Late Qi Refining

Yunxiu felt uneasy as she gazed at the path from which thick fog poured.

Before long, a small courtyard enclosed by a bamboo fence appeared before her.

She pushed open the courtyard gate and saw an artificial mountain. A little bridge crossed a stream at its foot, and every so often, a few fish could be seen swimming beneath the water.

To the right of the artificial mountain was a narrow, winding path that led somewhere unknown.

Since she had come, she would make the best of it.

Yunxiu comforted herself and continued onward.

Soon, a pavilion appeared before her, and she could just make out a figure sitting upright inside.

Here we go, she thought, then walked up to the figure.

"Greetings, Senior."

"I hardly deserve to be called Senior. Fellow Daoist Yun, I hope you've been well."

The figure turned around, revealing a familiar face.

"F-Fellow Daoist Qin?"

Yunxiu's mouth fell open, as though she had seen something unbelievable.

But the next moment, she was overjoyed, knowing her life was safe.

Yet when she sensed Qin Fei's presence, her delight gave way to uncertainty and suspicion.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, y-you broke through to Late Qi Refining?"

Qin Fei nodded slightly, a faint smile appearing on his face.

Ever since he had gone into seclusion that day, he had not once left the courtyard.

He had first spent more than ten days cultivating the Spiritual Power in his body to perfection, then tried to force his way through the bottleneck without using a Stage-Breaking Pill.

The result was just as he had expected: no matter how he attacked the bottleneck, it did not budge.

The bottleneck to Late Qi Refining was only a minor hurdle. Someone with exceptional aptitude could break through without much effort at all.

But for him, with his Pseudo Spirit Root, it was not so easy.

He could still break through if he spent several years on it, but he clearly did not have that much time.

Fortunately, he had Stage-Breaking Pills, each with a ten-percent chance of bringing about a breakthrough.

After he took a Stage-Breaking Pill, the effect was indeed much better. The bottleneck that had refused to budge began to shake violently.

Qin Fei seized the opportunity and controlled his Spiritual Power to strike it fiercely.

As soon as the medicinal effect wore off, he took another pill, never letting up on his assault.

To Qin Fei's speechless frustration, his luck was truly terrible. Only after taking the ninth pill did he finally break through the bottleneck and reach Late Qi Refining.

Qin Fei shook his head. Who could ever make sense of probability?

His luck had been poor this time, but perhaps he was saving up good fortune for Foundation Establishment. So he comforted himself.

After the breakthrough, however, the results were extremely gratifying.

Late Qi Refining was said to be the dividing line of the Qi Refinement stage. After breaking through, both his Spiritual Power and his divine soul had improved substantially.

As for his Spiritual Power, the Everlasting Spring Art's characteristic of accumulating strength before releasing it had become even more pronounced.

Qin Fei estimated that his Spiritual Power was about thirty percent deeper than that of others at the same realm.

Although his Spiritual Power had no special offensive properties, it would give him a considerable advantage in a prolonged battle.

The improvement to his divine soul was even more surprising. With the aid of the Divine Soul Sensing Chapter, it had reached a terrifying level.

By Qin Fei's reckoning, even if the strength of his Divine Sense fell short of someone at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, it would not be by much.

The great increase in strength naturally filled Qin Fei with delight.

Most importantly, he could finally begin preparing the resources needed for Foundation Establishment.

After breaking through to Late Qi Refining, there were no more bottlenecks before Foundation Establishment. Reaching the eighth and ninth layers of Qi Refinement was merely a matter of steady grinding.

If he could cross the threshold of Foundation Establishment, a whole new world would open before him.

Qin Fei's heart was full of anticipation.

"I was just lucky to break through. Haven't you already reached the Sixth Level of Qi Refining yourself, Fellow Daoist Yun? I imagine it's only a matter of time before you break through to Late Qi Refining."

Bitterness filled Yunxiu's heart. When they had first met, both of them had been at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.

Now, a gap had appeared between them.

She knew her own circumstances. She had only just reached the Sixth Level of Qi Refining, and she could forget about another breakthrough in less than three to five years.

