Chapter 8 Qi Overflowing Pill, Qi Refining Level 6

After a few days, some people in Yuanwu Prefecture noticed that Zhang An, who had gone to Yunan Prefecture for a banquet, had not returned.

After waiting a few more days, the body of Zhang An's servant was discovered on the road to Yuyu Mountain.

Within the Lu Family's estate, Lu Xilou, at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, spoke to the Lu Family's only Foundation Establishment Cultivator, Lu Shuiqing: "Old Ancestor, the latest situation is that Zhang An hasn't appeared for several days. He hasn't been seen at the Zhang Family's estate either, and it seems his servant died at Yuyu Mountain."

After hearing the news, Lu Shuiqing pondered for a moment and replied, "Hmm, keep an eye on it for now. Has there been any movement from the Qi Refining Immortal Clans in Liangxi County lately?"

Lu Xilou thought for a moment. "Old Ancestor, there's no significant movement. They were even asking about the Zhang Family's affairs a few days ago."

"Oh, ignore them for now. Let's wait a few more months first!"

"Yes, Old Ancestor!"

...

At Black Magpie Mountain, under the morning sun, a Green Ox lay on the ground with its four hooves in the air, seemingly not yet awake.

Chen Li slapped the ox's rump. "Brother Ox, get up and plow the fields. You've only plowed two mu in two months. You're asking for a beating!"

The Green Ox rolled up, wagged its tail, and pointed at its belly with a hoof, indicating it wanted to eat medicinal herbs.

Helpless, Chen Li took out a random thirty-year-old herb. Upon seeing the herb, the Green Ox's eyes lit up and let out a loud cry, "Moo~"

After eating a stalk of medicinal herb, the Green Ox let out another satisfied "Moo," then proceeded to harness itself and huffed as it went to plow the field.

Chen Li spent half a day setting up a Spirit Restraining Formation on the two mu of land Brother Ox had turned over, planting Spirit Attracting Grass, and then setting up a Spirit Rain Formation, quietly waiting for them to bloom.

Chen Li set a goal for himself: to complete the [red fortune bar] tag and explore the Places of Opportunity within ten years. He pulled up the task tags in his Sea of Consciousness.

[red fortune bar]: 20 / 100

[Reclaim spirit fields, plant spirit rice, harvest spirit rice >= 1000 catties]: 0

[Marry and have children, descendants >= 5]: 0

[Family's highest combat power breaks through to the Late Stage Qi Refining]: Qi Refining Fifth Layer, not achieved

[Harvest Spirit Stones >= 1000]: >= 1000, Completed

[Deploy a Fourth Grade Formation Array in the Family territory, capable of defending against a Foundation Establishment Cultivator]: Not deployed

He also pulled up two Places of Opportunity.

[2. Crimson Sun Spirit Fruit]

Location: [Location information injected, map guidance mode can be activated]

Danger: [Boundless Forest Yao Beasts] [Five-Colored Serpent Python - Third-level Demon Beast (guarding the tree), view information on this python]

[3. Inside the Silver Tiger Demon's Belly]

Location: [Location information injected, map guidance mode can be activated]

Danger: [Boundless Forest Yao Beasts] [Silver Tiger Demon - Third-level Demon Beast, view information on this tiger]

The [Crimson Sun Spirit Fruit] is described in the Basic Encyclopedia of Medicinal Herbs as a legendary ancient immortal fruit.

No one has seen this tree for thousands of years. The description reads:

[This tree bears nine fruits at a time, blooming every hundred years and maturing every hundred years. Mortals who consume it can develop a Spiritual Root, and ordinary Yao Beasts who consume it can also open the path to immortality.]

This tree requires going a thousand kilometers deep into the Boundless Forest, where Fourth-level Demonic Beasts roam. Therefore, he must first raise his cultivation and refine a true Fourth Grade Formation Array for offense before he dares to go for this [Crimson Sun Spirit Fruit].

[Inside the Silver Tiger Demon's Belly] requires going fifteen hundred kilometers deep, and it moves, so that one will be last!

...

