Born with immortal seed

Chapter 17 The fourth level of Qi refining
"Elders and seniors, I believe that I deserve a place at the Five Sacred Mountains Temple this time."

Upon hearing Elder Hong Gu mention him, Bai Zichen took two steps forward from the throne with an open and honest demeanor.

How could I possibly back down and withdraw on my own initiative?

The Qingfeng Sect has already established a rule that the inheritance stele will be opened once every ten years. There will be no next opportunity, as people will be too old by then.

One wrong move, and everything goes wrong.

From now on, all opportunities and resources in the clan will be dominated by Bai Ling and Bai Wei.

With the Bai family's resources, they absolutely cannot support cultivating three Foundation Establishment seeds in one generation. When that time comes, I will be the one who is abandoned!

It is certainly feasible to cultivate in a low-key and unassuming manner, but if one does not strive for anything and always gives way to others, one loses the original spirit of a cultivator who is courageous and diligent and fights against fate. How can one then move forward on the path of cultivation?

"I have already reached the fourth level of Qi Refining."

Bai Zichen spoke calmly, his entire body surging with magical power, shocking everyone present.

Previously, they stood helplessly at the foot of the main hall steps, and the elders' attention was not on them, so no one noticed that Bai Zichen had already reached the fourth level of Qi Refining.

A barrage of intense gazes fell upon him, and the fluctuations of his Qi Refining Level 4 magical power were unmistakable.

"How can this be?"

Elder Hong Gu was speechless. She took a few steps forward in disbelief, her phoenix eyes fixed on him, wanting to see through him completely.

"Yeah, that's way too fast! Is he some kind of drug addict who takes elixirs every day?!"

"Old Zuo, have you lost your mind? Even if this kid has that many spirit stones, how can he withstand the power of pills at the early stage of Qi Refining? One pill a month is already the maximum he can take."

Several late-stage Qi Refining experts whispered amongst themselves, a scene that far exceeded everyone's expectations.

"This cousin's cultivation speed is so astonishing. Could he be some kind of special spiritual body? I broke through to the third level of Qi Refining with the help of two Qi-replenishing pills. Even if he has pills to help him every month, breaking through the bottleneck of the middle stage of Qi Refining is too fast."

Bai Ling's beautiful eyes were full of curiosity. She had a delicate face and fair skin, and her standard Taoist robe could not hide her already curvaceous figure.

"He seems to be two years younger than me. I guess only the true geniuses in the Qingfeng Sect can cultivate at this speed!"

Bai Wei stood angrily beside his sister, unable to understand why their cultivation levels were so different.

As for Bai Chongwu, he was quite relaxed and looked at his cousin, who was several years younger than him, with great interest.

Anyway, no matter how the ranking is arranged, this spot has nothing to do with him.

I was stuck at the third level of Qi Refining for two whole years, constantly honing and accumulating magical power before finally breaking through the bottleneck.

I really want to know how this cousin cultivated. Didn't he feel that sense of powerlessness when his cultivation stagnated and he couldn't find a direction to progress no matter how hard he tried?

When the gap between you and the other person is too large, it's hard to feel jealous.

You might even feel a sense of relief, thinking that losing to such a genius is not shameful.

"Good lad! We all misjudged him; he's quietly caused us a huge scandal!"

The Second Elder slapped his thigh, tossing aside his ever-present brass pipe. "Since that's the case, there's no need for further discussion. Bai Zichen deserves this spot!"

"But Bai Ling and Bai Wei, siblings, are after all dual spiritual roots..."

“Hong Gu, you must know what the mid-stage of Qi Refining means at twelve years old. Even the clan leader at that age doesn’t have such cultivation. Anyway, I’m voting for Bai Zichen. As for the two siblings, let the older sister with higher cultivation go.”

The First Elder interrupted Elder Hong Gu's struggle and made the final decision.

On the surface, the fourth level of Qi Refining is only one step away from the third level of Qi Refining, but as the first hurdle in the three realms of Qi Refining, it has stumped countless cultivators.

These cultivators, who had only recently embarked on their cultivation journey, had no experience in dealing with bottlenecks and could only wander aimlessly outside the barriers like headless flies, completely helpless.

