Chapter Eighteen: Breakthrough!

Qin Ming sat cross-legged on the woven grass mat in his room, cradling a bowl of Blood Locust Rice in his hands. The grains of this spiritual rice, writhing like tiny insects, emitted a blood-red mist that bathed Qin Ming’s face in a crimson glow. A broad grin stretched across his lips as the joy of a fruitful harvest welled up inside him. Even the scent alone brought with it a surge of potent vital energy. Consuming Blood Locust Rice demanded great fortitude of flesh and blood from any cultivator—one could not afford to indulge in excess. With his current strength, Qin Ming reckoned he could just barely withstand the effects of this single bowl.

He brought a spoonful of the rice to his lips.

Boom!

An immense tide of vital energy shot straight to the crown of his head! Even though Qin Ming had braced himself, the force nearly overwhelmed him. He hastily began to circulate his qi and blood in accordance with the "Jewel-Glazed Scripture," refining his marrow and exchanging his blood.

In an instant, thick blood mist began to rise from his body. An unbearable itch tormented him from within, as though countless insects were wriggling beneath his skin. He felt his blood boil and surge in every vein. Through repeated cycles of compression and refinement, the vital essence within him gradually began to thicken and transform.

Qin Ming finished the remaining Blood Locust Rice. Immediately, his vitality reached a new pinnacle.

Boom!

His eyes snapped open as the scabs formed from blood refinement sloughed off his skin in layers.

The fourth layer of the "Jewel-Glazed Scripture"—broken through!

"At last..." Qin Ming felt the torrent of power coursing through him and could not help but feel exhilarated. "Reaching the fourth layer is equivalent to the mid-stage of body refinement."

So much had changed in just a single year that even he found it hard to believe.

"Fourth layer... still not enough. I need to push for the fifth as soon as possible," he resolved, clenching his fists.

In the days that followed, Qin Ming devoted himself solely to tending his spiritual fields and training relentlessly in the "Jewel-Glazed Scripture." He kept to himself, rarely venturing out, and with the aid of the Blood Locust Rice, his progress in body refinement advanced at a breakneck pace. Time slipped by as he threw himself into cultivation.

Half a year passed in a blink.

Inside his room, Qin Ming sat with his eyes tightly shut. After countless rounds of marrow refinement and blood exchange, the vital force within him was now more compressed and concentrated than ever before. He had reached an unprecedented level of strength—one last barrier remained before he could break through to the fifth layer.

Without hesitation, he called upon the "abundant vitality" stored within his sea of consciousness.

In that instant, darkness swept over him, and it felt as though a surging tide crashed down from above, nearly suffocating him. The surge of energy contained within this "abundant vitality" was nearly equal to that of the Blood Locust Rice.

Whoosh, whoosh—

Suddenly, Qin Ming could hear the sound of vital power coursing and circulating in his ears. The vision before him changed abruptly. Turning his spiritual sight inward, he discovered that inside his body was now a boundless sea of blood; the vital force had thickened into a substance as dense as mercury. Arcane currents of power surrounded and enveloped him, making him appear minuscule amid the vast crimson tide.

Suddenly, from the depths of the blood sea, a massive tsunami began to rise, its violent waves swallowing Qin Ming whole.

Boom!

His mind exploded with thunderous noise, his ears ringing. Within, his vital energy underwent yet another metamorphosis, further strengthening his flesh, tendons, bones, and constitution.

A layer of radiant light, pure as glazed crystal, began to manifest around him, like a robe draping over every inch of his skin.

This was the "Glazed Treasure Garment," formed when one’s vital force reached the density of liquid mercury—a sign that he had attained the fifth layer of the "Jewel-Glazed Scripture." His body refinement had undergone a true transformation.

Qin Ming’s present strength far surpassed other cultivators at the same stage. He drew his Azure Spirit Sword and dragged it forcefully across his skin. Only a faint white mark appeared, which vanished in an instant.

"It seems ordinary magic weapons can no longer harm me!" Qin Ming was overjoyed, a newfound sense of security welling up within him. Even more importantly, the "Glazed Treasure Garment" possessed the power to ward off magical attacks.

"The fifth layer is this formidable! It seems the scripture’s claims were all true after all!"

"I’ve now mastered the first five layers of the 'Jewel-Glazed Scripture.' I must quickly acquire the remaining four layers from Daoist Ruan."

Feeling his power swell, Qin Ming could not help but look forward eagerly to the advanced techniques to come. His rapid progress was thanks in large part to the potent boost provided by the Blood Locust Rice; otherwise, given the rare spiritual materials required by the scripture, reaching this level might have taken ages.

Qin Ming’s heart soared with delight.

After washing up, Qin Ming drew his vital energy inward, concealing it. Outwardly, his skin still bore the sun-baked hue of a spiritual farmer, but his spirit and bearing had been utterly transformed: his aura was restrained, but his eyes shone with keen vitality.

"Now, in this chaotic world of cultivation, I at least possess some means of self-preservation," he thought. "This is the first trump card I’ve gained since entering the cultivation world all those years ago."

"It hasn’t been easy at all..."

The tension that had gripped Qin Ming since the recent spate of bandit cultivator activity finally eased, and the taut strings within him loosened at last.

Only two months remained until his plot of Beast Fang Rice would be ready for harvest. When that time came, not only could he trade for the remaining volumes of the "Jewel-Glazed Scripture," but he would also advance to the rank of First-Tier Low-Grade Spiritual Plant Master.

From then on, he could enjoy the privilege of paying only half the spiritual rice tax in the Spiritfeather Sect. His status among the spiritual farmers would rise, and his income from spiritual rice would increase substantially.

However, promotion to First-Tier Plant Master required passing a test of spiritual plant knowledge within the sect. As for successfully growing first-tier spiritual plants, he had already done so with Beast Fang Rice and Shade-Congealing Flower—both achievements had been recorded and reported by the sect’s registrars.

Only the knowledge assessment remained.

Qin Ming was determined to earn the title of First-Tier Spiritual Plant Master. With it, future cultivation would bring many conveniences.

Having exhausted the available body refinement techniques, Qin Ming could do nothing but wait patiently for his Beast Fang Rice to ripen in two months’ time. In the interim, he threw himself into studying spiritual plant lore in preparation for the test.

He also began to learn the art of alchemy. From Shopkeeper Liao, he purchased a small pill furnace and attempted to concoct several batches of basic pills—all of which ended in failure.

"It seems that without a mentor, simply reading isn’t enough..." Qin Ming gazed at the charred remains of spiritual herbs in the furnace, letting out a long, helpless sigh. Alchemy truly depended on talent, and in this, he was nothing special. It appeared he would have to rely on experience, planting herbs on a large scale in the future.

He could only hope that when the Shade-Congealing Flower matured, Master Su would be willing to give him some pointers.