I've already reached the Nascent Soul stage, and you're saying I didn't time travel?

Chapter 130 Fifth Transformation of Qi Refining

nine in the morning.

Sky Screen Live Streaming Room.

"Hey, have you heard? A lot of homeless people died in the Philippines last night."

“I also saw the news. I heard that many of those homeless people were already struggling to make ends meet and had no way to survive. I never expected them to encounter such a tragedy.”

"It's not a big deal if a few homeless people die. After all, the average lifespan of a homeless person is no more than ten years. Various bad living habits, plus diseases, can easily take the life of a homeless person. The problem is that their deaths are too bizarre. Their bodies become extremely shriveled, as if their flesh and blood have been sucked dry."

"Is this fake news? I saw on the news that it might be some kind of new infectious disease that caused the homeless people, who were already in poor health, to die together."

“I’m a local and I can confirm that the claim of emaciated bodies is true. A bunch of police officers and doctors came to the area early this morning. The cause of death is still uncertain and awaits further investigation. Anyway, the area around the underground tunnel has been temporarily designated as a controlled zone and outsiders are prohibited from entering.”

"Speaking of emaciated bodies, a bizarre case also occurred in Mexico. A large-scale internal conflict and shooting broke out in a local slum. Except for one member who hid in the toilet, all the members who participated in the battle died. It is said that most of the dead were emaciated, unlike ordinary gunshot wounds."

The only person in the know went crazy, saying things like "the devil is coming, the devil is coming!" The whole thing sounded very strange.

"It's hard to say about Mexico, that godforsaken place. There are too many drug dealers and users, including within gangs, where drug use sometimes exists."

It's common knowledge that drug addiction eventually leaves the body almost like a skeleton; those people's emaciated figures might simply be a result of drug use.

"Actually, I think it's more like the delirious ramblings of a battlefield survivor. Maybe too many people died in the gunfight, and they had a mental breakdown."

"I implore Master Qi to teach me a technique for regulating the mind and stabilizing the spirit. There are still too many mental illnesses in this world, and there are quite a few mental patients, especially many martial artists who need mental conditioning. Otherwise, they can easily be controlled by powerful force and commit all sorts of illegal acts."

"Come on, after seeing that debate online yesterday, if I were Qi Shen, I would never pass on my skills again!"

"They're all so spoiled by him. He's so picky about teaching them a technique, complaining that it's too weak or too feminine. If you're so dissatisfied, then don't practice it! Who's forcing you?"

"To be honest, I don't quite understand. This cultivation method has only been around for less than a day, and even the most talented people have only reached the third level at most. They haven't even touched the edge of the Great Perfection stage. How dare you people make such a judgment about this cultivation method?"

"Although what you all say makes sense, I still have to say it—the Black Jade Technique is the best in the world!"

"Get out of my way, you bastard! Don't make me laugh, okay?"

"This Rabbit God who practices the 'Flying Flowers and Plucking Leaves Hand' technique, please put down your orchid-like fingers."

"Want to fight? Come on, Chengdu White Socks Club, I've left the address here. Come over and show us what we're made of!"

……

While the live stream was filled with heated arguments, Qi Xuan continued to let the pigs run wildly, oblivious to everything else.

He had originally planned to give a more in-depth explanation of "Flying Flowers and Plucking Leaves" today to help the audience cultivate, but after wandering around this area for half a day, he finally found the way. He couldn't care less about the cultivation method anymore and rode Sunday straight towards the Zhao family.

After walking for less than ten minutes, a messy rocky area suddenly appeared in front of them, and Qi Xuan abruptly stopped Sunday.

Looking at the gray-black cliffs and rubble in front of him, he frowned slightly, then got off Sunday and walked slowly to a large rock about ten meters away.

The rock is reddish-brown, which is somewhat different from the color of the surrounding rocks. It seems to have rolled over from elsewhere during the terrain shift caused by the collapse of the sun, and there are many traces of its rolling on its body.

Of course, the focus is not on the rolling marks, but on the two sword and knife wounds left on the rocks.

The sword blade penetrated about 30 centimeters into the rock, and the slashing depth of the knife wound was also about 10 centimeters.

Considering the hardness of this crimson rock, the strength of both combatants should be around the late stage of Qi Refining.

