91: Chapter 91 Xu Ruyu breaks through again, but why is he still only at the Qi Refining stage?

As the last sliver of daylight was swallowed by the dusk, Ningyin Hall was gradually enveloped by the deep night.

The Shadow-Reflecting Stones hanging from the eaves of the palace emitted a soft, cold glow, casting flickering shadows across the corridors and courtyards, adding a touch of tranquility while signaling that a certain "routine business" moment was approaching.

Inside a room in the Side Hall, Xu Ruyu snapped out of his excited deduction of the "Acetylene Array" prototype and rubbed his aching temples.

The consumption of Divine Sense and the continuous, high-intensity thinking had brought a trace of fatigue.

An even deeper sense of impending exhaustion came from the upcoming nightly "confrontation" with that cold Sect Master.

Although he was now fearless and even secretly held the upper hand, Xiao Nianyin was, after all, of Saint Realm foundation. Even if her cultivation had temporarily fallen, her methods, Heart-Nature, and even her potential to counterattack in the "dream" could not be underestimated. Every "dream entry" was a double battle of mental and physical exhaustion.

"I need to restore my status."

Xu Ruyu thought to himself.

Simple meditation was too slow to recover, so he decided to circulate his improved Qi Induction and Return to Origin Art and attempt Air Cultivation. This would serve to both restore his energy and act as daily practice and fine-tuning for this original Cultivation Technique.

He cleared his mind of stray thoughts and sat cross-legged on the couch in the Five Centers Facing the Sky posture.

His mind sank into his Dantian, slowly urging that mass of solid, pure Taixu True Qi, which carried a unique Concept of "Emptiness."

Unlike ordinary Cultivation Techniques that create a gentle or surging vortex of Spiritual Qi when drawing in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, when Xu Ruyu began his technique, the air around the Side Hall of Ningyin Hall only vibrated extremely slightly. It was like an invisible tiny pebble being dropped into a calm lake, the ripples spreading soundlessly.

Following that, if a powerful being with extremely sharp Divine Sense and an extraordinary perception of the essence of Spiritual Qi were present, they might "see" a wondrous sight: in the air, those "useless" components that ordinary Cultivators could not sense, let alone absorb—nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, and other trace gas molecules—seemed to be filtered and stirred by some invisible, precise mesh.

Among them, a tiny fraction of specific "points" that carried an extremely weak "True Spirit" (which Xu Ruyu called the "Air True Spirit") in a way that the Laws of this world could not explain, began to be stripped and attracted. Like interstellar dust drawn to the center of a galaxy, they gathered soundlessly but with a speed that could be described as "insane" (relative to the thinness of this energy form) toward the Side Hall where Xu Ruyu was!

These "Air True Spirits" were too thin and too obscure. Their convergence caused no Spiritual Qi fluctuations, produced no brilliant phenomena, and didn't even disturb the trajectory of dust in the air.

They seemed to travel in another dimension, only able to be captured, guided, and finally merged into the Taixu True Qi running through his body via Xu Ruyu's Divine Sense—which had been modified by the Taixu Qi Refining Art and fused with a unique "Scientific Cognition"—and the specific "Spiritual Qi Frequency Channel" constructed by the improved Qi Induction and Return to Origin Art.

This process seemed profound, but in reality, the efficiency was still low.

A massive amount of air flowed through the "mesh," yet not even one in ten thousand "True Spirits" could be intercepted.

But the advantage lay in the fact that the "resources" were everywhere, infinite, and no one was competing for them.

With a clear mind, Xu Ruyu guided this trickle of unique energy along specific Meridian routes, nourishing his Divine Soul, replenishing what was consumed, and slowly strengthening the already abnormally solid Taixu True Qi.

Time passed in silent cultivation.

Outside the hall, the night grew darker, and the stars flickered.

Two hours later.

Inside Xu Ruyu's body, the Taixu True Qi was already full and surging, its circulation speed getting faster and faster, and the absorption of "Air True Spirits" had entered a natural state of acceleration.

In the center of his Dantian, that core mass of True Qi spun like a vortex. A flickering point of light at the center became clearer and clearer, reflecting the warm current of Saint Realm Power fragments flowing on the periphery.

Suddenly—

*Crack...*

A slight but incomparably clear sound, as if some hard shell was being cracked open from the inside, came from deep within Xu Ruyu's body!

It wasn't the popping of bones or the surging of blood; it was more like the sound of some "shackle" on the level of life and energy structure being broken!

An aura significantly stronger than before uncontrollably seeped out from his pores, causing the air in the room to vibrate slightly.

His Meridians instantly felt a slight sense of expansion and stronger resilience. His Divine Sense felt as if it had been washed, with a perceptible improvement in clarity and coverage.

The total amount and condensation of the Taixu True Qi in his Dantian jumped up a level!

He had achieved a Breakthrough!

Xu Ruyu first felt a surge of joy.

An improvement in cultivation was always something to be happy about, especially in this dangerous environment. Every bit of extra strength was more capital for self-preservation and maneuvering.

Moreover, this was a Breakthrough based on his original path of "Air Cultivation," which held extraordinary significance.

