Cultivation begins with forming a bond with a spirit bee.

After leaving Ziyunfang, he did not go directly to Tianxiangge. Instead, he circled the streets to make sure no one was following him before continuing westward.

Ziyunfang is not too far from Tianxiangge, only four streets away.

When Qu Ye reached the entrance, there were far more cultivators coming and going than in Ziyunfang. He adjusted his straw hat and stepped inside.

The lobby was quite crowded at the time, and several shop assistants were moving between the shelves to greet customers.

A waiter approached, smiling and bowing, "What would you like to order, fellow Daoist?"

"I need to purchase a mid-grade Tier 1 Breakthrough Pill. Do you have any recommendations?"

Upon hearing this, the shop assistant replied without hesitation, "Our Tianxiang Pavilion currently has three types of mid-grade breakthrough pills: the Yellow Jade Pill, the Flame Cloud Pill, and the Golden Jade Pill, which is unique to our Tianxiang Pavilion."

He paused, then continued:

"The Yellow Jade Pill is the cheapest, but its effects are not as good as the latter two. The Flame Cloud Pill is suitable for cultivators who use fire-attribute techniques, and its medicinal effects are rather fiery."

"As for the Golden Jade Pill, its medicinal power is the most potent, making it suitable for cultivators using metal-attribute techniques. It can provide some extra assistance when breaking through to a higher level."

"What are the prices of the three?"

"The Yellow Jade Pill costs twelve spirit stones, the Flame Cloud Pill costs fifteen spirit stones, and the Golden Jade Pill costs eighteen spirit stones."

After saying this, the man waited quietly for Qu Ye to make her choice.

Qu Ye pondered for a moment. Although Huang Yaodan was cheaper, its medicinal power was mediocre, and it might not be enough to break through the bottleneck.

Since his own "Gold Sharpening Technique" is a metal-related skill, buying the Golden Jade Pill would be a safer option.

Qu Ye stopped hesitating and said, "Then give me a Golden Jade Pill."

"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment."

After seeing that Qu Ye had made her selection, the waiter went to the back and came out a short while later with a small porcelain bottle.

Having obtained the pill, Qu Ye uncorked it and took a look: the pill was perfectly round, golden in color, and had a jade-like texture.

"I will gladly accept eighteen spirit stones."

Qu Ye reluctantly took out eighteen spirit stones to pay the bill.

If it weren't for his talent for gathering spirit stones, it would have taken him several years to save up these spirit stones!

Qu Ye carefully put away the porcelain bottle but did not leave.

After buying the Golden Jade Pill, he still had twelve spirit stones left, which he could use to purchase some self-defense tools.

So he asked again, "Do you have any mid-grade protective amulets or Flame Serpent amulets in the shop?"

"Fellow Daoist is too kind. Our Tianxiang Pavilion naturally has both types of talismans in stock," the shopkeeper said with a smile.

"What about the price?"

"The protective amulet costs five spirit stones, and the Flaming Serpent Talisman costs three spirit stones. Both are guaranteed to be top-quality."

Qu Ye nodded. The price was reasonable; defensive talismans would be several times more expensive than attack talismans of the same rank.

"Then one for each of you."

Eight more spirit stones were spent.

"Does fellow Daoist have any other needs?"

"That's all, that's all." Qu Ye waved his hand.

My savings have vanished, and I still need to keep a few spirit stones for emergencies; I'm really short of money.

"Then you're welcome to visit Tianxiang Pavilion again next time, fellow Daoist." The waiter cupped his hands in greeting.

After saying that, he greeted another monk who had just entered the shop.

Qu Ye left Tianxiang Pavilion and, just like before, circled around to make sure it was safe before heading towards the East Gate.

Fifteen minutes later.

Qu Ye used the token to pass through the formation, returned it to the disciple on duty, retrieved a spirit stone, and then used a lightness technique to go back the way he came.

Then, at the fork in the road, he found a secluded corner, observed that no one was around, and changed back into his previous clothes.

Discard the clothes that have been changed and burn them to prevent anyone from smearing tracking powder on them.

After finishing everything properly, he turned around and went back, pretending to have just come from the Spirit Bee Field.

Qu Ye finally breathed a sigh of relief after returning to his residence.

Despite the strict management by the three major families, incidents of raiding cultivators are rare around Yumen Market.

