Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 5 Breakthrough
"..."

Inside the hall, Wang Xi and Shen Huai were unusually silent...

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Huai finally offered his evaluation.

"The elixir is round and full..."

Shen Huai murmured softly, "The spiritual energy is balanced and abundant... approaching the level of a top-grade elixir."

"Whose work is this from an inner disciple?"

"The Dongyuan Sect actually has an inner disciple who can refine high-grade pills?"

Both of them unanimously ruled out the possibility of him being an outer disciple.

Even so, Wang Xi was still somewhat incredulous.

He had studied alchemy for several years and even possessed some secret treasures that could assist in the process. He was well aware of how difficult it would be to refine a high-grade pill in just half a day using standard materials and a standard alchemy furnace without any prior preparation.

The biggest problem is...

It's true that the Qi-Nourishing Pill is simple and easy to learn, but since its value is negligible, no one would bother to study it.

That means that this disciple, who can easily refine near-top-grade Qi-Nourishing Pills, could probably refine truly top-grade pills if he had specialized knowledge of pills.

"..."

"...Whose is this?" Wang Xi suddenly started searching for something on the pile of trash on the ground...

"Disciple's Sign..."

Shen Huai realized what was happening and helped with the search.

When these pills are handed over, they are usually wrapped in a small box, with a pill tag inside indicating which disciple owns the pill and recording the information on it.

"this."

Shen Huai held the pill in his hand, looked at the pill slip, and the two exchanged a glance.

As if by some strange twist of fate, Shen Huai suddenly asked, "Has anyone been chosen for the person in the Dongyuan Sect who is about to die?"

"..."

Wang Xi glanced at the pill in his hand, his eyes flashing. He took a deep breath and said thoughtfully, "...It'll be him."

[Outer disciple, 039.]

[Song Yan, Song Yesheng.]

……

On the outer disciple peak, Song Yan was sitting cross-legged in the center of his cave, his expression solemn.

Today, we must begin to make a breakthrough.

I've been stuck at the fourth level of Qi Refining for quite some time now. In another six months, I'll be participating in the sect's mission. My strength is currently too weak, and if I encounter danger, I'm afraid I won't even be able to protect myself.

This immortal sect doesn't tolerate idlers...

On the stone bed, Song Yan finished regulating his breathing and took out a bottle of Qi-Nourishing Pills, a small spirit-gathering array plate, and a small pile of spirit stones, about ten or so, from his storage bag.

This was almost all of his possessions.

With a surge of spiritual energy, five array beads flew out of the storage bag and landed in five corners of this simple cave dwelling.

At this moment, the patterns on the array plate lit up, and he took out two spirit stones and placed them on the array plate.

Five array beads suddenly appeared suspended in the air.

The battle began.

call……

Inside the cave, wisps of rich spiritual energy, imperceptible to the naked eye, surged in from all directions.

Song Yan's eyes lit up, and he quickly closed his eyes and sat down to meditate, slowly circulating the Qi Condensation Technique.

This "Qi Condensation Chapter" is a fragment of the Qi Condensation section of a cultivation technique called "Minor Profound Qi Scripture".

Its original text is widely circulated in the cultivation world. Compared with other primary cultivation methods and techniques, its greatest feature is that it is moderate and peaceful, and the spiritual energy and Dao essence it produces are extremely gentle.

Even if one later switches to cultivating the Five Elements Technique or other types of techniques, it is quite convenient to condense and transform them. It is the most suitable technique for cultivators with ordinary or poor aptitude to use as an entry point.

However, it also has a very obvious drawback, namely, the Qi Condensation Chapter cultivates the Primordial Chaos, so the cultivation speed is naturally slow.

The spiritual energy was like a thin mist, and Song Yan's body was like a small vortex.

The spiritual energy within the cave began to be absorbed into the body at a steady pace, though it appeared to be rather slow.

However, Song Yan did not think so. In the past, when there was no small spirit gathering array, even with spirit stones in hand, the cultivation speed was not as fast as it is now, only 30% to 40%.

Formations, they're truly wonderful things...

He didn't waste the great opportunity and quickly swallowed a Qi-Nourishing Pill.

The pill entered the mouth and immediately transformed into a stream of pure spiritual energy, falling into the dantian in the abdomen and flowing to the limbs and bones. The effects of the Qi-Nourishing Pill were extremely gentle; at this moment, one could only feel the meridians in the body opening up and the whole body becoming warm.

