Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman - Chapter 20 Breakthrough to Qi Refinement

Lan He lightly tapped the table, and the murmurs below gradually subsided.

“Alright, I’ve been explaining all this to help you understand the world we inhabit.”

“Our goal is to ascend to the Immortal Realm!”

“As for the Reincarnators, I haven’t encountered one myself.”

“Individuals who can seal their memories and enter reincarnation using their own immense power are exceedingly rare, even across the entire Northern Dust Region.”

With a collective sigh of relief, everyone had initially expected to encounter many such individuals.

Lan He continued, “I brought up the Immortal Realm to share something else with you.”

“The Immortal Realm and the Mortal Realm are not entirely separate!”

Boom!

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the grand hall was shaken, including Li Guanqi.

Could it be that immortals from the upper realms indeed had interactions with those in the lower realms?

Lan He paused for a moment, then softly stated, “It’s not as you imagine. If that were the case, there would be no need for cultivation and ascension.”

“Next, I have something very important to convey.”

“Spirit Ruins and Destiny!”

Li Guanqi furrowed his brow, not understanding what the Elder was talking about, and the others were similarly puzzled.

Lan He said, “Don’t worry; I’ll explain it to you slowly.”

“Before reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm at the age of eighteen, you can open your Spirit Ruins through a special ceremony and formation.”

“If a cultivator reaches the Foundation Establishment Realm before the age of eighteen, they can open their Spirit Ruins through a special ceremony and formation.”

“The Spirit Ruin resides within your Spirit Altar, shaping all things and is an innate entity.”

“Ninety-nine percent of ordinary people’s Spirit Ruins are empty, with very few containing items.”

“But these items may not necessarily be useful. Only treasures like weapons and artifacts hold real value.”

Li Guanqi frowned and softly inquired, “Elder Lan, what purpose do these items within the Spirit Ruins serve?”

Lan He smiled slightly, extended his hand, and instantly ensnared all the disciples in the hall with a blue ribbon.

“This is one of the items within my Spirit Ruins, a blue ribbon.”

“It can be used for binding or as a means of attack!”

“The items within the Spirit Ruins are akin to treasures, connecting with the body and consciousness and cultivated within the body if there is a matching treasure, amplifying its power.”

At this point, Lan He’s voice grew grave, and she emphasized, “Spirit Ruins can only be opened once in a lifetime! Remember not to forcibly open it again!”

The people below comprehended the nature of the Spirit Ruins, but their expectations were tempered.

Next, Lan He lectured further, “Upon breaking through to the Golden Core Realm, you will experience a profound connection with Heaven and Earth!”

“If you’re fortunate, you may receive a Destiny bestowed by an upper realm immortal!”

“Destiny enables a brief borrowing of power from upper realm immortals for combat!”

“So, if you encounter someone with Destiny, exercise even greater caution in battle!”

Zhong Lin suddenly inquired, “Elder Lan, do you possess Destiny?”

Lan He smiled faintly, and then a mysterious milky-white pattern appeared on her forehead.

The pattern flashed and disappeared, and Lan He softly revealed, “Most new disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect receive a Destiny once they reach the Golden Core Realm.”

“This is because our Great Xia Sword Sect’s founder was a powerful cultivator who ascended to the upper realm!”

As soon as she finished speaking, the disciples in the hall erupted in exclamations.

“Wow!! Our Great Xia Sword Sect actually has an Ascendant realm founder!”

“My goodness, other sects probably don’t have that privilege, right?”

“The founder… those are figures from how many years ago.”

“Being able to join the Great Xia Sword Sect is the luckiest moment of my life.”

At this moment, all the new disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect felt an overwhelming sense of pride.

It was a unique sense of honor for their sect.

When the clamor subsided, Lan He softly declared, “Alright, that covers the basics.”

“Next comes the first lesson in cultivation!”

“Body Refinement!”

“…”

In fact, most of the new disciples were ordinary people who had no understanding of what Body Refinement entailed. After Lan He explained the basics, everyone grasped the concept.

Then Lan He distributed scrolls with the fundamental Body Refinement mantra and training methods. “Body Refinement takes a minimum of three months and a maximum of one year to reach perfection.”

