Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

The pill melted upon entering the mouth, transforming into a gentle stream of air that slid into the abdomen.

Immediately afterwards, an extremely pure and cool energy suddenly rose from the dantian, traveled upwards along the meridians, and rushed straight to the brain.

The effects of the Yin Spirit Pill are indeed far superior to those Yin Sha Pills made from ordinary Yin spirits!

Xia Dong felt as if his whole body was enveloped by this refreshing coolness. His head, which was still a little sore from being extremely exhausted, instantly became incredibly relaxed.

He felt an unprecedented clarity and tranquility in his mind, as if all the distracting thoughts and weariness in his mind had been completely washed away by this cool energy.

Seizing the opportunity, Xia Dong immediately closed his eyes, focused his mind, and began to circulate the "Mysterious Yin Refining Spirit Technique".

Guided by the cultivation path, the vast yet exceptionally gentle refreshing medicinal power rapidly dissolved in his sea of ​​consciousness, like a warm spring rain, continuously nourishing and strengthening his parched spiritual essence.

Previously, Xia Dong's spiritual cultivation had been stuck at the bottleneck of the fifth level of Qi Refining perfection. No matter how much he tried to hone it, he felt he was just one step away from making any progress.

But now, under the impact of this extremely pure Yin Spirit Pill's medicinal power, that originally solid, invisible barrier is like thin snow meeting the scorching sun, rapidly melting away.

The entire breakthrough process went exceptionally smoothly.

There was no painful, tearing sensation from forcibly breaking through, nor did I encounter any stagnation or obstruction.

A soft "hum" seemed to come from his mind, and as if by natural ease, the bottleneck of the fifth level of Qi Refining and perfected consciousness was easily broken through.

Xia Dong's consciousness expanded outwards instantly, like a bird breaking free from its cage, becoming even more powerful. He slowly opened his eyes, a tangible glint flashing in his dark pupils. Feeling the abundant and sharp new power in his sea of ​​consciousness, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.

His spiritual cultivation finally broke through the barrier of the fifth level of Qi Refining and successfully entered the sixth level of Qi Refining.

However, the pure medicinal power contained in the Yinling Pill was not exhausted. It continued to transform into wisps of cool energy in the sea of ​​consciousness, constantly nourishing the soul.

After a brief rest to calm his excited emotions, Xia Dong closed his eyes again and guided the "Mysterious Yin Refining Divine Technique" to continue refining the remaining medicinal power in his body.

After an unknown amount of time, the ice cave was deathly silent. Xia Dong finally integrated the last trace of medicinal power into his sea of ​​consciousness and slowly finished his practice.

As the medicinal effects were fully absorbed, the "Mysterious Yin Refining Spirit Technique" reached a new level. Xia Dong could clearly feel that his spiritual cultivation had not only barely reached the threshold of the sixth level of Qi Refining, but had also taken a significant step forward in this realm.

With a thought, his divine sense spread outwards rapidly like invisible tentacles, covering a much larger area than before. The fine cracks on the surrounding ice walls and the cold air currents flowing in the air were all clearly visible to him.

However, after carefully experiencing the changes after the breakthrough in his divine sense, Xia Dong frowned slightly.

He keenly sensed that his total spiritual sense had indeed increased significantly, and his perception range had also broadened. However, since it was a sudden boost from high-level pills, this newly formed spiritual sense was obviously not as resilient and solid as the one he had painstakingly cultivated before, and it was somewhat superficial.

"It seems that taking shortcuts always has some hidden dangers. I still need to refine my divine sense through a lot of talisman making and pill refining before I can completely refine it and achieve the same level of complete control as before," Xia Dong thought to himself.

He understood perfectly well that in the world of cultivation, under the same level of spiritual consciousness cultivation, the more refined and solid the spiritual consciousness, the greater the benefit in manipulating magical artifacts, controlling the timing of alchemy, and inscribing the spiritual energy trajectory of high-level talismans.

Moreover, the further one progresses on the path of cultivation, the more it tests whether the foundation laid in the early stages is solid enough.

A towering building rises from the ground. If the foundation is not solid in the early stages, how can a skyscraper that soars into the clouds be built in the future?

Those who blindly pursue breakthroughs in artistic realms while neglecting the cultivation of their inner strength will inevitably suffer great losses sooner or later.

Having clarified his next steps in cultivation, Xia Dong then diverted a wisp of his mind to introspectively observe the ancient bronze bell deep within his sea of ​​consciousness.

The ancient bell remained motionless, like a cold, lifeless object, mired in utter silence, offering no response to his gaze.

Fortunately, his talent for "one certificate lasting forever" remains firmly established.

For the time being, the silence of the ancient bronze bell will not have a significant impact on his practice of magic and various arts.

The only thing that gave him a headache and a financial pain was the "Primordial Qi" cultivated from the Divine Treasury Chapter of the "Changchun Xingqi Jue".

I had previously used up a significant portion of my energy to control the ancient bell.

This innate vital energy, which is fundamental to life, cannot be quickly replenished through ordinary elixirs. It can only be accumulated slowly again through daily, persistent effort.

Xia Dong stood up and brushed the ice shards off her clothes.

He first turned his head and glanced warily at the Yinming insect nest that was frozen by the "Taiyin Divine Light" not far away.

The deep blue ice still exuded a chilling aura, and the insects frozen inside remained motionless; everything was as usual, without any change.

Seeing this, Xia Dong felt much more relaxed.

At this moment, his magical power had been replenished, and his divine sense had successfully broken through, leaving him feeling refreshed and invigorated.

He turned around and then walked toward the ghost-faced spider skin that lay limp on the ice.

The reason he collapsed to the ground after killing the ferocious creature, instead of immediately storing the precious spoils in his storage pouch, was not due to extreme exhaustion, but rather a deliberate act. Although the spirit of the ghost-faced spider had been instantly refined by the ancient bronze bell, the intact animal hide it left behind still retained the ferocious aura of a late-stage Qi Refining demon.

In the abandoned mine shafts, this aura acts as a natural barrier.

With this oppressive aura present, it can naturally deter other low-level demons and ghosts that may be lurking near the mine, making them wary and not daring to approach easily.

It was precisely because of the protection of this aura that Xia Dong was able to swallow the pills without any worries, break through his divine sense, and safely pass through the weakest recovery period.

After all, judging from the terrifying strength displayed by this ghost-faced spider, it is undoubtedly the absolute overlord of this dark mine tunnel.

Xia Dong's fingertips glowed with a faint light of Xuan Yin magic as he rolled up the eerie animal skin with the pale white face and carefully stored it in his storage pouch.

As the animal hides were taken away, the aura of a "late-stage Qi Refining Overlord" that had intimidated evil spirits slowly dissipated.

Xia Dong stroked his chin, his deep gaze falling on the dead-end passage from which the ghost-faced spider had just emerged, and thoughts began to race through his mind.

"Now that the demon-faced spider has been killed, why don't we go and see where its lair is located?"

In the common knowledge of the cultivation world, powerful ghosts and demons who have reached the late stage of Qi Refining or even have one foot in the Foundation Establishment stage often have a very strong sense of territory.

For example, his snake brother.

Moreover, it will most likely plunder the valuable items within its territory. Perhaps in its lair, there are some rare and precious natural treasures with associated yin and cold attributes, or relics left behind by unfortunate cultivators and martial artists who have perished here in the past.

Go explore it; you might be surprised by what you find.