Third Stage

This woman possessed an extremely yin meridian and carried the Primordial Yin Treasure Jade, while this underground place was rich in yin energy.

Cultivating here was simply advancing a thousand miles in a day.

Surging currents of energy came rushing in like mighty rivers. Xu Yan sensed that the seventh bottleneck of Qin Yiren's Spirit Meridian had already loosened considerably. She only needed to enter seclusion for a day or two before naturally advancing to the Seventh Pulse Opening Stage.

"With this item on her, she's like a tiger that has grown wings."

Xu Yan gave it little thought.

He, too, planned to try entering seclusion and see whether he could use this opportunity to break through. He took out two array discs from his Qiankun Bag and set them at the main entrance and exit of the small hall.

Then Xu Yan paced toward the spirit pool.

The spirit pool was roughly thirty meters wide. Qin Yiren leaned against the edge at the far end, while Xu Yan sat cross-legged directly opposite her. The spirit pool water, refined from the essence of the earth, submerged half his body.

That chilly sensation made Xu Yan's Dao body incomparably comfortable, and even his divine sense instantly became far clearer.

Xu Yan let out a long breath, calmed his mind, and quietly circulated the Eight-Nine Profound Art.

The dense Mystic Qi within the pool surged toward him, absorbed into his Dao body and coursing through the crisscrossing meridians. Within the turbid meridians of the main channels, the Mystic Qi was especially vast.

The two sections of bottleneck meridians he had already opened were crystalline and translucent, like dark jade.

Xu Yan gathered the Mystic Qi throughout his body. His blood and qi faintly boiled as he quietly struck at the third bottleneck, Zhongque Pass, cleansing his Dao body and shedding layer after layer of mortal impurities.

The energy refined from the essence of the earth was initially icy, yet after entering his body, it carried threads of warmth. From the meridians throughout his body, it affected his Niwan Palace as well, making one feel refreshed and relaxed, as though soaring from the earth to ascend.

In this way, he cultivated for a day and a half.

The spirit pool water had already fallen by half.

Qin Yiren, directly opposite him, suddenly opened her eyes. Her silver robe stirred without wind, clear and ethereal moonlight qi winding around her body. Her cultivation had improved enormously, and she seemed even more detached from the mortal world than before.

Her injuries had also fully recovered, and her aura was vast and imposing.

The Seventh Pulse Opening Stage—the same cultivation as Huangfu Ziyang. Yet their temperaments were worlds apart, and Qin Yiren's cultivation seemed far more profound.

Upon opening her eyes, Qin Yiren happened to see Xu Yan opposite her. Her gaze trembled, and she immediately rose to her feet.

Though they had been cultivating, men and women were still different. Sharing the same pool made Qin Yiren feel somewhat awkward, so she immediately flew away.

She did not disturb Xu Yan, merely standing quietly to one side.

"For a Rogue Cultivator to reach such a realm, it must not have been easy..."

Qin Yiren's thoughts wandered.

Only Xu Yan remained in the pool. The Eight-Nine Profound Art circulated even more recklessly, and rumbling sounds came from within his body.

Zhongque Pass was quietly loosening.

Half a day later, the spirit pool here had nearly been completely refined. The Primordial Chaos Mana within Xu Yan's body suddenly began to howl, while the energy of heaven and earth from all directions gathered into a massive torrent, rushing toward him like a waterfall as he devoured it in great gulps!

Thunderous explosions rang incessantly through the meridians of his Dao body, rapid and frequent.

After half an incense stick's time, as the final great boom sounded, Xu Yan opened his eyes. The force of his blood, qi, and Mystic Qi coiled around his body, Primordial Chaos Mana spreading through his surroundings with incomparable dominance.

As naturally as water flowed into a channel, he broke through to the Third Pulse Opening Stage.

Seeing this, Qin Yiren said lightly, "Brother Xu's method of Pulse Opening has some substance to it. Breaking barriers with sheer force is truly rare."

"I am but a Rogue Cultivator. This method was bestowed by a Dharma King of the Divine Sect. Without the Dharma King's guidance that day, Xu Yan would have found it difficult to achieve anything." Xu Yan spoke casually as he rose from the pool.

