fairy family

Chapter 215 Refinement is Indispensable, Refinement Summit

The sixth-rank ghost spirit entering the gourd also turned into a puddle of liquid without any unexpected events.

However, the liquid was reddish-brown, a dark reddish-brown, and was clearly much more condensed than the liquid formed by ghosts below the sixth rank.

Yu Que immediately poured out the soul liquid from the gourd, divided it into portions, and then used each portion to refine it into the Taiyin Sword Qi.

As he expected, the soul liquid and ghost energy transformed from the sixth-grade ghost god could strengthen his sword energy and give birth to new sword energy.

Especially after being processed by the gourd, although the evil nature was not completely removed, it was not like the ghostly aura that dissipated after the death of ghost soldiers, which still needed to be worn down during the refining process.

Of course, refining this substance is not as smooth as refining real spiritual energy.

Specifically, Yu Que refines the soul liquid through the Taiyin Sword Technique, much like a household deity consuming incense offerings—a relatively effortless and troublesome process.

This surprised and delighted him.
"In this way, my Taiyin Sword Qi can be cultivated by absorbing and refining higher-grade ghosts and gods!"

This discovery, though still a thorny and difficult one for him.

However, with the Little Black Gourd in hand, Yu Que is undoubtedly much more convenient than ordinary immortals.

Especially if he could obtain those ruined sixth-grade ghosts, aside from those possessed by evil spirits, it would be even more convenient for him!

Yu Que thought to himself:

"However, I am only at the seventh rank now, so it is quite difficult for me to frequently obtain those sixth-rank or higher ghost gods that have been ruined."

Even if I were a true disciple, it would be difficult to find a way in.

He had considered this before.

The ghosts that Yu Que had Pan Yi collect in the mountain city included such ghosts.

However, compared to evil spirits, completely ruined ghosts are even rarer on the market, which is why he had no choice but to buy an evil spirit.

"Even if one can cultivate by using evil spirits, the price of evil spirits is still too high for me to afford."

He pondered, "It seems I must find a way to access the refining ghosts."

After some thought, Yu Que stared at the altar beneath his feet, his eyes slightly brightening.

In recent years, he has only focused on refining ghost soldiers and cultivating his martial arts.

Even when binding the household gods, he used ghost spirits, so he didn't need to focus on refining them at all. This made his refining skills a bit rusty for a while, and he almost forgot about this aspect.

"When I was down the mountain, I was able to come into contact with a lot of refining ghost objects through the Refining Guild. Now that I'm up the mountain, I can't give up this skill."

"As long as my refining skills reach the sixth rank first, then a sixth-rank useless ghost will be no problem for me."

Thinking of this, Yu Que was immediately invigorated.

In particular, upon reflection, he discovered that although there was no Refining Master Guild in Huangshan Taoist Palace, there was a large peak of Huangshan Taoist Palace that had been renamed "Refining Peak".

This Refinement Peak does not belong to the lineage of master and disciple or aristocratic families, but rather leans towards neutrality, and is even relatively friendly to the imperial court.

Because the disciples of the Refinement Peak would occasionally descend the mountain to serve as refinement masters in various markets, in order to hone their skills.

The peak master of this mountain is even rumored to be someone whose cultivation level isn't even at the Refinement stage.

However, due to his superb refining skills, he was able to refine ghosts and soldiers of the fourth rank. In terms of magical power, he was in no way inferior to the old immortals who refined qi.

Moreover, the old immortals who refine qi in the palace often have a great need for him, so his status in the Dao Palace is quite extraordinary.

When Yu Que was rebuffed when he visited Xuan Tu Shangren, the first potential backer that came to mind was not other masters or disciples or aristocratic masters, but the "Shangren" of Liandu Peak.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but think to himself:
"If I had known this would happen, I probably shouldn't have gone to the Xuan Tu Master's tutelage in the first place, but should have gone directly to the Lian Du Peak Master."

For a moment, Yu Que felt a pang of regret.

However, he had also heard that the master of the Refinement Peak was an eccentric person with an unfriendly temperament. He did not manage the Refinement Peak much and did not interfere even when his disciples were fighting amongst themselves.

In particular, Yu Que learned from his two senior brothers that the peak master of the Refinement Peak had long maintained a low level of cultivation.

Therefore, his two senior brothers even suggested to Yu Que that after becoming a true disciple, his status would no longer be the same as before, and he would no longer need to rely on his cultivation skills. They implied that the most important thing for Yu Que was to cultivate to the sixth rank as soon as possible.

As for the various refining techniques, they can be improved upon later after advancing to the sixth or fifth rank.

