The gulf between Qi Refining cultivators

The sun had just risen, the clouds parting and the mist dispersing. Only a thin veil of white haze remained, glimmering beneath the warm crimson sunlight and revealing layer upon layer of radiant color.

The Cloud-Piercing Flying Boat was also a low-grade talisman artifact. Fully manifested, it measured thirty or forty feet long, with two decks of cabins that could house more than a dozen people.

While still in the embryonic breathing realm, controlling such a flying talisman artifact would undoubtedly have been a tremendous strain. But upon reaching qi refining, the embryonic breath within one's body grew countless times stronger. With Talisman Coins and ambient spiritual energy available to replenish it, the burden became manageable.

As soon as they boarded the Cloud-Piercing Flying Boat, Tu Shan Ge and Tu Shan Zhuang escorted the one-armed Tong Yi belowdecks. Chen Heng looked out over the railing and saw countless currents of wind whistling beneath them, lashing toward the boat like lengths of silk. Yet all were stopped by the crimson light the boat emitted, vanishing like clay oxen sinking into the sea.

Though it was no longer the faint light of early dawn, the sky was still not particularly bright. He could only vaguely make out how the once towering mountain ridges and hills had become small and flat.

A few farmers walked along the distant field ridges, but they were merely tiny black dots. Had a Qi Refining cultivator's remarkable eyesight not been nourished by embryonic breath, allowing it to pierce clouds and obstructions, the old Chen Heng would never have seen them clearly.

After a brief look over the railing, he lost interest, returned to his cabin, and shut the door.

The cabin could just barely be considered tidy. Chen Heng pointed a finger, sending a ripple of qi around him that swept away what little dust there was, then found a clean spot and sat down.

"Once you reach qi refining, it truly is a whole different world from embryonic breathing..."

Chen Heng gently clasped the Golden Cicada inside his sleeve and connected with it through his mind. His consciousness instantly entered the One True Dharma Realm.

It was still that same empty, boundless expanse.

With a beckoning gesture, Chen Heng summoned his own attributes.

[Great Secrecy Radiance Concentration]

[Name]: Chen Heng.

[Arts]: Chen Clan Archery (major attainment), Qi Armor Technique (intermediate attainment), Little Scarlet Dragon Sword Manual (intermediate attainment), Green Satchel Medicine Manual (minor attainment), Blood Armor Technique (initiate), Aurora Great Escape (--).

[Magical treasures]: Thunderfire Thunderclap Bead (mid-grade talisman artifact), Green Bamboo Thorn (low-grade talisman artifact), One Qi Essence Jade (low-grade talisman artifact), Cloud-Piercing Flying Boat (low-grade talisman artifact), Heaven and Earth Bag (low-grade talisman artifact), Dipper Talisman (secret treasure).

[Cultivation]: third layer of qi refining (Primordial Beginning True Origin Scripture Expounded by the Divine House Pivot Splendor Dao Lord).

"At last, it no longer looks the way it used to. It has taken on a new face."

As he studied the words displayed by the Great Secrecy Radiance Concentration, delight involuntarily appeared on Chen Heng's face. With a sweep of his hand, he dismissed the page of the Golden Book covered in writing.

His battle with Tong Yi had yielded four new talisman artifacts: the Green Bamboo Thorn, the One Qi Essence Jade, the Cloud-Piercing Flying Boat, and the Heaven and Earth Bag Tong Yi carried.

The Green Bamboo Thorn was the speck of green light Tong Yi had controlled, formless whether moving or still and difficult to catch. It resembled a flying needle. As a low-grade talisman artifact, it could not compare to Chen Heng's own Thunderfire Thunderclap Bead.

But now.

Chen Heng had already reached the third layer of qi refining, and the embryonic breath within him had grown more than tenfold. As long as he did not become trapped in a prolonged battle, he could control two talisman artifacts at once, or even three or four, without issue.

The One Qi Essence Jade was Tong Yi's defensive talisman artifact, the very thing that had blocked several blasts of thunderfire. It was quite useful and complemented Chen Heng's Qi Armor Technique perfectly.

The Cloud-Piercing Flying Boat needed no further explanation: a flying talisman artifact.

