Translator: Anubis Translations
Gu Feng made a quick stop at the Trading Hall to exchange all the resources he had obtained from the Jade Maiden Sect into Spirit Stones. With a fortune of five million Spirit Stones in hand, he hurried back to his courtyard.
"Huh, Wu Qi and the others are already gone? I was planning to treat them to a meal..."
Gu Feng muttered to himself. It seemed that Wu Qi and the others had left early, knowing they wouldn't get a meal from Gu Feng.
After closing the courtyard gate and entering his room, Gu Feng began his cultivation.
He set aside the over four million Spirit Stones that Guo Renkai and others had returned to him. This would be his capital for future earnings.
He then poured six million Spirit Stones, along with the five million he had swindled from the Jade Maiden Sect, into the Three-Mouth Incense Burner. Seven million went into the white burner, and four million into the golden one.
Soon, the two burners emitted a faint humming sound, like machinery starting up. From the bottom of each burner, a milky white and a golden liquid began to emerge.
After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the humming stopped, and Gu Feng's consciousness sank into his mind. He noticed that the same drop of Divine Fluid consumed nearly twice as many Spirit Stones in the golden burner compared to the milky white one.
"Let's try the golden Divine Fluid first."
Gu Feng opened his mouth and swallowed a drop of the golden liquid.
Hmm?
After a while, there was no movement in his body, which left him puzzled. After swallowing ten drops of the golden liquid, he was completely frustrated—it seemed to have no effect at all.
To be precise, it wasn't entirely useless. At least after swallowing ten drops, he felt a bit full.
"Perhaps I'm using it wrong. I'll figure it out later. For now, I'll refine the milky white Divine Fluid."
With practiced ease, Gu Feng guided the drops of milky white liquid into his mouth, one after another, like a string of pearls.
"Refine—"
He whispered, starting to circulate the unnamed cultivation method he had obtained from Chu Youhuan.
Thunderous sounds echoed within his body, like the precursor to a storm. His Dantian churned violently, and the spiritual energy that surged out of it traveled through his meridians, growing stronger before returning to the Dantian.
This cycle repeated endlessly.
The horizontal bar beneath the mouth of the white Incense Burner began to slowly move forward. Gu Feng understood that this was his progress bar for the Qi Refining Realm.
Watching his cultivation level visibly increase was quite satisfying.
The bright moonlight shone through the window, casting a mysterious aura on Gu Feng's already handsome profile.
Gu Feng opened his eyes, and two beams of light shot out from his pupils. Several hours of cultivation had significantly advanced his progress. According to the standards of the Nine Heavens, he should now be between the third and fourth levels of Qi Refining.
"My actual combat strength should be able to defeat someone at the seventh level of Qi Refining."
Gu Feng made a rough assessment of his own strength.
Such an exaggerated cultivation speed would be enough to shock anyone if it were made public. Fortunately, his Myriad Tribulations Physique always appeared to others as the first level of Qi Refining until he broke through to a major realm, preventing others from seeing through him.
"The Myriad Tribulations Physique does have its advantages!"
Gu Feng chuckled smugly, pulling a roasted beast leg from his Storage Pouch. He took a few bites, then frowned.
"I'm so rich, yet I'm eating stale food every day!"
Despite his complaints, Gu Feng couldn't bring himself to throw it away. Every Spirit Stone was hard-earned, and he had to cherish them.
After eating and drinking his fill, he began to ponder the use of the golden Spirit Fluid.
Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind, and his eyes lit up.
"I understand!"
In the Body Tempering Realm, cultivation didn't require a specific method; one only needed to consume enough of the milky white Divine Fluid to advance.
The Qi Refining Realm, however, was quite different. Ordinary cultivators would sit in meditation daily, circulating their cultivation methods to absorb spiritual energy and increase their cultivation. For Gu Feng, he needed to circulate his method to refine the milky white Divine Fluid.
By this logic, to refine the golden Divine Fluid, he would also need a corresponding method—likely a Body Refinement method.