Otherwise, if one's mind is distracted, one who had the potential to achieve the Refinement of Qi might be reduced to merely being able to Condense Qi.

The successive masters of the Refinement Peak are a testament to this.

Yu Que not only took these words to heart, but also harbored a sinister suspicion: "Could it be that the cultivators in Huangshan Dao Palace are deliberately suppressed by the masters of other peaks, who openly praise but actually suppress them, constantly interfering with their cultivation with trivial matters, which is why the cultivation levels of successive peak masters are not very high..."

However, now, for the sake of the "waste ghost," Yu Que must pick up his refining skills again, and preferably catch the eye of the refining peak master, so that his Taiyin sword qi can continue to receive delicious "spiritual food."

After considering the matter several times, he made up his mind and sent out a communication talisman, asking Pan Yi and the others on the mountain to help him find out about the news of Liandu Peak.

As for himself, he continued to sit cross-legged in the cave, burying himself in refining the soul liquid transformed from the sixth-rank evil ghost, bit by bit, to increase his Taiyin Sword Qi.

Another half month has passed.

The entire sixth-rank evil spirit was refined, and the remaining Taiyin sword energy grew dozens or even hundreds of times stronger.

They filled his ancestral temple, their sword energy crisscrossing.

Compared to the true energy he cultivated using the lineages of the King of Hell and the Grand Duke Jupiter, it was actually quite inferior.

Yu Que once experimented by letting the two streams of true energy differentiate in the ancestral temple, so that he could decide which true energy to use when facing enemies in the future.

As a result, the true qi of the Dharma lineage, relying on its quantity, surpassed the Taiyin sword qi and was able to completely destroy it.

However, Yu Que also discovered that the Taiyin Sword Qi could also wear down the true qi of his magic veins, and could even temporarily strengthen itself by consuming his true qi of his magic veins.

However, after Yu Que spent all his energy converting all his Dharma lineage true energy into Taiyin sword energy, he found that the amount of sword energy after conversion plummeted, only equivalent to the amount of true energy he had when he was at the lower level of the eighth rank, a difference of an entire rank.

This disappointed him: "If there were no barrier between the transformation of the Dharma Meridian True Qi and the Taiyin Sword Qi, I might be able to directly nourish the Taiyin Sword Qi through Dharma Meridian cultivation."

It seems that the Taiyin Sword Qi still needs to be cultivated through the Devouring Ghosts.

But at the same time, this discovery also sparked another thought in Yu Que's mind:
"Converting the true energy of the Dharma lineage into Taiyin sword energy will cause my true energy count to drop."

So, when my true energy is at its peak and I'm on the verge of a breakthrough, can I temporarily postpone the breakthrough by converting all of my true energy into sword energy? Then, once my Taiyin sword energy is at its peak, can I directly use it for the breakthrough, or can I convert the sword energy back into my cultivation true energy to attempt a breakthrough?

Although sword energy is transformed into true qi of the cultivation lineage, there is still a barrier in between, resulting in significant losses and wasting time and effort.

However, once successful, Yu Que will possess a quality or quantity of true qi far exceeding his current level before breaking through. Furthermore, since all the true qi is refined by him, it is of the same origin and type, and there will be no rejection or other issues.

In this way, breaking through to a higher realm would become much easier for him!
Thinking of this, Yu Que's desire to strengthen the Taiyin Sword Qi became even stronger.

Just then, he also learned of a message from Liandu Peak through Pan Yi's message:
"At mid-year, the Peak Master of Refinement Peak will open the door to great convenience."

Those who are present at the appropriate time can all listen to the teachings, learn the methods, and observe the purification and transformation.

In addition to this news, Pan Yi also learned that such a grand gathering was usually held when the Peak Master of Refinement Peak publicly recruited disciples and bestowed treasures upon them.

The least valuable item he could offer was a ghost soldier of the sixth rank.

In other words, if Yu Que performs exceptionally well and catches the other party's attention, even if he cannot become their apprentice, he can still feast on his own Taiyin Sword Qi once again.

"It seems this meeting is not to be missed; I must come out of seclusion."

Yu Que muttered to himself, keeping the matter in mind, and then thought, "After this is over, I can go to the Refining Heart Hall on the way and receive the seventh-grade Dharma lineage inheritance."

After breaking through to the seventh rank, he has devoted his energy to cultivating the Taiyin Sword Qi for the past six months, and he has even temporarily suspended the binding of the ghost spirit into the temple.

Therefore, he naturally did not receive the Seven Apertures Ghost and God Diagram for the seventh-grade cultivation level for the time being.

However, it's alright if he lacks it for now. He can still cultivate the lower level of the seventh rank to perfection first, and then go and collect it when he is about to break through.

