Chapter 64: Qi Cultivation at the Third Level

When Su Che returned to the Spirit Herb Garden, five great cultivators at the Yuan Ying stage were sitting in the main hall of Tian Xuan Sect—these were the five most powerful figures in the sect: the four Supreme Elders and the Supreme Patriarch. Among them was the man in white whom Su Che had seen in the Sealing Demon Realm teleportation array—Supreme Elder Zi Xiao. He still carried that same carefree and relaxed demeanor.

The Supreme Patriarch, in his forties, sat at the center. With three strands of long beard beneath his chin and wearing the Patriarchal crown, he exuded an air of elegance and dignity. At that moment, he asked, “Younger brother Zi Xiao, what did the Old Demon Black say?”

“The things that old demon said are hilarious,” Zi Xiao replied with a smile. “He said that one of our sect’s disciples could devour his True Demon Spirit, making that person an ideal disciple for him. He wants us to find such a person and send them to him. Otherwise, any more of our disciples who enter the Sealing Demon Realm for training will never return.”

Could someone really devour the True Demon Spirit of the Old Demon Black?

This news naturally caught the attention of the several great cultivators. There was a brief silence in the hall. Another Supreme Elder with white hair and beard asked, “Younger brother Zi Xiao, have you figured out who this person is?”

“No,” Zi Xiao shook his head. “Afterward, I investigated each of those disciples who went on training missions. I found nothing suspicious. Their constitutions were normal, their true energy pure, and none of them showed any signs of cultivating demonic arts.”

The other four nodded in agreement. They had no doubt about Zi Xiao’s investigative skills. After all, those disciples were only at the Qi Cultivation stage. If they possessed demonic arts, it would be impossible for them to hide from the keen eyes of Yuan Ying cultivators.

Zi Xiao added, “Besides, even if someone were a genius in the demonic path, as a human, they wouldn’t be able to devour a True Demon Spirit. Doing so would only turn them into a demon puppet. So, I think the Old Demon Black’s words can’t be trusted. I wonder what schemes he has in mind.”

“That’s right,” another Supreme Elder in middle age nodded. “I also think the Old Demon Black is deliberately trying to deceive us. He must have other plans. In the near future, we need to keep a close eye on any changes in the Sealing Demon Realm.”

The Supreme Patriarch nodded as well. “The Old Demon Black is full of tricks. It’s almost impossible to get the truth out of him.” He then asked, “Younger brother Zi Xiao, has the Seal of the Demon God shown any signs of weakening?”

“No,” Zi Xiao shook his head. “I certainly wouldn’t overlook such a thing.”

The other four were relieved. Although younger brother Zi Xiao appeared young, he was actually hundreds of years old. He was carefree in temperament but also meticulous in thought—there was no possibility of him being careless.

“Until the situation is clear, the Sealed Demon Realm shall be temporarily closed, and no disciples will be sent out for training in the near future,” the Supreme Patriarch finally decided. “Additionally, the leaders of the ten main peaks are ordered to closely monitor these disciples undergoing training. If anyone is found practicing demonic cultivation, they must not be dealt with privately—they must be brought to us immediately.”
The four elders also unanimously agreed.
…
On the other side, in the farmhouse courtyard on the third floor of the Mysterious Herb Garden on Peak Xuanji, Linglong asked, “Old man, what exactly is going on with this training? The three of us almost lost our lives!”
“It’s okay. I trust Yu Qing’s ability,” the elder of the herb garden said, sitting on a small stool and smiling as he explained. “From the moment you entered the Sealed Demon Realm, I’ve been on Peak Dangmo. I was the first to notice the abnormalities there, which is why I notified the Supreme Elder to go rescue you… If we had relied on the rescue signals you sent, it would have been too late.”
“Huh?”
Linglong was stunned and asked again, “But I still don’t understand. What’s the purpose of all your arrangements?”
“Some things aren’t ready for you to know yet,” the elder said, lowering his head to tend to the plants in front of him in a calm tone. “In any case, my arrangements will only benefit you.”
“I knew you’d say that!” Linglong snorted lightly, flicked her sleeves, and turned to leave.
The days that followed were peaceful. In the Mysterious Herb Garden, Su Che spent all his time practicing, aside from occasionally treating sick herbs. He set aside everything else and focused on reaching the third level of Qi Cultivation.
Before each session of practice, Su Che would take Earth Spirit Pills, Bone Cleansing Pills, Qi Condensing Pills, and a newly added Vitality Nourishing Pill, using their powerful medicinal effects to rapidly advance his cultivation. Normally, such a method of taking pills would have severe negative effects—unabsorbed residues accumulating in the body could cause various problems, eventually leading to the complete ruin of a cultivator’s prospects.
However, Su Che had no such concerns. The life force transformed from the low-level heavenly demons consumed by Lao He continuously supplied him with energy, strengthening his body while cleansing all impurities and residues, making Su Che’s physique as pure and crystal clear as the finest jade.
Ten days.
Twenty days.
Thirty days…
On the thirty-fourth day since returning from the Sealed Demon Realm, Su Che advanced once again, officially reaching the third level of Qi Cultivation.

