Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Qi Cultivation Level 7

After he finished cultivating, Lu Zhao took out the Jade Water Golden Scale Shield and spent six hours refining it, imprinting it with his own Spiritual Soul Brand.

This artifact was not meant for his current level. At his Mid-stage Qi Cultivation Realm, he couldn’t yet unleash its full power. This was a precaution, preparing for the long journey he would undertake after breaking through to the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer.

Over the past six years, Lu Zhao had made extensive preparations for this trip. Besides the Jade Water Golden Scale Shield, he had also acquired more than thirty exquisite Tier One High-Grade Talismans. While they offered him limited assistance now, they could provide a surprise advantage in a life-or-death crisis.

Beyond Magical Artifacts and Talismans, his most crucial acquisitions were two Tier One High-Grade Spirit Recovery Pills. These Pills could instantly restore thirty percent of a Late-stage Qi Cultivator’s Magical Power, making them incredibly valuable. Because of their rarity, they usually only appeared at auctions or high-end exchanges. After six years of painstaking effort, Lu Zhao had only managed to obtain two.

In addition to the Spirit Recovery Pills, Lu Zhao also had a bottle of healing Pills and a bottle of Antitoxic Pills. His preparations regarding Pills were, suffice to say, complete.

Beyond Pills and protective gear, Lu Zhao had also amassed a large quantity of Spiritual Materials unique to Changfeng County, most notably Cold Iron. He had collected nearly a hundred pounds of it, all painstakingly accumulated bit by bit from the Black Market over the past six years.

Furthermore, he had stocked up on a considerable number of Cold Jade Pills and Ice Jade Pills. Both types of Pills were said to be in high demand in the Outer Counties. Lastly, he had a batch of Ice and Water Attribute Treasures of Heaven and Earth, such as Ice Wind Stones and Ice Condensing Stones.

All these Spiritual Objects and Pills were quite valuable in the Outer Counties, promising a considerable profit. Lu Zhao estimated that this shipment, worth nearly two thousand Spirit Stones, could net a profit of at least a thousand Spirit Stones if sold in the Outer Counties. And the farther he traveled from Changfeng County, the higher the selling price would be.

For an ordinary Qi Cultivator, this collection of Spiritual Objects was already an immense fortune.

However, two materials remained uncollected: Profound Iron and Ironwood. He had placed an order for eight thousand pounds of Ironwood and two thousand pounds of Profound Iron, but the total volume far exceeded the capacity of his Storage Bag.

Although his Storage Bag with its ten-unit capacity was by no means small, it was sorely inadequate for this "bulk purchase." Because of this, Lu Zhao had no choice but to custom-order a new Storage Bag with a twenty-unit capacity. A bag of this size was a true rarity in the Zhou Family Marketplace; he had been waiting at the Hundred Refinement Pavilion for over two years and only received word half a month ago that it was about to arrive.

Half a month later, Lu Zhao arrived at the Hundred Refinement Pavilion and received the new twenty-unit Storage Bag from Shopkeeper Liuu. The moment he had it, Lu Zhao immediately departed for the Black Market to collect the Ironwood and Profound Iron.

The Black Market was as bustling as ever. Lu Zhao quickly found Zhao the Lame’s stall. The man had changed immensely. Not only had his Cultivation broken through to the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer, but he now carried himself with an added measure of composure and confidence.

The moment he saw Lu Zhao, Zhao the Lame spoke with an air of urgency. "Mr. Lu, is the Storage Bag ready? I can’t hold onto that shipment any longer. It’s not just my merchandise, after all, and the other associates are already pressing me."

Lu Zhao replied with a smile, "You’re overthinking things. Are you afraid I would go back on our deal? The deposit of one hundred Spirit Stones was paid long ago. Now that your business is thriving, are you still worried about such a trivial matter?"

Zhao the Lame gave a helpless expression and shook his head with a wry smile. "Don’t tease me, Mr. Lu. You and I are both well aware of what this shipment is worth. This old lame man has to be cautious, you know."

Lu Zhao listened, then nodded with a smile and patted the Storage Bag at his waist. "The bag is right here. We can load up anytime."

Hearing this, the anxious look on Zhao the Lame’s face visibly relaxed. "Excellent, excellent! The goods are right here. Just settle the remaining balance of nine hundred Spirit Stones after you’ve inspected them."

