Great Immortal With Boundless Mana

Chapter 44: Third Level of Qi Refining

"Zhu Shopkeeper, you died in such an ugly manner."

Gao Xian looked at Zhu Hong'an's corpse and gave a sincere evaluation.

Zhu Shopkeeper, who had turned into a carbonized mummy, only stared with lifeless eyes and didn't respond to Gao Xian.

Gao Xian thought for a moment and added, "But, you look much better this way than when you were alive."

He spoke the truth. The lively Zhu Shopkeeper was like a greedy pig, both ugly and filthy, and extremely greedy. It really annoyed people.

It was better that Zhu Shopkeeper was dead. Although his appearance made Gao Xian a little uneasy, he was very quiet and harmless.

Zhu Qiniang sighed softly as she looked at Zhu Shopkeeper's corpse, "It's a pity I didn't kill you with my own hands."

Gao Xian remained silent. He didn't know why Zhu Qiniang hated Zhu Shopkeeper so much. He felt that there must be some sad past behind it, but it wasn't appropriate to ask too much.

Zhu Qiniang didn't dwell on this matter. She bent down and picked up a black crystal the size of a green bean from the ground.

"The evil spirit left behind an evil spirit crystal core. This is a good thing."

Zhu Qiniang assessed it and said, "It's worth a hundred spirit stones."

After an evil spirit is killed, most of them turn into ashes. However, some evil spirits leave behind special crystal cores.

These crystal cores are called evil spirit crystal cores and are precious materials for refining.

She smiled at Gao Xian and said, "It's rare for a low-level evil spirit like this to condense an evil spirit crystal core. You're lucky."

Gao Xian was also delighted. This was a valuable item worth a hundred spirit stones. He would have to sell a thousand packets of Deer Horn Powder to earn this much!

"I'll keep it as evidence for now."

Zhu Qiniang said, "I'll handle it in a while and give you the spirit stones."

"Let's not mention this. You take care of it." Gao Xian liked money, but he wouldn't haggle with Zhu Qiniang over it.

If it weren't for Zhu Qiniang's help this time, he would have had a hard time.

Killing Zhu Shopkeeper wasn't difficult, but he had no way to clean up the aftermath.

Not to mention the Yun Zong, just the family behind Zhu Shopkeeper could easily crush him.

Gao Xian also knew that Zhu Qiniang had a great hatred for Zhu Shopkeeper. Their collusion wasn't simply to help him, but also for her own satisfaction.

Because of this, she even concealed some crucial information, allowing the situation to develop to this point.

However, this didn't affect their relationship.

Zhu Qiniang had always taken care of him and was the only person willing to help him.

Zhou Ye and Huang Ying were only business partners. They would help with some small matters, but they wouldn't help him kill Zhu Shopkeeper.

After this plot, his relationship with Qiniang had clearly deepened. He had to maintain this relationship.

Moreover, Zhu Qiniang gave him the Green Wood Armor without hesitation. It would be boring to quibble over a small evil spirit crystal core.

Zhu Qiniang didn't care about the evil spirit crystal core, but Gao Xian's trust made her feel comfortable.

She nodded slightly and didn't say anything more.

"Zhu Shopkeeper was killed by the evil spirit after Yang An got drunk. Qiniang found something amiss and killed the evil spirit."

Gao Xian recounted the events and concluded, "This explanation should be convincing."

It was a common understanding among cultivators that evil spirits were uncontrollable.

Zhu Shopkeeper was killed by an evil spirit, and his body was dried up and carbonized, showing clear signs of being killed by an evil spirit.

Even if others suspected something was wrong, it would be difficult to find evidence.

Zhu Qiniang also thought that this explanation was fine. She said, "I can handle it."

"Then I'll leave first."

Gao Xian didn't want to stay any longer. It would be difficult to explain if he was seen by someone else.

"I'll come find you in a few days." Zhu Qiniang also felt that Gao Xian should leave. She needed to call her subordinates to deal with the body and have them act as witnesses.

Gao Xian flicked his finger and a faint light circulated from top to bottom, activating the Feather Flight Technique.

He exerted a slight force under his feet, and he floated lightly over the high wall in the backyard.

Under the moonlight, Gao Xian's clothes fluttered, and he seemed as light as a feather, silently drifting far away before landing without a sound.

Gao Xian feels very good about himself and enjoys this elegant and agile feeling.

However, Feather Flying Technique is not practical in battle. Floating in the air like this makes him an easy target.

