The Third Breath of Hongmeng Purple Qi

For the first ten-odd years of his cultivation, it had been Chen Changyan who taught and guided him. Though they were clan grandfather and grandson in name, their bond was more truly that of master and disciple.

Chen Changqing had passed away several years ago. Now, the person closest to Chen Nianzhi was this old man of one hundred and thirteen.

"You still remember the years I taught you cultivation. At least you've got a bit of conscience, boy."

"You were still young then, but you were the quietest and cleverest. I remember the first time I taught you about meridians and acupoints—you remembered everything after hearing it just once."

"Back then, I told your Seventh Grand-Uncle that you were born with wisdom roots. In the years to come, the Chen Clan would likely have to rely on you."

The old man smiled as he recounted these trivial old memories, yet his eyes reddened slightly.

Chen Nianzhi listened quietly. After the old man finished rambling, he suddenly smiled. "Elder Grand-Uncle, why not stay at Spirit Isle Lake?"

"Stay at Spirit Isle Lake?" Elder Grand-Uncle was taken aback.

"Yes." Chen Nianzhi nodded, stroking Xian Yan's little head. "Spirit Isle Lake has beautiful mountains and waters. It's a fine place to spend one's old age."

"You can grow flowers and grass, fish and read here at Spirit Isle Lake, and look after these two little ones while you're at it."

Chen Changyan considered it seriously. His gaze swept over the two little ones, and then he revealed a kindly smile.

"I truly can't put my mind at ease over these two."

"I don't have many years left anyway. The Lineage should also hand matters of inheritance over to the Qing Generation."

Hearing this, a few traces of a smile appeared in Chen Nianzhi's eyes.

When I was young, you cared for me so attentively, enlightened me, and led me onto the path of cultivation.

Now that you are old, let me see you through your final journey.

Cultivation was a long road.

To cultivators, time was like a babbling stream, flowing slowly onward where people could not perceive it.

In the blink of an eye, two years had passed.

Chen Nianzhi was already twenty years old. This was also his fifth year since descending the mountain to Spirit Isle Lake.

That day, Chen Nianzhi sat cross-legged by Lakeheart Island, absorbing Dawn Glow Qi. Only after the dawn glow had fully dispersed did he merge it with the Moonlight Power he had absorbed the previous night, ultimately transforming it into a wisp of Hongmeng Purple Qi. Only then did he open his eyes.

"Hoo—"

He exhaled a breath of mist and slowly concluded his cultivation.

Sensing the mass of Hongmeng Purple Qi within him, Chen Nianzhi smiled faintly. Over the years, he had never neglected his daily practice of breathing in dawn glow and moonlight. Now, he was close to accumulating another breath of Hongmeng Purple Qi.

"As long as I wait another two or three months, this breath of Hongmeng Purple Qi should take shape."

"When my Hongmeng Purple Qi is abundant, the speed at which I temper my meridians will increase greatly as well."

He had cultivated with great diligence these past years, and with treasures like Spirit Peaches to advance his cultivation, he had gone from the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining to the Perfected Ninth Layer of Qi Refining in only five short years.

Now, his True Qi had completely filled his meridians, reaching the limit of what his body could contain. At this rate, he would likely reach the threshold for attempting Foundation Establishment in only another year or two.

At present, he estimated that he needed only two years to temper his meridians to their limit. By then, the resilience and strength of his meridians would far surpass those of ordinary cultivators, giving him the foundation to attempt Foundation Establishment.

"In about another two years, I should be able to try breaking through to Foundation Establishment."

"Without a Foundation Establishment Pill to make my True Qi gentler, though, I only have a fifty to sixty percent chance of success. It is still somewhat dangerous."

"If I had a Foundation Establishment Pill, I should be able to break through with nine chances out of ten."

"Perhaps I should wait a few more years and see whether I can obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill?"

Thoughts flashed rapidly through Chen Nianzhi's mind, and then he laughed at himself.

