Mid Qi Refining

That night, the moonlight was cool as water.

Far away on the horizon hung a white jade disc, seemingly bearing a palace of Cold Jade that scattered flecks of pure radiance over the mortal world.

Jiang Yang sat cross-legged on a Meditation Cushion with his eyes closed, his hands forming a seal before his chest. Vast medicinal power poured into his Qi Sea, becoming surging streams that coursed through his meridians.

At that moment, the misty moisture surrounding Jiang Yang flowed into his mouth and nose together, glowing a clear azure in the darkness, especially conspicuous against the night.

The cool aura around him soothed his heart and steadied his mind. Jiang Yang changed his hand seals through Transformation, and with each breath, great quantities of spiritual energy flooded his Twelvefold Tower.

In an instant, Jiang Yang's face flushed red. His Spirit Sense surged forth as he did everything he could to suppress his rampaging Magic Power.

His diligent daily cultivation had indeed not been in vain. Under the stimulation of the Essence-Nourishing Pill's medicinal power, he absorbed the great mass of Spirit Vigor gathered around him into his body. This was the perfect opportunity to climb another level.

Jiang Yang worked hard to guide the turbulent Spirit Vigor within him toward a higher realm. Having already experienced breaking into the Qi Refining Stage, he was not groping blindly in the dark.

He only needed to guide it slowly, divide and suppress it, and prevent a reversal through his meridians. Then everything would fall into place, like water flowing into a finished channel.

The youth sat cross-legged beneath the silver frost of moonlight. It illuminated his face, lending him the substance of jade and the luster of gold. The shifting light and shadows across his brows, eyes, and nose gave him an ethereal air beyond the mortal dust, as though a banished immortal had descended to earth. Sadly, deep within this mountain hollow, no one witnessed the sight.

After a long while, Jiang Yang slowly opened his eyes. His clear pupils were black as jade, gleaming with radiance.

“Whew. Qi Refining Middle Stage.”

The Magic Power spilling outward after his breakthrough made Jiang Yang's eyes flash brightly, though fortunately, the glow soon faded.

Jiang Yang briefly examined himself. His physical body had barely changed, but all the meridians throughout his limbs were exceptionally clear and unobstructed, while his Qi Sea acupoint held a great reserve of Magic Power.

Although he had only advanced a single level, his total Magic Power had surged by at least forty to fifty percent compared with before.

No wonder everyone says you can ride the Magic Wind and soar into the Azure Firmament once you reach Late Qi Refining. Every level brings a qualitative improvement.

Jiang Yang murmured inwardly.

Without experiencing a realm firsthand, it was truly difficult to describe the differences between them. The peak one reached determined the view one saw—there was real worldly wisdom in that.

Then delight appeared once more on Jiang Yang's moonlit face. Even he had not expected to break through so quickly.

He had thought he would need to hone himself a little longer. Who would have imagined that everything would flow naturally into place tonight? It had gone so smoothly that he could hardly believe it.

But on second thought, the aid of his cultivation method had also been indispensable.

The general principles of the Dew Essence Consumption Method stated: Taiyin gives birth to water, their interweaving never ceases; deep and glistening lies the dew, which without the sun will never dry.

Taiyin gave rise to the water lineage, and the two paths were deeply intertwined. Night dew evaporated upon meeting the morning sun. Apart from the concentration of Spirit Vigor itself, the method most favored an environment suffused with Lunar Radiance and gathered morning dew, which greatly benefited Jiang Yang's cultivation.

It was now the fifteenth, the middle of the month. Lunar Radiance spilled over the earth like silver frost, and he had the Spirit Vigor of the Cave Abode and the assistance of Elixirs, supplemented by his daily practice and unflagging diligence.

The proper hour had arrived, favorable terrain followed, and the human element was in place. With all three aligned, how could this breakthrough fail?

In the blink of an eye, the hazy light in the sky was already nearing dawn, its dim glow startling him into awareness of the hour.

Jiang Yang restrained the delight on his face. To him, it had felt as though hardly any time had passed, yet this breakthrough had actually taken an entire night.

He could only marvel. Truly, cultivation knew no passage of years.

Once he calmed down, Jiang Yang quietly reviewed everything. By his original estimate, he would not reach Mid Qi Refining until the end of the year at the earliest. Yet now, he had broken through after only a month and a half. His progress could only be called astonishingly swift.

At an ordinary disciple's cultivation speed, even with Elixirs to assist them every day, a breakthrough would take at least three to five months of work. Without Elixirs, relying solely on arduous cultivation, two or three years would be nothing unusual. That was without even mentioning the bottlenecks encountered later, which wore away even more time and patience.

