Daoist Competition
Chapter 100 - 14 Qi Sea Initial Transformation Ming Qi Level 1-2

Chapter 100: Chapter 14 Qi Sea Initial Transformation Ming Qi Level 1-2

"This... May I ask Great-Uncle to reveal a few hints?"

Feng Shang smiled without replying. Seeing that Feng Zhen was about to speak again, he simply laid back on the couch, covered his face with a fan, and said, "Sleep, sleep."

Feng Zhen had no choice but to bow several times before retreating.

Five months later.

On Spiritual Paper Island, black clouds roiled, and the Golden Wind Fierce Fire Qi churned wildly, several times denser and more vigorous than usual.

Within Zhang Yan’s body, eighty strands of Qian Spirit Clear Qi had already been refined. Now, he was only one strand away from leaping into the "Qi Sea Initial Transformation" realm. Such rapid progress was owed to the elixirs sent earlier by the Wang Family, coupled with the refining method for transforming Lan Yun Clear Qi that he had developed.

However, this final strand of Clear Qi had been repeatedly refined for seven days and nights but showed no signs of completion.

In the end, he gave up on refining using Lan Yun Clear Qi and switched to the Energy-Introducing Method, releasing all eighty strands of Qian Spirit Clear Qi at once, attempting to pull out the final strand of Clear Qi from the True Essence.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the eighty strands of Clear Qi were released and the final strand of Clear Qi was half-refined, they somehow connected with a surge of heavy evil from deep within the earth’s crust, causing Golden Fire’s Qi to surge upward continuously.

This heavy evil was far fiercer than the malevolent Qi encountered on ordinary days. It seemed almost aware that Zhang Yan was on the verge of success, rushing toward him like a storm. The scorching fire and suffocating smoke drilled into his five senses, as if to crush him in one blow, thereby ruining his Dao Foundation.

The heavy evil scattered the eighty strands of Clear Qi into disarray as well. If he were to lose focus for even a moment, these refined strands of Clear Qi could all become corrupted.

At this critical juncture, Zhang Yan maintained his composure, guarding his Dan Acupoint. His Divine Soul showed not a hint of wavering. In an instant, he stabilized the eighty strands of Qian Spirit Clear Qi one by one, silently reciting the Taiyin Gold Scripture spell. The True Essence moved steadily, and he patiently ground away the malevolent Qi that had seeped into his body through his pores.

Three more days passed. The final strand of Clear Qi, like a chick breaking free from its shell, was almost fully formed, though just a sliver remained incomplete. At this moment, Zhang Yan’s eyes suddenly opened wide, his body involuntarily trembling as if something suddenly left his body.

The Qian Spirit Clear Qi outside of his body surged violently, and without any prompting, it rushed into him through his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. His senses immediately felt a profound clarity and lightness. Observing within, he saw exactly eighty-one strands of Clear Qi, no more, no less, shimmering with luminous ripples, moving steadily like water or waves.

At this moment, he had officially stepped into the First Realm of Ming Qi, the "Qi Sea Initial Transformation" stage!

However, the Clear Qi within his Dan Acupoint rose and fell like the rolling tides of rivers and oceans. This force seemed unwilling to let him pause, pressing him to continue cultivating his technique.

With a flash of understanding, Zhang Yan opened his mouth and inhaled, swallowing a strand of heavy evil Qi before wrapping it in Clear Qi and placing it into the True Essence to grind it down continuously.

One day and night later, he succeeded in grinding away that strand of heavy evil. At this point, dark greenish-black sweat oozed from the pores of his entire body.

"Huff..."

He let out a long exhale, and a gray-black mist, like ashes, spewed out from his nose and mouth.

Turning his gaze inward once more, he found that in addition to the eighty-one strands of Qian Spirit Clear Qi in his chest, there was also a single strand of condensed Kun Spirit Dull Qi, dark and heavy.

Zhang Yan could not help but rejoice. He had unexpectedly gathered his first strand of Kun Spirit Dull Qi in the process? Didn’t this save him several months of effort?

"Marvelous, truly marvelous. This second step was even more arduous than the first. Who could have expected the Taiyin Gold Scripture to be so divine? Extreme yang converts to yin, extreme yin converts to yang—breaking through two stages in one breath. Truly, fortune and calamity go hand in hand. It all depends on whether I can stay steadfast on the Dao."

He carried great destiny upon him, and in the unseen realms, the Heavenly Dao wielded its great whip, striking him continuously, leaving him no room for slack.

But wasn’t this exactly to his liking? Cultivation in the art of Mysterious Skill was naturally like rowing a boat against the current—advance or retreat. Moving forward resolutely was the alignment with the Heaven’s Heart, and thus, he was unstoppable. If his will wavered, even a single retreat would cause the Heavenly Dao to abandon him.

At this moment, Zhang Yan observed the eighty-one strands of Qian Spirit Clear Qi within his body, either converging or dispersing, darting around restlessly. Meanwhile, the single strand of Dull Qi remained heavy and motionless, settled like a dark pool or deep well. An idea struck him. He opened his mouth and exhaled, expelling the strand of Dull Qi from his chest. With a "hiss," the stone wall was pierced through, leaving an unknown-depth, two-finger-wide round hole.

He inhaled deeply again, summoning the strand of Dull Qi back and placing it in his chest. Upon examination, he found the strand was entirely intact, with no reduction in its potency. This clearly was not the limit of its power. With a subtle nod, he thought to himself, "No wonder the Taiyin Gold Scripture says that when cultivated to the Xuan Guang Realm, a single Xuan Guang can dissolve gold and melt iron. Even a strand of Dull Qi has such formidable power—it seems the claims are not exaggerated."

Zhang Yan knew that his momentum for breakthroughs had reached its peak this time. In the coming days, his cultivation likely wouldn’t advance further. He would need to continue refining and tempering himself steadily from here on out.

He calculated that, at most within another half a year, he could step into the Ming Qi Second Realm, the "Summon Clouds" stage. At that point, by merging Clear Qi and Dull Qi, he could condense the Cloud-and-Rain Qi and ride upon the mist, traveling freely without the aid of a Flying Boat.

The Flying Escape Technique was typically only accessible in the Ming Qi Third Realm, once the body contained a bit of Xuan Guang Seed. Only then could one merge with a Flying Sword and travel by riding the sword. By the time one reached the first stage of Xuan Guang Realm, the "Spiritual Light First Illumination," one could shroud the physical body with Xuan Guang, directly traversing the Void.

"Hiss..."

Suddenly, Zhang Yan heard a sharp sound from outside his Cave Mansion. He immediately recognized it as the cry of the Xiaoze Golden Sword.

Who was sending him a message?

He quickly picked up the token, released the prohibition, and opened the door to the Cave Mansion. The golden sword flew in freely. He caught it with his hand, opened the letter it carried, and found that it was an invitation. Ten days later, the True Disciples were to gather for moon-viewing and scenic appreciation. The letter invited him to attend.