Then he tossed the transmission talisman into the air, where it transformed into a streak of fire and flew away.
After receiving the reply, Hong San felt half disappointed and half regretful.
Why had he become so carried away back then that he ended up offending Pill Refiner Zhou?
If he were given another chance, he would certainly be respectful and courteous.
But there was no medicine for regret in this world.
Zhou Xun paid little heed to Hong San's affairs.
He opened the jar of spirit rice, scooped out a large spoonful, cut up some Demon Beast Meat, and enjoyed a hearty meal.
Zhou Xun entered the Meditation Chamber again and began his daily cultivation.
Although he had not broken through over the past few months, his cultivation during that time had not gone to waste. While wearing away at his bottleneck, he had also consolidated his foundation.
Spiritual Qi was refined into magical power and merged into his Dantian.
At that moment, Zhou Xun felt his magical power suddenly surge, as though he was on the verge of a breakthrough.
"Looks like the breakthrough will come within the next few days!" Zhou Xun had a powerful premonition.
Early the next morning, Zhou Xun asked Lin Xueying for leave.
"Young Miss, while cultivating yesterday, I felt that my bottleneck had loosened somewhat. Therefore, I request ten days of leave to enter seclusion and charge toward Qi Condensation Level 4!" Zhou Xun spoke with blazing conviction, leaving no room for refusal.
"Then let me congratulate Pill Refiner Zhou in advance!" Cultivation was a matter of great importance, so naturally the young woman would not deliberately trip Zhou Xun up. She readily agreed.
Without Zhou Xun's assistance, the refining of Fire Barrier Pills could not be delayed, so Lin Xueying found Wang Erniu instead.
But once they began working together, the result was too dreadful to look at.
Wang Erniu was either too fast or too slow when processing spiritual herbs.
He simply could not match Lin Xueying's rhythm.
This made Lin Xueying miss the days when Zhou Xun had been there.
"If only he were here!"
For this secluded breakthrough, Zhou Xun did not intend to return to Green Willow Alley.
For one thing, although Green Willow Alley was protected by an array, it was only the lowest grade and nowhere near as safe as Danbao Pavilion.
Furthermore, the Spiritual Qi concentration in this Danbao Pavilion courtyard was incomparably higher than that at Green Willow Alley, which would benefit his breakthrough.
Before entering seclusion, Zhou Xun first purchased two full bottles of Qi Purification Pills at the internal price.
Qi Purification Pills were pills commonly used by Mid-Stage Qi Condensation cultivators to consolidate their foundations and nourish their essence. Taking them when a Qi Condensation Level 3 cultivator entered seclusion to break through would bring great benefits.
After bathing, he entered his room and went into seclusion to seek a breakthrough.
He took out some Spirit Soothing Incense and lit it.
Breathing in the sandalwood fragrance, Zhou Xun's mind quickly became calm.
He then took out a Qi Purification Pill and swallowed it.
As soon as the pill entered his stomach, he circulated the Essence Cultivation Art to refine it.
The medicinal power transformed into Spiritual Qi, flowed through his meridians as it was refined, and entered his Dantian to become magical power.
As the refinement continued, the surging of Zhou Xun's magical power became increasingly apparent.
However, the medicinal power of one Qi Purification Pill was soon exhausted, and Zhou Xun continued taking more.
One pill, then two.
Three days later, the door that had remained shut for three days opened once more.
A handsome young man in a green robe emerged, his magical power aura completely restrained.
It was Zhou Xun, who had just broken through to Qi Condensation Level 4.
This breakthrough had gone extremely smoothly.
On the first day of seclusion, after taking five Qi Purification Pills in succession, Zhou Xun had broken through into the Mid-Stage Qi Condensation.
The next two days were spent stabilizing his cultivation.
This breakthrough had greatly increased his magical power. It was not merely an increase in quantity, but also a transformation in quality.
Using a Fireball Technique with Mid-Stage Qi Condensation magical power would double its might.
However, Zhou Xun's greatest change was still his divine sense.
His divine sense now extended fifteen zhang in every direction.
