Cultivation: I can see the proficiency level

After bidding farewell to Su Fuyao at Snake-Entwined Pass, night was already close to dawn. After leaving the mountain range of Snake-Entwined Pass, the fog gradually thinned, the sky gradually brightened, and the sun gradually rose.

As Wang Mian and Bai Jiuniang flew through the sky, they could see the distant sunrise over the mountain ridges, the clouds tinged with golden light, and the endless surging of golden clouds—a truly magnificent sight.

From the continuous green hills, we entered a forest of peaks with bare cliffs and towering precipices.

After some searching, a suitable and secluded place to stay was found. The place was located on the top of a cone-shaped mountain peak, with smooth cliffs on three sides, but a flat stone platform of moderate size on the top.

Surrounded by many old pine trees, the water drips from the edge of the stone wall and gathers into a small pool, with many wildflowers growing by the pool, emitting a faint fragrance.

Hidden beneath the branches and leaves of those lush old pine trees was a dry cave.

Wang Mian stood on the edge of the stone platform and looked down. The flat cliff stretched down, occasionally interspersed with a touch of green amidst the gray and white. Further into the distance, there were stone peaks.

Such a barren mountain peak, devoid of any spiritual energy, would certainly attract few cultivators.

"It's a good place for secluded cultivation." Turning away from the cliff, Wang Mian walked towards the stone cave hidden by the old pine tree.

Parting the branches, one can see that the interior is dry and spacious, with little mountain wind blowing. It can be lived in after simple cleaning, and there are no signs of living things around it.

He was very satisfied with this place; it was more suitable for seclusion than Daomaodian.

Seeing his smile, Bai Jiuniang, who knew him very well, began to prepare and tidy up the cave.

The demonic energy carried the items and placed them in various locations. It then laid out cushions and soft blankets, placed ever-burning lamps, and put away the pots, pans, and dishes, thus creating a cave dwelling.

Both were like rats crossing the street, wandering from place to place, but Wang Mian never experienced the same wretched and miserable state as Tie Gu Sou and his apprentice, who had to eat grass and tree roots to fill their stomachs.

It was all thanks to Bai Jiuniang's efforts.

Unable to help with household chores, Wang Mian sat on the edge of the cliff, boiled water to brew spiritual tea, sipped the tea, and gazed into the distance. His eyes were drawn to the sharp, knife-like mountain peaks, flocks of birds, and lush, green trees.

Rarely able to clear his mind like this, Wang Mian saw that Bai Jiuniang had settled in and was all ready, and then squatted down beside her. He said, "Jiuniang, after you break through, we'll go to Fenglei Valley to take a look."

There are still some members of the Bian clan who have escaped the net.

The Lü Clan of Taixi Lake is a behemoth, and his current cultivation level is not enough to harm them. However, the Bian Clan is not a behemoth at present, so he should first test their strength.

Bai Jiuniang nodded in agreement. She never considered many other things. Wherever Wang Mian said to go, she went, just as wherever Wang Mian said to stay, she stayed.

"I'll listen to you." The demonic power condensed into words.

They stayed there for three to five days.

Wang Mian's injuries sustained at the Snake-Entangling Pass have all healed.

As soon as his injuries were fully healed, he began to devote himself to the tedious and repetitive practice of cultivation. The mana in his dantian was consumed time and time again by sword moves filled with sword energy, and he absorbed spirit stones time and time again to restore his mana.

This completely different cultivation method consumes a lot of spirit stones. After purchasing the Nourishing Spirit Mushroom from Su Fuyao, he only had a little over five hundred spirit stones left in his storage bag.

In nearly a month, Wang Mian spent another two hundred spirit stones on cultivation.

While the cost was enormous, the increase in cultivation was also exceptionally significant. With each cultivation session, Wang Mian, who possessed the Golden Badge, got closer and closer to the threshold of the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Until, by the slightest margin.

Sitting cross-legged beneath the ancient pine tree, Wang Mian closed his eyes and concentrated, revealing a golden seal:

[Low-grade Qi Refining Method: Diligently practice it once, and the skill will be perfected, allowing you to enter the fifth level of Qi Refining]

[Consuming Divine Mushrooms to break through realms can increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment by 10%]

[Accumulated: 10%]

"After months of cultivation, I have finally achieved my goal." With a wave of his hand, a jade box appeared in front of Wang Mian.

