Mortal: Junior Sister Song Yu

At twenty-seven, with the crisp autumn air, it was the perfect time for a trip.

Li Xiao and Song Yu bid farewell to Song Zhi and Zhao Wuji, left Luoyun Sect, and began their three-year journey.

Before leaving, Song Zhi handed Li Xiao a storage ring containing one hundred mid-grade spirit stones, three bottles of healing pills, and a communication talisman: "This talisman can transmit messages across tens of thousands of miles. If your life is in danger, crush it immediately, and your master and I will arrive as soon as possible."

Zhao Wuji patted Li Xiao on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Xiao'er, you are carrying too much on your mind. You need to cultivate your mind and character on this trip. Yu'er is kind-hearted, so you must take good care of her."

"Let's meet at the Cloud Dream Secret Realm three years from now."

Li Xiao solemnly agreed.

He wore a long blue robe, with a long sword at his waist and the Ice Heart Pendant given to him by Song Yu hanging from his waist.

Song Yu, dressed in a green dress, holding the Bibo Sword, with her long hair tied up with a simple jade hairpin, and her face bare, was already stunningly beautiful.

The two walked side by side, the morning light casting long shadows of them, one straight as a knife, the other graceful as water.

Their first stop was the outer perimeter of the Yunmeng Mountains.

The mountain range stretches for over 80,000 miles, spanning the Xi Kingdom. It is crisscrossed by spiritual veins and teeming with monsters, presenting both danger and opportunity.

The area surrounding the mountain range, spanning three thousand miles, is the territory of the Falling Cloud Sect, primarily inhabited by Qi Refining stage demonic beasts.

Five thousand miles further inland lies the territory of Foundation Establishment stage demonic beasts, a place fraught with danger.

"Senior brother, the Cloud Dream Secret Realm opens only once every fifty years, which is in about three years. Where should we go now?"

On the third day after entering the mountains, the two rested by a stream, and Song Yu asked curiously.

She was washing the freshly picked herbs with the stream water, her fingers glistening with water droplets in the sunlight.

Li Xiao wiped his longsword, the blade reflecting his calm face: "The Yunmeng Secret Realm holds countless opportunities, but the competition is too fierce, and the monsters within are far too dangerous. The other two sects send their most elite disciples every time it opens; Qi Refining Level 13 is just the threshold, and even Foundation Establishment Mid-stage disciples are not uncommon. With our current cultivation level, we probably won't even get a sip of the soup."

He sheathed his sword and continued, "We'll train in the outer mountains first. Once you break through to the thirteenth level of Qi Refining, I'll try to break through to the Great Perfection of the thirteenth level of Qi Refining. Only then will we have the power to explore the depths of the secret realm. Sharpening your axe won't delay your work; you should understand that, Junior Sister."

Song Yu nodded, having complete faith in his senior brother's judgment.

She knew that Li Xiao, though seemingly radical, had actually thought things through carefully with every step she took.

The outer area of ​​the Yunmeng Mountains is mostly inhabited by Qi Refining stage demonic beasts, which do not pose a fatal threat to the two, but are not entirely without danger.

Here you'll find packs of iron-backed wolves, thick-skinned and fearless; venomous pythons lurking in the treetops, their potent venom capable of paralyzing the meridians; and bewitching butterflies skilled in illusion, whose fluttering wings can plunge people into a dreamlike state.

Li Xiao was in charge of the battle, while Song Yu was in charge of gathering medicinal herbs. They worked together seamlessly and reaped great rewards.

They were attacked by hundreds of Ironback Wolves on an evening on the seventh day after entering the mountains.

The wolf pack silently surrounded them, their green eyes flickering like will-o'-the-wisps in the twilight.

The alpha wolf is a top-tier level one demonic beast, shaped like an ox, with silver stripes on its back, exposed fangs, and exhaling pale golden demonic energy from its mouth.

Li Xiao stood in the center of the wolf pack, his expression unchanged, as he slowly drew his long sword.

He did not rush to attack, but closed his eyes and concentrated, his divine sense spreading out like mercury, and he knew the movements of every wolf within a thirty-foot radius.

The alpha wolf howled to the sky, its roar shaking the surrounding area, and the pack surged forward like a tidal wave.

"Junior sister, set up the formation!" Li Xiao shouted in a low voice.

Song Yu was already prepared. With a light wave of her hand, twelve array flags appeared out of thin air and landed in formation.

It was the trapping formation she had meticulously studied over the years that created the rich water elemental energy within, turning the ground muddy and hindering the wolf pack's advance.

A curtain of water shot into the sky, forming a dome to prevent the wolves from escaping.

Li Xiao moved.

When the Gale-Splitting Golden Blade is unleashed to its fullest potential, the golden blade light sweeps away fallen leaves like a whirlwind, or pours down like a torrential downpour.

He no longer held back, unleashing his full power from his thirteenth level of Qi Refining cultivation, each strike imbued with the essence of magical power.

Wherever the blade flashed, the wolves fell like wheat being harvested, their heads rolling off and blood splattering five steps away.

