Chapter 69

Qin Ming only thought about it briefly.

He quickly dismissed the idea; Jin Dan True Persons weren't something easily encountered.

Still, acquiring such a rare-tier term filled him with delight.

Qin Ming put the two matured Five-Color Rice plants and the two Red-Silver Yellow Hemp plants into his storage bag, then cleared all traces from the spirit field.

He then returned to the Cool Pavilion.

Inside the quiet chamber in the courtyard.

Qin Ming sat cross-legged on the cushion.

In the Immortal Realm, even if one remained constantly cautious, when calamities or human disasters struck, one still couldn't always avoid them.

Only by enhancing one's own strength could one walk farther on the Immortal Path.

He first ate a bowl of already-cooked Supreme Blood Locust Rice, circulating his blood qi through several heavenly circuits.

Immediately, he activated a 【Blood Qi Crystal】 term.

Boom! Suddenly, terrifying blood qi poured down like a torrential downpour.

Qin Ming involuntarily let out a soft grunt.

He swiftly activated the "Hundred Treasures Glass Sutra" to refine the blood qi.

The blood qi contained within this 【Blood Qi Crystal】 far exceeded the boost from the Blood Locust Rice.

Gradually.

The blood qi force within Qin Ming's body, already extremely dense, reached its peak.

It began to undergo a qualitative transformation! Boom! Accompanied by a thunderous roar in Qin Ming's mind.

His surrounding blood qi was compressed to its limit, and a new power was born within him.

Blood Qi transforms into True Gang!

The Glass Robe, originally formed from blood qi force.

At the instant he broke through the seventh layer of the "Hundred Treasures Glass Sutra," it too underwent a qualitative transformation.

It transformed into a "Glass Armor" forged from Blood Qi True Gang.

Its spell-resistance effect rose to an entirely new level; spells below Foundation Establishment could hardly pierce this armor.

Through the transformation of Blood Qi True Gang, Qin Ming's physical strength and power were further greatly enhanced.

Having entered this realm, his current strength far surpassed peers of the same stage, and even among Body Refinement experts at the peak, few could match him.

Qin Ming stood up excitedly, took out the Supreme Artifact Qingming Sword, and channeled magic power to try stabbing his own skin.

The Qingming Sword's aura sliced across—but he remained perfectly unharmed!

"Just his physical strength alone is already comparable to a Supreme defensive artifact!"

Enhanced by the protection of Blood Qi True Gang.

Now even ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't touch him.

Having entered the late stage of Body Refinement, he couldn't claim to be invincible in the marketplace, but he could defend himself easily.

With his power surging forward, Qin Ming felt the immense strength within him and realized he was now utterly different from before.

A flash of sharp light passed through Qin Ming's eyes; he clenched his fist, and a three-inch layer of Blood Qi True Gang appeared on his knuckles.

A punch like this would be difficult for even a Qi Condensation peak cultivator to withstand.

Qin Ming stabilized his realm and began planning his next cultivation steps.

He had now mastered the seventh layer of the "Hundred Treasures Glass Sutra," transforming his Blood Qi into Blood Qi True Gang.

Beyond this, he needed to cultivate the sutra to its ninth layer's peak, reaching the realm of True Gang projection.

At that time, he could rival Foundation Establishment beginners solely through Body Refinement techniques.

In the days that followed.

Qin Ming consumed the remaining four 【Blood Qi Crystals】, and his Blood Qi True Gang surged again.

He was now halfway to breaking through the eighth layer of the "Hundred Treasures Glass Sutra."

Then, he used up the five 【Faint Lifespan】 terms.

Instantly.

An indescribable force of time descended upon Qin Ming from the void.

Qin Ming's lifespan instantly increased by fifty years, and combined with the slight longevity-enhancing effects of his Changchun Gong, the total gain was substantial.

This meant he now possessed a lifespan exceeding one hundred and sixty years even in the Qi Condensation stage. Time flows, seasons change—this was the rule of heaven and earth.

Such power was beyond the reach of even high-level cultivators.

The further one advanced in cultivation, the greater the cultivator's desire for lifespan.

Many cultivators failed precisely because of lifespan—they couldn't break through before their deadline arrived, and died with lifelong regret.

Pills that increased lifespan on the market were often unavailable even at high prices, and the lifespan gain was extremely limited.

Qin Ming opened his eyes, felt the changes within, and was filled with joy.

With such a long lifespan, he now had ample time to pursue higher realms.

Half a month later.

Qin Ming went again to Juxuan Pavilion to inquire of Gu Qingzhao for the latest news.

From her, he learned.

The news that Lingyu Gate and Jinyun Valley had gained great benefits in Yunze Dahuang had spread like wildfire throughout the Wei Kingdom.

Now, all sorts of demons and monsters were flocking to Qingyang Marketplace.

Not only Baihua Sect, but other large cultivator clans as powerful as Lingyu Gate were also beginning to appear.

Some smaller factions were still watching from the shadows, not revealing themselves.

In the Immortal Realm, the status and power hierarchy of a sect.

Is not determined by how many cultivation resources the sect occupies, nor by how many disciples of exceptional aptitude it has, nor by the number of mid-level cultivators within its ranks.

Rather, it is determined by the cultivation realm of the strongest cultivator within the sect.

For example, in the State of Wei where Qin Ming resides, Lingyu Gate, Jinyun Valley, Baihua Sect and the like can only be considered second-rate sects.

Because within these sects, the highest combat power in terms of cultivation is only at the False Core stage.

Therefore.

Based on the information Gu Qingzhao revealed to Qin Ming, behind the scenes of this upheaval in the situation, there is likely an even greater power at work.

Otherwise.

Lingyu Gate would absolutely not tolerate other forces brazenly running onto its own territory.

And precisely because of this.

After Lingyu Gate and Jinyun Valley occupied the third-tier spiritual vein, they did not immediately fall out and fight over it, but chose to cooperate and quietly make a fortune together.

But the trouble was, too many loose cultivators had been recruited.

No matter how the two sects tried to keep it secret, they ultimately could not conceal it.

……

Leaving the Juxuan Pavilion.

Qin Ming walked along the main road of the Qingyang market town.

Suddenly, an intense argument broke out ahead.

He merely glanced from afar and saw a group of cultivators dressed in Baihua Valley attire confronting cultivators from Jinyun Valley.

Both sides seemed to be in quite a temper; if they were not within the market town and still maintaining restraint, they would probably have already crossed blades.

Qin Ming did not linger to watch, quickening his steps as he left.

Returning to the courtyard.

He finished summoning spirit rain over the spiritual herbs in the herb field, then took out Spirit-Nurturing Pills to feed the group of Yin Yi Shuangfeng.

He was just about to go back to cultivate.

Knock knock knock! Qin Ming's courtyard gate was being knocked on.

He went over and took a look, then hurriedly opened the door.

The visitor was unexpectedly his next-door neighbor, the eldest of the Feng brothers, Daoist Feng Yuan.

At this moment he was covered in wounds, wrapped in bandages, with several shocking scars newly added to his bald head, his right arm also missing, his face the color of earth, looking utterly distracted and lost.

"Daoist Feng Feng, what happened to you?" Qin Ming quickly ushered him into the sitting room to sit down and poured him a cup of water.

Feng Yuan did not drink the water, sitting in a daze for a while.

Then his gaze turned to Qin Ming, and he whispered in a low voice: "On this trip to the ruins to seek treasure, Daoist Huang, Daoist Yan, and... my younger brother Feng Fan, all of them perished."

(End of this chapter)