With that, he led Lu Zhao to the warehouse. Lu Zhao carefully inspected the shipment, and once he confirmed everything was in order, he counted out nine hundred Spirit Stones and gave them to Zhao the Lame.

As he took the Spirit Stones, Zhao the Lame teased, "Are you planning to go into the Spiritual Material business?"

Lu Zhao simply smiled without a word. Seeing the Storage Bag stuffed to the brim, he felt a profound sense of reassurance. The supplies for his long journey were finally all gathered. All that remained was for his Cultivation to reach its natural breakthrough, and then he could embark on his quest.

「Three months later, inside the cave-dwelling at Cyan Bamboo Residence.」

The Spiritual Qi from the Tier One Middle-Grade Spirit Vein was as dense as mist, over twice as rich and pure as it had been in the Cold Bamboo Garden. Lu Zhao sat cross-legged in quiet meditation, a Cold Jade Meditation Cushion he had purchased several years prior beneath him. Wisps of cool Spiritual Qi followed the circulation path of the Little Spirit Rain Technique, silently converging in his Dantian.

Six streams of pale blue Magical Power spiraled slowly in the depths of his Qi Sea. They pulled at and collided with one another, slowly but relentlessly chipping away at the firm barrier between the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer and the Seventh Layer.

Time lost all meaning in his Meditation. After an unknown period, like a faint glimmer of light suddenly appearing in the depths of a thick fog, an indescribable feeling of clarity descended upon his Sea of Consciousness without warning!

’This is the moment!’ Lu Zhao’s Heart Spirit snapped into focus. With a will of iron, he ferociously mobilized every ounce of Magical Power in his body!

BOOM!

A silent thunderclap seemed to detonate in the depths of his Divine Sense! Within Cyan Bamboo Residence, the Spiritual Qi, thick as water, suddenly erupted into a violent frenzy! Inside the Quiet Chamber, a biting whirlwind whipped up from nowhere, spiraling madly inward with Lu Zhao at its core!

The pure Spiritual Qi converged like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, forming a pale blue vortex visible to the naked eye. Emitting sharp, rapid HISSES, it surged violently down into him! The force instantly blew his topknot apart, sending his dark hair dancing wildly and his robes whipping about with sharp cracks.

A torrential flood of Spiritual Power roared through his widening meridians, violently slamming against the invisible bottleneck. Each impact brought a tearing agony, his meridians feeling as if pierced by countless icy needles, then seared by blazing flames. Lu Zhao clenched his jaw, remaining as still as a mountain.

Over four hours passed in a haze of extreme pain and focus. The swelling ache in his meridians reached its absolute limit. At that critical juncture, with a flick of his finger, a Vessel-Protecting Pill—the size of a longan fruit and swirling with brown Pill Patterns—fell precisely into his throat.

The Pill dissolved the instant it entered his mouth!

A gentle yet potent warm current instantly swept through his limbs and torso, firmly enveloping, repairing, and reinforcing his meridians. The tearing pain abruptly subsided. The torrent of Spiritual Power within him had finally found a solid riverbed, and it surged toward the final barrier without any further hesitation.

The pull from the Spiritual Energy Vortex did not weaken; it intensified, plundering the external Spiritual Qi even more ferociously. Another four hours passed. The warm current from the Vessel-Protecting Pill began to recede like an ebbing tide, its effects fading. That familiar, heart-stopping sensation of tearing meridians faintly resurfaced. The bottleneck was teetering on the brink of collapse, yet it stubbornly held on by a single thread!

’Give up?’ The thought had barely surfaced before Lu Zhao crushed it with immense willpower. His eyes were bloodshot. With a low roar, the six streams of pale blue Magical Power in his Dantian flared to their absolute brightest and smashed head-on into the formless barrier, holding nothing back!

POP!

A crisp sound that only Lu Zhao could "hear" echoed clearly in the depths of his Spiritual Soul.

That seemingly indestructible barrier shattered in response!

His Dantian Qi Sea abruptly expanded outward. The six condensed streams of Magical Power instantly shattered into a sky of brilliant, pale blue starlight. Immediately after, an immense, invisible suction force erupted from the core of his Dantian. As if obeying a command, the starlight was kneaded and reshaped by an unseen, giant hand, re-condensing along an even more profound trajectory!

The new six streams of Magical Power were more solid and robust, their pale blue light now deep and contained. At the very center, a brand-new seventh stream of True Qi, like a newborn brook, rapidly took form at the bottom of the newly expanded space in his Dantian.

Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer—achieved!

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