4: Chapter 4 Qi Refining Level Two

However, the more generous the reward, the more suspicious Qin Changsheng felt.

The usual reward for a month of fishing was only five Spiritual Sands, but now they were offering Qin Changsheng ten Spiritual Sands as a reward; it was clearly a deliberate trap.

Qin Changsheng shook his head and said, "Many thanks for your kindness, everyone, but I am no Spirit Farmer, merely a Utility Disciple who chops wood."

Upon hearing that Qin Changsheng was merely a Utility Disciple who chopped wood, a flash of disappointment crossed the eyes of those few.

"Fellow Daoist, I am a Spirit Farmer!"

"Can one really get ten Spiritual Sands by going to Qingyun Lake?" A Utility Disciple, upon hearing the reward of ten Spiritual Sands, immediately became interested.

"Of course... ten Spiritual Sands, and it's in the shallow area of Qingyun Lake!" Seeing this, the middle-aged man immediately let go of Qin Changsheng and pulled the Utility Disciple over to explain things to him.

Qin Changsheng also headed toward the entrance of the marketplace.

...

Since returning from the marketplace, Qin Changsheng had poured all his focus into Cultivate.

Qin Changsheng understood more and more that in this world of Cultivators where the weak are prey to the strong, only with sufficiently formidable personal strength could he keep his secrets and protect himself.

For these past two months, his daily routine had been extremely disciplined.

Every day before dawn, he would rise to Cultivate the "Qi Gathering Art," focusing on absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

Those Spiritual Sands became the core aid to his Cultivate over these two months.

He did not dare to squander them; each time, he would take out only one grain, grind it into powder, and dissolve it into warm rice water before consuming it.

The Spiritual Sand powder dissolved the moment it entered his mouth, transforming into wisps of pure Spiritual Qi that surged down his throat into his Meridians, then amplified fivefold by the [Cultivation] Trait, nourishing his entire body like a trickling stream.

The previously heterogeneous and unruly Five Elements Spiritual Qi, under the cleansing of such pure Spiritual Qi and the blessing of the Trait, gradually became docile and refined. His Meridians were also repeatedly widened and nourished, and the once sluggish circulation of Spiritual Qi was now as smooth as flowing clouds and water.

At first, he still needed to spend the better part of a day to thoroughly refine the Spiritual Qi from the Spiritual Sand, and his Cultivation level at the Late Stage of Qi Refining steadily climbed.

Half a month later, as his Meridians became increasingly wider, the Speed of refining Spiritual Qi also greatly increased; he only needed three hours to absorb it all. The Spiritual Qi within his body became increasingly full, gradually approaching the barrier of the Peak of Qi Refining First Stage.

Besides the Spiritual Sands, the Spirit Rice he had purchased also came in handy.

In the intervals of his daily Cultivate, he would cook some Spirit Rice, which could both replenish the physical strength consumed during Cultivate and assist in purifying the Spiritual Qi within his body.

This morning, Qin Changsheng was circulating the "Qi Gathering Art" as usual. When the last wisp of Spiritual Sand Spiritual Qi was refined, the abundant Spiritual Qi in his body suddenly began to surge wildly, rushing along his Meridians to impact that barrier which had troubled him for many days.

He focused his mind, hurriedly stabilized his breath, and borrowing the amplification of the [Cultivation] Trait, guided the Spiritual Qi to impact it again and again.

With a soft "pop," like the sound of breaking out of a cocoon, it echoed within his body, and that invisible barrier was successfully broken through.

[Name: Qin Changsheng]

[Lifespan: 21 / 96]

[Cultivation: Qi Refining Second Stage (5 / 2000)]

[Cultivation Technique: Qi Guiding Art (Minor Achievement 5 / 2000)]

[Spell: None]

[Spiritual Root: Five Elements Mixed Spiritual Root]

[Trait: Cultivation]

[Draw Count: 1]

Looking at the Cultivation level on the attribute panel, Qin Changsheng's heart was filled with joy.

Qin Changsheng also understood that the reason he was Cultivate so quickly was entirely due to the Golden Trait, Cultivation.

It was precisely the blessing of "one part effort, five parts harvest" that amplified the effects of the pure Spiritual Qi from the Spiritual Sands and the Spirit Rice fivefold. It not only accelerated the absorption of Spiritual Qi but also purified his heterogeneous Five Elements Spiritual Qi and widened his Meridians, allowing him to encounter countless fewer obstacles when breaking through.

However, now that all the Spiritual Sands had been refined and those Spirit Rice had been completely consumed.

