Secrets of Qi Refining

"Qi Refining Stage Five peak? How is that possible? You're a Qi Refiner, and after one Red Fruit, you should have reached at least Qi Refining Stage Seven or Eight, if not perfection! Wait... what are your spiritual roots?"

As she spoke, Shen Miaoyin seemed to recall something and asked.

Su Shi'er blushed and said, "Mixed Spiritual Roots!"

His spiritual roots were well-known within the peak and no secret.

One Red Fruit had only raised his cultivation by a single stage. This disappointed him somewhat, but it wasn't unacceptable.

After all, he had long known the state of his spiritual roots. From the start, he hadn't held out much hope. Besides, he still had two Red Fruits in hand, and this cultivation speed already satisfied him.

"What... Mixed Spiritual Roots?! How did you manage to cultivate to Qi Refining Stage Four in such a short time?"

Shen Miaoyin was taken aback. Her usual indifferent expression cracked, unable to stay calm.

In her mind, she had always regarded Su Shi'er as Luofu Peak's hidden trump card. But if he had Mixed Spiritual Roots, she didn't think Lu Mingshi would bother training such a disciple.

"This... just some personal luck." Su Shi'er gave an awkward smile, not elaborating.

The secret of the mysterious Pill Furnace, he planned to keep buried in his gut, never telling anyone.

"Luck is indeed an important part of a cultivator's journey. However, with only Mixed Spiritual Roots, Foundation Establishment will be a problem in the future. You'd best prepare early."

Shen Miaoyin said coldly, not pressing further. Instead, she offered a calm reminder.

In her heart, she held little hope for Su Shi'er.

For cultivators, luck mattered, but no one could rely on it forever. Without good talent, the road ahead was limited!

"Foundation Establishment... will be a problem?" Su Shi'er's expression shifted, and he asked urgently.

Shen Miaoyin's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, chilling his previously good mood instantly!

"For cultivators, each realm is a layer of heaven, and each layer is a shackle. The worse your talent, the stronger the shackle."

"Your daily cultivation is already this arduous. Breaking through in the future will likely be as hard as reaching the heavens."

Shen Miaoyin said flatly. She wasn't dismissing Su Shi'er, just stating the facts.

"Is there... no other way?" Su Shi'er asked with a bitter face, pressing on.

Even without Shen Miaoyin saying it, he had vaguely realized this problem. He just hadn't expected it to be this difficult.

Perhaps because they had shared hardship, Shen Miaoyin showed no irritation at his persistence. She said calmly:

"There are ways, naturally! One is through pills, such as the Foundation Establishment Pill, which increases the chance of Foundation Establishment. But Foundation Establishment Pills are extremely precious, and given your situation, one or two won't be enough."

"The second is through techniques. Some special techniques can also increase the Foundation Establishment probability. However, such techniques are rare, and common ones often have talent requirements. Unless..."

As she spoke, Shen Miaoyin seemed to recall something and paused.

"Unless... what?" Su Shi'er asked cautiously.

Shen Miaoyin said flatly: "Unless you can cultivate to Qi Refining Stage Twelve and break through from that stage, combined with a Foundation Establishment Pill, the chances might be higher."

"In ancient times, Qi Refiners had a total of twelve realms. However, for cultivators, cultivating to Stage Twelve took too long. So, some tried to break through at lower stages. Over time, Qi Refining Stage Nine became the highest standard."

"Later cultivation techniques were lost to time, and finding them isn't easy. If you're determined, you could start there."

Twelve Realms?!

Su Shi'er's heart jolted, and he immediately thought of the Lesser Heavenly Circulation Qi Cultivation Art. That technique was exactly a twelve-stage Qi Refining method.

He quickly cupped his hands and bowed to Shen Miaoyin in thanks: "Thank you, Peak Master Shen. Your words have helped me greatly!"

Shen Miaoyin waved her hand dismissively, her expression turning cold.

"No need for thanks. Consider this my repayment for your help."

"The Spiritual Plant Garden's formation is broken. You can leave on your own! After today, our connection ends here. If we meet again, we'll be strangers."

"As for what happened between us during this time, you'd best forget it! If a third person learns of it, I will not let you off!"

As she spoke, Shen Miaoyin resumed her usual unapproachable demeanor. She stared coldly at Su Shi'er, shooting him a warning glare.

For her, this incident was merely an accident. With her talent, once she returned, she could condense a Golden Core and attain the Golden Core Dao.

As for Su Shi'er's spiritual root talent, it was fated that the two of them would never cross paths again.

"Don't worry, I'll bury this in my gut." Su Shi'er shrank his neck and immediately promised.

Talking about this would do him no good and would only offend a future Golden Core expert. He wasn't about to court trouble.

Besides, Shen Miaoyin's words had pointed him toward valuable information.

He had already decided to cultivate according to the Lesser Heavenly Circulation Qi Cultivation Art from now on.

To take revenge, mere Qi Refining cultivation wouldn't be enough. As long as it increased his breakthrough chances, he would try any method.

After parting from Shen Miaoyin, Su Shi'er picked a random direction and kept walking forward.

Having plundered the Spiritual Plant Garden, his promotion to a formal disciple was practically guaranteed. There was no need to take further risks.

Next, he planned to find a secluded place to go into closed-door cultivation.

Three days later, Su Shi'er

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cast the Wind Calling Technique, stepping with Illusory Step as he wove through a stretch of towering mountains and dense forests.

On his feet were the Cloud-Treading Boots gifted by Shen Miaoyin. Since she hadn't asked for them back, he certainly wouldn't volunteer to return them.

After all, to buy time, he had damaged a Top-grade Defensive Magical Artifact.

As he walked, suddenly a flurry of hurried footsteps rang out.

"Someone?"

His brows twitched. Without a second thought, Su Shi'er suppressed his aura and ducked into a nearby thicket.

He had no more invisibility talismans now, so he could only rely on the bushes to conceal himself.

Soon, eleven figures came into his view.

All were disciples at the second or third layer of the Qi Refining Stage, both male and female, from various peaks, fleeing in panic without any sense of direction.

"Hm? It's a miracle these people have lasted this long. But what are they running from?" His gaze swept over them, and Su Shi'er couldn't help but feel a bit surprised.

Muttering to himself, his pupils contracted as he spotted a familiar figure among the crowd.

"Zhu Hanwei?! He's here! That guy sure has a lot of luck."

Su Shi'er observed from the shadows, not revealing himself.

Just then, a sound of wind breaking came from afar.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

Six dark green arrow lights flashed past, plunging into the fleeing crowd with lightning speed.

In the next instant, six figures jolted to a halt, collapsed mid-stride, and died on the spot.

The remaining few didn't even dare to look back; they only grew more terrified, running like madmen.

And the direction they were running was straight toward where Su Shi'er was.

"Hm?!"

These people were being hunted like prey? Who could be so cruel?!

Su Shi'er's expression hardened as he fixed his gaze into the distance.