Chapter 11: You Dare Claim the Right?

Inside the wooden cabin, Wang Chen sat cross-legged on the bed, his entire body motionless as if he were a lifeless statue. If not for the slight rise and fall of his chest, one might have thought he was dead.

Unlike when he took the fine Qi-concentrating pill and the spiritual energy leaked out uncontrollably, after consuming the perfect Qi-concentrating pill, no spiritual energy escaped from Wang Chen’s body. It was as if all the energy had been locked tightly inside him.

At this moment, the spiritual energy within him surged like a turbocharger, being relentlessly refined and condensed into his dantian by his cultivation technique.

However, compared to the vast energy granted by the perfect pill, the speed at which he could refine it was negligible.

As time passed, the unclaimed spiritual energy began to merge into his flesh and bones, gradually permeating his body and passively tempering his physique.

A layer of black grime appeared on his skin’s surface, and a foul stench slowly emanated from his body.

Wang Chen was awakened by the stench he himself emitted.

When he opened his eyes again, the immense spiritual energy within him had completely vanished.

It wasn’t that the energy had been refined away; rather, it had fully integrated into his body and undergone forging.

“Ugh!”

Upon opening his eyes, Wang Chen instinctively covered his mouth and nose, then quickly activated the spiritual energy within to strip away the grime on his body.

Only after gathering all the dirt and impurities into a black clump and tossing it out the door did Wang Chen exhale deeply and check his current status.

[Host: Wang Chen]

[Realm: Qi Refining, Stage Eight (12%)]

[Body Tempering: Qi Refining, Stage Three (15%)]

[Technique: Spirit Creek Method (Proficiency 68%)]

[Spells: Lightness Technique (Proficiency 6%), Fireball Spell (Proficiency 3%)]

[Immortal Arts: Level One Talismans (Proficiency 16%)]

This session of cultivation brought another increase in Wang Chen’s strength, pushing him directly to the eighth stage of Qi Refining.

What was different from before was the addition of a Body Tempering realm on his profile, which sparked a flicker of surprise and joy in his eyes.

The mainstream path in the cultivation world is the Qi Refining path.

It is the true grand path, the chosen road for most cultivators.

But besides this orthodox way, there are naturally some side paths and heretical methods.

Body Tempering is one such alternative cultivation path.

This route pursues the ultimate physique and is difficult to achieve without immense perseverance.

Moreover, it consumes many times more cultivation resources than the Qi Refining path.

The resources needed to cultivate one Body Tempering practitioner could instead train four or five Qi Refining cultivators.

While Body Tempering cultivators are stronger in combat than Qi Refining cultivators of the same level, Qi Refining practitioners possess a wider range of techniques.

Strictly speaking, the combat strength of Body Tempering cultivators does not exceed that of their Qi Refining counterparts by much.

Combined with the enormous resource consumption, the Body Tempering path is not favored by most cultivators.

Only disciples from powerful sects with deep backgrounds or scions of influential families might choose Body Tempering to pursue greater strength.

For a low-tier wanderer like Wang Chen, let alone pursuing Body Tempering, he could barely find even a decent Body Tempering technique to learn.

Yet now, after ingesting the perfect Qi-concentrating pill, he had fortunately embarked on the Body Tempering path.

The difference between the perfect and fine Qi-concentrating pills was not what Wang Chen had imagined.

Both contained the same amount of spiritual energy, essentially identical.

The difference lay in the nature of the spiritual energy itself.

If the energy in the fine pill was like an untamed wild horse, the energy in the perfect pill was like a tamed domestic fowl.

The wild horse was unruly and would eventually dissipate back into the world no matter how long it stayed inside Wang Chen.

The domestic fowl, however, would obediently remain within his body, refusing to dissipate.

The overwhelming spiritual energy that Wang Chen had previously struggled to refine naturally began to infiltrate his body.

It penetrated his flesh, meridians, and marrow, ultimately producing an effect akin to Body Tempering.

This change was unexpected by Wang Chen but also greatly welcomed.

Looking down at the skin on his palm, noticeably whiter and more delicate than before, Wang Chen thought to himself that even if he did nothing else, with such fair skin, finding a wealthy patron to support him wouldn’t be a problem.

This thought made him laugh aloud.

After his moment of vanity, Wang Chen glanced outside the door. It was already the next morning.

Although his realm had grown, he did not disrupt his original plan. He still obediently got up to cook, then drew talismans, and planned to go out in the afternoon to practice his spells.

Cultivation is fundamentally a matter of perseverance; nothing can be achieved overnight.

To display glory before others, one must first endure hardship in solitude.

Not to mention the hidden dangers lurking in the shadows.

Though he did not know who his enemies were, the fact that they could persuade the Cloud Moon Gambling House to move against him meant they were either immensely powerful or possessed massive influence.

Moreover, the enemies operated in secret while he acted openly, making him cherish every moment he had all the more.

The stronger he became now, the more confidence he would have to face future dangers.

While Wang Chen followed his plan step by step, in the pavilion above the Cloud Moon Gambling House, Li Qing stared nervously at the richly dressed middle-aged man before him, barely daring to breathe.

The man’s name was Pang Dahai, who years ago had been nothing more than a ruffian. By chance, he got connected with the Qin family and rose rapidly from there.

Years later, he had become a powerful cultivator at Qi Refining Stage Nine and controlled the Cloud Moon Gambling House—a notorious den of vice!

Across the entire Ningyue District, aside from the lofty Foundation Establishment families and the Jin Yuan Sect, Pang Dahai was one of the figures at the very top of the pyramid.

Given Li Qing’s status, he was not qualified to meet Pang Dahai at all.

But since Qin Cang, the young master of the Qin family, stood behind Li Qing, and the Cloud Moon House was ultimately a Qin family enterprise, with Pang Dahai as their subordinate, Li Qing had no choice but to obey Qin Cang’s orders.

“So, you’ve messed things up again,” Pang Dahai said leisurely, holding a teacup from which steam rose, blurring his face.

“Master Pang, it’s not that I’m incompetent,” Li Qing said earnestly, “there’s something strange about that guy. Please, Master Pang, help me arrange for several late-stage Qi Refining experts. This time, I’m sure we can capture him.”

Having failed in his mission, Li Qing dared not tell Qin Cang. Helpless, he sought Pang Dahai’s aid.

Upon hearing this, Pang Dahai couldn’t help but scoff.

“Do you think late-stage Qi Refining experts grow on trees?”

“Arrange several to help you? You wish.”