Chapter 40

Time may have seemed long, but Song Li felt as if it were just a moment. He had finally reached the most critical moment in his great endeavor to break through the bottleneck of the Body Tempering stage!

The energy released after the Imperial Fire Seed devoured the primordial fire seed was still being continuously released, and Song Li's speed of refining true qi was getting faster and faster. The true qi formed a surging current, continuously impacting that barrier. Song Li could already clearly feel that under the impact of the true qi current, the barrier was becoming thinner and thinner. It seemed that he could already see a bright future. Perhaps in the next moment, that stubborn barrier would be breached.

Suppressing the joy in his heart, Song Li focused his mind. He knew that this was the most critical time. If his mind was unstable, it could very likely lead to a mental breakdown, which would be dangerous.

As the saying goes, "A journey of a hundred miles is half over when ninety miles have been walked." The closer things get to success, the more cautious one must be.

Song Li's composure helped him endure the most difficult moment. Finally, under a fierce impact of the true qi current, that stubborn "dam" could no longer withstand the surging true qi and was torn open! The true qi current poured out fiercely from this opening. Just as a dike can be destroyed by an ant's hole, with such a large opening, it only took a moment for the intangible barrier to be completely breached. The true qi current rushed into the previously completely sealed meridians, forming a new circulation within Song Li's body. Song Li knew that this situation was similar to a martial artist unblocking the Ren and Du meridians, allowing the true qi to circulate perfectly within the body, flushing out impurities and toxins, and finally expelling them through the pores. This process of changing the meridians and washing the marrow, transforming the body and renewing the bones.

After the true qi circulated perfectly three times within his body, it returned to the dantian to be stored. Unlike the scattered true qi of the Body Tempering stage, this time the true qi formed a vortex the size of a dragon's eye, rotating at high speed within the dantian. Relying on the attraction generated by the rotation, it attracted and gathered the true qi within the body like a vortex. Song Li knew that the more condensed and substantial this vortex became, the higher his level and combat power would be!

With the help of the vast energy released by the Imperial Fire Seed devouring the primordial fire seed, Song Li successfully broke through the bottleneck from the Body Tempering stage to the Qi Induction stage! Moreover, after breaking through the Body Tempering stage, the energy released by the Imperial Fire Seed did not end but continued to provide support. Song Li would not waste such a good opportunity. He suppressed his inner joy and continued to refine true qi, then aimed to break through to the next level! The energy required to advance in the Qi Induction stage was many times stronger than that of the Body Tempering stage, so despite the vast energy released by the Imperial Fire Seed, the advancement was still very slow. Qi Induction Level 1 early stage, Qi Induction Level 1 mid-stage, Qi Induction Level 1 late stage, Qi Induction Level 1 peak... After Song Li's persistent efforts, gathering the last burst of energy released by the Imperial Fire Seed, he finally broke through the peak of Qi Induction Level 1 and reached the early stage of Qi Induction Level 2!

After reaching the early stage of Qi Induction Level 2, the energy released by the Imperial Fire Seed devouring the primordial fire seed was finally exhausted, and the purple flame finally calmed down. However, through "inner vision," Song Li could clearly see that the volume of the purple flame had increased significantly, and the energy fluctuations it contained were even more powerful. It seemed that the Imperial Fire Seed itself was also growing. The primordial fire seed was like the lower level of its food chain; after devouring it, not only did it activate the energy of the Imperial Fire Seed for Song Li to cultivate, but it also strengthened itself. The current state of the small flame was probably the infant stage of the Imperial Fire Seed. Song Li was already eagerly looking forward to seeing what it would look like when it matured. He wondered if it would transform into a legendary fire spirit. If that were the case, it would be amazing. It would be like having a super expert hidden within his body, and during a fight, he could suddenly release the fire spirit to achieve a two-on-one effect. If the opponent was of the same level, they would likely be instantly killed. Even if the opponent was of a higher level, with the help of the fire spirit, he might still win.

Unfortunately, this was only a thought for now. Primordial fire seeds were extremely rare in the world, absorbing the fire energy of heaven and earth and growing for tens of thousands of years before forming. How could one encounter them so easily? According to Song Li's observation, the fire seed under the Langya Mountain was probably in a very early stage. If he encountered a higher-level fire seed, or even one that had already transformed into a fire spirit, it would be much more difficult to subdue.

Song Li also kept the "candlestick" that held the primordial fire seed. Although it was not as precious as the fire seed, since it was a close companion of the primordial fire seed, it was definitely extraordinary. The fire energy it contained was also very abundant, and if used as material for an artificial fire seed, it would likely be the highest-quality fire seed material.

After advancing to the early stage of Qi Induction Level 2, Song Li felt a thorough and comfortable sensation throughout his body, and his originally sluggish and heavy body became much lighter. Certain areas within his body that were previously sluggish were now unobstructed, and every movement was smooth and effortless. Without even engaging in combat, he could clearly feel the huge difference between the Qi Induction stage and the Body Tempering stage. If quantified, each major realm's level increase would result in a tenfold increase in energy. In other words, although the peak of the Body Tempering stage and the early stage of Qi Induction Level 1 were only one realm apart, in terms of combat power and destructive power, the Body Tempering stage was only one-tenth of the Qi Induction stage. A Qi Induction Level 1 early stage expert could easily defeat ten Body Tempering peak experts. The huge gap in strength between the two was astonishing.

