Translator: Cinder Translations
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Seated cross-legged, Song Wen adjusted his breathing. After a moment, he swallowed the pill.
As the pill entered his abdomen, it dissolved into a warm current, spreading throughout his body, just like the last time.
The spiritual energy in his meridians surged rapidly, swiftly flowing through his limbs and gathering in his dantian.
Similarly, his qi and blood began to be rapidly consumed, as if the pill was converting them into spiritual energy.
He had always wanted to figure out the mystery of his own physical body, so from the beginning, he concentrated on observing the changes in his body.
This time, he finally noticed the source of this mysterious power.
It actually came from deep within the bones all over his body, released from the essence and blood stored in the bones.
"Could it be that the blood essence I absorbed from killing people has been absorbed and transformed into my own blood essence, hidden within my body?"
"Blood essence is the essence of a person's life, closely related to one's health and longevity. I wonder if these blood essences can prolong life."
Perhaps because Song Wen had absorbed the blood essence of five people, the blood energy emerging this time was much greater than before.
This kept Song Wen's qi and blood in a balanced state, without any obvious signs of weakness.
This greatly excited Ji Yin who was nearby, seeing the dawn of success after years of attempts.
While Song Wen quietly refined the pill's power, he wasn't as optimistic as Ji Yin.
"Damn, how come this pill's power is more than twice as strong as last time? How did Ji Yin refine this pill with such unstable properties?"
"Luckily, I absorbed the blood essence of Gou Hang and the others. Otherwise, I might not be able to withstand it."
While silently refining the pill's power, Song Wen cursed in his heart.
The stronger the pill's power, the more qi and blood it consumed, meaning it also transformed more spiritual energy for Song Wen.
Unknowingly, Song Wen's cultivation base suddenly surged, directly breaking through to the Qi Refinement Second Layer.
"I did it!"
Ji Yin was so excited that he couldn't contain himself, his eyes widening as he whispered to himself.
Trembling with excitement, he wanted to immediately try consuming the pill himself to break through the bottleneck that had troubled him for many years.
However, Ji Yin eventually suppressed this impulse. As a precaution, he decided to wait until Song Wen had completely refined the pill's power before making a decision.
Half an hour later, Song Wen fully refined the pill's power, and his cultivation base stabilized at the Qi Refinement Second Layer.
Excited gleams flickered in Song Wen's eyes, as if relieved after a catastrophe, and joyful at the breakthrough in his strength.
"Master, there's no problem with the pill. I've also broken through," Song Wen said.
Ji Yin nodded, grasped Song Wen's wrist, and probed his body with his spiritual energy.
From his perception, Song Wen's body was fine, and his cultivation base had indeed reached the Qi Refinement Second Layer.
All this meant that Ji Yin successfully refined the Blood Qi Pill, capable of helping people break through bottlenecks.
"Excellent!" Ji Yin smiled. "Song Wen, you may rest now. I'm going to seclude myself for a breakthrough. You'll be in charge of everything in the courtyard, and you must protect the premises. No one is allowed upstairs."
Song Wen hesitated for a moment, his voice tinged with anticipation. "Master, can you give me the antidote for the 'Seven Days Heartbreak Pill' first?"
A hint of killing intent flashed in Ji Yin's eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
"After I break through seclusion, I will give you the true antidote for the 'Seven Days Heartbreak Pill.'"
Song Wen gratefully bowed, "Thank you, Master. I will protect you and ensure that no one disturbs your breakthrough."
After saying this, Song Wen turned and descended to the second floor, standing quietly outside the wooden building without moving.
Ji Yin stood up and glanced at Song Wen downstairs, a cold smile curling his lips.
"When I break through to the Qi Refinement Middle Stage, you won't stand a chance."
Ji Yin closed the door, began meditating to adjust his breath, and didn't rush to take the pill. He wanted to adjust his spiritual energy to the best condition possible before consuming it, increasing the chance of a successful breakthrough.
It took Ji Yin several hours to adjust his spiritual energy to the optimal state. By then, it was deep into the night.
From his perception, Song Wen continued to diligently guard downstairs without leaving. During this time, Chen Yi came twice to deliver meals but was turned away by Song Wen.
"What a foolish and diligent person. If I end up killing you, I might feel a bit guilty."
Ji Yin no longer paid attention to anything else, opened his mouth, and swallowed a Blood Qi Pill.
The violent medicinal power instantly triggered in his abdomen, converting into scorching hot streams that quickly rushed into his meridians.
At the same time, majestic spiritual energy emerged out of thin air, appearing in his meridians.
Ji Yin hurriedly circulated his technique, trying to refine all this spiritual energy to help him break through the bottleneck.
"How could this be?"
Suddenly, Ji Yin sensed something was wrong.
He realized that the medicinal power was rapidly depleting his own qi and blood.
"How is this possible? Song Wen didn't consume any qi and blood when he took the pill."
Ji Yin couldn't understand the reason, feeling like a boat at the end of its tether, everything was beyond his control.
He could only grit his teeth and continue refining the pill, hoping to exhaust the medicinal power before his qi and blood were completely depleted.
Realizing that his breakthrough to the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer was now beyond hope, he just wanted to survive.
As the medicinal power was digested, his qi and blood depletion became more severe. With insufficient qi and blood supply, his body quickly weakened.
At this moment, he experienced the pain and fear of those who had been used as guinea pigs for his pills in the past.
(End of the Chapter)