The lid popped open, revealing the dusty, sallow-colored Ganoderma lucidum inside. He took it out of the jade box and, with a jade knife he had prepared beforehand, sliced ​​the Ganoderma lucidum into thin slices.

Pick up a piece and put it in your mouth.

It felt soft and smooth upon entering the mouth, with a taste that was neither bitter nor sweet, neither sour nor spicy, but carried an indescribable, subtle fragrance. This fragrance went straight down into the stomach, followed by a warm and soft sensation that went straight into the mind.

As he swallowed piece after piece of the Nourishing Spirit Mushroom, his sea of ​​consciousness seemed to be enveloped by a sticky substance, and a gentle warmth seeped in, filled, strengthened, and stimulated it little by little.

That incredibly comfortable, soul-stirring feeling can unconsciously make one drowsy, confused, and sleepy.

As time passed, the sensations gradually faded, and then the spirit naturally arose, and clarity gradually increased, as if the soul was being immersed in a hot spring to be washed and cleansed, and the dust attached to the consciousness was gradually disintegrated and peeled away.

At first, the senses, which were as chaotic as if veiled by a thin gauze, became clear and transparent. The mind was clearer than ever before, and the spiritual consciousness, which was originally only four or five zhang long, also changed and suddenly doubled to seven or eight zhang in size.

Before, during, and after the Qi Refining stage, one's spiritual consciousness reaches three zhang, six zhang, and nine zhang respectively.

Wang Mian now had his eyes closed, but his spiritual sense could sweep through every detail in the room, and even the fine, demonic wisps of Bai Jiu Niang's fur outside the cave became incredibly clear.

"The moment to break through is here!"

Wang Mian waved his hand and took out the spirit stone.

As the cultivation technique was activated, spiritual energy was drawn in from nowhere and slowly entered the body. At first, it was like a trickle, but as it gathered, it became more and more turbulent.

The surging spiritual energy converged, followed the meridians, and gradually refined into gentle magical power. It then suddenly flowed into the dantian, violently opening up the already perfectly balanced dantian.

The barrier shattered silently.

The restraints suddenly vanished.

Naturally, the work was completed and perfected, and the fifth level of Qi Refining was reached, thus breaking through. The magical power that had expanded the dantian only accounted for about 30% of the dantian after the breakthrough.

The saturation of magical power vanished, replaced by an emptiness.

The cultivation technique continued to operate, and Wang Mian continuously absorbed the spiritual energy within the spirit stone, gradually filling his dantian with magical power, slowly filling the empty dantian.

At the entrance of the cave.

The guardian, Bai Jiuniang, twitched her dog ears, clearly sensing a magical aura beyond the fourth level of Qi Refining emanating from the stone cave behind her, carrying the unique, ethereal fluctuations characteristic of someone about to advance.

It knew that Wang Mian had broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refining.

This is a level of cultivation that none of the previous generations of Songlintan had ever achieved. Now, Wang Mian, who is about to turn eighteen, has taken another big step closer to his goal of reaching the ninth level of Qi Refining.

As Wang Mian's aura gradually stabilized, Bai Jiuniang remained guarding the cave entrance, only gently wagging her tail to reveal her inner joy.

Beside Wang Mian in the stone cave, the once radiant spirit stones had become dull. When his dantian was fully filled with magical power, only a few spirit stones still retained their radiance.

The fifth level of Qi Refining is complete!

With a flick of his hand, Wang Mian put away the spirit stones, sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, and the golden seal in his sea of ​​consciousness emitted a brilliant light, illuminating himself, and slowly revealing words:

[Low-grade Qi Refining Method: Diligently practice three thousand times until the skill is perfected, and you can enter the sixth level of Qi Refining]

Consuming a hundred-year-old Stone Spirit Milk during a breakthrough can increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment by 15%.

[Accumulated: 20%]

[Mastery of Object Manipulation: Practice diligently 10900 times to achieve perfection]

[Mastery of Puppet Manipulation: Practice diligently 10800 times to achieve perfection]

[Introduction to the Second Volume of the Nine Talismans Scripture: Mastering the skill requires drawing 380 low-grade talismans, with a success rate of 66%]

[Nine Talismans Scripture: Drawing sixty mid-grade talismans is sufficient for beginners, with a success rate of 33%.]

[Perfect... has been hidden]