Could it be that some hostile forces passed through this area and a battle broke out?

Or is it simply internal strife within the team?
We can't figure out what happened from this battle site alone, but we can be sure that someone must have passed through this area.

This immediately filled Qi Xuan with confidence.

He initially thought he might have taken the wrong path, but now it seems he hasn't. Since people have been around nearby, it means there are paths that cultivators often take. If he follows them, he might be able to find the Zhao family or other families.

Qi Xuan walked up the slope beside him, with Sunday following behind.

After walking past the gray-black rocks, the rocks in front gradually turned into reddish-brown basalt, but they appeared very fragmented, as if a giant piece of basalt had collapsed on the spot, with scattered fragments rolling everywhere.

However, basalt is extremely hard and should not break under normal circumstances, right?

Just then, I caught a glimpse of a broken thigh bone.

It was spotless, with no bone marrow left, and traces of pecking remained on it, indicating that it had been exposed for a long time.

Judging from the toughness of these bones, the person must have been a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator in life.

Could he be one of the two people fighting with weapons?

He searched the surrounding area for a while and found many other skeletons, as well as tattered clothes, rusty weapons, and even broken talismans.

The more relics they discovered on the battlefield, the more Qi Xuan frowned.

Because he obtained several tokens with the character "Zhao" engraved on them, he was very likely a cultivator from the Zhao family.

On the other side, they were also fighting against a family.

However, the characteristics of the various relics do not quite match those of the Zhang family that previously ambushed the Nangong family, so it is very likely another unknown and unfamiliar family.

"Did the Zhao family and another family fight here?"

"So that's why Zhao Lingyun and her second uncle couldn't get there in time to provide support?"

Upon closer examination, this possibility is not entirely unfounded, given that the Zhao family is significantly weaker than the Nangong family and has limited Foundation Establishment combat power.

If the family were to face a major crisis from an external enemy, Zhao Yuehong, as a key combatant, would certainly not be able to remain uninvolved.

Helping outsiders is something we do only when we have the capacity. Our hometown is about to be breached, who has time to worry about anything else?

Shaking his head, Qi Xuan continued searching the surrounding area.

Just then, Sunday's humming voice suddenly came from nearby.

He walked over and saw that the guy had burrowed a small pit out of the gravel.

There was a piece of arm bone in the pit, as white as jade, and on the outside of this arm bone, there were two bone spurs the size of a thumb.

"This is... the arm bone of a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

"Could it be that someone at the Foundation Establishment stage has perished here?"

In an instant, Qi Xuan felt a chill run down his spine.

Almost immediately, he suddenly looked up.

At the edge of the field of vision, a tall, thin figure staggered out of the woods.

He was shrouded in a thin layer of black mist, making his face difficult to see. Overall, he looked almost like a normal person, except for a bone spur protruding high on the right side of his neck.

The viewers in the live stream were all shocked to see this:
"Holy crap! It's that monster again?!"

"That's not right, they don't have four arms."

"You don't necessarily need to have arms. Aren't the bone spurs protruding from your neck evidence too?"

"Most importantly, he was also shrouded in a layer of mist, giving him a hazy and mysterious aura."

"So what exactly is his strength? Is he a terrestrial immortal, or a supreme grandmaster?"

"If you look at the appendages, he should be weaker than Nangong Yaohua; if you look at the mist, he should be stronger than Nangong Yaohua."

"Damn, I hope he doesn't end up like Nangong Wuji."

"Oh no! He's charging at us!!"

……

Qi Xuan noticed it almost the instant the gray fog people charged over.

However, he did not run away, but instead charged at her.

Because he had already discovered that the gray-mist man in front of him was roughly equivalent to the Qi Refining Perfection stage.

He is slightly stronger than Nangong Yaohua, but far inferior to Nangong Wuji.

As long as he's not at the Foundation Establishment stage, he possesses various trump cards, and with Sunday's help, even if he can't win, he can still escape.

The man and the pig quickly charged forward.

On Sunday, taking the lead, with its pair of giant teeth, it charged into the Gray Mist Man first.

As it approached, it immediately launched a war of trampling.

Unexpectedly, the gray fog people who were attacking seemed to be affected to some extent. Their movements faltered slightly, and then they were knocked back by Sunday.

