Invincible Starts From Dao Fruit-Chapter 216 - 177: Qi Refinement Level 7! [Seeking recommendation votes!]

Chapter 216: Chapter 177: Qi Refinement Level 7! [Seeking recommendation votes!]

"This is the Undying Grass?"

Wang Yan took the cloth bag handed over by Chen Jichuan and opened it. Inside were five delicate, vibrant stalks of grass, each radiating a flourishing vitality that was simply invigorating to behold.

"A single stalk of Undying Grass can extend one’s lifespan by two hundred years."

"With five stalks, that’s a thousand years. Junior Master is already in the Void Realm—doesn’t that mean he could live to be one thousand three hundred years old?"

Wang Yan stared at the Undying Grass, then back at Chen Jichuan, clicking his tongue in amazement.

One thousand three hundred years.

It was terrifying.

In the entire history of Central Earth, which spans less than ten thousand recorded years, a single person living through one-tenth of that history might as well be called ’living history.’

"One thousand three hundred years?"

Hearing this, Chen Jichuan couldn’t help but laugh. "Where would one find such good fortune? By that logic, if someone had fifty stalks of Undying Grass, wouldn’t they live for ten thousand years?"

A single stalk of Undying Grass could extend a lifespan by two hundred years.

But once a person consumed one stalk, any additional stalks would only heal injuries and no longer extend their life.

Thus, no matter how much Undying Grass one had, the maximum lifespan extension was two hundred years.

To live for one thousand three hundred or even ten thousand years? That cannot be achieved through the Undying Grass.

"So, even with an unlimited supply of Undying Grass, the Void Realm cultivators can at most only live five hundred years?"

Wang Yan seemed a little disappointed.

But Chen Jichuan was quite pleased.

Originally, he was confident in reaching the Qi Refinement Seventh Layer, but had no certainty beyond that. Now, with an added two hundred years of life, his chances of reaching the Qi Refinement Peak had greatly increased.

Becoming a Supreme cultivator was even somewhat possible.

And even if he didn’t succeed, after five hundred years of bitter cultivation, he could start over in the next life. With the Undying Grass prepared in this lifetime, he’d have another five hundred years in the next life. Success was inevitable.

The only regret he had was that his master and mistress had passed away twenty years ago. If he had obtained the Undying Grass twenty years earlier for them, their lifespans could have been extended by two hundred years. If they then also cultivated to the Void Realm, they could have lived for an additional three hundred and fifty years.

But alas—

Time waits for no one, and death is the most merciless of all.

Even those who cultivate to the Qi Refinement Peak cannot escape the cycle of life and death.

...

With the Undying Grass in hand, Chen Jichuan’s cultivation proceeded more deliberately and steadily.

He continued his search for Sword Steles in the West Sea.

Although he had the "Sword Map" and lacked no cultivation methods, the Sword Steles contained the realizations of the Sword Ancestor in the Sword Dao. If the "Sword Map" was akin to a textbook, then the Sword Steles served as reference materials. Absorbing the Sword Ancestor’s cultivation insights could help Chen Jichuan cultivate more quickly and effectively.

The Sword Ancestor was likely an existence far beyond the Qi Refinement Realm.

Having his understanding of the Sword Dao would save Chen Jichuan considerable time compared to rote cultivation.

Aside from cultivating the "Sword Map" and comprehending the Sword Steles—

Chen Jichuan also practiced external skills and Daoist Methods simultaneously.

In Qi Refinement, he had the cultivation experience from the Jade Spring World and the assistance of the Sword Steles, enabling rapid progress.

But as for external skills and Daoist Methods—

In his past life, he cultivated one to the Second Layer of Core Formation and the other to the Third Layer of Night Travel, equivalent only to the Second and Third Layers of Qi Refinement. In this life, he had already matched his past achievements, but further advancement demanded a far greater investment of effort.

Moreover, in the Qinling World, advancing Daoist Methods was even more challenging than improving external skills.

"Cultivation’s Four Essentials: Magic, Comrades, Wealth, and Land."

"In terms of ’comrades’—"

"Within the Qinling World, there are numerous cultivators of the Qi Refinement and external skills paths, and many top-tier experts among them. By exchanging insights and engaging in debates with these individuals, I can make rapid progress."

"However, there aren’t any cultivators of Daoist Methods here."

For the Daoist Methods, Chen Jichuan possessed the "Taiyin Refining Body Technique," which provided the "Magic."

With Taixu Sword Sect and Sword Tower supplying various medicinal herbs and materials for rune inscriptions and magical practices, that fulfilled the "Wealth."

And the Lotus Islands offered excellent spirit lands for cultivation, fulfilling the "Land."

However, no one in the Daoist Methods field was available for him to exchange knowledge with.

He had to rely entirely on himself to figure things out.

Until his cultivation was complete and he had achieved invincibility, Chen Jichuan was neither willing nor daring enough to share the Daoist Methods, lest one day his enemies learn them and use those very spells and techniques to harm him.

