Fang Hao slowly opened his eyes in his Immortal Cave and let out a soft sigh.

Peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining, just one step away from Great Perfection. But this final step was as difficult to cross as a heavenly chasm.

The Seven Spiritual Roots were like seven bottomless pits; no matter how much Spiritual Qi he absorbed, they always seemed just a bit short of being full. He had obtained five of the seven main ingredients for the foundation establishment pill, with only mysterious spirit grass and heavenly star grass remaining without a trace.

"Working behind closed doors is not the way." Fang Hao stood up. "Perhaps I should take some missions and look for a Breakthrough opportunity during the experience."

Arriving at the Mission Hall, Fang Hao carefully browsed the mission board. Most were gathering or hunting missions with decent rewards, but they didn’t seem to help much with a Breakthrough.

Suddenly, a special mission caught his attention:

"Explore the Black Wind Abyss and investigate the source of the Spiritual Qi anomaly. The mission is dangerous; it is recommended for Qi Refining Great Perfection or Foundation Establishment Cultivators to go in a team. Reward: Two thousand contribution points and one third-grade Magical Artifact."

"Black Wind Abyss..." Fang Hao pondered. It was a well-known dangerous place near the Sect, said to have strange Spiritual Qi fluctuations and occasional rare spiritual items appearing.

"Perhaps there will be clues about mysterious spirit grass or heavenly star grass." Fang Hao accepted the mission and found that three people had already signed up: Li Xuan, Zhu Pang, and an Inner Sect Disciple named Sun Yi.

Three days later, the four met outside the Sect. Sun Yi was a Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivator with an arrogant expression, largely ignoring the three Outer Sect Disciples.

"This mission will be led by me; you just need to follow my orders," Sun Yi said indifferently, without even looking at Fang Hao.

Li Xuan and Zhu Pang quickly agreed. Fang Hao didn’t say much either, silently following behind. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The terrain of the Black Wind Abyss was exceptionally steep, with cliffs standing tall on all sides as if split open by nature with a giant axe. It was shrouded in black gales year-round, the howling sounds deafening, as if the vicious ghosts of Hell were roaring.

The deeper they went into the Black Wind Abyss, the more chaotic the Spiritual Qi became, making one feel as if they were in the eye of a storm. Not only that, but spatial cracks would suddenly appear from time to time—these cracks were like giant beasts hidden in the darkness, opening their bloody maws, ready to swallow any life that approached at any moment.

"Watch out!" Fang Hao suddenly shouted, simultaneously reaching out to pull Zhu Pang beside him. Right where he had been standing, a spatial crack tore open like a bolt of lightning, and a black whirlwind gushed out from the crack, creating a powerful suction.

Zhu Pang turned pale from the sudden turn of events, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. Looking at the spatial crack with lingering fear, he muttered, "That was close... thank you, Junior Brother Ning!"

Sun Yi caught sight of this from the side, his gaze falling on Fang Hao with a hint of surprise. He thought to himself, "This kid’s Divine Sense is actually quite sharp."

After a brief rest, the group continued deeper into the Black Wind Abyss. As they got closer, the black wind became even more violent, like an out-of-control beast madly battering everyone. Seeing this, Sun Yi quickly summoned a shield Magical Artifact to protect himself, blocking the rampaging black wind.

However, although this shield Magical Artifact could resist the onslaught of the black wind, the spiritual power it consumed was quite massive. Sun Yi’s forehead gradually seeped from sweat as he gritted his teeth, struggling to endure.

"We can’t go on like this." Sun Yi frowned. "We need to find a place to rest."

Fang Hao activated his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes and pointed ahead. "There’s a cave behind that rock wall over there where we can shelter from the wind."

Sun Yi was skeptical but still led the team over. Sure enough, they found a hidden cave large enough for the four of them.

"How did you know there was a cave here?" Sun Yi finally looked Fang Hao in the eye.

Fang Hao said simply, "I’ve learned some investigative Spells."

While resting in the cave, Fang Hao sensed a peculiar Spiritual Qi fluctuation. He investigated quietly and discovered that there was more to the depths of the cave than met the eye.

While Sun Yi was meditating to recover, Fang Hao quietly headed deeper. After turning a few corners, the view suddenly opened up—it was actually a natural spirit locus!

In the center of the spirit locus was a small pond with abundant Spiritual Qi in its water, and several unique Spiritual Plants grew by the pond. Although they weren’t mysterious spirit grass or heavenly star grass, they were still quite precious.

What surprised Fang Hao even more was that the Spiritual Qi here was exceptionally active, which would be extremely helpful for his Breakthrough.

