Successful Advancement

Yang Wenqing quickly opened the wooden box and took out the pill inside, which was the size of a longan. Only after cautiously confirming that there was nothing wrong with it did he swallow it in one gulp.

The pill dissolved the moment it entered his mouth. Medicinal power several times more immense than White Dragon Ginseng instantly erupted within him, transforming into a surging torrent of spiritual energy that seemed ready to burst his meridians.

At that critical moment, the Golden Core deep within his sea of consciousness generated a powerful suction force, drawing in most of the violent medicinal power before transforming it into gentler spiritual energy and swiftly replenishing his qi sea!

At the same time, he frantically absorbed the mild spiritual energy gathered by the Spirit-Gathering Formation, which together supported the spiritual energy rapidly circulating through his spiritual meridians.

Yang Wenqing focused all his attention within the spiritual meridians of the Golden Core World Projection, ensuring that the path of the spiritual energy's circulation was absolutely correct. Under his watch, the spiritual energy racing through the meridians expanded at a visible rate.

Who knew how much time passed before the surging spiritual energy, carrying an unstoppable momentum, rushed at great speed toward the starting point of the qi sea and connected end to end with the spiritual energy coming from the other side.

The instant the two met—

"Bzz~"

A hum that only Yang Wenqing could sense flashed through the spiritual meridians!

The cycle had formed.

Qi Refinement... had been achieved!

From this point on, Yang Wenqing's qi sea no longer needed his deliberate guidance to drive spiritual energy through his spiritual meridians, forming a great circulation that connected end to end and absorbed and refined the spiritual energy of heaven and earth every moment!

It repeated endlessly, unceasingly!

An unprecedented sense of fulfillment instantly spread through Yang Wenqing's entire body. His spiritual meridians, which had been somewhat swollen and painful, also began to slowly widen and strengthen under the nourishment of the stable circulation.

The joy of successfully stepping into the Qi Refinement Realm surged through his heart, but Yang Wenqing knew full well that this was far from the time to relax. The newly formed circulation was still fragile and needed to be carefully stabilized in order to lay a solid foundation.

He forcibly suppressed his turbulent emotions and continued maintaining the guidance of the Basic Qi Refining method. With the Spirit-Gathering Formation's continuous support, the process went smoothly.

After an unknown amount of time, Yang Wenqing sensed that his qi sea was full to the brim once more and that his spiritual meridians had reached their expansion limit at the current circulation intensity. Only then did he open his eyes from meditation.

The quiet room remained silent, and the Spirit-Gathering Formation's glow was soft and steady. Yet the world in Yang Wenqing's eyes had become completely different. He could clearly sense that his control over the spiritual energy in his body had become more direct, and the spiritual energy in his qi sea would no longer be depleted by casting two spells.

He had successfully broken through the first barrier that troubled countless cultivators and officially become a Qi Refinement Practitioner. With spiritual energy nourishing his body, he would no longer be affected by ordinary illnesses. So long as nothing unexpected happened, he could live to at least one hundred and twenty.

At last, a relieved yet hopeful smile appeared on Yang Wenqing's face. At this moment, the path of cultivation ahead truly unfolded beneath his feet.

After sitting cross-legged and adjusting his breath for more than ten minutes, Yang Wenqing shut down the Spirit-Gathering Formation. When he opened the iron door and walked out, a chilly winter breeze rushed toward him, making him feel as though he had stepped into a brand-new world.

"Tap tap."

The distinctive sound of police leather boots striking the stone floor echoed through the corridor. Zhang-ge, who had escorted Yang Wenqing to the training room, appeared at the far end of the hall.

"Wenqing!"

Zhang-ge called out and quickly walked over.

Yang Wenqing walked toward him as well, though his pace was not as fast.

"Your aura is steady, and spiritual energy is converging around you. You've successfully broken through!" Zhang-ge said with delight on his face.

"Yes, thanks to this training room." Yang Wenqing gave a perfectly appropriate smile.

"Haha!"

