Qi Refining, Sixth Layer

Today, Ye Xinghe was unusually dressed in a Daoist robe, as though he had just finished meditating.

When Xu Xiuqing saw Ye Xinghe emerge, she hurried three steps forward.

"Senior Ye, I beg you—please save my father!"

Although Xu Xiuqing knew that the Mo Family was now organizing the Evil-Slaying Alliance, before their true interests were involved, the four great families and the Purple Mansion families were all thunder without rain.

Especially since Taiyi Sect had recently gathered quite a few alchemists and artifact refiners. It was clear that war was about to begin.

At a time like this, the four great families were even less likely to make a move.

Most importantly, evil cultivators were notorious for possessing little of value. Even if they did have something, it would be useless to righteous-path cultivators.

The major families were even more unwilling to act at such a time.

Even the Ye Family likely would not have shown up at all if she had not revealed the news of the spirit stone mine.

"Your father and I have quite some ties between us, so naturally I will not ignore this matter. However, he has been afflicted with the Blood Heart Curse by an evil cultivator. You must prepare yourself in advance as well," Ye Xinghe said, still unwilling to promise too much.

Though these evil cultivators had been targeting Rogue Cultivators, so their strength surely could not be too frightening, the Ye Family could not truly stake everything on a spirit stone mine.

That was only because Ye Xinghe knew the Xu Family father and daughter inside out. Had it been other cultivators, the matter would have been handled differently.

"As long as the Ye Family's seniors are willing to act, this junior wishes to take part as well. I will simply do my utmost!" Xu Xiuqing said.

Only then did Ye Xinghe nod and finally agree.

He told Xu Xiuqing to return and await word. Ye Xinghe then left the shop, clearly intending to send a voice transmission to the family.

Besides that, he still needed to seek out the Mo Family and state that a Ye Family cultivator had also fallen into the hands of Rogue Cultivators, urging them to intensify their extermination of evil cultivators.

Yet the outcome was already destined.

By the time Ye Xinghe returned, it was already midnight. Beneath the bright moon and sparse stars, Taihang Marketplace seemed even cooler and more desolate.

Ye Jingcheng returned to his room. The next moment, the Crimson Flame Fox pounced down from the stone table.

It leaped toward Ye Jingcheng, crying out excitedly.

Its little tongue continuously licked Ye Jingcheng's palm.

Ye Jingcheng understood what the Crimson Flame Fox wanted. It was asking for credit.

Naturally, he was happy as well. He simply opened up the spiritual radiance of the treasure book to the Crimson Flame Fox, then took out three full Spirit Feeding Pills and a large amount of spirit beast meat!

The spirit stones spent on this single meal came close to ten. Under normal circumstances, he would never have been so extravagant.

But the Crimson Flame Fox's breakthrough had come at an exceptionally timely moment.

The Ye Family had agreed to help the Xu Family. If he wanted the Golden-Scaled Beast, he naturally had to follow them.

With the family beside him, he felt quite secure, but doing everything possible to raise his cultivation was also something he needed to do.

The Crimson Flame Fox ate with unusually loud smacking sounds. In the past, it had always been extremely ladylike, but after breaking through today, it was severely lacking in spiritual energy, which was why it had let itself go so completely.

Ye Jingcheng looked at the Crimson Flame Fox's brow. The flame pattern there had become even clearer.

When he stroked it, it felt slightly scorching, like a red-hot branding iron.

"Li li!" The Crimson Flame Fox raised its head, bared its sharp teeth as it swallowed the spirit beast meat, and began crying out again.

"You can release an even larger fireball?" Ye Jingcheng was overjoyed.

His blood contract with the Crimson Flame Fox had been formed through the treasure book, so he clearly understood the thought it was conveying to him.

And a larger fireball—wasn't that the Greater Fireball Art? That was a first-rank top-grade spell!

The Crimson Flame Fox truly was a gifted spirit beast. At the middle stage of first rank, it could cast the first-rank late-stage Chain Fireball Art. At the late stage of first rank, it could cast the Greater Fireball Art!

And only a little over two years had passed.

