The vast sea of clouds churned and surged violently, roaring like a tempest.
The mist-shrouded main peak revealed its full splendor, resembling a celestial realm. Then, a radiant Spirit Light flickered across its surface, obscuring the idyllic vista, leaving only a corner of the peak clearly visible.
A celestial warship hovered at the edge of the main peak. A cultivator aboard soared into the air with a sweeping gesture, causing the vessel to emit a vibrant purple glow that bathed a platform at the corner of the peak.
Whoosh!
Over a hundred disciples materialized on the platform.
This was the warship's teleportation function. All Magic Treasures above a certain grade possessed spatial displacement capabilities, a feature Han Yi had witnessed aboard the Sect's massive Soaring Divine Warship.
He focused intently, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Such intense killing intent."
The hundred disciples who had appeared on the platform radiated a ferocious aura of slaughter, their killing intent churning the surrounding clouds. Even through the Illusion Immortal Mirror, Han Yi felt the suffocating force of their intent wash over him.
If he were facing them directly, Han Yi doubted he could even move, paralyzed by the oppressive force.
The density of killing intent, in a way, reflected one's prowess in battle and slaughter.
"Remarkable," Han Yi marveled inwardly. "No wonder it's called the Cave Heaven Trial. At least in terms of carnage and killing intent, they must have gained a great deal."
Han Yi had seen Ninth Layer Inner Peak disciples before. Three had accompanied his team to Heavenfall City, and he occasionally encountered them when entering or leaving the Inner Peak. However, none of those Qi Refining Ninth Layer disciples had exuded such an intense killing aura.
Even Han Yi, standing on Little Spirit Void Peak, was awestruck. The other disciples gasped incessantly, and some lower-ranking Qi Refining practitioners, watching through the Illusion Immortal Mirror, turned pale and trembled slightly.
The Illusion Immortal Mirror's image shifted, zooming in to focus on the hundred disciples gathered at the edge of the main peak. It scanned their faces, capturing their poise and expressions, and broadcasted their images to over a hundred thousand disciples across the Inner and Outer Peaks as if they were present in person.
Powerful, mysterious, and brimming with murderous intent!
After a moment, the image changed again, focusing on a middle-aged man seated cross-legged in the void above the main peak.
His eyes seemed to contain inverted suns and moons, shifting between creation and destruction with each blink.
"It's the Sect Leader!"
"Heavens! This is only the second time I've seen him. The last time was at the Sect Entry Ceremony!"
Excited cries erupted around Han Yi. He stared intently, a trace of reverence flickering in his eyes.
Yuan Shun.
The Sect Leader of the Profound Pill Sect, a peak Golden Core Stage cultivator, and one of the sect's most powerful figures.
Like Han Yi, most disciples had only glimpsed him once before, over a decade ago at their Sect Entry Ceremony.
Today, as Han Yi gazed through the Illusion Immortal Mirror, Yuan Shun's demeanor and aura remained unchanged from years past.
Just as Han Yi expected Yuan Shun to address the assembly, the Illusion Immortal Mirror flickered and abruptly terminated its spell. High above, the sea of clouds surged, swallowing the space the mirror had occupied.
"That concludes today's observation," Li Heng announced as the projection vanished. "In one month, the Sect will hold the Inner and Outer Peak Great Competition. Registration will be open at the Peak Lord's Pavilion throughout this period."
Han Yi had no interest in the spectacle of the Inner and Outer Peak Great Competition, which he considered too ostentatious and a distraction from cultivation. After bidding farewell to his two junior brothers, he returned to his courtyard to begin secluded training.
His objective: the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining.
He first gathered all his spirit stones and placed the standard-grade Evil-Repelling Pills he had previously refined beside him. Closing his eyes, he settled into a meditative posture to regulate his breathing and Qi.
A day later, he reopened his eyes, his gaze tranquil. Both his mind and expression reflected the serenity he had cultivated within.
To ensure success, he then consumed five standard-grade Evil-Repelling Pills. Typically, breaking through from the Sixth Layer to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining required only two such pills. However, Han Yi had prepared extras and decided to use them all. Though slightly wasteful, it left no room for error.
Han Yi reached for a Spirit Stone, activated his Cultivation Technique, and gradually pushed his Qi Refining Sixth Layer stage from 99/100 to the perfect 100/100, achieving complete mastery.
One month later.
Inside the Meditation Chamber, Han Yi opened his eyes. The Spirit Stone in his hand shattered with a crisp crack. He stood tall, his aura more than three times stronger than a month ago.
