Chapter 7: The Eighth Layer

Morning light spread across Blackstone Wasteland.

Lin Yuan stepped into the courtyard and rolled his shoulder.

A dull ache remained from last night, but after several hours of rest, it had improved considerably.

He walked to the Spirit-Touched Well and drew a bucket of water.

The water was cool and refreshing.

Lin Yuan drank slowly before closing his eyes.

The spiritual Qi within his body had settled.

More importantly, the barrier that had been growing clearer over the past several days now felt within reach.

He had already reached the limit of what his current cultivation could comfortably hold.

Lin Yuan opened his eyes.

It was time.

He returned to the tavern, locked the front door, and placed a wooden sign outside.

Temporarily Closed

Lin Yuan looked at it for a moment.

Hopefully nobody had crossed the wasteland just for breakfast.

He went upstairs.

Lin Yuan sat cross-legged in his room.

His sword rested beside him.

He closed his eyes and began circulating his cultivation technique.

The Minor Qi Gathering effect of Wandering Cloud Tavern quietly drew spiritual Qi into the building.

The difference wasn’t enormous, but Blackstone Wasteland had so little spiritual Qi that even this modest improvement made cultivation noticeably easier.

Threads of Qi entered Lin Yuan’s body.

He guided them through his meridians.

One circulation followed another.

His breathing gradually slowed.

The remaining tension in his body faded as his concentration deepened.

Lin Yuan continued until his spiritual Qi flowed smoothly.

Only then did he turn his attention toward the barrier.

Qi gathered within his dantian.

He guided it forward.

Resistance appeared.

The flow slowed.

Lin Yuan maintained the pressure for several breaths before withdrawing.

He began another circulation.

His spiritual Qi passed through his meridians before gathering once more.

During the past several days, Lin Yuan had already felt himself approaching the eighth layer.

Regular cultivation had strengthened his foundation, while practicing with his sword had improved his control.

Last night’s battle had pushed both further.

There had been little time to think while fighting. His spiritual Qi had needed to respond immediately to every movement, whether he was attacking, defending, or avoiding danger.

That experience remained with him now.

Lin Yuan gathered his Qi again.

This time, the flow was steadier.

He pushed forward.

The barrier trembled.

Sweat formed along his forehead.

Lin Yuan maintained his concentration.

The resistance weakened.

He increased the pressure.

A moment later, the barrier gave way.

Spiritual Qi surged through his meridians.

Lin Yuan’s body trembled as the flow suddenly expanded beyond its previous limit.

He immediately circulated his cultivation technique, guiding the stronger current through his body.

At first, controlling it required his full attention.

Then it gradually became easier.

The turbulent Qi settled with each circulation until it flowed naturally through his meridians and returned to his dantian.

Lin Yuan remained seated.

He could feel the difference clearly.

His dantian held more spiritual Qi, while the flow through his meridians had become stronger and smoother.

He continued cultivating.

Only after the new state had stabilized did Lin Yuan open his eyes.

Several hours had passed.

He raised one hand.

Spiritual Qi gathered around his palm.

The response came faster than before. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

A smile appeared.

"Qi Refining, eighth layer."

Lin Yuan remained seated for a while longer.

The newly strengthened Qi still felt slightly unfamiliar, so he circulated it several more times, becoming accustomed to the difference.

Eventually, he stood and picked up his sword.

He wanted to try something.

The courtyard was bright beneath the midday sun.

Lin Yuan removed the Temporarily Closed sign before walking toward an open area behind the tavern.

He drew his sword.

The weapon was a plain low-grade artifact inherited from the original body’s parents.

It wasn’t particularly valuable, but it had served him well.

Lin Yuan settled into the basic stance he’d practiced over the past several days.

Then he moved.

The first cut was simple.

A horizontal slash.

He followed it with a step forward and another strike.

Spiritual Qi flowed into the sword.

The difference immediately became apparent.

Before his breakthrough, maintaining a steady flow of Qi through consecutive movements required more concentration.

Now it followed his movements more naturally.

Lin Yuan changed direction.

His foot pressed against the ground.

He stepped forward and thrust.

The sword stopped in the air.

His technique itself hadn’t changed, but the movements were faster and easier to control.

Lin Yuan continued.

Cuts.

Thrusts.

Footwork.

Changes in direction.

Nothing complicated.

He simply wanted to become familiar with his new strength.

After several rounds, Lin Yuan lowered his sword.

Sweat covered his forehead again, though this time he felt refreshed rather than exhausted.

There were still two layers ahead before reaching the end of Qi Refining, and beyond that waited an entirely new realm.

