As the sun rose and the moon set, time flowed like a river. Soon, more than half a year had passed.
During this interval, those in Qingshi County who had arrogantly waited for Qi Ping to show himself had shifted from absolute confidence to utter despair. They had found virtually nothing in the county. The only secret realm they had identified turned out to be a massive breeding nest for Demon Insects; once the occupants fled, the nest was hollowed out, leaving nothing of value behind.
They could never have imagined that the person they were trying to hunt was hiding in a godforsaken corner of the Cloud-Mist Mountain Range, staying there for over six months! This was not something a normal cultivator would do; even those who had given up on progress would rarely choose to dwell in such a desolate place.
While the cultivators from the sects rivaling the Qingyuan Sect were fuming with rage, Qi Ping's past six months had been quite comfortable and pleasant. Every day was filled with cultivation, research into formations, and the nurturing of spirit herbs. When he grew weary, he played with the little flower spirit and the spirit fox. It was a fulfilling and leisurely existence.
Qi Ping had come to love this immersive life of cultivation. To him, this was the life he had yearned for. Enlightenment did not necessarily have to be found in slaughter; sensing the laws of heaven and earth and studying the patterns of nature could lead one just as close to the essence of the Great Dao.
Over the past half-year, Qi Ping had successfully nurtured five-hundred-year-old Fire-Spirit Grass and Fire-Glow Fruit. These had already been brewed into honey by the Brewmaster Belly-Bees. This was the spiritual resource he had prepared for his assault on the Foundation Establishment stage.
The Star-Spirit Wood had also condensed five bottles of Spirit Liquid, which Qi Ping intended to use as a backup should his spiritual energy fall short during the breakthrough.
Another event that brought Qi Ping joy was the maturation of the Soul-Nurturing Grass. The two stalks given to him by Hong Li of the Ningshan Family happened to be male and female. Once they matured and pollinated each other, they provided Qi Ping with many new seeds. Under the effect of his Plant Growth, he no longer lacked Soul-Nurturing Grass.
Especially after his Plant Growth skill reached Level 4, his speed in nurturing Qi Refinement-level herbs was incredibly fast, given his current soul strength. Growing herbs within the Rank 1 category was no longer a time-consuming task for him. His production was now sufficient to support not only himself but all his animal companions, with the exception of Ya Ya.
Ya Ya had already broken through to Rank 2. The herbs it required were not things Qi Ping could easily nurture yet. Fortunately, Ya Ya only needed to bask in the sun to satisfy its needs, saving Qi Ping from expending extra effort.
With an ample supply of Soul-Nurturing Grass, Qi Ping formulated a potent honey based on his Encyclopedia of Spirit Herb Properties and Alchemical Notes. This concoction effectively increased soul strength, and as a result, Qi Ping's own soul had seen a significant boost. At this point, following his physical body, Qi Ping's soul had also reached a peak state. His only regret was lacking a proper soul-cultivation manual.
Regarding the Soul-Nurturing Grass, the greatest beneficiaries were the little spirit fox and the flower spirit. Both were Rank 1 soul-type pets, so their soul strength skyrocketed after consuming the Soul-Nurturing Honey. By now, the little spirit fox had advanced from the mid-level of Rank 1 to the late-level. Though it looked small and delicate, its soul attacks were formidable; an ordinary cultivator at the seventh layer of Qi Refinement would likely suffer a bitter defeat at its hands.
However, the one who grew the most was the flower spirit. Under the influence of Plant Growth, it soared from the early-level of Rank 1 to the peak. Yet, after reaching the peak, it found no opportunity to break through to Rank 2. It had been stuck at this bottleneck for over half a year. Its soul strength was likely far superior to a normal peak Rank 1 Hundred-Eyed Flower Spirit, yet there was still no sign of evolution.
Qi Ping felt a hint of disappointment. Plant Growth could not help the flower spirit bypass the bottleneck of a major rank; it still had to rely on its own efforts. This allowed Qi Ping to gain a deeper understanding of why breaking through to Foundation Establishment was so difficult for humans. Even spirit beasts, who relied heavily on bloodline, struggled to shatter the shackles of their rank despite an abundance of spiritual energy and resources.
He realized he needed to find proper methods for nurturing spirit beasts. The little spirit fox and the flower spirit were, after all, young beasts. If the nurturing methods were improper, they would struggle to take that final step even with sufficient resources. Cultivation was difficult for humans and spirit beasts alike.
However, Qi Ping remained confident in Ya Ya and the bees. Ya Ya possessed an incredibly firm will and a heart for cultivation. It was a bird that had experienced the nirvana of life and death, and its diligence was unmatched—it practiced and sensed the laws almost every waking moment as if it knew no fatigue. Qi Ping believed Ya Ya would continue to advance triumphantly.
As for the bees, the overall quality of the swarm had improved dramatically after the Queen Bee's successful evolution. With the support of his herbs and the increased success rate from the Beast King's Grace, Qi Ping had no doubt that the swarm could evolve. Once he reached Foundation Establishment, the speed of his Plant Growth would increase again. By then, he could nurture even more five-hundred-year-old Blood Ginseng to create bloodline alienation liquids. Transforming the swarm to Rank 2 was only a matter of time.
For the Rank 2 swarm, Qi Ping planned to be extremely selective. He intended to nurture multiple Rank 2 alienated variants at once and then choose the three to five strongest types to focus on. Only by maintaining this specific number could he ensure the Queen Bee received the highest quality evolution.
Only someone like Qi Ping would dare to be so selective during a Rank 2 evolution. The price of a five-hundred-year-old Blood Ginseng was higher and the item rarer than many common Foundation Establishment herbs. Most insect-taming cultivators were lucky if they could evolve two or three insects to Rank 2; they could never dream of cherry-picking variants like Qi Ping.
But to Qi Ping, the minor loss of resources was worth it. The Queen Bee had already proven its potential, so he naturally wanted the strongest variants to ensure its continued growth.
Furthermore, the corpse of the Demon Insect King was his ultimate trump card! He was certain that once the swarm absorbed a portion of the Demon Insect King's bloodline, their rank would rise to an incredible level! Their bloodline strength might even surpass his other three animal companions.
However, the corpse was finite, and bloodline absorption was extremely difficult. To ensure success, he had to nurture the strongest possible base swarm. This "best-of-the-best" plan was vital to ensuring he produced the highest-grade swarm possible. The cost—an extra two or three months of his time—was entirely worth it.
Of course, the most important development over the past six months was that, with an ample supply of honey, Qi Ping had finally reached the peak of Qi Refinement!
Sitting within the illusion array, Qi Ping felt a sense of completion wash over him. His realm had finally reached the pinnacle of the Qi Refinement stage.
"It wasn't easy. It has been over a year since I reached the ninth layer!"
Qi Ping found it difficult to calculate exactly how many resources he had consumed during this time to reach the peak. This was even with his high fire-element talent and comprehension. Looking at it this way, it was understandable why those lacking talent and resources remained stuck at the seventh or eighth layer for their entire lives—they simply couldn't make the climb!
Qi Ping could already faintly sense how difficult cultivation at the Foundation Establishment stage would be. But for now, the most important thing was to break through. Once he reached Foundation Establishment, he would possess a lifespan exceeding five hundred years!