He slowly withdrew his technique, calmed his slightly agitated blood, and then, with a heart full of expectation and scrutiny, sank his Divine Sense into his body to carefully perceive the specific changes brought by this Breakthrough.

His Meridians were wider and tougher, capable of holding and circulating stronger True Qi.

The range of his Divine Sense perception had expanded by about thirty percent, and his ability to capture details had improved.

In his Dantian, the Taixu True Qi vortex was more stable, the core light point was slightly brighter, and the interaction with the Saint Realm fragments seemed a bit smoother...

But...

The joy on Xu Ruyu's face gradually froze, his brow furrowed bit by bit, and doubt, then bewilderment, and finally a sense of unbelievable absurdity appeared in his eyes.

He repeatedly investigated, calling upon his knowledge of cultivation Realms (mainly from the basic texts in the Hall of Power Transmission and the blurred impressions left by the original owner) to compare his current state.

Qi Refinement Stage Level 1: Initial birth of Qi sensation, drawing Qi into the body.

Qi Refinement Stage Level 2: True Qi forms into strands, warming the Meridians.

Qi Refinement Stage Level 3: True Qi flows like a stream, circulating through the heavenly cycle.

Qi Refinement Stage Level 4: True Qi turns into mist, filling the Dantian.

Qi Refinement Stage Level 5???

The texts clearly stated that there were only four levels in the Qi Refinement Stage!

At Level 4 Perfection, when True Qi overflows, one strikes the Bottleneck to attempt Foundation Establishment, opening the Spirit Sea and condensing True Essence!

But what about his current state? Whether in quantity, quality, or control, his True Qi clearly exceeded the previous standard of Level 4 Perfection. He even felt that his True Qi volume was more abundant and solid than that of some Cultivators described as having just reached Foundation Establishment!

Yet... his Dantian was still a gaseous vortex, with no sign of opening a Spirit Sea or condensing True Essence!

The "shell" that had just been broken seemed to be only an unknown, finer level barrier within the Qi Refinement Stage!

He, Xu Ruyu, had worked so hard, created "Air Cultivation," absorbed Saint Realm fragments, and had "special tutoring" every night...

In the end, after the Breakthrough, he found that instead of advancing to Foundation Establishment, he was stuck at a theoretically non-existent "Qi Refinement Stage Level 5"?!

"This... what the hell..."

Xu Ruyu snapped his eyes open, and for the first time, a clear crack appeared on his always calm face. His mouth twitched as he uttered a curse in a low voice.

Qi Refinement Stage Level 5?!

What was this supposed to be?

An upgraded version of an ant? A deluxe hardcover ant? A Super Minion reserve?

He felt like he was a player who had worked hard to kill monsters and level up, but just as the experience bar was full, the System popped up a notification: "Congratulations on breaking through to the 'Newbie Village: In-Depth Experience Version'!"

The expected job change, learning new skills, and entering a broader map had all vanished into thin air, replaced only by another unheard-of, more granular level label in the Newbie Village.

In an instant, a massive sense of absurdity, frustration, and a trace of confusion about his own cultivation path surged into his heart.

Had the combination of "Air Cultivation" and Taixu True Qi gone down the wrong path? Had he trained himself into a monster that was so "thickly accumulated" it had become deformed? Or was it because of the existence of the Saint Realm fragments that his body or Cultivation Technique had undergone an unknown mutation, making traditional Realm divisions inapplicable to him?

What would Xiao Nianyin think if she knew? Would she think there was a problem with the quality of her "Cauldron"? Those predatory Senior Sisters, if they knew the "treasure" they coveted was just a "Super Minion" at the fifth level of Qi Refinement, would they be deeply disappointed?

Sitting on the couch and looking at the deep night outside the window, for the first time in this cultivation world, Xu Ruyu felt a deep sense of "emo" similar to a "programmer debugging late into the night only to find the error message is 'Unknown Error, code looks correct'."

The path seemed to have widened, but also gone crooked? Or... was it simply a wasteland where no one had ever walked, with no signposts at all?

He raised a hand to wipe his face, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.

"Level five of Qi Refinement it is..." he murmured to himself with a bit of self-comforting bitterness. "At least I broke through, and my strength has indeed increased. It's better than being stuck at level four."

"As for why... it seems I'll have to go to the Hall of Power Transmission and look for obscure records about the 'Extreme of Qi Refinement Stage,' 'True Qi Mutation,' 'Ancient Cultivation Systems,' or 'Non-mainstream Realm Classifications'..."

He closed his eyes again and began to stabilize his newly broken-through Realm, though the haze born of the unknown in his heart was difficult to dispel for the moment.

Outside the window, the night was deep.

From the direction of the Main Hall of Ningyin Hall, a faint, cold aura seemed to be quietly spreading over, just as usual, signaling the approach of another "dream."

Feeling the approach of that aura, the bit of emo in Xu Ruyu's heart was instantly suppressed by greater vigilance and a certain realization that "work was coming."

Well then, a little ant at the fifth level of Qi Refinement still has to continue "serving" that Saint Realm big shot whose cultivation has likely fallen even more drastically tonight.

This cultivation world is truly damn magical.