Qi Xuan's eyes flickered slightly upon seeing this scene.

Since successfully advancing to the third tier, Sunday's abilities seem to have improved to some extent.

Originally, War Stomp only affected the enemy's consciousness, causing dizziness, but now it seems that even the body is affected by dizziness. The Gray Mist Man's movements are slowed down more because his body is momentarily controlled than because his consciousness is disturbed.

This was a completely unexpected and delightful surprise for him!

Qi Xuan pounced fiercely forward.

The Gray Mist Man, who had just stopped his retreat, grabbed Sunday's pair of giant teeth with both hands, ready to slam them to the ground on the spot.

Just as he was about to make his move, a flash of cold light, like a shooting star, streaked past him.

He instinctively raised his hand to block, and the terrifying power contained in the dragon spear immediately knocked him back more than ten steps.

After escaping on Sunday, it immediately darted to the side, took a detour, and prepared for its next surge.

Meanwhile, Qi Xuan, having taken the Bloodthirsty Pill, had already engaged in close combat with the Gray Mist Man.

The heavy dragon spear slammed into the opponent, producing a series of terrifying clangs as metal clashed.

The opponent's movements were not even affected by this, which shows that his physical strength far surpasses that of Nangong Yaohua.

This person was definitely at the Foundation Establishment stage during their lifetime!
Moreover, he was definitely not someone like Nangong Yaohua who had just advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Having undoubtedly been at the Foundation Establishment stage for many years, his body had been thoroughly nourished by spiritual energy, leaving no flaws whatsoever.

There was a loud "click" sound.

The dragon spear slammed into the opponent's fist, and the tough dragon bone shaft shattered on the spot!

Just as the iron fist was about to strike, Qi Xuan raised his hand, burned the exorcism talisman, and caught the opponent's fist with a palm strike.

With a crisp sound, he staggered back more than ten steps, feeling a numbness in his hand.

Fortunately, the Dragon Spear blocked it, and [Meteor] deflected the immense force from the Gray Mist Man; otherwise, that punch alone could have shattered his right arm on the spot.

He is only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, and the gap between him and the peak of Qi Refining is still too huge.

After taking the risk of receiving the blow, he ignored his own condition and focused intently on the opponent's fist.

When he first drew the exorcism talisman, he had guessed that it might be effective against monsters like the Gray Mist People.

After trying it out, he found that the exorcism talisman did work, but the effect was very limited.

The opponent's fist, which had been hit, seemed to have a thin layer of mist dispelled, revealing the palm itself, but his hand was quickly enveloped by the gray mist again.

What exactly is that gray fog? Is it related to osteoporosis?
Why can he and Nangong Wuji emit gray mist? Why can't Nangong Yaohua emit it?

Why do exorcism talismans work on gray fog?
Could a more advanced exorcism talisman completely dispel the gray fog and successfully suppress them?
In an instant, countless questions popped into Qi Xuan's mind.

However, it was impossible to verify, and there was no opportunity to verify, because after being briefly hit, the Gray Mist Man charged forward fiercely at an even faster speed, while he himself had not yet adjusted his movements after being hit.

Damn it! There's a difference in reaction speed!
This guy was at the Foundation Establishment stage in his previous life!

Just as Qi Xuan was about to use the Lightness Talisman, with a thunderous roar, Sunday suddenly accelerated and knocked the other party back again.

This time it was smarter. Just as its opponent was about to grab its giant teeth, it made a slick maneuver, slipped away, and without lingering, circled around an arc, preparing for its next charge.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Qi Xuan adjusted his posture, summoned a snake bone spear, and pounced forward again.

Although the Six-Clawed Mystic Serpent is also a third-tier demon beast, it has only recently advanced in rank. Its bones are not as strong and resilient as those of the Golden-Eyed Wyvern. Under the attack of the Gray Mist Man, it will not be able to withstand it for long and will soon shatter.

Qi Xuan didn't expect the snake bone spear to take him down on the spot; the weapon was more of a distraction.

In a series of exchanges, just as the snake bone spear was about to shatter—

"War Tramples!"

On Sunday, at his suggestion, the war was immediately unleashed in the vicinity.

