RNP Chapter 83 Qi Refining Level 9, First Exploration of the Secret Realm
Chapter 83 Qi Refining Level 9, First Exploration of the Secret Realm
Chapter 83 Refining Qi to the Ninth Level, First Exploration of the Secret Realm
Chen Yi poked his head out like a turtle, took a breath, and then retreated back in.
Once it shrank, it never came out again.
Li Yudie kept watch outside Chen Yi's secluded cultivation cave, but Chen Yi just wouldn't come out.
Li Yudie waited in vain, her heart burning with anxiety, yet she was utterly helpless.
More than a month later, Chen Yi's cultivation level barely broke through to the ninth level of Qi Refining. All that remained for him was to slowly accumulate spiritual power to raise it to the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining.
In this process, what can improve the quality of foundation building is also the quality of magical power.
Other cultivators, unless they possess extremely rare elixirs to help refine the quality of their mana, or have a powerful expert at the Core Formation stage or above assist in the refining process, have no other option.
Chen Yi can also absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth of corresponding attributes to optimize his cultivation path and improve the quality of his magical power.
then,
He left only the Illusion Talisman in his cave, having already transformed himself into a bald, burly strongman, and discreetly left Qingfeng Immortal City.
They boarded a flying boat and headed back to Lake and Sea Market.
Three days later
The lakebed is dark and deep.
The cold light of the luminous pearl reflected in the swaying water.
At the bottom of the ice crystal ore passage, within a temporary water-retaining array,
Chen Yi had the Jade Dragon Sect deacon register his identity as the bald, burly Xu Jiu as a strongman.
They also displayed a storage bag containing only a small amount of pills, talismans, and other items.
"Once inside, try not to use your magic power, and absolutely do not use your divine sense. You can move freely within this jade slip map, but there are many extremely dangerous areas marked on it, so try to avoid them."
The Jade Dragon Sect encourages all fellow cultivators to explore new maps of the secret realm. If there are any gains from pioneering work, the spoils will be divided 50/50 upon completion.
The other party tossed Chen Yi a simple jade slip containing a map of a secret realm.
Chen Yi mingled among a group of cultivators. After listening to the Jade Dragon Sect steward's instructions at the entrance of the secret realm, he followed the others into the great formation from the bottom of the lake.
The moment they passed through the formation, the heavy pressure of the lake water receded like a tide.
Chen Yi's feet sank, his boots sinking into a half-inch-thick layer of mossy meadow. The damp, humus-like smell mixed with a certain sweet, fishy scent wafted towards him.
Looking up, the scenery a thousand feet away had been swallowed up by the gray-white mist. The surging mist writhed like living things, sometimes gathering into vortexes, sometimes tearing out strange cracks.
He quietly activated his third eye, and the third eye aperture became slightly warm.
Dozens of streaks of light suddenly appeared in my field of vision—some flickering like fireflies, others rushing past like arrows, leaving long trails of flame in the mist.
Within three breaths, two orbs of spiritual light from the northeast collided violently, and the resulting ripples of spiritual energy caused his third eye to sting faintly.
"It's at least a battle between second-tier demonic beasts," Chen Yi secretly judged.
Ahead of Chen Yi, the dozens of fellow adventurers quickly split into several teams and dispersed.
Some people were still standing there; these people clearly hadn't formed a team beforehand and were still looking around.
Chen Yi was also entering for the first time, so he did not act rashly.
He used his divine sense to perceive the jade slip and discovered that some maps inside were marked with four colors: white, yellow, red, and black.
White indicates high safety, yellow indicates slight danger, red is a deep warning, and black is a certain death trap.
The mist wasn't pure spiritual energy; it was a mixture of spiritual energy, demonic energy, malevolent energy, and other energies that Chen Yi couldn't distinguish.
If a cultivator uses this mist to restore their magical power, over time it will cause their magical power to become stagnant and toxins to accumulate, permanently damaging the cultivator's foundation of magical power.
