At night, the forest was dark and silent, shrouded in an eerie calm. The trees loomed like silent giants, their silhouettes barely visible in the distance. If one listened closely, the faint sound of water cascading from a distant peak could be heard, adding a touch of serenity to the stillness.
At the centre of this secluded forest, four tents were pitched amidst the gloom. In the tent at the rightmost corner, a handsome young man sat cross-legged in deep meditation. This was none other than Lestes. His aura fluctuated wildly, surging and receding in waves — a clear sign of an impending breakthrough.
Lestes was refining the yin qi he had obtained after his dual cultivation with Ning Waner and Ling Xing Yue. The yin qi was not only vast in quantity but also unparalleled in quality. Ning Waner, at the early stage of the Foundation Realm, had provided enough yin qi to allow Lestes to cultivate to the peak of the Body Refining Realm. However, the Heavenspan Canon, though highly demanding in its energy requirements, yielded results of unmatched superiority.
Suddenly, a muffled boom resounded.
Lestes had successfully broken through from the seventh to the eighth stage of the Body Refining Realm. His body trembled slightly as his blood, muscles, bones, marrow, and tendons were further refined to an extraordinary degree. By this point, his physical strength could rival that of a second-stage Qi Condensing Realm cultivator — a feat that would leave others astonished.
Undeterred, Lestes continued his meditation, now refining the yin qi from Ling Xing Yue. Her yin qi was not only vast like an ocean but also purer than Ning Waner's. Within just ten minutes, Lestes had pushed through the ninth stage of the Body Refining Realm. His aura surged uncontrollably — early stage, middle stage, late stage, and finally, the peak of the Body Refining Realm.
He opened his eyes, and they shone like brilliant stars piercing through the darkness. Excitement flashed across his face, but he quickly tempered his emotions. To others, it seemed as though he was cultivating, but in truth, Lestes was merely recovering. With sufficient resources, he could restore his peak strength in a short span of time.
However, his moment of triumph was short-lived. An inexplicable sense of anxiety and unease bubbled up within him. Lestes closed his eyes, calming his mind as he probed his body for the source of this disquiet. Moments later, his expression darkened.
The unease stemmed from his soul. The seal restraining the Nine-Headed Serpent had weakened further, and the leakage of its negative energy had increased significantly. While the current situation was manageable, the rapid accumulation of these emotions was dangerous. If left unchecked, it could lead to qi deviation.
Qi deviation was a cultivator's worst nightmare — a state where one lost control of their mind, either crippling them or turning them into mindless killing machines. For Lestes, the consequences were even graver. Qi's deviation would cause him to lose control over the Nine-Headed Serpent's seal entirely. Though the seal wouldn't shatter immediately, the leak would worsen, and over time, it would inevitably break.
Lestes' face grew gloomy as a sense of awareness dawned on him.
"The seal's deterioration is faster than I expected. This can't be resolved through normal means alone," he muttered.
Moreover, the accumulation of negative emotions exacerbated his lecherous nature. What once seemed manageable with a few maids and dual cultivation no longer sufficed. His perverse desires and wavering heart were growing stronger, threatening his focus and resolve.
Lestes clenched his fists and forced himself to calm down. After pondering for a while, he devised a strategy to overcome the trials before him.
First, he needed to temper his heart. His wavering emotions were a sign of weakness — a weakness he could not afford. To forge an unshakable will, Lestes resolved to travel the continent, enduring countless life-and-death battles. Each perilous encounter would strengthen his resolve, refine his heart, and harden his determination.
Second, for his lecherous desires, he would rely on dual cultivation to release his pent-up lust. By encountering and cultivating with various maids during his travels, he could keep his urges in check.
Lastly, the accumulated negative emotions would require careful management. By tempering his heart, Lestes would delay the consequences of the seal's leakage. This would buy him enough time to seek a permanent solution as he advanced to higher realms.
"However," Lestes murmured to himself, "to roam the continent freely, I need strength. Without it, I wouldn't even know how I died."
Thus, Lestes resolved not to begin his journey until he reached the middle stage of the Foundation Realm.
With his plan set, Lestes steadied himself, ready to advance to the next stage. His vast knowledge and experience had already allowed him to formulate the second stage of the Heavenspan Canon, corresponding to the Qi Condensing Realm.
The qi condensed by the Heavenspan Canon's second stage was of peak top-tier quality, far surpassing all other cultivation techniques on the Martial Heaven Continent.
Suddenly, another thunderous boom echoed through the forest.
Lestes had broken through to the Qi Condensing Realm. The qi he condensed was pure and highly compressed, making it far more potent than ordinary qi. But he didn't stop there.
Boom!
His aura surged once more.
Second stage.
Boom!
Third stage.
Boom!
Fourth stage.
The breakthroughs continued in rapid succession. Lestes' aura soared higher and higher until he reached the eighth stage of the Qi Condensing Realm.
For any other cultivator, the amount of yin qi he absorbed would have been enough to advance a late-stage Foundation Realm martial master to the early Core Formation Realm. But for Lestes, the Heavenspan Canon's demanding requirements purified and compressed the yin qi to its utmost limit, allowing him to reach only the eighth stage of the Qi Condensing Realm. Still, the results were unparalleled.
After completely refining the yin qi provided by Ling Xing Yue he finally stabilised his cultivation at the eighth stage of the Qi condensing realm.