Chapter 66: Continuous Breakthrough

The atmosphere grew cold again.

Gu Zhengshun said in a muffled voice, "Let's not mention the underground palace again. Now that only four of us remain on Mystic Bone Three Mountains, why don't we return and send some more people over?"

"Absolutely not," Liu Jinxian whispered, toying with the Bee Gu in her hand. "The five-year patrol period cannot be neglected for even a single day."

While she said this, anyone with a keen eye could see that she stayed to fully refine this Bee Gu, especially since she had defeated the second-tier Poisonous Bee King using her trump card. The sunk cost was too great; she needed to further refine it with the Putrid Poisonous Bees from Mystic Bone Mountain for any chance of success. There was no way she would leave.

Upon hearing this, Situ Hong also nodded. "I agree." Not only could he utilize the Profound Essence Flowers, but he also gained the benefit of raising ghosts for free from the Bone Wood Forest. This was significantly more profitable than returning to the sect; staying for five years would be pure gain.

Only Gu Zhengshun had come with the sole purpose of finding a great opportunity in the underground palace. Since everything had come to naught, he was completely disheartened and desperate to return. The unsafe environment, coupled with the unease of having simultaneously offended three people, truly frightened Gu Zhengshun! He had first betrayed Wang Yu, and then, while cooperating with Situ Hong, he was unwilling to deal with Liu Jinxian, directly antagonizing all three parties. No one wanted anything to do with him.

At this point, Wang Yu spoke up, "I also agree with Senior Sister Liu's plan." His initial purpose for coming to Mystic Bone Mountain was to avoid trouble. Now that he had reaped enormous profits, he needed time to digest them. Naturally, he didn't want to return too early, as the resources he held wouldn't disappear. He would wait until his cultivation reached the next level. Upon his return, he could then plan for the resources needed for Foundation Establishment. In addition, investigating demonic secret arts that could compensate for acquired aptitudes was of utmost importance.

With a vote of three to one, the decision was made to continue guarding Mystic Bone Mountain.

Next, Gu Zhengshun retreated into the formation, with no intention of coming out again. Liu Jinxian, on the other hand, began searching for natural caves and traces of Putrid Poisonous Bee colonies. Situ Hong secluded himself in the Bone Wood Forest, peacefully nurturing his Yin Ghost servants. For a time, a strange calm settled. No one brought up expelling the Foundation Establishment bone beast. Wang Yu was delighted by this, as he also needed time. Thus, Mystic Bone Mountain became completely peaceful.

In the blink of an eye, another year passed. It was late May of Wang Yu's fifth year as an outer disciple, marking two and a half years since he arrived at Mystic Bone Mountain. By this time, he had also turned twenty-two. During this period, he had already consumed the third supreme-grade Cold Blood Pill and refined nearly two-thirds of it. His spiritual energy cultivation within his body was filled to its limit—a full 999 strands of spiritual energy, each equivalent to ten wisps of ordinary spiritual energy.

"The breakthrough is today!"

He actively circulated his cultivation technique, allowing spiritual energy to flow through his meridians, reaching all his limbs and bones. Even his left arm, an externally grafted object, was incorporated into the circulation path of the technique. The corpse arm was cold and imbued with death energy; it was controlled within his left arm by the continuously condensed *Yin Blood Pill*, maintaining a delicate balance. The circulation of spiritual energy continuously accelerated, and Wang Yu's body trembled. The external, turbulent spiritual energy smoothly merged into his Dantian Qi Sea, and the one thousandth strand of spiritual energy was finally cultivated. His aura instantly surged. The benefits of the realm breakthrough caused a certain increase in many of his physical and spiritual aspects, including his body, meridians, and divine sense.

"—Qi Refining Sixth Layer!"

He exhaled a breath of hot air and continued cultivating to stabilize his realm.

