: A Ritual Ceremony at the End of the Year; The Third Stage of Qi Refining Completed

Yan Chen suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, waiting for the cauldron to darken and the steam to dissipate.

Only then did he gently approach and see that there was indeed a pile of dregs inside the furnace.

He didn't care much, but simply activated his cultivation technique, raising his hand to draw out a dark energy that lingered around his fingertips.

Observe it closely.

The Earth element (己土) is Yin, and its nature is moist and soft. It can store and contain, and is good at nurturing and transforming. It is the virtue of bearing and supporting.

Before long, Yan Chen laughed heartily, raised his hand and placed it into the cauldron to nurture it, thinking to himself:

"It wasn't in vain that I spent several days working so hard; I've finally obtained this Dao of Earth Qi."

"Now, all I need to do is use it to harmonize the Jia wood and Bing fire in my body, and with some hard work, refine my Qi to the third level. I'm sure there won't be any more obstacles!"

"There are still five days until that ritual... Let's hurry!"

Once the decision was made, Yan Chen did not delay any longer. The two energies of wood and fire, along with the fontanelle, dispersed and intertwined, revealing a dignified and translucent color.

He raised his sleeve, drawing out the essence of the Earth Qi, and slowly refined it.

I'm going all out to break through to the third level of Qi Refining.

……

……

Spiritual practice knows no years, yet days and months flow by like a river.

Five days later.

Outside the Gold Melting Valley, three figures silently descended the mountain.

Xuchunfang.

The sky is clear and blue, the water stretches for miles, the snow has melted, tender seedlings are sprouting, the end of the year is approaching, and the spring breeze is blowing into our hearts.

The market was brightly decorated with banners, bustling with people and even more lively than usual.

But it's not just because of the "end of the year," it's also for that annual "ritual"!

The so-called "Jiaoji" is to purify one's body and mind, cleanse one's spirit and soul, and set up an altar to perform rituals and offer sacrifices and prayers to the eight "celestial officials" on the Great Fuli Land.

Different people naturally have different wishes in their hearts.

Ordinary people simply pray for favorable weather and fertile land; wealthy gentry and merchants, on the other hand, pray for abundant wealth and long life.

At 1:15 AM, a hundred steps from the Zhao family residence, one can see an open plain, which is now bustling with people, but there is a vacant area.

There, a shrine over two zhang tall was set up, with a long table below it, and offerings of melons, fruits, pears, peaches, chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep.

There was also an object covered with red silk, placed in the center of the table.

They were all placed facing south.

This year's ritual is being presided over by the Zhao family. At this moment, the members of the Zhao family are following Zhao Qingyun's actions, burning incense to invite the gods and paying their respects.

Zhao Dengke was naturally among them.

Between bows and kowtows, his gaze unconsciously drifted to the outline covered with red silk, and his heart couldn't help but pound.

Ever since that strange dream and the inexplicable loss of the ancestral cauldron, he has been living in constant fear, terrified that his father will find out about it.

So he bought a similar-looking cauldron to temporarily replace it, but secretly he was always looking for traces of the ancestral cauldron, but unfortunately he had not found it.

Based on the content of his dream, he secretly felt that this matter might be related to Li Xuanyi. He originally wanted to ask him indirectly, but to his surprise, he couldn't even catch a glimpse of Li Xuanyi for several days.

It was as if... the other person was deliberately avoiding him.

"It's alright, it's alright. It's just an old cauldron. What's so special about it? Even if it were replaced, Father might not be able to tell."

"As for Li Xuanyi..."

As Zhao Dengke stood up, he glanced in the direction of the Li family and, sure enough, saw Li Xuanyi's figure appear. A weight was lifted from his heart.

"It's good that he's here. Although it's hard on my conscience, for the future of the Zhao family, I have no choice but to let Senior Brother Li suffer!"

Over there in the crowd, Li Xuanyi had been keeping an eye on the Zhao family members and naturally noticed Zhao Dengke's gaze, which stirred up strange emotions within him.

That night, I had a strange dream, and the details of it lingered in my mind for a long time.

Therefore, these days, whenever he thinks of Zhao Dengke and wants to catch up with him, he often thinks of him.

