Spirit Gathering Pill

"Ha ha!!!" 

Xiao Xuan couldn't contain his excitement as a burst of laughter escaped his lips. A wide grin spread across his face, lighting up the dim Immortal Cave. 

"Shua!" 

A sharp sound echoed as a pile of Spirit Stones appeared on the stone table, shimmering faintly under the cave's gentle light. Judging by their rich luster and the concentrated Spirit Power radiating from them, they were clearly low-grade Spirit Stones. 

Xiao Xuan's eyes sparkled as he quickly estimated their number.

"Ten thousand!" His voice was full of disbelief. 

Though ten thousand Spirit Stones might not seem like a lot to some, Xiao Xuan knew better. His entire Xiao family—wealthy as they were—only had 30,000 Spirit Stones in reserve. For someone like him, this was a windfall. 

Even as the most gifted member of the Xiao family, Xiao Xuan only received nine Spirit Stones a month for his cultivation.

The patriarch of the family fared only slightly better, with a monthly allowance of twenty Spirit Stones. Compared to that, this treasure was a fortune beyond his wildest dreams. 

But his excitement didn't stop there. Xiao Xuan quickly rummaged through the storage bag again, and more treasures appeared on the stone table—several bottles and jars, each labeled with neat, precise writing. His breath hitched as his gaze locked onto one of them. 

"Spirit Gathering Pills!" 

With trembling hands, Xiao Xuan picked up a porcelain bottle, carefully removing the cork. 

"Boom!" 

The moment the bottle opened, a rich, fragrant aroma wafted out, filling the cave with the unmistakable scent of high-grade medicinal pills. 

Unable to resist, Xiao Xuan brought the bottle to his nose and inhaled deeply. The medicinal fragrance seeped into his body with every breath, coursing through his meridians and nourishing his Dantian. 

"Boom!" 

A faint surge of Spirit Power rippled through his body, small but distinct. Xiao Xuan's eyes widened in amazement. 

"It's real... a genuine Spirit Gathering Pill!" 

Carefully, he tilted the bottle, letting the pills slide into his palm. He counted them one by one—ten in total. His heart raced. 

His gaze darted to the stone table, where five identical bottles stood in a neat row. If each contained ten pills, that meant there were fifty Spirit Gathering Pills in total. 

His excitement soared. Fifty Spirit Gathering Pills were a treasure capable of drastically improving his cultivation level. 

Without wasting another moment, Xiao Xuan sat down cross-legged on the cold stone floor. He popped a Spirit Gathering Pill into his mouth, and it dissolved instantly, spreading a warm, potent current of energy through his body. 

A surge of heat flowed from his throat to his Dantian, filling him with a powerful vitality. 

"Refining Qi Technique!" he murmured, activating his cultivation method. 

As the technique circulated, the immense Spirit Power from the pill surged through his limbs and meridians like a rushing river, nourishing and strengthening every corner of his body. 

Xiao Xuan closed his eyes, a serene expression replacing his earlier excitement. For now, his focus was solely on refining this power, every ounce of it a step closer to his goal of immortal cultivation. 

----

In the quiet stillness of the Immortal Cave, Xiao Xuan sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor. Wisps of dense spiritual energy lingered above his head, swirling gently like mist. The sight was nothing short of miraculous. 

"Gulp." 

Xiao Xuan poured three Spirit Gathering Pills into his hand, popped them into his mouth, and returned to his cultivation state. 

The moment the pills dissolved, a surge of potent Spiritual Qi erupted within him. The energy coursed through his Dantian, spreading out to his limbs and meridians like an unstoppable wave. 

A powerful hum of Spirit Power reverberated throughout the Immortal Cave. Even the ambient Spiritual Qi in the cave seemed to respond, converging around him and slowly being absorbed into his body. 

Xiao Xuan had known he was on the verge of breaking through to the seventh level of Qi Refining even before entering the Sword Mountain Range. His original plan was simple—find the Xuan Huang Grass, locate a hidden place, and break through in peace. 

But fate had other plans. 

Instead, he had been hunted by an enemy three levels higher than him. If not for his wind attribute Spiritual Roots and intimate knowledge of the terrain, he would have been killed. The mere thought of it sent a chill down his spine. 

'So close to death...' Xiao Xuan clenched his fists at the memory, determination burning in his eyes. 

Now, after swallowing four Spirit Gathering Pills, his previously depleted Spirit Power had been restored. Yet, he could feel he was still a step away from breaking through. 

His sharp gaze landed on the last six Spirit Gathering Pills in his possession. Without hesitation, he grabbed them, his resolve firm. 

"These should be enough,"

He poured the pills into his mouth and felt an immediate eruption of heat in his Dantian. The surge was unlike anything before. If earlier waves of Spirit Power had been a gentle stream, this was a raging river. 

"Boom!" 

The sheer force of the Spirit Power lifted Xiao Xuan slightly off the ground as it surged through his body, crashing against the bottleneck of the seventh level of Qi Refining. 

Like water pounding against a dam, the Spirit Power struck repeatedly, each wave stronger than the last. Xiao Xuan's entire being was immersed in this intense energy, every cell vibrating with power. 

The bottleneck in his cultivation, which had stood firm for so long, now began to crack. Fine lines spread across it, like a dam on the verge of breaking under immense pressure. 

Sweat trickled down Xiao Xuan's face, but his eyes remained closed in unwavering focus. He could feel it—the breakthrough was near. 

Any moment now, he would step into the seventh level of Qi Refining. 

Xiao Xuan could hardly contain his excitement. 

'If I can break through to the seventh level of Qi Refining, even if I can't defeat Chen Damrong, escaping from him will be a certainty,' he thought, a glimmer of hope in his heart. 

The seventh level of Qi Refining marked the late stage—a realm vastly superior to the middle stage. The Spirit Power at this level wasn't just stronger; it was thicker, more refined, and longer-lasting. 

Time ticked by, and the bottleneck in his cultivation began to show more and more cracks, like a dam under immense pressure, ready to burst. Xiao Xuan could sense the breakthrough was near, but despite channeling Spirit Power to impact the barrier more than a dozen times, it stubbornly refused to collapse. 

Frustration flickered in his eyes before determination replaced it. 

'Not yet... I can't stop now.' 

With a fierce glint in his gaze, Xiao Xuan grabbed another bottle of Spirit Gathering Pills. He poured out five more pills, their faint medicinal aroma filling the cave, and popped them into his mouth without hesitation. 

The moment the pills dissolved, an even larger surge of Spirit Power flooded his body. It was as if a torrential flood had broken free, rushing uncontrollably into the reservoir of his Dantian. 

The overwhelming power coursed through him, filling every inch of his being. Yet, it wasn't without consequence. His body began to feel swollen, his veins strained under the sheer volume of energy, and a dull ache started to spread across his limbs. 

Even his family's Cultivation Technique, which he had practiced diligently for years, struggled to contain and refine the immense Spirit Power within him. 

Xiao Xuan's face flushed red, and his hands trembled slightly. The strain was obvious, but he refused to yield. 

'Even with an Earth Spiritual Root, breakthroughs aren't easy. But I have to succeed. I will succeed.'

His determination blazed brighter than ever. 

Outside, Chen Damrong was likely still waiting, possibly preparing to ambush him the moment he emerged. Xiao Xuan knew there was no turning back. If he failed now, it wasn't just his cultivation that would suffer—his life would be at stake. 

"Humph!" 

A low grunt escaped his lips as he forced himself to remain focused. Giving up was not an option. 

'For my survival, for my pride, for my revenge... I won't stop here.' 

[Please add this to your Collection!!!!]

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