Chapter 10

ps. Here's the update for May 1st. After reading, don't rush off to play; remember to cast a monthly vote first. Right now, on Qidian, the 55 Fan Festival offers double monthly votes, and there are other activities like red envelope giveaways to check out as well.

In the days that followed, whenever Zhang Dapang and the others looked at Bai Xiaochun's thatched cottage, they all paid close attention. Ever since Bai Xiaochun's cultivation broke through to the second layer of the Qi Condensation stage, he had gone out for a while, muttering to himself, and then resumed his cultivation inside the cottage.

Inside the cottage, Bai Xiaochun wiped the sweat from his forehead, naked, and gritted his teeth as he endured the intense pain, striving to assume the posture of the third diagram.

The qi meridians in his body were no longer like a stream but were about to become a small river, coursing through his body. With each cycle, his body would emit a series of cracking sounds. His originally round body had now become completely slim, even slimmer than when he first arrived at the kitchen.

However, there was a surge of strength that seemed to be stored within him. As he persisted in his cultivation, his emaciated body appeared to be trembling slightly, and if one listened carefully, they could faintly hear the pounding of his heart echoing in the cottage.

More and more spiritual pressure condensed within him, and the feeling of growing stronger every moment gave Bai Xiaochun even more motivation. After several more days, Bai Xiaochun suddenly felt an intense pain all over his body, far more severe than before, forcing him to give up.

Breathing heavily, Bai Xiaochun's eyes were bloodshot. He had a strong feeling that his body could no longer bear it. Although he continuously absorbed the spiritual energy from the surroundings during cultivation, it was clearly not enough to keep up with his body's consumption. The extra meals in the kitchen were also a matter of luck, not available every day.

After all, most people who cultivated the Purple Qi Driving Cauldron Technique did so every few days, and even the most diligent ones did it once a day at most. Bai Xiaochun, however, practiced day and night without a break. Not only were Zhang Dapang and the others shocked, but even the inner disciples of the sect would be astonished if they knew.

Despite this, Bai Xiaochun still felt unsafe. He was always cautious and sought stability. He took out the spirit rice that had been refined once, which he had hidden, examined it, and then cooked it in an ordinary pot. As the spiritual energy dispersed, he did not hesitate and immediately swallowed it in large bites.

The spirit rice melted in his mouth, forming a dense spiritual energy, far more potent than ordinary spirit rice, and a vast force surged through his body. Bai Xiaochun quickly resumed his cultivation, assuming the posture of the third diagram and adjusting his breathing.

Half a month later, one night, Bai Xiaochun's body suddenly trembled, and when he opened his eyes, he was surprised to find that his cultivation had unconsciously broken through to the third layer of the Qi Condensation stage.

This change filled Bai Xiaochun with joy. His eyes sparkled, and he laughed heartily. He looked at his body, and the qi meridians inside had completely transformed from a stream into a small river.

This small river coursed through his body at an incredible speed, far faster than before. With just a thought, the spiritual energy in his body would instantly flow to any part of his body as he wished.

"The third layer of Qi Condensation. This spirit rice refined once is indeed extraordinary," Bai Xiaochun stood up, licked his lips, and thought about refining more spirit rice. However, he felt his meridians were somewhat swollen and remembered the description in the bamboo book, knowing that his body needed time to adapt and that he should not continue cultivating for a while.

Suppressing his previous thoughts, he walked around the room, looking satisfied. But soon, he paused, his gaze following the window to the outer gate. Even in the middle of the night, with the help of the moonlight, he could faintly see the large tree on the path outside the kitchen.

"No, Xu Baochai's wooden sword seems unusual. Even at the third layer of Qi Condensation, it's still not entirely safe," Bai Xiaochun frowned, pondered for a moment, and then looked at the colorful wooden sword beside him and the pot in the cottage.

"If it could be refined twice, it might be more stable," he thought and immediately made a decision. He left the room and fetched some spirit wood from the kitchen.

After preparing, on that night, Bai Xiaochun stood beside the mysterious pot, lit the wood fire, and when he saw a pattern light up, he threw the wooden sword into the pot.

However, this time, after waiting for a long while, there was no reaction. Bai Xiaochun frowned, looked at the pattern on the pot, and then at the wood fire, which had turned to ashes. After a moment of contemplation, he went out to find more spirit wood, but even after several attempts, the wooden sword showed no change regardless of how the fire burned.

