Qi Refining Fifth Level

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

"The notice is out."

He Shou's tone was several degrees heavier than usual. In his hand, he held a document stamped with the Wang Family seal.

"The day after tomorrow, we're following the troops into the Yuanheng Mountains."

Li Yuan took the document and glanced over it.

The contents were brief—the Guard Squad would draw three patrol teams to form a joint force with Wang Family members, entering the outskirts of the Yuanheng Mountains for a clearing operation. The Guard Squad captain would lead the team, accompanied by two Wang Family cultivators.

"The Guard Squad captain is leading personally?"

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

"With Captain Wang and those other two Wang Family members, the top-end combat strength should be enough. We're just there to work alongside them."

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 encounter many Demonic Beasts."

He Shou rolled his neck.

"What about us?"

"No idea. The specifics weren't stated."

He Shou paused, then added,

"No patrols for the next two days. The higher-ups want everyone involved in the operation to rest and prepare in the market town. If there's anything you need to buy, get it done these next two days."

With that, He Shou left.

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

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

There was no need to mention the dangers of the Yuanheng Mountains. Even with a Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement captain and Wang Family cultivators holding down the fort, the patrol team might not all return in one piece.

His cultivation was currently stuck at the peak of the Qi Refining, Fourth Layer. Beyond that lay the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

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

His spirit qi had long since reached saturation, and its purity had been tempered to the limit.

Unlike when he had broken through to the Qi Refining, Fourth Layer, Li Yuan now had an additional affix—Spirit Qi Condensation. He currently had no fewer than three affixes aiding his breakthrough.

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

Meanwhile, Viscera Strengthening would reduce the damage to his internal organs during the breakthrough. The cooldown for the Iron Ox Technique had ended, so Li Yuan equipped the Iron Ox Technique again and removed the Nurturing Origin Technique.

Li Yuan did not intend to use the Origin Condensation Art. He was only slightly proficient with it now, and he feared something might go wrong.

With three affixes supporting him, Li Yuan was confident he could break through without the Origin Condensation Art.

Li Yuan gathered his thoughts and suppressed every stray distraction.

He would cultivate first.

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

Spirit qi poured into his meridians, pure as water, while his circulation spun at high speed. With each circulation, the spirit qi in his dantian was tempered over and over, grinding away the last traces of minute impurities bit by bit.

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

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

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

Old Sun bought the herbs at their 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, scorching energy surging through his meridians. Spirit Qi Filtration intercepted most of the Fiend Qi, while Viscera Strengthening easily neutralized what remained as it swept past his internal organs.

Under the medicine's stimulation, the spirit qi in his dantian rose by another thread.

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

The spirit qi in his dantian felt heavy and full, like a sponge soaked through with water, unable to take in even another drop.

The barrier was there, only a thin layer.

Li Yuan could sense its texture—it was far more fragile than the one separating the Qi Refining Third Level from the fourth.

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 and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

His breaths slowed, evened out, and grew steady as his awareness drew inward toward his dantian.

The saturated spirit qi lay quietly dormant in the center of his dantian, pure and condensed, its density far surpassing that of cultivators at the same level.

The barrier lay just beyond the edge of his spirit qi, within arm's reach.

With a thought from Li Yuan, he activated the Spirit Guiding Art.

The spirit qi in his dantian became like a tightly clenched fist, forcefully expanding outward and slamming into the barrier.

The instant his spirit qi struck the barrier, Li Yuan sensed an extraordinarily faint crack.

It was not a sound, but a sensation.

Before his spirit qi, the barrier shattered cleanly and completely.

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

The density and impact of his spirit qi far exceeded what the barrier could bear. Like thin ice smashed by an iron hammer, the entire barrier collapsed in an instant.

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

Spirit Qi Filtration activated automatically, stripping all impurities from the incoming spirit qi. Only pure spirit qi flowed through his meridians into his dantian. Circulation Acceleration drove his spirit qi through rapid cycles, merging the newly arrived spirit qi into his dantian at tremendous speed.

His dantian was expanding, and the total amount of spirit qi was soaring.

Only after a while did the incoming spirit qi gradually begin to slow.

The churning spirit qi in his dantian slowly settled, becoming calm and weighty, like a still pool whose depths could not be seen.

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

When circulated, it was deep and powerful. The flow of spirit qi through his meridians was more than a full tier faster than at the Qi Refining, Fourth Layer, and every strand was solid and heavy.

Li Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

His entire body was drenched. His Patrol Uniform clung tightly to him as Clean Physique erased the sweat stains bit by bit.

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

The Panel appeared.

[Current Realm: Qi Refining Fifth Level]

Qi Refining Fifth Level.

Li Yuan clenched his fist.

The moment his knuckles tightened, spirit qi naturally flowed into his finger joints and wrist bones, full and condensed.

Compared to the Qi Refining, Fourth Layer, the most obvious change aside from the total amount of spirit qi was its texture.

Every strand of spirit qi was heavier, denser, and more obedient than before.

The instant the thought of mobilizing spirit qi arose, it had already reached his fingertips. Its response speed had increased by another measure.

Li Yuan stood and stretched his limbs.

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

The violent scouring of spirit qi during the breakthrough had caused no injury at all under the dual protection of Viscera Strengthening and Scale Armor Protection.

The sky outside the window was still dark. There was yet some time before dawn.

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

His newly broken-through dantian was still far from full, and every circulation brought substantial growth in spirit qi. Spirit qi poured into his meridians—pure and swift—then settled heavily into his dantian.

Spirit Qi Condensation continued to work, automatically compressing every newly added strand of spirit qi by another layer.

His cultivation efficiency had risen considerably from when he was at the 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.