Chapter 67: Eighth Level of Qi Refining

“Li Yucheng, Director of Sales at Zihu Chamber of Commerce.”

After completing his self-introduction, a faint glow flickered from the spiritual ring on Li Yucheng's finger, and a delicate gift box appeared in his hand.

“Zihu Chamber of Commerce has no intention of offending Mr. Chen. Everything that happened earlier was due to a subordinate's unauthorized actions. To curb this unhealthy trend, the upper management has already imposed a severe punishment on Sales Director Chen Ziping. We hope Mr. Chen can be understanding.”

“This is the chamber’s compensation for Mr. Chen.” As he spoke, Li Yucheng opened the box, revealing within it a spiritual herb as dark purple and lustrous as glazed crystal.

It bore nine layers of overlapping amethyst petals, each petal thin as a cicada’s wing, within which a liquid-like purple-red flame flowed, exuding a gentle spiritual resonance.

Chen Beiwu narrowed his eyes slightly, immediately recognizing what the herb inside the box was.

Purplefire Dendrobium—a Second-Tier High-Grade Spiritual Herb, a rare treasure the Zihu Chamber of Commerce only sells in limited quantities to the public.

Sealed within each petal was a wisp of Ziyang Essence Flame. When consumed directly by a Foundation Establishment cultivator with a Fire Spiritual Root, it could increase the upper limit of their spiritual power and enhance their cultivation.

For a Second-Tier Alchemist, consuming it would allow them to refine the Ziyang Essence Flame within into their Natal Spiritual Flame, significantly enhancing its power. However, one must first ingest Cold Jade Marrow to neutralize the fire toxin.

For certain exceptionally gifted Fire-Attribute Spirit Beasts—such as an adult Scarlet Flame Fox—consuming Purplefire Dendrobium could grant twenty years of cultivation instantly, greatly boosting their strength.

On the Immortal Alliance Official Website, Purplefire Dendrobium was a special spiritual herb that was highly sought after but rarely available. Its price fluctuated wildly, making it hard to determine, but it far exceeded that of Bloodface Vine.

“I don’t need compensation.” Chen Beiwu rejected him flatly. “I just want to know how the chamber has punished the one responsible.”

He wasn’t a fool.

Judging from the Zihu Chamber of Commerce’s reaction, even without thinking, he could tell that Xu Lingling had used her influence.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the reason Li Yucheng was so respectful wasn’t because of a lowly Qi Refining cultivator like him, but because of the Golden Core True Person standing behind Xu Lingling. He was even trying to use this opportunity to form a connection.

In this situation, if he accepted the Zihu Chamber’s compensation, he would owe Xu Lingling an even greater favor, one that would be even harder to repay.

Sensing Chen Beiwu’s response, Li Yucheng inwardly sighed in relief.

All he wanted now was to smooth over the disaster caused by his subordinates without stirring up further trouble. Chen Beiwu not pressing the issue further was the best possible outcome.

Compared to a word from a Golden Core True Person, a stalk of Purplefire Dendrobium was hardly worth mentioning.

“It was my failure to manage my subordinates. I ask Mr. Chen to please accept this compensation.”

Li Yucheng gave a slight bow. “As for Chen Ziping, due to his abuse of power for personal gain and unprovoked assault on a pseudo-Foundation cultivator, he has already been executed by my order.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Beiwu’s pupils contracted, a chill spreading through his heart.

Such was the terrifying might of a Golden Core—one word could determine a weaker man’s life or death!

In other words, if the person he had offended wasn’t Sales Director Chen Ziping, but someone like Xu Lingling—a second-generation cultivator—he might have ended up a corpse on the street the very next day.

“In that case, let the matter rest.” Chen Beiwu took a deep breath and accepted the gift box.

Back on the second floor in the Cultivation Room, Chen Beiwu stared at the Purplefire Dendrobium in deep thought.

Then, he picked up his phone and gave Xu Lingling a call.

“Bzzz!”

Unlike yesterday, the call didn’t connect this time.

Chen Beiwu exhaled a heavy breath. He knew that Xu Lingling had paid a price to use her old man’s influence, and now she was unreachable because of it.

‘This favor just keeps piling up!’

