153: Chapter 153 Late Stage of Qi Refining

He could already clearly see the outline of the stone building at the base of the pillar of light—the Nine-Story Stone Tower, with each level possessing a different color.

The bottom three levels were golden, their radiance thick and heavy, like three massive gold bricks stacked together.

The middle three levels were cyan, their radiance gentle and lingering, like the shimmering waves of a spring lake under the moonlight.

The top three levels were purple, their radiance deep and dim, almost perfectly matching the pulsation frequency of the thunder seed within his body.

Just then, the spirit control tower in his Sea of Consciousness trembled slightly.

It was not the rapid trembling felt when encountering danger before, but a slower, deeper vibration, as if someone had struck an ancient bell inside the tower.

The clear light on the tower was a few shades brighter than usual, and that cold aura seeped downwards along his Divine Sense, pouring along his spine and straight into his Dantian.

Immediately after, the purple thunder seed in his Dantian also gave a sudden jolt.

It was not the panicked jumping caused by the stimulation of pressure, but an active response—like a magnet meeting a piece of iron, the thunder seed moved on its own within the Dantian, driving the Thunder Spiritual Energy throughout his entire body to accelerate its circulation along his Meridians.

Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes.

In the distance, in the direction of the Nine-Story Stone Tower.

A gigantic eye slowly opened in the night sky.

That eye was purple—the purple radiance from the very top level of the Nine-Story Stone Tower converged together, forming a vertical pupil.

The pupil was not stationary, but slowly contracting, as if adjusting its focus, shrinking from overlooking the entire Secret Realm to staring fixedly in one direction.

It was coldly observing the land below.

Lin Xuan stood where he was, the hairs on his back standing on end.

It was not from the wind, nor was it from fear, but a purely physiological reaction—like someone taking a cold needle tip and dragging it from the back of his neck all the way down to his tailbone.

He could feel the goosebumps rising one by one on his arms, and the fabric of his dharma robe rubbing against his skin, the tactile sensation becoming exceptionally clear.

That sense of oppression was not the crushing, violent pressure released by a Golden Core Cultivator—the pressure of a Golden Core Cultivator is "heavy," like a mountain pressing down, making it hard for one to breathe.

But the oppression from this eye was "deep," like an abyss staring at you; you could not see the bottom, nor could you see the edges, only a trembling sensation of being seen through from the inside out.

It was not being attacked, but being observed.

Lin Xuan did not look away.

He locked eyes with that gigantic purple eye for a full nine breaths.

The first breath, his back went numb.

The second breath, his palms sweated.

The third breath, his breathing became heavy.

The fourth breath, the thunder seed stopped jumping. It was not suppressed, but had actively adjusted its frequency—it changed from violent jumping to a stable, continuous pulsation, with each pulsation driving the Thunder Spiritual Energy throughout his body to circulate once along his Meridians.

The frequency of that pulsation was perfectly in sync with the contraction rhythm of that purple eye in the distance.

The fifth breath, the clear light from the spirit control tower surged out from his Sea of Consciousness, pouring along his Meridians into his Dantian.

The clear light and the purple radiance of the thunder seed collided, but instead of conflicting, they merged into a purer light.

The sixth breath, Lin Xuan felt the Bottleneck in his Dantian trembling.

It was not the trembling caused by impact, but a resonance—that invisible Bottleneck emitted a faint humming sound under the gaze of the purple eye, like a crystal glass being struck, humming incessantly.

The seventh breath, cracks began to multiply on the Bottleneck, turning from a few into dozens, and from the thickness of a hair into gaps as wide as a fingernail.

The eighth breath, the thunder seed suddenly expanded, growing from the size of an infant's fist to nearly an adult's fist.

The Thunder Spiritual Energy in his Meridians boiled like boiling water, scouring the inner walls of every Meridian.

The ninth breath.

That eye slowly closed.

The Nine-Story Stone Tower returned to its original appearance. The purple radiance at the very top level became soft and plain again, as if nothing had just happened.

But Lin Xuan knew that something had indeed happened.

He turned and returned to the cave, his movements not like walking, but more like being pushed by that boiling Thunder Spiritual Energy in his Dantian.

Every step he took on the fine sand left deep pits in the soft sand. He sat cross-legged in the cave, fished out that peiyuan pill from his bosom, and stuffed it into his mouth.

The Medicinal Pill melted the moment it entered his mouth, and a wave of warm medicinal power surged from his throat into his stomach, then exploded, spreading towards his limbs and bones.

He closed his eyes and sank all his consciousness into his Dantian.

All the Thunder Spiritual Energy accumulated in his body, under the resonance of the eye-locking with the purple eye, along with the medicinal power of the peiyuan pill, launched an assault on the Bottleneck.

The first wave rushed over, and another crack appeared on the Bottleneck.

The second wave rushed over, and the cracks connected into a sheet, covering the entire surface of the Bottleneck like a spiderweb.

The third wave rushed over—

"Crack."

A crisp, sharp sound came from deep within his Dantian.

That sound was not tinnitus, not an illusion, but a genuine, bone-shattering crisp sound. It was as if something had broken free from shackles deep within his Dantian.

The Bottleneck had shattered.

After the Thunder Spiritual Energy broke through the Bottleneck, the space in his Dantian expanded outwards at a speed visible to the naked eye, swelling from the original size of a fist to nearly the size of a bowl mouth.

The rotation speed of the Qi vortex suddenly accelerated, driving the spiritual energy in his Meridians throughout his body to surge at an unprecedented speed.

The purple thunder seed spun crazily in the center of the vortex, the thunder patterns on its surface layering one upon another, changing from previously blurred lines into clear, orderly rune patterns, with every thunder pattern flashing with pale purple electric light.

Lin Xuan could feel his five senses improving.

In his ears, he could hear the faint whistling sound of the wind blowing through the holes in the stone pillars in the Stone Forest outside the cave; the frequency of the whistling from each stone pillar was different, some sharp like a whistle, some low like a zither.

He could hear the sound of fine sand rustling down from the cave walls. He could even hear the crunching sound of a thumb-sized beetle gnawing on moss in a rock crevice next door.

His Divine Sense range had also expanded. Previously at Qi Refining Level 6, his Divine Sense coverage was about a radius of sixty zhang.

Now, closing his eyes, he could clearly "see" the withered tree struck by lightning on the outskirts of the Stone Forest, the scorch marks on the tree bark, half a spiderweb hanging on a branch, and a bean-sized spider crouching on the web.

He opened his eyes.

A flash of pale purple lightning flickered in the depths of his eyes, exceptionally piercing under the faint light of the fluorescent moss.

That flash of lightning lingered in his pupils for about two breaths, then retracted and sank into the depths of his eyes.

Qi Refining Stage 7, achieved.

Lin Xuan did not smile. He lowered his head to look at his palms and slowly clenched them.

His knuckles made a clicking sound as he clenched them, and faint purple electric light circulated on the surface of his fists, like tiny thunder snakes swimming under his skin.

He could feel the Thunder Spiritual Energy contained in this hand—not the surging type from before, but a heavier, steadier, more condensed power, like the difference between hundred-refined steel and raw iron.

The same Lightning Strike Technique, released now, would have its power increased by at least eighty percent.

The same startling thunder whip, if lashed out now, could break through a defensive barrier of the level of a Silver-Backed Bull with a single strike.

He loosened his hand, and the lightning light dissipated.

Then he glanced towards the entrance of the cave.

The Silver-Backed Bull was lying outside the rock crevice, its massive body blocking the crack completely.

It snorted a rough breath from its nose, its dark golden pupils shining like two lanterns in the darkness.