As for the Heaven and Earth Bag Tong Yi carried, it held nothing beyond Talisman Coins and a few women's bellybands.

After taking out the Talisman Coins, Chen Heng simply gave the Heaven and Earth Bag to Tu Shan Ge. The fox was utterly penniless, hardly better off than Xu Zhi.

"To gain so many talisman artifacts from a single battle was quite a windfall. With what I own now, I probably wouldn't be considered poor among ordinary Qi Refining cultivators."

Chen Heng shook his head. "But this Primordial Beginning True Origin Qi Cultivation Art certainly demands a great deal of embryonic breath..."

Qi Cultivation Arts varied in grade, and the true qi they produced naturally differed as well.

True qi was transformed from embryonic breath.

Some lower-grade forms of true qi required little embryonic breath. They were like a lake or pond: once filled, the true qi would naturally take shape.

But the true qi required for Primordial Beginning True Origin was nothing short of a deep ocean!

He had drained all the spiritual energy around Blazing Mountain and exhausted every Talisman Coin he had acquired, yet had only barely pushed his cultivation to the third layer of qi refining.

Had Chen Heng cultivated the Mysterious Truth Sect's Ingot-Gold True Qi, then after consuming so many resources, his qi refining cultivation would probably have reached the fifth or even sixth layer already.

Since different forms of true qi required different amounts of embryonic breath to transform, Qi Refining cultivators differed as vastly as heaven and earth in fighting strength unless they practiced the same Qi Cultivation Art.

Qi Refining cultivators who practiced higher-grade true qi possessed several times, or even ten times, the embryonic breath of some cultivators who practiced lower-grade true qi!

If the two fought at the same layer of qi refining.

The one with more embryonic breath needed to do nothing beyond casually shaping it into a great hand. No matter what methods the opponent used, a single slap would kill them outright! Clean and decisive!

That was why Chen Heng dared to challenge Tong Gaolu at the seventh layer of qi refining despite being only at the third layer himself.

This supreme Qi Cultivation Art, capable of producing Primordial Beginning True Origin, was his greatest source of confidence!

"And those talismans left behind by my predecessor's father-are they called Dipper Talismans? The Great Secrecy Radiance Concentration only revealed their origins, but never explained how to activate them."

Chen Heng gathered his thoughts and stopped dwelling on it.

He abruptly shook all the embryonic breath in his body, then slowly wound it around the strand of Cold Dipper True Qi within him.

Although his third layer of qi refining was actually not far below Tong Gaolu's seventh layer.

It never hurt to be prepared,

At this point, the strand of Cold Dipper True Qi that had tormented him for so long could instead become a killing move.

As his embryonic breath gradually seeped into it, the previously dormant Cold Dipper True Qi suddenly began darting wildly about, as though intent on freezing his acupoints until they shattered and piercing his internal organs to shreds.

Even though he had already protected his organs with embryonic breath.

Chen Heng's face still turned blue. Cold mist and freezing vapor gradually rose from his skin, and the temperature around him abruptly dropped...

While Chen Heng attempted to tame the Cold Dipper True Qi within his body, Zhou Chuyu bowed respectfully to the ground before Yin Gonghao in a valley several hundred miles away, her eyes flickering.

"Teacher, would my current cultivation count as powerful among Qi Refining cultivators?"

"That depends on whom you compare yourself with."

Yin Gonghao, whose long eyebrows drooped down his cheeks, glanced at her and said mildly:

"The Qi Cultivation Art I taught you can produce Calamity Mother Essence of the lower ninth grade. Never mind ordinary disciples of great sects-only their True Disciples can obtain such profound secret arts. But do not grow smug. You have only acquired the Qi Cultivation Art and lack a solid foundation. Any disciple of a great sect could easily kill you."

"I wouldn't dare compare myself with the great sects. But what about here in the mortal world?"

"You should be able to sweep across it unchallenged!" Yin Gonghao chuckled.

"Wonderful."

Zhou Chuyu tilted her little face upward and revealed a pure, lovely smile:

"Then shall I go capture Chen Heng now, skin him, and stuff him with straw?"