One More Push to the Peak of the Ninth Layer

The small courtyard in a corner of the Central Courtyard had originally been used to pile up miscellaneous items. It had now become Zhou Qi's residence.

Yang Jinshan pushed open the courtyard gate and casually pointed. "You take the East Wing; I'll take the West Wing. If you dare leave the courtyard after the second watch, don't blame me for showing no mercy."

He spoke somewhat impatiently, clearly dissatisfied with having to stay in such a rundown place.

Zhou Qi silently nodded and stepped into the courtyard.

The courtyard was small, its blue-brick ground covered in moss, with a dry well standing in one corner by the wall.

The East Wing contained only a wooden bed and a square table, the latter coated in a thin layer of dust.

Yang Jinshan stood in the courtyard and watched Zhou Qi enter the room before turning to return to the West Wing.

Zhou Qi sat on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath.

His chest still ached faintly. Although Yang Zhenshan's punch had not used his full strength, it had still injured Zhou Qi's internal organs.

He undid his collar and saw a patch of dark bruising over his heart, like the mark left by a branding iron.

"Mid ninth-layer Qi Refining really isn't something to take lightly."

Zhou Qi closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into his Dantian.

There, apart from the Spiritual Power he had cultivated himself, was another strange aura.

Those were the larvae of the Soul-Splitting Worm from the Soul-Splitting Pill.

They lurked deep within his meridians like tiny needles, pricking him with faint pain.

The System Panel appeared:

[Abnormal condition detected: Soul-Splitting Worm infestation]

[Time remaining until onset: 29 days, 23 hours]

[Current condition: Larval dormant stage, no effect]

Zhou Qi opened his eyes, his gaze gradually turning cold.

One month.

Yang Zhenshan had given him one month.

The tournament was in seven days. If he won, perhaps they would give him the antidote; if he lost, death was certain.

But he was no ordinary cultivator at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement.

Zhou Qi brought up the System Panel:

[Current cultivation: Qi-Nourishing Art: Lower Volume]

[Proficiency: 0/20000]

[Current realm: Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement (Peak)]

[Available proficiency: 14800]

[Compatible cultivation method detected. Use available proficiency?]

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhou Qi chose "Yes."

Boom...

The Spiritual Power within his body instantly erupted into chaos.

A warm current surged from his Dantian and raced madly through his meridians. Wherever it passed, his injured internal organs healed at a visible speed.

Like floodwaters bursting through a collapsed dam, his Spiritual Power crashed against the barriers of his meridians again and again.

Qi Refining, Seventh Layer.

Qi Refining, Seventh Layer, Mid Stage.

Peak seventh-layer Qi Refining.

Early eighth-layer Qi Refining.

Zhou Qi gritted his teeth, veins bulging across his forehead.

The numbers on the System Panel leaped frantically. With every jump, his realm rose another step.

It felt as if someone were continuously pouring molten iron into his body, stretching his meridians until they nearly snapped.

Yet Zhou Qi did not utter a sound.

He had endured far too much.

The time it took to brew a cup of tea passed.

At last, the System Panel stopped:

[Current cultivation: Qi-Nourishing Art: Lower Volume]

[Proficiency: 14800/20000]

[Current realm: eighth-layer Qi Refining (Peak)]

[Mental Power: 10]

[Today's cultivation time: 100 minutes]

Zhou Qi opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing through their depths.

He lowered his head to look at his chest. The bruising had vanished, replaced by skin tougher than before.

He clenched his fist, and strength several times greater than before gathered in his palm.

"Peak eighth-layer Qi Refining."

Zhou Qi murmured to himself, but there was little joy in his eyes.

He still needed 5,200 proficiency to reach the Peak of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement.

And now, trapped in this small courtyard, the only thing he could do each day was cultivate.

"Then I'll grind."

Zhou Qi sat cross-legged, palms and soles facing heaven, and began circulating the Qi-Nourishing Art: Lower Volume.

With every circulation cycle, the proficiency on the System Panel ticked upward once.

[Proficiency +1]

[Proficiency +1]

[Proficiency +1]

...

Time passed second by second.

Outside the window, the sky changed from pitch-black to gray-white, then from gray-white to broad daylight.

Yang Jinshan came into the courtyard several times and glanced toward the East Wing. Seeing Zhou Qi continuously seated cross-legged in meditation, he did not disturb him. He merely snorted coldly and returned to his own room.

The sun rose and the moon set; the stars shifted and the constellations turned.

Four days passed in the blink of an eye.

The morning of the fifth day.

Zhou Qi slowly opened his eyes. Deep within his pupils, it seemed as though a flash of lightning vanished in an instant.

System Panel:

[Current cultivation: Qi-Nourishing Art: Lower Volume]

[Proficiency: 20000/20000]

[Current realm: Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement (Peak)]

[Mental Power: 10 (Cultivation efficiency affected: 100%)]

[Today's cultivation time: 300 minutes]

[Available proficiency: 0]

Zhou Qi glanced over the system.

