37: Breakthrough to the late stage of Qi Refining

The next day.

In a deserted mountain forest somewhere in Yuan Country.

Yu Xuzi found a black bear's cave, instructed the two Golden Eagles to stay on guard outside and seal the entrance, and went into temporary seclusion here.

Late Stage Qi Refining was right before his eyes!

Breaking through a day earlier meant peace of mind a day sooner.

“Phew~”

Yu Xuzi adjusted his state, swallowed the White Spirit Lotus Seed without any hesitation, immediately sat cross-legged, and began to circulate the Huang Tian True Scripture for refinement.

As the Cultivation Technique circulated, the gentle and pure medicinal power slowly merged into his Meridians, nourishing his Dantian and Meridians like a trickling stream.

In an instant, a large amount of mana began to generate.

The Bottleneck that was originally stuck at the Peak Middle Stage of Qi Refining gradually began to loosen under the continuous impact of the White Spirit Lotus Seed's medicinal power.

Yu Xuzi could clearly feel that the fifty-nine strands of mana in his Dantian were growing and solidifying at a speed visible to the naked eye. Each strand of mana became heavier, like rushing streams converging into a river.

The barrier to Late Stage Qi Refining was teetering.

Inside the Dantian, mana circulated frantically, forming a huge vortex that constantly devoured the medicinal power of the Green Lotus Seed and the surrounding Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence.

Time passed bit by bit. Fine beads of sweat broke out on Yu Xuzi's forehead; breaking through to the Late Stage required even stronger willpower to control the violent mana within his body.

“Boom—!!!”

After an unknown amount of time, a slight roar sounded within Yu Xuzi's Dantian, and the sixtieth strand of mana was born.

As if some invisible shackle had been broken, the Bottleneck at the Peak Middle Stage of Qi Refining shattered!

The mana within the Dantian surged instantly, each strand several times thicker than before. The Aura was majestic and long-lasting, flowing through the Meridians like a rushing river.

“Late Stage Qi Refining, I've finally achieved it!!”

Yu Xuzi exhaled deeply, feeling the surging mana within his body, his heart filled with confidence.

Now, holding the second-rank Magical Artifact yu king sword, having mastered the first three forms of the Prairie Fire Sword Art, and being proficient in various Talismans and Spells, combined with his Late Stage Qi Refining cultivation.

In the Southwest region's Cultivation World, he could already be considered a powerhouse.

“Guard against arrogance and impetuosity!”

“Guard against arrogance and impetuosity!!”

Yu Xuzi quickly suppressed the pride in his heart.

A mere Late Stage Qi Refining was not yet the time for him to be presumptuous.

He prepared to travel around the neighboring countries for a bit longer before returning to Cangqing Mountain.

Let's see how much of a stir the Yellow Heaven Cult will cause... After the White Lotus Sect suffered a heavy blow at Purple Gold Mountain, its Sect headquarters, White Lotus Mountain, and the first-rank Medium Grade Spiritual Vein within it, became targets of desire for various forces in the Southwest region's Cultivation World.

However, Wind Fire Gate acted quickly, diverting their path on the return journey to directly breach the White Lotus Sect's gate and obtain a large amount of resources, making the trip worthwhile.

This also left other forces deeply disappointed.

They were one step too late.

Especially the Loose Cultivators under the protection of Jin Sheng Mountain.

Jin Sheng Mountain is located in the northeastern part of Yuan Country, with only a first-rank Low Grade Spiritual Vein. Resources are scarce, it's on the verge of collapsing, and the spiritual essence it emits decreases year by year.

Venerable Jin Sheng dominates this mountain's Spiritual Vein and basically forbids others from using it.

As for those Loose Cultivators, except for the few he trusted who could enter the Spiritual Vein to cultivate every once in a while, others were not allowed to absorb the Spiritual Vein's spiritual essence, making their lives very difficult.

Even so, most Loose Cultivators still chose to stay at the foot of Jin Sheng Mountain.

After all, being close to a Spiritual Vein, the concentration of spiritual essence would always be better than the outside world.

Furthermore, they could receive the protection of Venerable Jin Sheng.

For them, the Spiritual Vein and Sect gate of White Lotus Mountain were undoubtedly a piece of fat meat that could change their destiny, a rare opportunity!

Jin Sheng Mountain.

“Fellow Daoists, everyone is clear about the condition of the Spiritual Vein of Jin Sheng Mountain beneath our feet.”

“It won't last many more years.”

Venerable Jin Sheng summoned all the Loose Cultivators he could contact in a short time, standing in mid-air and shouting loudly.