Qin Fei was already far ahead of her, and she knew she could not match him.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Qin. You've become a great Late Qi Refining cultivator and can be said to have secured a place for yourself in Shangyu Market."

Qin Fei did not want to dwell on the matter. He brushed past it and asked about Yunxiu's experiences.

Unexpectedly, his question brought a secret to light.

"You mean you were the one who spread word of the secret realm's discovery?"

"That's right. It was the former site of my Heavenly Secrets Sect. When I found it, the Lin and Lu Households had already taken control of it, and I couldn't get in. With no other choice, I had to muddy the waters."

As it turned out, after the two had parted that day, Yunxiu had stayed hidden while searching for the Heavenly Secrets Sect's ruins.

She was the Heavenly Secrets Sect's sole inheritor, so she was naturally determined to obtain the things inside the secret realm.

Alas, her strength was limited, and she had discovered that the secret realm was already occupied. She could never hope to contend with the Lin and Lu Households on her own, so she had made the news public.

The secret realm had ignited the Rogue Cultivators' enthusiasm, and she had indeed found an opportunity to slip in among them.

But she had not expected the secret realm to be full of puppets that attacked anyone they saw, making no distinction between friend and foe.

With no other choice, she had temporarily withdrawn.

She had planned to wait until the Rogue Cultivators cleared out the secret realm before going back in.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, the secret realm has now been cleared, and its core area has appeared. This is the perfect time to claim the treasures. I hope you'll lend me a hand!"

Qin Fei had not expected her account to lead to such a request.

He refused almost without thinking.

"Fellow Daoist Yun, you should know the situation in the secret realm better than I do. Now that even Foundation Establishment cultivators have intervened, what chance do people like us have of taking part?"

He put it tactfully. In his view, entering now meant almost certain death.

Treasures might be enticing, but one had to be alive to enjoy them.

Yunxiu, however, shook her head and explained:

"There's something you don't know, Fellow Daoist. How could the ruins of my Heavenly Secrets Sect be so easy to force one's way into?"

"Although I haven't been to the core area yet, our sect's secret records say that an extremely formidable set of mechanisms and restrictions was placed there."

"Those Foundation Establishment cultivators know only how to charge blindly ahead. There's no way they can obtain the treasures."

"But if you're willing to help me, I'm willing to share the treasures with you. What do you say?"

After hearing Yunxiu out, Qin Fei was sorely tempted.

But he quickly came to his senses. People said treasures could stir the heart, and even he had thought of going to fight for them, let alone others.

He had only just broken through to Late Qi Refining. He should stay at the Heavenly Craft Creation Pavilion and steadily gather resources for Foundation Establishment. Why should he go there and take such a risk?

Having thought it through, Qin Fei hesitated no longer.

"Fellow Daoist Yun, say no more about the secret realm. I can see you've been injured. If you wish, you can recuperate here for a while. If you have other matters to attend to, then please feel free to leave."

With that, Qin Fei slowly closed his eyes, making it clear that the visit was over.

Yunxiu parted her red lips, intending to persuade him further, but seeing him like that, she could only take her leave.

She did not leave the scrapyard, however. Instead, she found another corner and began to cultivate.

Qin Fei was right. She had indeed suffered serious injuries, and she feared it would take at least ten days to half a month to get back into her best condition.

And so, Yunxiu settled down there.

The two rarely spoke in their day-to-day lives. Only when the Puppet Technique came up did they have a thing or two to discuss.

Yunxiu also discovered the discarded puppets piled in the middle of the courtyard.

"Huh? Aren't these our sect's puppets? How did they end up here?"

Hearing this, something suddenly stirred in Qin Fei's mind.

"How did you recognize them, Fellow Daoist Yun?"

Yunxiu thought nothing of it and answered:

"Our sect's crafting methods are very different from those used elsewhere. Besides, look, these characters are found only on Heavenly Secrets Sect puppets."

What Yunxiu pointed to were the strange markings resembling "serial numbers" that he had collected earlier.

Something stirred in Qin Fei's mind, but his expression remained unchanged.

"You recognize these characters, Fellow Daoist?"