Qi Refining Fifth Layer

Early the next morning, He Shou knocked on Li Yuan's door.

"The notice is out."

He Shou's tone was heavier than usual, and he held a document stamped with the Wang Family seal.

"The day after tomorrow, we're heading to the Yuanheng Mountains with the unit."

Li Yuan took the document and gave it a quick glance.

The contents were brief—three patrol squads would be drawn from the Guard Squad to form a joint team with members of the Wang Family, entering the outskirts of the Yuanheng Mountains for a sweep-and-clear mission. The captain of the Guard Squad would lead the team, with two Wang Family cultivators accompanying them.

"Captain Wang is leading personally?"

"Yeah. Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement." He Shou leaned against the doorframe with his arms folded.

"With Captain Wang and the other two Wang Family people, the top-end fighting strength should be enough. We're just there to follow along and do the work."

Li Yuan folded the document.

"How did the group that went into the mountains last time fare?"

"They came back. Two were injured, but nothing serious."

"That group was mainly scouting. They didn't go too deep, and they didn't run into many Demonic Beasts."

He Shou rolled his neck.

"What about us?"

"Not sure. The specifics weren't stated."

He Shou paused, then added,

"We don't need to patrol these next two days. The higher-ups told everyone taking part in the operation to rest and prepare in the market district. If you need to buy anything, get it done within these two days."

With that, He Shou left.

Li Yuan shut the door and sat back down beside the bed.

They would leave the day after tomorrow. Including today and tomorrow, he had less than two days left.

There was no need to say how dangerous the Yuanheng Mountains were. Even with a Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement captain and Wang Family cultivators holding down the line, the patrol squad members might not all return whole and unscathed.

His cultivation was currently stuck at the peak of Qi Refining, Fourth Layer. The next step was the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

If he could break through before departure, his odds of survival would rise by another notch.

His spiritual power had long since reached saturation, and its purity had been tempered to the utmost limit.

Unlike when he had broken through to Qi Refining, Fourth Layer, Li Yuan now had one more trait—Spirit Qi Condensation. He had no fewer than three traits assisting his breakthrough.

Spirit Qi Condensation gave his spiritual power a density far beyond that of those at the same level, Circulation Acceleration increased his cultivation speed, and Spirit Qi Filtration made his spiritual power even purer.

Viscera Strengthening also reduced the damage to his internal organs during breakthroughs. The cooldown for the Iron Ox Technique had ended, so Li Yuan equipped the Iron Ox Technique again and unequipped the Nurturing Origin Technique.

Li Yuan did not intend to use the Origin Condensation Art. He was only somewhat proficient with it now, and he feared making a mistake.

With three traits to support him, Li Yuan was confident he could break through without the Origin Condensation Art.

Li Yuan gathered his thoughts and pressed down all distractions.

He would cultivate first.

Li Yuan sat cross-legged and circulated the Spirit Guiding Art.

Spirit qi surged into his meridians, pure as water, while his circulations spun at high speed. With every cycle, the spiritual power in his Dantian was refined again and again, grinding away the last traces of minute impurities bit by bit.

That afternoon, Li Yuan made a trip to the market district.

He went to the Management Office to register his patrol record and collect his subsidy.

Then he stopped by Old Sun's stall and handed over several stalks of Green Jade Grass and a bundle of Red Root Vine that he had casually gathered during patrols.

Old Sun bought the herbs at the proper price and gave him an extra Fiend Essence Pill.

After returning to his residence, Li Yuan did not delay. He swallowed the Fiend Essence Pill and continued cultivating.

The medicinal power exploded, and scorching energy surged through his meridians. Spirit Qi Filtration intercepted most of the fiend qi, while Viscera Strengthening easily dispelled what remained as it passed through his internal organs.

Under the medicine's impetus, the spiritual power in his Dantian rose by another sliver.

That night, Li Yuan sat cross-legged on his bed and circulated the Spirit Guiding Art.

