Chapter 56: Late Qi Refining Stage

Lu An nodded slightly. Dealing with a demonic beast of the same level was so perilous that there was little to celebrate.

Even now, he was still reflecting on the moment when the bull charged at him.

It felt as if death was imminent, leaving no time for thought. This was the life-and-death battle, where it was either you die or I die.

The difference from daily sparring was immense.

But the feeling of winning was truly gratifying.

Lu An smiled slightly and reviewed his recent experiences.

Knowing the Triangle Demon Bull had tough hide, he was foolish to attack its back initially. This led him into a passive situation at the start, but fortunately, he found the bull's weakness and turned the situation around.

In the future, when hunting demonic beasts, he must keep this in mind: to leverage his strengths and attack the enemy's weaknesses, which is the key to success.

He approached the bull's corpse, cut off its three large horns, and extracted its blood into small vials, storing them in his storage bag.

Then, he placed the Soul Devouring Sword on the bull's head. The sword suddenly emitted a sucking force, completely consuming the bull's residual soul.

The sword buzzed with what seemed like a hint of excitement.

Having completed these tasks, Lu An set off toward his next target.

As time passed day by day, half a year went by in the blink of an eye.

Due to long-term battles with demonic beasts, Lu An's skin had tanned and his once delicate features now bore a more determined look.

He had grown a few centimeters taller, his long body covered in muscular lines, exuding strength.

Ying Chang had returned to the Spirit Talisman Residence three months ago and no longer accompanied him for protection.

However, he came periodically to collect Lu An's hunting spoils.

This was unavoidable. Given Lu An's speed in hunting demonic beasts, if Ying Chang didn't come to collect, his storage bag would be full within a week.

Any additional loot would be wasted.

During these six months, Lu An had made significant progress, becoming increasingly composed in dealing with demonic beasts.

Repeated life-and-death training had also made Lu An's mind calmer. No matter what danger he encountered, he remained unfazed.

His True Qi had become exceedingly strong, and his foundation had been further solidified.

With the support of the Minor Gathering Qi Talisman and continuous life-and-death battles, Lu An broke through to the sixth level of Qi Refining within half a month after entering Mount Mangdang.

Today, he felt another breakthrough approaching, as if the late Qi Refining stage was opening up to him.

In a cave, Lu An sat cross-legged, practicing the Eternal Spring Technique to its limit.

Since his progress in the Yi Wood Spirit Soul Technique hadn't caught up, he could only use the Eternal Spring Technique for the breakthrough.

However, it's worth mentioning that, as it was being retrained, the Yi Wood Spirit Soul Technique's progress was also rapid, having reached the fourth layer.

It shouldn't be long before it catches up.

As the technique operated, a small vortex formed at Lu An's dantian.

The True Qi in the air surged in crazily, as if it were an insatiable black hole, never pausing for a moment.

A beam of escaping light shot from the horizon, arriving with Ying Chang, who had just reached the area.

"Hmm? This fluctuation in spiritual energy—could Brother Lu be breaking through?"

He was astonished. Wasn't Lu An supposed to have just broken through six months ago? How could he progress so quickly?

Naturally, he didn't know about Lu An's Minor Gathering Qi Talisman, so he found it hard to believe.

But then he furrowed his brow, closely watching Lu An's figure.

"The bottleneck in the late Qi Refining stage is not to be underestimated; this breakthrough might not be so smooth."

In Qi Refining, there are bottlenecks at each level transition, whether from the third to the fourth layer or from the sixth to the seventh. It's not just a matter of accumulation to overcome.

Lu An clearly sensed this. When he reached the mid-level, his innate talent with three spiritual roots didn't make it feel difficult.

However, this breakthrough to the late stage was different. The bottleneck was extremely stubborn, even stronger than any he had encountered before.

Seeing that the absorbed spiritual energy was decreasing and the bottleneck remained unmoved, Lu An hardened his resolve and made a decision.

A talisman flew out from his storage bag, igniting automatically, and attached itself to Lu An's forehead.

In an instant, the situation changed dramatically.

The vortex of spiritual energy in his dantian suddenly expanded, several times larger than before.

The surrounding heavenly and earthly spiritual energy surged into his body as if it were free, flowing in frantically.

Ying Chang's face turned pale with shock, and he exclaimed:

"A Second-Stage Gathering Qi Talisman!"

"Brother Lu actually managed to draw this talisman. How is that possible?"

"This is bad. With such a Foundation Establishment talisman, he might not be able to endure it."

Ying Chang was anxious but couldn't dare to interrupt at such a critical moment of the breakthrough. If Lu An were startled and went into a chaotic state, it could lead to broken meridians and sever any chance of cultivating immortality.

In this situation, he could only wait on the side, hoping Lu An would be alright.

On Lu An's side, spiritual energy continued to pour in wildly, and the bottleneck of the late Qi Refining stage showed cracks, seemingly on the verge of breaking through.

However, blood started to flow from Lu An's seven orifices, indicating severe injuries.

"I can't continue like this; otherwise, my injuries will get worse. I'll risk it!"

He gathered all his True Qi and slammed it against the bottleneck.

"Boom!"

A sound of cracking was heard, followed by an astonishing surge of aura erupting from him.

"Seventh Layer of Qi Refining!"

Before he could rejoice, darkness overwhelmed him, and he lost consciousness.

"Brother Lu!"

Ying Chang quickly flew over to support him.

After checking Lu An's injuries, he sighed in relief.

"Phew—"

"Fortunately, the breakthrough was successful. Although there is some damage to the meridians, it should not be serious."

"Brother Lu, why push yourself so hard? There was no need to rush."

He shook his head, then a sudden realization struck him.

Since the attack by the Ding family, Lu An had become more urgent about advancing his cultivation. It seemed that the pressure he felt was considerable, though he had never shared it with others.

Moreover, there was the weight of the Fang family's mountain pressing down on him, leaving no room for slow, steady cultivation.

Ying Chang felt a pang of sympathy. After his own breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage, he had become somewhat complacent, forgetting the previous sense of crisis.

Seeing Lu An's current state made him realize that as fellow companions, he should not let Lu An bear such pressure alone.

He decided to intensify his own training and, when the time came to face the Fang family, he hoped to have a slim chance of survival.

He resolved to persuade Fang Ling to retreat for closed-door cultivation after returning.

By evening, Lu An gradually awoke.

He examined his body and sighed deeply.

Although he had broken through to the late Qi Refining stage, his meridians had suffered varying degrees of damage, making further cultivation impossible for the time being.

But he did not regret it. Had he not taken the risk, the bottleneck might have trapped him for an indefinite period—perhaps half a year or a year.

Now that he had successfully broken through, the remaining cultivation was a matter of accumulating enough experience to smoothly pass the final hurdle of the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Brother Ying, you're here."

Hearing the voice, Ying Chang quickly approached and asked with concern:

"How are you feeling? Is your body alright?"

"No major issues. With some rest, I should recover."

Ying Chang then remembered the purpose of his visit and said:

"Elder Zhang from the Talisman Hall came to the Spirit Talisman Residence yesterday but did not see you."

"He asked me to inform you that the Talisman Hall's assessment is about to begin."