Qi Refining Realm

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Feature	Details
Name	Qi Refining Realm
Original Name	炼气
Type	Cultivation realm
Position	The first threshold into immortal cultivation, following the Body Tempering Realm 93
Succeeded By	Foundation Establishment Realm 102
First Appearance	Chapter 16

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Qi Refining Realm, Early Stage, First Layer	102, 131	Chen Huai'an opens his dantian's qi sea after using five sets of high-grade Five Elements Spirit Stones; his initial First-Layer status is confirmed before cultivating the Chaos Five Elements True Formula. The breakthrough alone costs the equivalent of 25,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones. 102 131
Qi Refining Realm, Early Stage, Second-Layer Peak	131	By converting ordinary Spirit Stones into Chaos True Qi through the Chaos Five Elements True Formula, Chen advances from First Layer to the Second-Layer Peak in less than a day. 131
Qi Refining Realm, Middle Stage, Fourth Layer	142	Chen consumes 500 High-Grade Spirit Stones over ten days, advancing directly from the Second-Layer Peak to the Fourth Layer. 142
Qi Refining Realm, Middle Stage, Fifth Layer, Mid-Stage	153	After refining twenty Supreme-grade Qi Refining Pills, Chen reaches the Fifth Layer's mid-stage; the pills provide diminishing returns because of his unusually heavy foundation. 153

Cultivation Mechanics

The Body Tempering Realm prepares a cultivator for Qi Refining by cleansing impurities and turning the body into a vessel. During meditation, a cultivator absorbs spiritual energy aligned with their Spiritual Root; once this power is vaporized and sufficiently fills the dantian, they can break through. 92

Qi Refining begins when the cultivator breaks their dantian's shackles and opens a qi sea, allowing spiritual qi to be stored within it. A more resilient dantian can form a larger qi sea and therefore hold greater power. 102

At this realm, spiritual energy is progressively transformed into mana. Reaching the late stage requires continuously tempering that energy until it becomes vapor and fills the dantian. 105

Spiritual Root Affinity

A cultivator's Spiritual Root determines which elemental spiritual energy they naturally attract and cultivate most easily. 59 92

• Single- and dual-root cultivators can generally progress using ordinary Spirit Stones and suitable cultivation arts. 91 105
• Five-Element Spiritual Root cultivators must balance metal, wood, water, fire, and earth spiritual power before advancing safely. Uneven elemental growth can destabilize the dantian and obstruct a breakthrough. 91 92
• The Five Elements Qi Refining Formula requires harmonizing all five elements and has exceptionally high resource demands; the formula is considered a dead end by many Qingyun Sect disciples because it lacks later Foundation Establishment and Golden Core portions. 100 101
• The Chaos Five Elements True Formula converts Five-Elements Force into Chaos True Qi, allowing its user to evolve different elemental spiritual powers without separately cultivating each element. 130 131

Resource Requirements

Qi Refining cultivation is heavily dependent on resources, and advancement slows sharply after entering the realm. Outer Sect disciples may go years or even more than a decade without advancing a single layer. 102

• Spirit Stones, spirit grain, demonic beast meat, spirit bird meat, pills, and elemental materials can all supply cultivation energy. 102
• Ordinary Spirit Stones are inefficient for practitioners of the Five Elements Qi Refining Formula; Five Elements Spirit Stones provide much better results. 105
• Attribute Spirit Stones are expensive: one Low-Grade attribute stone is valued at roughly ten ordinary Low-Grade Spirit Stones. 91 130
• High-quality pills become increasingly valuable at higher levels, though even Supreme-grade Qi Refining Pills may offer limited gains to cultivators with exceptionally heavy foundations. 152 153

Abilities & Skills

Spellcasting and Mana

Qi Refining Realm combat centers on mana and spells rather than the close-quarters fighting typical of the Body Tempering Realm. Spiritual energy is guided by Divine Sense to activate techniques and attack from range. 47 105

• Spells can be used to temper a cultivator's mana while increasing combat power. 105
• The Five Elements Basic Spells include offensive, defensive, movement, concealment, and healing applications across all five elements. 109
• Mana and spell variety can allow a lower-ranked cultivator to defeat an opponent with a higher realm or superior equipment through tactics. 111 138

Spirit Weapon Use

Spirit weapons are used by low-level cultivators, but their full power generally requires Qi Refining Realm spiritual power. 59

• A spirit weapon performs best when infused with spiritual power matching its elemental attribute. 59
• Using mismatched or no spiritual power reduces a weapon's effectiveness and may damage it. 59
• Talismans and magical artifacts can substantially influence combat strength, meaning cultivation level alone does not determine victory. 81

Sword Flight

Qi Refining Realm immortal masters can ride swords through the air, allowing them to explore deeper and more dangerous regions than Body Tempering cultivators. 82

• Sword flight requires a suitable technique such as the Sword-Controlling Formula. 87
• A Qi Refining Realm expert without the Sword-Controlling Formula may still possess exceptional ground speed but cannot fly on a sword. 91

Cultivation Professions

Qi Refining Realm cultivators may pursue specialized professions that create wealth and supply further cultivation resources. 105

• Spirit planter
• Beast breeder or beast tamer
• Forger
• Talisman maker
• Alchemist

Sect Status and Hierarchy

Breaking through to the Qi Refining Realm allows a Qingyun Sect servant disciple to enter the Outer Sect. 102 123

Status	Requirement
Outer Sect disciple	Break through to the Qi Refining Realm. 102
Inner Sect disciple	Obtain a master and reach the late stage of the Qi Refining Realm. 102
Core disciple	Break through from the Qi Refining Realm to the Foundation Establishment Realm. 102
Outer Sect elder	Reach the Foundation Establishment Realm. 102

Qi Refining Realm, Middle Stage cultivators and above are treated as the principal force during Qingyun Sect combat operations, while Inner Sect disciples are generally at the Ninth-Layer peak of the realm. 132

Known Practitioners

• Chen Huai'an — Enters the realm through the Five Elements Qi Refining Formula, later converts his cultivation to Chaos True Qi and advances into the Middle Stage. 102 131 142
• Su Wanying — Reaches the Fourth Layer of the Qi Refining Realm's Middle Stage. 121
• Bai Zixuan — A peak late-stage Qi Refining Realm Inner Sect disciple. 138
• Pi Wenli — A Pi Family Qi Refining Realm expert who pursues Chen Huai'an. 91
• Zhang Tao — A Zhang Family Outer Sect disciple whose Qi Refining Realm pressure overwhelms Body Tempering cultivators. 98

Trivia

• Qi Refining is described as the beginning of a cultivator's path rather than its endpoint; for many resource-starved servant disciples, however, reaching it is their lifelong limit. 34
• Chen Huai'an's breakthrough demonstrates the extreme cost of five-element cultivation: an ordinary Outer Sect disciple saving ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones monthly would need over two hundred years to accumulate the resources he spent on entering the realm. 102
• Chapter 175 refers to Chen as being at Qi Refining Realm, First Layer despite earlier chapters documenting his advancement to the Middle Stage, Fifth Layer. 153 175