Zhang-ge laughed loudly, looked Yang Wenqing up and down, and said with a smile still on his face, "Go back and take a shower first, then change into a fresh set of clothes. I'll send a message to Old Xiao. Report to the station again tomorrow."

He paused, then added, "You've been in seclusion for two days and two nights. Don't worry, this leave won't count against your five days off for the Spring Festival."

With that, he first cast a Dust-Cleansing Technique on Yang Wenqing.

Only then did Yang Wenqing notice that his undershirt was nearly soaked through with sweat. Even in winter, a strong smell of sweat clung to him.

"Thank you for taking care of me, Zhang-ge."

"No need to be so polite."

After the two exchanged a few more casual words, Yang Wenqing took the opportunity to say goodbye. When he walked out of the building, he discovered that it was already late. Only patrol officers and guards on duty remained in the precinct.

When he reached the precinct gate, he saw Song Yu, a classmate from the same cohort.

"When did you come in?"

Song Yu looked Yang Wenqing up and down.

"During the day. I borrowed the training room for a while. Have you been assigned to the night shift?" Yang Wenqing replied.

Song Yu did not suspect anything.

The two chatted for a few more sentences before Yang Wenqing excused himself and left. After he had walked some distance away, an elderly man with the rank of senior police inspector stepped out of the guard booth beside them and asked Song Yu, "Your classmate?"

"Yeah!"

"He's already advanced to the Qi Refinement stage. He probably used the training room this time to advance."

"Ah!"

Song Yu froze for a moment, then blankly looked in the direction Yang Wenqing had left, glanced at the old man, and blurted out, "Holy shit."

It was over half an hour later when Yang Wenqing returned to his dormitory. He first went to the communal washroom and took a cold shower. When he returned to his room, he instinctively prepared to cook, but he did not feel hungry at all.

Those in the Qi Refinement Realm could already abstain from food. Eating too much ordinary food would also consume the spiritual energy in their qi sea to refine it. Yet many Qi Refinement Practitioners still kept their three daily meals unchanged. As the teachers at the Security Academy put it: going too long without eating grains would make people feel empty, and over time, they might even begin to doubt whether they were still human.

Yang Wenqing decided to follow his elders' advice. He steamed half a taro, ate it mixed with sugar, then let his gaze fall upon the pile of clothes he had changed out of.

He knew the Dust-Cleansing Technique too, and had learned it back when he attended classes at the clan school. It was just that his qi sea had previously lacked spiritual energy, so he had been reluctant to use it often.

He extended his left hand, drew upon the spiritual energy in his qi sea, and formed the hand seal for the Dust-Cleansing Technique.

As the hand seal took shape, a faint spiritual gleam flickered at his fingertips, followed by an invisible ripple spreading outward. It gently swept over the pile of clothes, and the grime and even the odors clinging to them seemed to be lightly wiped away by an invisible hand.

Within a few breaths, the pile of clothes had become as clean as new, even carrying a trace of freshness left behind by spiritual cleansing.

Yang Wenqing looked at his handiwork with satisfaction, an unconscious smile appearing on his face. He then muttered, "Cultivation truly is endlessly enjoyable!"

After saying that, he folded the "washed" clothes and put them into the wardrobe. Then he sat cross-legged on the bed and entered meditation. However, he did not yet possess a cultivation method for the Qi Refinement stage. Though he knew the theoretical knowledge, he did not dare try it for safety's sake and could only simulate, within the Golden Core World, the spell hand seals he had already learned.

Before he knew it, a wave of drowsiness washed over him, and he simply fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Yang Wenqing still woke before dawn. Just as he was about to wash up, he remembered that he was now a Qi Refinement Practitioner. He cast a Dust-Cleansing Technique on himself, then sat on the bed to meditate, using the basic method to absorb and refine spiritual energy until his qi sea was full.

After dawn.

He put on his city defense uniform, picked up the envelope containing the money he had divided earlier and the small piece of steamed taro left in the pot, then headed out. He first deposited the money at the ATM of the city bank across from the dormitory courtyard before walking toward the public security station.