Chapter 79: The Fourth Floor

Li Zhen entered the market without encountering any obstacles or sensing any cultivators paying attention to him.

First, he went to the spirit field, where he watered the crops and tended to pest control. After completing his tasks, he returned to the log cabin.

Inside the log cabin, he took out the martial fighter armor and simultaneously set up the ‘Five Elements Qi Gathering Array Disk.’ This would accelerate the charging time of the martial fighter armor.

He then sat down cross-legged and began cultivating the ‘Seventeenth Version of the Foundation Qi Refining Technique.’

He planned to stay in the market until dawn in the immortality nation before returning. If news of his actions reached the Zhao Clan, it wouldn’t take long for cultivators from the Lin Clan to come after him.

As Li Zhen practiced the Seventeenth Version of the Foundation Qi Refining Technique, he remained focused on refining the spiritual energy in his dantian.

However, during today’s cultivation, when he encountered the bottleneck, it displayed noticeable vibrations.

He suspected that the reason the barrier to the fourth level of qi refinement was weakening was largely due to the recent battle.

On more than one occasion, he had heard that combat could enhance one’s control over their body and accelerate the solidification of spiritual energy.

This time, facing a formidable enemy, he had to summon nearly all his strength to emerge victorious—an experience that proved invaluable for his personal growth.

Li Zhen hesitated slightly; if the market were to capture him during his promotion process, he would be caught incredibly off guard.

Yet, he didn’t want to miss this opportunity either. The loosening of a bottleneck was a rare chance—if he missed it now, who knew when such an opening might present itself again?

With this thought, he wasted no more time. The high-grade first-order spiritual energy, gathered by the ‘Five Elements Qi Gathering Jade Plate,’ flowed into him. Apart from what was absorbed by the martial fighter armor, the rest coursed through his body.

The bottleneck of the fourth layer of Qi Refinement didn’t hold out for long—merely tens of breaths—before his dantian began to experience violent contractions, destabilizing rapidly.

A thunderous collapse occurred within his dantian, but swiftly followed by its reassembly.

This time, his dantian expanded over three times its original size. Simultaneously, he felt an intense hunger for spiritual energy from within his core.

Without the concealment effect of the ‘Small Inverted Five Elements Array,’ nearby cultivators would undoubtedly have sensed the fluctuating spiritual energy at his location.

Advancing from the early to the mid-stage of Qi Refining was a significant leap for cultivators at this level.

It wasn’t long before he realized his spiritual energy was depleted. He regretted leaving his martial fighter armor outside to absorb spiritual energy; although it couldn’t possibly meet the heightened demand during his advancement, having it compete for resources certainly didn’t help.

At this crucial moment, he needed a substantial influx of spiritual energy. Only now did he recall that the school had mentioned students must apply in advance for any promotion to the fourth layer of Qi Refining.

While unsure what accommodations the school would provide, he had his own plan.

After all, it’s just spiritual energy, he thought. He instructed the Dragon Heart Space to consume a mid-grade Qi Nourishing Pill suitable for the mid-stage of Qi Refining. Still concerned, he had it absorb five spirit stones as well.

The essence of the Qi Nourishing Pill and the pure spiritual energy from the spirit stones flowed continuously into his dantian.

“More!” In no time, all the energy and spiritual essence were absorbed, yet his dantian felt hollow, craving more.

This time, he didn’t let the Dragon Heart Space consume any spirit stones. He still had plenty of Qi Nourishing Pills, and besides, the essence from the pills was more refined than that from spirit stones, better suited for his needs.

After the Dragon Heart Space devoured several more Qi Nourishing Pills, Li Zhen felt his dantian no longer empty. Instead, it gradually became stable.

At the same time, both his mind and body experienced significant improvement. Notably, the enhancement of his mind had a positive effect on using Dragon Might.

If faced with the Third Elder now, Li Zhen could momentarily stun him with Dragon Might, provided the elder didn’t have any magical artifacts protecting against psychic attacks.

Li Zhen opened his eyes, realizing he’d rushed this breakthrough attempt.

He should have first used the simulation instrument to calculate his chances of success, reviewed experiences from other cultivators who’d advanced to the fourth layer of Qi Refining, and only then considered attempting the breakthrough.

Of course, the reason he hadn’t prepared was that he felt his bottleneck couldn’t be broken through quickly.

He activated his identity bracelet to check his information.