He had reached the Qi Refining Seventh Layer.
Although only one layer separated it from the Sixth Layer, the difference was immense. This was a major threshold.
Upon reaching the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining, the quantity and quality of his Mana underwent a fundamental transformation, preparing him for the Immortal Foundation Establishment stage.
Furthermore, his divine sense began to evolve. This was also why sword control was typically only possible at the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining. However, Han Yi's golden finger had allowed him to bypass this limitation through sheer effort, forcibly elevating his Sword Control Technique to unprecedented heights and granting him the ability to wield swords with his mind.
In truth, he had broken through to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining three days into his seclusion. But since his cultivation realm was unstable at first, he hadn't stopped cultivating. Instead, he quietly refined his progress for a full month, exhausting all his Spirit Stones, before finally emerging from his closed-door cultivation.
Han Yi glanced at the faint crimson Proficiency Panel before him.
Name: Han Yi
Lifespan: 30/135
Cultivation Realm: Qi Refining Seventh Layer (4/100)
Cultivation Technique: Fire Pill Profound Art (Subtle Insight 39/100)
Skills:
- Alchemy Technique (Perfected Purity 34/100)
- Spirit Void Finger (Perfected Purity 25/100)
- Sword Control Technique (Perfected Purity 43/100)
- Light Body Technique (Perfected Purity 24/100)
- Fire Shield Technique (Masterful 11/100)
- Turtle Breath Technique (Hall Entry 31/100)
- Talisman Crafting Art (Initial Glimpse of the Dao 19/100)
"Not easy at all," Han Yi murmured, his joy overflowing. "After nine years of transmigrating, I've finally reached the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining. The Immortal Path is within reach—truly within reach!" It took him a long while to calm his uncontrollable excitement.
Having broken through to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining, Han Yi's first objective was to open the four Storage Pouches.
The divine sense seal on the Eighth Layer Qi Refining pouch was too strong for him to break for now, so he chose the remaining three. Using his newly refined divine sense, he began to grind away at the original seals.
Three days later, he successfully cracked open the first pouch. One glance at its contents left him perplexed.
Inside the storage pouch, spirit stones, magic artifacts, and technique transmission jade disks occupied one corner. Han Yi estimated there were approximately one hundred mid-grade spirit stones and three thousand low-grade spirit stones. He also found two magic artifacts: one mid-grade and one low-grade.
What struck Han Yi as peculiar was that the remaining space in the pouch was filled with several boxes. Inside these boxes were various types of women's lingerie: strips of cloth, lace ensembles, fishnet garments, and more.
"This Blood God Sect cultivator was a pervert," Han Yi muttered, "quite the connoisseur."
Ignoring the boxes, Han Yi transferred the spirit stones, magic artifacts, and technique transmission jade disks into his own storage pouch.
Then, he began eroding the divine sense restrictions on the second storage pouch.
A week later, all three storage pouches from the Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivators had been emptied. Apart from the first pouch's strange collection of lingerie, the other two contained only normal items.
In total, Han Yi acquired six hundred and thirty mid-grade spirit stones, eighteen thousand low-grade spirit stones, four mid-grade magic artifacts, six low-grade magic artifacts, seven technique transmission jade disks, fifteen spirit talismans, and various materials for artifact refinement, pill refinement, and formation arts.
The three storage pouches were enough to restore Han Yi's wealth to its peak.
The fourth pouch, however, was sealed with the divine sense of an Eighth Layer Qi Refinement cultivator. After testing it, Han Yi estimated it would take at least three months to break open, so he abandoned the effort. He already had plenty of spirit stones.
He decided to wait until he reached the Eighth Layer of Qi Refinement, when his divine sense would be further enhanced, before attempting to break the seal.
He held high expectations for the fourth pouch. Its owner had possessed the Top-Grade Magic Artifact, the Golden Light Shuttle. Even if the pouch didn't contain another Top-Grade artifact, it should at least be filled with High-Grade Magic Artifacts or High-Grade Spirit Talismans.
Using mid-grade spirit stones, Han Yi spent another week further stabilizing his cultivation. Once satisfied, he ended his seclusion and left the courtyard.
By now, over a month had passed since he began his retreat.
"Next, I need to pass the Sect's assessment to enter the Inner Peak," he mused. "But I should carefully consider whether to join Pill Sword Peak or choose another Inner Peak."