Fire Crow

"Return..."

He Pingsheng put all his belongings into the Treasure-Gathering Basin, then stored it in his dantian.

What should I do next?

He still had two supreme-grade [Qi-Gathering Pills].

But those two pills certainly would not be enough for him to break through to the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining.

If he wanted to advance further, he could only rely on Qi Drawing into the Body over the long years ahead.

With He Pingsheng's five-element spiritual root aptitude, it really would take an eternity. Perhaps he would never reach the fifth level through breathing exercises in his entire lifetime.

So he still needed to find cultivation resources.

"Before looking for cultivation resources, I should go out and test this spell!"

He Pingsheng left home and headed into the mountains.

He certainly could not test it in the little town. After all, he had no idea how powerful the Fire Crow would be, and it would be bad if someone noticed him.

Over the past year, as his cultivation improved, He Pingsheng's mind had gradually opened up as well. Things he had previously failed to understand or wrap his head around now made sense to him.

Of course, he remained as cautious as ever.

That caution was not innate. It was a lesson he had learned after witnessing his parents' murder with his own eyes.

He Pingsheng walked through the deserted mountains for two full days, heading away from the Great Void Sect, before finally stopping.

"I'm so far away now... even if I make some noise, it shouldn't alert anyone in the Great Void Sect, right?"

He Pingsheng stopped in a primeval forest.

Ancient trees towered before him, behind him, and all around him.

The moss underfoot was wet and slippery, and when he looked up, neither sky nor sun was visible. Only the burbling of a stream to his left, flowing down from the mountaintop, seemed to lend this world a trace of reality for He Pingsheng.

"Gather..."

He Pingsheng took a deep breath. The Fire Attribute Spiritual Power within him surged out, quickly gathering into a ball of flame in his right palm.

As the flames flickered, they took on the shape of a crow.

The crow flapped its wings, looking remarkably lifelike.

"Go..."

With a thought, He Pingsheng sent the Fire Crow flying forward.

Thirty feet away, the Fire Crow slammed headfirst into a tree trunk so thick it would take someone's arms to encircle it.

Boom...

A violent explosion rang out.

A blast of Fire Attribute energy struck him in the face.

Caught off guard, He Pingsheng was actually driven back three steps by the heat wave.

When he looked up again, he saw a large, pitch-black hole in the trunk thirty feet away, with flames burning around its edges.

The flames grew fiercer, crackling and snapping.

Crash...

In fewer than three breaths, the towering ancient tree snapped in the middle and crashed heavily to the ground, branches and all.

Yet the fire on its trunk only grew more ferocious.

"Oh no!" He Pingsheng slapped his forehead. "I mustn't start a forest fire!"

He hurriedly took out the Treasure-Gathering Basin and rushed to the nearby stream to fetch water, then poured it straight onto the flames.

Something astonishing happened.

He Pingsheng poured five or six basinfuls of water over it in succession, but instead of going out, the flames burned even more fiercely.

"How strange. Water can't put this fire out?"

His face full of worry, He Pingsheng ran over himself and tried to smother the fire with rocks and earth. He exerted the strength of nine oxen and two tigers, but in the end, the flames only went out on their own after burning the entire tree to ashes.

"Whew..."

He Pingsheng drew a deep breath, then sat on the ground in a rather bedraggled state. Looking at his palm, he murmured, "Could it be that flames created through Spiritual Power and spells are different from ordinary fire?"

"That single strike could break an old tree in half, so it should be pretty good, right? I just don't know what it would do if it hit a cultivator, or whether it measures up to disciples at my level."

After that, He Pingsheng dared not attack any more trees. He found a rocky spot without trees or dry grass, formed another Fire Crow, and hurled it hard against the sheer cliff face.

Boom...

The next instant, shattered rock flew everywhere!

A large black hole had been blasted into the cliff.

"So powerful!" He Pingsheng was astonished. He had not expected it to blast such a large hole even in rock.

"Again!"

Boom... boom... boom...

After unleashing twelve Fire Crows in succession, He Pingsheng finally exhausted all the Fire-Attribute Spiritual Energy within him.

In other words, he could only launch twelve attacks of this strength in one go.

If he could not finish off his enemy within twelve attacks, his only option would be to flee.

With nothing to compare it to, having never fought anyone, and not knowing how powerful other fourth-level Qi Refining Stage cultivators' spells were, He Pingsheng had witnessed his own spell's power but still had no idea how he measured up to others.

He felt his aptitude was far inferior to those talented cultivators, so he habitually assumed his spell was inferior as well.

Yet if another cultivator of the same level saw his Fire Crow Technique, who knew how shocked they would be?

With his spell testing finished, He Pingsheng retraced his route back to the little town.

The round trip took five days.

After reaching the outer sect's little town, He Pingsheng did not go home immediately. Instead, he went to the Outer Sect Hall again.

Upon entering the bustling hall, He Pingsheng could not help extending his Divine Sense. He could clearly discern the cultivation levels of every cultivator within thirty yards.

There were cultivators at the first, second, and third levels of the Qi Refining Stage.

There were some at the fourth level, too.

However, there were not many fourth-level cultivators.

As for those above the fourth level, He Pingsheng found that he could not see through their cultivation.

Yet among the hundred-odd people bustling about the hall, there were only three whose cultivation he could not discern.

He Pingsheng felt secretly pleased with himself.

"Senior brother..." The disciple seated in the middle of the hall, handling miscellaneous affairs, saw He Pingsheng approach and took the initiative to stand and address him as senior brother. He Pingsheng had never enjoyed such treatment before.

"Senior brother, what business would you like to handle?" the Servant Disciple asked He Pingsheng respectfully.

He Pingsheng swept him with his Divine Sense and found that he was only at the third level. Smiling, he said, "Junior brother, I heard our Great Void Sect has a Trade Pavilion open to Outer Disciples. I'd like to take a look. How do I get in?"

The Trade Pavilion was a little more upscale than the miscellaneous affairs office in the Outer Sect Hall. It sold cultivation supplies needed by Outer Disciples.

However, not just any Outer Disciple could enter.

Its entry requirement was the middle Qi Refining Stage.

In other words, the fourth level at minimum.

"Senior brother, you've already reached the fourth level, haven't you?" the disciple across from him asked, his face full of respect.

He Pingsheng nodded. "I have!"

"Then that's fine!" the disciple said. "Senior brother... the Trade Pavilion is on the second floor of our Outer Sect Hall. You can enter from over there at the side. There's a staircase!"

"But before entering, you'll need to have your cultivation tested!"

"As long as you've reached the fourth level, someone will guide you upstairs!"

"Good!" Overjoyed, He Pingsheng walked toward the staircase leading to the Trade Pavilion.