"I need to find a suitable Body Refinement method as soon as possible, or I won't be able to refine the golden Divine Fluid."
Body Refinement methods were relatively rare, and one that could help Gu Feng survive the Thunder Tribulation wouldn't be something common. This undoubtedly increased the difficulty, giving him a headache.
"I'll go to the Cultivation Method Hall tomorrow morning."
The moonlight was soft, and the night was quiet.
When Gu Feng woke up again, it was already bright outside. After a quick cleanup, he headed to the Cultivation Method Hall.
"Good morning, Elder Wu!"
Gu Feng greeted the elder and tried to slip into the Cultivation Method Hall, but he was caught by the arm and couldn't move.
"You brat, do you have any sect contribution points? You just run in here like it's a store?"
"Haha—" Gu Feng forced a laugh. "Elder Wu, I was just about to go out and earn some points. I came here first to see how many points I'd need to exchange for a suitable method, so I don't waste time running back and forth!"
"Get out of here! No points, no entry!" Elder Wu's eyelids twitched. This kid was treating the Cultivation Method Hall like a regular store, just wandering in to browse. If everyone did that, he'd be overwhelmed.
"Alright, Elder Wu, I'll leave right away!"
Gu Feng smiled and backed away, but when the elder wasn't looking, he suddenly sprinted inside. "Elder Wu, I'll just take a quick look and then leave."
"That brat!" Elder Wu cursed with a bitter smile but didn't drag him out.
Gu Feng knew that he couldn't always strike gold, so without hesitation, he rushed straight to the third floor.
The third floor contained high-grade Mortal Grade methods, which were far fewer in number than those on the first floor.
His eyes scanned each method carefully. Most of them were Martial Skills, with few cultivation methods and even fewer Body Refinement methods.
After finally finding one, he lost interest after reading the description. This Body Refinement method, even when fully mastered, might not surpass his current physical strength, making it useless.
"It seems there are no good Body Refinement methods in the outer sect!"
Gu Feng muttered and decided not to bother going to the fourth floor, heading back down instead.
"What's wrong? It looks like you're not impressed with the methods in our outer sect's Cultivation Method Hall!"
Elder Wu asked, noticing Gu Feng's furrowed brows.
"Elder Wu, does our Sunset Glow Sect have any powerful Body Refinement methods?" Gu Feng asked with a frown.
"Of course, no. The founder of our sect, Luo Qingyan, was a female cultivator. Do you think most female cultivators would want to turn themselves into muscular, thick-skinned beings with arms thicker than others' calves?"
Damn, that made perfect sense.
"Haha, I do have a Body Refinement method here. Want to give it a try?"
"How much does it cost? I can't afford anything expensive!"
"You brat, always talking about money. Are you obsessed with it?" Elder Wu scolded with a laugh, pulling out a crumpled, yellowed method from his Storage Pouch.
"I practice this Body Refinement method myself, and I guarantee it's amazing." Elder Wu handed the method to Gu Feng with a proud smile.
Gu Feng glanced at the method, then at Elder Wu. The elder's scruffy appearance didn't exactly scream "Body Refinement expert."
Well, it's free, so might as well take a look.
Gu Feng read the first few pages carefully and began practicing according to the instructions.
The golden liquid he had swallowed the night before trembled slightly before settling down again.
Gu Feng's heart skipped a beat. In that moment, he realized two things.
One, the golden Divine Fluid indeed required a Body Refinement method to be effective.
Two, the Body Refinement method Elder Wu had given him wasn't high-grade enough.
"Elder Wu, this Body Refinement method is too difficult. I think I'll focus on improving my cultivation level first."
Gu Feng pursed his lips and handed the method back to Elder Wu.
The elder looked proud, his eyes filled with the implication that Gu Feng's talent made the method challenging.
Before Elder Wu could say anything, Gu Feng bolted, clearly not speaking his true feelings.
"Hey, brat, stop! Are you saying my Body Refinement method is garbage?"
Elder Wu's beard trembled with anger as he shouted at Gu Feng's retreating figure.
(End of the Chapter)
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