Mythical Cultivation

Old Master Wu patted Wu Ming's hand gently and said, "Not bad, it's just some trivial matters that give me a headache. As for you, you've been away for so long this time, how's your mission going?"

Wu Ming scratched his head and replied with a hint of shame, "Not ideal, Grandpa. While I didn't encounter any major dangers along the way, the mission wasn't as successful as I'd hoped. In the end, I only earned a little over 200 Contribution Points." Wu Ming then recounted his experiences over the past month in detail, from the initial mission to Baiye City, to the various minor troubles and crises he encountered along the way, to the final lack of missions after the major factions withdrew their strength.

"It seems that the major forces have really angered the sect this time! Even the powerful forces like Zheng and Lin, which are among the four major families, can be ruthlessly eradicated by the sect! Although the situation of Nangong and Hehuan Sect is slightly better, they have only lost a part of disciples in the Qi training and foundation building realm. But even so, they can be said to be seriously injured! After this battle, the originally stable situation in Qingjiang County will inevitably set off huge waves like a storm. I am afraid that the calm days of the past will never be repeated!" Wu Tianlong couldn't help but sighed.

Sunlight streamed through the window lattice into the room, illuminating the solemn expressions of the two men. They sat quietly, discussing the possible consequences of this incident and its impact on the future. Time slipped by, and before they knew it, the sun had set, and a brilliant sunset glow covered the horizon.

Finally, as night fell, the two of them concluded their in-depth conversation with a lingering feeling. Wu Ming slowly stood up, bowed goodbye to his grandfather, Wu Tianlong, and then turned to leave Hesheng Hall. He walked alone in the moonlight back to his sect residence.

Time flies like a white horse passing by, and two and a half years have passed in a flash.

"It wasn't easy, but I finally reached the ninth level of Qi Refining!" Wu Ming muttered to himself as he looked at the nine cyclones slowly spinning in his Dantian. Thinking back on the past two and a half years, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

During those two and a half years, Wu Ming rarely ventured out of the Qingyun Sect, spending the vast majority of his time at his residence, immersed in diligent cultivation. Only every few months would he visit Hesheng Hall in Qingyun Market to see his grandfather. His rapid breakthrough to the ninth level of Qi Refining was due to Wu Ming's consistent use of high-quality Qi-boosting pills to aid his practice. Furthermore, the mysterious Kongming Pearl also played a crucial role. Its constant operation, day and night, provided Wu Ming with a constant supply of energy, allowing him to continuously refine and purify his true essence, thus avoiding potential bottlenecks during breakthroughs.

If Wu Ming had relied solely on his own cultivation, consuming only ordinary-quality Qi-boosting pills, he estimated it would have taken him four to five years to reach his current ninth level of Qi Refining. However, while the constant consumption of high-quality Qi-boosting pills had led to a rapid improvement in his cultivation, it had also significantly reduced his Spirit Stone reserves. After all, these precious elixirs were pricey, and even someone with a modest savings like Wu Ming would find it unaffordable in the long run. Nevertheless, the remarkable progress achieved in just two and a half years made the effort well worth it.

The path of cultivation is long and arduous! Even someone as gifted and well-progressed as Wu Ming deeply understands the numerous difficulties and obstacles it presents. Back when Wu Ming first reached the eighth level of Qi Refining, his spiritual awareness had already reached the limits of what ordinary Qi Refining cultivators could achieve—a range of a hundred meters. His range had already reached 120 meters, far surpassing that of the average peak Qi Refining cultivator. Furthermore, due to his long-term practice of the Hundred Refinements True Body, his physical strength had also long since broken through the bottleneck, reaching the pinnacle of Qi Refining.

Therefore, for Wu Ming, continued cultivation simply required persistent accumulation of true essence to successfully break through the shackles of his current realm. After all, all other conditions had already been met for the ninth level of Qi Refining. However, even under ideal circumstances, it still took him a full two and a half years to achieve his goal. This experience undoubtedly vividly illustrates the arduous and arduous path of cultivation.

Fortunately, Wu Ming had reaped rich rewards during his two and a half years of arduous cultivation. At this moment, he slowly closed his eyes and, using introspection, gazed at the nine rapidly spinning cyclones within his dantian. His gaze suddenly revealed a mysterious, gauzy substance surrounding the cyclones. If he was right, this mist-like substance must have been caused by the excessive purity of his true essence, emanating from within the cyclones.

It's important to understand that, normally, the zhenyuan within a Qi Refining cultivator's body is in a gaseous state. Only when one reaches the Foundation Establishment stage does the zhenyuan transform into a liquid state. However, surprisingly, Wu Ming's zhenyuan took on an extremely rare atomized form! If his understanding was correct, this phenomenon meant that the quality of his zhenyuan had already surpassed that of ordinary Qi Refining cultivators. While not comparable to the liquid zhenyuan of Foundation Establishment cultivators, it was still a qualitative leap and sublimation.

Although in terms of quantity, his true essence may not be comparable to those cultivators at the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining, but in other aspects, he is undoubtedly superior to many Qi Refining cultivators.

It's worth noting that over the past two and a half years, he hasn't simply been practicing in seclusion. He has punctually attended the monthly sermons held by the sect's deacons, never missing a single one. It was through these valuable learning opportunities that he absorbed a wealth of knowledge and experience, gradually forming a systematic and comprehensive understanding of the path of cultivation.

Furthermore, whenever he felt exhausted from cultivation, he would rest in the sect's Sutra Library and peruse the classics. The first floor of the Sutra Library contained numerous books not related to cultivation, and he had already read almost half of them. Because of this, he now had a general understanding of all sorts of common sense, anecdotes, and unusual events in the cultivation world.

Therefore, today, he is no longer the ignorant and naive person he was when he first entered the sect, like a blank slate. After this period of accumulation and precipitation, he has grown into a person with profound knowledge and extensive experience.

Of course, secluded training wasn't simply about immersing oneself in Qi cultivation; it also involved in-depth research and continuous improvement of the techniques one possessed, as well as the constant pursuit of perfection in various skills. He was no longer content with superficial application of techniques, but had begun to delve deeply into the mysteries and potential hidden behind each technique.