Mortal: Starting with the Seven Mysterious Sects, I proved my Dao through sacrifice.

Compared to the original story where Han Laomo spent half a year stumbling and struggling to complete the first level of Qi Refining, his progress in the past half month wasn't slow at all. Murong Fan composed himself, not becoming complacent because of this achievement. He knew that the path of cultivation was like sailing against the current; the first level was merely the threshold, and the real tests were yet to come.

He poured out the remaining Yellow Dragon Pills and counted them; there weren't many left in the bottle. According to the silk scroll, the first three levels of the Qi Refining stage were the "Guiding Qi into the Body" stage, which mainly involved drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to gradually widen the meridians and strengthen the dantian. Although this stage didn't involve supernatural powers or techniques, it was the foundation of everything and couldn't be taken lightly.

"The Yellow Dragon Pill has a relatively mild effect, which is just right for this stage." Murong Fan pondered for a moment, then took out another pill and put it in his mouth.

This time, having experienced the effects of the medicine, he guided the cool energy along the Changchun Gong route. Unlike his first trial and error, he now had a seed of spiritual energy within him, and the newly introduced spiritual energy flowed like a stream into the sea, naturally assimilated and absorbed.

Day after day, Murong Fan completely sealed off his training room, only venturing out like a ghost late at night when his spiritual energy circulation became stagnant, to search for high-level sacrificial items. Seeing him rarely leave his room, the disciples assumed that their junior brother Murong was undergoing arduous seclusion with astonishing perseverance, and their awe grew even stronger.

More than twenty days later, when the second Yellow Dragon Pill was exhausted, the spiritual power in his dantian was like a trickle, several times more abundant than when he first entered the first level.

The diligence of "day and night ascetic practice" and the assistance of "Huanglong Dan" complement each other.

Murong Fan looked inward and saw that his meridians had been repeatedly cleansed by spiritual energy and had expanded by nearly half compared to before. Although the vortex of spiritual energy in his dantian was still weak, it was operating freely and endlessly.

"The second level is achieved naturally."

He didn't stop, and took out three Yellow Dragon Pills in one go. However, this time, after the medicinal effects dissipated, he noticed something unusual—a small amount of the cool energy that entered his body actually escaped from the gaps in his meridians and was not fully absorbed.

Murong Fan frowned slightly, stopped circulating his energy, and carefully examined himself. After a moment, he suddenly realized: there is a limit to the expansion of his meridians. His physical body was already close to saturating in terms of spiritual energy. If he forced himself to continue, not only would the efficiency be greatly reduced, but it might also damage his foundation.

"Haste makes waste." He recalled a note in the silk book: "The key to Changchun Gong lies in the word 'long'. It must be done step by step, requiring both deep accumulation and external support."

He immediately changed his strategy, no longer relying solely on elixirs, but instead using incantations to draw the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into his body naturally. Although this method was slow, it was thorough, refining each wisp of spiritual energy to perfection, allowing it to completely merge with his meridians and flesh.

Several more days passed. One morning, Murong Fan awoke from his meditation, feeling light and refreshed, his senses suddenly much sharper. He could perceive the chirping of insects outside the window, the distant sound of flowing water, and even the breathing of the disciples in the neighboring courtyard. He looked down at his palm; a fine layer of black grime was seeping from his pores, carrying a faint, fishy odor.

"Marrow cleansing and bone-refining!" Murong Fan was overjoyed.

This is a sign of the completion of the second level of Changchun Gong. Impurities in the body are forced out by spiritual energy, and the physical body becomes more and more in harmony with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. He got up and stretched his limbs, feeling an indescribable sense of coordination in every movement, as if he had become one with the surrounding environment.

"It's time to try the third level."

Murong Fan sat down again, but instead of taking the medicine, he first adjusted his condition to its best. He knew that the third level of Qi Refining was a minor hurdle. The spiritual energy in his body needed to undergo a qualitative change from a "stream" to a "river," and the vortex in his dantian also needed to be more solid in order to support subsequent cultivation.

