47: Chapter 47 Breakthrough to the Late Stage

In the west of Pingyang City, there was a dilapidated courtyard.

The autumn wind stirred up withered yellow leaves, swirling them around the weed-choked courtyard.

It had been two full months since Gu Shen began his closed-door seclusion.

Inside the main room, the doors and windows were tightly shut, with every crack sealed off by mud.

In the dim room, Gu Shen sat cross-legged on the wooden bed, looking like a dust-covered clay statue.

His cheeks were deeply sunken, and his complexion, already sallow due to Thousand Faces, now exuded a deathly stillness like that of withered wood.

Yet inside his body, it was a scene of completely contrasting violence.

"Hoo... ha..."

Wisps of thick, heavy white mist were exhaled from his nose and mouth, coalescing and refusing to dissipate in the air.

This was him frantically squeezing the medicinal power from those Mortal tonics.

For two months, he had not stepped out once.

Lacking Spiritual Qi, he relied on century-old ginseng and deer antler he had purchased, stuffing them into his stomach like firewood.

Longevity Art, this wood-attribute Cultivation Technique, displayed astonishing resilience at this moment, forcibly converting that Mortal blood energy bit by bit into impure Spiritual Qi, which was then washed and purified thousands of times by the Dantian vortex, turning into droplets of cyan mana.

This was an extremely painful and inefficient process.

If it were an ordinary Sect Disciple, they would certainly prepare High Grade qi gathering pills or the inner core of a Tier 2 Yao Beast to assist in breaking through to Late-Stage Qi Refining.

But Gu Shen did not.

The six droplets of essence white dew (inferior) in his storage ring were simply insufficient to help him break through the barrier.

He could only use the most foolish and arduous method: dripping water wears away stone.

Gurgle.

A thunderous, gnawing pain of hunger erupted from his stomach.

Mortal herbs replenished blood energy, but they could not fill his stomach.

Gu Shen did not open his eyes; his Divine Sense probed into the storage ring with extreme familiarity.

A jar of iron-sealed meat paste and a bottle of pure water appeared in his palm out of thin air.

He crushed the iron lid with one hand, mixing the salty, fishy meat paste with the cold, pure water and swallowing it in large gulps.

Once the meat entered his stomach, it was instantly pulverized by his powerful stomach, turning into surging heat that flooded into his limbs and bones.

Gu Shen suddenly opened his eyes, the sharp light within them piercing through the gloom like a physical substance.

"Now is the time!"

Inside his Dantian, the cyan vortex, which had been forcibly compressed to the extreme and was now as thick as mercury, finally emitted a roar of being overwhelmed after receiving the replenishment of this heat flow.

Boom!

An invisible barrier within his body shattered with a bang.

The vortex, which was originally only the size of a walnut, instantly expanded to double its size!

The cyan mana, like a river breaking its banks, surged along the twelve main Meridians; wherever it passed, his Meridians were forcibly widened and reshaped, and a layer of fine black filth oozed out through his pores.

Qi Refining Level 7!

Stepping into Late Stage!

Gu Shen stood up abruptly, his bones cracking like popping beans throughout his body.

He did not cast any Spells, merely clenching his right fist.

A dull sonic boom actually erupted in the air.

"Late-Stage Qi Refining, a qualitative change in mana. No wonder that Gloomy Demonic Cultivator and the Danding Sect's hidden agent kill Middle Stage Qi Refining cultivators like chickens."

Feeling the surging vitality and mana within him, a cold arc curled at the corner of Gu Shen's mouth.

Stepping into Qi Refining Level 7 meant that he had finally completely escaped the ranks of cannon fodder at the bottom of the Great Yu Cultivation World.

Now, if he were to cast Soul-Shocking Spike, its power would at least double; the lightning power of the thunder pattern gold-slaying blade could also sustain a longer burst.

Even the layer of Wood Armor Technique on his body, if activated now, would have a thickness and durability comparable to a true Medium Grade Magical Artifact.

Gu Shen walked to the well in the courtyard, drew a bucket of well water, and washed away the foul-smelling filth from his body.

