Chapter 39: Qi Refining Stage Four

Qin Ming’s gaze was resolute as he took out another premium Spirit Gathering Pill and swallowed it.

The medicinal power flowed.

Again and again, it washed and expanded Qin Ming’s dantian energy cavity.

He swallowed the fourth premium Spirit Gathering Pill.

Then came the fifth.

The sixth.

……

When he reached the eighth pill.

The magic power within his dantian reached its limit.

It could no longer hold.

Like a dam breaking under floodwaters.

Boom! Qin Ming’s magic power aura suddenly surged more than double.

Everything unfolded naturally.

A continuous stream of Evergreen magic power began to trickle through Qin Ming’s meridians.

“My magic power cultivation has finally broken through to Qi Refining Stage Four!” A flash of sharp light passed through Qin Ming’s eyes.

He slowly exhaled a cloud of turbid air.

His current total magic power exceeded that of peers by more than double, equivalent to Qi Refining Stage Five.

“With this, I can now increase the duration and frequency of the High-Level Spirit Rain Art.”

“Mid-stage Qi Refining magic power is finally sufficient.”

“This breakthrough owes much to Su Yuqing’s pills—had I relied on ordinary Spirit Gathering Pills, even consuming them all, I doubt I could have broken through.”

As his cultivation breakthrough lifted his spirits.

He also realized a problem.

That even reaching Qi Refining Stage Four had consumed so many premium Spirit Gathering Pills.

These pills carry medicinal resistance.

The more you consume of the same pill, the weaker the absorbed medicinal power becomes.

If he wished to break through again later.

Premium Spirit Gathering Pills would clearly no longer suffice.

If things continued this way.

The quantity and quality of elixirs Qin Ming would need for future cultivation.

Would become a staggering number.

“I must quickly achieve self-sufficiency in elixir production.”

“My current resources can’t withstand this kind of consumption!”

In the days that followed.

Qin Ming consumed the remaining two premium Spirit Gathering Pills.

He consolidated his cultivation.

Then he resumed eating Blood Locust Rice and cultivated the Sixth Layer of the Hundred Treasures Glazed Scripture.

Compared to magic power cultivation.

Under the heavy accumulation of Blood Locust Rice as a body-refining spiritual material.

His body refinement progressed rapidly.

To call it “a thousand li in a day” was no exaggeration.

Each time the Hundred Treasures Glazed Scripture broke through a layer, the required spiritual materials doubled or even multiplied several times.

The remaining stock of Blood Locust Rice in Qin Ming’s possession was running low.

But it was still enough to last until the next batch of Beast Tooth Rice matured.

When he obtained the [Ripen] term.

He had already saved some Blood Locust Rice spiritual seeds.

He could continue ripening them.

He should have no trouble completing the Hundred Treasures Glazed Scripture using his own Blood Locust Rice.

When that time came.

His body refinement would reach the peak of Layer Nine.

With the power of the Hundred Treasures Glazed Scripture.

His overall strength would far surpass ordinary cultivators of his stage.

Never mind anything else, at least within the Qingyang Marketplace, I now have the means to protect myself.

……

Time passed.

Early May.

Inside Su Yuqing’s alchemy chamber.

Qin Ming was drenched in sweat, his eyes fixed intently on the alchemy furnace.

After more than a dozen disastrous failures.

Finally, a strange fragrance emerged from the furnace.

“It’s done!”

Qin Ming waved his hand.

Three blue pills landed in his palm.

Basic Detox Pill, unranked, used by alchemy apprentices as a foundational practice pill.

Qin Ming held the three pills, his expression ecstatic.

For the past month.

He had repeatedly observed and studied Su Yuqing’s alchemy.

He had finally grasped some of the essentials.

Next.

Qin Ming could attempt refining first-rank low-grade spiritual pills.

Su Yuqing sat comfortably in the courtyard, sipping tea. Seeing Qin Ming’s joy, he chuckled: “It’s just a Detox Pill—why are you so thrilled?”

“Su brother, I can’t compare to you,” Qin Ming said, having watched Su Yuqing’s alchemy daily; the two had grown increasingly close.