“The White Lotus Sect has been destroyed, and the Spiritual Vein is masterless. Now is the perfect time for us Loose Cultivators to seize the Spiritual Vein and strengthen ourselves!”

“As long as we take White Lotus Mountain, we Loose Cultivators will also have a stable place for cultivation in the future. Everyone can cultivate at the Spiritual Vein and no longer suffer the bullying of various Sects!”

“Take White Lotus Mountain!!!”

Dozens of Loose Cultivators responded one after another, their eyes flashing with fanatical light.

Most of them were Early Stage Qi Refining and Middle Stage of Qi Refining Cultivators, having struggled in poverty as low-level Loose Cultivators for too long, suffering the disdain and oppression of Sect Cultivators.

Now that there was a chance to seize a Spiritual Vein, they were naturally full of energy.

With just a little bit of demagoguery from Venerable Jin Sheng, the Loose Cultivators' Aura surged, and they cheered repeatedly.

Qiu Dao, whom Yu Xuzi had met before, was among them.

And he was in a relatively forward position.

“Mhm!!”

Seeing this, Venerable Jin Sheng nodded repeatedly in satisfaction.

Even though White Lotus Mountain had already been occupied by Wind Fire Gate, he intended to go head-to-head and give it a try.

After all, Wind Fire Gate only had one Peak Qi Refining Cultivator; how could they occupy two Spiritual Veins?

“Set out!”

June 20th.

Led personally by Venerable Jin Sheng, a total of dozens of Loose Cultivators marched grandly toward White Lotus Mountain.

This Peak Qi Refining Cultivator, over eighty years old, was still hale and hearty, with boiling blood... Since most Loose Cultivators had no Magical Artifacts, they relied entirely on their feet, so the team moved relatively slowly.

It took three days to arrive at White Lotus Mountain.

Looking at the mess of the Sect gate before him, a hint of desire flashed in Venerable Jin Sheng's eyes:

“Such a Spiritual Vein should be ruled by me, Jin Sheng!”

However, if he wanted to take over, there was still a difficult obstacle ahead.

“Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh~~”

Nearly twenty figures flew out from White Lotus Mountain, roaring over with blue-red spiritual energy wings spread wide.

They were exactly the Cultivators of the Wind Fire Gate from Yu State.

Obviously, they had received the news long ago.

Leading them was the Sect Head of Wind Fire Gate, Venerable Lie Feng, wearing a crimson robe with a resolute face. The red spiritual wings behind him were like burning flames, emitting a scorching Aura.

He looked at the surrounding Loose Cultivators, his expression icy: “Fellow Daoist Jin Sheng, you have quite an appetite!”

“My appetite is large?”

Hearing this, Venerable Jin Sheng sneered repeatedly: “Your Wind Fire Gate is located in Yu State, and White Lotus Mountain is a Spiritual Vein within the borders of Yuan Country. What does it have to do with you? Your Wind Fire Gate attempts to occupy two Spiritual Veins, yet you have the nerve to say we Loose Cultivators have a large appetite?”

“Right!”

“That's right! This White Lotus Mountain should belong to us Loose Cultivators!”

“Hand it over!!!”

Perhaps feeling backed by Venerable Jin Sheng, the group of Loose Cultivators' morale soared, and they all shouted loudly, looking as if they were about to strike immediately.

“Sophistry!”

Venerable Lie Feng was so angry he laughed.

Although the main force of the White Lotus Sect was killed by the heavenly thunder talisman, this Spiritual Vein and Sect gate were captured by their Wind Fire Gate first. What did it have to do with these Loose Cultivators?

Now they were demanding they retreat, acting as if they were righteous; wasn't this just bandit behavior?

This is the Cultivation World!

It's not a case of whoever is poor is in the right!

Originally, the most precious Spirit Medicine lotus seed in White Lotus Mountain had mysteriously disappeared, which already made him extremely annoyed. Now that this fellow Venerable Jin Sheng had come knocking, it was truly about to make him explode.

Venerable Lie Feng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger.

“You are nothing more than sectless mountain Loose Cultivators, yet you dare to covet a Spiritual Vein? If you know what's good for you, leave this mountain immediately. Otherwise, don't blame my Wind Fire Gate for being unkind!”

“Presumptuous!”

Venerable Jin Sheng's face darkened, and the Aura around him surged instantly, as the pressure of Peak Qi Refining spread out.

“How can we Loose Cultivators allow you to bully us? Your Wind Fire Gate already has a Medium Grade Spiritual Vein, why must you fight with us Loose Cultivators?”

As his voice fell, those Loose Cultivators actually began to slowly close in on White Lotus Mountain.