A few days later, inside the Immortal Cave, Chen Li was refining qi overflowing pills. Compared to grain dispelling pills, the failure rate for these things was quite high.

This Medicinal Pill required quite a bit of technique. His pill fire was still the Fireball Technique, but the pill was primarily made from hundred-year-old qi overflowing grass, supplemented by herbs under a hundred years old.

The qi overflowing pill is a good medicine for Cultivators in the Qi Refinement Stage to Cultivate, as it can increase one's cultivation.

After failing two batches in a row, Chen Li felt quite pained. Fortunately, there was no problem with the third batch, and he finally refined a cauldron's worth. Things would be easier after that; he almost lost his self-proclaimed title of Alchemy genius.

...

Time flowed by, and three months passed in a flash. Golden autumn had turned into cold winter.

In the main hall of the Lu Family's estate, Lu Shuiqing tapped her finger on the tea table and said, "You're saying there were traces of a battle in the Thousand Leaf Forest, as well as a destroyed Teleportation Array."

"Yes, Old Ancestor. We have searched within a ten-mile radius of Yuyu Mountain over the past few months. There are only traces of a pursuit from Yuyu Mountain to the Thousand Leaf Forest. Some traces of battle were found in the Thousand Leaf Forest, along with a destroyed Teleportation Array."

Lu Shuiqing pondered for a moment and smiled. "I see. Zhang An is most likely dead. Go and spread this news; just say he encountered a Foundation Establishment Robber Cultivator."

"As you command, Old Ancestor."

At the Zhang Family's estate, after the news of Zhang An's death spread, his nine wives began packing their valuables and cursing him for being a bastard.

The few Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators who had been recruited no longer harbored any illusions and scattered like birds and beasts. The Zhang Family of Yuanwu Prefecture was gone.

In the Immortal Cave on Black Magpie Mountain, after spending three months using seven hundred-year-old herbs and more than ten herbs under a hundred years old as supplements, he had refined 37 bottles of qi overflowing pills, with thirty pills per bottle.

After tossing seven bottles to the Green Ox, he set up the three mu of spirit fields the ox had reclaimed and sent word to the other Qi Refining Immortal Clans in Liangxi County, claiming he was in closed-door cultivation to study Formations.

Spring went and autumn came. Another half a year passed in a flash. After consuming one bottle of marrow cleansing pills and 30 bottles of qi overflowing pills over half a year of cultivation, he finally broke through to the Qi Refining Sixth Layer.

He spent another month practicing the third-grade Qi Concealment Art to Minor Achievement, masking his Qi Refining Sixth Layer aura.

Breaking through to the fifth and sixth layers of Qi Refining in less than two years with a trash Spiritual Root would cause a lot of trouble if noticed by others, so he had to do this for now.

Over this half-year, the Green Ox had plowed all the land that could be reclaimed on Black Magpie Mountain, totaling about ten mu including the previous land.

He hadn't planned what to do with the remaining mountain land yet. Moreover, under the effect of three bottles of qi overflowing pills, the Green Ox's cultivation had reached the Qi Refining First Layer Perfection.

To his surprise, however, the Spirit Attracting Grass in the first three mu of reclaimed land had bloomed. The Chen Immortal Clan now had its own three mu of spirit fields.

He immediately planted spirit rice. Being an Old Ancestor wasn't easy; farming and cultivating required waiting more than a year for a harvest.

...

In Yuanwu Prefecture, Chen Li visited several market shops in the prefecture city, but none had the skins or bones of Fifth-level Demonic Beasts. He might have to make a trip to the market of a nearby Sect, the Beast Hunting Sect.

The Beast Hunting Sect is a tribute-paying immortal Sect of the Nanwu Kingdom, said to have two Nascent Soul Old Ancestors.

The Beast Hunting Sect organizes a decennial Great Hunt for Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators. Those Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Cultivators go to the Boundless Forest every year to hunt fifth and sixth-level Yao Beasts. The Sect is rich in demon cores, bones, blood, and skins.

Chen Li didn't delay. He slapped five or six swift travel talismans on himself and set off for the Beast Hunting Sect's Cultivation Market.