Chapter 40: The Collapse of the Secret Qi Refining Realm for the Three

After finishing his medicinal bath and engaging in a vigorous workout, Qin Anyu felt the stirrings of *qi*. Although such a phenomenon was not supposed to occur in a "Dull Body" at this stage, he still sensed it faintly.

What did this signify? It meant this body was not a purely "Dull Body." As for what it truly was, that would require further study later.

Seeing that her elder brother, despite being covered in wounds, was in high spirits, Qin Lingxue felt reassured and went off to venture into the beast territory of the Qi Refining realm.

Having sensed the faint *qi*, Qin Anyu spent the time brewing medicine by continuously recalling what that predecessor had said, as well as the few descriptions of the Dull Body found in the Immortal Realm.

The general description in the Immortal Realm was: The acupuncture points are tightly sealed and cannot be opened; the Five Palaces—the heart, lungs, etc., corresponding to the five elements—are locked and cannot take root; the spiritual *qi* of heaven and earth cannot enter the body, hence it is a "useless body." Even with great perseverance, a Dull Body practitioner could only toil to reach the level of an Innate warrior.

This meant the acupuncture points were closed and unopenable; the Five Palaces could not harbor spiritual *qi*, and even if it entered, it could not be retained. Those who defied fate and trained hard could, at best, reach the level of an Innate warrior.

An Innate warrior corresponds to the Qi Refining realm, which is a classification within the path of Body Tempering. Before reaching immortality, the stages are: Acquired warrior, Innate warrior, Martial Soldier, Martial Master, Martial Sect, Martial King, Martial Emperor, Martial Empress, and Martial Venerable. In other words, no matter how much effort or hardship a Dull Body endured, they could only reach the level of an Innate warrior.

However, the predecessor’s description was: The acupuncture points are tightly sealed but can be opened with difficulty; the Five Palaces are locked but can be forced to take root; the spiritual *qi* of heaven and earth can be forced into the body.

The two descriptions were largely the same; the predecessor acknowledged the common view but believed it was still possible to cultivate—they simply hadn't found the right method.

"Perhaps," he muttered, "the descriptions of the Dull Body are all wrong, or at least incomplete."

The common belief that a Dull Body cannot cultivate was, as the predecessor suggested, wrong. He himself came from a small family and had been abandoned once identified as having a Dull Body, so no one had monitored his progress. But he was different; he possessed the soul of an Immortal Emperor. Although it was weak and many memories were automatically sealed, it was still an Immortal Emperor's soul, and his discernment was extraordinary, allowing him to perceive the *qi*.

"However, all this can only be determined once the Ultimate Realm is stabilized."

After brewing the medicinal soup, he used half of it for a bath. After bathing, he went to the beast territory to battle before bathing again. After this session, he finally confirmed that while *qi* could be felt, it was like passing through the shade of a tree—it didn't leave any *yuan qi* behind.

He finally admitted that he had been wishful. People had summarized that theory based on long-term observation, not casual conclusions.

"Then, I must embrace even greater suffering."

From then on, he stopped seeking out beasts, instead practicing basic movements and his newly created technique—the Sword-Drawing Art—crashing into trees and rocks, and striking his body with iron tools until he was covered in bruises, only to then soak in the medicinal bath. Fortunately, there were only three of them, and the medicinal herbs were relatively abundant, enough to sustain their consumption.

On the thirteenth day, Qin Lingxue finished refining the various stages of *qi* nourishment. Her internal *qi* had noticeably increased, and she defeated a Qi Refining-realm jackal with her bare hands. She was overjoyed, declaring that coming here with her brother had been the right choice.

On the sixteenth day, Qin Youqin reached the ninth stage of *qi* nourishment. Her internal *qi* was generated and became quite distinct, which astonished both Qin Anyu and Qin Lingxue.

Counting everything, her training time was less than three months. While the environment and herbs here were excellent, reaching this level in such a short time showed she had great talent and even greater diligence.

On the eighteenth day, feeling her ninth stage had reached its peak, Qin Lingxue followed Qin Anyu’s guidance to brew a large pot of medicine for a bath, successfully entering the "Ultimate Realm."

After the bath, she followed Qin Anyu’s example and went to the beast territory. She defeated a snake upon entering, then proceeded to take down thirteen Qi Refining-realm beasts. Finally, she fought a bear; the two were evenly matched, and she only left the battlefield when she became exhausted. She then used the medicine Qin Anyu had prepared to soak, and four days later, she fully stabilized this minor stage.

On the twenty-second day, Qin Youqin felt her ninth stage had reached its peak. With the help of the medicine, she also successfully reached the Ultimate Realm. Her combat power was slightly higher than Qin Lingxue’s; the first opponent she encountered was that same bear, and after defeating it, she took down sixteen more Qi Refining-realm beasts.

