Chapter 41: You Are Surrounded

“A gathering for the younger generation; now that you've reached the twenty-fifth level of Qi Refinement, it's good for you to broaden your horizons. Remember, do not bring shame upon your master!” Ouyang Changfeng reminded him earnestly.

Qingxi teased, “Aren’t you worried that I’ll lose precious time and be unable to complete your challenge?”

“Once you finish the quest to find the Water Spirit Pearl, won’t you make it onto the points board? How could it delay you?” Ouyang Changfeng replied with a hint of a smile.

“Haha, so Master already knows about the mission hall. I understand—rest assured, I won’t disappoint you!” Qingxi grinned, hugging a large pile of items as he headed toward his room.

“Hmph, this task is anything but simple. With your current cultivation, you’re still lacking,” Ouyang Changfeng replied casually.

“Don’t worry, Master. Once I refine these pills, my cultivation will break through to the thirtieth level of Qi Refinement. That should be enough.”

Qingxi’s words left Ouyang Changfeng momentarily speechless, unsure of how to respond.

…

Back in his room, Qingxi set down his belongings. He took a deep breath to steady himself, then swallowed a fifth-grade Qi Condensation Pill and began cultivating.

Time slipped by, and it was not until noon the next day that he emerged from seclusion.

He had fully refined six bottles of fifth-grade Qi Condensation Pills, soaring through five levels in his cultivation to reach the thirtieth level of Qi Refinement.

Moreover, after refining a bottle of fifth-grade Vitality Pills, his whole body was brimming with energy, feeling inexhaustible strength surge within him.

Though Vitality Pills did not greatly enhance physical power, they ensured stamina was long-lasting and persistent. Previously, he would be exhausted after a hundred strikes at full force, but now, he could manage at least one hundred and thirty.

Such was the benefit of the Vitality Pill.

In a life-or-death struggle, stamina could be just as crucial.

Take, for instance, his previous duel with Zhou Yuanlong. Had his opponent truly run out of strength, he might have misjudged his attacks.

Thinking of this, Qingxi’s lips curled into a faint smile. Zhou Yuanlong was indeed young; had he not been goaded into anger but instead calmly analyzed the situation, he might have changed his strategy, opting to use long-range techniques like the Spirit Thread Blade or Gale Palm.

In that case, even if defeat was inevitable, he would not have lost so miserably.

Ending his musings, Qingxi readied himself once more.

He slung a round shield across his back, gripped his battered, low-grade Frostlight Sword, and exchanged his remaining three merit points for a fine steed. Guided by his map, he set out for the Western Sand River.

Along the way, he took in the passing scenery. Compared to his previous life, the trees of the cultivation world were taller, thicker, lush with foliage, exuding an abundant vitality.

“What a wonderful world; it must not be squandered.”

Wherever he passed, he drew a thread of life force from every ancient tree within five meters, converting it into vital energy for storage in his system space.

Strength was the foundation for venturing into the world, and vital energy was his means of survival—far superior to healing pills.

“Ding! Host’s cultivation has reached the thirtieth level of Qi Refinement. System function ‘Scan’ is now available. Please check your attribute panel.” The assistant’s gentle and sweet voice echoed in his mind.

Qingxi rolled his eyes. “I broke through to the peak of Qi Refinement ages ago, and you’re only now notifying me? Did you crash before?”

Despite his grumbling, he opened the panel to see the new feature.

[New Feature: Scan]

[Scan: Similar to the spiritual perception of mid-to-high-level Qi Refinement cultivators. Initial range: thirty-meter radius. Any subtle changes within this range can be detected. The range increases with the host’s cultivation and spiritual root quality.]

“This is fantastic!”

Qingxi’s eyes shone with excitement.

After copying all the ancient tomes from the first and second floors of the library, he had learned from their introductions that true spiritual perception only awakened at levels beyond the Spirit Steel Realm.

This meant that, as a mere Qi Refinement cultivator, he now possessed a powerful ability even the sect leader Qiu Mingzi had yet to grasp.

Though thirty meters was not a vast range, it was crucial for his upcoming mission at the Western Sand River.

He began experimenting with the scan function, familiarizing himself with its operation.

In the process, he discovered his senses had improved dramatically, as if he could see three-dimensional projections of his surroundings. Within a thirty-meter radius, even a stone buried underground could not escape his notice.

He relished this sensation, continuously refining his mastery of the scan.

What Qingxi did not realize was that, dozens of meters behind him in the dense forest, a graceful figure cloaked in black robes had quietly appeared.

Watching his swiftly receding silhouette, the woman whispered, “So it’s him, after all. I’ve finally found you.”

This person was none other than Qiu Yingying, recently returned from the Tiger Roar Woods.

She had arrived at the scene that day only to miss Qingxi, finding instead the disciples of the Crimson Flame Sect tied up together.

Despite being misunderstood by the newly arrived Li Xingyao, Qiu Yingying had cared little for explanations. After giving the Crimson Flame Sect disciples a thorough beating, she had departed in haste.

Now, as she watched Qingxi vanish down the forest path, she hesitated only briefly before following him, always maintaining a distance of about a hundred meters.

...

The Western Sand River meandered for tens of thousands of miles, and the nearest stretch to the Lingyuan Sect lay three hundred miles to the northwest.

Despite having a fine steed, Qingxi had set out late and by dusk was still a hundred miles from the river.

“Assistant, don’t you find it strange? On my way here, I’ve already detected several groups lurking on either side of the road with the scan function. Why haven’t they made a move?”

Qingxi scratched his head, feeling as if he’d missed countless opportunities. “If those people attacked me, I’d have a perfect excuse to beat them senseless and collect all sorts of precious pills or beast materials.”

“You’re wearing the Lingyuan Sect’s outer disciple robes so conspicuously. Who would dare rob you? The most powerful of those bandits are only at the twenty-third level of Qi Refinement—they wouldn’t dare provoke the Lingyuan Sect.” The assistant wanted to roll her eyes, wondering how her host had overlooked such an obvious point.

“Oh, so that’s how it is.”

Qingxi smacked his forehead, took off his disciple robes, stored them in the system space, and changed into a clean, white outfit.

A hundred meters away, Qiu Yingying saw him changing clothes. She turned away with a scowl, muttering under her breath about his shamelessness.

Now clad in white, Qingxi continued toward his destination as dusk deepened.

This time, he had barely traveled far before a group of more than ten people leapt out from the roadside thickets; two of them raised long ropes to block his horse.

“They really dare to try me. Just what I wanted!”

Qingxi’s eyes lit up with excitement. He swung his sword, and a sword aura as thin as a cicada’s wing sliced through the ropes. Reining in his horse, he halted at the roadside.

“Boy, hand over your valuables if you want to live!”

The bandit leader, hefting a massive nine-ringed broadsword, roared ferociously, his voice booming so loudly that the surrounding leaves trembled. His aura at the twenty-third level of Qi Refinement pressed outward, the very air seeming to congeal and forcing the horse to its knees.

But to everyone’s astonishment, Qingxi leapt down, sword in hand, and charged forward with excitement, shouting, “You’re already surrounded! If you’re smart, hand over all your cultivation resources!”

Such an unexpected move nearly threw out the bandits’ backs.