Go Straight to the Peak of the Sixth Layer

Yang Residence servants' quarters.

The other two attendants in the room had been called away by the steward to work, while Zhang Hu had already been sent to the apothecary for treatment. He likely would not be able to get out of bed for the next day or two.

The room was extremely quiet, with only Zhou Qi's faint breathing echoing through it.

Zhou Qi sat cross-legged on the bed, his attention long since drawn to the system prompt.

[An available cultivation technique has been detected. Would you like to use your remaining proficiency points?]

With a thought from Zhou Qi, a breeze suddenly rose within the silent room.

The coarse cloth of his short outfit fluttered under an airflow that surged from within his body. The current circled his entire form, whipping his clothes into a snapping rustle.

Zhou Qi frowned slightly, but after roughly the time it took to drink a cup of tea, his brow relaxed. His entire body seemed to sink into a nest of softness, revealing an expression that was faintly lewd.

From the instant Zhou Qi selected "Use," the 4,840 proficiency points stored in the system instantly filled the Qi-Nourishing Formula · Intermediate Chapter.

[Current cultivation: Qi-Nourishing Formula · Intermediate Chapter]

[Proficiency: 4840/5000]

[Current realm: late Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement]

[Mental power: 10 (cultivation efficiency affected: 100%)]

[Today's cultivation: 40 minutes]

Zhou Qi slowly opened his eyes, and a sharp gleam flashed through them.

Rising to his feet, Zhou Qi clenched his fist. An indescribable power flooded through his entire body, and the bones in his hand crackled beneath the immense force.

A surreal feeling welled up in Zhou Qi's heart.

That very morning, he had still been struggling bitterly at the peak of the third layer. Yet by noon, he was already at the late Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement.

Aside from the Yang Family head and several elders, his current strength practically allowed him to swagger sideways through the Yang Family.

If he fought Iron Ox again now, he would not even need to observe Iron Ox's weaknesses. He could crush him through sheer strength alone.

Zhou Qi stood silently where he was for a while, settling the strength that had suddenly surged within him. Once his mind calmed, he sat down cross-legged, palms and soles facing heaven, focused his mind, and circulated his cultivation technique.

He only needed another 160 proficiency points to reach completion. This was precisely the right time to continue cultivating.

An hour and a half passed in the blink of an eye. When Zhou Qi opened his eyes again, his status panel had changed.

[Current cultivation: Qi-Nourishing Formula · Intermediate Chapter]

[Proficiency: 5000/5000]

[Current realm: Peak of the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement]

[Mental power: 10 (cultivation efficiency affected: 100%)]

[Today's cultivation: 200 minutes]

The Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement was complete.

It was time to consider how to obtain the latter chapter of the Nourishing Qi Scripture.

He truly did not get a moment's peace.

Half a month passed in a flash.

Ever since Zhou Qi had defeated Iron Ox, Yang Mingyuan's trusted personal attendant had been replaced. Zhang Hu was out, and Zhou Qi was in. Whenever Yang Mingyuan went out, he often brought Zhou Qi along as an attendant.

Yang Mingyuan mainly visited the pleasure quarters whenever he went out. Zhou Qi merely served as a thug and could not enjoy his young master's pleasures. He could only watch Yang Mingyuan frolic among the flowers and grass until his eyes burned with envy.

They ran into Wang Hao several times in between, and each time, Yang Mingyuan stepped forward to humiliate him.

Although Wang Hao always followed the rules and refused to argue with him, his vicious gaze would from time to time shoot toward Zhou Qi behind Yang Mingyuan.

According to Laifu, Iron Ox, whose legs had been broken, had received no treatment from Wang Hao at all. He had simply been tossed into the slums.

No one knew whether he was dead or alive.

In the Profound Spirit Realm, human lives were the cheapest thing of all. The young masters of great families were as fickle as the wind and rain. If Zhou Qi had not emerged victorious in that previous match, Zhang Hu's fate likely would not have been any better.

Speaking of Zhang Hu, Zhou Qi had not seen him for five or six days. According to several other attendants, Zhang Hu had displeased the young master in the last match and been sent to work as a shop clerk in Blackstone City. Still, that could be considered somewhat easier work.

Zhou Qi naturally was not afraid of Wang Hao. With his current strength, he did not dare claim a place in Lin'an City's top ten, but ranking among the top hundred would not be a problem. If Wang Hao dared pull any tricks, Zhou Qi would send him into reincarnation early.

It was just that he had no way to explain his current strength. Otherwise, he would have long since thrown down the burden and quit.

Every day, he had to crouch outside Yang Mingyuan's room and listen to the moans within. The fire blazing through his body had nowhere to vent, and he had long had enough.

He had already decided that once he obtained the latter chapter of the Nourishing Qi Scripture, he would start not eating beef.

His cultivation had not stopped during the half month. His elevated status gave him more time to cultivate every day. He no longer did chores such as hauling water and gathering firewood; every day, he only needed to wait for Yang Mingyuan's summons.

Three shichen a day—six hours, three hundred and sixty minutes, three hundred and sixty proficiency points.

Over half a month, he had already accumulated 5,400 points.

