Gathering Qi and Advancing

A small boat rested by the lakeside.

Xu Qinghou carried two Fuluo Eels ashore, looking full of vigor.

Old Jia was drinking tea as usual. At the sight, he exclaimed, "Well, well! They must weigh forty or fifty jin, right?"

Xu Qinghou smiled. "Brother Yuan took one for me. Otherwise, I'd have sixty jin today."

Old Jia was secretly shocked. Sixty jin of eels could be exchanged for six jin of spirit rice. At this rate, Xu Qinghou would earn nearly two hundred jin of spirit rice in a month, and a Spirit Stone in half a year.

Truly astonishing!

"Hasn't Zhou Ning come out of seclusion?" Xu Qinghou looked toward Zhou Ning's residence and saw a sign hanging on the door: "Taking time off to make a breakthrough. Do not disturb."

Old Jia sent out his Divine Sense to take a peek and found Zhou Ning still sitting cross-legged on a cushion, quietly regulating his breathing.

He shook his head. "That's right."

Xu Qinghou greatly envied this wondrous use of Divine Sense. It was a technique of the Qi Refining Middle Stage.

Old Jia said, "That Zhou boy overestimated his talent. How could breaking through to the Qi Refining Middle Stage be easy?"

"Either he slowly wears down the bottleneck, or he spends the money to buy a Three Flowers Pill to break through."

"Perhaps he's confident he can do it." Though Xu Qinghou regretted that Zhou Ning had taken the wrong path, it was a choice he had made himself.

He changed the subject. "Old Jia, can you still get a Three Flowers Pill?"

Xu Qinghou intended to break through to the Qi Refining Middle Stage before the seven-year appointment and meet the Azure Mystic Sect disciple in all his glory.

Old Jia said, "Of course I can, but your Spirit Stones..."

"Let me see if I can scrape enough together," Xu Qinghou said. "By the way, Old Jia, have you heard? The Core Formation Lei Household has gone to war with the Jade Countenance Sect. I hear the Lei Household damaged one of the Jade Countenance Sect's spiritual spring water veins."

Old Jia naturally knew. He said, "The Lei Household is treacherous and ruthless. The Jade Countenance Sect relies on water techniques to refine pills, and they actually resorted to such despicable means!"

Xu Qinghou spent his days hanging around with Yuan Dahu and had heard plenty of rumors.

"Now the Jade Countenance Sect is in a panic, and everything's in chaos. Quite a few forces nearby are itching to make a move."

"But then again, the Lei Household's cultivators really are overbearing. They love collecting tolls, and they plundered the Su Household once, years ago." Xu Qinghou was now making money hand over fist, and he was very grateful to the Su Household.

Old Jia seemed to recall an unpleasant experience, and his expression darkened. "Hmph, back when this old Daoist roamed the world, I once ran into a squad of Lei Household cultivators on a narrow road!"

Xu Qinghou was surprised. "What happened then?"

Despite his advanced age, Old Jia suddenly grew excited at the question and began gesticulating wildly.

"Of course, I fought bravely against the enemy and killed three of them in a row. My eyes were red with bloodlust!"

Xu Qinghou's expression shifted in surprise. He had never imagined Old Jia was so valiant.

In truth, Old Jia had been a little slow to pay the toll back then, and the Lei Household cultivators had kicked him several times. He had been so angry afterward that he could not sleep for days.

As Xu Qinghou looked on in admiration, he spoke at length. "In my view, the Jade Countenance Sect should pay them back in their own coin. They should immediately send out their elites to attack the Lei Household's Lightning Drawing Tower and make them reap what they sow."

Old Jia realized he had become too excited and calmed himself.

Only then did he offer his own strategy. "The Jade Countenance Sect doesn't know how to fight a war at all. They should join forces with the other sects and cut off the Lei Household's supply of pills together."

"That makes sense. The Jade Countenance Sect's troubles would be readily resolved that way," Xu Qinghou said.

"The Jade Countenance Sect has no need to panic."

The old man and the young man smiled at each other, happily directing the affairs of the realm.

Inside the room.

Zhou Ning silently withdrew his Divine Sense. "..."

He took out a jade bottle containing a full portion of True Yang Metal Qi, enough to absorb and advance to Qi Refining.

Earlier, while in the Land of Wei, he had used the corresponding Qi-gathering method at noon, but he had been unable to separate any True Yang Metal Qi from the blazing sunlight.

It was as though the true Yang in the sky had been sealed off by some kind of rule.

Thus, the portion of True Yang Metal Qi in his hands was exceedingly rare.

Zhou Ning took out an ancient book and a Jade Slip, then fell into thought.

The ancient book was the [Clear Flame Heart Method] bestowed by the Su Household, while the Jade Slip was the [Xinsi Golden Scripture] he had purchased from the woman in purple gauze.

Two Cultivation Methods, two Dao Paths.

With the [Clear Flame Heart Method], the spiritual power cultivated in the Qi Refining Realm was stored in the Dantian.

The Spiritual Qi in the Dantian turned to liquid, bringing one to the Foundation Establishment Realm, and the spiritual power remained in the Dantian.

After that, the liquid condensed into a core, marking the Core Formation Realm, and the spiritual power moved into the Golden Core.

The core shattered and reformed, condensing with the Primordial Spirit into an infant. That was the Nascent Soul Realm, and from then on, spiritual power was stored in the Nascent Soul.

