Shengui Changsheng: Start from Zhenwuwei and add some points to cultivate immortality

It was still pitch black outside, but the most active nocturnal beasts in the mountains seemed to have fallen silent, making it the perfect time to make a move.

He didn't choose to return to the market town, as that would be walking into a trap. Nor did he aimlessly wander through Black Wind Ridge, where the enemy was likely still outposting. His gaze fell upon the area marked on the map, deeper within Black Wind Ridge, an area that partially overlapped with the outer wilderness of Burial Dragon Abyss—the Corpse Bone Forest.

The Forest of Rotting Bones, as its name suggests, is a treacherous place where even the bones of demonic beasts decay rapidly. It is perpetually shrouded in poisonous, rotting miasma, breeding all sorts of bizarre venomous insects and mutated plants adapted to the miasma. The spiritual energy there is chaotic and polluted, and very few cultivators dare to set foot there. But precisely because of this, it is a place that pursuers fear and find difficult to track.

It's extremely risky, but it might be the only way out.

Fu Shaoping checked his remaining items: he had dozens of spirit stones left, and a decent quantity of Qi-restoring pills, healing pills, detoxifying pills, and miasma-clearing pills, but his Swiftness Talismans were exhausted, and his attack and defense talismans were almost gone. The Xuan Turtle Shield's spiritual light was dim and needed nurturing. The only things that remained intact were perhaps the various soul-binding secret techniques brought by the "True Explanation of the Mysterious Contract," as well as his more resilient Dao heart and richer survival experience compared to other cultivators of the same level.

He took a deep breath of the air, which smelled musty from the cracks in the rocks, and silently slipped out of his hiding place.

The night wind was icy. He stayed close to the ground, maximizing his Wind Control Technique to conserve his true energy, moving swiftly through shadows and rocks like a ghost. He didn't take the established animal trails or mountain paths, but instead chose the most rugged and densely vegetated directions. Every so often, he would deliberately leave several extremely subtle traces pointing in the wrong direction (using the subtle techniques of interfering with energy from the "True Explanation of the Mysterious Contract"), or place weak and misleading soul energy imprints at certain key forks in the road.

He was like a master stalker, or a cunning hunter, setting traps for potential pursuers while fleeing.

Before dawn, he finally made it through the core area of ​​Black Wind Ridge without any major incidents and arrived at the edge of the Bone Forest on the map.

Before even entering, a strange stench, a mixture of sweet, fishy, ​​putrid, and pungent sourness, assaulted the senses. Before them lay a desolate woodland, its colors a mixture of dark red and ghastly green. The trees were twisted and sparse, their trunks covered with pustules-like growths. The ground was covered with a thick layer of strangely colored fallen leaves and sticky mud, from which murky bubbles occasionally rose, bursting and releasing small plumes of grayish-green poisonous mist.

The air was filled not only with poisonous miasma, but also with a strange aura of chaos, decay, and the ability to erode life. The "contract" here also seemed to carry a sense of morbidity and distortion.

Fu Shaoping immediately swallowed a miasma-clearing pill and an antidote pill, and maintained a thin layer of true qi protective film on his body. He tried to circulate the "Contract Identification Technique" and found that most of the contract patterns here were dim, distorted, or even broken, filled with ominous signs.

“This place is not safe to stay long, but we must go deeper.” Fu Shaoping composed himself and did not rush in immediately. He first observed the outer perimeter for a while, then chose an area where the poisonous miasma was relatively thin and the ground seemed slightly hard (but it might actually be a trap), and carefully stepped in.

With one step, the seemingly solid ground immediately sank, and the sticky rotten mud almost reached his ankles. A powerful suction force came, and countless bone-rotting worms as thin as hair crawled out of the mud and climbed up his legs. Their mouthparts gleamed with a ghostly light, trying to penetrate the protective membrane of true qi!
Fu Shaoping reacted with lightning speed, his Gengjin Finger striking repeatedly to shatter all the bone-rotting worms on his legs. Simultaneously, he channeled his true energy into his legs, leaping into the air towards the branches of a twisted, strange tree beside him. However, although the branch appeared thick and sturdy, its tentacles were as soft as cotton, utterly unable to bear his weight!

Just as he was about to fall into the rotten mud again, he pointed his left hand like a knife and cleaved a stream of condensed true energy at another strange tree a little further away. Using the force, he moved sideways again. At the same time, a specially made hook in his right hand (an ordinary object, but useful at this moment) shot out and wrapped around a black boulder protruding from the ground in front of him. He finally stabilized his body and landed on the top of the boulder.

In just a few breaths, danger surged one after another. This forest of decaying bones was indeed fraught with peril at every turn!
Fu Shaoping dared not land easily again. Relying on his grappling hook, lightness skill, and keen observation of the surrounding environment, he moved with difficulty among strange trees, boulders, and a few seemingly solid patches of ground, slowly venturing deeper into the forest.