"Brother Zhou Qi! Brother Zhou Qi!" One morning, Laifu's voice came from afar and drew nearer.

Hearing it while resting and cultivating inside, Zhou Qi quietly stopped cultivating. He rose, walked to the door, and opened the wooden door.

"Brother Zhou Qi, the young master summons you."

Zhou Qi's heart tightened, but his face remained unchanged. "Brother Laifu, do you know what it is about?"

Laifu shook his head, though there was a trace of something unusual in his eyes. "It seems the Wang Family has stirred up some trouble."

Zhou Qi fell silent for a second, then got up and followed him.

It was still the front hall.

Yang Mingyuan sat in the seat of honor, holding a cup of tea in his hand, his face expressionless.

Zhou Qi cupped his fists in salute. "Young Master."

Yang Mingyuan lifted his eyelids. He did not invite Zhou Qi to sit and instead spoke directly. "Wang Hao just came by."

Zhou Qi's heart sank another inch.

"This time, he spent a great deal of money to recruit an expert from Blackstone City." Yang Mingyuan's tone was calm, but coldness showed in his eyes. "Qi Refining Fourth Layer."

"He has arranged for the Yang, Wang, Li, and Zhao Families of Lin'an City to hold a sparring competition one month from now. The City Lord's Manor will serve as referee, and each family's wager will be two shops."

He paused and stared at Zhou Qi.

"It has been half a month since I gave you the cultivation technique. Have you broken through?"

The difference between the third and fourth layers of the Qi Refinement Realm was the difference between the early and middle stages. There was a bottleneck between them, and most people would be stuck there for some time.

Zhou Qi shook his head, pretending he had not yet broken through. "Not yet."

Yang Mingyuan set down his teacup and gave Laifu, standing to the side, a look.

Seeing this, Laifu hurried to Zhou Qi's side and took a pill from his sleeve.

The pill was entirely crimson and carried a pungent smell of blood.

"Creation Pill." Yang Mingyuan spoke without expression. "It is used to break through bottlenecks. In consideration of your loyalty, I am rewarding it to you."

"Creation Pill? It is clearly a Blood-and-Flesh Pill!" A trace of coldness flashed through Zhou Qi's eyes.

[Item: Blood-and-Flesh Pill]

[Grade: Yellow Grade, Low Rank]

[Effect: Forces a breakthrough, helping a cultivator break through a minor realm in a short period of time]

[Side effects: Blood qi backlash, damage to one's foundation, breeding inner demons]

"Take this pill, break through, then go fight another match."

Zhou Qi fell silent.

He was currently at the Peak of the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement. If he truly fought, crushing his opponent would not be a problem.

But the problem was that he could not reveal his strength. What was more, this was a competition between four families, with the City Lord's Manor acting as referee. Experts would surely be watching. If he carelessly exposed a flaw, there would be no way to explain his cultivation speed.

"Young Master." Zhou Qi cupped his fists. "I dare to request that this match be declined."

Yang Mingyuan's gaze instantly turned cold.

"Declined?" He put down his teacup, rose to his feet, and walked step by step toward Zhou Qi, looking down at him from above. "Say that again?"

His voice was not loud, yet it scraped across Zhou Qi's face like a blade.

Zhou Qi lowered his head. He could feel that icy oppression, but it had no effect on him whatsoever.

"Young Master, I merely think that the Qi Refining Fourth Layer is manageable. With the pill Young Master has bestowed upon me, I can always put up a fight." Zhou Qi continued, "But there are still the other two families. If they have experts of even higher realms, I fear Young Master may lose face..."

"Face?" Yang Mingyuan suddenly laughed. "Do you think this young master is discussing it with you?"

He reached out and gripped Zhou Qi's chin, forcing him to raise his head.

His eyes were as sinister as venomous snakes.

"Zhou Qi, I gave you the intermediate chapter. I gave you the Creation Pill. It was not so you could haggle with me." He spoke each word slowly and distinctly. "If you win, the shops belong to this young master. If you lose, your life belongs to this young master. Understand?"

Having said that, Yang Mingyuan released his hand, turned, and returned to the seat of honor. He continued, "You need not worry about experts of higher realms. True experts would not become thugs over two shops. Experts care about their reputation."

His words carried both favor and threat.

Zhou Qi's teeth itched with hatred, yet he still had to put on a terrified appearance.

His peripheral vision swept over Yang Mingyuan.

[Name: Yang Mingyuan]

[Realm: Fifth Layer of Qi Refinement]

[Cultivation techniques: Stone-Splitting Sword Technique (major mastery), Soul-Locking Claw (minor mastery)]

[Weaknesses: Physically hollow, poor endurance]

Zhou Qi forcibly suppressed the urge to punch the bastard's head apart and replied quietly, "I understand."

At those words, the coldness on Yang Mingyuan's face receded somewhat, and he returned to being that young master with a smile that was not quite a smile.

"But you need not worry too much." He said, "The match is set for one month from now. During this month, you may prepare properly."

Zhou Qi raised his head and looked at Yang Mingyuan.

He knew that he absolutely could not refuse again at this point. He could only try to squeeze out a little more benefit.

"Young Master, I have a request."