Chapter 10: Fourth Level of Qi Refining (Please Add to Favorites)
“What nonsense!”
After Bi Zhou and Shu Yao left, Chen Yinshan was so furious his face turned ashen.
Zhao Guili echoed his anger, “Exactly! If he’s so capable, why is he still living here? If he really has what it takes, let him move to the outer city right now! And did you see the way he was grabbing meat? As if he hadn’t eaten meat in eight generations—stuffing pieces into his bowl and another into his mouth, afraid someone would snatch it from him.”
Wen Rongxin gently nudged her arm, signaling her to stop.
Zhao Guili said, “Rongxin, you’re just too kind-hearted, never competing with anyone. I can barely stand living just one house away from them, and you’re right next door. You’ll have plenty of trouble in the future.”
Wen Rongxin merely smiled, unconcerned.
Zhao Guili sighed deeply and glanced at Li Guanxuan, admonishing, “Old Li, you really ought to teach her to be a bit tougher sometimes, otherwise she’ll surely be bullied.”
“All right, all right.”
Li Guanxuan smiled and nodded, then turned to Wen Rongxin. “Go prepare a few dishes to go with the drinks. Tonight, Old Chen and I will have a couple of cups.”
“Okay.”
Wen Rongxin whispered, “Guili, could I borrow your stove?”
Chen Yinshan paused, surprised. “You brought drinks too?”
Li Guanxuan pulled a large jar from his storage pouch, smiling cheerfully. “Deer antler wine. Want some?”
“Oh my! You really have struck it rich…”
Chen Yinshan hurried over and hugged the wine jar, inhaling deeply, his face alight with joy. “Still soaked in high-grade spirit wine—potent stuff!”
Upon seeing this, Zhao Guili and Wen Rongxin’s faces flushed red, and they quickly left this scene of mischief.
Soon after, the side dishes arrived.
Chen Yinshan savored a sip of the deer antler spirit wine and sighed, “Good thing you didn’t bring this out earlier. If you had, it would all be gone tonight.”
Zhao Guili commented, “Probably the herbs would disappear too.”
Li Guanxuan laughed, “He said, at most a year, at least half a year, then he’ll move to the outer city. Just bear with it for now.”
“Hah, him?”
Zhao Guili sneered, “I’m not belittling him, but men like him only know how to talk big. Do you believe he’ll still be living here in a year?”
“Don’t gossip behind his back. He’s at least a fourth-stage Qi Refining cultivator,” Li Guanxuan reminded.
At that moment, Chen Yinshan set down his wine bowl, his expression serious. “Recently, it seems many rare treasures are maturing in the Ten-Thousand Mountains. Old Li, interested in making a move?”
Li Guanxuan shook his head. “You know me, I’m a coward. I’d rather stay home and draw talismans than live on the edge.”
“Yeah, you have a way to make a living, unlike me. I have no choice but to venture out.”
Chen Yinshan drained his bowl, bitterness in his eyes.
Li Guanxuan proposed, “How about this: every time you go out to collect herbs or hunt monsters, I’ll provide talismans for you, but I want half of what you gain. Deal?”
Chen Yinshan’s eyes lit up and he agreed immediately. “No problem!”
He was already at the third stage of Qi Refining; with so many talismans, safety was assured, and he could earn more.
Li Guanxuan smiled, “Come find me in a month… And don’t get greedy just because you have talismans. Set a goal each trip—once you reach it, come back. Don’t risk your life in the Ten-Thousand Mountains.”
He still felt uneasy, so he sternly told Zhao Guili, “Guili, you’d better keep an eye on him. Make sure nothing happens.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll remember.” Zhao Guili nodded gravely. Treasures were wonderful, but only if you lived to enjoy them.
After another hour or so of drinking, Li Guanxuan and Wen Rongxin returned home.
After bathing, the fully invigorated Li Guanxuan was eager for intimacy.
The manager at Myriad Phenomena Pavilion hadn’t lied—this deer antler wine was truly potent!
That night, Li Guanxuan became a category-eight wild gale, and Wen Rongxin transformed into Wen Rongqin.