Perhaps the [Lush Peach and Plum] talent played a part too. Its ability to subtly transform my aptitude may be even more wondrous than I imagined.

Jiang Yang knew that his good fortune and his access to the Spirit Vigor of a True Person's cultivation grounds certainly mattered, but this speed still did not quite make sense. He privately suspected that the talent within him had begun exerting its power.

Then he mused further:

I just don't know whether my aptitude has undergone Transformation already. It seems I'll have to find a way to test my Spirit Aperture and root bone when I have some free time.

Hmm... I'll need to be discreet.

Jiang Yang added that reminder to himself.

There were special spells for such measurements, but Jiang Yang did not know them. He could only sense his own Spirit Aperture drawing in and releasing energy; he could not precisely distinguish or classify its quality.

Once he had finished sorting through his stray thoughts, he saw the sun rising in the east and all things awakening.

Jiang Yang stood and stretched at length. Outside, daylight shone brightly in every direction; the time for rest had already passed.

A sleepless night had almost no effect on Jiang Yang now. On top of that, he had just broken through and was brimming with vigor.

Bringing his fingers together, Jiang Yang cast a Clothing-Cleansing Spell on himself. Then he gathered and smoothed his long hair, casually securing it with a wooden hairpin.

He needed no further adornment. Anyone who saw him would have praised him as a handsome, refined young man.

Having tidied his appearance, he did not linger, but headed straight out to the Imperial Food Office.

Today was the midmonth rest day. As customary, an excellent meal would be served, with Spirit Rice cooked and supplemented with spirit herbs. Rich, fresh, and delicious, it was not to be missed.

Jiang Yang had not eaten Spirit Rice often, but anyone who had tasted it even once would find its flavor unforgettable.

If Jiang Yang had to choose between a spirit pill and a spirit meal a hundred times, he would choose the spirit meal every single time.

Back when he was in the Lower Court, Jiang Yang had set himself a rather unambitious little dream: to eat spiritual food and medicinal herbs at every meal, day after day without end.

At the time, however, he had feared embarrassing himself, so he had never mentioned it to anyone, only making the vow silently in his heart.

He reached the Imperial Food Office in a few strides. From far away, he could already hear the hubbub of voices. Unlike its usual quiet, it seemed that every disciple on the peak had gathered here.

Robes of clear blue and emerald green filled the place, with male and female disciples coming and going. Who knew where they had all emerged from? It was quite a lively scene.

Fortunately, they were all inner disciples, immortal cultivators who had entered the Dao, and their conduct was considerably more decorous. There were no arguments or noisy disturbances, unlike the marketplace-like clamor Jiang Yang had experienced in the Lower Court.

Though there were many disciples, they lined up in good order. Jiang Yang was only a newly promoted disciple, and he was accustomed to coming and going alone. He had no close friends accompanying him.

He went forward alone to collect his meal from the cook, then found a quiet corner and sat down.

Besides a bowl of delicately fragrant Spirit Rice, today's meal also included a Silver Scaled Fish.

Though this was Jiang Yang's first time tasting it, he had long heard of its fame. Even when he had last collected his service assignment, the register had mentioned a task involving the raising of these spirit fish.

The Silver Scaled Fish was a spirit fish unique to Dew-Covered Lake. Its entire body was long and slender as a shuttle, its flesh fine-grained and firm. Fresh, sweet, and refreshing on the tongue, it contained spiritual energy, offering both flavor and Spirit Vigor.

Jiang Yang picked up his Bamboo Chopsticks, and after a single bite, he could not stop. Soon, he had picked the entire fish clean.

As expected of Civet Sixteen's carefully chosen selection. It truly lives up to its reputation...

Whether a fish tasted good, a cat would know. Setting down his chopsticks, Jiang Yang savored the lingering flavor and could not help offering a word of praise.

Having eaten his fill, Jiang Yang rose and left the Imperial Food Office, heading toward Dawn Rain Peak as usual.

There was still about a month and a half until the inspection. On a hundred-mile journey, ninety miles was only halfway; Jiang Yang had not let his recent breakthrough go to his head, and he still came to the Rain Listening Pavilion early.

Once he completed this service assignment, he would be free to arrange the rest of his year as he pleased. If something went wrong at the very end, he would have nowhere even to cry. He could not afford to be careless.

Standing before the Spirit Array that resembled a veil of water mist, Jiang Yang took out his waist token, flashed it, and slipped inside.

Jade-green clouds drifted leisurely, and deep shadows lay among the bamboo.

Just then, the faint sound of a Dongxiao reached him, as though he stood beside a mountain stream beneath a sheer cliff. Its clear, spacious echoes were serene, low, and lilting.