Chapter Twenty: Hundred-Forged Flower

Cao Yun accepted the small bottle containing the Spirit Origin Pills, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Brother Guo, you are too kind," he said. "The Ziyang Sword is now returned to you completely undamaged. If you should ever need my assistance in the future, just send word through Brother Wu."

Upon hearing this, Guo Yi’s face lit up with joy. He quickly replied, "Naturally, naturally! If I ever find myself in a bind, you will certainly be the first person I think of. With these Spirit Origin Pills to aid you, I have no doubt your cultivation will reach new heights and advance by leaps and bounds."

Several hours later, inside his cave dwelling, Cao Yun sat cross-legged upon a meditation cushion.

Before him, four bottles of pills were neatly arranged. One was the Spirit Origin Pill he had obtained after completing his task for Guo Yi; another was the one he had acquired by trading the remains of the Four-Eyed Spirit Fox along with three hundred spirit stones. The remaining two were Air-Drawing Pills he had personally refined over the past two years, each bottle a distillation of his hard work and aspirations.

Cao Yun took a deep breath and slowly placed a pill into his mouth.

The pill melted instantly, transforming into an extremely pure surge of spiritual energy that flooded his limbs and bones. This long-awaited surge of power brought him an unprecedented sense of comfort, as if every cell in his body were cheering.

As he consumed the pills one after another, Cao Yun’s aura grew increasingly vast and profound, standing firm like a mountain and flowing ceaselessly like a river. In mere moments, fueled by the eighteen Spirit Origin Pills, his cultivation at the second level of Qi Refining reached its perfection.

Without pause, Cao Yun immediately swallowed an Air-Drawing Pill.

Suddenly, the spiritual energy within him ignited like a wildfire, surging violently as it slammed against the bottleneck of the second level of Qi Refining. As the medicinal effects faded, the energy within him returned to calm, but that sense of power became more condensed and potent.

Without hesitation, Cao Yun took two more Air-Drawing Pills, continuing his assault on the seemingly unbreakable barrier. Once, twice, thrice... by the ninth attempt, the bottleneck finally showed signs of loosening.

When he consumed the tenth pill, a thunderous resonance echoed within him, and he finally stepped into the third level of Qi Refining.

Upon entering this new realm, Cao Yun felt a strange, unprecedented sensation. It was a sensory capability that transcended sight and sound, as if the entire world had become clear and three-dimensional within his consciousness. His mind felt as though a mysterious door to an unknown world had been opened, and a tide of subtle, complex information flooded his brain.

He could "see" the distant scenery even with his eyes tightly shut, the images as vivid as if they were before him. He could "hear" the faintest sounds, and even in the absolute silence of his surroundings, those sounds felt as if they were right beside him. He could even "perceive" the lightness of a nearby rabbit, the fluttering of butterflies, and the vibrant vitality of the trees. This ability seemed to forge an indescribable, intimate connection between him and all things in the world.

"Is this the mystery of the third level of Qi Refining, the detachment of divine sense?" Cao Yun couldn't help but marvel. "This feeling is so miraculous, so extraordinary... it is as if I have touched the secrets and truths of heaven and earth."

At this moment, his mindset was no longer that of a mortal; many of his perspectives and cognitions underwent a monumental shift. The magical power within him was countless times stronger than it had been at the second level. He couldn't even imagine what it would be like to reach the fifth level.

At noon the following day, Cao Yun had ventured over two hundred miles deep into the Myriad Demon Forest. He sat cross-legged on the branch of a towering ancient tree, clutching an earth-attribute spirit stone, continuously absorbing its energy to restore his depleted mana.

Several hours of traveling using the Wind-Riding Technique had exhausted most of his power. Although he had reached the third level of Qi Refining and possessed the ability to project his divine sense and fly on a sword, doing so in the Myriad Demon Forest was far too conspicuous. Any carelessness could lead to an encounter with powerful avian demon beasts or those capable of long-range attacks, turning him into a living target.

Cao Yun’s purpose in venturing so deep was not to hunt, but to search for precious herbs. The herbs in the outer regions had long been scavenged by the blood slaves, forcing him to risk the depths. The power boost from the pills had made him realize that with his aptitude, only by utilizing rare herbs could he make rapid progress. At his current level, if he continued to rely on missions or hunting for materials to trade for pills, any further breakthrough would be a distant, impossible dream.

Two hours later, the spirit stone in his hand had turned into a dull, grayish-white rock, and his mana had mostly recovered. Feeling he had gone deep enough, he began his search for herbs.

Cao Yun moved nimbly through the dense, towering forest. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled patterns on the ground and paving a path of light and shadow for him. After several days of arduous searching, he finally discovered a herb emitting a faint glow in a hidden valley—a Hundred-Forged Flower.

It was the very herb he had dreamed of, and the joy in his heart surged uncontrollably. However, just as he reached out to pluck it, a low, earth-shaking roar erupted from beside the plant, thundering through his mind like a clap of lightning.

Immediately after, a demon beast covered in crimson scales leaped from the grass. Its eyes burned like torches, its fangs were bared, and its aggressive aura made it clear that it was the guardian of the herb. The beast was wreathed in scorching flames, and the air was filled with a suffocating, tense heat.

Cao Yun’s heart tightened. He knew that to claim the herb, he had to get past this beast, or all his efforts would be in vain. This creature was a Blazing Scale Snake. Its massive body was covered in crimson scales that shimmered like metal under the sun, resembling a warrior clad in armor. Its tail was as sharp as a sword, and a mere flick sent waves of heat billowing. Fire danced incessantly in its eyes, as if it could pierce the human soul; to look directly into them was to feel one's spirit waver and lose control. The immense fire-attribute energy radiating from the Blazing Scale Snake was overwhelming, demanding absolute caution.

It was said that this beast possessed the strength of a seventh-level Qi Refining cultivator.

Facing such a formidable foe, Cao Yun did not retreat. Without a word, he flicked his sleeve, and countless bone needles shot toward the Blazing Scale Snake like a torrential downpour, whistling through the air with lethal intent.

The Blazing Scale Snake reacted with lightning speed, darting through the air like a red bolt of light. With a flick of its tail, it pulverized the incoming needles, simultaneously dispersing the Black Vine Snake venom hidden within them into a cloud of mist.

In this critical moment, Cao Yun utilized the Wind-Riding Technique. A powerful gale erupted, catching the toxic mist and blowing it directly onto the Blazing Scale Snake. The scales that had once shimmered with metallic luster became pitted and scarred under the corrosive touch of the poison, as if gnawed by countless tiny insects. Its forehead, in particular, was severely corroded, revealing raw, blood-red flesh that looked monstrous and terrifying.