A bitter smile appeared on Chen Beiwu’s face.

The reason he had never responded to the affections of the two girls came down to two things.

First, his heart was firmly set on the path of cultivation, and he didn’t want to be distracted by romance before reaching Foundation Establishment.

Second, the disparity in their backgrounds was too vast. Whether it was Xu Lingling or Xu Ziqing, they were second-generation cultivators he couldn’t afford to offend or avoid.

Only narrow-minded cultivators like Liu Yan would think that “soft rice” tasted sweet, unaware that it could also cost one's life.

Two girls fighting would surely end in one being hurt. If he made a choice, their friendship would most likely be severed, and he himself might even draw the attention of a Golden Core True Person over emotional entanglements.

‘Forget it. Thinking too much is useless—knowing my place is more important.’

Chen Beiwu shook his head and focused his mind on the cultivation scripture.

When one’s strength was lacking, any promise made was empty and difficult to fulfill.

Once he advanced to Foundation Establishment and achieved Golden Core, a single word from him could decide the rise and fall of a chamber, and Foundation Establishment cultivators would bow their heads.

By then, he would definitely be able to repay his debts of gratitude.

...

Nine days later.

Southern Wastes, a remote unnamed mountain’s crude cave-dwelling.

As usual, Chen Beiwu was cultivating the scripture, converting his spiritual power.

“Buzz!”

As the final wisp of Ten Thousand Beasts spiritual power transformed into Clearwood Spiritual Power, a sense of unprecedented exhilaration surged within him.

The Green Wood Spirit Seed and Clear Spring Spirit Seed nurtured in his dantian simultaneously burst into brilliant light.

Sensing the moment of breakthrough, Chen Beiwu was struck with inspiration. He pulled out a jade bottle from his storage pouch and retrieved the Spirit-Nourishing Pill he had never used before.

He carefully took out the pill and swallowed it.

Boom!

As soon as the Spirit-Nourishing Pill entered his mouth, it transformed into a surge of immense spiritual energy that exploded through his dantian and meridians. In an instant, Chen Beiwu’s entire skin ballooned as if swelling like a balloon.

He endured the pain, calmed his mind, and began circulating the All Laws Converge, Heaven Book of the Divine Tree. The frenzied spiritual energy raging through his meridians was gradually absorbed and converted into Clearwood Spiritual Power.

As time passed, a powerful aura erupted with a roar. Nearby, Iron Egg and Gold Egg, who were on guard duty, turned their gazes toward him.

‘It’s done!’

Chen Beiwu opened his eyes, clenched his fists, and could not hide his excitement.

After breaking through to the Eighth Level of Qi Refining, the capacity of spiritual power in his dantian surged by fifty percent, and the range of his divine sense expanded to ten zhang.

Keep in mind, the divine sense of a typical Ninth Level Qi Refining cultivator only covered about three zhang. The difference between them was not just triple, but a chasm.

After carefully experiencing the changes brought by the breakthrough, Chen Beiwu moved his mind, picked up a brush, laid out talisman paper, and under the curious gazes of his two companions, began drawing talismans that bore the Dao Marks of heaven and earth.

Soon, Chen Beiwu stopped the brush. A touch of spiritual resonance emerged on the talisman paper atop the stone table before it swiftly disappeared.

First-Tier Low-Grade Talisman, Water Arrow Talisman, success!

‘As expected, the stronger a cultivator’s divine sense, the higher the success rate of drawing low-tier talismans.’

A smile appeared in Chen Beiwu’s eyes.

To assess the level of his talisman crafting, he didn’t stop and continued to draw a Earth Shield Talisman and a Breeze Talisman.

“Phew!”

Chen Beiwu exhaled a long breath, a confident look on his face.

According to the Immortal Alliance Basic Talisman Arts Compendium, a Qi Refining cultivator who could draw three different attribute First-Tier Low-Grade Talismans with a success rate over fifty percent qualified to take the Talisman Master Association exam and become a certified First-Tier Low-Grade Talisman Master.

Right now, he had succeeded in drawing all three without a single failure. His success rate was currently one hundred percent.

This meant he was now a genuine First-Tier Low-Grade Talisman Master.

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