Realm: Qi Refining Fourth Layer

Spiritual Roots: Wood 21.22, Water 20, Metal 23.43, Fire 20, Earth 20, Thunder 20

Spiritual Essence: 1

Spiritual Energy: 100

Corporeal Body: First Layer (58/100)

The initial spiritual energy in the fourth layer of Qi Refining was a high 100 points, almost half again as much as the peak of the third layer at 60 points.

No wonder he needed a substantial energy boost to advance.

If other cultivators rashly attempted to ascend without a reserve of spiritual energy, failure was nearly guaranteed.

Li Zhen let out a long sigh as he savored the changes in the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

From this point on, he could command flying swords in battle, no longer confined to longsword combat at close range.

His Sword Force Thunderous Roar technique was no longer limited to just the longsword; it could now be employed with flying swords as well.

When channeling Sword Force Thunderous Roar, a close-range longsword could hold more spiritual energy. While a flying sword’s attack would be slightly weaker, its advantage lay in the increased range.

Li Zhen delved into his Dragon Heart Space, searching for the mid-grade flying sword he had been saving—a blade that hadn’t seen the light of the Black Iron Body.

He opted for the Skysoaring Sword, a high-grade offensive magical tool once wielded by the former proprietor of the Treasure Pavilion. Even among mid-grade magical tools, it was considered top-notch.

Li Zhen spent some time refining the Skysoaring Sword, imbuing it with his own spiritual mark.

Although he possessed a first-class high-grade flying sword, he had no intention of using it. Employing a first-class high-grade magical tool at the fourth layer of Qi Refining would consume an enormous amount of spiritual energy. While he could refine a first-class high-grade flying sword for eventual use, it wouldn’t be practical for daily purposes.

In truth, the best time to use a first-class high-grade magical tool was when wearing martial fighter armor, allowing one to truly harness its full power.

Checking the time on his identity bracelet, he saw it was 6 a.m. in the Xian Nation. It was time for him to return.

After so much time had passed, Li Zhen felt reasonably certain that Steward Zhao and the other Zhao Clan cultivators hadn’t reported his escape.

And indeed, the brief period between Li Zhen’s disappearance and the arrival of the tracking cultivators meant that the Zhao Clan had little time to act. Moreover, with a cultivator in the Late Qi Refining Stage among them, they were confident in capturing Li Zhen and saw no need to report the matter beforehand.

Li Zhen activated a small Inverted Five Elements Array within the wooden cabin before utilizing his spatial divine ability to return to his bedroom at home.

Surrounded by familiar furniture, his tense demeanor gradually relaxed.

During his time at the market, fearing attacks from various factions, he had remained constantly on guard.

Only now did he find the opportunity to examine his loot.

These treasures belonged to the Zhao Clan cultivators, and he chose not to inspect them at the market out of caution.

Inside the Dragon Heart Space, four storage pouches floated in mid-air.

Li Zhen couldn’t help but shake his head, recalling how just a few months ago, he gazed upon space-related items with envy. Who could have imagined he’d now have more storage pouches than he knew what to do with?

He emptied the contents of all four pouches into the space. With his current understanding, few spirit artifacts caught his eye as truly valuable.

Li Zhen began by examining the flying boat.

The boat was a first-class high-grade artifact, and its difference from the ‘Green Jade Flying Leaf’ went beyond mere quality—it was in their intended use.

The ‘Green Jade Flying Leaf’ was a single-person flying magical device, and also the most common type available.

The flying boat, on the other hand, was designed for multiple passengers. Through his research, Li Zhen discovered that besides being powered by a cultivator’s spiritual energy, it could also be driven by consuming spirit stones.

In its default state, the flying boat was compact, no larger than a palm. Once unleashed, it expanded to approximately twenty feet in length, accommodating six cultivators comfortably.

While refining the flying boat, he learned its name: the Cyan Profound Boat.

Alas, the Cyan Profound Boat was not a tool for casual use. In all of Yunxi County, Li Zhen had never witnessed anyone else employing such a vessel. Moreover, the boat’s appearance did not conform to the aesthetic sensibilities of the Immortal Nation.

Using it openly at the market would likely result in instant recognition by other cultivators, who might then inform the Zhao Clan, jeopardizing his mission.

Eh! Li Zhen paused in his examination of the Cyan Profound Boat, having just detected the aura of a second-order spirit object amidst the collection.

With care, he separated the item emitting the second-order aura from the rest. It was a gourd, its quality only low-grade first-order. Yet, intricate spirit patterns adorned its surface, hinting at its potential significance.