With the [Xinsi Golden Scripture], spiritual power was likewise stored in the Dantian during the Qi Refining Realm. After the Immortal Foundation was formed, it was stored there instead. The Immortal Foundation transformed into an inner world, becoming the Purple Mansion, and thereafter Law Power was stored in the larger Purple Mansion.

As for which of the two paths was better, that could be set aside for now.

But at the final realm, both led to becoming an embodiment of a Principle. Different roads led to the same destination.

The difference was that changing Cultivation Methods midway through the [Clear Flame Heart Method] had almost no effect on one's Dao Path.

The [Xinsi Golden Scripture] was different. Once an Immortal Foundation was established, one could only cultivate methods of the "Si Fire" Dao Path. It could not be changed without reincarnating and cultivating anew.

The [Xinsi Golden Scripture] Zhou Ning had obtained only went as far as the Foundation Establishment section. That meant that once he reached Foundation Establishment Perfection, he would have no way forward unless he found the subsequent sections or obtained a Purple Mansion Cultivation Method that also belonged to "Si Fire."

If he could not find one, his Dao Path would be cut short.

If he were a cultivator from the Land of Wei, that would have been terrible indeed.

But fortunately, he had another Dao Path. Even if the [Xinsi Golden Scripture] left him stuck at Foundation Establishment Perfection and he could not find a subsequent Cultivation Method, he could still go on to reach Core Formation and the Nascent Soul Realm.

Compared with the [Clear Flame Heart Method], the [Xinsi Golden Scripture] had far too many advantages. Having a two-hundred-year lifespan in the Qi Refining Realm alone was quite tempting.

There was just one point to note: in the Qi Refining Realm, both paths stored Law Power in the Dantian, so he could not cultivate both at once, or they would conflict with each other.

He had to wait until he had formed his Immortal Foundation and freed up his Dantian before he could continue cultivating the [Clear Flame Heart Method].

If he could not find a Purple Mansion Cultivation Method, then Zhou Ning would have no choice but to cultivate his Dantian in reverse from the Immortal Foundation realm!

Fortunately, just as when he had cultivated Meridian Opening in reverse from Qi Refining, his progress would certainly not be slow.

Having confirmed that he was free to choose his Dao Path, Zhou Ning made up his mind. He would temporarily disperse the Law Power of the [Clear Flame Heart Method], clearing space in his Dantian so he could concentrate on cultivating the [Xinsi Golden Scripture].

"I've cultivated for more than six years and finally reached the perfection of the third layer... Fortunately, the Cultivation Methods of the Land of Wei are formidable, and the [Xinsi Golden Scripture] is a fifth-grade method. My combat strength is sure to rise rather than fall!"

Zhou Ning hesitated no longer and began.

Three days later, Zhou Ning had completely dispersed all the Law Power he had cultivated through the [Clear Flame Heart Method].

Fortunately, he had already opened the six meridians of the circulatory cycle and possessed a powerful physique, so he did not become a mortal.

Zhou Ning pulled out the bottle's stopper, and a pure, supremely Yang molten light entered his sight. A hundred strands made up a single portion.

He placed the bottle before him and closed his eyes.

After a long while, he began circulating the [Xinsi Golden Scripture].

"Heaven is Qian, Earth is Kun. Yin and Yang divide, and the five elements are established. Si is the birth of Metal, Xin is the essence of Yin Metal. Only when Metal and Fire temper each other can it be formed..."

Zhou Ning breathed according to the method. The molten golden radiance in the bottle was drawn out, becoming a dazzling ribbon of gold that seeped into the space between his brows.

It then flowed into his throat, plunged straight into his Dantian, and began circulating along his meridian points.

With every inch it traveled, it grew a little more solid, while Zhou Ning's body grew a little lighter.

His five senses grew sharper, and his Divine Sense slowly began to expand: three hundred meters, four hundred meters, five hundred meters...

At last, the strand of Metal Qi completed a full circuit of his body and returned to his Dantian. There was no rosy glow, no strange phenomenon; it simply hung there, steady and still.

It was clear and dazzling, supremely Yang and supremely pure, concealing a metallic edge.

From that moment, Zhou Ning understood that he had absorbed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. From now on, he was a true Qi Refining cultivator.

He opened his eyes. Outside, it was late at night.

Zhou Ning rose and took a gentle step, standing in midair.

He tried walking forward. His body was as light as if it had no substance, gliding as though across ice: one zhang, two zhang, three zhang, ten zhang...

Riding the wind came more readily to him than it had before he absorbed the Qi.

Only when he was about to leave the formation's range did Zhou Ning stop, standing in the night wind.

There were no clouds tonight. The stars and moon shone clear, and a thin mist floated over the lake.

Zhou Ning felt his heart and mind grow still.

He raised a hand, and with a thought, formed a gleaming, silken streamer of golden flame.

He had meant to wave it out, but after a moment's thought, he decided against it. It would cause too much commotion, and he could not disturb the others.

Spiritual power circulated around him, and he took a step, returning to his room.

Zhou Ning felt the Metal and Fire Law Power throughout his body. He had no idea how much more condensed and sharp it was than that of the [Clear Flame Heart Method].

And the range of his Divine Sense, now as much as a li, had reached half that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

At last, unable to suppress his joy, he laughed aloud with delight:

"Haha, I did it!"