Chapter 22: Cultivation Advances, the Seven-Day Deadline Arrives!

"The power of the Azure Wood Seal is truly formidable! It is indeed worthy of being a technique for cultivators. Although it is only the most basic of spells, it is powerful enough. If I were to fight those three Post-Natal realm deacons from Nanping Street now, I might not necessarily be at a disadvantage..." Jiang Fan looked at the shattered stone table and the pulverized ground, feeling no regret at all; instead, he was filled with great joy.

However, his expression soon darkened. "The Azure Wood Seal is powerful, but it consumes too much spiritual energy. With my current cultivation at the second level of Qi Refining, I can only maintain it for a very short time at most. If I cannot defeat my enemy in that window, I will be in grave danger. I must not use it lightly..."

Jiang Fan knew that his cultivation realm was simply too low. If he could reach the third level of Qi Refining, or even higher, he would naturally be able to increase the power of the Azure Wood Seal and sustain it for longer.

"It is all because my cultivation is insufficient! In a few days, I will tell Old Devil Xu that I have reached the second level of Qi Refining. Then I will be able to receive plenty of rewards. Coupled with the Human Blood Treasure Pill I just obtained, my cultivation should skyrocket!" As Jiang Fan pondered this, he suddenly recalled what Old Devil Xu had said, and his eyes lit up. "Old Devil Xu said that as long as I 'perform well' on Nanping Street, I can get even more rewards! I will head to Nanping Street in a few days. This time, I must make a scene..."

Suppressing these thoughts, Jiang Fan went to the plaza. After eating some fairly delicious food with the other youths and children, he began his usual meditation.

While Jiang Fan practiced tirelessly, the pale green vortex of spiritual energy in his dantian gradually recovered. After half a day of arduous cultivation, his energy returned to its peak. Seeing the vortex within his dantian continuing to swell, he quickly stopped his practice.

"No, I cannot continue, or my cultivation might surge forward and break through to the third level of Qi Refining prematurely!" Thinking of this, Jiang Fan frowned slightly.

When he reached the first level of Qi Refining, Old Devil Xu had given him three spirit herbs and a Blood Essence Pill, all of which he had consumed and refined. The medicinal effects of the Human Blood Treasure Pill that Old Devil Xu had forced him to take had also been almost entirely absorbed. Over the past few days, he had been practicing by constantly rotating his exhaustion, causing the pale green energy vortex to grow further. If he didn't control it, he felt he might soon break through to the third level.

He was not yet prepared to make that breakthrough, so he had to be cautious.

"Wait, can't I exhaust my spiritual energy in a short time by using the 'Azure Wood Seal'? That's it..." Jiang Fan looked around, and seeing that Old Devil Xu was not present, he left the training plaza and headed into a deserted mountain forest.

After carefully observing his surroundings for quite some time to ensure no one was there, he channeled the "Azure Wood Seal" and struck a half-meter-thick tree. Boom! Boom! Boom! With just two strikes, the spiritual energy in his body was completely exhausted.

"Using the 'Azure Wood Seal' is indeed the fastest way to drain spiritual energy. Last time, I could only manage one attack, but this time I was able to perform two?" Jiang Fan’s eyes brightened. "Did the spiritual energy in my body increase? But I haven't reached the third level yet... Can the second level of Qi Refining hold more energy than I thought?"

With this suspicion, he hurried back to the training plaza and began his relentless practice once more. By noon, his energy had fully recovered. He checked his dantian and was pleasantly surprised. "The vortex hasn't grown larger, but the energy within it has become much denser. No wonder I could maintain the 'Azure Wood Seal' for longer."

Jiang Fan realized, "It seems that although I reached the second level of Qi Refining long ago, the energy in my vortex was not refined enough. As long as it is dense enough, even at the second level, the amount of energy I possess might rival that of a third-level practitioner..."

Over the next few days, Jiang Fan alternated between cultivating and using the "Azure Wood Seal" to drain his energy, only returning to meditate once he was completely spent. By the end of this period, the half-meter-thick tree had been completely snapped in two by his strikes.

"Good, this is excellent! Now I can maintain the 'Azure Wood Seal' for six consecutive strikes, and the energy in my body is almost perfectly dense. It was gaseous before, but now it has turned liquid, like tiny droplets of water... I feel that I can condense it even further, perhaps turning this liquid into a solid! I wonder how long I could sustain the 'Azure Wood Seal' once my liquid energy turns into a solid?" Jiang Fan thought with delight.

He was unaware that while his energy vortex remained the size of a second-level practitioner's, the actual quantity of spiritual energy in his dantian was already on par with an average third-level practitioner. If he were to solidify it, the amount of energy would be truly staggering.

"The seven days since Old Devil Xu made me swallow the Seven-Day Heart-Devouring Poison are almost up! I should go find him, tell him about my breakthrough to the second level, and see what rewards I get. Also, I need to see if I can transfer the toxicity of this poison once it takes effect..."

Jiang Fan took a deep breath, returned to the plaza, and spent half a day restoring his energy to its peak. Then, timing it carefully, he walked toward Old Devil Xu's residence.

Just as he arrived, a sharp, twisting pain erupted in his heart—the Seven-Day Heart-Devouring Poison was taking effect. Jiang Fan had already set the transfer of damage to Deacon Ling. In the "Great Dao Celestial Tome," the name of Deacon Ling, which had already dimmed from Jiang Fan's previous "self-harm," rapidly faded away until it vanished.

"Ma... Master, save... save me!" Jiang Fan’s voice was weak, as he had no real intention of asking for help. He wanted to see if the poison could actually kill him; this was crucial.

The toxicity of the poison continued to surge, and Deacon Ling’s name in the book faded even faster. When the seven-day mark was reached, the medicinal effect peaked. Jiang Fan felt as if his heart were about to dissolve; the sensation was horrific. However, because he had transferred the damage, he felt not a hint of pain.

In an instant, Deacon Ling’s name in the "Great Dao Celestial Tome" turned completely dark and vanished. Immediately, a terrifying, agonizing pain erupted from Jiang Fan's heart. Jiang Fan quickly thought to himself: Transfer damage to Deacon Wu.

Jiang Fan felt instant relief. The unbearable agony, as if thousands of ants were gnawing at his heart, vanished. Meanwhile, Deacon Wu’s name began to fade at an alarming speed.