Studying alone, with no one to exchange insights with, naturally took more effort and yielded slower progress.

Gradually, his external skills surpassed his Daoist Methods.

Yet Chen Jichuan remained unperturbed, spending each night diligently cultivating the "Taiyin Refining Body Technique," silently accumulating and frequently reflecting.

While his progress in Daoist Methods was slow, it continued, step by step.

Time flowed on.

Chen Jichuan’s efforts weren’t limited to Qi Refinement, external skills, and Daoist Methods.

Alchemy.

Artifact Refining.

These pursuits progressed simultaneously.

Both the Taixu Sword Sect and the Sword Tower provided materials for alchemy and artifact refining, giving Chen Jichuan ample freedom to experiment at will.

Lavish resources, no expense spared!

Chen Jichuan’s skill in alchemy and artifact refining improved at a rapid pace.

In alchemy—

Chen Jichuan was already at the level of a First-order Alchemist, capable of skillfully refining most First-order Pills. Lacking Second-order pill recipes and the corresponding medicinal materials, he turned his efforts toward improving the success rate and quality of the pills.

Among alchemists of the same level, distinctions of skill still existed.

Many First-order Alchemists excelled only in one or two pills—

Some had a high success rate.

Others produced pills of exceptional quality.

With growing fame—

People seeking such pills would immediately think of that alchemist, bringing endless business opportunities.

"A single unique skill can feed you for life."

This saying held true for alchemists as well.

To achieve this—

Either required practiced mastery and refined technique.

Or the ingenuity to improve pill recipes.

With his "Creation·Derivation" ability, the latter, a challenge for most Alchemists, was as easy as drinking tea for Chen Jichuan.

The only thing that needed honing was his technique.

With boundless resources.

And ample time.

Chen Jichuan’s alchemical prowess improved as relentlessly as a rising tide.

And it wasn’t just alchemy—

Artifact refining followed the same trajectory.

Among Artifact Refiners, specialization was even more pronounced than among Alchemists.

Some specialized in crafting armor, others in weapons, and still others in mysterious artifacts...

Within these domains, further subcategories existed.

Armor could be divided into shields, plate armor, Heart Protecting Mirrors, and more.

Weapons included swords, spears, knives, halberds, axes, glaives, hooks, and so forth.

Artifact refinement was a vast and profound discipline.

With endless runes and myriad types of arrays, many cultivators could only master one narrow field over their entire lifetime.

The same was true for Chen Jichuan.

As a beginner, his foundation lay in the Dao Fruit of Situ Kong, the Artifact Refining Grandmaster of the Mysterious Nether Sea in the Jade Spring World. Situ Kong excelled in weapon refinement, so Chen Jichuan also focused on weapons.

Starting with swords.

He studied and researched attack-oriented arrays and materials suitable for crafting weapons.

Constantly pondering how best to combine and optimize materials.

How to inscribe the most effective attack arrays to maximize the potential of materials.

And so on.

Every detail.

Success required both talent and relentless practice.

Chen Jichuan was of average talent, but he compensated by investing time.

A year, two years.

Ten years, twenty years.

A hundred years, two hundred years.

Before he knew it, Chen Jichuan had been in the Qinling World for two hundred and seventy-five years.

...

On this day—

In the depths of the West Sea, upon the Zuzhou Island—

Chen Jichuan, armed with a single sword, was battling a Great Sun Golden Peng Bird.

Sword light flickered.

Wind and fire surged.

The Great Sun Golden Peng Bird was exceedingly fast, crossing from south to north with a single flap of its wings, its movements unpredictable.

But Chen Jichuan was no slouch.

With Wind Thunder Wings sprouting from his back, a single flap allowed him to keep pace with the Great Sun Golden Peng Bird. Supplemented by the Catkins Body Method, he moved with even greater agility and unpredictability than his opponent.

Sword in hand.

Each sword technique flowed effortlessly, transitioning seamlessly.

Splashed Ink and Striped Cloth Sword Technique.

Seven-stringed Immortal Surprising Sword Technique.

Ailao Mountain Thirty-Six Swords.

Taishan Eighteen Steps.

Soft Cloud Swordsmanship.

Four-Nine Tribulation Sword.

Wind God Sword.

Cloud-clearing Sword.

Heavenly Frost Sword.

...

With all his lifetime’s worth of knowledge, he cycled through dozens of advanced sword techniques at will, growing more exhilarated with each passing move.

In contrast, the Great Sun Golden Peng Bird grew increasingly disheveled, overwhelmed and retreating in panic, barely able to defend itself. Known for its fiery temper and ruthlessness, it refused to admit defeat. Even when at a disadvantage, it would lash out recklessly, sustaining injuries to counterattack Chen Jichuan.

Yet these efforts were futile.

Chen Jichuan’s Sword Intent grew sharper, and his techniques became even fiercer. It was clear the Great Sun Golden Peng Bird would not last much longer.

At that moment—

The long sword in Chen Jichuan’s hand suddenly shot forth—accompanied by a chaotic sound of clanging. Astonishingly, it split into seven treasure swords.