Yu Que took a moment to estimate and found that there were still a few months until the Refinement Summit.

So he sent Pan Yisu to retrieve the ghost essence, while he himself continued to cultivate in the cave.

Once the three ghost spirits were in hand, Yu Que used the small black gourd to elevate them to the sixth rank, and then immediately began the process of bringing the ghosts into the temple.

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, more than three months have passed.

Yu Que rushed as fast as he could, and all three ghost spirits had entered the temple. As a result, the size of their Yin spirits and the amount of their true energy had increased considerably. However, he still needed to polish them up enough and had to spend a great deal of effort to refine them.

The total time required would likely be longer than when he brought the ghost to the temple.

However, Yu Que didn't have time to care about that.

On this day, he received a transmission talisman from Pan Yi. He immediately got up, washed and dressed, and after making proper preparations, he headed to the location of the Refinement Peak.

There was a clang.

The sealed stone door to the cave was finally opened.

Yu Que stepped out of the cave and saw the continuous mountain scenery and lush forests outside. He immediately felt his heart expand and his mind become relaxed.

He couldn't help but let out a long roar, summoned the White Ridge Sword, and unleashed a flying bird sword technique, wrapping himself up and seemingly flying as he skimmed the cliffs, soaring to the top of Millstone Peak.

Pan Yi and the others on the mountaintop heard a metallic sound coming from the mountainside and immediately knew that Yu Que had come out of seclusion.

They quickly put down what they were doing and respectfully walked to the platform to await the remaining vacancy.
"Congratulations on your successful seclusion, sir!"

Yu Que arrived as if stepping on clouds and mist. He sheathed his sword and stood still, hearing the greetings from the warriors and maids. His gaze swept over the acres of spiritual fields and the towering palaces on the mountaintop.

Yu Que smiled and said:

"Thank you all for taking care of me over the years."

The strongmen and maids all looked terrified and immediately knelt down and bowed their heads, not daring to say a word.

Yu Que was too lazy to be polite with them, so he directly unleashed a burst of true energy, driving them all up from the ground.

He then instructed Pan Yi and Mo Yi that everyone on the mountain could postpone all non-essential matters for ten days, and take a good rest, with those who wanted to visit relatives visiting relatives and those who wanted to visit friends visiting friends.

After saying this, Yu Que called Pan Yi to his side and asked him to take all the necessary items for the meeting at Liandu Peak. The two then quietly left Mopan Peak and headed straight for Liandu Peak.

........................

Nothing unexpected happened along the way.

As we approached the Refining Peak, the number of Taoists coming and going in the mountains and forests increased considerably. Many of them were not disciples of the palace dressed in Huangshan Taoist robes, but appeared to be from the Immortal City or even other places.

During this time, Yu Que also saw a celestial being who was not a pure human.

The fish scales on the face suggest that the person is an overseas merchant who came from abroad to do business.

Upon arriving at the peak of the mountain, the area below was already filled with all sorts of paper cranes, mounts, and carriage shafts, and there was a lot of noise.

Because the Peak Master of the Refinement Peak opened the door to convenience not only for the disciples of the Dao Palace, Yu Que no longer needed to leave Pan Yi at the foot of the mountain and could directly bring him up the mountain.

When the two arrived at the summit of Liandu Peak, they were surprised to find that the summit was densely populated. Many people who had arrived earlier had already occupied various terrain locations, and some open spaces that were convenient for laying out carpets had also been taken.

Seeing this, Yu Que had no choice but to look around and try to find a slightly better place.

But suddenly, he noticed that many of the palace disciples who had come to attend the meeting did not linger outside the palace, but instead crossed the mountaintop plaza and headed straight for the main hall of the Refining Peak.

After a moment's hesitation, he immediately took the plate and went over as well.

At the entrance of the main hall, disciples from the Refinement Peak were responsible for checking identities to see if visitors were qualified to enter and whether they had received an invitation.

After Yu Que brought out his family's true lineage talisman, he not only successfully entered the hall, but also obtained a seat in the first row.

The front row seats are spaced very far apart, so there is no disturbance between each other.

Skipping over several occupied seats, he randomly chose an empty one and sat cross-legged in the front row.

Since it was still a few days before the Peak Master of Refinement emerged from seclusion, and the exact number of days was still unclear, Yu Que was actually the first to arrive in the front row.

Other true disciples, great immortals, and so on, either did not come, or only sent their strongmen and servants.

For ordinary people waiting to enter the hall, Yu Que sitting prominently in the first row was indeed eye-catching and enviable.

(End of this chapter)