It was enough to rival that of a Qi Condensation Level 9 cultivator.
Zhou Xun estimated that, with a mid-grade magical artifact, he could now barely contend against a Qi Condensation Level 7 cultivator.
At last, he could be said to possess a sliver of self-preservation ability.
He cast a Cleansing Technique, and the stale murkiness from three days of seclusion vanished completely.
He went to Yuexiang Restaurant, ordered a table full of spiritual delicacies, and feasted to his heart's content before returning home to Green Willow Alley.
He rested well for an entire day.
Early the following morning, Zhou Xun changed his clothes and put on the "Thousand Faces Mask" in an uninhabited corner.
In an instant, Zhou Xun changed from a refined young gentleman into a middle-aged martial artist.
Even if Lin Xueying stood before him, she would never recognize him as Zhou Xun.
After leaving the marketplace gates, Zhou Xun headed west without stopping.
After traveling roughly five hundred li, he arrived at an uninhabited valley and finally stopped.
Zhou Xun had come this time to familiarize himself with a flying magical artifact.
The last time he had used a flying talisman, he had swayed crookedly through the air and nearly fallen several times.
With a pat of his Storage Pouch, a flash of light appeared, and a small azure shuttle-shaped boat appeared in his hand.
A mid-grade flying magical artifact—the Azure Light Shuttle.
Zhou Xun had already imprinted his divine sense mark onto the Azure Light Shuttle while at home.
As he slowly poured in magical power, the little boat instantly expanded to a length of one zhang.
Zhou Xun leaped lightly aboard. With a movement of his divine sense, the Clear Light Shuttle shot forward at once.
It nearly sent Zhou Xun stumbling off his feet.
He swayed several times before steadying himself.
The Azure Light Shuttle also flew in a crooked, wavering path, without the slightest grace.
An hour later, the Flying Shuttle slowly descended, and Zhou Xun jumped down from it.
After putting away the Flying Shuttle, he took a Qi Recovery Pill and began meditating to regulate his breath.
During this time, Zhou Xun had consumed more than forty percent of his magical power.
In other words, with Zhou Xun's current magical power, he could only sustain the Azure Light Shuttle at full speed for two hours.
Yet those two hours were already enough for Zhou Xun to fly several thousand li.
This was far faster than traveling over land.
After finishing his breath regulation, Zhou Xun took out the Azure Light Shuttle again and began practicing.
After practicing for a full four days, Zhou Xun finally mastered the flying magical artifact. Only then did he return to his home in Red Leaf Square.
Red Leaf Square, the Wu Family's residence.
After nearly two months of negotiations and discussions, the Sun and Li Families finally agreed to join forces in attacking the Lin Family.
However, their conditions had changed slightly.
In addition to obtaining Danbao Pavilion as originally agreed, the Sun Family also demanded forty percent of the Fire Essence Stone mine and half of the Lin Family's medicinal fields.
Furthermore, all kinds of treasures, cultivation resources, and other spoils seized after breaking the Lin Family would be divided into three portions. The Sun Family would receive one portion, while the other two families would each receive one portion.
As for the Li Family, because its strength was weak and it would contribute the least, aside from the previously agreed Longevity Pill and Foundation Establishment Pill, it would receive twenty percent of the Fire Essence Stone mine and half of the spirit fields.
All the remaining spirit fields, medicinal fields, shops, cave residences, spirit mine shares, and the like would belong to the Wu Family, the instigator of the campaign.
Of course, the various manuals, cultivation techniques, and cultivation art inheritances seized this time would be copied once for all three families.
With the distribution plan settled, the next matter was the attack plan.
They decided to divide their forces into three routes. The strongest route would be led by the Wu Family and would attack the Lin Family residence.
The second route, somewhat weaker in strength, would be led by the Sun Family and would attack the Fire Essence Stone spirit mine.
The final route would consist mainly of Li Family cultivators and would attack Danbao Pavilion.
The three families would commit all their manpower—direct descendants, collateral branches, retainers, and sons-in-law—aside from a small number who were too young or whose cultivation was far too weak.
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