Breakthrough to Qi Refining Second Layer

"What dense spiritual energy!"

Upon entering the Ziyuan Secret Realm, Chen Changming was stunned.

He found himself in a small, verdant world. In the distance, rolling mountains stretched out, while nearby lay lush meadows and winding rivers. High above, a brilliant sun shone down from a cloudless sky, but what truly shocked him was the sheer density of the spiritual energy here.

It was countless times richer than the spirit rice valleys of the Lingxiao Sect.

"Little brother, many sects possess places with dense spiritual energy similar to this one. Are you unaware of this?"

Looking at the youth before him, the young man said with an amused smile.

"I have never heard of such a thing."

Chen Changming felt embarrassed.

There was no helping it; he was merely a menial disciple of the Lingxiao Sect, without backing or connections. How could he possibly know that such wondrous places existed within the sect's domain?

"It matters not. If you have the skill to hasten the maturation of the medicinal fields here, our Young Lady will certainly not treat you unfairly," the young man said, patting his chest.

"Fellow Daoist, why did the Young Lady not enter herself?"

Chen Changming looked back and asked in a low voice.

"This secret realm is dilapidated. If a Foundation Establishment cultivator were to enter, it would collapse, and the medicinal fields would be destroyed in an instant," the young man sighed. "Only cultivators at the Qi Refining Realm may enter."

"So that is how it is."

Chen Changming's expression cleared. He then followed the young man over mountains and ridges, heading deeper into the realm.

Along the way, he saw many ruins, and even scattered bones and fragments of weapons and magical treasures.

"A great battle once took place here," the young man remarked.

Chen Changming nodded. He did not ask further; after all, this was the territory of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, and having sworn an oath not to divulge its secrets, he had no desire to know too much.

Half an hour later, the two arrived at a valley shrouded in a faint mist.

To Chen Changming's surprise, there were dozens of Qi Refining Realm cultivators stationed around the valley, positioned in such a way that the medicinal fields were guarded airtight.

A rich, medicinal fragrance wafted out. Chen Changming took a breath, and his spirit instantly lifted; his very organs seemed to come alive.

The young man led him into the valley and stopped before a plot of land. Pointing at it, he said, "This is the medicinal field. Please, Fellow Daoist, cast the Cloud Rain Art to irrigate the herbs."

Chen Changming nodded.

This field spanned forty to fifty mu, planted with various herbs of different colors, none of which he could identify.

"Cloud Rain Art!"

Chen Changming rapidly formed the hand seals.

A fierce wind whipped up as a cloud ten mu in size appeared out of thin air. Immediately, fine threads of rain descended from the sky, falling into the medicinal field.

Seeing a first-level Qi Refining youth capable of casting the Cloud Rain Art on such a scale, the young man nodded in secret approval. He reached out to catch some of the rain, and after sensing it, he was quite shocked.

Indeed, the person the Young Lady hired was different.

After casting the Cloud Rain Art five times in succession, Chen Changming finished irrigating the field.

As the various spirit herbs absorbed the rain, they began to grow slowly. Although the speed was not rapid, it was still visible to the naked eye.

"Impressive..."

The young man exclaimed in admiration, and the other guards cast looks of respect toward Chen Changming.

"It is done. Let us go; I shall return in three days," Chen Changming said, withdrawing his hands and smiling at the young man.

He had no interest in the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion's medicinal fields. Firstly, he knew nothing of spirit herbs, and secondly, he knew his own limitations.

The young man led him out of the Ziyuan Secret Realm.

"How did it go?"

Upon seeing them emerge, the woman in white asked with a hint of nervousness.

The young man bowed and said, "It was a success, Young Lady. The growth rate of the various spirit herbs has accelerated."

"Good, very good..."

The woman in white smiled, her gaze toward Chen Changming shifting.

This menial disciple of the Lingxiao Sect had truly not disappointed her. Despite his low cultivation, he possessed a genuine talent for the Cloud Rain Art.

Under normal circumstances, this medicinal field would have taken three years to mature. With the growth rate accelerated, it would be ready in just over a year.

Once they matured, they would be put to great use.

With the two nations currently at war, the demand for medicinal pills was immense. If the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion could release a batch of high-quality pills, they would naturally be snatched up by cultivators from both sides.

By then, the profits would multiply several times over.

Therefore, hiring this handyman disciple from the Lingxiao Sect for one hundred Spirit Gathering Pills a month was a negligible expense for them.

As for Low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills, the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion had plenty to spare.

Stepping back onto the black giant eagle, the woman in white flew Chen Changming directly back to a valley on the outskirts of the Lingxiao Sect, where the two agreed to meet again in three days.

