Chapter 88: The Lingering Aroma of the Stone Milk

The Human World

He concealed himself and searched the valley for a long time. Eventually, he found a spot with a wide view that was also sufficiently hidden, and then he activated the Yama Banner.

As he infused spiritual power into it, the Yama Banner swayed without wind. The demonic eye on it came alive, appearing on the banner's surface. It blinked a few times, then swept across Qin Sang with an eerie grin, emitting a burst of black mist that obscured Qin Sang's figure.

Finally, the demonic eye opened wide, facing the easternmost part of the starry sky. Its pupils were a chaotic void, flickering with strange brilliance.

In less than an hour, Qin Sang's face was pale and he was drenched in sweat, having expended every last shred of spiritual power. He retracted the demonic eye back into his body, returned to his cave dwelling, and holding a Soul Elixir, entered a meditative state to cultivate.

That night, Qin Sang activated the demonic eye twice. It remained motionless, constantly gazing eastward, seemingly trying to discern the intricate changes of the entire Rejuvenation Valley formation, a task that couldn't be completed overnight.

Qin Sang nodded to himself, concluding that he was safe, at least for the time being.

He could now also guess that the Kuaiyin Sect was likely preparing a major offensive against the Yuanzhao Gate.

The demonic eye wasn't just observing the Rejuvenation Valley's formation changes; its true purpose was likely to spy on the protective formation of the Yuanzhao Gate, located near Rejuvenation Valley.

Qin Sang didn't know, nor did he care, why the two major sects harbored such animosity.

The Kuaiyin Sect had three Golden Core Cultivators, while the Yuanzhao Gate only had two. Their sole reliance was the legendary sect-protecting formation, said to have been established by the Yuanzhao Gate's patriarch who invited two Nascent Soul Grandmasters.

If the Yuanzhao Gate's protective formation were to fail, its demise at the hands of the Kuaiyin Sect would be inevitable.

If that were indeed the case, Qin Sang felt he would be even safer.

In a major conflict between the two sects, the clashes would undoubtedly be between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core experts. Lesser cultivators like those in the Qi Refining stage could only go with the flow.

Once the situation became chaotic, no one would pay attention to them. As long as they didn't foolishly rush to the center of the battlefield, escaping amidst the turmoil shouldn't be difficult.

Furthermore, holding the identity of a disciple from both sects gave him significant flexibility and room to maneuver.

Twelve days later.

Late at night, inside the cave dwelling.

Qin Sang sat cross-legged on the Water-Heart Bamboo cushion, slowly exhaling a turbid breath. He suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp glint appearing in them, and a look of joy spread across his face. Then, he yawned, lay down on the ground in his clothes, and fell into a deep sleep.

Tending to the medicine garden, manipulating the demonic eye, and refining the spiritual power of the Qi Gathering Pills—he had been working tirelessly for twelve consecutive days without a moment's rest. Although cultivators could use meditation to substitute sleep, he still felt a deep exhaustion.

Now that he had finally refined the medicinal power of the Qi Gathering Pills and his cultivation had, as expected, advanced to the late Sixth Layer, Qin Sang naturally needed a good rest.

After a deep, dreamless sleep, Qin Sang woke up feeling refreshed. He noticed it was already broad daylight outside. He quickly left his cave dwelling and resumed his busy day.

After refining the effects of the Qi Gathering Pills, Qin Sang took out the Stone Milk.

Yang Yuanzang had already refined away most of the impurities from the Stone Milk. Qin Sang effortlessly obtained five drops of pure Stone Milk, which he swallowed. After refining them, breaking through to the Seventh Layer felt as natural and easy as water flowing into a channel.

Several days passed like this. Qin Sang sensed that the prohibition at the valley entrance had been triggered. When he opened it, he saw Meng Ruhui standing there with another equally aged senior fellow disciple. They were laughing and chatting, clearly very familiar with each other.

Qin Sang straightened his attire and approached them with a broad smile.

