Chapter 63: Refining the Stone Spirit Pill

Now let us speak of cultivation, and the four paths of pill, array, prohibition, and talisman.

Qin Chuan felt a premonition: with just a few more days of cultivation, he would reach the peak of the fifth level of Qi Refining. Once he crossed into the Postnatal Realm, he would swiftly ascend to the eighth level of Qi Refining!

Even now, he could sense the dust energy coiled within his Niwan being absorbed at an incredible rate by the Dust Pill. Those Postnatal disciples who toiled day and night to temper their Niwan would surely go mad if they witnessed such a scene. “Coach, I want to report the other side for cheating.”

The Niwan's dwelling is the Middle Dantian.

Between the Lower Dantian and the Middle Dantian lies a membrane of light, preventing direct connection between the two.

When spiritual energy enters to refine the Niwan, upon piercing the membrane, barely one in ten units remains.

Thus, it is exceedingly difficult for a fifth-level Qi Refiner to accomplish this task; only Postnatal disciples, after breaking the membrane, can refine the Niwan and expand their Dantian.

For Qin Chuan, the so-called ninth level of Qi Refining was inaccurate. His bottleneck in Qi Refining was merely the two layers of light membranes within his Dantian.

So, there were only three realms: the initial Qi Refining, the Postnatal, and the Innate, which equates to the ninth level of Qi Refining!

Once stepping into such a realm, with no bottleneck, one could rapidly reach the peak.

Yet, this did not necessarily mean Qin Chuan’s advancement would be faster than others. He simultaneously pursued the Heavenly Path and the Human Path; if his realm was insufficient, it would be impossible to improve his cultivation.

Others, on the contrary, cared little for realms and advanced swiftly. One increases, one decreases—unless fortune intervenes, they remain balanced.

Now let us discuss the four paths of pill, array, prohibition, and talisman.

The Pill Path was Qin Chuan’s greatest strength. Whether it was insight gained from the Chaotic Flow Nether Domain or the fusion of the Dust Pill, both were immense opportunities for him.

As for arrays and prohibitions, he had little experience and thus little to say.

The Talisman Path, however, Qin Chuan had many insights into.

Talismans are perhaps the closest things to the Heavenly Path. This was why, after witnessing Wan Tong’s demonstration just once, Qin Chuan could discern its intricacies.

The Law Path, in fact, is of one essence with talismans.

To craft talismans, a spiritual medium is required—commonly cinnabar.

Inscribing the proper runes onto special talisman paper yields corresponding effects. The Law Path, stripping away these media and papers, discards all complications; every word and action bears wondrous effects.

But this does not mean talismans are inferior to the Law Path. The effects of the Law Path, once released from control, do not persist as arrays do; their duration is brief and they are difficult to pass on.

Unlike talismans, which even ordinary disciples can use immediately—simple and direct.

Gui Qi transformed into a gray ribbon, winding around Qin Chuan’s left wrist. As a beast born of yin energy, it found it hard to adapt upon first entering the Green Mountain Realm. The creature dozed in his arms, causing no trouble.

When Qin Chuan infused spiritual energy into the Dust Pill, a subtle aura enveloped his body, making his heart pound and his gaze burn with fervor.

The Dust Pill excelled at concealing aura, far surpassing the Concealment Pill. Qin Chuan was certain that, if he operated the Dust Pill without making a sound, he could approach other fifth-level Qi Refining disciples within half a yard from behind!

His heart trembled; he sensed the Dust Pill had even greater uses yet undiscovered.

Having sorted through these matters, Qin Chuan let out a deep breath and returned the Bright Moon Sword to his storage pouch.

These storage pouches, though small, were common in the cultivation world—ordinary beast hides, treated with special methods, could be made into them.

Fortunately, after leaving the domain, Qin Chuan had the foresight to keep a small magical artifact. After pawning it, he procured common pills, sundries, and a few spiritual stones.

Today, Qin Chuan did not intend to cultivate.

The reason was simple: his cultivation had surged too rapidly to control; any further practice might leave lingering troubles.

After nearly ten days of taut nerves, it was time for rest—a good sleep and some recuperation.

He burrowed beneath the thick quilt; midday sunlight filtered through the window paper, revealing fine dust swirling in the air.

When Qin Chuan awoke, parched and dry-mouthed, and poured himself a cup of tea, it was already the next morning.

Opening the wooden door of the Sword Hut, a cool breeze brushed his face, bringing a chill. He realized, autumn had arrived.

He struck a pose and casually practiced two sets of unstructured boxing. As his breath warmed and fine sweat clung to the hairs at his temples, he straightened his attire and set out for Yellow Spring Valley.

On the way, the gazes of passersby were tinged with awe.

Qin Chuan smiled wryly: his cultivation had soared, hard to conceal for now, his sharpness exposed. Lesser disciples avoided him.

When he reached Yellow Spring Valley, he sighed—after ten days, upon his return, he was now at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

He walked without channeling spiritual energy, only at a pace slightly faster than a mortal, treating it as a stroll. Unconsciously, his aura grew more restrained.

Other disciples no longer shied away upon seeing him. If Qin Chuan operated his Dust Pill, perhaps they would mistake him for a mortal without cultivation.

After paying spiritual stones and receiving a stone token, he gathered some herbs and, familiar with the process, arrived at his usual pill refining chamber.

This time, he had three goals for pill refining.

He had gained much insight in the domain, and wished to integrate it.

The Hundred Peaks Pill Contest was only days away. Though he did not hope to win, it would be excellent practice.

Moreover, his previous pills had been destroyed; he was compelled to refine them anew.

In the blink of an eye, four days passed.

“Bang!”

With a palm strike, Qin Chuan hit the wall of the azure-black cauldron, producing a sound like metal clashing, a shockwave penetrating and acting upon the unformed pill liquid.

Protected by spiritual energy, the lower half of the furnace wall, red-hot from earth fire, did not burn his hand—only a slight warmth.

The pill liquid, shaken by the force, quickly solidified into round, jet-black pills.

Slightly out of breath, Qin Chuan found that, with his advanced cultivation, refining a Stone Spirit Pill required no mid-process spiritual energy or recovery pills.

It was meticulous work, requiring full concentration from the pill master—not an easy task.

The Stone Spirit Pill needed just one final step to be complete. Spiritual energy surged from his left hand, guiding earth fire to form a three-foot-long crimson dragon.

He chanted softly; the dragon circled the cauldron one and a half times, then dove into the furnace through the vent.

“Whoosh!”

As the red dragon entered, the white vapor swirling about the vent resembled ink spilled on white paper. The black vapor was swept away by a wave of energy from Qin Chuan’s hand.

Opening the cauldron, he took several Stone Spirit Pills and rolled them in his palm.

“Still lacking!”

These Stone Spirit Pills could be used by fifth-level Qi Refining disciples to advance their cultivation. The herbs involved numbered over fifty.

Fortunately, Qin Chuan knew many of these herbs in great detail.