Chapter 17: Condensing the Qi Sea

"This journey may carry risks; I may not be able to fully protect you, Mr. But slaying demons and eradicating evil is our unshirkable duty. I give you three Sword Talismans. You may stay here and cultivate in stillness. In three days at the least, five at the most, I shall surely return."

Su Chunyi lightly raised her jade hand, and three beams of white light shot toward Chen Ye like arrows. Then, with a light tap of her lotus foot, her form turned into a streak of flowing light and sped away toward the northeast.

Chen Ye had a belly full of words he wanted to say, but the moment his fingertips touched those three Sword Talismans, he looked up to find only the lingering afterimage of sword light cutting across the sky, like a falling star fading away.

Chen Ye could not help but sigh deeply: "This Miss Su truly hates evil as if it were an enemy!"

The words had barely left his lips when the voice of Hearing Mo Ci came from the white banner in his hand: "Pity. This young girl has little experience dealing with demon lords."

Chen Ye said in surprise: "Master, how are you awake? It is good to rest a few more days."

Hearing Mo Ci replied: "Sleeping more brings no benefit. I simply feared that young girl would see through the ruse, so I remained silent."

"Indeed. Master, the moment you spoke, you exposed yourself. A weapon spirit born with spiritual resonance just now should have the voice of a young child, not an old man. It ought to be a chirping toddler."

Hearing Mo Ci roared: "Stop your cheeky talk! I spoke to remind you that this corpse-dumping ground is not ordinary."

Chen Ye smiled and said: "Master, rest assured. I noticed it long ago and even wanted to remind Miss Su, but who could have expected her movements to be so swift? I did not even have time to speak."

For demonic cultivators, a corpse pit is absolutely not a simple place to dump bodies.

Generally, demonic cultivators skilled in blood-refining arts would not leave so many corpses behind.

Heart blood is an excellent material for refining pills; bones and flesh are no less so. Moreover, those lingering souls are treasures in the eyes of demonic cultivators. Every single thing has its use.

Since corpses cannot be casually discarded, this corpse pit must have some special purpose, most likely hiding some fine treasures.

Hearing Mo Ci, upon hearing Chen Ye's words, said excitedly: "Why remind her? Are you abandoning the treasures hidden inside?"

Chen Ye shook his head and explained: "If there are any, they are demonic treasures. In a few days, when she returns and sees that I have secretly kept these demonic treasures for myself, she will slice off my head with a single sword strike. At that time, Master, you will truly become a wandering ghost."

"Will you not hide the treasures first? Do you perhaps wish to marry into the Qinghe Sword Sect?!"

Chen Ye stroked his chin, recalling Su Chunyi's breathtaking beauty, and muttered to himself: "If Miss Su does not mind, I would not object."

Hearing Mo Ci mocked: "Tsk, you dream too beautifully. If you, little demon lord, entered the Qinghe Sword Sect, you would not pass the Trial of Conscience. That is far more formidable than soul-searching; even the slightest evil thought would be reflected clearly."

"Master's rebuke is well taken."

Chen Ye did not argue back. After all, he was born a demonic cultivator. Who knew whether the Qinghe Sword Sect would mind? There was no need to take such a risk.

Hearing Mo Ci hurriedly said: "Then what are we waiting for? Why not quickly extract the treasures?"

Chen Ye refused once again.

"Master, now is not the time to seek treasures. I have just obtained the Xuanji Dew. Naturally, I should refine pills and cultivate immediately. Why create unnecessary complications?"

Hearing Mo Ci asked again: "Are you not curious what treasures are hidden inside?"

"Curiosity naturally exists, but matters have priorities. Now, I have hope of condensing my Qi Sea; I can succeed in merely two days. If I distract myself seeking treasures, I will only create many unnecessary complications. Master, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. After I condense my Qi Sea, seeking treasures will not be too late."

"What if that Su Chunyi returns early?"

Chen Ye said calmly: "Then it counts as fate decreeing that this treasure is not meant for me."

Hearing Mo Ci did not expect Chen Ye's self-control to be so strong; he could temporarily set aside treasures plainly placed before his eyes.

If he himself had possessed such determination back then, perhaps he would not have ended up in such a plight.

"Very well. You decide for yourself."

Hearing Mo Ci sank back into the Ten Thousand Souls Banner and spoke no more, while Chen Ye truly did not even glance at this corpse-dumping ground, turned around, and returned to that cave.

For safety's sake, Chen Ye also carefully set up several simple warning traps at the cave entrance.

Only after preparations were complete did Chen Ye begin refining the pill.

The method for refining Qi Condensation Pills is not difficult to begin with. Chen Ye skillfully lit the stove and heated the oil, first tossing the auxiliary medicinal herbs into the pot all at once to slowly simmer into a medicinal soup. Afterwards, he gently dripped the most crucial Xuanji Dew into it.

The moment the Xuanji Dew entered the pot, something wonderful happened: a vortex naturally formed within the pot.

If the quality of the Xuanji Dew were inferior, it would be more troublesome; one would have to simmer it slowly over a low fire, and Chen Ye would have to personally stir constantly to assist the vortex in forming.

