21: Chapter 21: Attaining the Fourth Level of Qi Refining, Returning to Forty Years Old!

Outside the door were the increasingly rampant clamors of the brutal bandits and the desperate screams of the Gu Family servants.

Inside the door, in the delivery room, were the loud cries of a newborn and the joyful tears of the women who had survived a catastrophe.

Standing under the veranda, Gu Yan was undergoing a heaven-shaking transformation that belonged to him alone.

"Low Grade Yellow Rank! Holy crap, Low Grade Yellow Rank!"

The System's eternally unchanging corporate-slave tone showed violent fluctuations for the first time, so excited that its voice even cracked, and the static of the electric microphone crackled.

"Host, you've had a massive explosion of luck this time! Pulling an SR card right at the start in the newbie village, this performance... this performance is enough for me to brag for a year to the workaholic next door who is carrying the 'Tycoon System'!"

"Rewards, the rewards must be maxed out! The department budget is burning!"

A surging amount of life energy was the first wave of 'bonuses' to arrive.

Gu Yan felt as if he were soaking in a pool of warm, precious nectar. This energy was no longer a gentle nourishment but was tyrannically scouring every corner of his body, washing away all the Impurities and hidden injuries of aging that had accumulated for over sixty years.

He could clearly "see" the murky blood under his skin becoming bright red and full of vitality once again. At his temples, the last stubborn tuft of white hair was being dyed and covered by a rich, deep black at a speed visible to the naked eye, eventually leaving no trace of any other color.

In just a few breaths, his appearance had completely recovered from a steady middle-aged man in his forties to a look of someone just over forty. His face was like jade, his brows were like swords, his eyes were like stars, and his posture was upright and heroic.

"Twenty years of Lifespan added, a small matter! The main thing is this improvement in bone structure, feel it carefully!"

The System clamored as if asking for credit.

Gu Yan immediately looked inward at his own body.

He could "hear" the bones within his body emitting a series of crisp sounds like jade chiming. His originally mundane bones were being reshaped and strengthened by a mysterious force, becoming denser and tougher in texture.

The originally blocked and narrow Meridians were also forcibly widened and reinforced by this power, becoming tough and spacious, preparing fully for the even more surging torrent of power to come.

The shackles of his Useless Spirit Root were completely broken at this moment!

Although it was only upgraded to the High Grade Mortal Rank, and there was still a long distance to becoming a true Genius, for him, this was already a world of difference!

This meant that from now on, he could breathe in Spiritual Qi and forge ahead like a normal Cultivator!

"The main event is here! Host, sit tight! This time's KPI over-performance—Empowerment!"

"Energy injection preparing... 3... 2... 1!"

Boom!

An indescribably pure torrent of spiritual power descended from the Void Realm without warning, like the Nine Heavens Milky Way pouring backward, violently and unreasonably rushing directly into his crown chakra!

This power was violent and surging, yet it carried a certain profound order.

It did not harm Gu Yan's foundation but instead turned into the purest fuel, pushing the giant wheel of his cultivation forward crazily!

The barrier of the Peak of Qi Refining Stage 2 could not even withstand a single breath in front of this torrent before being shattered.

The surging spiritual power drove straight in, advancing triumphantly all the way!

Qi Refining Stage 3!

The cyclone within his Dantian suddenly expanded by more than double, rotating at an astonishing speed and emitting a low whistle.

However, this was just the beginning.

The energy of the empowerment showed no signs of weakening, but instead became even more violent!

More spiritual power was compressed and purified, flowing into the Dantian Qi Sea.

The scale of the cyclone surged again!

The pass of the Peak of Qi Refining Stage 3 was likewise shattered in one go!

Qi Refining Stage 4!

Only at this moment did the torrent of energy from the Void Realm slowly subside, turning into a trickling stream and completely merging into his limbs and bones.

Gu Yan slowly opened his eyes.

He stood quietly in place, feeling the thick True Qi surging like a river within his body, feeling the powerful strength that seemed to be able to stir wind and thunder with every move he made; an unprecedented sense of stability, of having everything under his control, welled up in his heart.

Sixty years of Transmigration, forbearance, grievance, powerlessness, despair...

All negative emotions were washed away completely at this moment by the surging power within his body!

From a dying octogenarian to the current Qi Refining Stage 4!

It took only three short days!

"Old... Old Ancestor..."

Behind him came the trembling voices of the maidservants, filled with extreme shock and awe.

They had just witnessed a miracle with their own eyes.

Just a moment ago, the Old Ancestor, who had looked like a middle-aged man in his forties, had, under their very gaze, seemed to become ten years younger, turning into a heroic man in his early thirties!

More importantly, the Aura on his body, as steady as an abyss and as towering as a mountain, pressed down on them so hard they could barely breathe.

Gu Yan did not look back.

His gaze pierced through the layers of rain and fell upon the moon gate that had already been breached by the brutal bandits.

From there, came the increasingly close clamor, mixed with lewd laughter and screams.

He knew the moment for the hunt had arrived.

He turned around, ignoring the maidservants who had long since knelt on the ground, and walked straight to the weapon rack under the veranda.

He did not choose the sharp-looking long sabers, nor did he take the heavy and powerful axes.

His hand fell upon the most ordinary, most inconspicuous iron sword used by the guards.

The sword body was ancient, even carrying a few rust spots; it was common iron used by the guards in the manor for daily practice.

He pulled the sword out casually.

Hum—

A slight sword hum.

The originally plain iron sword, after he infused it with the True Qi of Qi Refining Stage 4, actually faintly lit up with a layer of faint light, and the rust on the blade edge was forced to fall off in rustles by the sharp True Qi.

Gu Yan weighed the iron sword in his hand; the weight was just right.

He no longer had any hesitation, carrying this piece of common iron, step by step, he walked out of the inner courtyard veranda, heading towards the front courtyard shrouded in blood and fire.

His pace was neither fast nor slow.

His expression was calm and indifferent.

In his deep eyes, there was no longer a shred of human warmth, only an absolute indifference, as if looking at dead objects.