28: The fourth level of Qi Refining and a genius's "clumsy imitation"

Inside the secret room, heat waves rolled.

As the purified top-grade qi gathering pill entered his stomach, Zhou Wannian felt a majestic surge of spiritual power, like a river bursting its banks, rushing frantically through his Meridians.

The transition from the Qi Refining Third Layer to the fourth layer is the first watershed on the path of cultivation—the leap from the "Early Stage" to the "Middle Stage."

Once crossed, the gaseous spiritual power within the body begins to liquefy, and the Divine Sense undergoes a qualitative change, becoming sufficient to master Object Control and slay enemies with a Flying Sword from a distance.

"Condense for me!"

Zhou Wannian held his focus tightly, guiding that violent medicinal power to strike the Dantian barrier again and again.

Because there was no interference from fire poison, this power was pure and gentle. Every impact widened his Meridians and refined his mana.

Boom!

After an unknown amount of time, a crisp cracking sound seemed to echo in his mind.

The misty Spiritual Qi that originally filled his Dantian suddenly contracted, and at its center, the first drop of crystal-clear spiritual liquid condensed.

Then came the second drop, the third... When everything returned to calm, Zhou Wannian snapped his eyes open.

A faint, sharp light flashed through the dark secret room, as if lightning had been generated in the empty space.

"Qi Refining Level Four... It's done!"

Zhou Wannian raised his hand with a thought.

Hum!

The Medium Grade Flying Sword sitting on the corner of the table, which had been "washed" beyond recognition, floated up without warning, nimbly circled in the air, and let out a clear sword chime.

"Divine Sense Object Control."

A satisfied smile appeared on Zhou Wannian's face.

Before, although he could barely control Magical Artifacts, it was mostly through spiritual power guidance—stiff and limited in range. Now, with sufficient Divine Sense support, taking someone's head within thirty meters was as easy as reaching into a bag for an object.

"Not only has my total mana doubled, but my Divine Sense range has more than doubled as well."

"Now, when I draw those 'Time-Delayed Explosion Talismans,' my success rate will increase by at least thirty percent. I can even try to control multiple Talismans simultaneously for an 'array-style' bombardment."

The great increase in strength brought not only a sense of security but also ambition.

But Zhou Wannian quickly calmed down.

"It's good to be strong, but if I get cocky, death won't be far off."

He immediately took out the piece of yin chen wood and circulated the Turtle Breathing Technique.

As he performed the hand seals, the sharp, newly broken-through Aura on his body began to quickly recede.

The liquefied spiritual power was hidden deep within the lowest layer of his Dantian Qi Sea, leaving only a thin layer of disguised Spiritual Qi in his Meridians.

A moment later.

Zhou Wannian opened his eyes again, and the Aura on his body had undergone a world-shaking change.

First layer of disguise: Qi Refining Second Layer Peak. His Aura was unstable, making him look like a piece of Trash whose Foundation was damaged after multiple failed attempts to break through the Bottleneck. This was for the Chen Family Enforcement Team and strangers to see.

Second layer of disguise: Qi Refining Third Layer Early Stage. Mediocre and steady, fitting the image of a Talisman master with some skill but average Aptitude. This was for neighbors like Gu Fan or people he was slightly more familiar with.

And in the deepest part lay his true Qi Refining Level Four cultivation, like a sharp blade hidden under a tattered cloth, ready to deal a fatal blow to any overconfident opponent.

"This makes it stable."

Zhou Wannian finished his cultivation, stood up, and pushed open the door of the secret room.

The sky outside was already bright.

He had stayed in the secret room for two full days and nights.

Just as he walked out into the courtyard to stretch his limbs, Gu Fan from next door approached with an excited look.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou! You've come out of seclusion?"

Gu Fan sized him up. Sensing that Zhou Wannian's Aura seemed slightly stronger than before (the second layer of disguise), he smiled and said, "It seems Fellow Daoist Zhou had quite the harvest this time; your cultivation has improved quite a bit."

"Cough, cough, just luck, just luck."

Zhou Wannian coughed twice in a feigned manner. "Although I didn't break through, I've managed to stabilize my Foundation. By the way, Fellow Daoist Gu, has anything new happened in the market these past two days?"

"Big news!"

Gu Fan leaned in mysteriously and lowered his voice. "That Zhao Feng, that great Genius Zhao Feng, is famous again!"

"Oh?" Zhou Wannian's brow twitched slightly.

Calculating the time, the effects of that soul burning pill should have worn off by now. What kind of trouble had this Zhao Feng stirred up?

"Just yesterday, Zhao Feng was publicly selling his newly developed 'Top-Grade Explosive Flame Talismans' at the entrance of Hundred Herbs Hall!"

Gu Fan's eyes were full of wonder. "They say the power of those Talismans is astonishing, and... and they're a bit like those ugly talismans you sold before. When thrown, they also have a spiral force! They can drill through metal and stone!"

"Spiral force?"

Zhou Wannian sneered inwardly.

As expected.

Zhao Feng must have looked at the wounds on the wolf carcasses, heard the rumors from the black market, and combined that with the brief burst of Divine Sense from the soul burning pill's overdrawn potential to forcibly imitate the 'spiral structure.'

"However..." Gu Fan's tone shifted, his expression becoming a bit odd. "The Genius Zhao's Talismans look much better than yours. The lines are smooth, and they overflow with spiritual light. A single one sells for eight Spirit Stones! And people are going crazy for them!"

"Eight?" Zhou Wannian was amazed. "That's twice as expensive as ordinary ones."

"Well, he's a big name after all," Gu Fan said somewhat sourly. "Now the outer district is saying that the 'Spiral Talisman' was originally invented by Zhao Feng, and the ugly talismans circulating in the black market were just defective products drawn by someone who stole his discarded drafts."

"Heh..."

Zhou Wannian almost laughed out loud.

Stolen? Defective products?

This Zhao Feng's ability to shift blame was much stronger than his ability to draw Talismans.

"Let's go take a look."

Zhou Wannian became interested. He wanted to see exactly what kind of quality a "Spiral Talisman" forcibly drawn while on drugs would have... In the center of the market, at the entrance of the Hundred Herbs Hall branch.

The place was still crowded with people, even more bustling than the last victory banquet.

"Young Master Zhao is truly a great talent! These Explosive Flame Talismans are indeed impressively powerful!"

"Eight Spirit Stones is expensive, but it can save your life! Give me three!"

In the center of the crowd, Zhao Feng looked pale (a side effect of the soul burning pill), but his spirit was extremely excited. He was holding a Talisman that emitted a dazzling red light, promoting it loudly.

"Everyone! This is the authentic 'Spiral Explosive Flame Talisman'!"

"Only perfect lines can harness violent fire spiritual power! As for those crooked, ugly things on the black market, they are nothing more than poor imitations of my brushwork. Not only is their power reduced, but they can also easily explode and injure the user! Don't try to save a little money and suffer a big loss!"

Zhou Wannian blended into the crowd, activated his Spiritual Sight Technique, and glanced at the Talisman in Zhao Feng's hand from a distance.

With just one look, he saw the problem.

"Jade on the outside, but rotten on the inside."