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Half a month flew by, and in the secret chamber, Lin Tianming sat upright on the meditation cushion.
In the past half-month, he had already refined two Lingshen Pills. Despite several attempts, he had failed to enter the Seventh Level of Qi Cultivation; each time, it was a near miss from breaking through the restraints at the Sixth Level.
It seemed that reaching the Seventh Level really wasn't that easy. There was a significant hurdle between the Sixth and Seventh Levels of Qi Cultivation. The Sixth Level was still considered mid-stage cultivation, while reaching the Seventh meant advancing to the later stages—a completely different league.
After hesitating for a moment, Lin Tianming decided to continue taking the Lingshen Pills and make another attempt at breaking through to the Seventh Level. If it still wasn't successful, he would have to give up and seek another opportunity to break through.
Taking out three Lingshen Pills, a crazed look flashed across Lin Tianming's face as he threw all three pills into his mouth at once.
At this moment, the violent spiritual energy of the three Lingshen Pills rampaged through his meridians, completely out of control.
It felt as though his entire body was teetering on the brink of exploding. The terrifying pain permeated his nerves and brain, and many parts of his body had split open, with flesh tearing and blood pouring from the seven orifices—a truly miserable sight.
"I'm done for..." Lin Tianming now greatly regretted his recklessness. He should not have consumed three pills at once; the power of the medicine was beyond his imagination and now utterly uncontrollable.
Enduring the intense pain, Lin Tianming tried to lead the spiritual energy from the Lingshen Pills to surge towards his Seven Sea Dantian.
After half an hour of perseverance and two attempts, the pain did not diminish in the slightest; if anything, it intensified.
Unbeknownst to him, Lin Tianming had completely passed out, collapsing onto the meditation cushion.
An indeterminate amount of time passed before Lin Tianming slowly opened his eyes.
Now naked, with his robust XX swaying, his green tunic had long since turned to ash. Many parts of his body were covered with a layer of black filth, emitting a faint stench.
"Eh... I'm actually still alive?" Overwhelmed with joy, Lin Tianming was taken aback.
It took a few moments for him to calm his excited heart and feel a wave of relief.
The pain he had experienced was maddening—as if a wild horse had broken free, the spiritual power had been uncontrollable and wreaked havoc, making him suffer intensely.
He felt as if he had been on the verge of death and was about to give up when darkness overtook him. Who would have thought that he wouldn't actually die?
A great calamity spared brings a bright future! In the future, unless absolutely necessary, he dare not be so reckless again—it wasn't every time one could be this lucky.
Gathering his thoughts, he realized he was naked, which startled him. He was thankful that he was alone; otherwise, had he been exposed, he would have been too ashamed to face anyone.
With a gesture, Lin Tianming cast a water-based spell, causing a heavy rain to fall from above and enjoyed a comfortable bath. He then took a set of green clothes from his storage bag and dressed himself.
A handsome young man stood erect, his features still holding a trace of youthful innocence.
He then used a minor fire-based spell to dry the damp floor before sitting back on the cushion.
Deploying his Divine Sense to check, he was overjoyed to find that he had indeed successfully reached the Seventh Level of Qi Cultivation.
Not only had he survived, but against all odds and in a stroke of serendipity, he had even entered the Seventh Level of Qi Cultivation—fate's wheel turns in mysterious ways.
Feeling the explosive spiritual energy throughout his body, the strength of his spiritual power was indeed incomparable to that of the Sixth Level.
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The Seven Sea Dantian had expanded several times over, brimming with robust and majestic spiritual power that almost felt tangible. When the next magic duel came, his divine skills would surely surge.
Lin Tianming moved a bit and then sat down again, practicing a complete Grand Circulation to begin his closed-door consolidation of cultivation.
Three days later, Lin Tianming emerged from seclusion, appearing in the square outside the attic hall.
Before closing off, he had given two Lingshen Pills to the Purple Gold Eagle. Twenty days had passed, and the Purple Gold Eagle had completely recovered from its injuries, its overall presence even stronger than before its submission.
