On his way back after bidding farewell to Meng Yan, Qi Ping made a detour to deliver a few jars of honey, corresponding to mid-level Rank 1 spiritual medicine, to Sister Nan.
He still had a relatively ample supply of spiritual medicine at his current level, and helping Sister Nan break through to the late Qi Refining stage was something he had decided to do earlier.
Once Sister Nan reached the late Qi Refining stage and the chaos in Qingshi County settled down, she would be able to live quite comfortably.
As long as a rogue cultivator at this level concealed their strength, avoided competing for rare resources and techniques, and simply tended to a piece of Rank 1 spiritual land, they could enjoy a very comfortable life.
Free from illness and pain, with a lifespan of around 150 to 200 years—this could be considered the most comfortable state.
Qi Ping had heard from Old Man Zhou about an uncle in the Cloudy Mist Mountains who was at the late Qi Refining stage and lived exactly like this.
Having given up hope of building his foundation, this uncle moved to a low-grade Rank 1 spiritual land where mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators gathered. He didn’t have to worry about the resources he earned attracting envy, as no cultivator would risk offending a late Qi Refining cultivator for such meager gains.
The uncle’s only hobby was creating various delicious foods, reportedly because he had often gone hungry during his time as a mortal.
This choice had indeed brought him a fulfilling life. With simple desires and no worldly attachments, he was able to fulfill his lifelong wish of tasting all kinds of delicacies.
Qi Ping hoped that Sister Nan could also lead such a simple life. If she lacked the confidence to advance further, there was no need for her to face unnecessary dangers.
Of course, everyone had their own choices to make, and Qi Ping had no intention of interfering too much.
All he could do with his current capacity was help Sister Nan break through to the late Qi Refining stage, giving her a bit more strength to protect herself.
However, his timing for delivering the honey was rather inappropriate. Showing up in the middle of the night gave Sister Nan quite a fright—she initially thought a burglar had broken in, only to discover it was just Qi Ping.
After giving her the honey, Qi Ping returned to his mountain peak.
“This trip was quite rewarding!”
Teaming up with Meng Yan, they faced absolutely no risks and still reaped considerable gains. This was far more comfortable than Qi Ping working alone.
In terms of spirit stones alone, Qi Ping gained 4,312 spirit stones. Added to his original stash of just over a thousand, his total wealth in spirit stones now amounted to more than 5,300.
In the next month, Qi Ping estimated that his Nectar Honey would bring in another 3,000 or so spirit stones. The reason for such a high income was that the bees had been foraging and producing honey on their own, saving Qi Ping a significant amount of Hundred Herb Grass. Additionally, the price of Nectar Honey was slightly higher than expected. As a result, Qi Ping’s quarterly income from Nectar Honey was now projected to be slightly over 4,000 spirit stones.
In a month’s time, his spirit stone wealth was expected to reach nearly 8,000!
Combined with the assorted items in his storage bag, he could easily amass around 9,000 spirit stones.
This amount was more than enough to purchase a soul-type spirit beast. Even some Foundation Building cultivators didn’t possess such wealth.
“From now until I reach the Foundation Building stage, I’ll limit the production of Nectar Honey to this level. Any more than this would likely increase the risks.”
Earning spirit stones was meant to support his cultivation, not to become his ultimate goal.
“In the future, when I have more spirit stones, I can ask Brother Meng to help me purchase items. I can offer a premium of around 20%. This way, Brother Meng will have an incentive and be more willing to help, while I can avoid getting involved in sect conflicts.”
Aside from spirit stones, Qi Ping’s other gains from this trip were the Firefly Pills and related spiritual herbs.
He acquired four mid-level Rank 1 spiritual herbs and two high-level Rank 1 spiritual herbs, three of which were still viable and could be replanted. Although these herbs weren’t particularly useful to him at the moment, he took them to serve as experimental samples for developing more honey recipes in the future.
Lastly, there was a hammer stored in a specially made large jade box. This hammer was previously used by Meng Yan and was classified as a high-grade magical instrument. It was extremely durable, capable of withstanding millions of strikes.
Meng Yan had since upgraded to a top-grade magical hammer.
However, Qi Ping had no immediate plans to use this hammer. The insights into the Fire Dao Intent contained within it were precious, and it would be more appropriate for him to comprehend them after contracting a new animal partner and gaining a new soul talent.
“At the latest, I should be able to contract my third animal partner within two months!”
“For now, the most important tasks are to improve my cultivation as quickly as possible, advance to the ninth level of Qi Refining soon, and simultaneously use the Firefly Pills to enhance my physical strength and fire attribute talent.”
“This way, not only will the power of my Explosive Flame spell increase, but I also won’t risk injuring my meridians due to insufficient physical strength when casting it.”
After this recent battle, Qi Ping’s fondness for the Explosive Flame spell had grown even stronger. Its performance in actual combat was truly outstanding.
Not only did it possess strong explosive power and support long-range attacks, but its utility for survival and escape was also top-notch. When combined with the Beast King’s Flame, it was simply perfect.
Qi Ping estimated that once he mastered the Explosive Flame spell to perfection, he would have likely gained some insight into the Fire Dao Intent. By then, he would be able to confront Lin Qingshu, the woman in green, head-on without any issues.
“Time to work hard!”
As he drew closer to the Foundation Building stage, Qi Ping’s motivation burned brighter than ever.
Through relentless effort, Qi Ping successfully broke through to the eighth level of Qi Refining in just five days!
After reaching the eighth level of Qi Refining, the intensity and volume of the spiritual power within his body increased by several dozen percent. With this overlay, his combat power received a significant boost.
Feeling the enhanced strength and physical body, along with the vigorous vitality within him, Qi Ping felt incredibly exhilarated!
“If I were to fight that disciple from the Heavenly Fire Pavilion again, I could block his flying sword with even greater ease!”
Moreover, despite such a rapid breakthrough, Qi Ping’s foundation remained solid and stable—a feat nearly impossible for an ordinary late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.
If an average late-stage Qi Refining cultivator were to refine spiritual medicine as frantically as Qi Ping did to enhance their cultivation, spiritual power instability would be inevitable, not to mention the risk of losing control over it.
“So this is one of the benefits of high talent—incredible!”
Having spiritual medicine but not daring to use it would have been the most frustrating thing for Qi Ping.
Of course, the most important factor was Qi Ping’s growing comprehension of the Fire Dao Intent and the Dao Heart realm. This was the key to his ability to control more spiritual power.
Ten days after Qi Ping’s breakthrough to the eighth level of Qi Refining—half a month after he killed the twin demonesses—the first batch of Firefly Honey was successfully produced.
“This batch of Firefly Honey was created using ten honey brewing recipes I designed after studying The Alchemist’s Notes and Comprehensive Guide to Spiritual Herb Properties, based on the Firefly Pill formula.”
“I wonder if the results will bring any pleasant surprises.”
Currently, Qi Ping had made significant progress in both the Explosive Flame spell and his cultivation realm. The only thing left was to enhance his physical strength. Otherwise, getting injured every time he cast the Explosive Flame spell was hardly sustainable.
Perhaps even the creator of the Explosive Flame spell never imagined that a Qi Refining cultivator would possess a congenital spiritual fire.
