Chapter 47: Mid-stage Qi Refinement
Gu Mo's words forced Yuan Niya to swallow the question she had wanted to ask. Indeed, the Minor Rejuvenation Art was an exclusive spell for Spirit Farmers, but very few of them had truly mastered it.
Among the five exclusive spells of Spirit Farmers, the Minor Rejuvenation Art was the most difficult to learn. At the same time, it marked a qualitative leap in the profession. Once a Spirit Farmer mastered this spell, they could heal spiritual plants and accept tasks related to treating precious spirit flora.
These tasks often offered generous rewards, making this spell a significant boost to a Spirit Farmer's income.
Beyond healing plants, the Minor Rejuvenation Art could also be used to treat cultivators. When adventuring teams couldn't find a healer who had trained in medical arts, they sometimes sought out a Spirit Farmer who knew this spell instead.
In other words, mastering the Minor Rejuvenation Art allowed a Spirit Farmer to step away from the fields and take on much more lucrative tasks.
From what Yuan Niya knew about Gu Mo, he had been with the Spirit Plant Hall for less than two years—yet he had already mastered the Minor Rejuvenation Art. Was this really a menial disciple with inferior spiritual roots?
"The effects of the Cleansing Technique won't last forever, and I won't cast it on you a second time," Gu Mo reminded her when he noticed her momentary daze.
At his words, Yuan Niya quickly refocused. Whatever Gu Mo's situation was, it was his own affair. What truly mattered to her was accelerating her Marrow Cleansing process, as this was crucial for her bid to secure a true disciple position.
"Huff—"
As the effects of the Cleansing Technique faded, Yuan Niya collapsed, utterly drained. She looked as disheveled as possible—her sweat-soaked clothes clung to her body, and faint traces of blood dotted the fabric—but her eyes shone brightly.
The enhanced Cleansing Technique had worked wonders. After a brief rest, she would be ready to attempt her breakthrough.
"Junior Brother Gu Mo, I owe you a favor for this!"
After catching her breath, Yuan Niya stood up and spoke solemnly. Without Gu Mo's assistance, she would have needed time to recover, and in the high-stakes race for a true disciple position, every second counted.
"Alright, your cushion fell off," Gu Mo waved her off, clearly hinting that it was time for her to leave. After all, in her current state, if someone saw them together, rumors would spread like wildfire.
"Ah!"
Realizing his meaning, Yuan Niya hastily covered her chest and bolted away.
With Yuan Niya gone to attempt her breakthrough, Gu Mo also prepared to advance. However, unlike her, he was breaking through from early-stage to mid-stage Qi Refinement.
---
A month passed, and Yuan Niya did not return. She had sent Gu Mo a message via transmission jade, informing him that she had successfully broken through and was stabilizing her realm.
"In that case, it's time for me to break through as well."
Putting away the jade slip, Gu Mo took a deep breath. By now, the progress of his Cleansing Technique-enhanced Marrow Cleansing had caught up with his cultivation level, and the fusion of his three minor circulations was complete. The next step was to activate the medium circulation formed by these three smaller cycles.
Once he successfully circulated his Qi through this medium circulation, he would officially step into mid-stage Qi Refinement.
Taking out ten portions of Solar Essence as a precaution, Gu Mo then began to guide his spiritual energy through his meridians. The process went smoothly—there were no signs of Qi depletion. Given that his foundation was three times stronger than others at the same level, running out of energy was not a concern. Even if he did encounter difficulties, he could quickly replenish his Qi with the Solar Essence.
Running a medium circulation required significantly more time than a minor circulation. This was why higher-realm cultivators spent much longer on each session of cultivation compared to those in lower realms.
Especially for Gu Mo, who was running a medium circulation for the first time, he deliberately slowed down the process to avoid any errors. As a result, it took him an entire day to complete just one full cycle. However, as long as there were no mistakes, speed did not matter.
When the medium circulation finally concluded, Gu Mo immediately felt the surge of spiritual energy coursing through his body, following the new circulation path.
A vast stream of Qi flowed through him, washing over his body and meridians—this was the Marrow Cleansing effect that accompanied a breakthrough.
This purification process lasted for six full hours, meaning that Gu Mo's physique and spiritual energy capacity were now six times greater than that of an ordinary mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator.
His foundation had already been three times stronger at early-stage Qi Refinement, and now at mid-stage, it had grown to six times stronger. If this trend continued, he speculated that by late-stage Qi Refinement, his reserves might reach nine times the normal level.
A ninefold difference—an astonishing disparity. Yet, the gap between true geniuses and average cultivators in the cultivation world was often even greater. There was an old saying: The difference between people can sometimes be greater than the difference between a person and a dog.
"Refreshing!"
Having successfully stepped into mid-stage Qi Refinement, Gu Mo felt an unprecedented surge of power in both his physique and Qi reserves. At the same time, his entire demeanor had subtly shifted. The sheer strength of his foundation, six times that of his peers, naturally altered his presence. If he were to stand next to an average mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, the difference would be as stark as that between a polished jade and an uncut stone.
Gu Mo was that luminous jade. Of course, his inferior spiritual roots were an undeniable flaw, but with the Solar Flower's support, this flaw was largely mitigated.
After familiarizing himself with his newfound power, Gu Mo activated his Concealment Technique. Instantly, his aura faded, and his distinctive presence was hidden. Within moments, he once again appeared no different from a mere early-stage Qi Refinement cultivator.
No one would suspect that beneath the façade of an early-stage cultivator lay the strength of a mid-stage one.
Now that he had broken through, Gu Mo could continue absorbing Solar Essence to further increase his cultivation level. Although he had reached mid-stage Qi Refinement, he had yet to step into the fourth layer. He would only truly be considered at Qi Refinement Fourth Layer once he began opening his fourth minor circulation.
During early-stage Qi Refinement, a cultivator needed to complete one minor circulation to reach the next level. However, in mid-stage Qi Refinement, simply opening the fourth minor circulation was enough to be recognized as a Fourth Layer cultivator—it did not need to be fully completed.
This change was due to the presence of the newly formed medium circulation in a mid-stage cultivator's body, which slightly shifted their cultivation boundaries.
The downside was that mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivators had to run a medium circulation before they could expand new minor circulations. This made cultivation significantly more time-consuming and difficult. However, the immense benefits brought by the medium circulation made these challenges negligible.
After adjusting his state, Gu Mo absorbed the ten portions of Solar Essence he had prepared earlier. But as he did so, his expression grew serious—he had discovered something was wrong with the Solar Essence.