Chapter 2: Qi Refining, Ninth Layer! Failed Escape

In the second month of the simulation, you successfully broke through to the sixth layer of Qi Refinement.

With your cultivation halted, your whole body ached, but you could still grit your teeth and endure.

You took out a low-grade flying sword and began practicing the Sword Control Art.

The flying sword moved swift as lightning in your hand.

But since there was no one to spar with, you had no idea just how strong you really were.

A week later, your Sword Control Art reached the minor accomplishment realm.

You began practicing the Fireball Art.

Because you had a single wood spiritual root, your progress in the Fireball Art was extremely slow.

This time it took you a full half month to cultivate the Fireball Art to the minor accomplishment realm.

(Spell proficiency: entry, minor accomplishment, major accomplishment, perfection.)

You continued breathing in and refining spiritual qi.

For the sake of your body, this time you did not use those so-called Qi Gathering Pills.

Without the aid of Qi Gathering Pills, you felt your speed of refining spiritual qi was extremely slow.

A month passed, and breaking through to the seventh layer of Qi Refinement felt indefinitely far away.

So what if it's slow? At least my meridians haven't gotten any worse. That was what you thought to yourself.

A year later, without the aid of Qi Gathering Pills, your cultivation progressed slowly, but thankfully your body's injuries no longer worsened.

The Sword Control Art and Fireball Art had both stepped into the major accomplishment realm.

On this day, you were breathing in spiritual qi as usual.

Your Master, whom you had not seen in a long time, suddenly sent a voice transmission summoning you.

You flew on your sword, and in an instant arrived at your Master's cave residence.

After arriving at the cave residence, you discovered you were not the only one there.

Besides you, there were two men and one woman, three cultivators in all.

All of them were eighth layer Qi Refinement cultivators, two layers above you.

As you arrived, the three sat cross-legged on the ground without moving in the slightest.

You had reason to suspect their bodies might be in even worse shape than yours.

Before you could make your next move, your Master, True Person Zidan, suddenly appeared, seating himself in the main position above.

"You've all come." True Person Zidan looked over the four of you and nodded.

But when he saw you were only at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement, he frowned, and the smile on his face vanished in an instant.

"Master."

You followed the other three in paying your respects to your Master, True Person Zidan.

Only then did you learn that they were all your Senior Brothers and Senior Sister.

True Person Zidan waved his large hand, and four bottles of pills appeared before the four of you.

"These are enhanced Qi Gathering Pills. One bottle each." True Person Zidan explained.

"I will give you one year. After one year, I require all of you to raise your cultivation to the ninth layer of Qi Refinement!"

"Those who succeed may live and become my formal disciples!"

"As for those who fail — hmph! True Person Zidan never keeps idlers!" As he said this, True Person Zidan deliberately glanced at you, his meaning self-evident.

You said nothing, knowing your Master's fangs were finally about to show.

"If there's nothing else, go back and cultivate properly." True Person Zidan waved his large hand and sent the four of you out of the cave residence.

Suddenly appearing outside the cave residence, you were astonished. This was the first time you had seen your Master act.

You could not help but sigh inwardly. A Golden Core cultivator was terrifying indeed.

You picked up the pill and were about to fly on your sword when you suddenly heard a pleasant voice transmit over.

"Junior Brother, wait a moment."

You looked toward the sound and found it was the sole female cultivator transmitting to you.

You sized her up and down. It had to be said, she was quite pretty, though her face was expressionless as a dead person's.

"Senior Sister, what is it?" You responded via voice transmission.

"Do you want to live?"

"No." You rejected her righteously.

The Senior Sister, who had just seated herself on her flying sword, upon receiving your message, lost her focus and actually fell right off the sword.

The Senior Sister glared at you viciously, then rode her flying sword and vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.

The other two Senior Brothers followed right after.

You shrugged indifferently and flew back to your dwelling on your sword.

As for what the Senior Sister had said, and your Master's abnormal behavior, you already had some guesses in your heart.

But you did not believe that a few Qi Refinement cultivators could scheme against a Golden Core cultivator!

What you needed to do right now was figure out how to cultivate to the ninth layer of Qi Refinement within a year and survive in your Master's hands!

You took out the remaining thirty Qi Gathering Pills and one enhanced Qi Gathering Pill, and began cultivating.

Time no longer permitted you to cultivate slowly.

With the aid of Qi Gathering Pills, three months later you successfully broke through to the seventh layer of Qi Refinement.

Under the impact of the Qi Gathering Pills, the meridians in your body were damaged once again.

You gritted your teeth and continued cultivating.

Seven months later, with the help of Qi Gathering Pills, you successfully raised your cultivation to the eighth layer of Qi Refinement.

At this moment, you felt your entire body's meridians as if pierced by needles, agonizing every moment.

There were still five months left. You knew there was no more time to take it slow.

You took out the enhanced Qi Gathering Pill and swallowed it in one gulp.

The enhanced Qi Gathering Pill contained even richer spiritual power, and it was even more violent.

It made your already fragile meridians worse than they already were.

You knew you had no path of retreat left. Either break through to the ninth layer of Qi Refinement and live, or die on the road of breakthrough!

You frantically circulated the Longevity Art, rapidly absorbing the spiritual qi running wild within your body, constantly strengthening your dantian.

Enduring the pain throughout your body, you circulated the technique over and over again.

Heaven rewards the diligent. On the final day of the deadline your Master had set, your dantian entered a saturated state.

In the next instant, you broke through the shackles and reached the ninth layer of Qi Refinement!

Having successfully broken through, you felt no joy in your heart whatsoever.

You stopped cultivating and opened your bloodshot eyes, looking at your blood-soaked body.

In the next instant, you actually collapsed limp onto the bed, motionless.

Through your divine sense, you sensed that the meridians throughout your body were all severely damaged, feeling as though they could snap at any moment.

The pain this brought, you had long since grown numb to.

Just like that, you lay there the whole night.

Early the next morning, you used spiritual power to wash yourself clean.

Barely controlling your flying sword, you arrived at your Master's cave residence.

Entering the cave residence, you saw your three Senior Brothers and Senior Sister lying on the ground covered in blood, their lives uncertain.

"This is the price of running away! If it happens again, it won't be as simple as broken limbs!"

Only then did you understand. So the Senior Brothers and Senior Sister's plan had failed, and they had been caught and brought back by your Master.

You felt extremely fortunate that you had not joined in. Otherwise, you would have been one of them.