Volume One, Chapter 56: Seventh Layer of Qi Refinement

Inside the cave, Ji Die’s eyes were bloodshot. He had long since lost count of how many times he’d driven his spiritual power to assault that bottleneck.

“Break for me!”

Within his body, spiritual energy surged violently under the effect of the Essence Cultivating Pill, but Ji Die could feel the pill’s power was about to fade.

There’s a saying: the first attempt is strong, the second weak, and the third is gone. Once the medicine wore off, if he still hadn’t broken through to the seventh layer of Qi Refinement, then this attempt would end in failure.

That was something he absolutely could not accept!

“Today, I will break through the seventh layer of Qi Refinement!” Ji Die, like a gambler who had lost all reason, took out all the Haichuan Pills he owned and swallowed them in one gulp, caring nothing for whether they would truly boost his spiritual power—he would use whatever he had...

Although there had been no news for years, no one could say for certain if he was still alive. To go there rashly would likely end in disaster.

Yao Jingjing glanced at the clock on the wall—already past nine. “Um, it’s so late, Sergei, you must be hungry. I’ll go make you something to eat.” With those words, she kissed Sergei on the forehead, then turned and walked into the kitchen.

A piece of wine vessel was thrown out of the window again, shattering into pieces beside the young man, splashing yellow liquid all over him.

Could it be that the effect of the Earth Mother’s Breath, halving the growth cycle, was already the limit?

In truth, when the Spirit Hall Academy was eliminated, Yu Tianlin already felt the tournament had ended. The final rankings were now clear; what remained was just procedure.

With Xu Chu and Dian Wei working together, even Shi Xie’s elephant would be pinned to the ground and forced to admit defeat. Lü Bu might be fierce, but fighting two at once, he could not stir up the slightest wave.

The two brothers had descended to the mortal world for training, one after the other. Later, the elder donned the imperial robe and became the founding emperor of the Great Song. Zhao Er, too, longed for that position, so he committed a shocking deed and sent his own brother back to the True Realm ahead of time.

Indeed, Sergei was already seventy, his limbs stiff with age. She truly feared that one day he might fall or injure himself. The thought filled Yao Jingjing with dread.

After calming down, Xie Che finally nodded. “I’ve sent all my consorts to wait outside. As for the servants in the main hall, none of them are ones to gossip.” For if trouble arose, he would make sure they never spoke again.

“Sorry, we’re switching players—just now was too much of an amateur, so I’m calling in a substitute!” Mo Yuan, piloting Luo Yuchen’s body, couldn’t help but reveal a dangerous smile as he spoke.

Although Cao Pi would report to Cao Cao, Murong Zhu knew it was just a formality. For the Cao army to win against the Han, they needed ample provisions; ten thousand sheep were a temptation they could not refuse.

He replied to Devil Night Snow, who then formed a seal with his hands. Hashirama’s body began to move and stepped out of the wooden coffin. Yet this First Hokage had no will of his own—he was merely a puppet at Devil Night Snow’s command.

Zhou Yu sighed deeply, helpless. He truly didn’t want to seek Liu Jing’s aid. For the sake of Huang Gai, he had already paid a heavy price.

On stage, the officials’ speeches droned endlessly, their earnest slogans repeating in endless cycles. In the audience, people only bothered to applaud, not to listen. Sharing the same space, existing in different worlds.

Yet the news never reported that, after the inspection, Shen Guoqiang and Wang Yingli held a secret meeting.

The combined bonus attributes reached 120 points, with attack speed and parry rate both boosted. Yet these were not what Han Bin valued most; what truly drew him in was the purification effect at the end.

Seeing this, Lady Tong’s heart settled. She was not without her own ambitions. With a proper second wife from a good family, even if the old lady tried to force someone else in, it wouldn’t matter. Any concubine girl in the future would still be at her command.

Outside, tents in the Cao army’s camp had all been cleared. Xun You gazed in a daze at the enormous siege engines burning, collapsing in charred heaps. He knew: once the camp’s defenses were breached, the Han army’s full assault would come.

“Mr. Lin, your salary might be this card, paid once a year. As for the contract, once ‘Empire Good’ is completed, we’ll finalize it online. I’ll sign my part and send it to you.” Loosening his grip, Li Guangzong took a card from his pocket and handed it to Lin Feng.

“It’s not that you lack ability—you simply don’t want to act,” Si Tu Haoyu quietly exposed him.

This car looked rather odd, its low chassis making it a bit of a struggle to sit down.

Hua Xiong was no pushover, fully aware of the eighty-two-pound Green Dragon Blade’s might. He braced himself and kept reminding himself that this red-faced warrior was not like Yu She or Pan Feng—he must not underestimate his foe.

Still, it made sense. With everyone else unconscious, their boss must be the most anxious.

“Then when I return, I’ll give you a romantic proposal, and a wedding of the century!” Si Tu Haoyu said with a smile.

Upon Mei Aoran’s inquiry, Gu Ziqi fell silent, while Qin Gu looked toward Mo Langyue, who was carefully stirring the bubbling meat in the pot with a simple wooden spoon.

“Pfft, you don’t have to be so tactful; they really are a bit annoying,” Cheng Lingzhi said, her eyes shining bright beneath the night sky, her spirit captivating. Si Tu Haoyu found himself staring, a bit lost.

“It’s just a question—what’s the harm in asking?” Xiao Chengfeng replied with a sheepish grin, his tone youthful and a bit playful.

Normally, at this hour, Cheng Lingzhi would be cooking, but today she was in a foul mood. When she got home, she sulked on the sofa, so the moment Si Tu Haoyu entered, she knew.

Yet in Sheng Xueluo’s heart, she was resolutely certain: in this life and the last, she owed Sheng Yongnian nothing—she owed nothing to the Sheng family.

“Liangsheng, do you want something to drink? There’s only milk at home, would you like some?” Lan Meng’s voice drifted out from the kitchen.

In the apocalypse, people always banded together. These three, certainly, were not real brothers. What family’s siblings would have such mutated genes?

Amidst this grand and imposing layout, they were but ants—utterly insignificant.

Although he claimed to be the current King of the Demon Realm, he knew deeply just how vast the gap was between himself and the true Lord of Demons in legend.

Myself, Lao Wei, and the others went up to greet them. All around, reporters snapped photos wildly—of the Wild King, mostly, but our Ding Sheng Restaurant also caught some of the limelight. A celebrity like the Wild King visiting is, after all, a huge advertisement.

After packing up, I was ready to head home, wondering what groceries to buy, and knowing I still had to climb up to Silver rank before I could duo with Shu Yuewu. There was no time to waste soloing against others.

Ever vigilant, Li Yi took only a second to buy ten poison beads at once. Only because the system interface was nearly transparent could he see the real world at the same time; otherwise, he’d never have dared to make purchases at such a moment.