According to the analysis of a senior array master, there may be a third-tier spiritual vein blessed land with rich and pure spiritual energy deep in the secret realm.
Therefore, in the outer areas, where one cannot use divine sense or much magic power, puppets and spirit beasts are the best choices for exploration, while the worst choice is a physical warrior.
Of the dozens of people who came in this batch, more than half were strongmen. Most of them were trained from ordinary martial artists by sects or large families. These people started to cultivate their bodies from childhood, and now they have reached the bone-refining stage, making them suitable for doing these tough jobs of being meat shields and exploring.
Chen Yi also entered as a rogue cultivator.
Several strongmen who were entering for the first time looked around. After a brief discussion, they decided to temporarily form a team to conduct a simple reconnaissance.
Chen Yi also joined the seven-person team. In addition to the six warriors, the team also had a beast tamer with a second-tier demon beast, a golden eagle, perched on his shoulder.
The group hadn't even given their names, nor had they outlined how to respond in case of danger; clearly, it was a very loose and temporary team.
Chen Yi was well aware of the situation and knew to evacuate immediately if danger arose.
On the first day, he followed a few people and walked through the areas marked in white.
This includes a valley, a lakeside forest, and the base of a towering tree that dozens of people could barely encircle.
These places, apart from being shrouded in denser fog, are indeed not dangerous.
Of course, the group didn't gain much either, only finding a spirit herb under the tree that could barely be considered a first-tier spirit herb.
Clearly, anything of value had already been looted by our ancestors.
Under the ancient tree, Chen Yi tried touching it but found that the system was not activated.
The system cannot devour living beings.
"Gentlemen, time is limited. Even for us body cultivators, we cannot stay in this secret realm for more than ten days. Ultimately, the gains from the white area are limited."
If you don't want your trip to be in vain, you should still go and explore the areas above the yellow zone.
I'm planning to go to Mirror Lake to take a look. Anyone want to come along?
The young beast-taming cultivator spoke up, while the other body cultivators all shook their heads.
The boy had no choice but to leave the group on his own.
These body cultivators then each told others where they were going and asked if anyone wanted to go with them.
Chen Yi then took the opportunity to leave, his destination being the valley of spiritual herbs that Zhao Jingwu had visited first.
Today, the outer edge of that valley is marked in yellow, the medicinal garden in red, and the deeper part in black.
Chen Yi's main purpose in coming here was to obtain some spiritual herbs to improve the purity of his magical power.
After his initial exploration, he had a general understanding of the danger level of this place.
Following the markings on the jade slip, Chen Yi headed towards the herb garden, which was several miles away.
With each thousand feet he traveled, Chen Yi felt as if he were entering a new territory.
Suddenly, he felt a surge of pressure around him, and the chaotic spiritual mist in the air became increasingly viscous.
Suddenly, a blinding silver light shone through the fog ahead, piercing straight to the center of his brow like a sharp sword!
Chen Yi's pupils contracted slightly, and the complex divine sense shield woven from the triple divine sense power threads of ice, wood, and metal, which had been gathering power between his brows, suddenly lit up.
The second-tier, mid-grade silver light of divine sense collided with the divine sense shield, only causing a ripple and failing to damage the shield's surface structure.
At the same time, a system notification sounded:
[Alien consciousness attack detected] [Absorbing. 15% - 30%]
The silver light exploded into tiny starlight fragments in Chen Yi's sea of consciousness, the purest part transforming into a trickle that nourished his misty ocean of divine consciousness.
—The original coverage area of a hundred feet had expanded outward by a foot or so in an almost imperceptible manner.
"It's several levels stronger than the spiritual attack from the bottom of the lake," Chen Yi silently assessed.
If this attack were delivered to the outside world, it would be enough to cause an ordinary late-stage Qi Refining cultivator to faint on the spot, and a Foundation Establishment early-stage cultivator to suffer headaches and injuries.
However, Chen Yi's divine sense now surpasses that of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Especially after his divine sense shield was strengthened by combining with the metal-attribute divine sense from the new third divine aperture, this level of attack is nothing more than a gentle breeze.
