Chapter 71: Qiu Yingying's Test

Longma watched Qingxi, who was jumping and shouting, and shook his head helplessly. “I really don’t seem to be a very clever master. It’s exhausting.”

Qingxi paid no attention to Longma’s muttering, instead consulting the assistant about the matter of the traversal talisman.

Upon learning that a multitude of spatial marks would be needed to synthesize such a talisman, Qingxi temporarily abandoned the idea of crossing worlds. Besides, with his current strength, he feared he’d be annihilated the moment he set foot into another realm.

He turned his gaze to the gemstone eyeball in his hand, his mind full of questions. “By the way, why is it possible to extract spatial marks from the core of an outerworld fiend?”

“Outerworld fiends hail from other worlds, and naturally bear the spatial marks of those realms,” the assistant explained. “The stronger the fiend, the higher the grade of the spatial marks it possesses.”

“So that’s how it is. In that case, as long as I keep slaying outerworld fiends, I can keep collecting spatial marks.”

Spatial marks could be synthesized into traversal talismans, used to journey to different planes—a crucial means of crossing boundaries. Qingxi found himself looking forward to it.

Upon arriving at the residence, Qingxi discovered that Ouyang Changfeng was absent once again.

Even the siblings Qingfeng and Mingyue were nowhere to be seen.

“Why is my master always out and about? I really ought to find a mistress to keep him in line,” Qingxi mused, a bold idea flashing across his mind.

He left Longma on the first floor and returned to his room upstairs to begin his seclusion.

He absorbed the spatial mark within the gemstone eyeball, yet the remaining primal power inside was still immense.

This was the core of the outerworld fiend Ibucita. In a few minutes, Qingxi refined three thousand strands of five-elemental essence from it, mainly of earth and metal attributes.

Compared to the entire body, the core didn’t contain much essence, but the vital energy within was tremendous.

“Vital energy can comprehensively strengthen the host’s body. The stronger the body, the easier it becomes to advance to the Innate Realm,” the assistant offered sagely.

“Then I’ll just absorb it all.”

Previously, by the Xisha River, he had refined abundant vital energy from Ibucita’s shattered body. Combined with what he now obtained from the gemstone eye, the two merged into a fist-sized sphere of crimson light.

As he began the absorption, strands of red connected the two sources, and a steady stream of vital energy surged into Qingxi’s body, gradually fortifying it.

The process was tedious.

Qingxi could acutely sense himself growing stronger, but the pace was hardly impressive.

He nearly dozed off while cultivating.

An hour later, the absorption was finally complete.

As he felt the surge of power within, it all seemed unreal.

He punched out, and the air nearly exploded with a thunderous sound.

“Eight thousand catties of force!”

Staring at his own hands, Qingxi could scarcely believe that his strength had more than quadrupled from its previous two thousand.

He reckoned that with a single punch, he could not only kill two oxen, but probably an entire herd.

Besides the increase in power, his bodily resilience, reflexes, and speed had all improved dramatically. Even without using his vital energy, he could now stand toe-to-toe with someone just entering the Innate Realm.

He picked up a low-grade Frostlight Sword and slashed at his fingertip, leaving only a pale mark.

Once he channeled his vital energy, the blade gleamed coldly as he ran it over his finger again. This time, there was a sting, but it only produced a tiny cut that healed almost instantly.

“That’s incredible!”

Suddenly, Qingxi recalled that Ibucita, the outerworld fiend, possessed extraordinary regenerative abilities—even severed limbs could be restored.

The thought excited him. “Does that mean I’ve acquired this ability too?”

The assistant replied, “Ibucita’s regenerative power comes from its unique physiology. Your own recovery is due to the abundance of vital energy—there’s a fundamental difference.”

Qingxi felt a twinge of disappointment. “So I can’t regrow lost limbs after all.”

The assistant quipped, “Just spend enough essence and you could even have your head reforged.”

“My five-elemental essence is reserved for upgrading my spiritual roots!” Qingxi grumbled, feeling the assistant’s eye on his reserves more and more.

He took out the Black Dragon Stele and absorbed the starlight power within. Though not much, it was better than nothing.

Once everything was ready, Qingxi prepared to attempt breaking through to the Innate Realm.

But at that moment, he suddenly realized he didn’t have the “Qi Condensation Art: Innate Chapter” technique.

“How could I have forgotten that!” Qingxi smacked his forehead.

Any disciple who reached the peak of the Qi Refining stage was eligible to request a perusal of the “Qi Condensation Art: Innate Chapter” from the library.

Originally, Qingxi could have asked Ouyang Changfeng for it, but his master had wandered off again with no sign of returning. There was no choice but to visit the library.

Remembering his agreement with Qiu Yingying, Qingxi first visited the mission hall to submit the required items for the three-star “Water Spirit Pearl Search” task, earning a total of 2,300 points.

He glanced at the points leaderboard and, seeing the last place with just over a thousand points, allowed himself a small smile.

The first stage was complete.

His gaze then shifted to the top of the mission board.

There were only five five-star missions listed.

At the very top was “Explore the Ancient Luo Ruins and Retrieve the Lost Art”—the very task Qiu Yingying had accepted, and an extremely difficult one.

At dusk, Qingxi arrived punctually at the library.

Elder Lei Yao, seeing Qingxi, narrowed his eyes. “You again?”

“I asked him to come.”

Qiu Yingying’s voice rang out from nearby.

Upon seeing the domineering young lady, Elder Lei Yao immediately softened, coughing lightly. “What brings you two here?”

“Qingxi’s cultivation has reached the peak of the Qi Refining stage. He requires the Innate Chapter of the technique. Additionally, I need to use the mural wall in the library to conduct a test for him.”

When he heard that Qingxi had reached the peak of Qi Refining, Lei Yao nearly threw out his back, staring in disbelief. “You—already at the Qi Refining peak?”

He already knew that Qingxi had opened all twelve main meridians, and that there were no bottlenecks for him in the Qi Refining stage, but this rapid progress—could the foundation really be stable?

Yet, sensing the vast vital energy within Qingxi, Lei Yao swallowed nervously, feeling as if he were facing a mystical beast of the Profound Grade.

This meant Qingxi’s foundation was indeed solid.

“Is this kid even human?” Lei Yao marveled inwardly, waving his hand. “Since Yingying is leading the way, you two may proceed. But for safety’s sake, I must accompany you throughout. And you know the rules, don’t you?”

He looked at Qiu Yingying, his expression suddenly grave.

“I do. That’s ten thousand points.”

Qiu Yingying handed over her disciple’s token without hesitation.

The mural wall was located on the third floor of the library, accessible only to those who had reached the Innate Realm, and required a hefty ten thousand points for a single use.

Even Qingxi felt his heart race.

A single test cost ten thousand points? This made it even more imperative not to disappoint Qiu Yingying.

With that thought, he followed Lei Yao into the library.

As the heavy door’s lock was opened, the three stepped onto the third floor.

This level was not particularly large; in the center stood a battered, timeworn stone wall, a meter high and two meters long, its surface inscribed with ancient patterns that spoke of the passage of ages.

On either side of the wall stood three-tiered bookshelves, each holding six ancient tomes, one of which was the complete “Qi Condensation Art: Innate Chapter.”

The other five were all Black Iron-grade martial arts.

“No Bronze-grade arts?” Qingxi looked around, surprised to find the place rather empty.