"The closer I get to Foundation Establishment, the more I fret over gains and losses. When the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally straighten itself. What use is there in thinking so much now?"

After finishing his daily cultivation, Chen Nianzhi followed the spirit lake and began his customary count of the Azure Spirit Fish. Then he saw a lone boat rowing over. Three people stood aboard it, and the elderly man at their head called out loudly from afar.

"Little Nianzhi, I'm here again."

"Sixteenth Grand-Uncle."

Chen Nianzhi's gaze shifted slightly as he greeted him with a smile.

It was once again the season for harvesting Spirit Rice, and as usual, Chen Changlu had come this year.

Sixteenth Grand-Uncle had an open and forthright temperament. He brought two younger members of the Lineage onto the island, and upon meeting Chen Nianzhi, he said,

"This year, I've brought you something good."

The old man carefully took out a wooden box as though it were a priceless treasure.

When Chen Nianzhi opened the box and looked inside, his eyes lit up at once, and delight appeared on his face.

"It's a Wood Sunflower."

"Yes. It ripened just two months ago. I picked it from the spirit herb garden a few days back, so it's still fresh."

As Chen Changlu spoke, a hint of joy filled his features.

The Wood Sunflower was a Tier 1 High-grade spirit herb and the primary ingredient for refining Qi-Replenishing Pills.

The Qi-Replenishing Pill was a Tier 1 High-grade auxiliary spirit pill. Its effects were extraordinary: after swallowing one, a Late Stage of Qi Refining cultivator could restore seventy percent of their True Essence at once.

This kind of pill was exceedingly precious to Qi Refining cultivators. After all, being able to restore seventy percent of one's True Essence in a single go was practically the same as gaining another life for many cultivators.

For Chen Nianzhi, if he had Qi-Replenishing Pills, he could activate the Scarlet Iron Saber Blank several more times. The combat strength he could unleash then would likely nearly rival that of half a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"This Wood Sunflower took sixty years of cultivation before it matured. It truly wasn't easy to come by." Chen Changlu shook his head, stroked his long beard, and smiled. "With this Wood Sunflower, you can try advancing to a Tier 1 High-grade alchemist."

Chen Nianzhi nodded, then said, "To refine Qi-Replenishing Pills, I'm still missing a supplementary ingredient: Bellheart Grass."

"Bellheart Grass is easy to find." Chen Changlu smiled. "Once we finish harvesting the Spirit Rice, I'll make a trip to Yuyang Market and buy some for you."

"There's no need to trouble you with making the trip." Chen Nianzhi shook his head and smiled. "This year's Spirit Peaches have ripened, and I was planning to go to Yuyang Market to sell them, save up some Spirit Stones, and purchase some spirit herbs while I'm there."

"That's perfect. Tomorrow, we can go to Yuyang Market together and keep each other company."

The two chatted and laughed as they arrived at Chen Nianzhi's courtyard.

After resting for only half an hour, everyone began harvesting the Spirit Rice.

The stalks and leaves of Spirit Rice were tough, making them extremely laborious for ordinary cultivators to harvest. Fortunately, Chen Nianzhi's True Qi was far more abundant than that of an ordinary Ninth Layer of Qi Refining cultivator. Thus, in less than half a day, he had harvested the several mu of Spirit Rice cleanly.

After the Spirit Rice was harvested, Chen Changlu went to catch Spirit Fish. Without other demonic beasts to keep them in check, the Azure Spirit Fish school in Spirit Isle Lake had expanded again after five years of breeding and multiplying.

There were now two hundred and twenty-seven Spirit Fish, eighty or ninety more than when Chen Nianzhi had first arrived.

With a larger school of fish, more Spirit Fish could be sold each year. Chen Changlu caught thirty Spirit Fish and said with delight,

"There are two more Spirit Fish this year than last year. It seems we'll earn even more Spirit Stones."

Chen Changyan also happily stepped forward to lend a hand. Looking at the Spirit Fish, he smiled. "Who in Yu Commandery doesn't know that our Chen Clan's Azure Spirit Fish are unmatched?"