Until dawn.
Li Guanxuan sat cross-legged on the bed, his face showing no fatigue. His waist didn’t ache, his legs weren’t sore; he even felt he could indulge in intimacy several more times.
Only…
Li Guanxuan glanced at Wen Rongxin, who was fast asleep, chuckled, and thought, “Defeated, just like that?”
Then he closed his eyes and focused his mind, turning his spiritual sense inward.
Pure energy surged from the Velvet Flower Spirit Tree, breaking through the darkness and transforming into spiritual energy, flooding his meridians and bones, finally converging toward his dantian and sea of qi.
For Qi Refining cultivators, the main goal was to open the twelve main meridians and the eight extraordinary ones.
The twelve main meridians consisted of: three yin of the hand, three yang of the hand, three yang of the foot, three yin of the foot—also known as the twelve primary meridians.
Once all twelve were open, one would reach the fourth stage of Qi Refining.
Now, Li Guanxuan only lacked the spleen meridian of the foot, the liver meridian of the foot, and the kidney meridian of the foot.
However, a night of diligent, intimate cultivation had brought him close to a breakthrough.
With just a bit more effort, he could open the three yin meridians of the foot and advance to the fourth stage.
At noon, Wen Rongxin awoke to find her husband meditating on the bed. Not daring to disturb him, she quietly got up.
After lunch, Wen Rongxin began practicing the “Five-Six Dragon Transformation Technique.” Lately, if she didn’t improve her physical abilities, she really couldn’t withstand Li Guanxuan’s advances.
But she didn’t feel discouraged in the least; after all, her husband relied on external aids, while she depended solely on her own strength!
As night fell, Li Guanxuan showed no sign of waking. Wen Rongxin, not wanting to interrupt him, spent the night sitting in a chair, meditating.
Three days later.
Li Guanxuan suddenly opened his eyes, and a force even stronger than before quietly surged forth. The spiritual energy in his dantian and sea of qi grew denser, and robust azure energy coiled around him.
Fourth stage of Qi Refining!
The “Azure Profound Art” had reached its fourth level!
Moreover, Li Guanxuan felt confident he could now draw high-grade first-rank talismans without issue.
“It’s a pity that only those of the Li family bloodline can practice the ‘Azure Profound Art.’ Otherwise, I could pass it on to my wife,” he sighed, turning to gaze out the window.
Wen Rongxin was in the courtyard, diligently practicing the “Five-Six Dragon Transformation Technique.” Each punch and kick revealed traces of energy, and her qi and blood were much richer than before.
Yet, she still had a long way to go before opening the three yang meridians of the hand and reaching the second stage of Qi Refining.
“It’s time to draw talismans. I need to move to the outer city as soon as possible.”
Li Guanxuan thought living in a shantytown on the outskirts was no long-term solution.
If anything happened outside Qing’an City, cultivators like him would instantly become cannon fodder.
Moving to the outer city meant not just safety, but also gaining a touch of spiritual energy from the first-rank spiritual vein.
He stepped out, not disturbing Wen Rongxin’s training, and headed straight to the cultivation room.
Wen Rongxin sensed her husband’s presence and even felt his aura was much stronger than before.
But, immersed in her practice, she couldn’t stop and continued to persist.
Inside the cultivation room, Li Guanxuan calmed his mind and decided to start with the protective talisman he was most skilled at.
After all, he’d been drawing these talismans for over twenty years; every stroke was etched in his memory, though the high-grade patterns were slightly less familiar.
Dipping his brush in spiritual blood cinnabar, he swiftly traced intricate, mysterious lines onto the talisman paper. The spiritual energy of the fourth stage condensed at the brush tip, ensuring every stroke was perfectly balanced.
Soon, beads of sweat covered his forehead, but he persisted.
When the protective talisman was finally complete, Li Guanxuan let out a sigh of relief, unable to suppress his smile.
Success!
On the first try!
No talisman paper wasted!
This meant Li Guanxuan had officially become a high-grade first-rank talisman master. Next, he only needed to skillfully draw ice talismans, fire talismans, and explosive spirit talismans before attempting other types.