Mountain Venerable and Sea Immortal

Back at the bamboo hut, Lin Yan and the other four sat together, taking out all the rewards from the sect. Various colors of spiritual light intertwined and flowed, filling the room with spiritual energy that almost solidified.

Lin Yan flipped his palm, and fifteen mid-grade Qi Gathering Pills rolled onto the table. The pills emitted a clear and lingering fragrance, with wisps of pure spiritual energy emanating from them. Beside him, the jade slip of "Shadow Chasing Step" shone with restrained spiritual light, concealing the mysterious trajectory of a spirit-level movement technique. The outer sect core disciple token was warm and heavy, and holding it in one's palm, one could sense the sect's privileges contained within: double the spirit stone stipend and the right to choose two mid-grade cultivation techniques from the outer sect's scripture library—all genuine opportunities for cultivation. In addition, there was the enlightenment jade slip privately given to him by True Person Qingxuan. With these treasures placed together, the spiritual energy was so dense that it almost overflowed.

Yunxi and Ye Qing each held ten mid-grade Qi Gathering Pills and a brand-new spiritual weapon. The spiritual weapon's blade shone with a concealed spiritual light, its sharpness hidden within. Yi Azhu carefully held the Condensing Water Spirit Liquid and the Warming Soul Pill. The water vapor inside the jade bottle swirled and flowed, perfectly matching her innate water spirit body, greatly nourishing her meridians and soul. Chen Dagang carefully put away the Body Tempering and Bone Strengthening Ointment and the Xuan Iron Heavy Heart Protection Mirror. The ointment exuded a strong medicinal aura, making it an excellent treasure for him to temper his body.

"This time, your meritorious service in protecting the forbidden area has yielded rewards far exceeding expectations. This is the perfect opportunity to cultivate in seclusion, solidify your foundation, and break through to a higher realm." Lin Yan's gaze swept over everyone, his tone calm and resolute. "The bamboo hut beside the spiritual spring has the most abundant spiritual energy. Brother Dagang, you need a massive amount of spiritual energy to nourish your physical body, so meditate in the courtyard. Ah Zhu has a special constitution and is most compatible with the spiritual spring's energy; she only needs to calmly circulate her water spirit body. Yunxi and Ye Qing, you two cultivate on either side outside the hut, looking after each other. I will go into seclusion inside and will not emerge until I break through to a higher realm."

Everyone nodded in unison, understanding the situation. The outer sect's three-month grand examination was fast approaching, and the hidden dangers of the Netherworld Forbidden Domain had not been completely eradicated. Only by improving their strength as soon as possible could they gain a foothold in Laoshan and safeguard this hard-won opportunity for immortality.

Chen Dagang sat cross-legged in the courtyard first, unscrewing the porcelain bottle of the Body Tempering and Bone Strengthening Ointment. A rich and powerful medicinal force instantly spread out. Following the body-tempering method taught by Lin Yan, and with the help of the low-grade spirit stones given by Lin Yan, he inhaled deeply the pure spiritual energy of the mountains. The medicinal power slowly seeped into his muscles, bones, and skin through his pores. The pain in his arms, which had been scorched by the turbid energy of the forbidden area, quickly dissipated, and the wounds healed rapidly. His physical body and blood became increasingly robust and powerful. With each breath, the spiritual energy around him trembled slightly. Under the dual nourishment of the medicinal power and spiritual energy, the strength of his body steadily increased.

Yi Azhu sat at the edge of the spiritual spring, opened the Condensed Water Spirit Liquid, and a surge of pure, pale blue water vapor instantly enveloped her petite body. She swallowed a Soul Warming Pill; the pill melted instantly in her mouth, its gentle, nourishing power flowing directly into her dantian. Combined with the Condensed Water Spirit Liquid, her innate water spirit body spontaneously activated at full power. Within a hundred feet, the slightest movement of the grass and trees, the gurgling of the spiritual spring, and the crawling of insects were all clearly imprinted in her mind. Pure water vapor continuously flowed into her dantian, rapidly stabilizing her first level of Qi Refining. The faint glow emanating from her body grew increasingly gentle, showing faint signs of breaking through the shackles and ascending to the second level of Qi Refining.

Yunxi drew her sword and placed it before her knees. She formed a hand seal, holding a mid-grade Qi Gathering Pill and slowly absorbing spiritual energy. The pure spiritual energy within the pill flowed smoothly into her dantian along her meridians. Using the *Laoshan Basic Technique* as a foundation, she stabilized her spiritual energy. Her sword intent subtly merged with the spiritual energy of the mountain plants, making her originally sharp sword energy even more restrained and refined. The barrier to the fifth level of Qi Refining loosened slightly; with just a little more accumulation of foundation, she could steadily break through.

Ye Qing closed his eyes and concentrated, holding the ancient wooden sword horizontally in front of him. The spiritual energy from the Qi Gathering Pill entered his body, and his pure wood spiritual root rapidly absorbed and refined its power. A faint blue light inadvertently emanated from his body—the very same hidden aura that Qingxuan Zhenren had previously noticed. He remained unmoved, quietly suppressing this blue light deep within his heart. The wood-type spiritual energy resonated with the surrounding spiritual herbs and bamboo forest, further solidifying his cultivation foundation. His spiritual power became steady and substantial, in no way inferior to Lin Yan's.