On the twenty-fourth day, Qin Lingxue felt her internal *qi* stop increasing and instead became agitated. Knowing the time had come, she decided to advance.

Qin Anyu realized she had reached the limit of the *Qi* Nourishment realm; if she didn't advance now, she would develop "drug resistance." He crafted several pills for her—"Qi Refining Pills," which he had read about in books from the Immortal Realm regarding the lower realms, designed to promote the absorption of *yuan qi*.

After taking the pill, she sat cross-legged on a giant rock. Soon, a vortex of airflow appeared around her, growing larger and larger. This was the intake of the *yuan qi* of heaven and earth, though it remained to be seen how her internal *qi* would convert into true *qi*.

Qin Anyu and Qin Youqin did nothing but watch her advancement. In reality, only Qin Youqin was watching; Qin Anyu was observing the state of this secret realm.

This secret realm had no other energy source and relied on the *yuan qi* within this area. Once the concentration fell below a certain level, the realm would collapse, so he remained vigilant.

As time passed, the black lines in the high sky gradually turned into black bands and began to stretch. Three hours later, Qin Lingxue completed her advancement, becoming a Qi Refining-realm cultivator. Four hours later, the black bands stopped expanding or stretching, stabilizing.

Qin Anyu secretly let out a sigh of relief. "Perhaps there is enough left for the two of us to reach the Qi Refining realm."

Perhaps having witnessed Qin Lingxue’s process, less than three hours later, Qin Youqin said she had touched the threshold of advancement. Qin Anyu immediately gave her a Qi Refining Pill. Three hours later, she also became a true Qi Refining-realm cultivator.

Of the three, only Qin Anyu remained in the *Qi* Nourishment realm. He had thought Qin Youqin would be the last, but it turned out to be him. He didn't feel embarrassed, only worried about whether the secret realm would be destroyed.

The black bands in the sky were now twice as wide and three times as long. The entire realm emitted a hissing sound—the prelude to collapse. He told them the situation and asked them to leave, but neither agreed, insisting on staying with him and vowing not to cultivate until he advanced, to conserve *yuan qi*.

On the twenty-sixth day, "self-harm" was no longer possible for Qin Anyu without using a sword, as other objects could no longer break his skin or bruise his bones. He prepared to advance to the Qi Refining realm.

First, he concocted a poultice, boiling magnetite and seventy-two types of herbs for eight hours. Once finished, he had them bind him tightly to a massive rock and instructed them to apply the paste around his Upper, Middle, and Lower *Dantian*.

This paste, called "Cliff-Splitting Ointment," was meant to stimulate these three *Dantian*, the entire meridian system, acupuncture points, and skin pores, forcing them to expand and become receptive to *yuan qi* so they could store true *qi*.

As the ointment was applied, he felt excruciating pain. He gritted his teeth throughout, letting out beast-like roars that terrified the two women. The pain in his meridians was heart-wrenching, causing his whole body to convulse. Seeing their panic, he forced himself to endure and growled at them to feed him the medicinal soup.

This soup, brewed from eighty-one types of herbs while the ointment was being made, was called "Heaven-Connecting Broth." It served a similar purpose to the ointment but worked from the inside out, stimulating the Five Palaces, *Dantian*, and meridians to activate them.

While consuming the "Heaven-Connecting Broth," he lost all sensation in his body and felt his consciousness fading. He nearly blacked out several times but bit his tongue repeatedly to stay awake.

He didn't know how much time passed, but finally, a sense of coolness arrived, and the pain vanished.

Had the *yuan qi* entered his body and converted into true *qi*?

His sluggish mind cleared rapidly. He tried to sense his internal state and soon confirmed that the *yuan qi* had indeed entered, converted, and been retained.

He was overcome with ecstasy—the predecessor’s method was correct; the Dull Body could cultivate!

Suddenly, he felt *yuan qi* forming a vortex around him. He instinctively looked up at the sky; the black bands were rapidly widening and lengthening. He roared, "Untie me!"

As they were halfway through untying him, he shouted again, "Get down!"

Before he could finish, a tearing sound echoed. The world changed color, and the rocks began to crumble. The secret realm was collapsing; two massive boulders crashed down just a few feet away from them.

They didn't get down, instead continuing to untie him. Soon, he could no longer see them clearly; dust and miasma obscured his vision. With one hand freed, he took out an anti-miasma pill and shouted as he stuffed it into their mouths: "Take the anti-miasma pill!"

He then grabbed his Dull Sword, severed the remaining bindings, and pulled them toward the center of the secret realm, finally hiding under a colossal rock.