Starting with the consumables of the Demonic Sect, one can barely achieve immortality.

Meanwhile, on the third floor of the Hall of Longevity, in the weapon-refining room.

"You really blasted Chen Xiang back five steps in front of a dozen of your fellow disciples?"

Behind the furnace, Lin Caifeng, the tall and thin owner of the weapon-refining room with sinister eyes like an eagle, turned his head and stared at Yan Cheng, who was sitting in the corner, with great interest.

Suddenly they clapped and laughed:

"Wonderful, wonderful!"

"Chen Xiang has always been arrogant and arrogant. Relying on his bull-like physique, he went around seeking out people for dual cultivation and opened up his eight extraordinary meridians early on."

"From then on, he became even more arrogant and conceited, acting as if he were the eldest son of the Heavenly Child and the second son of the Heavenly Child."

"And what if Senior Brother Tiantong wanted to settle scores with him? Could he possibly escape the invisible puppet-binding threads?"

"This time, as a newcomer who has only been in the palace for half a year, you utterly humiliated him in front of everyone, teaching him a lesson and making him rein in his arrogance!"

Yan Cheng, who appeared no different from three months ago except for the more focused look in his eyes, showed no smugness upon hearing this. He merely frowned and said:

"You know I have never liked to show off in public. Chen Xiang looked down on me because I had only been in the hall for a short time, so he was caught off guard and was forced to retreat in front of everyone."

"As for my sword, it has been forging for three whole months without being finished. Could you perhaps concentrate a little more, Senior Brother?"

Lin Caifeng laughed heartily:

"Let alone Chen Xiang, who is like a frog at the bottom of a well, even with our limited knowledge, how could we have imagined that there would be someone in the hall who could reach the mid-stage of perfection in just half a year?"

"I've long heard that the spiritual object [Cold Qi] can be found all over the northern foothills. As long as a superior cultivator can help you find it, the spiritual nourishment alone can help you achieve mastery quickly."

"But I never expected... your progress would be so rapid, almost catching up with the direct descendants of the sect!"

He glanced casually into the furnace, and seeing nothing amiss, said:

"This fellow isn't as promising as you. Cold metal is yin, so you can't be impatient when using it as a refining material."

"If it becomes even slightly agitated, the internal chill will dissipate due to the furnace fire, rendering the sword no different from an ordinary object!"

He chuckled:

"I finally obtained a piece of cold gold. If I ruin it while refining it, I don't know what methods you will use against me."

Yan Cheng smiled kindly:

"My senior brother wouldn't want to know."

Although he appeared tough on the surface, he secretly felt that the owner of the weapon-refining room, who was known for his eccentric behavior, possessed a straightforwardness rarely seen among disciples of immortal sects.

Compared to the four layers of mid-level cultivators who all looked like they were cast from the same mold, they were much more interesting.

As for the fact that Yan Cheng was found to have all eight meridians open, it was indeed not Yan Cheng's wish, but was entirely due to Huang Tong's scheme.

According to the Daoist treatise "Illustrated Explanation of Refining Essence into Qi and Circulating Qi," which is a must-have for mid-stage corpse cultivators in the palace, the time a cultivator typically needs to spend in the early, middle, and late stages of Qi cultivation should be in a ratio of 3:6:9.

The further one progresses in cultivation, the slower the progress becomes; this has been an unchanging truth in the cultivation world since ancient times.

Yan Chengzong has already shown unparalleled talent, and successfully broke through to the mid-stage in just three months.

Judging by this standard, the high-ranking cultivators in the hall could only expect him to approach the mid-stage perfection in half a year at most.

In fact, considering the disadvantages of corpse cultivators in cultivation, most cultivators in the hall would not necessarily be able to reach this level even after six years or more of cultivation!

Unfortunately, Yan Cheng had a cheat code.

In the three months since I returned from the morgue, the fog sea has burst open a total of three times.

Yan Cheng naturally did not miss any opportunity to improve his cultivation potential.

To date, he has completed a total of six Moon Essence Body Tempering sessions, elevating his physical constitution to an unprecedented level!

