Chapter Ten: Cultivating Qi Second Layer

  Ling Xiao worked hard every day to cultivate and refine himself, his cultivation was rapid, but he still lacked a bit and couldn't break through.

  He is not impatient either. He knows that the elixir is only an auxiliary for cultivation, providing sufficient spiritual energy to absorb and refine, assisting in rapid progress, but breaking through the bottleneck is not so easy. Having enough spiritual energy is one aspect, but also requires a certain degree of opportunity and enlightenment to achieve a qualitative leap.

  It is precisely because of the difficulty of this breakthrough that countless cultivators are stuck at a certain pass, unable to make progress for their entire lives, and ultimately turn into a handful of yellow earth.

  Ling Xiao could only cultivate in this way, taking a Pill of Cultivation every three days. This was the most suitable method for him. If he were to rush and shorten the time between taking the pills, not only would it waste a large amount of medicinal energy, but also, if too much energy accumulated in his body without being absorbed, it could backlash and shake the foundations of his cultivation! After all, he had only just reached the first level of Qi Refining.

  But he said that day, after returning from Cloud Valley, as usual, he sat cross-legged on the bamboo couch and continued to cultivate bitterly. The true energy in his body was circulating and accumulating, growing stronger bit by bit.

  Until the fire was almost gone, he took out the last inferior Pei Yuan Dan and put it in his mouth, chewing and swallowing it. Suddenly, a hot air burst forth from his Dantian, Ling Xiao didn't dare to be slow, hastily sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes according to the method, adjusted his breath, used his true energy to dissolve the medicinal power, slowly absorbing it into his body.

  The elixir contained an extremely powerful True Essence, and it took him a full half incense stick's worth of effort to absorb it all. He let out a long breath, and a wisp of white smoke carrying the remaining impurities in the elixir shot out.

  He silently estimated in his heart that just this one inferior Pilgrim's Pill was enough to compensate for four or five days of bitter cultivation. From this, it can also be inferred that the auxiliary effect of alchemy on human cultivation is quite significant. However, there is still a distance from breaking through to the second layer of Qi Refining.

  The true energy slowly circulates within the body, constantly following his breathing in and out, gradually growing stronger.

  It's been four or five years since he's been practicing in the Ziyun Sect. When he first came to the mountain, he was just a 12- or 13-year-old naive child. Suddenly, after a few years, he had gradually grown up. However, his cultivation has always been stuck at the Qi Refining stage.

  Ling Xiao also understood that this was because of his cultivation qualifications, which were indeed mediocre. But it was also because he was just an outer sect disciple and couldn't get enough cultivation resources.

  For example, Dan medicine... For example, the guidance of the elders in the sect...

  Although not to the point of becoming cynical, the depression and loss in his heart were also unavoidable. Moreover, there was a deep-seated fear that often made him wake up in the middle of the night, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

  Time hurries people away; where is the way of long life?

  In the past four or five years, he has witnessed many outer door disciples, many senior brothers and predecessors, who have spent their entire lives unable to enter the inner door, seeking the supreme true method, but ultimately falling into despair and leaving the mountain. In the past four or five years, he has seen many senior brothers with unyielding determination, unwilling to be ordinary, struggling bitterly in the outer door for their entire lives, all for the sake of seeking that one chance...

  He was often terrified, and later, would he be the same?

  If nothing unexpected happens, it will probably be like this.

  A wave of warmth spread through his body, and although he had managed to refine a high-quality Pellet of Cultivation with the help of this strange flame, it couldn't change the fact that he was still only at the first level of Qi Refining. Hadn't Elder Fowling given him a pellet? He probably appreciated his "talent for alchemy" but also regretted that his cultivation wasn't enough.

  After all, one's own cultivation is the foundation of standing firm.

  The waves of emotions rose and fell, and Ling Xiao slowly exhaled, his desire to become stronger had never been so intense as it was at this moment.

  His eyes glanced sideways, and there was also a top-grade Pei Yuan Dan, which was the last pill in his hand. Should he make a concerted effort to break through this bottleneck?

  His heart couldn't help but feel a little warm, he had been stuck in the first layer of Qi training for four whole years!

  After a slight hesitation, he reached out and took the top-grade Pei Yuan Dan, carefully placing it in his mouth and slowly chewing.

  The medicinal power contained in the high-grade Pei Yuan Dan was far more abundant and pure than the low-grade one he usually took. Even though he had been prepared, he still felt a surge of heat rushing in, like a raging river, bursting out from his lower abdomen, pouring into the four meridians and eight collaterals, tearing through the meridians with a sharp pain.

  And the inferior Piyuandan that was swallowed earlier, the remaining medicinal power in the body was also rolled up and collided violently.

  Ling Xiao hastily concentrated his mind, held his breath, and circulated his true energy to drive the medicinal power of the Superior Cultivation Pill. The pill's effect was even more abundant than he had imagined. Fortunately, he had already accumulated four years of foundation in the Qi Refining stage, and his meridians were much stronger than before, allowing him to withstand it.

  As the cycle of Zhou Tian continues, the medicinal power is slowly absorbed, and the true Qi gradually becomes stronger.

  Suddenly, Ling Xiao's heart moved and he immediately realized that this was his opportunity to break through. The first time he took the high-grade Pei Yuan Dan, the effect had increased by several points.

  The true energy is rolling and circulating along the usual route of inhalation and exhalation, getting bigger and bigger, almost overflowing.

  Gurgling...