Feather Flying Technique is light, while Wind Control Technique is fast.

After the dissipation of the mana from Feather Flying Technique, Gao Xian activated Wind Control Technique on his Water and Fire Lotus Silk Boots. With a flash of light, his speed suddenly increased.

However, relying solely on the force from his feet to propel himself, every step he took would kick up a large cloud of dust on the yellow dirt road, making it impossible to maintain the previous graceful posture.

Returning home, he noticed that the talismans on the doors and windows were undisturbed, indicating that no one had come.

Gao Xian breathed a sigh of relief. There were still many medicinal herbs in the room, and he would be heartbroken if they were lost.

After a busy night without eating, he was starving.

He went to the kitchen to start a fire and cook. Soon, the aroma of the food filled the air, and the little black cat came running with a meow.

This time, the little black cat cautiously assessed Gao Xian before approaching him and rubbing against his feet with a meow.

Gao Xian found it amusing that ever since he was plagued by evil energy, the little black cat acted like a scheming girl, enjoying his food and drink but not allowing him to touch it.

Now that the evil energy was gone, the little black cat finally approached him on its own.

Gao Xian didn't mind. He picked up the little black cat and petted it, saying, "Today is a good day, I'll give you an extra meal..."

Having successfully dealt with Zhu the shopkeeper according to plan, it felt like a heavy burden had been lifted from Gao Xian's chest. He felt incredibly refreshed and happy.

After feeding himself and the little black cat, Gao Xian took advantage of his good state and began practicing the Five Elements Technique.

The image of Lanjie appeared in Gao Xian's mind, and under her guidance, he guided the spiritual energy into his body and started circulating it according to the route of the Five Elements Technique.

After thirty-six cycles, the circulating spiritual energy naturally converged into his spine. With a gentle tremor, it flowed through his limbs and bones.

With the circulation of spiritual energy, it eventually condensed into a stable vortex of spiritual energy in the center of his spine.

When the practice ended, Gao Xian had a happy expression on his face. He sat on the bed and savored the comfortable feeling of the circulating spiritual energy in his limbs and bones for a while.

After months of hard work, he finally opened up the circulation of spiritual energy in his spine and formed a second Qi orifice.

According to the most common saying, when a cultivator develops a sense of Qi, breathes and circulates spiritual energy through the meridians, it is called the first level of Qi Refining.

Opening a Qi orifice in the lower dantian is the second level. Opening the circulation of spiritual energy in the spine and throughout the body is the third level.

In simpler terms, the third level is referred to as opening the bone orifice.

In reality, this is just a description and not entirely accurate.

Zhu Qiniang had told Gao Xian that the so-called bone orifice is actually the Lingtai acupoint, located at the lower end of the sixth vertebra.

After the spiritual energy circulates through the spine and the body, it naturally condenses into another Qi orifice at the Lingtai acupoint.

In other words, a cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining has an additional Qi orifice for breathing and circulating spiritual energy.

This additional Qi orifice is closely related to the entire skeletal structure, enhancing the cultivator's mana while also strengthening their bones and muscles.

Different cultivation methods and different constitutions result in significant differences in the specific state of cultivators at the third level of Qi Refining. It cannot be generalized.

Gao Xian feels that his mana has at least doubled, and the speed of breathing and circulating spiritual energy has also increased significantly, probably by about seventy to eighty percent compared to before.

In terms of his physical body, he can clearly feel that every joint is stronger, and his body's coordination and flexibility have greatly improved.

He tried a little experiment and found that if he wanted to, he could completely curl himself up.

For example, if a pimple appeared on his buttocks, he could see it clearly.

Gao Xian took out the Book of Wind and Moon and admired the upgraded data.

Lifespan: 24/80

Cultivation: Third level of Qi Refining (1/300)

Five Elements Technique: Third level (Mastery 241/300)

Reaching the third level of Qi Refining has also increased his lifespan by three years, which is the biggest surprise.

After a few months of diligent cultivation, he has also reached the level of mastery in the Five Elements Technique and will soon reach the expert level.

The higher the level of the Five Elements Technique, the more efficient the breathing and circulation of spiritual energy, as well as the efficiency of mana circulation.

Gao Xian is very satisfied with his progress over the past few months, but he still feels that diligent cultivation is too slow.

It would be much more enjoyable to directly level up with the power of human Dao Lingguang...

(End of this chapter)