Chapter 172 - 127: Ninth-Layer Qi Refining

Chapter 172: Chapter 127: Ninth-Layer Qi Refining

Returning to the courtyard, Chen Jianghe first took the demon beast parts processed by Little Black and Fur Ball to the Demon Beast Workshop to sell. Without any Second-Grade High-Class Bloodlines, the parts from the four demon beasts only fetched a total of fifteen Spirit Stones. Afterward, he went to the Hundred Treasures Tower to purchase the resources he needed for cultivation. Two True Spirit Pills and two pieces of Tidal Essence cost him ninety Spirit Stones. He also bought five Black Pig Hides and five boxes of Spiritual Ink for sixty Spirit Stones.

Once back home, Chen Jianghe took stock of his assets. His rent in the Qinghe Marketplace was paid for another five years. On hand, he had ninety-three Spirit Stones and ninety grains of Spiritual Sand. However, he also possessed forty-two Middle-Grade Five Elements Escape Talismans, worth three hundred and forty Spirit Stones and twenty grains of Spiritual Sand. Additionally, he had three High-Grade Protection Talismans and three High-Grade Five Elements Escape Talismans, along with thirty-nine High-Grade Body Refining Spiritual Pills. He also had the newly purchased items: two True Spirit Pills, two pieces of Tidal Essence, five Black Pig Hides, and five boxes of Spiritual Ink. His Wolf Hair Talisman Pen could still be used for over seven hundred more drawings. He had a few Fasting Pills left, but he figured he would just buy more from Jiang Ruxu when he refined the Youthful Pills in a few days.

"If I add in this Low-Quality Foundation Establishment Pill, my current net worth is approaching four thousand Spirit Stones," Chen Jianghe thought with a sigh of emotion. He usually felt poor, but after carefully calculating everything, he realized his assets were actually quite substantial—far wealthier than the average Qi Refining Family.

If he were to sell Fur Ball, his total Spirit Stones would immediately skyrocket to nearly seven thousand. Of course, that was just a fleeting thought; he still counted on Fur Ball to work, earn Spirit Stones, and protect him! However, most of the items he currently held couldn’t be easily liquidated, as they were necessary resources for his cultivation. Pushing these miscellaneous thoughts aside, he focused on his plans.

For the next few days, he didn’t plan on drawing Spirit Talismans. Instead, he intended to devote himself entirely to cultivation to break through to the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining realm. Once he achieved that, the purity of his Magical Power would rise to a new level. Drawing Spirit Talismans would become much more stable, and his Talisman Success Rate would improve. Most importantly, the power of his magic would increase, granting him greater safety and security.

He swallowed a True Spirit Pill. As he circulated the "Ten Thousand Waters Scripture", the unique properties of his Shenque Acupoint enveloped the pill’s medicinal power and swallowed it whole. Then, guided by the continuous circulation of the "Ten Thousand Waters Scripture", the medicinal power slowly seeped out, boosting the speed at which he purified his Magical Power.

Seven days later.

In Chen Jianghe’s Qi Sea Dantian, the cluster of Magical Power was now as pitch-black as ink, yet crystal clear and translucent. As every trace of impurity was stripped away, the cluster shrank to the size of an eyeball, but it contained a terrifying amount of energy. Feeling the fearsome aura radiating from his Magical Power, he realized it was nearly thirty percent stronger than before.

"Phew." Chen Jianghe suddenly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air. Sensing the Magical Power within his Qi Sea Dantian, the corners of his mouth curled into a slight smile. He had finally cultivated to the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining realm, becoming the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Great Cultivator he had once looked up to.

"My aura is nowhere near as robust as Ruan Tieniu’s. It seems there is still a massive gap between me and a Body Refining Perfection Cultivator," Chen Jianghe thought to himself as he extended his Divine Sense. Pushing it to its absolute limit, it surprisingly reached a distance of six zhang—fifty percent stronger than that of a standard Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivator. Typically, a Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivator who had never practiced a Spiritual Cultivation Method could only extend their Divine Sense to a maximum of four zhang. Yet, his had undeniably reached six zhang.

Although drawing Spirit Talismans might have contributed to this, it still wouldn’t account for such a massive disparity. This inevitably led Chen Jianghe to suspect the Spirit Platform Mark. "Could it be the Spirit Platform Mark? Did it bind my Soul Essence together with Little Black’s, and that’s why my Divine Sense reached this level of strength?"

However, the moment this thought appeared, he immediately dismissed it. If it were truly because of the Spirit Platform Mark, his Soul Essence would have increased by far more than this fraction. Little Black was a Spirit Beast, and its Soul Essence was inherently stronger than a human Cultivator’s.

"Could it be because I have lived two lifetimes?" Chen Jianghe found this idea equally unreliable. How strong could a mortal’s Soul Essence possibly be? Even if he couldn’t unleash a Spiritual Sense Attack yet, just the innate characteristics of his Divine Sense alone could instantly shred a mortal’s soul. Therefore, that possibility was even more out of the question.

After pondering back and forth, he concluded it still likely had something to do with the Spirit Platform Mark. Using his Divine Sense for Internal Observation, he looked at his Spirit Platform. The trapezoidal Spirit Platform sat within his Sea of Consciousness, emitting a tricolor light that represented the condensation of his Essence, Qi, and Spirit. On the front face of the Spirit Platform, Little Black’s mark was exceptionally clear; even the gray cracks that Little Black had grown upon reaching adulthood were visible. However, the other three sides of the Spirit Platform were completely empty, shrouded in a chaotic haze.

"What exactly is the Spirit Platform Mark?" Chen Jianghe wondered. He wanted to look at the Spirit Platform Mark in Little Black’s Sea of Consciousness to see if it was identical to his own. However, his Cultivation was not high enough. If he forcefully intruded into Little Black’s Sea of Consciousness with his Divine Sense, it would turn at least one of them into an idiot.

"Never mind that. The stronger my Soul Essence is, the more solid my foundation will be when I practice a Spiritual Technique in the future." Chen Jianghe stopped dwelling on the matter of the Spirit Platform. Calculating the time, New Year’s Eve had already passed, and today was the fifth day of the new year. He prepared to make a trip to the Hundred Treasures Tower to see if Gao Peiyao had managed to acquire the Youthful Grass. Also, the time for his transaction with Ruan Tieniu was fast approaching, and he was curious to know if Ruan Tieniu had successfully reached Foundation Establishment.

In his eyes, Ruan Tieniu’s chances of successfully breaking through to Foundation Establishment were actually quite high. The Cultivation grounds in the Qinghe Marketplace possessed a rich Spiritual Qi density that easily rivaled a Tier Two High-Grade Spiritual Vein. This meant that Ruan Tieniu’s success rate was bolstered by the combination of a Tier Two High-Grade Spiritual Vein, his Body Refining Perfection, and a Low-Quality Foundation Establishment Pill. This was all despite not knowing Ruan Tieniu’s Spirit Root Talent or whether he had ever dabbled in a Spiritual Cultivation Method.