Breakthrough to Qi Refining Realm

"Is the new junior brother in?"

Chen Changming had just entered the room when he heard a voice calling from outside.

"I am."

His heart gave a sudden jolt. Chen Changming felt an instinctive sense of foreboding. He steeled himself and walked out the door, only to see a young, chubby man dressed in the robes of a servant, his round belly protruding as he waddled into the courtyard.

"Junior brother, let me introduce myself. My name is Pi Dong, and I've been in our Lingxiao Sect for ten years. I'm already at the second level of Qi Refining, and among us servant disciples, my Cloud Rain Art is second to none."

The fatty, Pi Dong, introduced himself the moment he arrived.

"Senior Brother Pi, I am Chen Changming."

Chen Changming stepped forward, cupped his hands, and got straight to the point: "Senior Brother, my few mu of spirit fields have already been watered."

"Already watered?"

Pi Dong paused, then said with a sour expression, "That bastard Li Zhi is certainly quick."

Seeing this Senior Brother Pi puffing up with indignation, Chen Changming stood to the side, smiling but saying nothing. It seemed the business of watering fields was highly sought after; some of the older servant disciples treated the newcomers like fattened pigs, extorting them mercilessly.

Pi Dong's eyes rolled as he had an idea: "Junior Brother Chen, I noticed just now that your spirit fields aren't growing well. It looks like there are pests at work. How about I help you exterminate them?"

Exterminate pests?

Chen Changming felt a headache coming on. This was yet another money-making scheme.

Thinking of his meager contribution points, which hadn't even arrived yet, being bled dry so soon, Chen Changming felt a pang of heartache. He shook his head with firm resolve: "No need, Senior Brother. They are just mere bugs; I can naturally handle them myself..."

"Heh, do you think these are worldly insects? The pests in these spirit fields are formidable; each one is comparable to a martial arts master. Junior brother, you must not be careless."

Pi Dong huffed twice, his gaze turning unfriendly.

The bugs in the fields were that strong?

As expected of a world of immortal cultivation; even the insects were completely different from those in the secular world.

At this moment, Chen Changming didn't hesitate for long. He made his choice in an instant and asked directly: "Senior Brother, what is the fee for pest extermination?"

"Five contribution points per session."

Pi Dong smiled: "If you book ten sessions, you get one free."

"Then let's start with one."

Chen Changming said, his heart aching.

"Haha, you're a straightforward one, Junior Brother. Let's see more of each other in the future."

Seeing that Chen Changming was easy to deal with, Pi Dong was in high spirits. He laughed as he walked out of the courtyard and headed straight for the spirit fields.

Chen Changming followed him.

He wanted to see how these Qi Refining cultivators went about exterminating pests.

Chi chi...

Pi Dong walked into the spirit field. Every time he spotted a bug, he would flick his finger, and a beam of light would shoot out, killing the pest instantly. The entire process was fluid and graceful, a truly pleasing sight that opened Chen Changming's eyes.

"Senior Brother, what technique is this?"

Chen Changming asked.

"Spirit Finger Flick."

Pi Dong didn't hide it and told him directly.

In truth, there was nothing to hide; it was a mandatory technique for every servant disciple responsible for tending spirit fields.

In less than the time it took to burn a stick of incense, Pi Dong finished the extermination and hurried away.

Back in his room, Chen Changming sighed. In such a short time, he had lost 10 contribution points, which filled him with a profound sense of crisis.

He had to break through to the Qi Refining realm as soon as possible so he could practice the Cloud Rain Art.

As for the Spirit Finger Flick, he would exchange for it once he had more contribution points later.

After flipping through the Evergreen Art for a while, Chen Changming secretly felt lucky. The technique was quite profound; if he hadn't had the foundation of the Spirit Armor Art, he would have truly struggled to comprehend it.

It took Chen Changming three days to grasp the first layer of the Evergreen Art. The technique was incomplete, consisting of only three layers in total, meaning it could only be cultivated up to the tenth level of Qi Refining and could not reach the Foundation Establishment realm.