Upon seeing Qin Sang, the smile on Meng Ruhui's face faded slightly. He gestured towards Qin Sang and introduced him to the other man, "Senior Brother Jiang, the Rejuvenation Valley medicine garden is now overseen by Junior Brother Qin Sang. This is Senior Brother Jiang; he works at the Longevity Hall and is highly skilled in alchemy, responsible for harvesting spiritual herbs. Junior Brother Qin, please lead us to the medicine garden... Oh, Junior Brother Qin, have you broken through to the Seventh Layer?"

Meng Ruhui was utterly astonished. He distinctly remembered that when Qin Sang first entered the valley a month ago, his spiritual energy fluctuations were very weak, as if he had only recently broken through to the Sixth Layer of the Qi Refining stage.

Just now, when Qin Sang flew out on his artifact, Meng Ruhui had sensed something amiss, and a glance revealed that Qin Sang had leaped an entire major realm.

"Qin Sang greets Senior Brother Meng and Senior Brother Jiang."

Leading the way, Qin Sang said in a calm tone, "It was a stroke of luck. During the Ascension Convention, I discovered an underground demonic nest in the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Land. Inside, I found over ten drops of century-old Stone Milk. I didn't expect to break through after consuming it."

Upon hearing this, Senior Brother Jiang remarked enviously, "Century-old Stone Milk is a divine medicine. Its effects are long-lasting; after consumption, its medicinal power nourishes the meridians, providing benefits for a year or two. I never thought Junior Brother Qin would have such good fortune. Perhaps in just a few years, Junior Brother Qin's cultivation will surpass ours."

Hearing this, Qin Sang's heart stirred. No wonder he felt his cultivation speed up slightly after breaking through. He had attributed it to reaching a higher realm and thus absorbing spiritual energy faster, but it turned out to be the lingering effects of the century-old Stone Milk.

Qin Sang also understood that Senior Brother Jiang's latter remarks were merely polite. They were all at the peak of the thirteenth layer of the Qi Refining stage, halted there because they couldn't break through the Foundation Establishment bottleneck. If nothing unexpected happened, catching up to them within a dozen years would be considered good.

Immediately, Qin Sang began to consult Senior Brother Jiang.

Meng Ruhui's statement that Senior Brother Jiang was highly skilled in alchemy was indeed true. With just a few pointers from him, Qin Sang understood the properties of the century-old Stone Milk and how to best utilize its effects without wasting any medicinal power.

"I never thought there would be century-old Stone Milk in the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Land. It's time to petition the Sect Master to search the area. However, such spiritual medicines are rare and hard to come by..."

After clarifying the location, Senior Brother Jiang said regretfully, "It's a pity Junior Brother Qin was too hasty. Directly consuming it wasted a lot of its medicinal power. With so much Stone Milk, if it had been taken to the Longevity Hall to be refined into pills, it might have helped Junior Brother Qin advance to the late Seventh Layer."

Qin Sang smiled calmly. Who knew if he would still get his share if the century-old Stone Milk were taken out?

Besides, his meager amount of spirit stones didn't afford him the capital to commission alchemy. He was already very content with the current outcome.

As the two walked ahead, chatting, Meng Ruhui followed silently. Looking at Qin Sang's back and considering his age, a bitter feeling welled up in his heart, and a flicker of jealousy crossed his eyes. But then he shook his head, returning to his usual composure.

Upon arriving beside the medicine garden, Senior Brother Jiang, who had been enthusiastically giving Qin Sang pointers, suddenly fell silent, his expression displeased.

Qin Sang offered an apologetic smile from the side.

Cultivation was the fundamental priority. To focus on his training, he had little spare energy to tend to the medicine garden. Sometimes, he would simply scatter some Nine-Spirit Sand and leave it. Due to the lack of care, the spiritual herbs in the garden, while not completely failing, were far from meeting the Longevity Hall's requirements.

Meng Ruhui frowned thoughtfully, then said, "Senior Brother Jiang, Junior Brother Qin has just taken over Rejuvenation Valley and might not be familiar with everything yet. Furthermore, the duties here are indeed more demanding than elsewhere. Perhaps we should give him a bit more time."

Qin Sang was quite surprised that Meng Ruhui was willing to help smooth things over, so he cupped his hands and thanked him.