Involuntarily, the scene of the other party betraying and killing him would appear in his mind.

This puzzled him greatly.

I wanted to ask Yan Chen, but he had been staying at home these past few days, so I had no chance and had to give up.

Thinking of this, Li Xuanyi looked around and then saw Yu Shunan, Cui Yong and others walking towards him.

Since it wasn't time for the ritual yet, everyone was quite relaxed.

Li Xuanyi looked at everyone and asked:

"Does the shopkeeper have any plans to personally participate in today's ritual?"

Yu Shunan shook her head helplessly and said:

"Senior brother has been in seclusion for several days, probably trying to break through to the third level of Qi Refining. I reckon he won't be out of seclusion anytime soon!"

"How long has it been since Senior Brother Yan broke through to the second level of Qi Refining? Reaching the third level of Qi Refining isn't that easy!"

Upon hearing this, Cui Yong subconsciously replied.

But then, as if remembering something, he cleared his throat and added:

"Hmm...of course, Senior Brother Yan is exceptionally talented and cannot be judged by ordinary standards. Who knows, he might even reach the third level of Qi Refining today?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Shunan gave him a disdainful look.

Just as the group was talking, Zhao Dengke also came over and said to Li Xuanyi with a smile:

"Senior Brother Li, I've missed you dearly these past few days. Since the ritual hasn't started yet, why don't you come to my residence for a short chat?"

Before Li Xuanyi could speak, Cui Yong immediately launched into a sarcastic remark:

"Why did you only invite Senior Brother Li and not us fellow disciples? Could it be that Senior Brother Zhao has some other plan that he doesn't want to reveal?"

"you……"

Zhao Dengke glanced coldly at Cui Yong, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

But it vanished without a trace in an instant.

Li Xuanyi stepped lightly, blocking the two of them, and said:

"Since Junior Brother Zhao has invited me, I shouldn't refuse. So I'll go."

After saying that, the two walked through the crowd and entered the back courtyard of the Zhao family.

Here, there is a guest room, surrounded by greenery, quiet and secluded, rarely visited by anyone.

Looking at the scenery, Li Xuanyi suddenly felt something and was about to ask something.

Suddenly, a tall and imposing figure appeared at the head of the guest hall, wearing a fur coat and a cloak. His head was bowed, obscuring his face, and a black scabbard was placed diagonally on the table.

Seeing this, Li Xuanyi subconsciously felt the urge to retreat and stopped in his tracks.

This was also the first time Zhao Dengke had met this heretical sect leader. He was so intimidated by the imposing aura of the second level of Qi Refining that he couldn't help but swallow hard.

Turning to Li Xuanyi, he introduced:

"Senior Brother Li, who is this...?"

"The person has been brought; you may leave now!"

Before he could finish speaking, the imposing middle-aged man stood up, grabbed his sword sheath, walked out of the guest hall, and strode toward the two of them.

Zhao Dengke looked somewhat bewildered, unsure of what to do.

Just then, Zhao Qingyun appeared out of nowhere, ran forward, and pulled Zhao Dengke outside.

Li Xuanyi looked at the imposing middle-aged man before him and asked in a deep voice:

"I am Li Xuanyi, a disciple of the Jade Sleeve Sect. May I ask... what is your name, sir?"

Zeng Deyan smiled wryly, said nothing more, raised his large hand, which resembled an eagle's claw, and was about to grab the other person's head.

Li Xuanyi broke out in a cold sweat instantly, feeling as if he were facing not a person, but a majestic mountain with an imposing aura that made it impossible for him to muster any will to resist.

Second level of Qi Refining!

This is the absolute suppression of the first level of Qi Refining by the second level!

This has nothing to do with cultivation techniques or Taoist arts, and it is not related to the way of fighting.

Faced with such a cultivator who fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the aura he intentionally exuded was enough to crush the will of most cultivators at the first level of Qi Refining.

Just as that palm was about to touch Li Xuanyi.

A soft, cheerful voice suddenly broke the silence of the otherwise quiet courtyard.

"If the market is holding a religious ceremony, what is the reason for my absence as the manager of Cui Shu Lou?"