Ten days later, in the secret chamber of the temporary cave dwelling, which Wang Yu had completely sealed off with a Blood Mist Concealing Spirit Formation, there was a stone pool in the center. Mountain spring water, faintly imbued with spiritual energy, filled half the pool. Wang Yu removed his clothes and trousers, soaking naked in the spring water. Immediately after, three storage bags floated above the pool, their openings wide. Countless Profound Essence Flowers poured out. Wang Yu then used the "Medicine Washing and Refining" technique from alchemy to completely extract the value from these Profound Essence Flowers. Peach-colored essence dripped into the pool. This action, which should have led to dilution, instead resulted in a concentration far exceeding that of a single Profound Essence Flower, as more essence was poured in than water.

Moreover, absorbing through this method alleviated some of the issues with the inefficient refinement of his "waste spirit root." Even if expelled from his body, the essence could remain in the Profound Essence Flower pool for a long time. If he managed even a secondary absorption, utilizing just one or two tenths of it would be far more cost-effective than simply ingesting it. He had accumulated too many flowers to possibly use them all. Strictly speaking, this was Wang Yu's first time achieving a breakthrough without using the "placement slot" feature. Although it still relied on external materials, it was progress, wasn't it?

As the perfected-level Cold Blood Art circulated, a large amount of medicinal power was absorbed into his body, continuously tempering and purifying Wang Yu's spiritual energy cultivation. His high proficiency in the technique allowed him to absorb a great deal at once and control it with precision. However, his spirit root was too weak, leading to slow refinement and severe waste. After one grand circulation, less than half of the effect was applied to the spiritual energy. Nevertheless, the overflowing resources forced Wang Yu's thousand strands of spiritual energy to continuously purify and merge. Ten becoming one, a thousand becoming a hundred, strands consolidating into streams! The misty spiritual energy became increasingly dense. Each stream of spiritual energy was equivalent to a hundred wisps, its quality superior, much more durable, and its purifying effect on his physical body and divine sense was even more pronounced.

Gradually, as time passed, Wang Yu became completely immersed in cultivation. When hungry, he swallowed a supreme-grade Bigu Pill; when thirsty, he drank a mouthful of the bathwater. His aura climbed even higher, until it reached a certain limit.

"Pop—"

With the barely perceptible sound of a bottleneck breaking, Wang Yu's entire body erupted with dense spiritual energy. At this moment, he had successfully completed his second spiritual refinement. His cultivation naturally advanced.

"This is the feeling of the Qi Refining Seventh Layer… I entered the path at sixteen, and it took six years to cultivate to the late Qi Refining stage. The path to longevity is indeed arduous."

Only a hundred streams of his blue-black Cold Blood spiritual energy remained within him, yet they were more potent than ever. Casting high-grade spells would no longer feel strained, resolving a major weakness: his insufficient spiritual energy. He calculated the time in his mind. Approximately three months had passed since he entered the flower pool for secluded cultivation, directly breaking through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer. The pool of Profound Essence Flower essence was still not depleted. Wang Yu continued his secluded cultivation, further purifying his spiritual energy to transform it into semi-liquid true essence. This was the true marvel of the Profound Essence Flowers, which he could not possibly miss.

As for his subsequent cultivation, it would still involve accumulating spiritual energy. From one hundred streams, he needed to accumulate three hundred streams to break through to the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, which was roughly equivalent to twenty thousand wisps of spiritual energy. Using the "placement slot" feature, this would take him five thousand days, nearly thirteen years! This was the reality of a "waste spirit root"—even with cheats, it was a frustrating grind. However, it was comparable to a three-spirit root; at least he had a chance to attempt Foundation Establishment before he turned one hundred. Normal four-spirit and five-spirit roots couldn't even dream of it. With his abundant resources, he might even have a chance to attempt Foundation Establishment before fifty. In some ways, he was only slightly inferior to a dual-spirit root.

As for breaking through to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, he only needed to accumulate seven hundred streams of spiritual energy, and then reach one thousand streams to be considered at the Grand Perfection of Qi Refining. He could then attempt to break through to the next realm!