shen Yue easily found three Five-Colored Shell Pearls.

He could have found more, but the dangers of the outer lake were such that even his divine sense couldn't provide a complete warning.

After a Marsh Water Great Demon comparable to a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator chased him for over ten miles, Shen Yue barely managed to shake it off and dared not linger in the outer lake any longer.

Returning to the inner lake, he handed over the pearls.

"Two?"

Chen Qiaoqian stood where she was, her gaze fixed on the two smooth, round pearls.

The pearls were crystal clear, shimmering with a faint, silvery luster.

She had given him the Tide Rising Pearl for protection because she felt Shen Yue had drive, but she had assumed that simply returning alive would be enough; she never expected him to harvest any pearls, let alone two.

Furthermore, his cultivation base had actually broken through to the middle stage.

Chen Qiaoqian took the pearls and flicked her sleeve, causing two items to appear before him.

"Spirit stones or medicinal pills—choose one."

According to the Chen Clan's regulations, two Five-Colored Shell Pearls were rewarded with ten spirit stones.

"If not for Miss's Tide Rising Pearl, I wouldn't even have had the qualifications to head to the outer lake. I cannot accept any reward."

Shen Yue took out the Tide Rising Pearl to return it, refusing both the spirit stones and the pills.

Chen Qiaoqian stared at the Tide Rising Pearl, stunned for a moment.

To return the pearl voluntarily and refuse the reward—such a person was rare indeed.

"Cultivate well."

She gave a light flick of her sleeve, and the Tide Rising Pearl, the medicinal pills, the spirit stones, and Shen Yue himself were all pushed out the door.

Refining Lake, small courtyard.

"Five spirit stones, two Spirit Gathering Pills, one Tide Rising Pearl, one Five-Colored Shell Pearl..."

Shen Yue sat in his room, unable to hide his joy.

Spirit Gathering Pills were used to boost cultivation for those in the middle stage of Qi Refining, costing seven or eight spirit stones each. The Five-Colored Shell Pearl was worth about the same, and the Tide Rising Pearl was a mid-grade Tier 1 spirit artifact.

Not to mention his gains from the Ancient Wei Territory, he had earned quite a lot just from this trip to the outer lake.

That Chen Qiaoqian was truly generous.

"General Shen!"

At that moment, the voice of Changqin Wuming drifted in from outside.

Shen Yue stowed his treasures and walked out.

Changqin Wuming held his head high, chest puffed out, and declared heroically, "In two days, This Seat will gift you a Breakthrough Pill!"

"Has Your Highness made some gains?"

"Naturally. When This Seat takes action, I always return with a full harvest."

"The five of us gathered six Five-Colored Shell Pearls in total, and I claimed one for myself..."

Changqin Wuming launched into a boastful tirade, claiming how formidable he was, fighting two marsh-water spirit beasts single-handedly without losing his footing.

Shen Yue listened in silence, his mind involuntarily flashing back to the scene at the outer lake where his divine sense had caught Changqin Wuming being chased by two water beasts, using every ounce of his strength to flee for his life...

"The Emperor's cultivation is profound. I fear the Five-Colored Shell Pearls in the Refining Lake were hiding from you, otherwise, you surely would have harvested more."

Zhou Chongwen arrived midway through, listening to Changqin Wuming's boasting and occasionally chiming in with flattery.

"Once I reach Foundation Establishment, I shall make the entire Refining Lake, and every water beast within it, bow in submission!"

Zhou Chongwen shook his head slightly, thinking to himself that youth was a fine thing—daring to imagine anything, just like he once did... Wait?

"You've broken through?" Zhou Chongwen suddenly looked at Shen Yue.

"Broken through?" Changqin Wuming looked over, puzzled.

"Yes, I've reached the middle stage." Shen Yue nodded.

"Middle stage?!" Changqin Wuming's eyes widened instantly. "I haven't even bought a Breakthrough Pill yet, how did you break through?"

"I tried during my seclusion, and I just broke through," Shen Yue said calmly.

Zhou Chongwen looked thoughtful and remarked, "General Shen shouldn't have been on the lake these past few days."

He had come here yesterday but hadn't seen Shen Yue.

Changqin Wuming caught the point and immediately pressed, "Did Miss Chen give you special treatment?"

The two did not know Shen Yue had gone to the outer lake, assuming instead that he had gone to see Chen Qiaoqian again.

Shen Yue smiled, not bothering to explain.

Some things only get murkier the more you explain them.

"I have heard of a certain Joyous cultivation technique that can treat a person as a furnace, draining their entire cultivation base..."

Zhou Chongwen stroked his beard, speaking with the tone of someone who had seen it all.

If it wasn't a Joyous technique, he couldn't imagine any other way a man and a woman could rapidly break through a bottleneck.

"A Joyous technique?" Changqin Wuming stared fixedly at Shen Yue. "General Shen, you had best not go to Chen Qiaoqian's place anymore. You are the commander-in-chief of My three armies; how could you act as a furnace? If this were to spread, how would I face my thousands of subjects..."

"Miss Chen seems quite interested in His Highness."

"That being said, the Chen Clan must be taken down sooner or later. Let this Emperor be the furnace, let me face the myriad subjects!" Changqin Wuming declared righteously.

"Ahem... well, General Shen, look, if I shave my beard and tidy up, I'm actually not half bad..." Zhou Chongwen prepared to shave and groom himself on the spot.

"Brother Zhou, could you help me buy some basic materials for artifact refining?" Shen Yue interrupted their antics, steering the conversation to the main point.

"Artifact refining materials?" Zhou Chongwen raised an eyebrow. "You want to refine artifacts?"

"Are you alright?" Changqin Wuming also looked at him with a skeptical expression.