The Second Qi Refining Layer

When Xu Qingtong heard Shopkeeper Gu say that he had actually crafted a Mid-Grade Talisman, he was thrilled. But he had no intention of telling Shopkeeper Gu how he had done it.

With a bewildered look in his eyes, he said, "Shopkeeper, I don't know how I managed it either. I just felt that everything went especially smoothly while making this one. I never expected to craft a Mid-Grade Talisman."

Shopkeeper Gu pondered for a moment, then took out a spirit stone and handed it to Xu Qingtong. "Qingtong, leave this talisman in the shop for now. This spirit stone is your payment for it. If you can make more of these in the future, I'll pay you one spirit stone for every five."

With that, he handed the Mid-Grade Fireball Talisman to Wu Zheng and told him to display it somewhere conspicuous to attract customers.

After Shopkeeper Gu left, Xu Qingtong took out five spirit stones and handed them to Wu Zheng. "Brother Wu, I'd like to buy some talisman paper and make a few talismans for my own use."

Wu Zheng put away the spirit stones and brought him fifty sheets of talisman paper. Xu Qingtong took them and returned to his room.

Now that he knew he could craft Mid-Grade Talismans, and since these were for his own use, Xu Qingtong naturally had no intention of making low-grade ones.

He sat meditating on his bed for a while, regulating his breathing until his magic power and divine sense were fully restored, then began crafting a Mid-Grade Fireball Talisman.

With the experience of his first success behind him, he crafted a Mid-Grade Fireball Talisman this time without much difficulty.

With his current magic power, Xu Qingtong could just barely manage to craft two Mid-Grade Talismans, but he cautiously chose to meditate and recover instead.

Afterward, he crafted another three Fireball Talismans, one Water Arrow Talisman, one Rejuvenation Talisman, and one Shield Talisman, all of them mid-grade.

Xu Qingtong put these talismans into his Storage Bag, then sat cross-legged to restore his magic power.

Suddenly, he felt a swelling pain in his dantian and meridians. Xu Qingtong was startled, then overjoyed.

He knew he had reached the peak of the first qi refining layer. It was time to break through to the second.

Taking out the Five Elixirs Origin Refinement Art, Xu Qingtong carefully studied it from beginning to end. Once he had worked through several crucial points, he took two spirit stones from his Storage Bag, held them in his hands, and circulated the Five Elixirs Origin Refinement Art, beginning his attempt to break through to the second qi refining layer.

After completing five greater celestial circuits, the spirit stones in Xu Qingtong's hands had lost their luster, and the magic power within him had filled to its limit.

He did not stop, continuing to circulate the cultivation art. Suddenly, his entire body shuddered. His dantian and meridians swelled violently, then rapidly shrank like a ball that had lost its air.

Next, a layer of greasy substances seeped out onto his skin. He had broken through to the second layer of the qi refining stage.

Without bothering to clean the grime from his body, Xu Qingtong hurriedly took out another two spirit stones and continued circulating his cultivation art, absorbing their energy to consolidate his newly advanced cultivation.

Four hours passed. His cultivation gradually stabilized, and his mood relaxed along with it.

Xu Qingtong left his room and went into the courtyard to bathe, washing the grime from his body. Refreshed in body and mind, he returned to his room, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began recalling the breakthrough.

Xu Qingtong pondered for a long time before finally shaking his head with a bitter smile. His aptitude really was poor!

Nearly two years had passed since he began cultivating, yet he had only just managed to reach the second layer. Never mind someone with a single spiritual root-even someone with dual spiritual roots would probably have reached the fourth qi refining layer in two years!

After all, the early qi refining stage took the least time. Those with good aptitude could reach the third qi refining layer in a year. Those with slightly poorer aptitude usually needed only two to three years. The middle qi refining stage was much harder than the early stage, requiring five to ten years.

Moreover, the earlier one stepped onto the immortal path, the better, because the younger a person was, the simpler they were. A child was like a blank sheet of paper, upon which anything could be drawn.