Three days later, he took out the Yellow Dragon Pill again, and also took out the bottle of Nourishing Essence Pill and placed it beside him—this was just in case, so that if his qi and blood were depleted during the impact, he could replenish it in time.

As the pill entered his stomach, its immense medicinal power exploded. Murong Fan was prepared, using his mind to guide this energy to circulate wildly along a specific route. One circle, two circles, three circles... With each rotation, the spiritual power was compressed a little, and the vortex in his dantian spun more and more rapidly.

Suddenly, a tearing pain shot through the center of the vortex. Murong Fan groaned, cold sweat beading on his forehead, but he gritted his teeth and refused to give up. He knew this was a crucial moment when spiritual energy was condensing into its core; if he gave up now, not only would all his previous efforts be wasted, but it might also leave behind hidden dangers.

"Hold on...!"

He roared inwardly, channeling all his will into his dantian. The vortex spun wildly amidst the excruciating pain, and finally, at a certain moment, a drop of liquid spiritual energy was born at its core—though only the size of a grain of rice, it was incredibly solid, radiating a faint, luminous white glow.

boom!

His meridians trembled violently, as if parched land had received sweet rain. As soon as that drop of liquid spiritual energy appeared, it attracted the surrounding spiritual energy like a magnet, and the vortex grew at a visible speed.

Murong Fan seized the opportunity to refine the remaining medicinal power, circulating it for a full eighty-one cycles before slowly concluding his practice.

When I opened my eyes, the sky outside the cave was filled with stars.

Murong Fan stood up, feeling his body brimming with spiritual energy, and every movement he made carried a strange rhythm. He formed a sword with his fingers and gently slashed at the stone wall—without using any internal force, the sheer sharpness of his overflowing spiritual energy left a mark about an inch deep on the hard rock.

"Qi Refining Level 3..." he muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming.

It has been less than two months since he acquired the Everlasting Spring Technique. This speed would be considered above average even among true cultivation sects. Moreover, he is a self-taught cultivator who had never been exposed to immortal cultivation methods before.

Murong Fan stepped out. The moonlight, like water, shone on his handsome face, giving him an air of otherworldly grace. He took a deep breath of the night air and felt the thin spiritual energy in the world, though far less abundant than in the legendary holy lands of cultivation, it was still clearly perceptible.

"It's time to go out for a walk."

Having been in seclusion for so long, has anything changed within the Seven Mysteries Sect? More importantly, he needs to find more cultivation resources—he only has three Yellow Dragon Pills left. Are there any other convenient paths to cultivating the Everlasting Spring Technique?

"Yu Zitong..." Murong Fan pondered the name again.

He hadn't taken the old man's dying words to heart. But now it seemed that the Yu family, being a family of cultivators, might possess even more heritage and resources. If he could find this Yu Zitong, it could be a shortcut, whether through trade or other means.

He straightened his clothes and concealed his aura to about the first level of Qi Refining—this was the wonderful use of the Everlasting Spring Technique, where the aura was smooth and contained, making it difficult to see through the illusion unless one's cultivation level was a whole realm higher.

Pushing open the door, he stepped out into the deep of night. Murong Fan moved like a ghost, silently heading towards the sect leader's residence. He hadn't appeared for two months; he needed to give the sect leader, Wang Juechu, an explanation, and also to find out what was happening within the sect recently.

However, halfway through his journey, Murong Fan was in high spirits. At that moment, he closed his eyes, opened his arms, and fully enjoyed the moonlight and tranquility of Sunset Peak.

In his perception, the whole world had become completely different: the sound of tiny insects crawling on the roadside could be clearly heard, the trajectory of dust floating under the moonlight was magnified to be clear and distinct, and even the subtle touch of air flowing over the skin when moving could be keenly captured, and even the fluttering trajectory of dust under the moonlight was as clear as a painting.

As one's consciousness awakens, the five senses suddenly leap forward as if they have been tempered.

"Isn't this just the third level of Qi Refining?"