The spiritual power of the pill, along with the spiritual energy absorbed into the body, surged within. As Song Yan followed the guidance of the Qi Condensation Chapter, the energy was gradually refined and eventually flowed into his dantian.

The power of the pill dissipated, and without hesitation, the second Qi-Nourishing Pill entered his stomach.

Qi-Nourishing Pills are usually used by cultivators who are drawing Qi into their bodies or are at the first or second level of Qi Refining. By the third level of Qi Refining, their effects are already quite limited, let alone the fact that Song Yan is taking them while breaking through to the fifth level.

There was no other way; we were too poor to afford any other elixirs.

Fortunately, this batch of pills was recently refined by Song Yan, and its spiritual energy was abundant, which was barely enough.

At this moment, the third pill entered his stomach.

Having accumulated Qi at the fourth level for quite some time, the spiritual energy in his Qi Sea was already abundant. With this cultivation, the feeling of approaching his limit became increasingly clear.

Until a certain moment, as if some shackles and constraints had been broken, the spiritual energy that had been stagnant in the dantian suddenly began to flow again, as if fresh water had been drawn in.

Reaching the fifth level of Qi Refining is a natural progression.

"call……"

Song Yan exhaled a breath of stale air, his entire body covered in sweat, whether from the steam rising during his breakthrough or from the cleansing and marrow-refining process afterward, it was unclear.

Although a breakthrough has been achieved, the small spirit-gathering array cannot be wasted.

Song Yan then used the operation of the formation to continue cultivating for several days before emerging from seclusion.

"Breaking through to the fifth level of Qi Refining, I've completely wiped out my family's wealth."

He smiled bitterly, before him lay scattered porcelain bottles of pills and a pile of shattered, colorless spirit stones.

Cultivating immortality... without resources, how can you talk about the path to immortality?

"Water Curtain Technique".

Song Yan made a hand seal, and spiritual energy rapidly gathered in the air, forming a water curtain. Song Yan stepped through it, leaving the filth and dust on his body behind the water curtain.

"It's convenient, but it's not as comfortable as taking a real bath."

He looked down and saw that the array plate of the small spirit gathering array was covered with cracks and the array stones were gray and dilapidated.

This opportunity to use the formation, which Song Yan retrieved from the garbage heap of Huogongzhai, allowed him to clearly see its power.

Unfortunately, most cultivators simply don't have the mental energy to delve into the Four Paths, and his mediocre talent made this even more so.

Even with the willpower to delve into it, one needs a sufficiently high level of spiritual attainment to support one's divine sense.

"Divine consciousness..."

He suddenly had an epiphany and took out the strange stone bead from his storage bag, but Song Yan discovered that it had changed from pure white to deep black.

"Ok?"

Song Yan frowned and entered it with his divine sense.

No longer did he go through the process of his divine sense sinking into the abyss; this time, he appeared directly in front of the black stone tablet.

The ancient characters on the stele still gleam with a white light.

Above their heads, inky black clouds began to gather, gradually forming the shape of a giant monument.

"So fast."

Song Yan's eyes narrowed, and he immediately released his divine sense. When the giant monument crashed down, he easily shattered it.

It seems that his divine sense has indeed changed somewhat. In addition, he was already mentally prepared, and now he can observe his surroundings during the interval between the two giant steles falling.

If the predecessor who created this stone bead only wanted to pass on this nameless incantation, it seems unnecessary to go to such lengths.

Based on the fallen stone tablet, Song Yan speculated that the bead was probably made to test the strength of divine sense. In other words, the strength of divine sense was measured by the number of giant tablets that divine sense could shatter.

very smart.

But if you have a bad memory and forget the quantity, where should you see the "results"?

He released his divine sense and shattered the second falling giant monument.

Looking around, he caught a glimpse of a row of circular ink dots at the bottom of the inscription on the nameless stele.

I had previously thought it was just decoration and hadn't paid much attention to it.

"what is this?"

A quick scan revealed a total of seventeen rings; two of them were currently filled and glowing with white light.

As the third stone tablet fell, Song Yan once again transformed his divine sense into a blade, slicing the tablet into ink.

At that very instant, the third ring lit up.

(End of this chapter)