PDLP Chapter 34 Qi Refining Level 3
Chapter 34 Qi Refining Level 3
Cultivation, body tempering, studying the basics of puppetry... Yang Changsheng's days quietly passed by in this routine.
The day has twelve two-hour periods, and except for one period for rest, all of them are used up.
Is it boring? Maybe a little.
But he was already used to it. In college, he hand-polished hammers and made fine parts... The endless repetition of the corporate assembly line, and he also had the unique time perspective of an immortal.
He knew that these seemingly insignificant foundational accumulations would eventually unleash astonishing power at some point in the future.
Taking one step at a time is the only way for immortals to climb to immortality.
Since returning from Luojiagang Town, more than a month has passed silently, like the flowing water of Bishui Lake.
At noon that day, the sun was blazing overhead, and the lake surface shimmered, reflecting a dazzling golden light.
Yang Changsheng did not cultivate in the cabin, but sat cross-legged at the bow of the ship, letting the warm sunlight bathe his whole body.
He closed his eyes slightly, and the "Mysterious Origin Technique" slowly circulated within his body. The spiritual power of the second level of Qi Refining flowed endlessly through his meridians, like a stream that had reached its source and was about to merge into a wider lake.
Within the dantian, the vortex of spiritual energy had been condensed to its extreme, its rotation speed increasing, and a barely perceptible collapse seemed to have formed at its center.
The rich aquatic energy of the lake was drawn towards him, and under the sunlight, it formed a faint, constantly rotating, moist halo around his body.
The golden ancient tree imprint in his sea of consciousness also lit up slightly, emitting a gentle fluctuation, as if it were protecting him during this breakthrough.
There was no earth-shattering momentum, no perilous breakthrough.
Everything proceeded naturally and smoothly.
That invisible barrier, which has troubled countless low-level cultivators, represents the small-realm barrier of a low-grade spiritual root.
Yang Changsheng easily advanced, thanks to the resilient meridians formed by the ancient tree's vitality and the body-tempering secret techniques, as well as the profound and condensed spiritual power.
hum!
A faint tremor, audible only to himself, resounded within his body. The vortex of spiritual energy in his dantian suddenly expanded, its rotation slowing down and becoming deeper and more solid.
A surge of pure spiritual energy, nearly 20% stronger than before, flowed through his limbs and bones, bringing a feeling of complete comfort and boundless power.
Refinement level three!
Yang Changsheng slowly opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance in them disappearing in an instant, before returning to his usual calm.
He clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within him. The prematurely born divine sense brought him more acute perception, and a subtle, satisfied smile curved his lips.
Accumulating knowledge and experience gradually leads to success, which is precisely the steady path he pursues.
He did not get up, but closed his eyes again, circulated his cultivation technique, and guided the newly generated magical power to stabilize his realm.
Only when the sun was beginning to set and his cultivation level was completely stable at the early stage of the third level of Qi Refining did he stand up, full of energy.
On the third day after the breakthrough, Yang Changsheng rowed his small boat back to the port market.
This time, he had his main purpose in mind—to get rid of the hot potato that was Black Wind Pass.
Instead of wearing the fisherman's short jacket, he changed into a gray long gown that was neither new nor old, and put on a wide-brimmed straw hat.
He also deliberately concealed the aura that he had just broken through to, which he had not been able to fully suppress, and stabilized it at the second level of Qi Refining.
With low cultivation level and the most common attire in the loose cultivator street, he was completely inconspicuous.
……
Upon entering the bustling market, he didn't go to the large shops with their gleaming facades and impressive backgrounds. Instead, he made his way through the streets, taking the most familiar route, to a quiet alley deep within the sparsely populated market.
At the end of the alley, there is a small shop called "Tongchentang".
The storefront was small and the signboard was a bit old, but this was the place that Liu Xiaoying had mentioned at the exchange meeting as a place where she could deal with some "items of unknown origin".
The shop owner behind the counter was a gaunt old man in the late stage of Qi Refining, with cloudy eyes that revealed shrewdness.
Yang Changsheng lowered his straw hat and walked into the shop.
The shop was dimly lit and cluttered, with various materials and broken ritual implements piled up haphazardly.
The gaunt old man leaned back in his recliner, not even lifting his eyelids.
"Buying or shipping?" The voice was hoarse.
"Ship the goods." Yang Changsheng said succinctly, his voice deliberately altered.
He walked to the counter, and without any unnecessary words, he channeled his magical power and took out several items directly from his personal storage bag.
A black-bodied, dark-scaled mid-grade magic weapon, the Black Scale Blade; a slender, green-green low-grade magic weapon, the Green Bamboo Sword; and a heavy, engraved black iron brick, also a low-grade magic weapon.
Then, there were three very ordinary one-cubic-meter storage bags.
The old man's cloudy eyes finally opened a crack, his gaze sweeping across everything on the counter like a hawk's.
He stretched out his withered fingers and picked them up one by one, examining them carefully. He paid particular attention to the three storage bags, his fingertips gleaming faintly as if searching for any special marks left behind.
A moment later, he put the things down.
"Black Scale Blade, mid-grade, with slight chipping on the blade... Spiritual energy conduction is slightly sluggish, valued at 35 spirit stones (70% discount). Green Bamboo Sword, low-grade, in perfect condition... 70% discount, valued at 10 spirit stones. Black Iron Brick, low-grade, slightly worn, ordinary runes... 70% discount, valued at 10 spirit stones."
The old man's quotes were straightforward and decisive, and he showed no mercy in trying to lower the price.
Yang Changsheng nodded silently. This price was within his expectations, as magical artifacts were already heavily discounted when recycled.
Moreover, since it was ill-gotten gains to begin with, he didn't care about such a small loss.
"Three one-cubic-meter storage bags, the most basic kind, each worth one hundred spirit stones on the market. They are secondhand goods of unknown origin, but we will buy them back at an 80% discount, each worth eighty spirit stones. The three will cost two hundred and forty spirit stones in total. In addition, we will give you three magic artifacts, for a total of two hundred and ninety-five spirit stones."
Then, the old man picked up the bag, weighed it in his hand, and finally quoted a price. His cloudy eyes brightened, and he was quite surprised by this customer.
With his cultivation level, even if the other party deliberately concealed their aura, he could easily tell that they were at the third level of Qi Refining.
The value of these stolen goods is something only cultivators at the mid-stage of Qi Refining or above can possess, but his professionalism prevented him from questioning their origins.
"Okay, I also want to buy a brand new two-cubic-meter storage bag." Yang Changsheng's voice remained calm.
He plans to make a living through puppetry in the future, and he will need more space for both material storage and carrying finished products.
This investment is essential to avoid having to switch back and forth. Now that I have some money on hand, I might as well spend a little.
"A brand new two-cubic-meter storage bag, two hundred spirit stones each, I'll give you a two-stone discount."
Without further ado, the old man took out storage bags of various colors and patterns from under the counter and pushed them in front of Yang Changsheng.
"This one will do."
He took a fancy to a turquoise storage bag embroidered with evergreen tree patterns, feeling that it perfectly matched his ideal path.
"Ninety-seven low-grade spirit stones. If you have something good next time, I can give you a satisfactory price."
After the large transaction concluded, the old man's indifferent expression changed slightly, becoming a little more enthusiastic.