Seeing that things were not going well, the alpha wolf pounced on Li Xiao himself, its sharp claws like hooks, aiming for his throat.

Li Xiao neither dodged nor evaded, but instead slashed horizontally with his longsword. The blade collided with the wolf's claws, producing a metallic clang.

With a flick of his wrist, the blade changed from a horizontal motion to a sweeping motion, cutting into the wolf's jaw and piercing its skull.

The alpha wolf let out a miserable howl and collapsed to the ground.

Li Xiao dissected the wolf carcass, cut the wolf meat into pieces, and put the wolf teeth and claws into his storage bag.

"Senior brother, the meat of this demon wolf is compatible with your spiritual root attribute and can help you." Song Yu put away the great formation and walked over to say.

She was already used to these bloody scenes; in the years they had known each other, she had witnessed Li Xiao fighting countless times.

Li Xiao nodded.

He did not eat wolf meat directly—although doing so would quickly improve his cultivation, the demonic energy entering his body would leave hidden dangers.

They found a secluded cave deep in the mountains. The entrance was covered by vines, and inside there was a stone bed and a stone table, indicating that someone had practiced there before.

Li Xiao refined the wolf meat with his magic for forty-nine days, removing a wisp of demonic energy each day, leaving only the purest metallic essence.

On the forty-ninth day, the wolf meat transformed into a fist-sized ball of golden liquid, emitting an enticing fragrance.

Then, he infused this essence into his liquid mana.

"Boom!"

A thunderous sound came from within his body, as if a heavenly tribulation had descended.

The twelve drops of liquid spiritual energy devoured the essence frantically, like a thirsty traveler finding a spring of sweet water.

But that wasn't enough. Li Xiao took out another three hundred spirit stones and set up an array around himself, beginning his attempt to break through to the Great Perfection of the Thirteenth Level of Qi Refining.

Refining Qi from the thirteenth level to the thirteenth level of Great Perfection is a slow and painstaking process. Ordinary cultivators need several years or even longer, but Li Xiao cannot afford to wait.

He secluded himself for a year, neither eating nor drinking, surviving solely on fasting pills.

Throughout the year, Song Yu protected him and never left his side.

She set up a triple warning array, which blocked three waves of attacks from demonic beasts attracted by the fluctuations of magical power, and repelled two rogue cultivators with ill intentions.

One of the rogue cultivators was actually at the Great Perfection of the Thirteenth Level of Qi Refining. He came here seeking opportunities and, seeing Song Yu alone, harbored malicious intentions.

Although Song Yu was only at the twelfth level of Qi Refining, with the help of the array he set up, the profoundness of the Ruoshui Divine Scripture, and the protection of the talisman, he managed to force his opponent back and cut off one of his arms.

A year later, Li Xiao emerged from seclusion.

His aura was restrained, except for the deep light in his eyes, which shimmered with gold and red, like a dragon lurking in the abyss.

Looking inward at his dantian, twelve drops of liquid mana floated like twelve stars, arranged in a mysterious formation, each drop radiating a pressure similar to that of a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator.

The meridians are as tough as gold and jade, and there is a faint golden light shimmering in the bones. This is the manifestation of tempering the body with magical power to the extreme.

"The Great Perfection of the Thirteenth Level of Qi Refining," he said softly, his tone indifferent, as if he had only done something insignificant.

At this moment, he could clearly sense the threshold of the Foundation Establishment stage.

It was an invisible barrier, standing between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment, like an insurmountable chasm.

He had a premonition that if he took the Foundation Establishment Pill now and attempted to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he would have an 80% chance of success.

He had already prepared the Foundation Establishment Pill. It was a mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pill that Song Zhi had obtained for him in exchange for a 500-year-old medicinal herb. The medicine was mild and the success rate was 10% higher than that of ordinary Foundation Establishment Pills.

But he didn't do that.

Song Zhi once said that the more perfect one's Qi Refining stage is, the greater one's potential after Foundation Establishment. She herself was still one drop short of thirteen drops of mana.

He always remembered that one of the Li family's ancestors had reached the Great Perfection of the 13th level of Qi Refining and had condensed 13 drops of liquid mana to build his foundation. After forming his core, his combat power far surpassed that of his peers.

Since Li Xiao is determined to pursue the path of immortality, he must strive to achieve the ultimate.

"Senior brother, you did it!" Song Yu rushed over, hugging his arm, her eyes filled with joy and pride. "That's great! We can finally go on adventures elsewhere!"

Seeing her delighted expression, Li Xiao felt a warmth in his heart and reached out to ruffle her hair. "Silly girl, there are still two years before the secret realm opens. We'll go to Fengri City in a while. I heard it's the largest cultivation city in Xi Kingdom, gathering elites from the three sects and independent cultivators from all over. Perhaps we can find a water-attribute magic weapon for you. Next year, we'll go to the Yunmeng Secret Realm and explore the ruins along the way."

That year, Song Yu was seventeen years old and his cultivation had reached the twelfth level of Qi Refining, just one step away from the thirteenth level of Qi Cultivation.