Chapter 111: Breakthrough, the Spirit-Converging Herb Matures

Of course, the primary reason was the high sunk cost. Having already invested so much effort, he was naturally reluctant to give up lightly.

Returning home, Zhou Changwang’s expression remained unreadable. "Although this trip went smoothly, the matter of that talisman shop cannot be ignored. I must find a more discreet and stable way to offload my goods."

Zhou Changwang frequently sold spirit talismans, and it was inevitable that observant individuals would eventually take notice. This time, the owner of the small talisman shop had compared the talisman patterns and discovered that he had been selling similar talismans at other shops as well. Had he not been using different disguises outside of the Talisman Fate Pavilion, he would have been in real trouble.

However, he was truly unwilling to stop selling them in the short term. Each month, he earned at least five thousand low-grade spirit stones from these talismans—a significant amount. Of course, if there were genuine risk, he would not hesitate to stop; safety was his top priority.

He returned to the backyard. With eighty-six bottles of Vitality Spirit Liquid in hand, he could not help but begin cultivating the Red-Leaf Spirit Tea Tree once more. One bottle, two bottles, three bottles... soon, six bottles were depleted, and the tea tree’s age increased by another three years.

"As expected, eighty-six bottles are far from enough." Zhou Changwang stopped forcing it. He decided to consume ten bottles of Vitality Spirit Liquid daily to inject into the tree, supplementing it with the Annual Ring Technique. He then turned his focus to the Spirit-Gathering Grass and his own spell cultivation.

The Spirit-Gathering Grass in the fields was nearing maturity. The spiritual energy gathering in the backyard increased daily, yet the amount of work Zhou Changwang had to do decreased. Weeding, applying the Annual Ring Technique, and the Spirit Rain Technique were his primary tasks. He no longer needed a spirit hoe for weeding; a simple flick of his Life-Severing Finger was enough. No matter how resilient the weeds were, they could not withstand a single strike. With one touch, the life force from the stems down to the roots and seeds was completely drained. After a few rounds of this, the weeds in the field became increasingly sparse.

With his Annual Ring Technique reaching the Minor Completion stage, its range had greatly increased; two or three applications were sufficient to cover an entire acre. He practiced three rounds daily, two applications per round, which significantly boosted his proficiency while accelerating the growth of the Spirit-Gathering Grass. He estimated that in a few more days, they would be fully mature and ready for harvest.

As for the afternoons, he dedicated most of his time to practicing various spells: Thousand Thunder Flash, Flying Body Technique, Mind-Splitting Technique, Insect Attraction, Insect Repulsion, Withered Wood Rejuvenation, and the Five Elements Lightning Transformation.

The Five Elements Lightning Transformation was his primary offensive spell. The greater its power, the greater his strength. Even though he had reached the Major Completion stage, there was still the realm of Perfection beyond it. He longed to witness the terrifying power of the spell once it formed a spell seed at the Perfection stage. Moreover, even within the Major Completion stage, there were differences in power; the early, middle, and late stages could vary by as much as twofold. Currently, his Five Elements Lightning Transformation was at (Major Completion 184/800), the early stage. He hoped to increase its power before reaching the 200-point proficiency mark. As for Perfection? That would take considerable time, as each casting consumed a significant amount of spiritual energy, allowing him only a dozen casts even in "training mode" before needing to meditate to recover. A full day of training yielded only thirty experience points.

Several days passed. Zhou Changwang sat cross-legged in his meditation room, surrounded by spirit stones. Outside, he had activated the small spirit-gathering array to its limit. Massive amounts of natural spiritual energy converged, and combined with the spiritual nodes, the concentration of energy here reached its peak. He immersed his mind and rapidly circulated his cultivation technique, the Five Elements Sutra.

