Qi Condensation Crystal!

Xu Qingshan stood beside the bookshelf, smiling.

"Captain Yang, you've only just arrived. I imagine the Technique Pavilion is a maze to you."

He raised a hand and pointed at the densely packed shelves around them.

"There are at least five hundred cultivation arts on this floor alone, most starting at the Qi Gathering Realm. Without a clear goal, you couldn't get through them one by one in two days and two nights."

Yang Xiao did not deny it.

The five hundred-odd arts varied wildly in quality. Their titles and brief descriptions alone made it hard to tell which were worthwhile.

Xu Qingshan had spent five years in the Demon Suppression Division and knew this place far better than Yang Xiao did. There was no harm in hearing him out.

"I'm looking for an art that can help me break through to the Liquid Condensation Realm," Yang Xiao said bluntly.

Xu Qingshan's smile stiffened slightly. He looked Yang Xiao up and down, something complicated flickering in his eyes.

"Captain Yang... you've already reached the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm?"

Yang Xiao made no attempt to hide it. He nodded.

Xu Qingshan drew a deep breath, his smile fading a little. "No wonder you sent Old Xiao flying with one palm strike during the assessment..."

He muttered under his breath, then turned serious.

"Captain Yang, there are no breakthrough arts for the Liquid Condensation Realm on this floor."

Yang Xiao frowned slightly.

"Not just on this floor. There aren't any in the entire Cultivation Manual Archive." Xu Qingshan shook his head. "Breakthrough arts aren't kept in the archive. If you want to learn one, you have to exchange Merit for it."

"Why?" Yang Xiao asked.

Xu Qingshan seemed to have expected the question. He explained at an unhurried pace.

"The Demon Suppression Division doesn't care about a recruit's background. Flag Officer Shen should have told you that."

Yang Xiao nodded.

"That's a good thing, but it has its drawbacks."

Xu Qingshan sighed. "Among the people recruited each year, quite a few are Rogue Cultivators, disciples cast out by their sects, or even outlaws.

"Several arrive at the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm every year."

"If they could claim a breakthrough art the moment they joined, what do you think would happen?"

Yang Xiao was silent for a moment. Then he understood.

"They'd take the art and run without doing a loyal day's work."

"Exactly." Xu Qingshan nodded approvingly. "Out in the martial world, which breakthrough art wouldn't be a sect's most treasured possession?"

"So the rule is ironclad—breakthrough arts can only be obtained with Merit, and Merit can only be earned by completing missions.

"You want to learn a Liquid Condensation Realm art? Prove your loyalty and ability first. Risk your life to earn Merit, then exchange it for the art once you have enough."

"That rule hasn't changed since the Division was founded."

Yang Xiao asked no more questions. He merely nodded.

The rule was harsh, but it made sense. The Demon Suppression Division was no charity; it could not hand out its most valuable resources for free.

"Then what would you recommend, Brother Xu?"

Yang Xiao had changed how he addressed him, from "Xu Qingshan" to "Brother Xu." His manner had grown noticeably warmer.

Satisfaction flashed through Xu Qingshan's eyes. He clearly appreciated the change.

"You're at the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm, Brother Yang, with a solid foundation. That already puts you ahead of most newcomers."

He walked to a row of shelves, ran a finger past one art after another, and finally stopped at a particular volume.

"But have you considered something, Brother Yang? You're at the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm, and your spiritual qi is abundant—but what about its quality?"

Yang Xiao froze.

The quality of his spiritual qi? No one had told him that was something to worry about.

After cultivating the Origin-Guiding Qi Gathering Art until now, his twelve Apertures were brimming with spiritual qi, and he also had the qi stored through Meridian Storage Spiritual Qi. He had enough of it.

But its quality... he truly had no idea.

"At the Qi Gathering Realm, cultivation centers on opening Apertures and accumulating spiritual qi."

Xu Qingshan continued slowly, "But spiritual qi can be coarse or refined. Coarse qi is abundant but diffuse. It's consumed quickly when you use martial techniques, and its power is weak. Refined qi is scarcer but more concentrated, delivering greater power for the same expenditure."

