13: Chapter 13 Breaking Through to the Fourth Level: Spiritual Power as Thick as Mercury

Pressure is sometimes the best catalyst.

The increasingly tense atmosphere in the Sect was like an invisible whip, lashing at Ye Qing's steady development rhythm, forcing him to squeeze every ounce of leisure time to the limit.

His cleaning in the Library Pavilion became faster and more efficient. The coverage of his Dust Removal Technique quietly increased from five feet to eight feet, and his control precision was higher; he could sweep away the most stubborn dust mites from the cracks in the pages without disturbing the paper in the slightest.

He even treated his temporary work in the Herb Garden as a place to Cultivate.

When weeding, his fingertips brushed over the roots of the weeds, and his technique for absorbing life energy became increasingly covert and efficient, leaving almost no traces.

When watering, he tried using the rudimentary principles of the Water Control Spell to guide the water to penetrate more evenly, while secretly sensing the subtle flow of Spiritual Qi in the water.

When casting that trace of Spirit Nurturing Technique, he focused entirely, attempting to capture that sliver of true meaning of "sprouting and nourishment" from the feedback of the Spirit Medicine's vitality.

The space within his body seemed to feel its owner's urgency; the feedback energy became increasingly pure, and the cooling sensation nourishing his Divine Soul became more obvious daily, allowing him to quickly recover his energy after high-intensity study and labor.

The energy from the rusty iron piece obtained from the Herb Garden, which contained "Evil Qi of metal," had been completely absorbed and converted by the space.

The feedback energy made his Qi not only pure but also added an indescribable density and resilience; when circulating, it flowed like a murmuring stream, yet hidden within were undercurrents and latent force.

The timing was finally ripe.

That night, the moon was hidden and the stars were sparse, and all was silent.

Snoring rose and fell in the Servant Quarters, with occasional sleep-talking.

Ye Qing lay on the communal bed, his breathing steady and long, no different from anyone else's.

Yet his consciousness had long since sunk into the space within his body.

The space of over five zhang was silent. The black soil in the center had expanded to nearly two zhang square, deep and dark in color. The milky white Spiritual Qi mist on the surface had thickened slightly, flowing slowly like a living thing.

The grey mist at the edges no longer churned violently but presented a thick, stable texture, quietly defining the boundaries of this small world.

Ye Qing's mind was completely merged with the space.

At this moment, he was the Heavenly Dao of this space, able to clearly perceive the "breathing" of every inch of land and the flow of every wisp of mist.

The pure energy fed back by the space, without needing guidance, spontaneously and continuously poured into his limbs and bones, washing over his Meridians, nourishing his acupoints, and flowing into his Dantian Qi Sea.

His cultivation at the Perfection of Qi Refining Stage 3 was already overflowing.

At this moment, pushed by this pure and vast energy that was born from the same source as him, that seemingly tough barrier melted quietly like thin ice in the sun.

There was no earth-shattering roar, no dazzling phenomenon.

There was only a slight yet clear "crack" sound within his body, as if some invisible shackle had been opened.

His Dantian Qi Sea expanded suddenly, like a dried-up riverbed welcoming the spring flood, quickly filling with thicker, more refined pale green Spiritual Qi.

This Spiritual Qi was no longer the previous gaseous state but presented a near-liquid viscous texture, with a faint glimmer as it flowed, dense and full of vitality.

His Meridians widened and strengthened accordingly, able to carry a more surging flow of Spiritual Qi.

His internal organs, bones, and skin were also given additional feedback from the space at this moment, deeply nourished by the pure energy. Although far from reaching the level of successful Body Refining, his vitality became more vigorous, and his Foundation became more solid.

Qi Refining Level 4, achieved!

The whole process was silent, completed in the narrow, crowded Servant Quarters with thunderous snoring.

Ye Qing did not even change his sleeping posture. Only the weak Spiritual Qi fluctuation of the Early Stage of Qi Refining Stage 2 that he had deliberately maintained on his body converged even more thoroughly, like a receding tide, almost indistinguishable from a Mortal.

