Qi Refining Advancement, Liu Mu is Shocked!

At this moment, the aura radiating from Chen Changqing's body was several times more formidable than before.

He rose slowly, feeling the surging power within him, and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Finally, I've broken through to the Qi Refining Realm!"

He was no longer a mere mortal; he could finally be considered a true cultivator.

After the initial excitement, Chen Changqing calmed himself, then shifted his focus inward, sinking his consciousness into his dantian.

There, he saw ten strands of essence floating like stars, brilliant and dazzling.

"Is this the refinement of Qi into essence?"

Chen Changqing muttered quietly, then immediately mobilized one of the essence strands within his dantian.

The essence traveled along his meridians, quickly flowing into his arm.

"BOOM!"

The next moment, Chen Changqing threw a punch forward.

The force of the punch rippled outward, causing the air to crackle and explode!

"This single strike has the power of ten thousand jin?"

Chen Changqing was shocked.

He knew that when he had reached the peak of the Body Refining Realm, his strength had only broken four thousand jin.

Now, having just broken through from the peak of Body Refining to the early stage of Qi Refining, a single strand of essence could unleash ten thousand jin of force.

"Is this the gap between a cultivator and a mortal?"

"A single strand of essence alone possesses the terrifying power of ten thousand jin!"

"If all ten strands were unleashed at once, how terrifying would that power be?"

"I broke through to the Qi Refining Realm from the peak of the Body Refining Realm."

"I imagine ordinary cultivators at the early Qi Refining stage must be different from me."

Chen Changqing pondered secretly.

After a moment of thought, he quickly calmed down.

"The Qi Refining Realm is only the beginning."

"I must remain humble and patient, and continue my idle cultivation!"

"Now that I've reached the Qi Refining Realm, it's time to switch to a Qi Refining cultivation technique."

"But before that, I should go find Elder Liu Mu to register my cultivation level, then head to the Technique Hall to choose a new technique!"

Having made up his mind, Chen Changqing did not delay and immediately set off toward Elder Liu Mu's residence.

Earlier, when he had broken through to the middle stage of Body Refining, he had gone to Elder Liu Mu to update his cultivation information.

At that time, Liu Mu hadn't paid much attention to his breakthrough.

After all, Chen Changqing had been in the Seventh Courtyard of the Mount Shu Sect's outer sect for over a year.

Taking that long to reach the middle stage of Body Refining could only be described as slow.

Ran Hua, who had entered the sect after Chen Changqing, had long since broken through to the late stage of Body Refining.

"I wonder if Elder Liu Mu will be surprised to see that I've broken through to the Qi Refining Realm so quickly?"

Chen Changqing whispered to himself.

Before long, he arrived at Elder Liu Mu's residence.

This time, Elder Liu Mu was sitting in the courtyard drinking tea.

He was slightly taken aback when he saw Chen Changqing arrive.

What is this kid here for again?

A little over a month ago, Chen Changqing had come to see him to update his cultivation from the Qi Nourishing Realm to the Body Refining Realm.

Chen Changqing stepped forward, bowed respectfully to Elder Liu Mu, and said, "Elder, this disciple has broken through to the Qi Refining Realm and has come to update my information."

"What?"

Hearing Chen Changqing's words, Elder Liu Mu's hand paused, his teacup stilling as a look of shock flashed in his eyes.

"Broken through to Qi Refining?"

"It's only been a little over a month, and he's gone from Body Refining to Qi Refining?"

Liu Mu looked stunned. He moved his divine sense, sweeping it across Chen Changqing's body.

Upon this inspection, Liu Mu's pupils couldn't help but constrict.

"It really is the Qi Refining Realm!"

"Furthermore... his blood energy is thick and his foundation is solid; this is definitely not a breakthrough forced by medicinal pills!"

What shocked Liu Mu even more was that Chen Changqing's physical strength far exceeded that of an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator, his internal essence condensed as if it were solid.

It was clear that he had laid an incredibly deep foundation during the Body Tempering stage!

"Just a month ago, he had only just broken through to the Body Tempering realm."

"To reach the Qi Refining level in such a short time..."

"Could it be that I misjudged him before?"

"Is this boy actually a monster? Does he possess astonishing cultivation talent?"

A stormy sea surged within Liu Mu's heart.

For the first time, he felt that Chen Changqing was not as simple as he seemed.

He pondered that the reason Chen Changqing had cultivated so slowly before, lingering in the Qi Nourishing realm for over a year, was perhaps simply because he hadn't had his epiphany yet.

Now that he had been enlightened, Chen Changqing's cultivation speed was soaring.

In a mere blink of an eye, he had already surpassed the Body Tempering realm and broken through to the early stage of Qi Refining.

"If this kid really is a cultivation genius, then my Seventh Courtyard has struck gold this time."

Liu Mu sighed inwardly.

Among the outer sects of the Mount Shu Sect, his Seventh Courtyard had always been the bottom-dweller, receiving the fewest resources.

It was precisely because they lacked genius disciples that it was so hard to get ahead.

If Chen Changqing could rise to prominence, the Seventh Courtyard might finally turn things around!

Thinking of this, Elder Liu Mu felt a surge of excitement, though he maintained a calm expression on the surface.

"Changqing!"

"Since you have already advanced to the Qi Refining realm, you no longer need to guard the mountain gate from now on."

"This way, you can devote yourself entirely to your cultivation."

To Elder Liu Mu's surprise, Chen Changqing shook his head upon hearing this:

"Elder, I would still like to continue guarding the gate!"

"Hmm?"

Elder Liu Mu was stunned, looking at Chen Changqing with a face full of confusion.

He wondered, who actually enjoys guarding the gate?

He had told Chen Changqing to stop guarding the gate precisely so that he could spend more time on his cultivation.

Seeing Liu Mu's bewildered expression, Chen Changqing smiled slightly and explained:

"Elder."

"Actually, guarding the mountain gate is quite nice."

"Not only is it quiet, but I can also cultivate properly."

For Chen Changqing, if he stopped guarding the gate, Elder Liu Mu might send him to cultivate alongside the other disciples of the Seventh Courtyard.

If that were to happen, the crowd and prying eyes would only hinder his AFK cultivation.

How could that compare to the freedom of guarding the gate?

It was leisurely and carefree, allowing him to cultivate AFK without being disturbed!

"Hmm?"

Elder Liu Mu frowned slightly after hearing Chen Changqing's explanation, feeling that something was off.

But after a moment of thought, he nodded and said:

"Very well, since you wish to guard the mountain gate, I shall leave you to it!"

With that, he flicked his sleeve, and a storage bag flew out, landing in Chen Changqing's hand.

"Take the low-grade spirit stones inside for your cultivation."

"Consider it a reward."

Chen Changqing's eyes lit up. He quickly took the storage bag from Liu Mu and bowed in thanks:

"Many thanks, Elder!"

Elder Liu Mu waved his hand, signaling for Chen Changqing to withdraw.

Chen Changqing did not linger and turned to leave.

Stepping out of the courtyard, he opened the bag Elder Liu Mu had given him and took a peek, only to discover that it contained several dozen low-grade spirit stones.

"So many?"

Why is Elder Liu Mu suddenly being so good to me?

Could it be that he discovered something?

Chen Changqing pondered secretly.

Meanwhile, Elder Liu Mu watched Chen Changqing walk away and sighed to himself:

"I hope this old man's investment yields a return!"

"Chen Changqing, don't you dare disappoint me..."