May 19, 2023 Author: True Person Tashue
Chapter 44 Cultivating Qi Three Layers
"Zhu Innkeeper, you died in such an unsightly manner."
Gao Xian looked at Zhu Hong'an's corpse and gave a sincere evaluation.
The innkeeper Zhu, who had turned into a charred corpse, just stared with lifeless eyes and did not respond to Gao Xian.
After some thought, Gao Xian added, "But, you look much better dead than alive."
He spoke the truth.
The lively Zhu Innkeeper was like a greedy pig, both ugly and filthy, making people very annoyed.
It was better that Zhu Innkeeper was dead.
Although the sight of his death made Gao Xian a bit uneasy, it was very quiet and harmless.
Zhu Qiniang looked at Zhu Innkeeper's corpse with a hint of regret and sighed softly, "It's a pity I didn't get to kill you myself."
Gao Xian remained silent.
He didn't understand why Zhu Qiniang hated Zhu Innkeeper so much.
He felt there must be some sad past between them, but he didn't pry.
Zhu Qiniang didn't dwell on this matter too much.
She bent down and picked up a black crystal the size of a green bean from the ground.
"The evil spirit left behind an evil spirit crystal core. This is a good thing."
Zhu Qiniang examined it and said, "It's worth a hundred spirit stones."
After an evil spirit is killed, most of them turn to ashes.
However, some evil spirits leave behind special crystal cores.
These crystal cores are called evil spirit crystal cores and are valuable materials for refining.
She smiled at Gao Xian, "It's rare for this level of evil spirit to condense an evil spirit crystal core. You're very lucky."
Gao Xian was also pleased.
This was a valuable item worth a hundred spirit stones.
He would have to sell a thousand deer antler powders to earn this much!
"I'll keep it as evidence for now."
Zhu Qiniang said, "I'll handle it in a while and then give you the spirit stones."
"Let's not mention this between us, you take care of it." Although Gao Xian liked money, he wouldn't haggle with Zhu Qiniang.
Without Zhu Qiniang's help this time, he would have had a hard time dealing with the situation.
Killing Zhu Innkeeper was not difficult, but he had no way to handle the aftermath.
Not to mention the Cloud Sect, just the family behind Zhu Innkeeper could easily crush him.
Gao Xian also knew that Zhu Qiniang had a deep hatred for Zhu Innkeeper, and their collaboration was not simply to help him, but also for her to vent her anger.
For this reason, she even concealed some crucial information, leading to the current situation.
However, this did not affect their relationship.
Zhu Qiniang had always taken care of him and was the only one willing to help him.
Zhou Ye and Huang Ying were just business partners.
They might help with some small matters, but they would never help him kill Zhu Innkeeper.
After this murder, his relationship with Qiniang had clearly deepened.
He had to maintain this relationship.
Moreover, Zhu Qiniang gave him the Green Wood Armor without hesitation.
It would be petty to argue over a small evil spirit crystal core.
Zhu Qiniang didn't care much about the evil spirit crystal core, but Gao Xian's trust made her feel comfortable.
She nodded slightly and said nothing more.
"Innkeeper Zhu, Yang An was killed by an evil spirit while drunk, and Qiniang found out and killed the evil spirit."
Gao Xian recounted the events, concluding, "This explanation should be convincing."
Evil spirits are uncontrollable, this is common knowledge among cultivators.
When Zhu Innkeeper was killed by an evil spirit, his body dried up and charred, showing clear signs of being killed by an evil spirit.
Even if others suspected something was amiss, it would be difficult to find evidence.
Zhu Qiniang also thought the explanation was fine and said, "I can handle it."
"Then I'll take my leave."
Gao Xian didn't want to linger, as it would be hard to explain if someone saw him.
"I'll come find you in a few days." Zhu Qiniang also felt Gao Xian should leave.
She needed to call her men to handle the body and have them act as witnesses.
Gao Xian flicked his finger on his body, a faint spiritual light circulated from top to bottom, activating the Feather Flight Technique.
He exerted a slight force under his feet, and he floated lightly over the high wall of the backyard.
Under the moonlight, Gao Xian's clothes fluttered, light as a feather, drifting far away before silently landing.
Gao Xian felt very good about himself.
He enjoyed this ethereal and agile feeling.
However, the Feather Flight Technique was not practical in battle.