Peak of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement.

Yet his Mental Power had not changed in the slightest, and his cultivation efficiency remained at 100%.

He shook his head and did not dwell on it further. His current cultivation efficiency was sufficient; what he lacked was cultivation methods.

Zhou Qi rose to his feet and gently stretched his limbs.

His bones gave off faint crackling sounds, while the Spiritual Power in his body surged like a great river. Compared to five days ago, it was more than ten times stronger.

He walked to the table and gently pressed his hand against its surface.

He did not exert any force.

But when he lifted his hand, a deep palm print remained on the tabletop.

Zhou Qi frowned slightly and restrained his aura.

The aura of the Peak of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement slowly withdrew. In the end, his realm stabilized at the Peak of the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement, exactly as it had been five days earlier.

"Hidden well enough."

He nodded in satisfaction.

Just then, someone pushed open the courtyard gate.

Yang Mingyuan entered, with Laifu following behind him.

"Zhou Qi!" Yang Mingyuan called out. His tone was somewhat more polite than before, though it still carried a lofty air. "Father sent me to see how your preparations are going."

Zhou Qi cupped his fists. "Thank you for your concern, Young Master. My injuries have healed, and I am ready to fight at any time."

Yang Mingyuan sized him up. Seeing that his aura was still at the Peak of the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement, he nodded. "Good."

"The stakes have been raised. The other three families have also agreed to include shares of the Black Iron Mine outside Blackstone City."

The Black Iron Mine.

Although Zhou Qi had not been in this world long, he knew what a Black Iron Mine represented.

The foundation of Lin'an City's four great families lay in the Upper City—Blackstone City. The City Lord's Manor of Blackstone City controlled ore deposits across several thousand li of the surrounding region. Since this Black Iron Mine was relatively close to Lin'an City, its mining rights had been handed over to the Lin'an Four Great Families.

Over the years, the four great families had openly and secretly fought one another, but in truth, they all served the same master—the City Lord's Manor of Blackstone City.

Speaking of the City Lord's Manor of Blackstone City, one had to explain how it differed from the City Lord's Manor of Lin'an City.

As mentioned earlier, Blackstone City was equivalent to a provincial capital, while Lin'an City was merely a prefecture-level city.

During the founding war of the Great Yong Dynasty, Qin Guan, a general who followed the founding emperor into battle, rendered outstanding service. He was therefore granted the hereditary title of Champion Marquis and awarded five thousand li of land, the center of which was Blackstone City.

Thus, the City Lord's Manor of Blackstone City belonged to the descendants of the Champion Marquis, while the City Lord's Manor of Lin'an City consisted of royal agents dispatched from Yongjing in an attempt to seize power.

Half of the Lin'an Four Great Families' businesses rested on that Black Iron Mine.

Whoever controlled the Black Iron Mine controlled Lin'an City's weapon forging and Spiritual Artifact trade.

"The stakes are shares?" Zhou Qi asked.

"Yes." Yang Mingyuan nodded. "Each family puts up twenty percent of its shares. The winner takes all."

Zhou Qi fell silent.

That old fox Yang Zhenshan truly was ruthless.

He had wagered twenty percent of his own Black Iron Mine shares. If he won, he could swallow the other three families' combined sixty percent and become the absolute master of the mine. If he lost, the Yang Family's foundation would be severed by half.

"Are you scared?" Yang Mingyuan frowned when he saw Zhou Qi say nothing.

Zhou Qi shook his head. "I simply did not expect the Master to possess such boldness."

"Of course Father has boldness." Yang Mingyuan snorted. "But you need not worry too much. The participants' realms have been restricted to the Middle Realm, with the maximum not exceeding the Peak of the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement."

Zhou Qi's heart stirred. "Then what if someone exceeds the sixth layer?"

"Then naturally they cannot participate. My father and that old undead bastard from the Wang Family are both at the ninth layer. Anyone concealing their strength can be seen through at a glance."

"Understood." Zhou Qi nodded.

Yang Mingyuan turned to leave. When he reached the courtyard gate, he stopped again, looked back, and said, "Oh, right. There are only three days left until the tournament. Father feared you would bite off more than you could chew, so he did not teach you any high-level martial skills. If you can win the tournament, the antidote to the Soul-Splitting Pill will naturally be given to you. Moreover, I will have Father appoint you as an outer elder of the Yang Residence and teach you high-level martial skills."

Zhou Qi's heart stirred. You're actually pretty nice!

He cupped his fists. "Thank you, Young Master."

Yang Mingyuan nodded and strode away.

The courtyard gate closed once more.

An outer elder? He did not particularly care for that.

If Yang Zhenshan kept his word after the tournament, then everything could be discussed.

But if he did not keep his word.

Zhou Qi shook his head.

Don't let it come to the point where the fish dies and the net is torn.