The autumn water was bone-chilling, but he felt completely comfortable.

After washing up, he changed into a clean set of black short-sleeved clothes.

Gu Shen returned to the room, not rushing to go out, but habitually walked to the window and listened intently.

Even though he had been in closed-door seclusion for these two months, he knew the movements outside the wall like the back of his hand.

It was extremely abnormal.

The Black Tiger Gang's convoy transporting yin-gathering soil had gone from making a trip every three to five days at the beginning to now running every single night without rest.

Furthermore, the tire tracks were getting deeper and deeper.

"Creak... creak..."

Just as he was thinking this, the heavy sound of a wheelbarrow crushing the muddy ground came again from the dead-end alley outside the wall.

Accompanied by the heavy panting of Mortal laborers and the hushed curses of the Gang overseers.

"Be quick with your hands and feet! The pit outside the city has been emptied; this is the last batch of goods! It must be delivered to Dragon Tooth Valley before the Hour of the Rat tonight!"

The overseer's whip cracked in the air, emitting a sharp sound.

Gu Shen's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked coldly at the convoy outside the wall through the gap in the window.

"The last batch of goods?"

Gu Shen's heart skipped a beat.

The excavation and transport of the yin-gathering soil had ended.

What did this mean?

It meant that the base of the incomparably vast Blood Sacrifice Array in the White Bone Forest had been completely stabilized and no longer required external materials to fill it.

The array was about to close its net.

The blood marrow lotus, watered with the essence blood of thousands of Loose Cultivators, was about to mature!

"No wonder the Black Tiger Gang is so impatient."

Gu Shen quickly deduced in his mind, "Once the blood lotus matures, the Danding Sect and the Blood Fiend Sect will inevitably engage in an extremely brutal struggle. The Danding Sect's hidden agent in this Pingyang City will likely withdraw soon, or simply silence those in the Black Tiger Gang who know the truth."

A storm of blood and gore, sweeping through the two great Sects and countless Loose Cultivators, was about to completely explode in the Cultivation World.

But Gu Shen's eyes were unusually calm.

"The struggle for the blood marrow lotus will definitely involve the intervention of those at the Foundation Establishment Stage or even stronger. For a Loose Cultivator like me who has just broken through to Qi Refining Level 7 to join in such excitement would mean ten deaths and no life."

The essence of the Dao of Survival lies in knowing when to advance and when to retreat, and understanding gains and losses.

Since he had seen the center of the storm, he just needed to stay safe on the very outskirts of it.

Being too close would easily lead to being smashed to pieces. Being too far away meant not even getting a sip of soup.

"Pingyang City is no longer safe either. Before the Danding Sect's hidden agent leaves, they will inevitably clean up the traces."

Gu Shen glanced at the dilapidated courtyard.

The purpose of his seclusion had been achieved.

Although the Mortal realm was safe, the Spirit Stones and cultivation resources in his storage ring could not be effectively replenished here.

After Qi Refining Level 7, wanting to rely on Mortal herbs to Breakthrough again was like a fool's dream.

"It is time to leave."

He re-wrapped the thunder pattern gold-slaying blade in a rag and strapped it to his back.

His gaze swept over the items in the storage ring.

(Low-Grade Spirit Stone: 45. Crystal fragments: 90. Inferior essence white dew: 6 droplets. red blood essence glue: 7 lumps. Blood Crystal Pill: 3. Sky Thunder Talisman: 1. Meridian Protecting Pill: 2. soul nourishing dew: 4 droplets. Pure water: 4 bottles. iron-sealed meat paste: 7 jars. Silver thunder pattern token: 1.)

This was all the property he had to rely on for his survival now.

"Before leaving, I will make one more trip to the Spiritless Ruins."

Gu Shen took a deep breath, his mind stirring.

Since he had decided to return to that man-eating meat grinder known as the Cultivation World, he had to ensure that his resource reserves reached their Peak state.

There was still a small half of the second floor of the Spiritless Ruins left unsearched; perhaps he could still find some trump cards to save his life.

Gray mist silently spread throughout the main room.