27: Qi Refining Level 5

After the Chang Sheng Sect Master returned, the chaos in the area where the Utility Disciples lived not only did not end, but rather intensified.

Especially after the Sect Master's order was officially issued the next day, allowing Utility Disciples to recommend Cultivators with high prestige to manage things themselves, it triggered a chaotic battle among the Utility Disciples.

In this chaotic situation, not only did no one from the Chang Sheng Sect come out to manage things, but they even offered reward policies, supporting the Utility Disciples to fight among themselves.

In the alley where Zhang Qingxiao lived, there were also people who wanted to get ahead, but because they lacked the strength, they ended up becoming subordinates to others.

After half a month of chaotic fighting, some capable Utility Disciples demarcated the areas they each managed.

The person responsible for managing the alley where Zhang Qingxiao and the others lived was a Late Stage Cultivator named Han Xianren, who had nine capable subordinates at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer and Sixth Level.

At the very beginning, Han Xianren had also personally come to try to recruit Zhang Qingxiao. After all, his strength was not low, his battle record was powerful, and there were rumors that Master Zheng of Talismans had been killed by him.

Zhang Qingxiao clearly expressed that he was not interested in this and just wanted to live a stable life, so Han Xianren did not seek him out again after that.

Once Han Xianren had organized his forces, he immediately began to collect 'rent', the cost of which was much higher than when the Chang Sheng Sect was managing it before.

Each month, one needed to pay two Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Zhang Qingxiao really did not want to come into conflict with these people, so he followed the other party's requirements and paid the two Low-Grade Spirit Stones monthly.

Everyone who paid the 'rent' basically lived in peace.

Days passed by, and Zhang Qingxiao's life became more and more comfortable.

Occasionally going out to hunt a Yao Beast, he would earn a small fortune.

As time passed, the weather became colder and colder.

In the last few trips to the market, Zhang Qingxiao would see the corpses of Cultivators on the roadside.

Since the Chang Sheng Sect Master returned to the Sect, the prices of various supplies had not dropped; instead, they had become higher and higher.

The price of a Pi Gu Pill had risen to three Low-Grade Spirit Stones each.

Rice and white flour had also risen to the point of five taels of gold per catty.

The reason for this situation was because after the Chang Sheng Sect closed the mountain gates, they did not send any caravans out, and the quantity of various supplies in the Utility Disciple area was severely insufficient.

Besides this, most Utility Disciples were in the Early Stage of the Qi Refining, their strength not much better than ordinary people, and they lacked any specialized skills.

Meanwhile, Sect tasks like mining and planting medicinal herbs were limited in number and were monopolized by the Utility Disciples in charge of each area.

Even if one managed to accept these tasks, more than half of the Spirit Stones obtained from executing them would be exploited away.

Ordinary Utility Disciples with low strength naturally lived worse and worse lives.

There was another group who, forced by desperation, banded together to enter the wilderness to hunt Yao Beasts, and most of them never returned.

Cultivators like Zhang Qingxiao, who had the strength to hunt Yao Beasts alone and could also perform Alchemy, were few and far between.

In the end, they could only choose to take risks and engage in murder and robbery.

He couldn't manage other people's affairs.

In the current situation, being able to make oneself comfortable was already not easy.

How could he have any extra energy to worry about others?

After this period of hard cultivation, his Realm had also improved significantly.

Seeing that he was about to break through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, and the weather outside was extremely cold, Zhang Qingxiao hadn't even bothered to leave his door for the past few days.

"Hoo!"

"Finally broke through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer."

Zhang Qingxiao exhaled a breath of turbid air, opened his eyes, and a hint of joy appeared on his Face.

With a thought, the attribute panel opened.

