Chapter 77: Late Qi Refining

The spirit pill entered the abdomen, the skin dissolved and power emerged.

A surge of pill power, different from spirit meals yet vaguely similar, and far more obvious and surging, erupted rapidly, filling the stomach and seeping into the meridians.

Then, it was ruthlessly devoured and refined by the vigorous mana Du En had spontaneously circulated there; it didn't even stir up the slightest ripple.

The efficacy was barely acceptable; one pill could increase cultivation accumulation by 0.5, equivalent to two and a half days of his focused cultivation.

All three were consumed and quickly refined, transforming into a part of his strength.

Ending this cultivation session and opening his eyes, he discovered that less than the time it takes for one incense stick to burn had passed.

Compared to the slow release of spirit meals, it was indeed very short-acting and obvious.

Days flowed by, one after another.

【Cultivation: Late Qi Refining (0/100)】

"But there are also drawbacks; the 'front swing' is somewhat obvious. Unlike spells, which, once ground to the level of 'Mastery,' basically require no movement and can even use feints to deceive an opponent."

Looking at the aspect of spells again.

Exhaling a long breath of stale air, Du En opened his eyes, and the interface appeared in his vision.

Amidst the calm, time flowed on without pause.

During this process, he mastered the method of releasing talismans.

"Hmm, this is actually quite normal; after all, the conditions for spirit herbs to grow require more than just spirit Qi."

During this period, Sand Raising Technique had been ground to 'Perfected,' and Earth Armor Technique had also reached 'Great Accomplishment.'

Thinking this, Du En went to another place and used mana to stimulate and trigger a talisman.

In any case, the remaining two will be set aside for now; they might have some use later.

This self-circulating flow doesn't actually have a very large or obvious impact on the accumulation of cultivation; however, it can minutely absorb and refine spirit Qi, keeping mana at its peak during normal times while simultaneously nourishing and strengthening the body bit by bit.

After experimenting with this, Du En practiced spells for a while before returning to the Corpse Burial Wasteland.

Seeing that Du En was also empty-handed, although he felt it wasn't great, Ren Li's expression improved slightly, and then he waved his hand with the air of someone who would provide for his followers.

After a while, he finished pondering and stood up.

"How is it? Did you have any gains?" Ren Li asked first.

"The accumulation speed of cultivation progress has slowed down as expected, because upon reaching Late Qi Refining, the base number of years required for cultivation has increased."

If there were better quality ones, perhaps the power could be further elevated.

【Spirit Root: Low Grade】

【Divine Ability: None】

Late Qi Refining!

With the cultivation accumulation reaching one hundred percent, Du En broke through as a matter of course.

Because the person could not be found during the search, he was suspected of having fallen into an evil path, and after cruelly murdering his colleagues, he chose to flee in fear of punishment.

So, the matter of Wang Chun developed to this point.

It wasn't that he couldn't break through, but that he was deliberately holding back, wanting to wait for the insights here.

It would be better to let people fend for themselves inside.

Anyway, without sufficient cultivation resources, even if one hid inside for decades, the cultivation would basically remain the same, and it was not worth worrying about at all.

Du En's thoughts were not joyful because of the natural breakthrough, nor sorrowful because of the problems faced in his current situation; he was simply considering things calmly.

Wang Chun's death indeed did not cause any ripples.

【Hundred Arts: Gathering & Appraising (Proficient 0/50), Culinary Arts (Proficient 17/50), Spirit Seeking (Novice 0/20)】

It was very obvious that he was going to produce ingredients again.

Now, Du En only needed less than two years to break through to Qi Refining Perfection.

When he returned here, the corpses had already been buried, and Ren Li had also finished today's meditation early.

"No, ordinary medicinal herbs can be found in large patches, but spirit herbs just cannot be found," Du En replied calmly.

Over time, there could still be a respectable improvement.

【Spells: Earth Bullet Technique (Mastery 237/300), Sand Raising Technique (Perfected), Breath Concealment Technique (Great Accomplishment 370/500), Earth Armor Technique (Great Accomplishment 30/500)】

In other words, without special circumstances, even if one had a lifespan of one hundred and twenty years at the early stage, it would simply not be enough!

"However, my situation here is quite special."

Or rather, the situation headed toward the Mining Steward receiving a report of his subordinates being murdered, becoming furious, investigating personally, and quickly tracing it to Wang Chun.

The group returned.

"However, I am still limited by my status and situation. Once everything that can be ground and practiced is maxed out, I will face a situation where I have strength but nowhere to use it."

With the situation developing to this point, it could only be left unsettled.

【Age: 21/138】

In other aspects, there was also steady accumulation.

The reduction was very obvious!

This was the result of his grinding and practicing.

From his sullen face, one could tell that his meditation was the same as always, with no gains.

Du En naturally had no objections, and the others began to flatter him again.

"Also, although I have had ideas about using spirit stones for a long time, because things have been too calm recently, I haven't been able to find a reasonable and suitable time..."

Originally, with his Low Grade Spirit Root and without the help of external forces, he would have needed at least fifty years of bitter cultivation to break through to Qi Refining Perfection.

The full mana once again pushed the expansion of the meridians and dantian, sucking in large amounts of spirit Qi and refining it to fill the expanding mana, enabling it to maintain the spontaneous, continuous circulation of this realm, like a circulatory system flowing throughout the body.

This was considered a norm now, happening every few days.

Too big!

Even within the borders, the area is so vast that the stewards feel that hunting down criminals is a complete waste of time and a thankless task.

Who let his insights remain difficult to advance, leaving his Qi Refining perfection cultivation stuck right there.

Since that is the case, he must find a way to enjoy himself, and incidentally regain some sense of superiority among the corpse-burying workers to maintain his state of mind.

"Also, brewing actually requires a bit of time, which is also a problem... However, it might be because it is too low-grade and inferior, or perhaps there are types of grenades that have already absorbed enough Qi and only need a little stimulation to be thrown out and used directly."

In an uninhabited place in the mountains and forests, he would actually practice the spells after his cultivation breakthrough to see to what extent they have been enhanced, so as to avoid choosing the wrong level of proficiency during a spell battle.

Because the vast mountains and forests of the Southern Border are not only for ordinary, bottom-tier, miserable people to escape into, but even overseers who have committed crimes or made mistakes can completely escape into them.

"Hmm, the advantage is that it saves mana; it only needs a little bit of stimulation, and it will swallow Qi and transform into the corresponding spell. The power is actually not bad; like this Fireball Talisman, it is equivalent to a spell of the same type at the 'First Glimpse of the Threshold' stage cast by someone in the late stage of Qi Refining."

【Cultivation Method: Yellow Earth Art (Perfected to the Extreme)】

Although he could silently grind his cultivation, Du En was not satisfied with this.

Leaving scorch marks and cracks on the stone used as a target.

The yellow paper talisman ignited without wind, swallowing Qi and transforming into a fist-sized fireball; after Du En flicked the remaining paper scrap held between his fingers, it immediately gained direction and shot out violently.

The only obvious impact was that the mining steward began to reorganize the affairs of the subordinate mines, demoting or reprimanding other overseers, and from then on changed his attitude toward dealing with mining matters.

Under normal circumstances, the lifespan limit at the perfection of the Qi Refining stage is generally around one hundred and twenty years.

In the blink of an eye, ten months passed.

After getting the hang of everything, he appeared as usual and returned to the Corpse-Burying Wasteland.

Please keep reading!

(End of this chapter)