With the help of six levels of body tempering, ferret oil, and diligent daily practice, Yan Cheng's path to opening up the nine extraordinary meridians was both tedious and smooth.

His cultivation technique far surpasses that of his peers, and at the same level of cultivation, the quality and quantity of his spiritual energy have an overwhelming advantage.

Not to mention, he has opened up one more meridian than the corpse cultivators!

Therefore, when Huang Tong asked Chen Xiang to test his cultivation, Yan Cheng held back as much as possible, but still managed to defeat the Eight Meridians Corpse Cultivator, who was known as the number one person below Tian Tong, in a very embarrassing manner.

Although in retrospect, it makes little difference whether or not we held back at the time.

Whenever Yan Cheng and Chen Xiang compete to a draw or even a tie, Huang Tong can draw a conclusion from it.

This young man, who has only been in the palace for half a year, has already reached the threshold of the mid-stage perfection!

Yan Cheng clearly saw the strange light in the other person's eyes, but dared not show any unusual behavior, just like a death row inmate waiting for the execution order to arrive.

However, Huang Tong ultimately did nothing.

Yan Cheng believed that Zhong Tianying and the Holy Maiden did not teach Huang Tong that he was suspected of practicing "Taiyin".

Otherwise, given the way this sinister thing acts, it would have already attacked me!

As for why those two did not reveal the secret?

Yan Cheng knew that they were waiting for the decree from the seventh floor and for the response from the Lord of the Hall of Longevity.

The situation of a cultivator who cultivates rapidly in the [Taiyin] category is far more dangerous than that of a cultivator who cultivates equally rapidly in the [Hanqi] category.

The former's rapid cultivation speed implies that he possesses more than one Taiyin spiritual item.

Among the most precious spiritual objects of Taiyin, isn't it the Moon Laurel Pure Yin Mysterious Essence that the Lord of the Longevity Palace has sought for a hundred years?

Defeating a renowned corpse cultivator with all eight meridians open in front of everyone shocked the entire hall and drew the attention of all the cultivators, but it did not give Yan Cheng any sense of accomplishment.

To put it bluntly, he's even fought against Foundation Establishment cultivators. Compared to Wang Qing, what is Chen Xiang? He's not even worthy of carrying her shoes!

The furnace fire burned brightly in the weapon-refining room, but it did not dispel the chill in his heart.

Layer upon layer of scheming and calculation weighed heavily on Yan Cheng's mind like dark clouds.

Given the sect's reputation, if there were even the slightest suspicion that he possessed the Moon Laurel Pure Yin Mystic Essence, they would surely eliminate him without hesitation, even if it meant killing the innocent.

The only reason he's safe and sound here is that the cultivators haven't figured out whether he's part of the sect's plan.

These true disciples were all exceptionally intelligent. The more intelligent a person was, the more they thought, which gave Yan Cheng room to breathe in the cracks.

But this charade will eventually be exposed.

The true disciples do not cultivate the "Taiyin" (Great Yin) and have no need for the "Moon Laurel Pure Yin Mysterious Flower," so they can patiently plan carefully.

But what about the temple master himself? Does he have that kind of patience?

Yan Cheng gazed at the cold, white sword blank being continuously refined by the fire in the furnace, and suddenly asked:

"Do you remember what you said to me when I handed this cold gold to you that day?"

Lin Caifeng was taken aback, then smiled and said:

"I advise you to add some Yang metal to the sword to balance the Yin and Yang attributes of the sword."

"In this way, the coldness on the sword is reduced, but the sword's toughness is increased, making it able to withstand more violent impacts."

Yan Cheng hummed in agreement, his gaze fixed on the cold gold sword embryo:

"The answer I gave you back then is still correct in retrospect."

"In this godforsaken place, there is absolutely no room for reconciliation or compromise."

"If one is determined to forge a sword, even if one knows that the sword is unorthodox and too rigid, it will easily break, one should still accept it willingly."

"How can one be so afraid of showing off one's talents as to harm and abandon oneself?"

"The spirit sword has no name, so I shall name it 'Breaking Through the Clouds'."

"When the sky is overcast and the sun is hidden, our only hope lies in this cool, clear light piercing through the clouds and breaking through the fog!"