  Inside the body, a faint sound like flowing water is transmitted everywhere. If he could see inside, he would see that in the meridians of his body, there was a long river of fiery red color, rushing along the meridian lines, surging and flowing endlessly, like a long river entering the sea, unstoppable! The dense fire energy, constantly baking the whole body's meridians, yet warm and comfortable.

  The fiery red river surged and grew larger, flowing faster and faster, one week, two weeks...

  Finally, Ling Xiao suddenly felt a clarity in front of his eyes, and the colors of the entire world seemed to have brightened; the true energy inside his body was rolling, as if it would never run out. He immediately understood that he had finally relied on the abundant medicinal power of the top-grade Cultivation Pill to leap into the second layer of Qi Refining!

  Ling Xiao's heart was stirred and he clearly realized that his path to immortality had been undergoing unimaginable changes in secret.

  Silently circulating true energy, I feel the speed of true energy flowing is at least twice as fast as before! Although the amount of true energy has not made an immediate leap, its potential and quality are far superior to before.

  The path of immortality, every step is a clear footprint, and every step compared to before is a huge leap.

  Ling Xiao slowly exhaled, entering the second level of Qi training. Among his peers, this was already considered a mid-level standard. Of course, there's nothing to be proud of here, and it's all thanks to the medicinal pellets bestowed by Fuling. If not for that, he probably would have needed to delay his breakthrough by at least three or four months...

  Breaking through in cultivation requires going to the sect to modify one's own identity jade slip information.

  And so on the second day at dawn, Ling Xiao got up and headed towards the Purple Cloud Hall.

  Today's duty is Chen Ang, a senior brother of the inner gate. He and Huang Jian entered the sect at the same time, and his cultivation is only slightly inferior. His reputation within the sect is also extremely loud, and Ling Xiao naturally recognizes him. Hurriedly stepping forward, he respectfully hands over his jade slip and says: "Senior Brother Chen, junior brother has just broken through to the second layer of Qi Refining, and according to the sect's rules, I have come to report."

  Chen Ang didn't think much of it, his gaze only swept across Ling Xiao's body once, and he confirmed his cultivation. Then, with a wave of his hand, he took the jade slip, used his divine sense to probe inside, made some modifications, and handed it back.

  Breaking through to the second layer of Qi Refining, for Ling Xiao, was a big step forward, but in the eyes of Chen Ang and other inner disciples, there was no difference between the first and second layers of Qi Refining. Perhaps only outer sect disciples who had reached the fourth or fifth layer of Qi Refining could be looked at with respect by them.

  "Congratulations, junior brother! However, the path of cultivation is long and arduous. Reaching the second layer of Qi Refining is just crossing the first hurdle, there are still countless difficulties ahead, you must continue to work hard and cultivate diligently, don't be careless or arrogant." Chen Yang said.

  Ling Xiao hastily responded with a bow. This was also the sect's rules, every time a disciple broke through, there would be such a speech, also to remind disciples not to be arrogant and self-satisfied.

  These things, these words, should have been said and done by the sect's elders, but since they were all busy with cultivation, alchemy, and artifact refinement, they gradually handed them over to the outstanding ones among the inner disciples. The inner disciples could also complete these tasks to obtain a certain amount of contribution points from the sect, making everyone happy.

  Chen Ang took out two more pills and handed them to Ling Xiao, "These are two medium-grade Cultivation Pills, brother disciple should go back and cultivate well."

  Two middle-grade Spirit Restoration Pills, which is equivalent to 200 contribution points. However, it was his total income for the past two months. Ling Xiao hastily expressed his gratitude and accepted them. The sect's rewards for disciples who break through have always been this generous.

  He was about to turn around and leave, but instead he ran into someone coming in. The person's face changed as soon as they saw Ling Xiao, "Ling Xiao!"

  Ling Xiao raised his head and took a look, but it was Qi Ming.

  Zi Ming had been having a terrible time lately. Originally, his cultivation was high and he also had some fame in alchemy, almost all the outer sect disciples thought he was the first among their batch of disciples, and he was usually very arrogant. But just the other day, at the sect's grand lecture, Ling Xiao unexpectedly refined an upper-grade Cultivation Origin Pill, instantly stealing his thunder.

  That's nothing, more importantly, Fuling Elder seems to appreciate Ling Xiao as well.

  This made him suddenly have a sense of crisis, the eyes of the disciples inside the door looking at him seemed to have changed. Although they didn't all go to enthusiastically support Ling Xiao's stinky feet, naturally they wouldn't consider Qi Ming as one of their peers who had the possibility of entering the inner sect anymore.

  It's possible that Ling Xiao will be the first to enter the inner gate after all.

  The sect has many examples to encourage its disciples to practice alchemy. There are even rumors that Fowling's father, the previous generation's sect master Fow Huang, was specially admitted to the inner door because of his talent for alchemy!

  Zi Ming's transcendent position outside the outer gate no longer exists.

  He was always proud, how could he bear such a gaze? Moreover, there was a sense of crisis hidden in his heart. What if Ling Xiao was unexpectedly taken into the inner door by Fuling and came back to find trouble with him? The best among the outer door disciples was just that - an outer door disciple; for an inner door disciple to deal with an outer door disciple would be all too easy.

  He then made several more attempts at alchemy, but his restless mind caused him to greatly miss the mark, and he ended up far worse than before. This only accelerated his decline in status among the outer sect disciples.

  Today, I coincidentally ran into Ling Xiao here, and instantly old grievances and new resentments surged up in my heart...