On the path to immortality, I can see destiny.

The courtyard gate closed, cutting off outside noise. Zhao Fan sat quietly on the stone bench for a moment, making sure no one was watching, before getting up and returning to his room. He then bolted the door and activated the barely effective soundproofing array in his cultivation room.

Instead of immediately adjusting his breathing, he took out the dark green box from a hidden pouch in his bosom.

The box felt cool to the touch, with a smooth, mirror-like surface, except for a thin seam at the closure.

He tried to pry it open, but the box wouldn't budge.

Zhao Fan tried to inject spiritual power, but it was like throwing a stone into the sea, having absolutely no effect.

After a moment's hesitation, Zhao Fan brought his divine sense closer, only to be gently repelled by a soft yet resilient invisible barrier.

Zhao Fan frowned. This box was indeed very strange. Whether he used physical strength, spiritual power, or divine sense, it seemed to have no effect.

After trying for nearly fifteen minutes, Zhao Fan decisively stopped. The way the box was sealed was extremely sophisticated, and he could not force it open at this time.

Having figured this out, he stopped wasting time and spiritual energy, carefully putting it back deep into his hidden bag. Since he couldn't open it, he left it there for now.

Then, he took out all the spells he had obtained in the cave.

He had already seen these techniques many times on the way.

With his current strength, he is completely unable to master these techniques.

Only the Shadow Flow technique, though the most profound, can be learned now.

With Zhao Fan's current strength, he can only barely learn the first level.

Thinking of this, he picked up the light purple jade slip he had obtained from Sun Yao, which contained the secret of the Flowing Shadow Escape.

He had already memorized the contents of the jade slip, and there were no obvious traps in the incantation itself.

Although Zhao Fan couldn't be sure whether Sun Yao had tampered with things, it was only for a short while, so it seemed unlikely that she could have done anything.

He took a nourishing pill given to him by Su San, entered the cultivation room, and began to circulate the Heavenly Origin Technique with the help of the rich spiritual energy in the room.

The medicinal properties dissolve and gently nourish the meridians.

The abundant spiritual energy in the air was quickly absorbed and used to replenish the dantian.

This meditation session lasted for half a day.

Once his spiritual energy had recovered and he was in peak condition, he stopped meditating, got up, and walked to an open space in the room.

Recalling the details of the Shadow Escape, Zhao Fan circulated his spiritual energy along a strange path that placed a heavy burden on his leg meridians.

At the same time, a wisp of divine consciousness was separated to sense the subtle changes in the light and energy around oneself and the surrounding environment.

The first time, before it even began, the spiritual energy dissipated halfway through.

The second time, his divine sense failed to keep up, and his body only swayed clumsily before stopping again, and nothing happened.

The third time, as soon as he made a move, Zhao Fan felt his old leg injury being aggravated, sending a tearing pain through him.

Undeterred, Zhao Fan adjusted his breathing after each failure, carefully reflecting on the reasons for his earlier defeat, before continuing.

From then on, Zhao Fan continued in this manner.

During the day, he spent most of his time repeatedly studying and practicing the Shadow Escape Technique, while at night he would fully utilize the Heavenly Origin Technique to consolidate his cultivation and nourish his meridians.

With the daily use of healing pills and the addition of spirit stones, the ethereal spiritual power gradually solidified, and the depleted vital energy steadily recovered.

Before I knew it, almost a month had passed since I returned to the Su family.

That night, moonlight shone through the window.

Zhao Fan sat cross-legged on a futon, his hands forming a hand seal. He swallowed a Qingling Pill and circulated his Tianyuan Gong to its maximum.

The solidified spiritual energy flowed through the meridians, and the capacity of the dantian had reached its limit.

Zhao Fan knew that this was a sign of a broken mirror.

With a pure mind, he guided the surging spiritual energy to break through that invisible barrier.

Once, twice... spiritual energy surged like a tide, continuously striking.

Zhao Fan amplified the effects of the Qingling Pill, causing it to relentlessly assault the seemingly crumbling barrier.

After an unknown amount of time, a faint sound came from deep within her body.

The barrier shattered instantly!

His dantian suddenly expanded, its capacity increased dramatically, and it became a size larger than before.

The meridians throbbed with pain for a moment as spiritual energy surged, then quickly became wider and stronger. The speed and quality of the flowing spiritual energy increased significantly, carrying a scorching aura, and the power felt during circulation was far greater than before.

As the pores of the body open and close, more spiritual energy from heaven and earth is drawn in and transformed into pure spiritual power to fill the newly expanded space.

Qi Refining Level 6.

Zhao Fan slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint in them, his breathing long and steady, no longer weak or unstable.

He got up, stretched his limbs, and his body made a series of soft, rustling sounds.

Feeling the significant increase in spiritual power within his body, as well as his considerably stronger physique, he gently clenched his fist.

In January, he went from being seriously injured and on the verge of death with his spiritual energy depleted to fully recovering from his injuries and breaking through in his cultivation. Only he himself knew the hardships he endured.

Zhao Fan shook his head, clearing away these chaotic thoughts. Feeling refreshed, he felt much happier.

He opened the window, and the night breeze brushed his face, carrying the unique crispness of the mountains.

His spiritual energy surged within him, and his hearing and vision sharpened. He could even clearly hear the buzzing of night insects in the distance and the subtle sound of dew condensing on the grass nearby.

Although the breakthrough was largely weakened by the array in the cultivation room, the ripples generated when spiritual energy gathered still inevitably spread out a little.

The wooden door of the neighboring courtyard was pushed open from the inside, and a slender figure walked out. It was Su Zixin, who lived in the neighboring courtyard.

She seemed to have just woken up from meditation, still carrying a faint spiritual aura. Her delicate face showed a hint of doubt and wariness, and her gaze unconsciously drifted toward Zhao Fan's window.

At this moment, Zhao Fan was standing behind the window. The moonlight outlined his slightly taller profile. Although he had tried his best to conceal his aura, the spiritual pressure belonging to the sixth level of Qi Refining could not be hidden from Su Zixin.

Their eyes met across the distance.

The doubt in Su Zixin's eyes quickly turned into realization, followed by a clear look of surprise.

She clearly remembered Zhao Fan's severely injured and weak appearance when he returned more than a month ago, and she also remembered that he was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining before. How long has it been? He has already reached the sixth level of Qi Refining.

But the surprise quickly faded, replaced by a polite smile.

She took a few steps forward, came to the low fence separating the two courtyards, and gave a distant bow to Zhao Fan behind the window, her voice clear and melodious.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Zhao."

Zhao Fan nodded slightly.

"I'm sorry to have disturbed Miss Su."

Su Zixin gently shook her head, not responding to the question, and only said...

"Fellow Daoist's breakthrough is a joyous occasion. It is already late, so I will not disturb you any longer. I will return now. Fellow Daoist, you do not need to worry about me. You should focus on consolidating your cultivation."

After saying this, he bowed slightly again, then turned and went back to his courtyard, gently closing the door behind him.

Zhao Fan glanced at the quiet courtyard next door, his eyes flickering slightly.

Su Zixin's notice and congratulations were within his expectations, given their proximity.

She was well-mannered, insightful, and didn't ask any further questions, which was good.

He closed the window, separating the cool moonlight from the noise of the neighboring courtyard.

He sat cross-legged back on the futon, closed his eyes again, and began to slowly circulate his spiritual energy to consolidate his newly broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refining.

The spiritual energy circulated in the wider and stronger meridians, and the spiritual energy in the dantian was abundant, a stark contrast to the weakness and exhaustion of a month or so ago.