Guan Sheng remained silent for a long time before finally exhaling a long, turbid breath.
"Could it be that I was overthinking things?" he muttered.
"Was that brat truly immersed in a breakthrough in Pill Refinement that day, or was he deliberately avoiding me?"
"And did he leave early without a word because he felt guilty toward me?"
"Did Jiang De's affair have absolutely nothing to do with him?"
"This..."
"It sounds plausible, yet something still feels off."
Guan Sheng racked his brain until his head ached, but he still couldn't make sense of it.
"Enough. Guan Di knows nothing of my situation, so what he wrote in his letter is likely true."
"Whether that brat was telling the truth or not, this is all I can do."
"Or rather, for now, I have no choice but to take his words at face value."
Guan Sheng gathered the Medicinal Pills before him, temporarily suppressing his urge to hunt down Han Yi.
There was no need to complicate matters further.
If another opportunity arose in the future, that would be a different story.
Meanwhile, on Little Spirit Void Peak, nearly half a month later, inside the meditation chamber of Han Yi's courtyard, the Sword Immortal's Sword-Riding Scroll hung on the wall.
In the center of the chamber, a young man in his early twenties sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, surrounded by shattered Spirit Stones.
Suddenly, the Spirit Stones surged violently, trembling rhythmically as if breathing.
Then, all the Spirit Qi frantically compressed, drawn into the young man's body with voracious force, like a whale gulping down the sea.
The young man, of course, was Han Yi.
He abruptly opened his eyes, the void before him shimmering with white light and fleeting streaks of radiance that vanished as quickly as they appeared, as if they had been nothing more than an illusion.
"Hah!"
Han Yi exhaled a long, turbid breath, the dark stream lingering in the air like a noxious fog before dissipating.
As the last of the foul air left his body, an aura unique to cultivators at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer emanated from him.
Though still unsteady, there was no doubt he had reached the standard of the Fourth Layer.
"Qi Refining Fourth Layer... finally achieved," Han Yi murmured, a smile of delight spreading across his face.
Over a year after transmigrating, he had finally crossed his first cultivation threshold: advancing from the lower to the middle stage of Qi Refining.
Han Yi didn't stop there. Instead, he seized the opportunity to stabilize his cultivation, continuing until he felt his aura had fully solidified. By then, two months had passed since he began his seclusion.
In cultivation, time seemed to lose all meaning. Han Yi was gradually growing accustomed to this timelessness.
Having stabilized his cultivation, Han Yi inventoried his remaining resources and sighed. Cultivation was simply too expensive.
He now possessed only a dozen Spirit Stones. Even with his previous savings and the Spirit Stones, Spirit Sand, and other supplies he had acquired from Jiang De's Storage Pouch, they had barely sustained him for this short period.
Considering that he had started with nearly two hundred Spirit Stones, this was a shocking revelation. Even within the Profound Pill Sect, only the relatively wealthy Outer Sect disciples at the Fifth or Sixth Layer, relying on years of painstaking accumulation, could amass such a fortune.
Reflecting on the other Outer Sect disciples at the Third or Fourth Layer, who had to scrimp and save for every morsel of cultivation, it was no wonder their progress felt as arduous as climbing the heavens.
Han Yi's sigh wasn't born of concern for his own future cultivation prospects, but rather from a deep sense of empathy for the immense difficulty faced by other Outer Sect disciples.
For him, however, these challenges were now a thing of the past.
Before heading to the assessment, Han Yi had purchased enough materials to refine thirty Qi Nourishing Pills and twenty Evil-Repelling Pills. During the assessment, he only used one set of Qi Nourishing Pill materials, leaving him with ample raw ingredients for future pill refinement.
This was his starting capital, and his primary asset, of course, was his Alchemy Technique.
First, he checked his Proficiency Panel after his breakthrough:
[Name: Han Yi ]
[Lifespan: 22/93 ]
[Cultivation Realm: Qi Refining Fourth Layer (1/100) ]
[Cultivation Technique: Fire Pill Profound Art (Proficiency 48/100) ]
[Skills:]
[ - Alchemy Technique (Hall Entry 78/100) ]
[ - Spirit Void Finger (Masterful 1/100) ]
[ - Sword Control Technique (Initial Glimpse of the Dao 34/100) ]
When he clearly saw "Qi Refining Fourth Layer" listed under "Cultivation Realm," a wave of relief washed over him.
It really hadn't been easy.
