Chapter 7 – The Fourth Level of Qi Refinement

As for any side effects from the pills—such as toxin buildup—Wang Hao couldn't care less.

"After all, even Old Demon Han took more pills than me and is still alive today!"

His current stats were:

Name: Wang Hao

Age: 18

Cultivation: Qi Refinement – Level 3 (111/112.5)

Cultivation Technique: True Scripture of the Illusory Heart of the Red Lotus and Wood – Level 1 Mana: 111/111

Skills:

Alchemy: First-Order Low Grade (not yet studied)

Talismans: First-Order Low-Grade Talismans (not yet studied)

Spells: Fireball (unmastered), Entangling Roots (unmastered)

Divine Abilities: None mastered

To advance, he needed to boost the wood- and fire-attribute portions of his spiritual energy by another 1.5 points. One Spirit-Condensing Pill no longer sufficed; two would do the trick—but carried risk.

He had already felt his meridians swell and ache after refining a single pill. Taking two at once might… blow his body apart!

But in the cultivation world, where is advancement ever without danger?

Since transmigrating, Wang Hao had cultivated in isolation, with no ties or regrets. If he died, so be it. Maybe he'd return to his old world and game with his friends…

Resolute, Wang Hao ate a hearty meal, hesitated at the door for a moment, resisted the urge to go out, and resumed his meditation.

After a full energy cycle, he swallowed both pills at once.

The medicinal energy erupted in his stomach, then surged through his dantian alongside his cultivation technique, sending excruciating pain ripping through his meridians!

"Urgh!" groaned Wang Hao, sweat chilling his skin.

"Hang on… the technique is still circulating—good sign!"

Despite his meridians stretching and tearing under the pressure, he endured. He knew as long as the technique flowed, there was hope. In that agony, his meridians and dantian were being reinforced and expanded.

Sweat soaked his garments, dripping onto the floor. His face twisted pale and drawn, yet he refused to yield.

Five days later, with a faint pop from within, his dantian suddenly lightened—and he felt a great weight press down on his body, signaling the breakthrough.

Finally, Wang Hao unclenched his teeth.

He circulated his technique for another half–day to solidify the new level. Once certain the advance had stabilized, he opened his eyes, exhaled deeply, and smiled.

"Qi Refinement – Fourth Level! That wasn't so hard after all!"

Not arrogance—in spite of the pain and danger, the process had not been fatal. This bolstered his confidence for future bottlenecks.

Legend spoke of three great bottlenecks in Qi Refinement:

Early to intermediate (Level 3 → 4)

Intermediate to advanced (Level 6 → 7)

Eighth to ninth level

Having shattered the first, he could now progress steadily to Level 6.

Wang Hao cast a cleansing spell, stretched in satisfaction, and murmured:

"Now that I'm in the intermediate stage, I can start learning real spells. I also need to try alchemy and talismans… And I only have three Spirit-Condensing Pills left. I must go out and buy more!"

He began to plan quietly.

Wang Yanzhao had given him an alchemical furnace. The introductory Hunger Pills required spiritual rice—of which he had plenty. No talisman brush had been included—perhaps because old Wang lacked one or never expected his son to take an interest in talismans.

But to start, he didn't need it. He could practice copying talisman patterns with paper and a regular brush. If he proved to have talent, he'd then purchase the proper tools.

Based on the pills he'd already consumed, Wang Hao estimated he needed at least twelve vials (one hundred and twenty pills) to reach the fifth Qi level—costing roughly 360 spirit stones.

He currently had 113 stones, 100 of which were gifts from Wang Yanzhao. He still had a long way to go…

"I'll have to sell some of the farm's spiritual rice."

Additionally, he considered planting other medicinal herbs. Rice alone yielded low returns. Since the virtual farm had no constraints like poor soil or fertilizer costs, he could grow higher–value herbs—though they were harder to cultivate in the real world.

The farm now had four plots. Unlocking the fifth would still take time. But by selling part of his rice, he could accelerate that process.

With more profitable spirit herbs, expanding the farm would be much faster.

Determined, Wang Hao gathered his resources and ventured out.

He didn't wander aimlessly. Whenever he spotted something unfamiliar—like a magic–artifact shop—he went in to investigate. Old Wang had given him one defensive artifact, but none for offense yet.

His low–level flying sword was inadequate for the intermediate stage. He would need a new one—after securing his ingredients and pills.

Still, it didn't hurt to inquire about prices.

After half an afternoon roaming the city, Wang Hao had a good grasp of First-Order, mid-grade artifact prices: anywhere from 20 to 50 spirit stones, depending on quality.

Not cheap—but a vial of Spirit-Condensing Pills cost the same. For ordinary cultivators, it would take years to save up.

Of all the shops he visited, the blade that intrigued him most was the Crimson Gold Sword, sold by a shop affiliated with the Azure Origin Sect.

Length: Three feet

Width: Three inches

Color: Deep crimson red

Price: 30 spirit stones

No special abilities—only a striking appearance and material: Crimson Gold Iron, a high-grade First-Order metal.

Clearly a training weapon—someone inexperienced at forging had used a valuable material. Its craftsmanship was average, but the premium metal more than made up for it.

Though no forging expert, Wang Hao knew material value. The iron alone was worth over 20 stones, and the spirit coal used in smelting added more. At 30 stones, it was a fair deal.

But he wouldn't buy it yet. If he had any money left after his priority purchases, he'd return.

To avoid trouble, Wang Hao bought a set of black clothing with a face veil. In this market, wandering cultivators commonly dressed so—helping him stay inconspicuous.

He visited multiple shops that purchased spiritual rice, selling in small batches. After three harvests from four plots, he had 1,200 jins (about 600 kg).

Selling only 100 jins per shop to avoid suspicion, he amassed 110 spirit stones.

The rates were standard—shops bought at slightly lower prices.

Now he had 220 spirit stones.

Converting stones into cultivation resources remained the best strategy.

Although he could spend stones directly on cultivation, the effects paled compared to pills or specialized items. Directly using stones only made sense with high-grade stones.