Chen Changming didn't dwell on that and began to cultivate frantically.

Since he didn't need to tend to the spirit fields for the time being, he had at least a month to focus on the Evergreen Art.

Over the next month, Chen Changming ate only one meal a day and barely slept at night, spending all his time cultivating the Evergreen Art.

When he had circulated the Evergreen Art a hundred times, the strange phenomena reappeared on his body.

As the warm current and the sensation of thunder manifested one after another, Chen Changming's body shuddered violently, as if an electric current had been injected into him. Then, he heard a crisp cracking sound, and his aura surged upward.

"Qi Refining realm!"

Feeling the changes within his body, Chen Changming was both surprised and delighted. Through tireless cultivation, he had finally become a first-level Qi Refining cultivator, which meant he had officially stepped through the gates of immortal cultivation.

By this time, a month had already passed.

"My Evergreen Art has also undergone a transformation; it should be even stronger now."

Savoring the profound mysteries flooding his mind, Chen Changming spoke with a thoughtful expression.

Once the Evergreen Art grew stronger, his cultivation speed would inevitably increase as well.

"It seems these two moles on the soles of my feet are by no means ordinary..."

Chen Changming muttered to himself, then stepped down, took off his shoes, and cast a glance at the soles of his feet.

Each sole bore a mole the size of an egg. The moles, which had originally been pitch-black and lusterless, had changed just as they had the last time the youth observed them.

On the surface of the left mole, a white pattern resembling a coffin had appeared, while on the right, a red pattern resembling a woman's face had emerged.

The woman's face was faint and indistinct, not clearly defined.

What is this?

Chen Changming was somewhat startled; after staring for a few seconds, he felt dizzy and lightheaded, frightening him into quickly putting his shoes back on.

"Is Junior Brother Chen in?"

A somewhat familiar voice drifted from the courtyard gate.

It was Pi Dong!

Chen Changming knew nothing good would come of this, but he had no choice but to brace himself and walk out.

"I sensed spiritual energy fluctuations coming from your place while I was on the road, so I figured you must have had a breakthrough, Junior Brother Chen."

The moment Pi Dong saw Chen Changming, he smiled with exceptional radiance, as if he were looking at a fat sheep.

"You flatter me, Senior Brother."

Chen Changming said, feeling ashamed.

He possessed the worst aptitude among this batch of disciples and was likely the last one to achieve a breakthrough.

Pi Dong patted him on the shoulder and said with a serious expression, "Junior Brother Chen, I've heard that you have mixed five-element spiritual roots, which makes cultivation no easy task. How about this: I'll give you a ten percent discount on the watering and pest control?"

Ten percent off?

Chen Changming was speechless.

This guy was handling two jobs at once; even with a ten percent discount, it would still cost him nine contribution points for nothing.

"Senior Brother Pi, this junior brother is tight on funds. I'll handle the watering and pest control myself from now on," Chen Changming thought for a moment before refusing.

He refused to believe he couldn't master the Cloud Rain Art within a month. As for the pests, he was prepared to use his blade.

He was a Qi Refining cultivator now, and his proficient Five Tigers Soul-Severing Blade was certainly no pushover—could he not handle the pests in the spirit fields?

"Junior Brother, if you delay the growth of the spirit rice, I'm afraid you'll have plenty of reasons to cry later."

Pi Dong's gaze turned cold.

Chen Changming remained silent, not taking the bait.

A month ago, he was just an ignorant novice, but now he had broken through to the Qi Refining stage and officially stepped through the gates of immortality. From now on, there were many things he would have to do himself.

Chen Changming believed that with the aid of the anomalies within his body, as long as he survived this initial period of hardship, his accumulation would eventually lead to a breakthrough, and things would only get better from there.

If he could also enhance the Cloud Rain Art, the spirit fields would see a massive increase in yield, bringing him extra income. If word of his reputation spread, many would likely beg him to come and cast the Lesser Cloud Rain Formula to bring rain, and at that point, contribution points would flow in endlessly.

At the thought of this, Chen Changming grew excited—this was a lucrative business!