At this moment, his cultivation had reached the fourth level of Qi Refining (99/100). He was on the verge of breaking through to the fifth level. This was primarily due to the maturity of the Thunder Spirit Rice; consuming at least three pounds daily kept his spiritual energy abundant, allowing his cultivation to steadily rise as he refined and absorbed it. Combined with his Perfection-level Five Elements Sutra and the ideal environment of his meditation room, his cultivation increased by two or three points every day, pushing him to the peak of the fourth level.

Zhou Changwang knew that every breakthrough was an expansion of his Dantian and a baptism of his spiritual energy. It required sufficient energy to stabilize the state and prevent any regression. Thus, he had prepared thoroughly. He channeled the Five Elements Sutra, and the surrounding spiritual energy rushed into his Dantian, guided by his spiritual sense.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths... Time flowed as he absorbed and gathered the spiritual energy. One cycle, two cycles, three cycles... The moment he completed the fourth cycle, his cultivation increased by +1.

Instantly, he felt an expansion within his Dantian, as if it were completely filled and seeking an outlet. He controlled the spiritual energy, forcing it toward a blocked meridian—the bottleneck for the fifth level of Qi Refining. The compressed energy surged forward, guided by his spiritual sense, and—BOOM! Like a hot knife through butter, the spiritual energy pierced the meridian without resistance.

Even though he consumed a great deal of energy during the process, he felt a sense of clarity and ease as the blockage cleared. To prevent it from closing again, he continued to circulate his technique, absorbing energy while purifying the residual power within him. Once his state stabilized and the meridians ceased to compress, the energy within him underwent a transformation, becoming one-third more condensed, pure, and robust.

"Breakthrough! Fifth level of Qi Refining!"

A wave of immense joy washed over him. This breakthrough had come much faster than he had anticipated, giving him more confidence in his future path. Checking his attribute panel—Name: Zhou Changwang, Lifespan: 18/102, Cultivation: Fifth Level of Qi Refining (1/100)—his joy deepened. His lifespan had increased again—by five years. Though modest, it had officially crossed the century mark. Compared to the seventy-eight years he had when he first transmigrated, these one hundred and two years were incredibly precious—a gain of twenty-four years in total.

However, the breakthrough had drained his spiritual energy. His Dantian felt empty, and a sense of craving quickly filled his heart. He wasted no time, immediately resuming his cultivation and grabbing a handful of spirit stones to replenish his reserves. An hour later, he finally opened his eyes; his Dantian was once again filled.

"With my cultivation broken through, my strength has also increased significantly. The same spells will be more powerful than before." Zhou Changwang felt the surge in his power. He controlled his spiritual sense and expanded it outward—three yards! When he had first broken through to the fourth level, it had only been one yard. Even after practicing the Mind-Splitting Technique and using the Taiyi Record to improve his mental strength, it had only reached one yard and seven feet. He hadn't expected the range to double with this breakthrough.

"However, as my cultivation improves, the amount of spiritual energy required for further growth also increases significantly. Following my previous rhythm, I went from early fourth level to fifth in a month, gaining two to three points a day. Now, I only gain one point a day. Under current conditions, it will take at least three months to break through again."

Zhou Changwang realized that while this speed was still astonishing compared to others, he wanted more, especially with the looming crisis in the Fengmingwu market. The stronger he was, the more composed he could be. He knew that among the sect disciples, there were geniuses who could reach the Foundation Establishment stage in three to five years. To them, Qi Refining was merely a transition; Foundation Establishment was the starting point. He did not necessarily aim to surpass them, but he refused to be a mere follower, especially with the advantage of his attribute panel.

"For now, the only thing that can change this is the new Five Elements technique. I only hope the trade in a few days goes smoothly." Zhou Changwang calmed his mind.

The next day, after injecting the Vitality Spirit Liquid into the Red-Leaf Spirit Tea Tree and applying the Annual Ring Technique, the tree, now seventy-two years old, became increasingly difficult to nurture. Yet, his spell caused its branches to stretch slightly. "Indeed, after a breakthrough, the same spell is more potent. Previously, one Minor Completion Annual Ring Technique was equivalent to fifteen days of growth; now, it is equivalent to twenty."

