Breakthrough!

Qin Ming sat cross-legged on the straw mat in his room.

He held a bowl of Blood Locust Rice in his hands.

Each grain of Spirit Rice resembled an insect, its entire surface wreathed in a blood-red haze that cast Qin Ming's face crimson.

Qin Ming grinned, the joy of harvest rising in his heart.

Just by smelling it, he could feel the dense Vital Energy Force rushing toward him.

Eating Blood Locust Rice placed great demands on a cultivator's physical Vital Energy; it could not be consumed in excess.

Given Qin Ming's current Vital Energy strength,

he should barely be able to withstand this bowl of Blood Locust Rice.

He scooped up a spoonful of Blood Locust Rice and put it into his mouth.

Boom!

A vast surge of Vital Energy Force shot straight toward the crown of his head!

Even though Qin Ming had prepared himself, he nearly failed to endure it!

He hurriedly began circulating his Vital Energy according to the Hundred Treasures Glazed Scripture, refining his marrow and replacing his blood.

In an instant,

a thick blood mist began rising around Qin Ming.

An unbearable itch filled his body, as though countless insects were wriggling beneath his skin.

He felt all the blood in his body turn scorching hot and boil.

After repeatedly compressing and refining his Vital Energy, the Vital Energy within Qin Ming's body gradually began to take on a liquid consistency.

Qin Ming ate all the remaining Blood Locust Rice.

In an instant, his Vital Energy condensed to its peak.

Boom!

Qin Ming opened his eyes, and the scab-like layers formed on his skin during the blood replacement peeled away one after another.

The fourth layer of the Hundred Treasures Glazed Scripture—breakthrough!

"Finally." Feeling the powerful Vital Energy Force surging through his body, Qin Ming was exhilarated.

"Entering the fourth layer is equivalent to reaching the middle stage of body refinement."

In just one short year, Qin Ming had changed so drastically that even he found it hard to believe.

"The fourth layer is still not enough. I need to try to break through to the fifth layer as soon as possible!" Qin Ming clenched his fists and thought to himself.

In the days that followed,

aside from tending to his Spirit Fields, Qin Ming trained the Hundred Treasures Glazed Scripture with all his might.

He kept a low profile and rarely went out. With the aid of Blood Locust Rice, his body-refinement progress advanced at breakneck speed.

As he devoted himself to cultivation, time flew by.

Another half year passed.

Inside the room,

Qin Ming's eyes were tightly shut.

After repeatedly refining his marrow and replacing his blood over these days, the Vital Energy within him had become increasingly compressed and condensed.

His Vital Energy Force had now reached an unprecedented height.

Only the final barrier remained before he could break through to the Fifth Layer.

Without hesitation, Qin Ming used the Abundant Vital Energy in his Sea of Consciousness.

In an instant,

his vision went black, as though a vast and surging sea had come crashing down from above.

The pressure nearly left Qin Ming unable to breathe.

The Vital Energy enhancement contained within this Abundant Vital Energy was not much weaker than that of Blood Locust Rice.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

In the blink of an eye,

the sound of Vital Energy continuously flowing and circulating rang beside Qin Ming's ears.

The scene before him abruptly changed.

Using his spiritual sense to look inward, he discovered that the inside of his body now resembled a boundless sea of blood.

His Vital Energy was thick, like mercury slurry.

Mysterious Vital Energy Force surrounded him.

Standing within it, Qin Ming appeared incomparably small.

Suddenly!

From the depths of the sea of blood, a massive tsunami gradually began to rise.

The waves surged wildly, swallowing Qin Ming in an instant.

Boom!

Qin Ming's mind exploded with a roar, and a ringing echoed in his ears.

The Vital Energy Force within his body underwent another transformation, continuously strengthening Qin Ming's flesh, sinews, bones, and physique.

A layer of treasure light, like glazed glass,

gradually appeared around Qin Ming's body, covering every inch of his skin like a robe.