Inside the bamboo hut, Lin Yan sat cross-legged, with the Guanhai inkstone suspended above his dantian, slowly rotating. He opened his mouth and put in a mid-grade Qi Gathering Pill. The pill's spiritual energy burst forth, a hundred times more violent and pure than a low-grade spirit stone, flowing rapidly through his meridians and acupoints.

He simultaneously circulated the *Laoshan Sea-Gazing Technique* and the *Canglan Sea Emperor Technique*. One technique focused on calming the mind and stabilizing the meridians, gentle and soothing like water; the other was powerful and forceful, controlling the power of the sea. One was gentle, the other domineering; one was defensive, the other offensive. The two spiritual energies intertwined and merged perfectly within his dantian. The wave patterns on the Sea-Gazing Inkstone lit up, echoing the pale blue spiritual light inherited from the Canglan Sea Emperor within his dantian, resonating with each other. The Water Cloud Jade Tablet hovered before him, frantically gathering the surrounding spiritual energy. The Enlightenment Jade Slip of True Person Qingxuan was affixed to his brow, and a trace of profound and obscure Daoist charm slowly flowed into his sea of ​​consciousness, smoothing away all the restlessness and stagnation in his cultivation, allowing his spiritual energy to circulate more smoothly.

A massive surge of spiritual energy washed over his meridians like a tidal wave, causing the barrier at the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining to loosen dramatically under the dual blessing of pure spiritual energy and Daoist principles. Lin Yan remained calm and composed, guiding his abundant spiritual power to break through the bottleneck with all his might. In less than half an incense stick's time, a barely perceptible soft sound came from his dantian.

Qi Refining Level 7, Broken!

At the moment of his breakthrough, Lin Yan's spiritual energy surged once more, and the spiritual power within his dantian was like a surging ocean, nearly doubling in size. But he didn't stop there. The Qi Gathering Pill, the Water Cloud Jade Tablet, and the Enlightenment Jade Slip continued to exert their power, and spiritual energy continued to flow into his body. He calmed his mind and focused on refining and condensing his spiritual power, making it increasingly pure and powerful. At the same time, his divine sense expanded significantly, clearly reflecting all movements within a hundred feet in his mind.

Just as Lin Yan successfully broke through, the spirit turtle that had been quietly lying by the spring outside the house suddenly trembled violently.

The ancient water beast bloodline dormant within it was suddenly awakened by Lin Yan's surging Sea Emperor inheritance spiritual power. The dark patterns on its tortoise shell lit up one by one, and pale blue spiritual light shot upwards along with the spiritual spring water vapor, condensing into fine spiritual mist in mid-air. Its body, originally the size of a palm, slowly expanded under the frenzied impact of the surrounding dense spiritual energy. Layers of its armor plates shone brightly, and a layer of crystal-clear light rippled around the edges. Its aura rose steadily.

"Buzz—"

A deep, resonant chime, like that of an ancient bell, slowly rang out. It was not loud, but it penetrated directly into the soul, instantly calming the restless spiritual energy around them.

The spirit tortoise slowly opened its eyes, its pupils gleaming with spiritual light. It was no longer the docile mortal it once was. The faint pressure emanating from its body now carried the power of half of the bloodline of an ancient spirit seed, majestic yet gentle. A layer of water-attribute spiritual energy shield automatically condensed around it. Any turbid or impure energy that approached the bamboo hut was instantly cleansed and purified upon contact with the shield.

Lin Yan's mind stirred, and he immediately established a karmic connection with the spirit turtle, sensing its bloodline transformation.

As the spirit turtle's bloodline began to awaken, it immediately fed back an extremely pure source of water spiritual energy, which flowed into Lin Yan's body along with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. This source energy instantly stabilized his newly broken-through seventh level of Qi Refining as solid as iron, and even showed a faint tendency to advance towards the middle stage of the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Outside, the people who were in seclusion were also affected, and their cultivation levels improved. Chen Dagang's body roared, his bones and muscles resonated, and his physical strength increased another level. Ordinary low-level evil spirits could no longer harm him in the slightest. Yi Azhu's body flashed with spiritual light, and the shackles were completely broken. She steadily stepped into the second level of Qi Refining, and the perception range of her water spirit body expanded again. Yun Xi's sword intent became more and more rounded and refined, and her spiritual power became more and more profound. Ye Qing's body flashed with a faint blue light, and the aura he deliberately suppressed became more and more unfathomable.

As night deepened, the bright moon hung in the sky, and the spiritual spring gurgled and flowed, enveloping the entire bamboo house in a rich spiritual atmosphere, making it seem like a fairyland.

Lin Yan slowly opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance in them. His aura, indicating he was at the seventh level of Qi Refining, was contained and as steady as a mountain. He got up and walked out of the inner room, looking at his companions who were all immersed in cultivation and whose auras were rising steadily. A faint smile appeared on his lips.

Entering the mountain gate is easy, but entering is not. But from now on, he and those who walk alongside him have enough confidence to break through the outer trials and rush into the inner mountain.