As he cast more spells, a sudden flash of light occurred. A flood of experience regarding the Annual Ring Technique surged into his mind. "The Annual Ring Technique has reached Major Completion! Does that mean its effect is even stronger?" He cast it again. The entire tea tree seemed to be enveloped in an aura of ancient time. While its appearance didn't change drastically, it gained a sense of vastness, its leaves becoming lush and its bark more mottled.

"One application is equivalent to a month and a half of growth?" he estimated.

By the time he reached the ninth bottle, his Life-Severing Finger also reached Major Completion. He could now inject a full bottle in a single go, and its ability to drain life force was terrifying—a single touch could likely strip a thirty-year-old spirit tree bare. By the time he finished, the Red-Leaf Spirit Tea Tree had reached seventy-eight years. It was a respectable age, and its leaves were highly valuable.

"Still, it didn't reach a hundred years, and the Vitality Spirit Liquid is completely exhausted." He sighed with resignation. The plants under the cliff had been thoroughly harvested; he couldn't even gather three bottles in four or five hours. Searching elsewhere would take too long—not worth the effort. Buying more was impossible; he had already cleared the market.

"I must give it up. I cannot let these tea leaves jeopardize my trade with Fairy Luoxia."

He turned his attention to the Spirit-Gathering Grass, applying the Annual Ring Technique. With his Major Completion level, one cast could cover more than an acre. Three days later, the grass was fully mature. Knowing that if not harvested promptly, the leaves would turn black and become toxic, he began immediately. Having learned from his previous experience, he harvested the leaves above the roots rather than pulling them out. With his body cultivation now at the fourth level of Body Refining, he possessed immense strength, making the work effortless.

After an hour, he had harvested most of the five acres. However, he stopped there. Because he had used the Annual Ring Technique, some plants had been "over-covered" and matured faster than others. About a hundred plants had already begun to turn black. Instead of harvesting them as low-value toxic grass, he decided to let them produce seeds.

After collecting all the healthy grass into his storage bag, he returned to the field to use the Annual Ring Technique to help the toxic plants produce seeds. A single application could help ten plants reach the seed-bearing stage. With over a hundred plants, he gathered six or seven thousand seeds.

"With these seeds, I won't have to buy them from the Spirit Plant Hall next time. Seven thousand seeds are worth about two hundred low-grade spirit stones—not less than the profit from selling the grass itself."

He felt satisfied. He had no intention of planting more Spirit-Gathering Grass for now. The conflict between the Bai and Chen families was escalating, and he didn't want to risk being caught in the crossfire.

"It is a pity the tea tree is stuck at seventy-eight years," he sighed. He turned to leave, intending to head to the Shuiyun Pavilion to contact Shen Xinyue, when he suddenly paused. His gaze fell upon the roots of the harvested Spirit-Gathering Grass.

An idea struck him. He instinctively used the Life-Severing Finger on the roots. One drop, two drops, three drops. Three drops of Vitality Spirit Liquid condensed in his hand, and the root withered and turned to ash.

"This..." Zhou Changwang was stunned, then filled with wild joy.

The roots still contained residual life force, and this was the perfect moment to harvest it. With four thousand roots, each yielding three drops, that would be twelve thousand drops—one hundred and twenty bottles!

He immediately set to work. With his Major Completion Life-Severing Finger, he could cover fifty plants at once. After meditating to recover his energy four or five times, he finally harvested all the roots, ending up with one hundred and twenty-three bottles of Vitality Spirit Liquid.

"An unexpected windfall! This is equivalent to another six thousand low-grade spirit stones!" He was flushed with excitement. He knew he couldn't sell them all at once, but his efficiency was unmatched by any other Spirit Planter.

With the day coming to an end and his energy exhausted, he stopped. The next morning, he returned to the backyard, ready to use the liquid and the Annual Ring Technique to push the tea tree toward its century mark, one bottle at a time.