Free Web NovelChapter 19: Chapter 19: Qi Cultivation Third Layer, Assessing Strength
In the second month of his secluded cultivation, Zhang Chi successfully broke through with his Bright Jade Body Refining Technique.
Although he had only reached the entry level, it already brought his physical combat power to a level comparable to the Qi Cultivation Early Stage.
The moment he broke through, the bones throughout his body cracked loudly, and he even grew taller and stood straighter.
Whenever he circulated the cultivation technique at full power, a faint, jade-colored glow would immediately appear on the surface of his skin.
This faint glow wasn’t strong enough to completely block magic or magical artifacts, but it could effectively reduce damage and increase his strength.
Combined with his protective spiritual power and magic, his defensive capabilities were undoubtedly even better.
Furthermore, reaching the introductory stage of Body Refining also made his Essence Blood more vigorous, allowing him to sustain the Blood Escape Technique for much longer.
His Qi Cultivation speed had also increased by about five percent due to his stronger physique.
The quality of the spiritual power he cultivated also saw a slight improvement.
As it turned out, when the physical body grew stronger, the meridians and Qi Sea would improve along with it, and even the Divine Soul would be nourished.
Of course, it would be even better if he had a Refining God Technique.
A stronger Divine Sense would be an even greater aid to his cultivation, and it would also make mastering magic easier.
Unfortunately, Refining God Techniques were extremely precious and were the closely guarded secrets of top-tier powers.
Even with over a thousand mining slaves here, not one of them had mastered such a technique.
Then again, it was possible someone did, but they were either forbidden from passing it on or simply unwilling to reveal it.
However, thanks to the sheer number of people, Xiao Yunhong had managed to find someone with knowledge of the four common Immortal Cultivation Techniques: Artifact Refining, Alchemy, Talisman Making, and Spirit Plant cultivation.
However, these teachings were all only Tier One and not particularly profound, and their owners had not truly mastered them.
Otherwise, they would never have been captured and brought here in the first place.
Even if they were captured, such truly talented individuals wouldn’t be put to work in the mines.
But Zhang Chi was still pleasantly surprised, and he memorized all four sets of teachings by heart.
In addition, the five Four-legged Spirit Snakes had long since awakened.
They now all possessed Tier One Early Stage strength, comparable to that of Qi Cultivation Early Stage cultivators.
Zhang Chi continued to feed them the Blood Spirit Pills provided by Xiao Yunhong.
Although they didn’t break through again, their strength grew ever closer to the Tier One Middle Stage.
But now that they were true Spirit Beasts, their digestive abilities had clearly strengthened; even as they continued to consume Blood Spirit Pills, they no longer fell into a deep slumber.
「Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, only seven days remained until the mines were to be cleared.」
That night, Zhang Chi finally reached the peak of the Qi Cultivation Second Layer and began to attempt another breakthrough.
BOOM!
In the next moment, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi suddenly swarmed toward him. An even stronger Spiritual Pressure emanated from Zhang Chi’s body—he had succeeded once again in a single attempt.
"Good! I’ve finally reached the Qi Cultivation Third Layer, and a few days earlier than expected, too!"
After the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi subsided, Zhang Chi, having completed his breakthrough, slowly opened his eyes. He felt the improvements in every aspect of his being, his face lit with excitement.
It had been nearly half a year since he had officially started his cultivation.
At his current pace, reaching the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer would likely take another six months or more.
This pace was actually quite good. ƒrēewebnovel.com
But his circumstances didn’t permit him to continue laying low here, and he had no intention of waiting any longer.
He then began to take stock of his own abilities.
First, there was a Cold Iron Sword and nine Cold Iron Needles.
Second were the Blood Flame Technique and the Bright Jade Body Refining Technique, as well as his five Tier One Early Stage Four-legged Spirit Snakes.
Then there were his magic techniques. In addition to the Celestial Eye Technique, Qi Concealment Technique, Fire Bomb Technique, and Wind Manipulation Technique, he had also learned the Exorcism Technique, Blood Curse Technique, Sound Transmission Technique, Quicksand Technique, Fire Shield Technique, Earth Spike Technique, and Blood Escape Technique.
Finally, there was the Spirit Contract for taming Demon Beasts, the Iron Refining Secret Method, and the means to create Blood Spirit Pills.
He had memorized even more cultivation techniques and magic, including three Middle Grade Magic techniques and two complete Low Grade Qi Cultivation Methods.
