Cultivation begins with ice harvesters

Chapter 64: Qi Refining Level 6

However, these market guards once again resorted to their old tricks of putting on airs and extorting money, earning a considerable amount of spirit stones.

Tong Bingfeng, having reached the fifth level of Qi Refining, was naturally no longer subjected to the same humiliation as before, but was still forced to pay two spirit stones as a recovery fee.

After all that fuss, the culprit behind Liu Guangqing's disappearance was naturally a greedy, heinous rogue cultivator who had already fled without leaving a trace.

Throughout the seemingly lively process, Tong Bingfeng focused on his cultivation and never showed any unusual behavior. Moreover, the difference in cultivation level between the fifth and seventh levels of Qi Refining meant that he was not the main target of attention.

After more than ten days of tracking, the monk from the general store disappeared without a trace, like a drop of water merging into the ocean.

Since Liu Guangqing had no direct descendants among the cultivators, the general store and all the spiritual items inside were naturally reclaimed by the market and re-leased for reopening in a very short time. All traces of the original store vanished as if this cultivator had never existed.

"Since he was able to mobilize the market guards to track them, it seems what he said was true. The five crystal gourds representing the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—are indeed intended for a transaction with a direct descendant of the Chen family."

"Fortunately, I have been cultivating peacefully for the past few months and have not sold any of my spoils of war. Naturally, no one has come after me. Better safe than sorry. The competition in the cultivation world is far more brutal than I imagined."

Once everything had calmed down, Tong Bingfeng couldn't help but sigh. If he hadn't been as careful as ever, any slight movement might have been noticed by those with ulterior motives.

At that time, not only will they be unable to continue possessing the five first-grade high-quality crystal gourds, but under the cover of a fabricated accusation, to prevent future troubles, they may not even be able to save their lives.

"On the surface, everything seems to have vanished into the past, but who knows if there are still spies planted by the Chen family cultivators spying on us in the shadows?"

"The elixirs that aid in cultivation have not yet been completely used up. It is better to remain still than to make any moves. Maintaining the daily cultivation rhythm and not attracting attention is the best course of action."

Tong Bingfeng did not become careless in the slightest despite the disappearance of the apparent storm. With the remaining spiritual objects still able to barely sustain his cultivation, he remained cautious in his actions, maintaining a low profile except for actions that were in accordance with the normal requirements of the fifth level of Qi Refining.

As a rogue cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining, his way of earning a living and maintaining his daily practice was to go to the Ice Domain every five days to hunt down a mid-grade first-tier demon beast. He would then sell its carcass to some shops in the market in exchange for a small amount of spirit stones and spirit pills.

As the sun rises and sets, day and night alternate, half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

"That Liu Guangqing is indeed a good-for-nothing. These Qi Refining stage rogue cultivators are all unreliable and cunning fellows. The first-grade high-quality crystal gourd disappeared without a trace on Ice Spirit Island. Has the family's control over the spirit island degenerated to such a crude state?"

In the core area of ​​the Ice Spirit Island's spiritual vein, in a courtyard house belonging to the Chen family located on a second-tier spiritual vein, a young late-stage Qi Refining cultivator dressed in brocade robes was throwing a tantrum.

"Please calm down, young master. I have already arranged for family spies to keep a close eye on all black markets and underground auctions. Once news of the crystal gourd appears, it will surely come to us immediately. The family's control over Ice Spirit Island remains clear."

A middle-aged cultivator at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, with a solemn and resolute expression and dressed in black robes, spoke calmly, yet the determination in his words was clear, and there was also a certain special calming effect in them.

Having reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, he is only one step away from the Foundation Establishment stage. He is truly the number one person below the Foundation Establishment stage. With the support of certain special methods, his overall strength far exceeds the imagination of ordinary cultivators.

Normally, once a cultivator reaches a certain level, they will immediately choose to go into seclusion to cultivate, hoping to forge a foundation and advance to the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Uncle Peng, I was presumptuous."

"Since the other party was able to seize the crystal gourd silently, they must understand its value. They probably left Ice Spirit Island long ago, so there's no need to continue the pursuit. Building a foundation for the Dao is not something that can be done without the crystal gourd."

After a short while, the brocade-robed cultivator regained his senses. Although he was a direct descendant of the Chen family, he was not without competitors within the family. After nine months of searching, he had still found nothing, so he could not continue to use public resources for private gain so recklessly.

"Young Master is wise. I will continue to secretly search for other suitable spiritual objects, and I will certainly not delay the time when Young Master is building his foundation."

The black-robed monk's expression remained unchanged throughout, yet every word he uttered possessed a convincing magic.

Tong Bingfeng, who was renting a small courtyard on the outskirts of Ice Spirit Island, was completely unaware of the changes within the Chen family compound.

At this moment, he was also at a critical juncture in advancing his cultivation to the sixth level of Qi Refining. From the fifth level of Qi Refining to the sixth level, both belonged to the middle stage of Qi Refining, and it was more of a natural process of accumulating spiritual power.

Since returning to Ice Spirit Island, Tong Bingfeng has been wholeheartedly using the power of the first-grade mid-level Enhancing Yuan Pill and the first-grade high-level White Jade Pill to continuously refine and accumulate magical power.

During the process, the spirit stones earned from hunting monsters were also exchanged for other types of first-grade mid-level auxiliary cultivation pills, all of which were rhythmically refined and entered into the dantian.

Meanwhile, Tong Bingfeng visited the Red Willow District again, hunting down three mid-grade first-tier Red Willow leeches. He used the pure water-attribute spiritual power contained in the first-tier mid-grade leech spiritual water as an effective supplement to his daily alchemy and detoxification process, achieving remarkable results.

It was under this regular and rhythmic refining process that Tong Bingfeng naturally reached the bottleneck of advancing to the sixth level of Qi Refining. At this moment, under the active impact of the magic power, the bottleneck, which was not very solid to begin with, was already in a state of teetering on the verge of collapse and could break at any time.

"Guided by divine sense and wielding magical power as our blade, we will forge ahead without hesitation, and our cultivation advancement will begin today."

Tong Bingfeng sat cross-legged on a simple futon, his face resolute, perfectly embodying the style of a cultivator with a steadfast Dao heart.

At this critical moment when the bottleneck was about to be broken, he deliberately emptied his spiritual consciousness from his mind and, together with the pure mana in his dantian that had been refined to the peak of the fifth level of Qi Refining, prepared to launch the final attack.

The mana in the dantian is divided into three levels. With the coordination and mobilization of some of the divine sense, the most fierce and powerful attacks are launched at different times. This attack is orderly and focused, and contains a special state and spirit of not giving up until success. This is also a powerful demonstration of the cultivator's determination to break through the bottleneck and advance in cultivation.