As Zhao Jingwu said, the spiritual attacks in the secret realm seem to follow a certain pattern. Whenever a certain area is crossed, the silver light arrives as promised, and it gets stronger and stronger.
"If I can cultivate here for a period of time, it may allow my spiritual sense to improve further." A glint flashed in his eyes.
The ancient soul power contained within this silver light is purer than the mixed divine consciousness of the great array at the bottom of the lake, making it an excellent source of nourishment for enhancing divine consciousness.
However, Chen Yi did not act rashly.
He carefully noted the intervals, frequency, and intensity changes of the silver light attacks, confirming that his consciousness could fully recover within a hundred breaths after each attack before continuing to steadily advance towards the medicine garden.
As you venture deeper, the scenery in the valley gradually becomes extraordinary.
The low-level cultivators and ordinary explorers have disappeared, replaced by powerful and skilled cultivators.
Chen Yi saw a puppeteer in the distance, manipulating a second-tier high-grade puppet to clear a path.
In the distance, another beast tamer rode a spirit tiger, charging forward.
And right at the edge of the herb garden valley
Chen Yi noticed several cultivators lingering around, but they themselves did not enter the Medicine Valley.
They could send in puppets, spirit pets, or their strongmen.
Currently, all the valuable medicinal herbs in the outer area of Medicine Valley have already been harvested by our predecessors. If we want to gain anything, we must venture deeper into the valley.
However, deep within the Medicine Valley lies an ancient protective formation that occasionally unleashes incredibly powerful lightning. Cultivators who wish to venture deeper to seek treasures must possess the strength to withstand the lightning formation's attacks.
Just as Chen Yi reached the edge of the herb garden valley and was about to step in to explore, a young cultivator in magnificent robes suddenly emerged from the woods around the corner.
The man, with an arrogant expression, shouted loudly in Chen Yi's direction, "Hey, you bald strongman, I'm talking to you!"
Upon hearing the voice, Chen Yi turned his head and looked at the male cultivator, thinking to himself, "What a coincidence, this person is none other than Young Master Qi, who stole my premium Foundation Establishment Pill."
Having not seen him for over half a year, Chen Yi was surprised to find that he had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Moreover, a quick glance with his [Heavenly Eye] revealed that the man's magical power was pure, comparable to that of an Earth Spiritual Root.
Clearly, they benefited from the premium Foundation Building Pill.
Chen Yi was seething with anger, feeling he had nowhere to settle scores with this person, when unexpectedly, things turned out differently, and they met here.
Moreover, Chen Yi is currently using the identity of Xu Jiu, a rogue cultivator whom no one recognizes, and even Core Formation experts cannot enter this secret realm.
This is a good opportunity.
Chen Yi paused slightly, his eyebrows twitching almost imperceptibly. He slowly turned around, his gaze calmly fixed on the woods.
"Fellow Daoist, are you calling for me?"
"Isn't that obvious? Who else around here is bald besides you?"
Here you are, take this jade pendant. You can sense my treasure-hunting rat. It just sent me a message, it seems to have found something new and good, but it's too small to carry it all at once.
Go inside, find it, and help me get my treasure out.
Hmm? Your silverback squirrel went in, found something good, and now you're getting someone else to haul it out?
A hint of amusement flashed in Chen Yi's eyes; this was a good opportunity.
But on the surface,
Chen Yi neither listened to the other party nor accepted the jade token, but instead showed a troubled expression:
"If it can't be transported out, it must be located very deep inside. It's marked in red, with deadly lightning traps. I wouldn't dare go that deep."
"Hmph, bald guy, let me let you know that I am Qi Yunshan of the Xuanxiao Sect, and Qi Yunxi, the sect's number one true disciple, is my own sister!"
After Qi Yunshan finished speaking proudly, he waited for Chen Yi to change his attitude and gratefully accept his employment task.
However, Chen Yi remained unmoved.