“For instance… Li Guanqi.”

Li Guanqi was suddenly singled out and felt a bit embarrassed, touching his nose. Lan He then gestured to a hundred-pound stone roller that had been prepared earlier and said with a soft laugh, “Come on, Guanqi, demonstrate how to lift these rollers with one hand in front of everyone.”

Since it had come to this point, Li Guanqi couldn’t refuse. Five massive stone rollers were strung together with an iron rod. Li Guanqi walked over under the watchful eyes of everyone. Upon entering the sect, everyone knew just how extraordinary Li Guanqi’s talent was. However, looking at his slender frame, someone couldn’t help but mutter, “That stone roller is larger than he is. Can his small body handle it? There’s no way he’s stronger than I am!”

Someone else chimed in, “Yeah, can he really do it? Won’t he just get crushed…”

Zhong Lin’s eyes flashed with determination. He was also at the peak of Body Refinement. Seeing Li Guanqi approaching the stone roller, he couldn’t help but calculate in his mind. With his physical strength, he could lift a maximum of three hundred pounds.

But Li Guanqi was also facing a dilemma. He had no idea how much weight Elder Lan wanted him to lift. He stood in front of the stone roller, shrugged, and slowly extended his right hand to grasp the central pillar.

Whoosh!

Sizzle!!!

A gasp of astonishment echoed through the hall. Li Guanqi, with just one hand, effortlessly lifted all five stone rollers straight over his head! Casually swinging them in the air a couple of times, Li Guanqi turned and asked, “Elder Lan, like this?”

Lan He’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“He just lifted a five hundred pounds with one hand??”

“By the way he swung it, what level of Body Refinement has he reached?”

Lan He’s composed herself as she said, “Ahem, that’s enough, put it down.”

Li Guanqi casually placed the stone roller on the ground, emitting a muffled thud, and everyone, even through the cushions, felt the vibrations on the hall’s floor.

Zhong Lin was particularly shocked.

“He swung it so casually, and even his shoulders didn’t budge!”

“What methods did he use during his Body Refinement to attain such terrifying strength?”

Next, Lan He passed down the breathing techniques for Qi cultivation and instructed the disciples to keep them well.

Li Guanqi used his inner vision to read the scroll and followed the meditation postures described. After three breaths, Li Guanqi’s breathing gradually became regular.

Lan He continued speaking to some of the inner disciples who were in the Body Refinement stage, “Drawing in the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth into your body is the most crucial step in cultivation.”

“According to the technique, sense the spiritual energy and identify the power that matches your own Spirit Root, then draw it into your body.”

“Finally, stabilize it in your dantian, forming a vortex, and you will completely break through the Body Refinement stage and enter the Qi Refinement stage.”

“The most challenging part of Qi cultivation is comprehending the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.”

“And the purer your Spirit Root, the clearer your comprehension, but drawing it into your body is also extremely difficult.”

“Even for those with a Heaven-Grade Spirit Root, this step takes at least three days and could stretch for several months.”

“So, we must take one step at a time, work diligently… uh… Li Guanqi!!”

Buzz!!!

Suddenly, a mysterious wave emanated from Li Guanqi’s body within the hall. Lan He’s expression instantly changed, and the blue ribbon reappeared, clearing the disciples within thirty meters of Li Guanqi. Then, she placed a circular formation on the ground, embedding six palm-sized spirit stones on it.

A glowing light descended, and suddenly, the spiritual energy around Li Guanqi surged. The spiritual energy seemed to be like faint blue smoke, appearing and disappearing. The white mist was drawn into Li Guanqi’s nose, and after a short while…

Thud!

A soft sound came from within Li Guanqi’s body. Following that, numerous black impurities emerged from Li Guanqi’s skin, like mud adhering to his body.

As Li Guanqi opened his eyes, he saw the shock in Lan He’s eyes. Li Guanqi, during his first lesson, had broken through to the first level of Qi Refinement!

The first level of Qi Refinement!

She, a genius with a Heaven-Grade Water Spirit Root, took two and a half days to accomplish it!!

“Is this the difference between people…”

Not only Lan He, but the disciples in the hall also had mixed expressions.

Jealousy showed on their faces, but in the end, they couldn’t help but sigh.