“After all this effort, these three Basic Detox Pills are my first true creation,” Qin Ming smiled.

“Let me see.”

“The debut work of Master Qin the Alchemist.”

Su Yuqing took the pills from Qin Ming’s hand and examined them.

After a long while.

“Marginally acceptable.”

Su Yuqing tossed the pills back to Qin Ming.

Hearing that.

Qin Ming now had confidence.

……

Late May.

The first harvest of Jin Ling Rice this year matured.

【Name】: Jin Ling Rice 【Term】: Weak Magic Power (Maturity 100%, Harvestable)

【Name】: Jin Ling Rice 【Term】: Weak Magic Power (Maturity 100%, Harvestable)

Qin Ming cut the spiritual rice ears; two white term leaves appeared in his spiritual sense.

Thanks to his High-Level Spirit Rain Art’s irrigation, this season’s three mu of Jin Ling Rice.

Yielded astonishingly!

He harvested a total of twenty shi of Jin Ling Rice.

After deducting the forty-five percent grain tax levied by Lingyu Gate.

He retained six hundred jin of spiritual rice.

His quarterly rice yield ranked far ahead.

He claimed the top position.

Other spiritual farmers could only envy him.

Du Haifu, weighing the harvest, stared silently at the number displayed on the large measuring device.

“Three mu yielding this much? I’ve never seen the like!”

“This is the power of mastering the High-Level Spirit Rain Art.”

Next.

Qin Ming no longer needed to worry much about the three mu of Jin Ling Rice fields.

He only needed to wait until the end of June, when the rice roots would regrow.

Qin Ming devoted all his attention to the Beast Fang Rice paddy and two other mu of medicinal fields.

There were seventy-two Cold Smoke Grass plants and eighteen Spirit Candle Fruit plants.

All had grown to half their full height.

He considered that he still needed to advance to mid-grade Grade One Herbalist.

He needed to successfully cultivate three different mid-grade Grade One herbs.

Qin Ming went again to Shopkeeper Liao and bought dozens of mid-grade Grade One “Black Tongue Orchid” seeds, planting them all in a corner of the spirit field.

He chose the Black Tongue Orchid because

it could be used when he attempted to refine Grade One Low-grade spirit pills.

Through continuous practice and studying the notes given to him by Su Yuqing,

regarding the refining of Grade One Low-grade spirit pills,

Qin Ming gradually began to gain some insight.

Three months passed.

The second season of Jin Ling Rice matured.

Within the Jin Ling Rice field, no “Ripen” term had yet refreshed.

Qin Ming harvested another twenty dan of Jin Ling Rice, along with three “Weak Magic Power” terms.

"Sigh, it's true that the higher the rank of the spiritual plant, the higher the chance of getting better attributes."

But it was coming soon.

The Cold Smoke Grass, Spirit Candle Fruit, and Black Tongue Orchid in the two mu fields had all bloomed.

Only a few more months remained until maturity.

Qin Ming released the group of Four-Winged Frost Bees from his spirit beast pouch and began pollinating the spirit plants in the fields.

Combined with the rainfall effect of the Advanced Spirit Rain Technique,

the several mu of spirit fields displayed a thriving scene.

Even the ancient steward of Spirit Feather Sect, upon arriving to collect spirit rice and seeing the three or so mu of mid-grade spirit plants below,

showed a faint ripple on his eternally expressionless face.

Especially those three mu of Beast Fang Rice.

Even Qin Ming himself had not expected it.

Under his constant irrigation with the Advanced Spirit Rain Technique and daily meticulous care,

based on the current growth trend,

the yield would not only double, but was progressing toward becoming “Premium Beast Fang Rice.”

After all, Qin Ming had eaten plenty of “Premium Beast Fang Rice” himself and possessed rich ripening experience.

One day,

Qin Ming was directing the bee swarm to pollinate the medicinal herbs in the field,

when the message talisman on his person received a message.

It was from Shopkeeper Liao.

“Brother Qin, the rental quota in the marketplace you asked me about has confirmed news.”

“But I cannot decide this matter—you may speak with our Pavilion Master.”

(End of Chapter)