Next, he glanced upward at the panel.
"My lifespan has increased from 89 to 93—an addition of four years."
"And..."
"Without realizing it, another year has passed. I'm already 22 years old."
Han Yi suddenly thought of his family in the other world, and a lump formed in his throat.
After a moment, he composed himself and refocused on the proficiency panel.
"My Alchemy Technique has reached 78/100 proficiency at the Hall Entry level."
"If this skill advances to Masterful, like my Spirit Void Finger, would that mean I could consistently refine Medicinal Pills of at least standard quality?"
The thought ignited a fervent excitement within him.
After all, within the Profound Pill Sect, only the most outstanding Inner Sect disciples could typically refine standard-quality pills, and even they couldn't achieve it with every batch.
Reaching that level would mean that, beyond his cultivation realm, Han Yi's pill refinement skills alone would more than qualify him for the Inner Peak.
He wouldn't bother with Little Dragon's Whisker Peak, Little Azure Cloud Peak, or Little Raging Fire Peak, as they were all Outer Peaks. But if an opportunity arose to join the Inner Peak, he would seize it with every ounce of his being.
Of course, this required ensuring his safety and avoiding prematurely revealing his terrifying pill refinement prowess. After all, a Qi Refining Fourth Layer cultivator entering the Inner Peak—dominated by at least Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivators—would be like a lamb thrown to wolves, likely to be devoured without a trace.
For now, it's best to keep a low profile, Han Yi thought.
The proficiency panel provided a comprehensive understanding of his current situation.
Han Yi was very satisfied with the results.
He immediately began refining pills. Thanks to his Hall Entry-level Alchemy Technique, his success rate for Qi Nourishing Pills had reached eighty percent, and he occasionally produced standard-quality pills.
His success rate for Evil-Repelling Pills had also improved to thirty percent.
This time, he was in peak condition. Out of twenty batches of Evil-Repelling Pills, seven were successfully refined—two more than he had managed in Mengshan City.
This improvement stemmed from both his enhanced strength and refined alchemy skills, as well as the comforting sense of returning to Little Spirit Void Peak, which put him in peak condition.
In less than half a month, he had refined all the pills. Whenever his mana ran low, he quickly replenished it using the dozen or so Spirit Stones he had left.
Two weeks later, the last Spirit Stone in Han Yi's possession crumbled to dust. Before him lay twenty-three bottles of Qi Nourishing Pills, seven bottles of Evil-Repelling Pills, including three bottles of standard-quality Qi Nourishing Pills.
This was now his entire fortune.
After organizing his belongings, he left the courtyard and happened to run into Zheng Hai, who had been looking for him.
"Good heavens, Han Yi! I heard you passed the sect assessment and returned. How on earth did you manage that?" Zheng Hai's face was as dark as ever.
Han Yi didn't answer directly. Instead, he sized up Zheng Hai and chuckled, "Not bad yourself. You've already reached the third layer of Qi Refining."
Zheng Hai's aura indicated he had reached the Qi Refining Third Layer, and it seemed he had broken through at least half a year ago.
When Han Yi had left the mountain, Zheng Hai had been at the peak of the Qi Refining Second Layer, preparing to break through to the third. Seeing his friend's progress now naturally made Han Yi happy.
Come to think of it, the previous owner of this body had only one and a half true friends in this world: Zheng Hai counted as one, and Guan Di as half.
"Of course! I nearly killed myself breaking through to the third layer," Zheng Hai said proudly. "But Han Yi, what's going on with your aura?"
Zheng Hai frowned. Han Yi's aura was identical to that of Outer Sect Fourth Layer disciples he had encountered.
How is this possible? he wondered. Only a year had passed—just one year—and Han Yi was like a completely different person.
Han Yi grinned, thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to show off to his friend. "You're not mistaken. I've reached the Qi Refining Fourth Layer."
"And it's not just that. My Alchemy Technique has also improved. I can now refine Qi Nourishing Pills with ease."
"Forget about a hundred Points. Several high-ranking Senior Brothers from the Outer Peaks have invited me to move in with them, but I've turned them all down."
"Soon, I'll have a place not just on the Outer Peaks, but even on the Inner Peaks."
"What's so great about the Qi Refining Fourth Layer? Reaching the advanced stages is just around the corner, and Immortal Foundation Establishment is no longer a distant dream."
"Don't worry, I'll carry you to new heights."
Han Yi's words sent three shockwaves through Zheng Hai's heart.