There was no need to think that far ahead yet.

Lin Yuan returned the sword to its sheath.

Other things required his attention.

Lin Yuan crouched beside the Stonehide Wolf.

From the original body’s memories, he knew its hide, claws, teeth, and several other parts could be sold.

Exactly how much they were worth depended on their condition and the buyer.

Lin Yuan knew how to cook meat.

Properly processing a spirit beast was another matter.

Trying to learn now could turn valuable materials into damaged ones.

Green River City had shops that specialized in spirit beasts.

He could let someone experienced handle it.

Lin Yuan opened one of the larger storage bags inherited from the original body’s parents.

Getting the entire beast inside took some effort, but eventually it disappeared into the storage space.

With that handled, Lin Yuan turned toward the courtyard wall.

He walked to the damaged section and placed his palm against the stone.

The Territory Core responded.

Old Courtyard Wall

Condition: Damaged

Quality: Ordinary

Enhancement: Unavailable

Reason: Structure requires repair

Lin Yuan moved his hand away.

The tavern had required the same thing.

Repair first.

Enhance afterward.

He walked around the courtyard once.

The section damaged last night wasn’t the only problem.

Years of neglect had left cracks throughout the wall. Several stones were loose, the mortar had weathered away in places, and one section leaned slightly outward.

The materials left from repairing the tavern wouldn’t be enough.

Lin Yuan stopped near the entrance.

"Green River City again."

He already needed to restock the tavern.

Now he had repair materials to buy and something valuable to sell.

There was little reason to delay.

He would leave tomorrow.

Lin Yuan spent the afternoon preparing.

He checked the tavern’s remaining supplies and wrote down what needed replacing.

Food.

Wine.

Repair materials.

A few other necessities.

His brush stopped.

After a moment, he added one more line.

Cultivation supplies.

Lin Yuan looked at the words.

The tavern was growing, but he needed to grow with it.

If the Stonehide Wolf sold for a decent amount, he could look around Green River City for something useful.

Pills were the most obvious choice.

Talismans could also be useful.

Perhaps he could even find something suitable for his sword.

He didn’t intend to spend recklessly.

He simply wanted to know what was available.

Lin Yuan put away the list and checked his storage bag.

Twenty-six low-grade spirit stones.

Hopefully, the number would increase tomorrow.

His gaze shifted toward the storage bag containing the spirit beast.

"You broke my wall. You can pay for it."

That seemed fair.

While checking the supplies behind the counter, Lin Yuan stopped.

Leaving for Green River City created another problem.

The journey would take several days.

During that time, Wandering Cloud Tavern would be empty.

This hadn’t mattered much when he’d first opened. Days could pass without a single traveler stopping.

Things were beginning to change.

Zhao Jian had even said he would mention the tavern to merchants in Green River City.

If someone arrived while Lin Yuan was away, they would find nothing but locked doors.

And this wouldn’t be his last trip.

Lin Yuan looked across the main hall.

Twenty-four seats.

Four rooms upstairs.

A kitchen.

All of it depended on one person.

Serving Zhao Jian’s group had already shown him the problem.

He needed another pair of hands.

Someone trustworthy who could serve customers, keep the place in order, and handle simple meals would already make things much easier.

Lin Yuan picked up his brush again.

Beneath the rest of his list, he added:

Find a worker.

He stared at the words for a moment.

Green River City had plenty of people looking for work.

Finding someone wasn’t the difficult part.

Finding the right person might be.

Lin Yuan put the brush away.

He would see what happened tomorrow.

Evening settled over Blackstone Wasteland.

No travelers arrived before sunset.

Lin Yuan cooked himself a simple dinner and spent some time stabilizing his eighth-layer cultivation.

Afterward, he prepared Wandering Cloud Tavern for his absence.

Anything likely to spoil went into storage.

The kitchen was cleaned.

Windows were secured.

He checked the four guest rooms upstairs before returning to the main hall.

Everything was ready.

Lin Yuan picked up a wooden sign and carried it outside.

Wandering Cloud Tavern

Temporarily Closed

He stared at it.

Then he took the sign back inside.

A short while later, he returned.

Wandering Cloud Tavern

Temporarily Closed

Owner will return soon.

Lin Yuan nodded.

"Better."

Whether anyone would actually pass by while he was gone was another matter.

He locked the tavern and stood in the courtyard.

The final light of sunset stretched across the wasteland.

Tomorrow, he would leave for Green River City.

Before returning inside, Lin Yuan checked the storage bag at his waist.

Twenty-six low-grade spirit stones.

One Stonehide Wolf.