"I apologize, but I am a wandering cultivator from the wilderness and do not know anything about the Xuanxiao Sect or the prodigies you mentioned."
"You! I'm talking to a brick wall! Fine, I wouldn't understand any of this with a country bumpkin like you. 500 spirit stones is enough for a strongman like you to save up for ten years!"
"I'm sorry, there is deadly danger inside. I cannot comply."
Chen Yi still refused. 500 spirit stones? Who are you trying to fool?
"How much do you want? Kid, don't push your luck. If you don't want it, there are plenty of other people here who will."
"Why doesn't Young Master Qi look for someone else?"
"you!"
It was either because it was too dangerous; either the people who agreed never came out after going in, or the people outside didn't dare to agree.
"800 spirit stones, no bargaining. If you don't agree, I'll have my treasure-hunting rat slowly move the money out of my pocket."
"make a deal."
Then Chen Yi looked at the other person and told him to take the spirit stones first before he would go in.
In the end, Qi Yunshan paid Chen Yi 800 spirit stones and handed over the jade token that could sense the location of the treasure-hunting rat to Chen Yi.
Chen Yi then went inside.
Of course, Qi Yunshan wasn't worried about Chen Yi escaping. If he went inside, he would either die or come out severely injured. He also had an old servant at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage by his side, so dealing with a weakling like Chen Yi would be a piece of cake.
The moment Chen Yi stepped into the valley, he keenly sensed a mysterious lightning spirit locking onto him; its level was very high.
Chen Yi was only able to sense the lightning spirit intent locked onto him by his divine sense, which possessed third-tier attributes, but he was unable to dispel it.
Chen Yi's heart tightened immediately, realizing that the array formation here was of a high level and not a place where he could act recklessly.
The spiritual energy in the valley was noticeably purer, and the air was filled with the scent of medicinal herbs.
He was very friendly towards his Taiyi Longevity True Talisman.
If it weren't for the Thunder Spirit's intent hanging above his head, he would have even wanted to sit down here and start cultivating.
Chen Yi wandered around the outer edge of the valley and found that he could move freely in most of the places where the spiritual herbs had been harvested, and no lightning bolts struck him from above.
The further he went, the stronger the lightning spirit that was locking onto him became.
Chen Yi activated his Heavenly Eye and discovered several places deep within, teeming with spiritual energy. These places must contain high-grade spiritual herbs and medicines.
However, if he could discover it, others could naturally discover it too, and it hasn't been poached yet.
This means that ordinary puppets, demonic beasts, and body cultivators all perished there.
Chen Yi did not make any rash moves for the time being.
He took out the jade token given to him by Qi Yunshan, sensed the direction of the treasure-hunting squirrel, and moved in that direction along the route.
He discovered that as long as he stayed in a low-lying area and did not touch any nearby spiritual herbs or medicines, the thunderclouds in the sky would not strike him with lightning.
"Could it be that with more people coming in, the energy of the lightning array needs to be used sparingly?"
Chen Yi made wild guesses.
After walking forward for several miles,
Chen Yi finally noticed that a silver-backed, long-tailed squirrel was squeaking at the jade pendant in his hand.
It recognized Chen Yi, the laborer, and then turned its head to signal Chen Yi to follow it.
As expected of a treasure-hunting squirrel, it actually managed to find a path in this valley that avoids most of the places with dense lightning and spiritual energy overhead.
Following the treasure-hunting squirrel, they arrived at a hole in the wall. The entrance was only about a foot wide, too narrow for humans to enter; only small magical beasts like rats and cats could pass through.
The soil at the entrance of the hole was freshly dug out; perhaps it wasn't dug out by this little creature.
The squirrel gestured for Chen Yi to wait there, then plunged into its burrow.
After a while,
It struggled to pull out a stone the size of a washbasin.
It gleamed with a coppery sheen, and occasionally an electric current could be seen flowing across its surface.
Chen Yi stared intently at it, recalling some of the books on weapon-refining materials he had consulted.
