Chapter 5: Fourth Layer of Qi Refining After Two Years

On this day, the sky was a boundless blue, and atop Mount Tainan, the air was filled with birdsong and the fragrance of blooming flowers. The untouched environment rendered the heavens remarkably clear, and the air was fresh and invigorating. Wild beasts roamed the forest in high spirits; from time to time, the roars of tigers and the howls of wolves echoed through the trees.

It was spring, the season when wild geese migrated north once more. Weary from their long flight, the flock chose to rest upon the earth. In the midst of such tranquility, a sudden bang shattered the silence, startling the birds into flight.

A violent explosion erupted on the hillside; from its epicenter, a ball of fire shot skyward, colliding with the mountainside. Instantly, flames burst forth in all directions, stones flew, and the shockwave left Lin Yang staggering, unable to keep his balance. Only after a long moment did the world grow quiet again.

Lin Yang was now ten years old. Two years of cultivation had spurred his growth as though he’d been given a powerful tonic; he had shot up forty centimeters and now stood at a full one meter sixty. Clad in black Han robes, his long hair was tied back, cascading to his waist.

“Heavens, the power of a master-level Fireball Spell is truly formidable,” he exclaimed.

Before him were three deep craters, each two meters down, their charred darkness bearing witness to the fury of fire and explosion.

“Open the panel,” he muttered.

Name: Lin Yang
Age: 10/90
Cultivation: Qi Refining, Third Layer (998/1000)
Primary Profession: None
Skills: Fireball Spell (1/10,000) Master (increases skill damage by 50% and allows triple casting)
Basic Swordsmanship (1952/10,000) Master (sword techniques learned 20% faster, comprehend Sword Qi Slash—a sword energy arc three feet long)
Light Breeze Step (153/10,000) Master...
Technique: Evergreen Art (724/1000) Proficient (2 experience per full circulation)
Available Attribute Points: 0

For two years, Lin Yang had lived alone atop this mountain, braving dew and hunger, sustaining himself on wild game. As a cultivator, few beasts posed any real threat.

Lin Yang felt the emptiness of his spiritual energy. “Best to meditate and recover,” he thought.

He sat for a while, focusing on the abundant spiritual energy within his dantian. Gazing at the three massive craters left by his masterful Fireball, and the pockmarked valley—a testament to his relentless practice—he could see countless sword scars on the cliff face, one of them stretching three feet long and a foot deep.

He mused, “Though I’ve never seen other cultivators cast spells, I doubt their spells could match the mastery I’ve acquired through sheer diligence.”

His cultivation was at 998/1000. “Almost at the fourth layer of Qi Refining,” he thought with mounting anticipation. “I really want to know what it feels like to have spiritual sense.” Energized by the thought, Lin Yang turned and made his way back to his cave dwelling.

Walking the stone path, he returned to the cave, opened the wooden door, and surveyed the array of fine furnishings and potted plants. He sighed, “Money truly makes the world go round.”

Given the era’s limited productivity and the remote mountainside location, achieving such comfort was no small feat, though it had cost him over a hundred taels of silver.

He shut the doors and windows, sealing every gap to prevent anything from creeping into his abode; he’d once found a snake on the floor.

“That should be foolproof,” he said.

Returning to the cultivation chamber, Lin Yang seated himself on a meditation cushion, relaxed his body, and began circulating the Evergreen Art, his consciousness tracing the flow through his meridians. He watched as a stream of vibrant green spiritual energy coursed along the prescribed path, drawing in more energy from the world and steadily building up his dantian.

Two hours passed; a full cycle of the Evergreen Art was complete. Suddenly, the spiritual energy within him became restless, and sharp, tearing pain shot through his meridians. Lin Yang poured all his focus into the technique, forcibly suppressing the tumult and driving the energy to break through. With a muffled bang, the surrounding spiritual energy surged into him. In that instant, a three-dimensional map with a ten-meter radius appeared in his mind. He could sense every twitch of a spider’s leg, see every drifting mote of dust in the air with crystalline clarity. The sensation was godlike—omniscient, omnipotent.

Lin Yang knew it was an illusion. Still, his mind felt extraordinarily clear, his body buoyant and brimming with endless strength. He basked in the feeling until a pungent stench jolted him back to reality. Glancing down, he saw his body covered in black filth—so this was the legendary cleansing of the muscles and marrow. He sniffed his clothes and grimaced.

“Ugh, how vile!” He leapt up, grabbed a clean set of clothes, flung open the door, and ran straight to a small pond three hundred meters away, plunging in to scrub himself clean. The stench was so foul, he wished he could shed his very skin.

When he finished, he noticed several fish floating belly-up on the surface, and felt a wave of embarrassment.

“It can’t be that bad,” he muttered, wading to shore. He changed into clean clothes, used the Fireball Spell to dispose of the soiled garments, and returned to his cave dwelling to savor the improvements of reaching the fourth layer of Qi Refining.

“My spiritual energy has doubled, and who knows how much my body has strengthened—but surely by quite a bit.” He struck the stone wall with his fist, leaving a dent a centimeter deep.

“Open system panel,” he commanded.

Name: Lin Yang
Age: 10/94
Cultivation: Qi Refining, Fourth Layer (1/2000)
Primary Profession: None
Technique: Evergreen Art (725/1000) Proficient (2 experience per cycle)
Skills: Fireball Spell...
Available Attribute Points: 0

“It takes two hours for one full circulation—so, one experience per hour. I can only cultivate four hours a day,” Lin Yang frowned.

“My goodness, at this rate, it’ll take at least five hundred days to reach the fifth layer. The higher I go, the more experience it takes. No wonder cultivation is said to require wealth, techniques, companions, and resources.”

“I need to find a way to earn spirit stones, buy some pills, or learn alchemy. Only by supplementing my cultivation with pills can I progress.”

“You can’t cultivate at all without spirit stones.” Lin Yang’s brow eased.

“Perhaps using spirit stones, or cultivating somewhere with richer spiritual energy, would speed things up. I need to find a way to learn the Four Arts of Cultivation.” He returned to his sleeping chamber, lifted the bed board, and took out a wooden box.

“I wonder what’s in this storage pouch?” He opened the box, retrieved the pouch, and sent his spiritual sense inside...