[Name: Zhang Qingxiao]

[Identity: Chang Sheng Sect Utility Disciple]

[Aptitude: Mediocre]

[Lifespan: 32 / 85 years]

[Realm: Qi Refining Fifth Layer, Progress: 1 / 100]

[Cultivation Technique: ChangSheng Skill for Qi Refining Stage, Great Master: 772 / 800, Tiger Leopard Body Tempering Art, Grandmaster: 356 / 1600]

[Skills: Alchemy: Pi Gu Pill, Proficient: 195 / 400, Yellow Dragon Pill, Proficient: 115 / 400, Golden Marrow Pill, Proficient: 88 / 400; Spells: Fireball Technique, Grandmaster: 385 / 1600, Dust Removal Spell, Novice: 88 / 100, Spirit Detection Technique, Great Master: 199 / 800, Spirit Arrow Technique, Grandmaster: 956 / 1600, Ice Technique, Proficient: 268 / 400; Swordplay: Chong Ling Swordplay, Grandmaster: 165 / 1600]

From the last Breakthrough to Cultivation Level 4, it had only been three and a half months before his cultivation broke through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

Moreover, this Breakthrough was very smooth. After the progress reached 99/100 at Cultivation Level 4, it only took two days to break through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

"The proficiency of the Longevity Skill is also about to reach the Grandmaster Level. I will continue to work hard these next few days and strive to reach the Grandmaster Level of proficiency for the Cultivation Technique as soon as possible."

"I hope that after reaching the Grandmaster Level of proficiency, the cultivation speed can increase a little more."

Recently, Zhang Qingxiao had discovered that the effect of using the Golden Marrow Pill was slightly worse than before.

Combining it with Low-Grade Spirit Stone cultivation, it basically took three Golden Marrow Pills to increase one point of cultivation progress.

Once at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, the effect of the Golden Marrow Pill might decrease further.

Right now, he could not yet perform Alchemy for the Qi Condensation Pill, and he didn't want to take the Qi Condensation Pill so early.

Zhang Qingxiao held no hope for his own Aptitude.

He could only utilize the Medicinal Pill to the limit; he only planned to take the Qi Condensation Pill for cultivation once he broke through to the Qi Refining Stage Seventh Level.

Besides this, the only thing that could significantly increase cultivation speed now was the Cultivation Technique, so he paid great attention to it.

"Brother Fellow cultivator Zhang, I've noticed someone watching outside our courtyard these past two days. I don't know what they want to do."

Zhou Yun came to Zhang Qingxiao's house as usual and felt somewhat worried when she saw three Cultivators outside staring at the courtyard from time to time.

"Don't worry about them, I will handle it."

Although Zhang Qingxiao hadn't left the house, he had also noticed Han Xianren's subordinates frequently loitering outside his door.

Originally, he didn't want to bother with these people, but he didn't expect them to become increasingly presumptuous.

Now that he had broken through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, it was time to have a word with these subordinates of Han Xianren.

Otherwise, they would really think he was easy to bully.

With this thought, Zhang Qingxiao immediately took action.

He came into the courtyard and, through a crack in the door, observed these people for a while.

Seeing that these people were indeed watching his house, Zhang Qingxiao opened the door and walked straight up to the Cultivators watching his house. "Fellow Daoist, you watch my house every day. I wonder what that means?"

The Cultivator watching Zhang Qingxiao's house couldn't help but feel a little nervous when he saw Zhang Qingxiao.

Many Cultivators rumored that Zhang Qingxiao was the one who killed Master Zheng of Talismans back then.

Zhang Qingxiao neither admitted nor denied this matter.

Precisely because of this, Han Xianren was particularly wary of Zhang Qingxiao.

"Fellow cultivator Zhang is joking. We are not watching you."

"You see, our boss is about to go to war with another area, and he is worried that the other side might act desperately, so he sent us to stay here."

One of the three Cultivators at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer quickly said with a flattering smile.

"Hmph..."

"Do you take me for a fool?"

"I advise you all not to have any crooked ideas. Get lost now, don't make me angry, or the consequences will be severe."

Zhang Qingxiao coldly snorted and scolded in an unfriendly tone.

"Who do you think you are? We are Boss Han's people. How dare you show such disrespect to our Boss Han..."

"Slap!"

Before the other Cultivator at Cultivation Level 4 could finish speaking, Zhang Qingxiao slapped him directly.

The slap sent the person staggering, and with a 'thud', he fell to the ground, seeing stars, his mouth full of blood.

"Fellow cultivator Zhang, calm down!"

"This is all a misunderstanding. He is ignorant, I apologize to you on his behalf."

Another Cultivator who knew Zhang Qingxiao's battle record quickly apologized with a smile.