The Quiet Chamber was windless, yet filled with a distinct whistling sound.
Jiang Yi sat upright with his eyes closed, his chest rising and falling. As he regulated his Breathing, streams of air escaped from between his lips, stirring the misty smoke wafting from the Copper Crane.
Then, with a bob of his throat and a sound like a great whale drinking water, he let out a HISS and swallowed all the Pure Spirit Qi that filled the room!
His thin inner robe billowed out on its own, stirred by no wind. Beneath the fabric, it looked as though a living creature was slithering about, creating waves of visible ripples.
[Realm: Qi Cultivation Third Layer (99%)]
'Just this final step,' Jiang Yi thought.
"If I can just get through this, everything will be fine!"
Half an incense stick's time passed in a flash.
Jiang Yi circulated his Merit, letting it permeate his entire body. A gurgling warmth, like a hot current, surged and churned inside him. It felt like boiling water beginning to steam his internal organs, removing the dross to purify the essence.
This process was far from pleasant.
Every inch of him, inside and out, felt like it was being slowly fried over a low flame. Wherever the True Qi passed, it felt like the piercing of steel needles. This was especially true for his delicate internal organs, which felt as if they were being stewed until fully cooked, even faintly emitting a strange, fragrant aroma.
'Just sprinkle on some chili oil, and I'll be ready to serve…'
Jiang Yi was trying to find humor in his suffering, using self-deprecation to endure the torturous torment.
After another two hours, his entire body was burned red, as if his skin were split and his flesh exposed. Veins bulged on his forehead. If he hadn't been clenching his jaw so tightly, he would have long since been unable to hold back his screams.
'Fortunately, I've been "trained" by the Tiger and Wolf Ointment, so this isn't unbearable.'
Jiang Yi focused his mind, trying to almost hypnotize himself to maintain the precise timing of his cultivation.
His True Qi rose and fell, forging his physical body. The Fire Attribute gathered, illuminating his entire frame.
His internal organs, once as fragile as tofu and liable to shatter under the slightest pressure, were now nourished by True Qi and forged by the Fire Attribute, gradually blossoming with vigorous life.
For a full eight hours, Jiang Yi remained as still as a statue of wood and clay. If not for the hot air streaming from his mouth and nose, which formed wisps of white smoke like slithering snakes, one might have assumed he had passed away during his meditation.
'Refining the Internal Organs to forge the body into a cauldron... that's not wrong. This meticulous patience, controlling the Fire Attribute and forging my Primordial Essence... it's like I'm cooking and refining my own body as if it were a Great Medicine Inner Elixir.'
Jiang Yi's efforts were not in vain. After nearly twelve hours of painstaking work, his internal organs finally began to transform!
Suddenly, a BOOM echoed in his ears. It was as if a thunderclap had struck within his body, shaking his entire frame and causing his muscles and bones to hum in unison!
His essence and blood boiled, filling his physical form. It mixed with the Fire Attribute True Qi and transformed into a murky, misty mass of pure Primordial Essence!
The Primordial Essence solidified and filled his internal organs. With every breath, it flowed forth, cleansing his physical body. The inside and outside of him were now a single, integrated whole, perfectly blended and free of any stagnation!
"Success! Refining the Internal Organs, the cauldron for Cultivation!"
Jiang Yi opened his eyes. Their light was contained yet shone as brightly as great stars.
Taking this step meant he was now halfway to becoming a "Dao Material." All that remained was to open his Primordial Inner Mansion, gather and refine the Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth, and truly experience the wonders of Cultivation.
Because his internal organs were now as solid as an iron plate, he could unleash his True Qi without any reservations!
His Primordial Essence surged out of his body like a thick, pillar-like column of signal smoke, nearly punching a hole through the ceiling of the Quiet Chamber!
'But I need to polish it properly, to gather and restrain it.'
Jiang Yi took out the Cyan Ganoderma Dew he had prepared.
This substance could counteract the devastating effects of the Tiger and Wolf Ointment, as well as strengthen his foundation and nourish his essence and blood.
However, he had used it so often that its effects were growing weaker; it wasn't as useful as it used to be.
'My chances of securing a supplementary spot in the Inner Peak have just gone up.'
The wick of the Copper Crane Holding Lamp had burned down to almost nothing. Thin, delicate wisps of smoke, like woven cotton yarn, coiled around Jiang Yi's face.
It made the young man look like a Cultivation Feathered Immortal, giving him the otherworldly air of a Daoist master.
...
...
On the second floor of Heshui Cave, Wang Heng and Lu Yun sat in a private room, seemingly waiting for something.
Before long, a figure in a goose-yellow dress pushed the door open and entered, gracefully taking a seat.
It was Li Ruohan from the Weaving Room of Sewing Peak.
Her beautiful face was etched with a trace of melancholy and disappointment.
"How did it go?"
Lu Yun asked eagerly.
"Have a cup of Biluo Tea first. It will calm your True Qi and clear your Heart Spirit."
Wang Heng had guessed the outcome with a single glance. He stood, picked up the teapot, and poured the steaming, clear liquid into a cup before handing it to Li Ruohan.
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
Li Ruohan looked completely dejected.
She cradled the cup in both hands and said with her head lowered:
"I was too impatient! My family elders explicitly warned me that haste makes waste when it comes to Refining the Internal Organs. I should have built up my Cultivation for another two months... Sigh! To fail at the very last step!"
Lu Yun fell silent. Li Ruohan had undoubtedly failed her breakthrough attempt.
He tried to comfort her.
"As long as there are no lasting repercussions, it's fine. The First Layer of Muscle Transformation, the Second Layer of Bone Transformation, the Third Layer Blood and Marrow Exchange, and the Fourth Stage of the Fourfold Transformation of the Viscera and Bowels.
Of these, the fourth is the most difficult to achieve in one go. If your Merit is even slightly lacking or your timing is off, it's difficult to coordinate your internal organs, and you won't be able to harmonize your Primordial Essence..."
Wang Heng added,
"It's a shame we only had two Nourishing Essence Pills; it wasn't enough for Junior Sister Li to bring her Merit to Perfection and accumulate enough Essence Qi. But no matter. The heavy snow will soon seal the mountains, and the Outer Sect Four Peaks will have to stop work anyway. Just refine your skills a bit more, Junior Sister Li, and you'll definitely reach the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer by spring!"
Li Ruohan took a small sip of the Biluo Tea. The warm liquid flowed down her throat, bringing a bit of warmth to her body.
Her True Qi, which had been surging chaotically from the failed breakthrough, was gradually soothed, relieving the faint ache in her chest.
This was the "damage" left behind from her qi going astray, flowing through the wrong meridians, and failing to complete its Circulation.
She estimated that she would need to take a Spiritual Meal and Good Medicine and recuperate for more than ten days to fully recover.
"Oh, right, Senior Brothers."
Li Ruohan was, after all, from a Village Clan Direct Lineage and had the family background of a Zhao Country Gate Valve. Raised by her elders since childhood, she had developed a calm and quiet disposition.