"Pierce!"

As Chen Jichuan channeled his Mana and formed a sword gesture, the seven swords transformed into streams of light—

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

The sword lights circled the Great Sun Golden Peng Bird in a flash and returned to Chen Jichuan’s hand, merging back into one sword.

Looking back at the Great Sun Golden Peng Bird—

Its neck and chest bore several slashes, its plumes severed and falling like confetti to the ground below.

"Squawk!"

The Great Sun Golden Peng Bird cried out, equal parts angered, frightened, and astounded.

It understood that the previous strike had deliberately spared its life. Otherwise, it would’ve already perished.

Utter defeat.

Seething with rage it could not vent, the Great Sun Golden Peng Bird glared at Chen Jichuan with unyielding hostility.

Chen Jichuan, however, was beaming with joy as he waved his sword. Excitement filled his heart: "’Seven Elements Relieving Calamity Ruyi Tiangang Splitting Light Sword Technique’ is complete. Next, advancing to the Qi Refinement Seventh Layer will be a breeze."

Seeing the stubborn Great Sun Golden Peng Bird gearing up for another bout, he said—

"That’s enough for today."

"I’ll seek your guidance again another time."

On the verge of breakthrough, Chen Jichuan had no interest in further skirmishes with the Great Sun Golden Peng Bird. With a peal of laughter, he leaped into the air, transforming into a streak of sword light that vanished from Zuzhou Island in an instant.

Leaving only the furious cries of the Great Sun Golden Peng Bird behind.

Within the mouth of a volcano—

Two fledgling golden peng chicks peeked their heads out. Seeing their mother in a fit of rage, they hurriedly shrank back in fear.

...

West Sea.

A barren island.

Chen Jichuan sat cross-legged, as weightless as a cicada’s wing. Every single one of the two hundred and six bones in his body had been refined and liberated, filling him with a sense of unbounded freedom, almost as if he were about to ascend to immortality.

Mana surged, raging like a river.

His body was radiant.

Streams of Sword Qi coursed along with his mana, circulating throughout his body as they evolved the "Seven Elements Relieving Calamity Ruyi Tiangang Splitting Light Sword Technique." This was a sword technique drawn from the "Ten Thousand Sword Map," requiring mastery of dozens of advanced sword techniques to the point of complete fluency before comprehension could be achieved.

Once mastered, a single strike could transform into seven stars—

Its speed rivaled that of meteors, and its force was akin to stars crashing down, utterly unstoppable.

Once this sword technique was perfected—

All subsequent sword techniques would revolve around it as their foundation and vessel, combining and evolving in myriad ways.

At this level, mastering the "Seven-star Sword Diagram"—the first layer of the "Ten Thousand Sword Map"—was considered entry-level, and ascending to the Qi Refinement Seventh Layer would no longer present a challenge.

The cultivation method circulated.

Mana surged.

Chen Jichuan’s Sword Heart was clear as he monitored every movement within his body, feeling as though he held every aspect of himself firmly within his grasp.

Suddenly—

He noticed a mysterious point within his body. Intuition struck him like lightning, and without hesitation, he gathered his Mana and condensed his Sword Qi into a single force, directing all seven stars to strike that spot fiercely—

Boom!

With an explosive sound, it was as if a deep pit had been blasted within the depths of his body.

Or perhaps a treasure chest had been unlocked—

Whoosh!

Like a breached dam, an endless flood of mana, from an unknown source, surged into his meridians and poured into his dantian. In that moment, Chen Jichuan’s Mana surged exponentially, and profound changes began occurring throughout his body.

It was like a transcendent leap in life essence.

This transformation permeated his bones and steeped into his very bloodstream.

By observing his own body internally, Chen Jichuan focused on that mysterious point. A sudden understanding arose within him: "By breaking through the first Fetal Storage Major Acupoint, I’ve unlocked humanity’s inner treasures and shed the bounds of mundanity. A myriad of wonders becomes accessible. Mana begins integrating with the flesh, while the bloodline awakens its initial mysteries. Once all three hundred and sixty-five Fetal Storage Major Acupoints are opened and the Qi Meridians are fully connected, spells can reach the level of Divine Communication and merge with the body, embedding themselves into the bloodline. For future generations, there will be a chance of inheriting Bloodline Techniques."

This was the profound mystery of the late-stage Qi Refinement Realm and the very phenomenon that Wuk Yuan Immortal Master had once explained to him during his early days in the Jade Spring World, using examples like "Thousand-mile Eye" and "Sharp-Hearing Ear" to explain Bloodline Techniques.

Perhaps even Wuk Yuan Immortal Master would never have imagined that Chen Jichuan would one day reach this coveted yet elusive realm.

With a single thought, the cycle of memories spun—

Recalling Wuk Yuan Immortal Master’s words felt as though they were spoken only yesterday. Feeling his current realm, an overwhelming sense of joy surged through Chen Jichuan’s heart—

"Qi Refinement Seventh Layer."

"I’ve succeeded!"

...

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