This was the Glazed Armor Qin Ming had condensed from his immense Vital Energy Force after attaining Vital Energy Like Mercury!

The moment the armor condensed, it meant that he had finally entered the fifth layer of the Hundred Treasures Glazed Scripture!

His body refinement had undergone a complete qualitative transformation.

Qin Ming's current strength far surpassed that of body-refinement cultivators of the same rank.

He took out the Azure Spirit Sword and slashed forcefully across his skin.

A white mark appeared on his skin, only to vanish in the next instant.

"Looks like ordinary magical artifacts can no longer hurt me!" Qin Ming was overjoyed, and an indescribable sense of security welled up within him.

More importantly, the Glazed Armor possessed spell-repelling effects.

"The Fifth Layer is already this powerful! The might described in this scripture was actually all true!"

"I've already completed the First Five Layers of the Hundred Treasures Glazed Scripture. It seems I need to obtain the remaining four layers of the technique from Daoist Ruan as soon as possible."

Feeling his strength surge, Qin Ming could not help anticipating the later portions of the technique.

His rapid breakthrough was mainly thanks to the immense Vital Energy enhancement brought by Blood Locust Rice.

Otherwise, considering the spiritual materials required by the Hundred Treasures Glazed Scripture, who knew how long it would have taken him to reach this realm.

Qin Ming felt incomparably refreshed.

After washing up,

Qin Ming's blood energy withdrew and concealed itself within him.

The skin on his body still looked like that of a Spirit Farmer, with a faint wheat-colored tan.

Yet compared with before, his entire bearing was completely different. His aura was restrained, but his eyes shone with vigor.

"Now, I can be said to possess at least a little ability to protect myself in this chaotic Immortal Cultivation World."

"Could this be the first Trump Card I've possessed in all these years since coming to the Immortal Cultivation World?"

"Ah, it truly hasn't been easy."

The tension Qin Ming had felt in recent days because of the lurking Marauder Cultivators eased considerably.

The nerves that had kept his whole body taut finally relaxed.

Only two months remained.

The acre of Beast Fang Rice in Qin Ming's Spirit Field would soon mature.

By then, not only could he exchange it for the remaining portions of the Hundred Treasures Glazed Scripture,

but he could also advance to become a First-Grade Lower Spirit Planter.

From then on, he would enjoy the Spirit Feather Sect's policy of halving the Spirit Rice tax.

Not only would his standing among Spirit Farmers rise greatly,

but he would also gain a considerable additional income in Spirit Rice.

However, advancing to a First-rank Spirit Planter also required passing an internal assessment on Spirit Plant knowledge.

As for successfully planting First-Grade Spirit Plants, he had already grown Beast Fang Rice and Yin Condensation Flowers.

Both had been registered and reported by the Spirit Feather Sect's record keeper.

All that remained was the assessment on Spirit Plant knowledge.

Qin Ming still intended to strive for the rank of First-rank Spirit Planter.

After all, with this credential, he would enjoy all sorts of conveniences in his future cultivation life.

After breaking through in body refinement, Qin Ming had no further technique to cultivate.

He could only patiently wait for the acre of Beast Fang Rice to mature two months later.

During this time,

Qin Ming crammed Spirit Plant knowledge in preparation for the assessment.

Aside from that, he also studied the art of alchemy.

He even bought a small pill furnace from Manager Liao and attempted to refine several batches of basic pills.

Every attempt ended in failure.

"Looks like without someone to guide me, reading books alone won't do." Qin Ming stared at the pitch-black spiritual materials inside the furnace and let out a helpless sigh.

Alchemy really did depend on talent. His aptitude in this area was mediocre as well.

It seemed he could only wait until later, plant Spirit Herbs on a large scale, and pile up experience through sheer volume.

Hopefully, when the Yin Condensation Flowers matured, Alchemist Su could give him some guidance.