Floating in the air like this would make him an easy target.
Feather Flight was light, while Wind Riding was fast.
After the Feather Flight technique dissipated, he activated the Wind-Fire Silk Boots with the Wind Riding technique.
A spiritual light flashed, and his speed suddenly increased.
However, maintaining this speed relied solely on the force under his feet.
With each step, the earth would kick up a large cloud of dust, and he could no longer maintain the graceful posture from before.
Back at home, the talismans on the doors and windows were undisturbed, indicating that no one had come.
Gao Xian sighed in relief.
There were still many medicinal herbs in the room, and he would be heartbroken if they were lost.
After a busy night without eating, he was starving.
He quickly lit a fire in the kitchen to cook.
Soon, the aroma of the food wafted out, and the little black cat came meowing.
This time, the little black cat cautiously observed Gao Xian before approaching him and rubbing against his feet.
Gao Xian found it amusing.
Ever since he was plagued by evil energy, the little black cat had been like a cautious mistress, eating and drinking his fill but not allowing any touch.
Now, without the evil energy, the little black cat finally approached him willingly.
Gao Xian didn't mind.
He picked up the little black cat and petted it, "Today is a good day, I'll give you an extra meal..."
Having successfully dealt with Zhu Innkeeper as planned, it felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest.
Gao Xian felt refreshed and inexplicably happy.
After feeding himself and the little black cat, Gao Xian, in a good mood, began cultivating the Five Elements Technique.
In the depths of his brow, Lan Jie appeared.
Under Lan Jie's guidance, he guided spiritual energy into his body and started circulating it along the path of the Five Elements Technique.
After circulating through the thirty-six meridians, the spiritual energy naturally converged into the spine, causing a gentle vibration that penetrated through the limbs and bones.
With the spiritual energy circulating like this, it eventually condensed into a stable vortex of spiritual energy at the center of his spine.
When the cultivation was complete, Gao Xian's face was filled with joy.
He sat on the bed, savoring the refreshing sensation of the spiritual energy flowing through his limbs and bones.
After months of hard work, he finally opened up the spiritual energy flow through his spine and limbs, forming the second spiritual orifice.
According to common belief, when a cultivator develops spiritual sensitivity, circulates spiritual energy through the meridians, it is considered the first layer of cultivation.
Condensing a spiritual orifice in the lower dantian is the second layer.
Opening up the spine, circulating energy through the limbs and bones is the third layer.
In simpler terms, the third layer of cultivation is often referred to as opening the bone orifice.
In reality, this is just a metaphor and not entirely accurate.
Zhu Qiniang had told Gao Xian that the so-called bone orifice was actually the Lingtai acupoint, located at the lower end of the sixth vertebra.
After the spiritual energy flows through the spine and limbs, it naturally condenses into another spiritual orifice at the Lingtai acupoint.
In other words, cultivators who reach the third layer of cultivation gain an additional spiritual orifice for circulating spiritual energy.
This additional spiritual orifice is closely related to the entire skeletal structure, enhancing the cultivator's power while also strengthening their bones and muscles.
Due to different cultivation methods and individual constitutions, even at the same third layer of cultivation, cultivators may experience significant differences in their specific states.
It's not a one-size-fits-all situation.
Gao Xian felt that his power had at least doubled, and the speed of circulating spiritual energy had increased significantly, about seventy to eighty percent faster than before.
Physically, he could clearly feel that each joint was stronger, and his body's coordination and flexibility had greatly improved.
He tested it out a bit and found that he could easily curl himself into a ball if he wanted to.
For example, if he had a pimple on his buttocks, he could see it clearly.
Gao Xian took out the Moon Wind Mirror to admire the upgraded data.
Lifespan: 24/80
Cultivation: Third Layer of Qi Cultivation (1/300)
Five Elements Technique: Third Layer (Proficient 241/300)
Reaching the third layer of cultivation had also increased his lifespan by three years, which was the biggest surprise.
After months of diligent practice, he had also reached proficiency in the Five Elements Technique and would soon reach the expert level.
The higher the level of the Five Elements Technique, the more efficient the circulation of spiritual energy and the use of magical power.
Gao Xian was very satisfied with his progress over the past few months.
However, he felt that diligent cultivation was still too slow.
Directly leveling up with the Daoist Light was much more satisfying...
(End of Chapter)