Chapter 575: Level 5

"Seventh level of Qi Sensing!"

Fang Xing casually unleashed a burst of spiritual energy.

Hiss!

A sinister wind surged forth, and the previously invisible spiritual energy instantly manifested in midair as countless agile, writhing green snakes.

Puff!

The green snakes' bodies were like steel whips; with a single flick of their tails, a nearby blue rock instantly turned to ash…

"Indeed… Seventh level of Qi Sensing, also called the Posterior Stage of Qi Sensing, is utterly different from the earlier levels."

"Even a casual burst of spiritual energy can easily suppress low-grade cultivators; even if they use artifacts, they still can't close this gap…"

Fang Xing sensed his own Green Snake Corrupt Energy and smiled faintly: "My lifespan increased by twenty years all at once?"

"Too bad…"

He casually swept his sleeve, and the green snakes gathered beneath his feet, lifting him three inches off the ground—but his movement felt sluggish.

"Corrupt energy is still turbid; unsuitable for flight…"

Once I reach the Eighth Level of Qi Sensing and cultivate Gang Qi, I'll be able to effortlessly lift myself and move freely through the azure skies…

According to the Green Wood Art, the perfect complement to Green Snake Corrupt Energy is naturally 'Green Dragon Gang Qi'… When the dragon and snake unite, they form 'Primordial Dragon-Snake Energy'… which aids in forging the Dao Foundation.

"Today's breakthrough to Seventh level of Qi Sensing is a perfect opportunity—I'll break through now."

He turned his gaze to his status bar:

【Your Druid class has leveled up to Level 5, unlocking 'Eternal Youth'!】

【Eternal Youth: Your appearance remains ageless; the rate of lifespan depletion is halved!】

【All your Druid talents have been enhanced!】

Thump! Thump!

In an instant, Fang Xing seemed to hear the sound of his own heartbeat.

In his perception, a sphere of green light suddenly enveloped his heart.

The green light seeped into his heart's core, then flowed through his blood to every part of his body, bringing a sensation of rebirth.

"Eternal Youth!"

Fang Xing's mind stirred: "Is this the effect of Eternal Youth?"

His original body had been captured and enslaved, worn down to the brink of death; even after several class level-ups and realm breakthroughs, the damage had only been slightly mended.

During cultivation, he still felt a sense of depletion, knowing his primordial essence had been injured.

But now, with accumulated lifespan from multiple minor breakthroughs, stabilized and amplified by 【Eternal Youth】… he had finally repaired this deficit.

Even strengthened his aptitude and bolstered his primordial essence…

"My lifespan…"

On his status bar, the numbers had changed again:

【Name: Fang Xing】

【Age: 21/129】

【Class: Druid Level 5】

【Realm: Qi Sensing Level 7】

【Talents: Nature Affinity, Wild Shape, Plant Growth, Toxin Immunity, Eternal Youth】

【Skills: Wan Quan Hand (Master 158/400), Origami Art (Beginner 55/100), Insect Control (Proficient 66/200)】

…

"129 years of lifespan? That already exceeds most ordinary people and even Qi Sensing cultivators… Only Dao Foundation cultivators surpass me… But once I obtain 【Ageless Body】, I'll easily surpass them…"

Fang Xing turned to his three skills: Wan Quan Hand had already been pushed to Qian Quan Hand level—strong even within the Blood Shadow Sect.

As for Origami Art, he had neglected it, so it remained at Beginner level.

The last one, Beast Taming, only displayed Insect Control since he'd only trained that aspect so far.

As he thought, Fang Xing walked to a small mound in the bamboo grove.

This place was strange: within a hundred-meter radius, not a single spiritual bamboo, plant, or venomous insect or serpent existed—only mounds of earth rising up.

Shhh!

Fang Xing whistled, and dozens of white, peculiar ants crawled out of the earthen mounds, covering the ground in a thick layer like snow.

Among them, a small portion had grown translucent wings on their backs and took flight.

Cold White Ants… demonic insects primarily of cold affinity, feeding on metal, plants, and minerals… mutually antagonistic with fire!

Fang Xing inspected them and nodded.

These Cold White Ants were the result of five years of selective breeding and refinement.

With his Wild Shape talent and Animal Domain, he'd successfully induced mutations in some, creating 'Double-Winged Cold White Ants'—their lethality multiplied manyfold.

He pulled out a red-skinned gourd, uncorked it, and the double-winged Cold White Ants immediately flew in, vanishing inside.

After filling the gourd with these strange insects, Fang Xing nodded in satisfaction and let the remaining Cold White Ants retreat.

"With my Qi Sensing Level 7 cultivation and this Insect Control technique… I'm no weakling even among Qi Sensing Levels 7 and 8, right?"

"Not counting the Druid class bonuses…"

"Below Dao Foundation, I shouldn't fear much… But still, my sense of security remains insufficient."

Fang Xing stared at the previous level-up notification and walked to the side of his wooden hut.

"All my Druid talents have been enhanced? Of course—talents are best, since they grow with each level…"

Fang Xing closed his eyes slightly, then gazed at a brown acorn seed in his palm.