For older people, whose bodies and minds had been stained by the mortal world, beginning cultivation was far more difficult. Unless they possessed heaven-defying aptitude, they would struggle to achieve much.

Shopkeeper Gu Mingli, for instance, had only begun cultivating in his thirties. He was seventy-three this year, yet still only at the eighth qi refining layer. Whether he could reach foundation establishment in this lifetime remained uncertain.

I began cultivating at ten, and it took nearly two years just to break past the first layer and enter the second qi refining layer. At this rate, who knows what year or month I'll reach the middle qi refining stage?

Forget it. Thinking too much won't help. I remember Uncle saying, "Rice must be eaten one mouthful at a time, and a road must be traveled one step at a time. Don't take too large a stride. If you do, you'll easily... easily what, again?"

Anyway, I need to leave a solid footprint with every step, not reach for heights beyond my grasp.

At this thought, Xu Qingtong felt his mind clear. So what if my aptitude is poor? As long as I hold firm to my resolve and keep walking with my feet planted on solid ground, even if I die of exhaustion halfway there, I'll die without regrets.

Xu Qingtong did not know that these unwitting thoughts aligned with the great Dao of immortal cultivation. Cultivation was not merely about tempering the body; more importantly, it was about cultivating one's state of mind. Without a steadfast Dao heart, how could anyone travel farther?

After reaching the second qi refining layer, Xu Qingtong's dantian and meridians had expanded considerably. But this did not excite him much. What delighted him was the change in his divine sense.

He sank his awareness into his niwang palace and carefully examined the changes in his divine sense.

He discovered that his divine sense had grown by a full thirty percent compared with the first qi refining layer, and had also become more condensed. Wherever it swept, even the tiniest details stood out with perfect clarity.

He slowly spread his divine sense outward. Ten feet, twenty feet... Soon, Xu Qingtong's divine sense had extended beyond fifty feet.

He "saw" Brother Wu Zheng lying on his bed, sleeping soundly.

A little later, his divine sense reached a hundred feet away, and he "saw" Shopkeeper Gu meditating with his eyes closed on the third floor.

Suddenly, he felt as though his head had taken a heavy blow. A sharp pain tore through his mind, and his divine sense abruptly recoiled.

A moment later, a voice reached him. "Qingtong, come to my room."

Recognizing the shopkeeper's voice, Xu Qingtong dared not delay. He hurriedly got up and, enduring the discomfort in his head, went to the third floor. Just as he was about to knock, he heard the shopkeeper say, "Come in."

Xu Qingtong pushed open the door and entered. Seeing the shopkeeper still seated upright, he hastily bowed. Shopkeeper Gu asked, "Qingtong, why did you probe me with your divine sense today?"

"Shopkeeper, I broke through to the second qi refining layer today, and my divine sense grew a little. In my excitement, I accidentally extended it all the way here. I was truly rash," Xu Qingtong hurriedly explained.

"Oh! You've reached the second qi refining layer? That certainly calls for congratulations. However, casually probing others with your divine sense is very rude. They might even mistake it for a provocation."

"It's one thing if their cultivation is lower than yours. But if it's higher, you could suffer damage to your soul at best, or lose your life at worst. Remember, you must never be so reckless again," Shopkeeper Gu said. Hearing this, Xu Qingtong hurriedly thanked him.

Seeming to recall something, Shopkeeper Gu pondered briefly, then added, "I imagine you haven't learned the Qi-Observing Art yet. I'll teach it to you today. Once you've learned it, you can use it to gauge other people's cultivation without offending them."

As he spoke, he took out a Jade Slip and pressed it to his forehead. A moment later, he lowered it and handed it to Xu Qingtong.

Xu Qingtong accepted the Jade Slip, thanked him again, and left the shopkeeper's room to return to his own.

He picked up the Jade Slip and sent his divine sense into it, discovering that it did indeed contain the instructions for the Qi-Observing Art.