We can finally confirm that this substance is indeed raw copper ore!
Sensing the fluctuations of lightning spiritual energy within, Chen Yi estimated it to be roughly at the mid-grade of the second tier.
This one large piece alone is worth hundreds of spirit stones!
Judging from the appearance of these little creatures, there are clearly quite a few more in the hole.
It gestured for Chen Yi to keep a close watch, then turned and went back into the cave to move the item.
This process is repeated five times.
Five pieces of copper ore, each about the size of a washbasin, were moved out.
The little squirrel was panting heavily. It stared at Chen Yi, one paw pointing towards the exit, "Chirp—"
It seemed like an order was being given to Chen Yi: "Why aren't you moving these out for the master?"
Chen Yi looked at the little guy with great interest.
He had just handled this piece of ore; it weighed about two thousand pounds.
There was lightning flowing across it, but since the power of the lightning spirit was contained within the ore, it wouldn't be released indiscriminately over a large area.
With his body tempered to a state of half-copper bones, Chen Yi was neither reliant on a system nor afraid of being struck by lightning.
They were not afraid of the second-tier demon beast in front of them.
However, this little squirrel was exhausted after carrying five pieces of ore weighing two thousand pounds each.
Therefore, Chen Yi concluded that this thing might be good at finding treasures, but it was clearly inferior to large-sized demonic beasts of the same level in terms of strength.
It seems their combat strength isn't very good.
If that's the case, then it's easier to handle.
Seeing that Chen Yi did not move,
The squirrel stood up, one paw on its hip, the other pointing angrily at Chen Yi, chirping incessantly.
It must be someone swearing.
"You have too little ore. Take a few more pieces, and I'll go get some more."
Chen Yi said to it.
The little thing clearly understands human speech. Upon hearing this, it immediately lay down on the ground, panting, indicating that it was tired and needed to rest.
"I'm really tired, I can't do any more?"
The little thing lay on the ground and nodded.
"That makes things easier."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Yi moved.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and his golden steps suddenly exploded into a wave of air, his figure tearing through the air like lightning.
The reflection of the silver-backed squirrel in its pupils suddenly magnified, and before it could even bristle, its neck was gripped tightly by a large, iron-like hand—
"Little thing, you like ordering people around to move bricks, don't you?"
Tonight, I'll try some level two squirrel meat first!
Chen Yi's hand gripped it like steel. The squirrel, instead of being startled, became enraged, its face instantly turning red with anger, and a violent surge of demonic power erupted from its body.
It opened its mouth, revealing two long teeth, and bit at Chen Yi's hand. At the same time, the demonic energy emanating from its body formed a beam that shot towards Chen Yi.
however,
"Click—",
Its teeth gnawed at Chen Yi's wrist bone, and broke on the spot as if it were biting into second-grade high-quality spirit copper!
At the same time, the beam of demonic energy that was ejected struck Chen Yi's heart, but it failed to even penetrate his flesh. Instead, it was knocked away by a golden ray of light that bounced off Chen Yi's body.
"Boom—"
Its demonic energy fluctuations also stirred up the thunderclouds in the sky.
A bolt of cyan lightning crashed down fiercely!
"Snap!"
The lightning traveled across Chen Yi's body for a moment, but then, as if sinking into the ocean, it produced no reaction. Instead, it traveled along the connection and retaliated against the squirrel.
"grumble--!!"
The squirrel's silver fur instantly turned black and curled up, its tail stiffened like a stick, and wisps of blue smoke billowed from its mouth and nose.
After the lightning dissipated, it lay limp and lifeless in Chen Yi's palm.
The terrified beast's eyes reflected the bald man's indifferent expression, and it finally realized it had kicked a hornet's nest.
"Chirp chirp chirp"
Its once proud and arrogant long tail drooped limply, and its cry was as weak as a cub's.
The claws carefully hooked onto Chen Yi's sleeve, scratching it lightly a couple of times in a fawning manner, showing no trace of the domineering manner from before.
(End of this chapter)