The seed landed on the ground, enveloped in emerald light, immediately sprouting roots and shoots… a sapling grew, soon reaching Fang Xing's height—and continued to grow vigorously…

"Plant Growth now accelerates growth over more years… Toxin Immunity now resists more toxins… I'm even more attuned to nature…"

"Additionally, all forms of Wild Shape have been amplified…"

He lunged forward.

Roar! Roar!

Amidst the tiger's roar, Fang Xing instantly transformed into a massive white-tiger with glowing eyes and a broad forehead.

This giant tiger was half again as large as before, its body wreathed in black mist, radiating an aura of dominance.

Clearly a transcendent beast, not an ordinary animal.

"Mountain Lord Form (Beast)!"

"I feel my control over wind is sharper now—and I can use the black mist to bind the souls of those I've slain… Is this the 'Tiger's Familiar' talent?"

Fang Xing, in tiger form, sprinted across the land, then leapt lightly onto a rock.

No error, no omission, no missing content!

An owl appeared, wingspan exceeding one meter, and had spontaneously mastered Wind Blade technique.

He soared into the sky, gazing downward, noticing the terrain of Poison Dragon Slope resembled a Taiji symbol.

His bamboo grove and wooden hut formed one eye of the yin-yang fish.

The other eye of the yin-yang fish was naturally the corrupt vein atop East Peak.

"Excellent, excellent—my original design was quite sound."

The owl dove downward, landing in the swamp.

Splash!

A one-meter-long black-backed carp surfaced, with two long dragon whiskers growing from its lips.

With a flick of its tail, waves of water surged, propelling it forward like a rocket.

"Fish Demon Transformation: not only has its size increased, but it's also learned several water-based demonic arts…"

As the core form of 【Wild Shape】, Fang Xing paid the most attention to Fish Demon Transformation.

After all, other Wild Shape forms could only grow larger and stronger over time.

But the core form could be continuously upgraded.

At least, once I reach Druid Level 10, the 'Black Snake Form' I manifest will be far stronger than the Green Snake Form at the same level!

Even among snakes, there's a difference between dragon-blooded and mundane species!

…

Splash! Splash! Splash!

Fang Xing reveled in the joy of Fish Demon Transformation, swimming freely through the wild swamp.

This, too, was part of his cultivation.

Glug! Glug! Glug!

He dove into a pool's bottom, where a thick black serpent emerged, swimming alongside the whiskered black-backed carp.

Under Fang Xing's protection, this black snake successfully shed its skin and truly ascended to Qi Sensing Level 7 as a beast.

From it, Fang Xing gained insight into 'Green Snake Transformation' and learned the method of cultivating 'Snake Corrupt Energy' from a serpent's body.

This also aided his own breakthrough to Qi Sensing Level 7—they had mutually elevated each other.

Glug! Glug! Glug!

Fang Xing blew bubbles, swimming into a green lake.

The swamp here had expanded into a full lake.

Even upon its surface floated fishing boats, each divided into zones, cultivating shellfish.

'This must be Green Water Bay—this is the territory of the Song Seven Righteous Brothers… They've sworn brotherhood and intend to establish the Song Clan, and have acquired a secret method to cultivate spiritual shellfish…'

Fang Xing looked out and saw giant shells moving along the lakebed.

Some shells opened and closed, revealing pearls the size of fists.

These pearls were not only flawless and round, but also carried faint threads of spiritual energy.

"What a prime spot for breeding shells—each of these spiritual pearls should fetch at least dozens of talisman coins… especially since the Qingshen Line loves them…"

Fang Xing observed silently.

He often roamed the entire Qingli Marsh in his wild-form transformation.

Even the Fei family had been here before, though they dared not go deep.

To the Fei family, even if they could spot a cat owl wearing a disguise, they could not tell Fang Xing's owl form apart.

Precisely because of this, Fang Xing knew the movements of the other four families well—not quite like reading a book, but certainly not blind.

Of course, this was even more true for the five families sharing the Poison Dragon Slope.

"Brother Yun, your pearls are grown beautifully… they might sell for over a hundred talisman coins?"

At that moment, a clear female voice rang out from a fishing boat, soft and melodic, carrying the gentle cadence of a Jiangnan pearl girl.

"Haha, the Qiao family's caravan is coming soon—I'll buy you a bottle of 'Beauty-Preserving Pill' then…"

A rough male voice replied, followed by some saccharine endearments.

Fang Xing listened, his mind stirring: "The Qiao family's caravan is coming again? Of course… they arrive once a year… the timing matches up."

"And they go to Lüshui Wang first, then come to Poison Dragon Slope—the news should arrive in two days."

Though Qingli Marsh was dangerous, its resources were abundant!

Especially after the five families jointly cleared the land, caravan routes were established.

All five families understood the value of caravans and each pushed hard to find a viable trade path.

The route leading to Poison Dragon Slope was discovered by Fang Xing using various small animals—he gained a great advantage compared to the other four families, who lost many men.

Of course, he took payment from Old Lv and the others—he didn't do it for free.

(End of Chapter)