He avoided several clusters of brightly colored, strangely sweet-smelling poisonous mushrooms, where fist-sized, brightly colored stinging wasps roamed. He also steered clear of a seemingly calm mud pit that constantly emitted colorless and odorless "bone-corroding poisonous smoke." Occasionally, he would be attacked by low-level venomous insects such as ghost-faced spiders and wire centipedes that had adapted to the poisonous miasma, but he carefully dealt with them all.

He dared not use powerful spells, lest he deplete his true energy and cause too much commotion. He relied more on skill, experience, and the predictive ability brought by the "Mysterious Contract True Explanation" (judging safety by observing the stability of "contracts" in the environment).

And so, he trekked for a day and a night through the perilous Bone Forest, venturing deep into the depths of several dozen miles. His true energy was more than half depleted, he had used up a considerable amount of elixirs, and his mind was exhausted from the intense tension.

Finally, on the evening of the second day, he found a relatively "safe" place—a small natural cave deep in the Bone Forest, backed by a steep black rock wall.

The entrance to the cave was narrow and hidden, concealed by several clumps of strange, dark red vines. The cave was not large, but it was dry, with hard rock walls. Most importantly, the air inside, filled with the toxic miasma and chaotic energy that eroded life, was noticeably thinner than outside! It seemed that the rock walls had some kind of natural barrier or purifying effect.

After carefully inspecting the entrance and interior of the cave and confirming that there were no monster nests or dangerous traps, Fu Shaoping finally breathed a sigh of relief, and a wave of exhaustion washed over him.

He immediately set up a warning barrier and a simple concealment array at the cave entrance, and then used the "Illusion Contract Technique" to simulate the "natural contract" aura at the cave entrance, which was consistent with the surrounding vines and rocks. Then, he sat cross-legged, took out a mid-grade spirit stone (one of his most treasured possessions), and began to fully circulate the "Azure Profound Breathing Technique" to restore his true energy.

At the same time, he also began practicing the "Calming the Mind and Nourishing the Soul" method from the "True Explanation of the Mysterious Contract." In this relatively safe environment, the recovery of soul power was more important than true qi.

This adjustment lasted for a full three days.

When Fu Shaoping opened his eyes again, the light in his eyes was restrained. Although his aura was still only at the seventh level of Qi Refining, it appeared more solid and grounded. His true qi had recovered to eighty percent, and his soul fire had also stabilized. Although it was far from its peak, it was no longer a major problem. The wound on his chest had completely healed.

More importantly, after the pursuit at Black Wind Ridge and the life-or-death journey through the Corpse Forest, his mindset had been tempered, and he had gained a deeper understanding of the application of the "True Explanation of the Mysterious Contract," especially the application of the "Contract Identification Technique" in actual combat and survival. He even had a faint feeling that the bottleneck of the seventh level of Qi Refining had loosened.

"Perhaps I can try to break through to the eighth level of Qi Refining here," Fu Shaoping pondered. Although the Corpse Bone Forest was dangerous, this stone cave was temporarily safe. Although the spiritual energy here was polluted, it could still be used for cultivation after being filtered by spirit stones and the balanced and peaceful "Azure Profound Breathing Technique." More importantly, it was well-hidden, making it extremely difficult for pursuers to find him in a short time.

But a breakthrough will take time and a relatively stable environment. He needs to ensure the cave is safe enough and has sufficient resources.

He carefully examined the cave again, even using the "Search Technique" to probe deep into the rock walls, confirming there were no hidden passages or dangerous natural barriers. Then, he decided to solve the resource problem before attempting a breakthrough.

He couldn't stray too far from the Bone Forest, but he could look for usable resources in relatively safe areas nearby. For example, certain medicinal herbs adapted to the poisonous miasma, or hunting low-level poisonous insects and monsters to obtain materials.

Using his "Contract Discrimination Technique" to distinguish between "safe contracts" and "dangerous contracts" in the environment, and with his increasingly refined Soulfire perception, Fu Shaoping began to move cautiously near the cave in the Rotten Bone Forest. He successfully collected several "Rotting Bone Grass" and "Miasma Spirit Flower" plants that had mutated in the poisonous miasma but contained special antidotes or anti-corrosion properties. He also set traps and captured several mid-grade first-tier "Ironclad Poison Scorpions," whose carapaces and venomous tails were materials for refining weapons and alchemy.

He even discovered a small nest of Yin Spirit Stones in a hidden rock crevice! These spirit stones contain Yin attributes and a faint poisonous aura, which are useful for cultivating specific techniques or refining Yin poisonous magical artifacts. Although Fu Shaoping has no use for them, they are quite valuable if exchanged.