"Most Qi Gathering Realm martial artists have coarse spiritual qi. Basic cultivation arts can absorb and store qi, but they can't purify or condense it."

"And breaking through to the Liquid Condensation Realm requires precisely that purification."

He turned, pulled a thin booklet from the shelf, and handed it to Yang Xiao.

Foundation-Solidifying Qi-Condensing Art.

Yang Xiao took the booklet and opened it to the first page.

It was only a dozen or so pages thick, but the writing was neat and the illustrations clear.

"This art serves three purposes." Xu Qingshan held up three fingers and explained them one by one.

"First, it purifies spiritual qi. Through cultivation, you can gradually turn the coarse qi in your body into refined qi, improving its quality."

"Second, it strengthens your foundation. Refined qi sits more densely and securely within the Apertures, giving your foundation greater solidity."

"Third—and most importantly—it contains a move that releases spiritual qi beyond the body, something normally possible only in the Liquid Condensation Realm: Qi Condensation Crystal."

Xu Qingshan's tone grew more earnest.

"Qi Condensation Crystal compresses spiritual qi to its limit before releasing it as a Spirit Crystal. Its destructive power rivals a Liquid Condensation Realm cultivator's projected qi."

"And—"

He lowered his voice and stepped closer.

"This art has another advantage. As you repeatedly compress your spiritual qi, its quality grows more refined. By the time you've mastered the art, the qi in your body will be close to the threshold of the Liquid Condensation Realm."

"If you then exchange for a Liquid Condensation Realm breakthrough art, your chance of success will be over thirty percent higher than if you tried to force your way through directly."

Yang Xiao closed the booklet and looked at the title on its cover—Foundation-Solidifying Qi-Condensing Art.

He had already made up his mind.

Xu Qingshan's words were not empty talk.

He truly had not considered the quality of his spiritual qi before. But thinking back to his battle with the Bull Demon, the Demon-Slaying Blade Technique had consumed qi at a startling rate, while its power had felt thin and far from overwhelming.

Now it seemed that the poor quality of his spiritual qi was one reason.

"Thank you for the guidance, Brother Xu."

Yang Xiao tucked the booklet away and cupped his fists toward Xu Qingshan.

Xu Qingshan waved a hand, still smiling. "No need to thank me, Brother Yang. New arrivals should look out for one another. If there's anything you don't understand about the Demon Suppression Division, just come find me."

He paused, then added, "I live in the seventh room of the third row in Zone C. I'm there anytime."

Yang Xiao committed the location to memory, nodded to Xu Qingshan, and turned to leave.

Xu Qingshan watched him go. The smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a thoughtful look.

At the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm. Eighteen years old. Sent Old Xiao flying with one palm strike...

This man is worth getting to know better.

Back at his quarters, Yang Xiao shut the door and placed the Foundation-Solidifying Qi-Condensing Art on the table.

He did not equip it immediately. First, he read it carefully from cover to cover.

The principle behind the Foundation-Solidifying Qi-Condensing Art was not complicated: through a special breathing method, it repeatedly compressed and purified the coarse spiritual qi in the body until it became refined qi.

As he cultivated it, the quality of his spiritual qi would gradually improve, and the qi in his Apertures would become denser and more stable.

The move Qi Condensation Crystal compressed purified spiritual qi to its limit, formed a Spirit Crystal in the palm, then launched it at an enemy.

Its power depended on the qi's quality and how tightly it was compressed. The higher the quality and the greater the compression, the more destructive the Spirit Crystal.

Yang Xiao closed the booklet and took a deep breath. The Equipment Slot panel unfolded before his eyes.

[Available equipment detected: "Foundation-Solidifying Qi-Condensing Art"]

[Effect One: "Foundation-Solidifying Qi-Condensing Art" proficiency maxed out.]

[Effect Two: Spiritual qi quality upgraded to refined qi.]

[Effect Two: Trait acquired (Blue)—Qi Condensation Crystal: No charge time required. Can form a Qi Condensation Crystal at any moment, with an edge of extreme sharpness.]

[Permanent retention condition: Equip for three days or kill one Liquid Condensation Realm demon.]