Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

After witnessing the mighty Yangtze River, one realizes how narrow and confined the dantian truly is.

Seeing that he was blocked from both sides and could not take another step forward, and that his dantian was beginning to refill with spiritual energy, it meant that this advancement was coming to an end.

I wished him well, but he was not satisfied.

I'm just one step away from the eighth level of Qi Refining. If I miss this opportunity, I might be lucky enough to force my way through with the Qi Refining Technique of the Sky-Gazing Technique.

If you're unlucky, it might take a long time.

The Immortal Cultivation Conference is just around the corner. Among the four major sects, only disciples below the Foundation Establishment stage and under forty years of age are allowed to participate.

However, even within the Qi Refining stage, there are different levels.

Not to mention that she was not satisfied with the seventh level of Qi Refining, in her opinion, even the ninth level of Qi Refining was somewhat unreliable, not to mention... Zhu Wuyao still had things she wanted to do at this Immortal Cultivation Conference.

Thinking of this, her gaze darkened slightly. At this moment, the only way was to exhaust all the spiritual energy in her dantian before that last connection was severed.

In this way, by taking advantage of the opportunity to activate the Qi Refining Technique of the Sky-Gazing Technique, one can rely on the last remaining connection to almost certainly advance to the eighth level of Qi Refining.

She grabbed the bladeless sword and leaped to her feet, pouring all her spiritual power into the sword. She swung the sword down, and a layer of white frost covered the ground. As the spiritual power was poured in, it was as if one could hear the sound of ice cracking.

The thin layer of white frost spread out, instantly covering a distance of nearly a kilometer, centered on Zhu Wuyao.

With a slight furrow of his brow, he released the last bit of his spiritual energy.

Fortunately, this place was empty and deserted. If it were in Beixuan City, there would be no way to so easily deplete one's spiritual energy.

The moment his spiritual energy was depleted, Zhu Wuyao immediately activated the Sky-Gazing Technique in an attempt to break through the barrier.

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Not far away, Hua Yingting quickly put away the alchemy furnace and followed after them with Xu San'er.

Even before getting close, I could feel the chill.

Xu San'er was somewhat surprised and said, "I didn't expect that mule to be able to fight Sister Zhu to a standstill?"

Hua Yingting was also a little confused; logically, this shouldn't be the case.

Could it be that she misread it? That mule doesn't even need to reach the first level of Qi Refining?

wrong!

Another possibility is that A Yao was so enraged that he went mad and is now going berserk.

"Let's go faster!"

"it is good!"

Xu San'er was also quite impatient. He had never seen such a rare scene before and hurried to see the excitement.

So when the two arrived, they witnessed Zhu Wuyao breaking his mirror.

The two stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly as she withdrew her overflowing spiritual energy—

"W-wh-how come Sister Zhu's cultivation level has improved so much in just a short time?!"

Hua Yingting was so surprised that she slapped Xu San'er on the back of the head and said:

"Don't even mention you, even I can't figure it out. How did chasing a mule lead you from the fourth level of Qi Refining to the eighth level!"

Xu San'er suddenly shuddered and said:

"Could it be... that he swallowed the Blue Ling Flower whole before the mule could refine it?"

Believe it or not, it's quite possible. The Blue Ling Flower is inherently beneficial to Qi Refining stage cultivators. After being swallowed by the mule, perhaps some strange reaction occurred. If it were further aided by some evil magic...

hiss--!

He quickly looked around and, sure enough, didn't see the mule from before.

Xu San'er also knew that her speculation was somewhat outrageous; how could she have swallowed a mule whole?

They must have directly absorbed the mule's essence using evil magic!

When she saw her open her eyes and look in this direction, Xu San'er was so frightened that she took several steps back, leaving Zhu Wuyao looking completely bewildered.

However, there is something more important now—

She looked at Hua Yingting and asked sincerely, "Can I get a refund for the spiritual herbs and medicines I owe?"

Hua Yingting nodded somewhat blankly. She raised her hand and touched her forehead, feeling that it might be a hallucination.

She had read Mr. Silent's stories and was much more receptive than Xu San'er.

Even in the stories, those opportunities to advance many realms in succession are fraught with peril, with only a slim chance of survival.

But Ah Yao... it seems she only chased after a mule?

"You...your realm?"

"I was chasing a mule just now, and something struck me, and I had an epiphany."

Xu San'er looked over from behind Hua Yingting and asked somewhat cautiously:

"Sister Zhu, how...how did you achieve this sudden enlightenment?"

"I originally intended to scare it by slashing down with my sword—"

"So you chopped up that mule?!" No matter how Xu San'er thought about it, this explanation sounded like he was trying to cover up a crime.

"The mule ran away... and then it dawned on me, 'Wait, where's my mule?'"

Zhu Wuyao then realized that his mule was missing!

She quickly circled the area twice, but unfortunately it didn't snow much, making tracking difficult.

"Gentlemen, are you skilled at tracking?"

Zhu Wuyao stood in front of a series of hoof prints, but unfortunately they disappeared completely not far away, leaving only a general direction.

Seeing the hoofprints that stretched for quite a distance, Xu San'er finally breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, he had gained a friend who had become stronger, rather than a powerful and ruthless one.

"Sister Zhu, I'm not very good at this."

Hua Yingting, still in a daze, snapped out of it upon hearing this, sighed softly, and said:

"Don't look at me, I'm much better at things like alchemy."

Zhu Wuyao was in a bit of a headache. She only wanted to slash it twice, so how did the radish run away?

The method of divination by oneself is not suitable for tracking.

While a level one Qi Refining cultivator may not pose a major threat, they are noticeably smarter and more capable than an ordinary mule. If they were to follow their habits and destroy someone else's vegetable garden, that would be a terrible sin.

If some other fortuitous opportunity arises, he might become a powerful demon, gathering followers throughout the mountains and forests...

Zhu Wuyao seemed to imagine a standing mule, blocking the mountain and robbing people, committing all sorts of evil deeds, who would suddenly appear and shout "This road is mine!" when it encountered some merchant caravan or escort agency...

No no no!

There are too many uncertainties; we must find it and keep it close at hand, watching over it constantly.

Moreover, having a mule at the first level of Qi Refining as a mount is much more impressive than riding an ordinary white horse.

Zhu Wuyao inquired about the matter and decided to arrest the mule and return it to the mountain.

"The future of Jiguanshan may have changed, which is why I just broke through to a higher realm. I'll make one last trip tomorrow, and maybe I'll gain some other insights."

"You all go back to the city lord's mansion first. I need to go find Radish. It has gained some consciousness, and I'm worried about it running around outside."

In particular, it even knows where it lives.

What if they raid the entire village's land overnight and bring the whole village to confront me demanding an explanation...?

Thinking of all the possibilities, Zhu Wuyao pressed his temples, feeling a bit hot and bothered.

Hua Yingting and Xu San'er also stayed behind to help search, and they found a series of footprints here and some chew marks there.

"Ah Yao, it seems to have come back, and then ran away again!"

"Sister Zhu, there are also hoof prints left by it about two kilometers away."

……

The three searched all night but couldn't find the mule, so they had to give up.

Zhu Wuyao's temples throbbed. Once he returned to the Star-Picking Tower, he would have to find a senior to help him with a divination to see what was going on with that mule.

I hope the senior elders of the Star-Picking Tower will be more approachable and not throw themselves out here...