Without the assistance of Spiritual Sands and Spirit Rice, Qin Changsheng's Cultivation Speed would be greatly reduced.

At his rate of five proficiency points per day, to break through to the Qi Refining Third Stage, it would take at least four hundred days.

If he could obtain a large amount of Spiritual Sands, Medicinal Pills, or Spirit Rice, Qin Changsheng's Cultivation Speed could still be significantly increased.

However, Qin Changsheng was currently only a Utility Disciple.

There was simply no way to obtain a large amount of Spiritual Sands and Medicinal Pills.

Qin Changsheng withdrew his gaze and looked at the Draw Count.

Because today was already the new year, Qin Changsheng had obtained one opportunity to draw a Golden Trait.

Qin Changsheng composed his mind, washed up, and then silently thought in his heart: "Draw Trait."

As soon as his words fell, the pale golden virtual panel in his mind slowly emerged, with a rotating golden ball of light floating in the center of the panel.

Around the ball of light, colorful lights flowed, and countless tiny, fragmented Trait phantoms floated within it.

As the rotation Speed of the ball of light increased, the phantoms dissipated one after another. Finally, a brilliant golden light condensed into shape, and a Golden Trait engraved with spatial patterns slowly emerged.

[Ding! Golden Trait draw successful — You have obtained the Golden Trait [Storage Space].]

[Storage Space: Golden Trait, exclusive Storage Space, volume of 1,000 cubic meters, can freely store non-living objects, time inside the space is frozen, items stored suffer no loss, can be opened and closed through mental control.]

Qin Changsheng's mind stirred, and he subconsciously communicated with the Storage Space using his intent.

In an instant, a strange sensation sprouted in his mind, and he seemed to be able to "see" a square, open space.

It was approximately ten zhang square, and while the interior was ethereal, it exuded stable spatial fluctuations.

He suppressed his excitement, his gaze falling on a piece of gravel on the floor of the woodshed, his mind slightly stirring.

The next second, that piece of gravel disappeared into thin air, and upon probing with his intent, the gravel had already landed steadily in a corner of the Storage Space, not moving an inch.

Qin Changsheng moved his mind again, and the gravel reappeared in its original place; the process of putting it in and taking it out was completely without obstruction, convenient beyond imagination.

The next moment, the stone appeared on the ground.

The next moment, the stone disappeared again.

It was not until a wave of dizziness came from his mind that Qin Changsheng stopped the experiment.

"1,000 cubic meters..." Qin Changsheng's eyes were filled with shock and joy.

A volume like this was enough to store a massive amount of Spirit Rice.

What was even rarer was that time in the space was frozen, so Spirit items stored would not lose Spiritual Qi; for him, who was currently in urgent need of accumulating resources, it was simply a tailor-made Divine Artifact.

Currently, Qin Changsheng's one mu of land could produce two hundred jin of Spirit Rice.

Under the blessing of the Cultivation talent, he could harvest one thousand jin of Spirit Rice.

He only needed to turn in two hundred jin, and the remaining eight hundred jin, he could completely keep for himself.

If he planted a few more mu, even if he only sold Spirit Rice, he could make a fortune.

However, very quickly, Qin Changsheng stopped this line of thought.

Qin Changsheng was merely a Utility Disciple at the very bottom of the Heavenly Sword Sect, his Cultivation just reaching the Early Stage of Qi Refining Second Stage; he hadn't even touched the threshold of being an Outer Sect Disciple within the Sect.

Looking at the entire world of Cultivators, he was an existence like an ant.

Previously, he had only thought about using the Traits to open up sources and accumulate resources, but he had ignored the hidden danger that a tall tree attracts the wind.

If he were to rent multiple plots of Spirit Fields, even with Chen Erniu helping to provide cover, producing Spirit Rice that far exceeded common sense every year would sooner or later attract the attention of Overseers, Deacons, and even those at higher levels.

The secrets of [Cultivation] and the Storage Space were the foundation of his Heaven-Defying change of fate; once exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

If this secret were exposed, even Overseer Hu Yuanfu could easily kill Qin Changsheng.

Moreover, the Sect was full of hidden talents; any Outer Sect Disciple, Inner Sect Disciple, or even Elder or Deacon who walked out could crush him to death as easily as crushing an ant.

Right now, the most important thing was not to rush into accumulating resources, but to "lay low."

Hide his secrets well, do not be ostentatious, do not act rashly, slowly improve his Cultivation in a corner where no one pays attention, and wait until his strength is sufficient to protect himself, or even capable of contending with high-level Cultivators, before letting go and using the Traits to accumulate resources.