After reaching the Third Pulse Opening Stage, his divine sense, physical body, and Mystic Qi had all improved significantly.

Xu Yan sensed that his divine sense could now extend seventy zhang. The strength of his body rivaled a fierce tiger descending the mountain, though compared to those Demon Race disciples, he still came up short in every direction.

The most valuable aspect of the Eight-Nine Profound Art was that it cultivated body and qi together. Of course, only with the support of a Primordial Spirit Vein like Xu Yan's could this art fully display its power.

The two exchanged a glance and said nothing more.

For now, they still needed to find a way out as quickly as possible.

Xu Yan calculated the days. Sixteen days had passed since the Immortal Treasury opened, yet they had not even traveled ten thousand li within it. They had to hurry.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, let's go."

Xu Yan put away the array discs and spoke.

After passing through this small hall, the path ahead became much clearer.

There was only one path, seemingly with a slight incline, leading upward all the way.

Their field of vision gradually widened. There were many underground rivers here, countless bones lying about, and rustling sounds coming from the damp soil.

When Xu Yan swept out with his divine sense, he found them to be grotesque venomous insects, snakes, and ants.

After less than half a day, they had traveled more than three hundred li before reaching the exit.

Outside, dim sunlight spilled down.

The two exchanged a look and, with perfect understanding, summoned their magic artifacts. Xu Yan shook his Green Pattern Sword, which could now split into twelve blades. They unfolded like a fan, barring the way before them.

Qin Yiren beside him also held her sword case, ready to fire her domineering Yin Needles at any moment.

As they walked carefully, Qin Yiren said, "Brother Xu, once we leave, let us part ways."

Hearing this, Xu Yan smiled casually and teased, "Fellow Daoist Qin, wouldn't it be good to act together? Are you afraid I'll hold you back?"

After spending these past few days together, they had become more familiar and were no longer so distant. With a prodigy at the Seventh Pulse Opening Stage by his side, Xu Yan could avoid many dangers. He did not wish to separate from her, so he asked bluntly.

"No!"

A rare trace of urgency appeared on Qin Yiren's cool face. She shook her head and said, "I was previously hunted by some people of unknown origin. They act strangely and never fight face-to-face. Every time, they launch sneak attacks from the shadows. If Fellow Daoist Xu travels with me, I fear you will be dragged into trouble."

"Hunted?"

Xu Yan frowned. As far as he knew, Qin Yiren had no enemies in Tiandu Immortal City with blood-deep grudges, and they were within the Immortal Treasury. Every cultivator was thinking only of how to leave the Immortal Treasury as quickly as possible. Why would anyone hunt another person for no reason?

"They are coming for me," Qin Yiren said solemnly.

She had always acted cautiously. From Tiandu Immortal City to the Dragon Spine Mountain Range, she had offended no one along the way. Why, after entering the Immortal Treasury, had someone inexplicably set their sights on her?

Xu Yan seemed thoughtful, recalling the Primordial Yin Treasure Jade and the stall owner who had been dismembered at the Immortal Inn.

Could it be people from the Immortal Jade Sect?

Xu Yan asked, "Fellow Daoist Qin, was the jade pendant you used for cultivation before purchased from the Langya Treasure Pavilion?"

Qin Yiren stopped walking.

By then, the two had reached the mouth of the cave. Sensing that no living creatures lay in ambush outside, they put away their magic artifacts.

"What? Is there something suspicious about this item?"

Qin Yiren frowned.

When she had gone to buy it from the Langya Treasure Pavilion, the people there told her that wearing the jade would benefit the cultivation of those with yin-aspected Spirit Meridians. She had tried it and found the results extraordinary, so she bought it for eight hundred high-grade spirit stones.

"This item is called the Primordial Yin Treasure Jade. I was the one who sold it to the Langya Treasure Pavilion. It originally belonged to a true disciple of the Immortal Jade Sect." Xu Yan added, "As for this thing, I had picked it up from a stall at the Immortal Inn. That stall owner has already been killed."