Only he knew what kind of majestic power was surging within him.

"My Spiritual Qi is more than three times thicker, and more refined, controllable like an extension of my arm. My Divine Sense perception range has also expanded quite a bit; when I calm my mind, I can vaguely cover three zhang around me..."

"Most importantly, there was no obstruction during the Breakthrough, my Foundation is perfect, and I didn't rely on any external objects, relying entirely on my own accumulation and the space's feedback. This is a truly solid Breakthrough."

Ye Qing was calm, without too much ecstasy.

This was a natural result of his efforts.

What he cared more about was the change in the space.

His consciousness sank in, and he saw that the grey mist at the edge of the space had expanded uniformly outward by another circle the moment he broke through.

Now, the entire space was nearly six zhang in radius!

The black soil in the center had expanded to two zhang and five feet square, the soil was more "fertile," and the Spiritual Qi mist was almost condensing into faint Spirit Liquid droplets.

More importantly, Ye Qing felt that his connection with the space was closer and deeper.

The space fed back energy faster and of higher quality, and that cooling sensation nourishing his Divine Soul became more obvious. He even had a vague premonition that when the space continued to expand to a certain extent, perhaps he could try to bring some "seeds" or "living things" into it?

"No rush, take it slow. The primary task now is to consolidate my cultivation, adapt to the increased power, and at the same time... find a way to obtain attack methods."

Qi Refining Level 4 could be considered a backbone in the Qingyun Sect's Outer Sect.

But this "backbone" currently only knew how to sweep floors, water plants, grow flowers, and draw some flashy but useless auxiliary Talismans in the air.

This was obviously not enough.

The books on the first floor of the Library Pavilion had very few records about attack Spells, and most were overviews, lacking specific incantations.

Qingyun Sect's attack Spells required at least the status of an Outer Sect Disciple and had to be exchanged with contribution points.

"Contribution points..." Ye Qing thought of Sect missions.

Perhaps he could take on some missions with very low risk but reward of contribution points?

Or, use Spirit Stones to privately exchange at the Sect's "Trade Market"? The risk was too high, and it was easy to attract attention.

"Perhaps, I can start from those basic Talismans?"

Ye Qing's thoughts turned.

Spirit Gathering, Solidifying, and Lightness were all auxiliary Talismans.

But the essence of a Talisman was a solidified Spell model. If he could understand more complex Talisman structures, perhaps he could simulate the effects of some basic attack Spells by drawing Talismans in the Void Realm?

Even if the power was less than one-tenth, even if it could only be cast instantly and then collapsed, at least it was a direction, and it was covert.

"Starting tomorrow, besides practicing existing Talismans, I can try to deconstruct and deduce the Talisman structures of several attack Talismans mentioned in 'Introduction to Basic Talismans' in my mind, such as the 'Fire Bomb Talisman', 'Gold Blade Talisman'..."

"Start with theoretical deduction, combined with the space's Comprehension Ability bonus. When I have enough confidence, I will look for an opportunity to actually try it."

His train of thought became clearer.

Ye Qing slowly adjusted his breathing, locking his newly broken-through Qi Refining Level 4 cultivation deep within his Dantian, while on the surface, he still only revealed the weak aura of the Early Stage of Qi Refining Stage 2.

In fact, it was even more obscure and inconspicuous than before the Breakthrough.

He was like a stubborn stone buried deep in the soil, rough and dull on the outside, but already quietly nurturing jade quality on the inside.

The night grew deeper.

From the distant mountain peaks, a long bell toll could be vaguely heard; that was the signal for the night patrol Disciples to change shifts.

The Qingyun Sect was sleeping in the night. Outside the mountain gate, in the depths of the vast mountains, the roars of Yao Beasts could be heard faintly with the wind.

A storm was coming.

But for Ye Qing, tonight was just a small, noteworthy yet insignificant node on the road of steady development.

He turned over, his back to the broken window leaking moonlight, and let out a tired, light snore no different from other servants.

Steady, and enduring.

That was his style.