Another pleasant surprise from this encounter was that as the Imperial Fire Seed grew and his cultivation realm advanced, the level of the "Crimson Emperor Purple Flame Technique" also increased. In the Star Cloud Continent, cultivation techniques were divided into five levels:初级, 中级, 高级, 超级, and 圣级, each level further divided into three grades: 元, 玄, and 天. According to Song Li's knowledge, among the several levels of cultivation techniques, only 圣级 techniques could grow with the practitioner's cultivation realm! The Crimson Emperor Purple Flame Technique was inherited from the Fire God Zhurong from another dimension, and Song Li originally did not know how to equate it with the cultivation technique levels of the Star Cloud Continent. However, since the Crimson Emperor Purple Flame Technique could grow on its own, it undoubtedly belonged to the highest level of cultivation techniques, the 圣级! Unlike other levels of cultivation techniques, 圣级 techniques were suitable for practitioners of all levels, and the power of the technique increased with the practitioner's realm. Practitioners of the same 圣级 technique would definitely be more powerful the higher their realm, but if a practitioner of a 超级 technique faced a practitioner of a 圣级 technique at the same realm, they would almost certainly be killed in one move! Even if the practitioner of the 圣级 technique was one level lower, they still had a chance to win!

This 圣级 technique was simply the essential technique for challenging higher levels and killing enemies!

For cultivators, 圣级 techniques were as precious as primordial fire seeds. Like primordial fire seeds, 圣级 techniques were extremely rare. Even among the old monsters at the Yuan Ying stage, few were known to possess 圣级 techniques.

According to Song Li's estimate, the Crimson Emperor Purple Flame Technique was now at the 中级玄品 level, which was already very powerful. For cultivators, cultivation techniques and combat skills were second only to elixirs. Elixirs could help people accelerate their cultivation process and quickly advance their realm. However, good cultivation techniques and combat skills could allow cultivators to dominate in battles. According to Song Li's knowledge, the Crown Prince of the Zhongqin Wangfu, Song Qiuhan, cultivated a 中级玄品 technique, and as for others, Song Li had not heard of anyone with such good resources. As for the princes in the imperial palace, Song Li was not very familiar. The affairs of the royal family were mysterious, and outsiders did not know much. However, it was certain that the princes had more resources than the other rich and powerful people in the capital. The imperial palace contained countless treasures, so if the princes cultivated 高级 techniques, he would not be surprised.

Song Li would not envy them because the cultivation technique he practiced, the "Crimson Emperor Purple Flame Technique," was a 圣级 technique that could advance with his cultivation realm! Even the princes might not have such a good treasure!

Corresponding to cultivation techniques were combat skills, which were also divided into five levels: 初级, 中级, 高级, 超级, and 圣级, each level further divided into three grades: 元, 玄, and 天. Combat skills were directly used in battles. The "Furious Fist" used by the young master of the Jing Wangfu, Song Moran, was a 中级地品 combat skill. Song Li currently did not have a combat skill that he was particularly adept at, so he planned to pay attention to this aspect. Perhaps he could exchange some elixirs at the "Mandala Auction House" for a combat skill he desired. In battles, one must have a few ultimate techniques, not just rely on random punches to defeat a master. Encountering a true expert could be very disadvantageous.

After reaching the early stage of Qi Induction Level 2, Song Li did not rush to finish his cultivation but continued to drive the vortex in his dantian to absorb the stray true qi in his meridians. Cultivation was an extremely arduous and meticulous task, and any detail overlooked could lead to all previous efforts being wasted. Song Li's purpose was to stabilize his realm and avoid any unexpected situations. In cultivation, sometimes even though one successfully advanced, the realm could regress due to a lack of final stabilization.

The vortex in his dantian rotated in an orderly manner, and the residual true qi in his meridians was gradually drawn into the dantian, rapidly merging into the vortex and strengthening its energy. Song Li felt himself enter a rather mysterious state, with his senses becoming exceptionally sharp.

At this moment, he heard two people talking at the entrance of the Langya Cave.

"Hey, Qing Shan, the entrance to the Langya Cave is blocked by rocks, and we can't get in. What should we do?" one of the rough voices said.

"If we can't get in, it doesn't matter. Song Li must have already turned to ashes anyway," another slightly more effeminate voice said.

"To think that the son of a noble prince would lose his life for a mere follower. I, Song Mofei, have lived for over twenty years and have never seen such a fool," the rough voice laughed, continuing, "If he knew that Pang Da had been released by us and was now enjoying himself with women at Man Ting Fang, I wonder if he would be so angry that he would come back to life. It seems that a waste of talent is a waste of talent, falling into such a simple trap. Sigh, I don't even feel sorry for him."