The resource issue has been temporarily alleviated.

Back in the cave, Fu Shaoping began preparing for his breakthrough. He set up more stringent protective and concealment formations, and placed the remaining mid-grade spirit stones and all the Qi-restoring and Qi-nourishing pills within reach.

Then, he closed his eyes and focused his mind on his dantian.

The Azure Profound Breathing Technique was operating at full power, with pure true energy flowing through the meridians like a river. The soul fire flickered slightly, providing a clear mind and precise control.

Reaching the seventh or eighth level of Qi Refining is a crucial step in further compressing and condensing True Qi, transforming it into a liquid state. It is also an important stage for laying a more solid foundation for Foundation Building.

Time passed slowly in silence and focus.

Outside the cave, the Bone Forest remained deathly silent and eerie. Inside, however, a transformation concerning his cultivation was quietly taking place. Would Fu Shaoping be able to break through successfully? Could this temporary refuge sustain him through this dangerous period? Everything remained unknown. But regardless, he had already carved out a glimmer of hope and a possibility of progress for himself in this desperate situation.

Inside the stone cave, time seemed to lose its meaning. Only the sound of Fu Shaoping's internal energy flowing, like an underground river surging, grew louder and more rapid.

He pushed the circulation of the Azure Profound Breathing Technique to its limit. The mid-grade spirit stone in his hand dimmed at a visible speed. Pure spiritual energy was frantically drawn in, flowing into his meridians and merging with his own true energy, constantly impacting that invisible yet resilient barrier.

Reaching the seventh or eighth level of Qi Refining is not merely an accumulation of quantity, but a qualitative transformation. True Qi needs to be compressed to a near-liquid state, the core of the Dantian Qi vortex needs to become more solid and stable, and the width and resilience of the entire meridian system also need to be improved accordingly.

Fu Shaoping's mind was clear and focused, his soul fire flickering as he precisely controlled the flow and intensity of each strand of true energy. His powerful Dao heart played a crucial role at this moment; no matter how much swelling pain and tearing sensation the impact of the true energy brought, his mind remained as steady as a rock, without any ripples.

"break!"

With a low shout in his heart, a torrent of nearly 70% of his true energy surged forth like a dam bursting, crashing fiercely against that solid barrier!
"boom--!"

A muffled thunderclap seemed to resound within his body! The barrier trembled violently, developing spiderweb-like cracks, yet it did not completely shatter. The backlash caused Fu Shaoping's blood to churn, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately swallowed the Qi-Nourishing Pill and Qi-Recovering Pill that he had already been holding in his mouth. The gentle medicinal power dissolved, quickly replenishing his depleted true energy and soothing his trembling meridians.

After a brief adjustment of his breathing, once his true energy was replenished, he began his second assault. This time, he no longer pursued brute force, but instead fused the power of his soul fire with his true energy, giving the impact a penetrating quality that went straight to the essence, and making it even more concentrated.

"Condense your soul into a cone, use your true energy as a drill... Break!"

A more concentrated and sharper force than before pierced precisely at the center of the barrier's crack!

"Crack——!"

A clear shattering sound echoed in his mind! The barrier that had hindered him for so long finally broke through!

In an instant, the vortex of Qi in the dantian suddenly contracted, and then expanded violently! All the true Qi surged into the dantian like rivers flowing into the sea. In the center of the vortex, wisps of more condensed, shimmering liquid true Qi began to appear, like the core of a nebula!

Qi Refining Level 8! A natural progression!
A surge of power, nearly twice as strong as before, instantly filled his entire body. His meridians, through breaking and rebuilding, became wider and more resilient, and his divine sense's coverage extended to nearly fifty feet! More importantly, the wisps of liquid true energy within his dantian signified that his foundation had become even more solid, marking another firm step towards Foundation Establishment.

Fu Shaoping let out a long sigh and slowly finished his practice. He did not get up immediately, but continued to sit cross-legged, circulating his energy to consolidate his newly broken-through realm, while carefully experiencing the changes in his body.

The Soul Flame seemed to have been nourished by this breakthrough, becoming brighter, and its control over true qi and its perception of the surrounding environment became more delicate and subtle.

"Finally... I've reached the eighth level of Qi Refining." Fu Shaoping opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them. Although it was only a breakthrough in a small realm, in such a dangerous situation, every bit of improvement in strength meant an increase in the chances of survival.

He estimated the time; this period of seclusion, including the breakthrough and consolidation, took about ten days.

The protective barriers and concealment arrays at the cave entrance remained intact, and the surrounding forest of decaying bones remained deathly silent, seemingly untouched by pursuers or powerful demonic beasts. (End of Chapter)