The spiritual power in his Dantian was heavy and full, like a sponge soaked through with water, unable to take in even the slightest bit more.

The barrier was right there, only a thin layer.

Li Yuan could sense its texture—it was far more fragile than the barrier he had faced when breaking from Qi Refining Third Level to Qi Refining, Fourth Layer.

His condition was excellent. His meridians were not fatigued, his internal organs were steady, his qi and blood were full, and his mind was sharp.

It was time.

Li Yuan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and steadied his breathing.

His breaths slowed, leveled out, and became even as his awareness gathered at his Dantian.

The saturated spiritual power lay quietly dormant at the center of his Dantian, pure and condensed, with a density far beyond those at the same level.

The barrier lay just beyond the edge of that spiritual power, close enough to touch.

With a thought, Li Yuan circulated the Spirit Guiding Art.

The spiritual power in his Dantian was like a clenched fist, forcefully expanding outward as it crashed into the barrier.

The instant his spiritual power struck the barrier, Li Yuan felt an extremely faint crack.

It was not a sound, but a sensation.

The barrier shattered cleanly before his spiritual power.

Just as when he had broken through to Qi Refining, Fourth Layer, the barrier offered almost no obstruction.

The density and impact force of his spiritual power far exceeded the barrier's limit. Like thin ice struck by an iron hammer, the entire barrier collapsed in an instant.

At the same time, the spirit qi outside surged madly into his body.

Spirit Qi Filtration activated automatically, stripping away every impurity from the incoming spirit qi. Only pure spirit qi flowed through his meridians into his Dantian. Circulation Acceleration drove his spiritual power into rapid motion, merging the newly arrived spirit qi into his Dantian at an astonishing speed.

His Dantian expanded, and the total amount of spiritual power within it soared.

Only after some time did the influx of spirit qi gradually slow.

The spiritual power in his Dantian slowly settled from its turbulent state, becoming stable and weighty, like a pool of still water with no visible bottom.

The total amount of his spiritual power had surged by nearly fifty percent compared to before the breakthrough.

When circulated, it was thick and powerful. The flow of spiritual power through his meridians was more than a level faster than it had been at Qi Refining, Fourth Layer, and every strand was solid and heavy.

Li Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

He was drenched from head to toe, his Patrol Uniform plastered against his body as his Clean Physique gradually removed the sweat stains.

His breathing shifted from ragged to deep and steady, the rise and fall of his chest slowly easing.

The panel appeared.

[Current realm: Qi Refining Fifth Layer]

Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

Li Yuan clenched his fist.

The instant his knuckles tightened, spiritual power naturally flowed into his finger joints and wrist bones, full and solid.

Compared to Qi Refining, Fourth Layer, the most obvious change besides the total amount of spiritual power was its texture.

Every strand of spiritual power was heavier, denser, and more obedient than before.

The moment he thought of mobilizing his spiritual power, it had already reached his fingertips. Its response speed had increased by another measure.

Li Yuan rose to his feet and stretched his limbs.

His muscles and bones were not sore, his meridians were not fatigued, and his internal organs remained steady.

The violent wash of spiritual power during the breakthrough had caused no harm under the dual protection of Viscera Strengthening and Scale Armor Protection.

The sky outside the window had yet to brighten. There was still some time before dawn.

Li Yuan sat cross-legged on the bed again and circulated the Spirit Guiding Art.

His newly broken-through Dantian was still far from full, and every circulation brought a considerable increase in spiritual power. Spirit qi surged into his meridians, pure and swift, then settled heavily into his Dantian.

The effects of Spirit Qi Condensation continued to operate, automatically compressing every new strand of spiritual power another layer.

His cultivation efficiency had risen considerably compared to when he was at Qi Refining, Fourth Layer.

Li Yuan did not finish cultivating until the sky was fully bright.

He pushed open the wooden door, and the morning breeze blew into his face. His clothes were spotless.

They would depart tomorrow.