“Congratulations, master! You’ve reached the third level of Qi Cultivation two months ahead of the half-year deadline we expected,” Lao He said joyfully. “If you appeared before Jiang Chen and Fat Song now, you’d surely scare them to the point of dropping their jaws.”
Su Che shook his head inwardly. “The third level of Qi Cultivation is still in the early stage. There’s no barrier to advancing at this level; it’s just a matter of natural progression. There’s no need to be complacent. Lao He, I’m thinking about whether I can take another step within these two months, overcoming the barrier of the early stage and entering the middle stage of Qi Cultivation. I believe that’s what true advancement looks like.”
“Haha, of course it’s worth trying!” Lao He laughed loudly. “I’m just worried that if you advance to the middle stage and then go through that half-year duel, you might scare Fat Song and the others into fleeing without fighting.”
“I no longer care about that duel with them,” Su Che said. “As I’ve said, they’re just petty clowns—unworthy of attention.”
“Of course!” Lao He took out another book and pointed at it, saying, “But, master, it says that crossing barriers in cultivation requires certain insights into one’s realm. Just sitting in a room and practicing hard won’t work.”
“I understand. I’ve also learned some basic knowledge about this,” Su Che replied. “The insights needed for the Qi Cultivation stages focus on understanding and controlling strength, which is generally gained through combat experience. Like everyone else, I need to go out and gain various experiences.”
“Sigh, human cultivation has so many complexities,” Lao He said, scratching his head. “Look at me, Lao He—my method to improve my strength is simple: either swallowing or devouring. In short, it’s just one word—eat!”
“You’re a monster. Who can compare to you?”
Su Che joked with him for a while before becoming serious again. “In the days to come, I need to keep practicing until I reach a critical point in the third level of Qi Cultivation. Then it won’t be too late to go out and gain experience.”
Having made up his mind, Su Che simply hung a wooden plaque outside the door with the word “Do Not Disturb” on it, clearly signaling that he was in seclusion. During this time, even if something unusual happened to the spirit herbs in the herb garden, he would have to wait before dealing with it.
It didn’t matter. After all, the Immortal Root Spirit Herbs weren’t ordinary plants. Even if they became diseased, they wouldn’t die in thirty to fifty days. As long as they hadn’t completely withered, Su Che could restore them to new life.

Another thing that surprised Su Che was that the Elder of the Medicine Garden had not summoned him at all these days. He had thought that, as a master of spirit herb cultivation, the elder would be highly interested in his special ability to heal spirit herbs, but to his surprise, the elder still hadn’t mentioned it even now. The more this was the case, the greater Su Che’s wariness toward this rather mysterious Elder became.

Twenty more days passed. By taking pills frantically, Su Che forced his cultivation level to the third layer of Qi Training to its peak, truly touching the barrier between levels, which resembled a huge mountain standing in his way. Everyone had their own way of crossing this mountain, as it required reaching a higher level of understanding in terms of recognizing and controlling one’s own strength. One’s own strength belongs only to oneself, and only oneself can study it. This meant that no matter how good a teacher might be, they couldn’t offer much help in this regard.

One day, Su Che stepped out of his thatched cottage, removed the sign indicating seclusion, and said to Lao He in his heart, “It’s time. It’s time to go out and walk around.”