Chen Changming returned to the spirit rice cultivation valley and made his way up to the mountainside.

To his surprise, the mountainside was completely deserted; not a single handyman disciple was to be seen.

A man hurried down from the mountaintop, and when Chen Changming looked up, he realized it was Pi Dong, a senior brother he hadn't seen in a long time.

Seeing someone standing by the path, Pi Dong stopped in his tracks and exclaimed, "Oh? Junior Brother Chen, you've arrived?"

"Yes, I'm here to tend to the spirit rice on the mountainside."

Chen Changming nodded with a smile, then looked at the flustered Pi Dong and asked, "Where are you heading in such a rush, Senior Brother?"

"Fleeing for my life."

Pi Dong sighed, his face pale with lingering fear. "I heard that the cultivation sects of our Yue Kingdom are retreating steadily. I'm afraid that even handyman disciples with our level of cultivation will be sent to the front lines as cannon fodder..."

He paused, then tugged at the youth's sleeve. "Junior Brother Chen, you should make plans early too. How about this—come flee with me!"

Flee together?

Chen Changming was stunned for a moment.

Was the Yue Kingdom really so fragile?

Would the Lingxiao Sect truly send a disciple at the first level of Qi Refining like him to the battlefield?

"Forget it, I think I'll just keep farming. With so many spirit fields, I might have a good harvest..."

After a moment's thought, Chen Changming shook his head and refused.

"Suit yourself, then."

Pi Dong sighed helplessly.

"How many senior brothers are left on the mountaintop?" Chen Changming asked.

"They've all run off."

Pi Dong let out a long sigh. "When disaster strikes, everyone flies their own way. Besides, we handyman disciples aren't exactly valued by the sect; it's not worth losing our lives farming here..."

With that, he patted Chen Changming on the shoulder and hurried down the mountain.

Chen Changming watched Pi Dong's retreating figure, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes.

If a man takes no thought about what is distant, he will find sorrow near at hand. It seemed he needed to make plans early; he absolutely could not end up as cannon fodder.

"Fortunately, I meet with the young lady from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion every three days. I can ask her about the war between the two kingdoms then. I trust she won't let me be sent to the battlefield by the sect before the medicinal herbs have matured..."

Chen Changming said slowly, his heart gradually settling.

He had finally managed to secure a favorable situation for himself in the Lingxiao Sect. With a steady supply of Spirit Gathering Pills and no one left to farm the spirit rice on the mountainside and the mountaintop, all these resources would fall into his hands.

He made a trip to the mountaintop to tally the number of spirit fields.

There were two hundred and ten mu on the mountainside and one hundred and twenty mu on the mountaintop.

Since the mountaintop was now deserted, Chen Changming wasn't sure which fields yielded four harvests a year and which yielded three; he would have to figure that out through trial and error later.

Chen Changming began watering and weeding the spirit fields on the mountaintop.

Aside from the portion of spirit rice to be handed over to the sect, he planned to plant the remaining fields entirely with Mid-grade Spirit Rice.

It took three days of hard work to finish watering and weeding the mountaintop and mountainside, which left Chen Changming utterly exhausted.

However, he was filled with immense joy.

With this vast resource of spirit rice, his cultivation speed would improve rapidly.

During these three days, he consumed three to four Spirit Gathering Pills daily to constantly boost his cultivation. When weeding, he didn't use the Spirit Finger Flick, but instead practiced the Five Tigers Soul-Severing Blade, hoping to strengthen this blade technique as soon as possible.

"It's getting late."

Glancing at the sky, Chen Changming, having recovered his spiritual energy, walked out of the Lingxiao Sect and arrived at the valley.

A giant black eagle and a graceful figure in white were already waiting there.

"My apologies, I'm a little late..."

Chen Changming said apologetically.

"Let's go."

The woman in white smiled faintly and gestured for him to board with one hand.

After finishing the irrigation, Chen Changming returned to the Lingxiao Sect.

The spirit rice on the mountaintop didn't need watering for the time being, so he found a courtyard on the peak and began to cultivate in seclusion.

And so, day after day, Chen Changming shuttled back and forth between the medicinal fields and the spirit fields, while his cultivation level rose rapidly.

A month and a half later.

Chen Changming broke through to the second level of Qi Refining!

"It was far from easy. If not for the Spirit Gathering Pill and the Evergreen Art after being reinforced three times, it would have been as difficult as ascending to heaven for me to break through to the second level of Qi Refining..."

Chen Changming opened his eyes and gave a faint, bitter smile.

The more he progressed in his cultivation, the more he could feel the terrifying extent of the trash-tier aptitude that was the Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root.