"Perhaps I can try to Breakthrough here..." Fang Hao’s mind raced.

He returned to the resting area and said to Sun Yi, "Senior Brother Sun, I’ve found a spirit locus that might be related to the Spiritual Qi anomaly. However, my cultivation is insufficient to investigate deeply."

Sun Yi’s eyes lit up. "Lead the way!"

Arriving at the spirit locus, Sun Yi was overjoyed. "It really is a good place! You guys stay here and guard; I’m going in to investigate!"

After Sun Yi went deeper, Fang Hao said to Li Xuan and Zhu Pang, "Senior Brothers, the Spiritual Qi here is abundant. Why don’t we take this opportunity to Cultivate for a bit? I will act as a Protector for everyone."

Li Xuan and Zhu Pang had already been attracted by the Spiritual Qi here, and upon hearing this, they immediately sat down to Cultivate.

Fang Hao guarded the cave entrance, but in reality, he was operating the Myriad Manifestations Heaven Swallowing Art with all his might! His Seven Spiritual Roots madly absorbed the Spiritual Qi, and his long-stagnant cultivation finally began to loosen!

The Spiritual Qi in the spirit locus seemed tailor-made for him—balanced across the seven elements and continuous. Fang Hao felt the long-awaited sensation of a Breakthrough approaching and immediately swallowed the ningyuan pill he had prepared long ago.

The medicinal power dissolved, and along with the pure Spiritual Qi, a crisp sound seemed to ring out within Fang Hao’s body—the Bottleneck of Qi Refining Great Perfection was broken!

Surging spiritual power rushed through his entire body, and his Seven Spiritual Roots finally reached a state of Perfection balance. Fang Hao felt his Divine Sense become clear and his spiritual power abundant; his strength had skyrocketed several times over!

Just as he was stabilizing his Realm, Sun Yi’s exclamation and the sound of fighting suddenly came from deep within the spirit locus!

"Not good!" Fang Hao immediately rushed into the depths.

He saw Sun Yi engaged in a fierce battle with a third-rank Black Wind Leopard! This leopard was pitch-black all over and could control the black wind, making it exceptionally ferocious. Sun Yi although had higher cultivation, he found it difficult to exert his full strength in the black wind environment and was gradually falling into a disadvantage.

"Form a formation and help me!" Sun Yi called out urgently.

Without hesitation, Fang Hao immediately set up a Three Talents Formation. Li Xuan and Zhu Pang also rushed over upon hearing the call and joined the fray.

His newly reached Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivation gave Fang Hao a massive boost in strength. As he performed the Starfall Sword Art, the Sword Qi was incomparably sharp; his Divine Spirit Steps became even more elusive, making it difficult for the Black Wind Leopard to catch him.

What was even more miraculous was that his Seven Spiritual Roots were like fish in water here. Metal-element Sword Qi, wood-element recovery, water-element softness, fire-element explosion, earth-element defense, wind-element speed, lightning-element paralysis... the seven elemental spiritual powers switched at will, catching the Black Wind Leopard off guard.

Sun Yi watched in a daze. Was this really the Qi Refinement Stage? This strength was almost catching up to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage!

Under the combined efforts of the four, the Black Wind Leopard was finally repelled and fled with injuries.

Sun Yi let out a long sigh of relief and looked at Fang Hao in a new light. "Junior Brother Ning, you were really hiding your light under a bushel! Thank you for just now."

Fang Hao said modestly, "Senior Brother Sun was the main attacker; we were just assisting."

The mission was completed, and the four of them reaped a bountiful harvest. Sun Yi obtained several precious Materials, while Li Xuan and Zhu Pang each had their own gains. Although Fang Hao didn’t find mysterious spirit grass or heavenly star grass, breaking through to Qi Refining Great Perfection was already his greatest harvest.

Returning to the Sect, Fang Hao stabilized his Realm. His Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivation doubled his spiritual power and made his Divine Sense even sharper. Now, he only needed two more main ingredients and a foundation establishment pill to attempt Foundation Establishment.

"Even though I didn’t find the Spirit Medicine, this experience was worth it!" Fang Hao felt the surging spiritual power within him, his confidence growing.

Although cultivating Seven Spiritual Roots was difficult, once a Breakthrough was made, his strength far exceeded those of the same level. Now, even facing a Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivator, he had the power to fight!

The threat of Bao Zhijian no longer seemed so terrifying.

Fang Hao walked out of his Immortal Cave and looked toward the Inner Sect. Foundation Establishment was just around the corner.