Qi Xuan's serpent bone spear instantly transformed into a broken blade of magic weapon, which slashed fiercely at the opponent's shoulder, severing most of his domineering and strong right arm on the spot.

The recovered Gray Mist Man missed his punch.

His wounds showed no signs of bleeding, and he did not appear to be in any pain.

That's true. If someone is dead, how can you expect them to feel pain?

Although they are not affected by pain, the Gray Mist Man's combat power has been severely affected by the loss of most of his arm.

But after three consecutive war-induced stomp attacks on Sunday, it's almost reached its limit.

Even if it could be released once more, the effect would be greatly reduced, making it impossible to control the Gray Mist Man.

In the past, if such a situation occurred, unless there was a life-or-death feud and a determination to fight the Gray Mist People to the death, the only option would be to ride Sunday and retreat temporarily.

After all, putting everything else aside, the Bloodthirst Pills he took before also had a time limit.

Once the effects of the drug wear off and he falls into a weakened state, he will be the one to die.

Fortunately, he still has other trump cards to play against the Qi Refining Perfection stage opponent.

"[Virtual Self]!"

Almost instantly, a phantom emerged from his body and quickly solidified outside. In terms of appearance, aura, and even perception, it was exactly the same as him, as if he had become two people in an instant.

The viewers in the live stream were utterly shocked by what they saw.

"What's going on? Am I seeing things? How did Qi Shen turn into two different people??"

"Could it be a collective hallucination? I'm seeing two people too."

"BYD's not hiding it anymore, huh? Tell me quickly, what kind of martial art is this?!"

"Martial arts, my foot! This is clearly a clone technique! And the bastard even knows magic!!"

"Damn it! Hand over the clone technique right now!"

"I need this so badly! With this clone technique, I'll never have to worry about being caught cheating on someone else again!"

……

Netizens exclaimed in amazement and expressed their immense desire for it.

But in reality, even if Qi Xuan wanted to teach, he simply couldn't.

Because abilities like [Void Self], [Spiritual Awareness], and [Primal Core] are not obtained through cultivating magic, but rather are abilities that awaken when breaking through realms.

【Void Self】is the fifth transformation of Qi cultivation, a new ability he awakened after 【Flowing Form】.

To be honest, this wasn't the first time he had used the [Virtual Self].

He had used it once before when he encountered Nangong Wuji.

However, that crisis was too intense, and the time to unleash it was extremely short. Before the [Void Self] could fully solidify, it only temporarily distracted Nangong Wuji, and he quickly took Sunday away.

And now, this is the first official appearance of the [Virtual Self].

After summoning the [Virtual Self], the gray shadow figure on the other side was noticeably momentarily stunned. This might be because the shadow figure appeared too suddenly, or because its aura was exactly the same as the original body, with no difference whatsoever.

Just as the opponent hesitated, Qi Xuan immediately made his move.

The strength of the [Void Self] is actually not very strong, probably only at the second level of Qi Refining, and its existence time is also very limited. However, its realm and even aura are exactly the same as its own. Not to mention that the Gray Shadow Man has completely lost his mind, even normal cultivators would not be able to tell the difference.

The two figures attacked simultaneously, leaving the gray-haired man flustered and disorganized.

He would occasionally attack the "illusory self," but his attacks failed to break through the illusory human form; instead, they would simply pass through it. If it were a normal cultivator, using spells or even spiritual power, they would most likely be able to defeat the "illusory self."

However, the Gray Shadow Man has now fallen from the Foundation Establishment Realm and is fighting entirely based on his powerful physique and experience from his previous life, without involving any spiritual attacks.

Therefore, its seemingly powerful attack is actually not very effective against the [Virtual Self].

Using the cover of his [Virtual Self], Qi Xuan quickly dismembered the Gray Shadow Man with the broken blade of his magical artifact.

When even the head was chopped into several pieces and the body parts stopped moving, Qi Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Damn, this is too difficult."

"We had to use every method we could to finally take him down."

"If it were someone who had truly reached the peak of Qi Refining and could use weapons and various spells, they would probably only have the option to run away."

Qi Xuan swallowed a few Rejuvenation Pills, dissipating their medicinal power as he went to examine the gray shadow man's belongings.

The result was that he was stunned when he found out what had happened—

"This guy is... Zhao Yuehong?"

(End of this chapter)