Ye Jingcheng suppressed his excitement. After the Crimson Flame Fox's breakthrough, his Beast-Link Mark could finally begin operating as well.

His cultivation, which had remained stagnant for so long, might finally improve too.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!" The Jade Ring Rat beside them was squeaking as well. The Crimson Flame Fox was eating to its heart's content, but listening from the side left the Jade Ring Rat looking somewhat miserable.

Beast tamers might be formidable, but the resources they consumed were beyond measure. Otherwise, the Ye Family would not have earned the reputation of being the poorest family.

Ye Jingcheng naturally set the Jade Ring Rat aside for now. These were extraordinary times. To keep raising these spirit beasts, he needed to break through to the sixth layer of Qi Refining as soon as possible, and become a first-rank high-grade alchemist as soon as possible.

Otherwise, even if he obtained the Golden-Scaled Beast, he would not be able to afford to raise it.

After the Crimson Flame Fox had completely digested all the spirit food, Ye Jingcheng deliberately took out a small bottle of spirit water.

This spirit water was not like the mountain spring water tainted with spiritual energy from last time. A small bottle cost several spirit stones. Even for the Crimson Flame Fox, Ye Jingcheng was only willing to take it out when it broke through.

After the Crimson Flame Fox drank the spirit water, Ye Jingcheng took out another two Spirit Feeding Pills for the Jade Ring Rat, then placed the latter into the spirit beast pouch.

Only then did he set the Crimson Flame Fox atop the stone table. The Beast-Link Mark on his left hand emerged as well.

At this moment, the Beast-Link Mark seemed even brighter.

Ye Jingcheng circulated the Ye Family's exclusive spirit art, and the Beast-Link Mark immediately seemed to come alive. The next moment, it sprang free of his body like a spirit serpent!

It shot toward the Crimson Flame Fox!

Sweat covered Ye Jingcheng's face, while his eyes were filled with solemn focus.

The Beast-Link Mark branded itself onto the Crimson Flame Fox's left forepaw, leaving behind a faint layer of the mark.

Ye Jingcheng's hand seals grew faster and faster. At that moment, countless rays of spiritual light surged forth and fell into the Beast-Link Mark.

The Crimson Flame Fox began to let out low growls as well!

After circulating for half an hour, the Beast-Link Mark finally transformed into a spirit pattern and dissipated into the air, only to reappear in Ye Jingcheng's hand!

However, the Beast-Link Mark was now only half its former size.

The other half had clearly settled onto the Crimson Flame Fox's body!

In the next instant, a scorching, dense fire-attributed spiritual energy poured out from the spirit pattern and swiftly rushed toward every meridian in Ye Jingcheng's body!

Ye Jingcheng hurriedly sat down on the stone bed, closed his eyes, and quietly cultivated the Parting Fire Art!

A red glow began to blanket the surface of his body. Clearly, the Crimson Flame Fox's spiritual power was several grades higher than his own, and through this assimilation, it increased his spiritual energy at every moment.

This time, Ye Jingcheng did not even have time to rejoice. The spiritual energy exchange effect of the Beast-Link Mark quickly immersed him within it, and his cultivation visibly rose!

He remained in seclusion for two full days. On the third day, Ye Jingcheng took out another Azure Spirit Pill and swallowed it.

By the fourth day, Ye Jingcheng felt the heat throughout his body intensify further, while faint ripples spread outward!

Ye Jingcheng exhaled a mouthful of turbid air.

He opened his eyes, which were filled with delight. Even now, he found it somewhat hard to believe. It had taken him four or five years to break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining, yet now, after just over a year, he had broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refining!

But he also knew that this was the first time he had used the Beast-Link Mark. Unless he later contracted a spirit beast even more powerful than the Crimson Flame Fox, his cultivation speed would not continue to soar by leaps and bounds.

Still, Ye Jingcheng sensed it slightly and discovered that even after the first-time effect was gone, the next several uses could raise his spiritual roots by another grade!

After all, when he had previously refined the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, it had been his four spiritual roots doing the refining—inefficient and slow.

But now, the Crimson Flame Fox refined it once first before sending it into his body. Both the speed and quality were worlds apart!