However, time was limited, so he hadn’t practiced them. They counted as knowledge gained, but not yet as actual combat power.
’This should be enough!’
Zhang Chi finished his assessment, feeling very satisfied.
With his current arsenal, he felt confident enough to try a sneak attack even against a Qi Cultivation Middle Stage opponent.
He then continued his cultivation. The next day, he called Xiao Yunhong over early in the morning.
"Brother Xiao, you wanted my help delivering a message, didn’t you? You can tell me the details now," Zhang Chi said, getting straight to the point.
It was rare for him not to address Xiao Yunhong as ’Fellow Daoist’. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
After all, over several months of a relationship that was part teacher-student, part-friend, and full-on partnership, the two had grown quite close.
"Are you getting ready to leave?" Xiao Yunhong asked, his expression complicated.
Zhang Chi’s words brought him joy, but also a sense of reluctance and worry.
"Yes. It should be soon."
Zhang Chi nodded slightly.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" Xiao Yunhong asked.
"You’ve already done everything you need to. Now, all you have to do is wait," said Zhang Chi.
"Alright, let’s talk about the message. After you get out, go to the Chen Kingdom Jade Spring Mountain Market’s Ten Thousand Treasures Tower. Use my blood for authentication and state the secret order. Then you can retrieve the Storage Bag I left there."
"Inside the Storage Bag is a black Communication Jade Talisman. Infuse it with magical power, state my current predicament and location, then crush it. That will send the message," Xiao Yunhong nodded and continued.
"Got it. But what if the Storage Bag is gone?"
Zhang Chi silently breathed a sigh of relief.
’Delivering the message this way is much simpler than I expected.’
"It won’t be. I have a trace of my Divine Sense on the Storage Bag. I’ll know if it’s gone. Besides, the reputation of the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower is impeccable," Xiao Yunhong said with conviction.
"That’s good," Zhang Chi nodded.
"Yes. After you send the message, you have two choices. The first is to take the Storage Bag and leave. The items inside will be your reward," Xiao Yunhong continued.
"And the second?" Zhang Chi asked noncommittally.
"The other is to wait for me to get out. I’ll take you to the Demon Realm to join the Profound Yin Sect. When that time comes, you’ll want for neither cultivation techniques nor secret techniques for Refining God."
"Follow me, and you’ll have more than a fifty percent chance of becoming a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. In the Demon Sect’s territory, you can act without restraint. Absolutely no one will dare to bully you!" Xiao Yunhong declared, thumping his chest.
"The Profound Yin Sect, a major sect of the Demon Dao? I’ve heard you refer to yourself as a Young Master before. Don’t tell me you’re the Young Master of the Profound Yin Sect?" Zhang Chi asked in astonishment.
"The very same."
Xiao Yunhong stated proudly.
"Then how did you end up getting captured and brought here?" Zhang Chi asked, curious.
"Let’s not dredge up the painful past. Just trust me," Xiao Yunhong said with a soft sigh.
"Alright. But are the people from the Cyan Cloud Sect idiots? How could they capture you? Did they not know who you were, or are they not afraid of the Profound Yin Sect retaliating?" Zhang Chi pressed on.
"I told them at the start, but they didn’t believe me," Xiao Yunhong said after a moment of silence.
"Fair enough."
Zhang Chi nodded in understanding.
It wasn’t just Xiao Yunhong. When this body’s previous owner first arrived, he too had pleaded his innocence.
But the guards couldn’t be bothered to listen. He was beaten before he could even get a word out.
That was how the body’s previous owner learned to stay silent.
In fact, when first captured, almost all the mining slaves, desperate to get out, would claim they were innocent or that they had connections to powerful figures.
He had even heard one person claim to be the son of the Cyan Cloud Sect’s own Sect Leader!
"I stopped mentioning it after that. Because at this point, even if my identity were confirmed, they would most likely kill me to cover their tracks and avoid taking responsibility," Xiao Yunhong continued.
"That’s certainly a possibility. The higher-ups might not, but the people at the bottom wouldn’t care. After all, if this gets out, the ones at the bottom are sure to suffer for it."
Zhang Chi deeply agreed.
"So? Have you made up your mind? I’ll warn you now, that Storage Bag is just a spare. There isn’t much inside, so don’t regret it if you choose that option."
"Besides, if you wait for me to get out, I can give you the Storage Bag anyway, if you still want it," Xiao Yunhong added.
