As soon as the pill landed in his mouth, it didn't even reach his throat before completely melting down in his mouth.
Soon, Ning Qi felt his brain go into an extremely calm state of mind, not even having any thoughts unless he allowed them. Usually, when people think they need to be calm, it is a common problem that they will get even more absurd thoughts into their minds.
"Such calmness and single-mindedness are very hard to achieve."
Ning Qi commented to himself before concentrating on his technique. He doesn't want to waste this precious pill's effect.
He was previously halfway done with the eighth path. When he tried to guide spiritual energy now, it moved according to his will without even putting up any struggle.
Before, he had to constantly fight against it and also move inch by inch, or else it would take an altogether different meridian, completely disturbing the pattern.
In just around 10 minutes, he cleared the eighth path, and then it took another 20 minutes to reach the ninth one.
Ning Qi heaved a sigh as one major part was completed. The next part is to create the 'shed' aka 'Divine Mark' using his physical energy to hold that compressed spiritual energy, and then process it into an entirely powerful 'divine energy'.
According to the system, Ning Qi would need five days to form the divine mark patterns. But Ning Qi was confident that he would have reached it in three days with sufficient effort.
That means it's only one day for Ning Jing with a full effort... now Ning Qi probably doesn't even need five hours to finish.
Ning Qi slowly concentrated to exert his physical energy on his wrist, right beside the first divine mark.
He felt as though creating the mark was quite an itchy process. If any people were here, they would have marveled at the white symbol that is slowly growing on his wrist. Four hours passed before Ning Qi opened his eyes to look at the divine mark.
Both divine marks looked as though the Roman numeral II was on his wrist, and they are looking very vivid and lifelike.
Ning Qi took a long breath as the first molding is going to start now, and that is going to be hellishly painful. Not to mention that he'll have to go through eight more after the first one.
He took his mobile to check the time, and at the same time, the half-eaten burger, which had completely turned cold. As he ate the burger, Ning Qi adjusted his mind to the pain.
"It's already 1:30 a.m. I need to hurry up and finish the refining process before sunrise." Ning Qi thought as he ate. He has 30 minutes for each refining based on the calculation of remaining time until sunrise.
He quickly stuffed that burger into his mouth before swallowing it completely. Then he slowly guided that compressed spiritual energy into the divine mark.
As soon as the spiritual energy and the physical energy in the marking touched, they clashed like deadly enemies meeting after a long time apart.
Qi felt extreme pain, as though someone was peeling his skin off first and then poking that bare flesh with needles that were coated with red chili powder.
Sweat started to ooze from his forehead, but he gritted his teeth and continued the process. That process took around two minutes before the pain suddenly disappeared.
"Don't think about the pain! Just think about the strength that you will gain."
Ni Qi took his shirt off and started cleaning his sweat off while canting those words to himself.
He took about 20 minutes to calm down before proceeding to the second refining. The pain this time increased by at least 10 percent, which still didn't make Ning Qi utter much, just a bit stronger gritting on his teeth.
With each process, Ning Qi felt the pain increase by around ten percent. By the time the seventh refining was finished, Ning Qi started whimpering a bit, as it really was not something he could hold any more.
After completing the eighth one, Ning Qi's eyes started flowing with tears. This kind of pain is not something many people can take, and also, those tears aren't because he was sad or happy.
They are the result of an enormous amount of endorphins released by his body to relieve pain.
"System! I don't think it is a good thing for other disciples to practice this kind of technique, at least on the initial levels of their cultivation."
Ning Qi commented after finishing the eighth refining process. His body is kind of shivering from all the physical struggle that is going on to keep up with the pain.
Also, even though he is the 'sect master' of this sect, he was just an average Joe, 20 or so days ago. He felt he wouldn't be able to go through the next round of refining or the ninth round of refining, as his mind was kind of telling him to stop whatever he was doing.
His body is also rejecting the kind of traumatic memory created in his cells. If they could talk, they would have berated him for putting them in such intense pain.
[Ding! It is because the host didn't consider the system's suggestion properly. Every refining process needs a certain gap in between each one, at least a day or two in between, to let the body forget that pain. But the host just went for eight refinements in the span of four hours, which is abnormal even at the cosmic level.]
The system responded back as though it were berating Ning Qi for not taking its warning seriously.
Ning Qi sighed, and he knew the system told him to be in his best condition for every refining. But he was 'overconfident' that he could handle this before.
"Then! I will stop-" Just as Ning Qi decided to stop this 'shit' for today. The system interrupted him again, which made his face, which had just turned to relief, instantly change to sadness.
[Ding! It is advisable for the host to finish the process. With the rejection of this process that the host has now gained, it will be extremely hard for the host to initiate this process again. In human theories, it is called a 'mental barrier' or ' mental wall' and in cultivation, it is the 'mental demon'. If the host can finish the process now, all those barriers will be collapsed, and the host's cultivation in divine strengthening technique will become easier.]
Ning Qi listened to the system's guidance and suggestions. Just as the thought of such pain again is really holding him back right now.
He thought for a moment and came to the conclusion that if his body gets relaxed, he probably wouldn't want to start this process again unless it was a dire situation.
"Damn It! How can I lead a sect? And how can I get my sister and brother to become free from those rules? Where would I put my face if I faced that haughty woman again? Do I have to kiss that cold bum, who doesn't even respond? How can I protect the people around me with my current meager strength?"
Ning Qi shouted out to himself, but it is good that all the girls are sleeping on the third floor. While Nangong Xu and Kang Xuan are on the second floor.
As he heard Ning Qi's shouting, Nangong Xu slowly opened his blanket. He looked at Kang Xuan, who just frowned a bit but was dead asleep, before slowly closing his blanket again.
He understood that this 'ordinary and jovial' sect master has some kind of difficulty that they don't know of. He wanted to give him a helping hand to share burdens, but he was still too weak to help him in any way.
He gritted his teeth and slowly opened the blanket again before going to sit on the edge of the floor, where he usually cultivates, and starting cultivating. He wanted to give more than just talks, so he decided to put even more effort into his cultivation.
Their training time starts at 6 a.m. Half an hour early is still better than nothing. Nangong Xu reflected as he began to practice his divine strengthening technique.
Ning Qi found his resolve as he questioned himself multiple times. He didn't waste any time and began the final and ninth refining. Two minutes felt like two thousand minutes to Ning Qi, but he didn't stop the process at all.
He just kept reminding himself of those things while his teeth gritted and nerves bulged on his entire body from the pressure he was exerting to cope with pain.
As soon as the 2 minutes passed, Ning Qi instantly fell back as he looked at the ceiling of the roof. His face is filled with tears, and his teeth keep chattering, but a smile hangs on his face.
Even though he knows that he is going to waste precious pill time. Ning Qi decided to lie like that for at least an hour to calm down all his nerves and enjoy the sunrays that just broke into the room.