This is a lengthy process; without three double-hours, it simply cannot stop. If one's stamina is somewhat weak, a single lapse in attention would render all previous efforts futile.

However, high-grade materials often require only the simplest refining techniques. Just like this superior-quality Xuanji Dew, it does not need Chen Ye to worry at all; it will actively absorb the essence of the other medicinal herbs on its own.

Thus, Chen Ye found himself idle, yet he did not wander about. Instead, he stayed obediently in place, patiently waiting for the final formation of the Qi Condensation Pill.

In his past life, he had read so many novels; in this life, his Master had taught him numerous negative examples, all accidents caused by carelessness during pill refining. Either the pills were stolen by others, or various accidents occurred frequently, leading to failure at the very last moment.

Chen Ye would not drop the ball at this critical moment. Instead, he became even more focused, not daring to blink even once.

He waited with patience for a full three double-hours until the medicinal liquid in the pot completely vanished.

A green pill, as if born from thin air, floated leisurely above the iron pot.

This pill, viewed from afar, appeared as if carved from jade, exquisitely beautiful. If one observed closely, one could discover a miniature vortex hidden within, just like the Dantian Qi Sea.

Without a second word, Chen Ye grabbed the pill, tilted his head back, and swallowed it. Immediately, he sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and entered meditation.

Upon entering Chen Ye's abdomen, the Qi Condensation Pill instantly transformed into a vague substance. Under the control of his spiritual sense, it slowly sank into his Dantian. The meager spiritual energy originally dormant there, as if responding to a call, began to revolve around the Qi Condensation Pill on its own, gradually stripping away the jade-like shell.

Moments later, the vortex trapped within the pill broke free and slowly rotated within Chen Ye's Dantian.

One cycle, two cycles... three hundred and sixty cycles. With each rotation, the vortex faded slightly.

Chen Ye focused all his attention on controlling this newly formed vortex, daring not to slacken even a fraction, until it completely dissipated.

It seemed the medicinal effect had vanished and nothing was gained. A lone cultivator who cultivated by himself would likely have panicked.

But Chen Ye possessed the inheritance of his sect. Although his Master could only teach by rote, he still taught these basic common sense points quite diligently.

The moment the vortex dissipated was the most critical moment; success or failure hinged on this single move.

Chen Ye completely released all control, and even his consciousness became blurred. His entire person seemed to sink into a deep sleep.

No one knew how much time passed until, within his Dantian, a faint stream of qi quietly formed.

At first, it was merely a thin thread, but in the blink of an eye, as if by magic, it attracted countless spiritual energies swarming toward it, transforming into a magnificent vortex like a nebula.

Chen Ye suddenly opened his eyes, then burst into hearty laughter, the sound echoing endlessly within the cave.

Break, then establish; the vortex is born of itself.

The Dantian Qi Sea had successfully condensed. From now on, even without sitting in meditation, Chen Ye could automatically absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. His cultivation speed, compared to before, was more than a hundred times faster.

In the Spirit Awakening Realm, one differs little from mortals, but once one steps into the Qi Sea Realm, it is entirely different. With abundant spiritual energy, one can cast more spells and can no longer be regarded as a mortal.

For cultivators at the Qi Sea realm, the primary task is to strengthen the dantian and Qi Sea, while carefully selecting the spells they need to cultivate.

The cultivation of spells must never be greedy; after all, every single spell requires years and years of time to practice.

Just like the sword technique used by Su Chunyi, whose power was astonishing, not to mention that it formed the moment he thought of it, with a casting speed that was shocking; it must have been the result of long-term bitter practice.

Even if the entire sword technique manual of Qinghe Sword Sect were dumped all at once into Chen Ye's hands, he estimated that it would take him half a day just to chant the incantation needed to make the flying sword fly.

Cultivators at the Qi Sea realm have a lifespan of merely two hundred years; this amount of time cannot be squandered carelessly.

Therefore, cultivators at the Qi Sea realm mostly choose one spell to cultivate single-mindedly, using it to handle magical duels, while other auxiliary spells are practiced selectively, achieving mere proficiency.

As a demonic cultivator, the spells available for dueling are varied and numerous, but most demonic sect spells are cruel and vicious to cultivate. Chen Ye was not originally a bloodthirsty person, so his choices were few.

"If only I could learn the Qinghe sword technique; after all, the Qinghe sword technique is the best under heaven."

Although Chen Ye thought this in his heart, he also understood it was the dream of a fool. The rules of Qinghe Sword Sect were strict; for an outsider to obtain the true transmission was harder than climbing to heaven. No matter how easygoing Su Chunyi was, it was absolutely impossible for him to pass on his sect's secret arts to Chen Ye.

Furthermore, Chen Ye could not join Qinghe Sword Sect; once his identity as a demonic cultivator was exposed, it would be a stroke of luck if he didn't lose his head.

However, there was no rush for this moment; now that his cultivation had already increased, it was time to go explore that mysterious corpse pit.

Perhaps there would be some unexpected gains.