If it wasn't for the lack of suitable elixirs for spirit beasts, having to settle for the Lingshen Pills, it could have helped it grow more rapidly, providing even more support to Lin Tianming.
Seeing Lin Tianming walking towards it, the Purple Gold Eagle was also quite excited, trotting over and rubbing his golden beak, thick as a man's thigh, against the hem of Lin Tianming's clothes in a pleasing manner.
The Purple Gold Eagle was only at the First Order Middle Stage, still in its juvenile period, with limited spirit wisdom – much like a mischievous human child.
If it weren't for Lin Tianming's strict orders not to wander off, it might have slipped out already. It wouldn't be considered an adult until it reached the Second Order Middle Stage, when its spirit wisdom would significantly increase.
This Purple Gold Eagle of Lin Tianming had a trace of Gold-winged Roc bloodline. With proper nurturing, it would also become a great asset. However, advancing as a demonic beast was quite difficult, requiring vast resources. If nurtured properly, it could protect the Lin Family for an even longer duration.
In the Cultivation World, Sect Families would raise several spirit beasts to guard their clans, as beasts live several times longer than the Human Race, providing extended protection to the family or sect.
The Lin Family had a Guardian Spirit Beast at the Second Order Late Phase, cultivated only after the ancestral founder Lin Renfeng established the clan. It had stepped forward in times of family crises after the ancestor Lin Renfeng's passing, suffering many injuries.
At that time, it was only at the Second Order Middle Stage. Several hundred years later, it had barely advanced past a minor realm, illustrating the extreme difficulty of advancement. With the loss of ancestor Lin Renfeng, the family's foundation was too shallow. Lacking even Foundation Establishment Cultivators, advancing to the Third Order might have been possible otherwise.
It is said that some sects specialized in commanding spirit beasts boast incredible strength, possessing numerous Fourth Order Great Demons. In the central area of the Nine Provinces, even sightings of Fifth Order Spirit Beasts have occurred.
Lin Tianming affectionately patted the head of the Purple Gold Eagle, also excited, looking forward to enhancing his bond with the spirit beast.
The Purple Gold Eagle, which had been unable to fly for half a month while waiting in place, was eagerly anticipating a flight. Seeing Lin Tianming's approach, it showed a desire to fly out for a spin. Lin Tianming readily agreed.
Mounting the Purple Gold Eagle's back, they soared into the sky, heading straight for the outskirts of the town.
Circling around Qingfeng Town, taking in the magnificent vistas, and dreaming of the vast skies over the Nine Provinces Continent, Lin Tianming couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.
Half an hour later, they returned to Qingfeng Town, landing in the square; he instructed the Purple Gold Eagle not to fly beyond a ten-mile radius of Qingfeng Town during his closed-door sessions and gave it three Lingshen Pills to help it break through to the First Order Late Stage.
After settling the Purple Gold Eagle, Lin Tianming returned to the secret chamber in the attic.
Sitting on the meditation cushion, Lin Tianming took out the Cultivation Technique Jade Cylinders he had obtained from the red-robed man and from the cave dwelling, pondering over them.
Both Cultivation Technique Jade Cylinders were golden in color, with dense golden runes winding around their surfaces, almost certainly part of the same technique.
Observing the cylinders closely, he noticed they were absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy, a truly incredible phenomenon.
This had to be a top-level, earth-shattering Cultivation Technique. Lin Tianming couldn't help but feel amazed, his anticipation for this technique growing even stronger.
He had previously attempted to probe the upper half of this technique, but his cultivation and Divine Sense fell just short. Now that he had successfully reached the Seventh Level of Qi Refinement, with both mana and Divine Sense greatly increased, he naturally wanted to investigate.
Extending his Divine Sense slowly into the Jade Cylinder.
After a short while, Lin Tianming's face showed shock, as if he faced a formidable enemy, not knowing what astonishing thing he had discovered.