"These are all one-color wood. Perhaps the temperature is not high enough, and I need the higher-temperature two-color fire," Bai Xiaochun thought and left the room again, returning with a piece of purple wood, which was scarce in the kitchen. He found only one piece.

Placing it under the pot and igniting it, a flame immediately appeared, composed of two colors, the much hotter two-color fire.

As soon as the two-color fire appeared, the second pattern on the pot lit up instantly, and the two-color fire rapidly dimmed, as if all its power had been drained. Soon, when the two-color fire was completely burned out, the second spiritual pattern on the pot was brightly lit.

"It worked," Bai Xiaochun's eyes lit up, and he quickly placed the wooden sword in the pot. Immediately, a silver light shone brightly, lasting longer than when it was refined once.

Just as it was about to dim, the silver light suddenly intensified, rushing toward Bai Xiaochun. This sudden change caught him off guard. His vision blurred, and an indescribable coldness instantly enveloped his body, freezing him. He was horrified to find that he could not resist, and the coldness ruthlessly pierced through his body.

His face turned pale, and his vision blurred. It felt as if something inside him was being sucked out and absorbed into the pot.

Only then did the silver light dissipate, and a wooden sword, sharper and more piercing than before, appeared in the pot. Even looking at it made one's eyes hurt. Although the sword still looked colorful and worn, the wood grain inside had changed. If the paint were removed, one could clearly see the star-like patterns, indicating that the sword had fundamentally transformed.

Almost simultaneously, in the sky over the southern shore of Lingxi Sect, thunder rumbled, as if the heavens were roaring, shaking countless cultivators of Lingxi Sect. Fortunately, the thunder came and went quickly.

During the rumbling, a second silver pattern appeared on the wooden sword, flashing several times before dimming and disappearing under the paint.

Bai Xiaochun, too shaken to look at the wooden sword, stepped back a few paces, his face pale and unsteady. It took him a while to recover, and the feeling from that moment left him with lingering fear.

"What was taken from my body?" He looked at the copper mirror hanging on the wall, glanced at it subconsciously, rubbed his eyes, and examined it again, gradually becoming as still as a wooden chicken.

In the mirror, a white hair had appeared among the strands on his forehead. Although his appearance had not changed, he felt as if he had aged by a year.

"Life span," Bai Xiaochun muttered, disheartened.

"What I lost just now was my life span. I... I..." He felt like crying but had no tears. He had come to cultivate for immortality, but now, instead of gaining it, he had lost a year of his life, a significant blow to him.

"I've lost. I never thought that I, Bai Xiaochun, who has been cautious all my life, would stumble," he sat there, laughing bitterly. After calming down, he looked at the pot, and his eyes gradually revealed a strange expression. He had a vague feeling that after his life span was taken, he had some connection with the pot, as if he could control it.

He moved his right hand and pointed at the pot.

Immediately, the pot flashed with a dark light, shrank instantly, and flew toward Bai Xiaochun, disappearing into his fingertip. Bai Xiaochun was stunned, stood up, stepped back a few paces, and looked at his finger and the empty kitchen.

"This... this..." He pointed at the ground again, and the dark light flashed, and the pot reappeared with a thud.

Bai Xiaochun tried several times, his expression fluctuating between joy and melancholy, and finally sighed.

"Although I can now store it in my body, the cost is a year of my life. No matter how I think about it, it's still a loss."

The next afternoon, while Bai Xiaochun was pondering how to recover the life span he had lost, he suddenly sensed something and looked up, feeling that seven or eight figures were rapidly approaching the kitchen.

When he was at the first layer of Qi Condensation, Bai Xiaochun could not sense them, but now at the third layer, he immediately recognized that the leading figure was Xu Baochai.

At the same time, Xu Baochai's voice, filled with anger, suddenly echoed.

"Bai Xiaochun, you have your senior brother protecting you, but I, Xu Baochai, also have mine. Today, we must settle our scores."

My wife took my daughter on a trip and left me at home alone. This happens every year, and I feel so pitiful and miserable. Please give me some recommendation votes and collections for comfort.

I'll continue writing later. Let's meet at 2 AM tonight.

Thank you all for your support. For this Qidian 55 Fan Festival, I hope you will support the Author's Hall of Glory and the Total Election. There are also some red envelope packages during the fan festival, so please claim them and continue your subscriptions. xh.73

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