But it's better to be safe than sorry; when interests are involved, many people are willing to take the risk.

After calming himself down, Qu Ye probed his storage bag with his divine sense, placed the two talismans in the most easily accessible place, and took out the porcelain bottle containing the Golden Jade Pill.

He poured the pill into his palm and smiled knowingly.

I'm finally approaching the mid-stage of Qi Refining!

If the early stage of Qi Refining is merely considered a slightly stronger mortal, then the middle stage of Qi Refining is equivalent to officially embarking on the path of immortality.

Leaving aside the fact that its magical power is even more immense.

Upon reaching the mid-stage of Qi Refining, cultivators can release their magical power and control magical artifacts to fly, allowing them to use these artifacts against enemies.

Although the distance it flew was not far and the altitude was low, it was still flying!

Therefore, even three or four early-stage cultivators might not be able to defeat a mid-stage cultivator who uses a magical artifact.

After examining it for a moment, Qu Ye was about to put away the pill.

I don't know how long it will take for him to break through in seclusion, and I still need to appease the Jade Spirit Bees first...

and many more.

Qu Ye was suddenly stunned.

Why do I feel that I need to appease the Jade Spirit Bee first in order to break through?

Let's not even talk about how low the probability is that something bad will happen to the Jade Spirit Bee in such a short time.

Isn't the ultimate goal of raising spirit bees to break through to a higher realm?

Having figured this out, he gave a self-deprecating smile.

"I was still influenced by habitual thinking..."

Since that's the case, let's not delay and start our seclusion now!

Qu Ye twitched his fingers slightly, activating the simple restriction in the cultivation room, and at the same time took out the remaining five spirit stones and placed them beside him.

He sat cross-legged, calmed his mind, adjusted his mentality, and began to silently practice the Lijin Gong (a martial arts technique).

As the pale yellow spiritual energy flowed, warmth spread out, permeating his meridians and bones.

Because of his long-term practice of the Gengjin Sword Technique, his control precision has improved significantly compared to before.

Everything is ready.

His gaze was firm, and he held the golden jade pill in his palm. He glanced at it, then tilted his head back and put it into his mouth.

At first, I didn't feel anything.

A few breaths later, a surge of spiritual energy burst forth from his abdomen, like a flood breaking through a dam, instantly flooding his limbs and bones.

Qu Ye dared not be negligent and fully activated the Refining Gold Technique, confining this vast spiritual power within his meridians and gathering it in his dantian to launch an attack on the bottleneck.

Time flies.

.........

Outside Yumen Market, inside a hidden bear cave.

A campfire was being lit at that moment.

The original owner of the bear den lay to one side, eyes wide open, limbs severed, clearly having been dead for some time.

The enormous bear paws were skewered and roasted over the campfire, filling the air with their aroma and sizzling sounds.

Beside the campfire, two monks waited quietly for the bear meat to be roasted.

After a long while, one of the robust cultivators grew impatient and muttered, "Why isn't this meat ready yet? It's been almost half an hour."

Another cultivator, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, heard the robust cultivator's complaint and said calmly:

"What's the rush? Just wait a little longer."

This person seemed to be the leader of the two. Upon hearing this, the robust cultivator patiently waited for a while longer.

But soon, unable to bear the atmosphere any longer, he complained to the meditating monk, "Brother, why did we have to come back? Are you sure that person wasn't lying to us?"

The meditating monk ignored it and simply closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

"Big brother!" the burly cultivator said anxiously.

The meditating cultivator then opened his eyes and slowly said, "That person won't, at least not now."

Why?

"Because we still have value now."

The burly cultivator scratched his head. "What do you mean? Brother, can you stop pretending like that, like a fortune teller?"

The meditating monk's forehead veins bulged, and he could no longer maintain his composure, so he flicked the burly man on the head.

Seeing the burly man rubbing his head, he said helplessly, "Idiot, he meant he was still hoping we would test the Hou family, why would he kill us?"

"Oh, oh, oh." The burly man suddenly realized.

He understood, but the burly man was still a little confused. "Then why don't we just run further away? Yun Kingdom is so big, he can't possibly turn the whole country upside down, can he?"

The leading monk shook his head.

"That's true, but given our abilities, even if we did run away, what would we do then?"

"The spirit stones that person gave me were only enough for my breakthrough. What about you? Or are you content to stay in the initial stage?"