This bottleneck period can last from several months to four or five years.

Bai Zichen's current age combined with his cultivation level can only prove one thing: he broke through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining without any bottlenecks and passed through in one go. Otherwise, he would not have been able to catch up if he had only reached the third level of Qi Refining half a year ago and had been delayed even slightly.

As long as Bai Zichen's cultivation speed doesn't differ too much in the future, he might even reach the Great Perfection of Qi Refining before the age of thirty.

That would allow for a full twenty years to accumulate resources and enhance foundational strength in order to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Bai Zichen, Bai Ling!

Once the two names were finalized, the Qingfeng Sect was notified by carrier pigeon. They were just waiting to join other young talents at the Wuyue Temple next month to study the inheritance stele.

……

"Our clan has finally produced a true genius. He should perform well at the Five Mountains Temple and not be outdone by the Qingfeng Sect and the Upper Five Families."

After leaving the main hall, Bai Chongwu stepped forward and began a warm conversation, showing no sign that the two had only just met that day.

"I am a few years older than you, and I know a thing or two about some of the famous young talents in Black Mountain. I will introduce them to you properly later, so that we don't meet without knowing who they are."

"You bitch!"

Bai Wei followed behind the two and, seeing this scene, muttered a disdainful remark.

"What did you say!" Bai Chongwu's face flushed red. He did indeed have some thoughts of pleasing Bai Zichen, at least to make a good connection with him.

Anyone could see that once they returned from the Five Mountains Temple, Bai Zichen and Bai Ling would definitely be listed as key figures for the family to cultivate.

It's not that they'll be given a lot of resources outright, but they'll constantly create opportunities for the two of them to more easily receive contributions from the family, and they'll have a complete training path.

Bai Zichen has not yet made a name for himself, so this is the best time to make an investment and make it easier to secure a position by his side.

But Bai Chongwu felt embarrassed that Bai Wei, a mere teenager, had said it so bluntly. He almost threw a punch and started a fight between his own clansmen.

Bai Zichen quickly stopped Bai Chongwu and said sincerely, "Brother Chongwu is willing to share his information for the sake of the family's reputation. I appreciate it. Why argue with a child? Tomorrow, I will prepare some spiritual tea at my humble abode. Brother Chongwu, please remember to come and visit."

"Of course I'll take care of it. I'll come and bother you tomorrow."

With Bai Zichen speaking up, Bai Chongwu seized the opportunity, glared fiercely at Bai Wei, and left with a bow.

On the contrary, Bai Wei was called a child by Bai Zichen, and he was so angry that he was about to retort, but he swallowed his anger when he saw the elders coming out.

"Bai Zichen, right? You're very good. Keep up the good work."

"As expected of Jiu'an's nephew, you are so composed. You even managed to keep the news of his advancement to the fourth level of Qi Refining a secret. The future of the Bai family depends on you people!"

"Yes, I think it won't be long before Bai Zichen's cultivation level is on par with ours!"

"Old Zuo, don't talk nonsense, you're praising the child to death."

……

The two elders and several other late-stage Qi Refining elders offered encouragement and goodwill, but Elder Hong Gu, with a sullen face, called Bai Ling and Bai Wei and left angrily.

Bai Zichen didn't take it to heart. He wasn't a spirit stone; how could he possibly be liked by everyone?

"Chen'er, when did you break through? How come I didn't even know?"

On the way home, Bai Jiu'an looked at his nephew closely; today had truly given him a great surprise and a great shock.

He was considered part of the Second Elder's faction within the clan, and had communicated with them beforehand, as well as contacted several familiar clansmen in the late Qi Refining stage. However, he was still unsure whether he could compete with the two siblings.

Bai Jiu'an is a cultivator with four spiritual roots, and he is well aware that due to the limitations of his spiritual roots, he has had to put in several times more effort to reach this point in his cultivation.

All other things being equal, having dual spiritual roots is a huge advantage.

Even in the Qingfeng Sect, a disciple with dual spiritual roots would be treated differently.

After all, it had been over a hundred years since the last time Qingfeng Sect recruited a disciple with a Heavenly Spiritual Root.

"Don't even mention you, Uncle, I never expected the breakthrough to go so smoothly..."

(End of this chapter)