Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Breakthrough, Fourth-Layer Qi Refining!

This time, Zhou Xun did not plan to return to Luliu Lane for the breakthrough.

For one, although Luliu Lane is protected by an array, it’s the most basic one and isn’t as safe as the Pill Treasure Pavilion.

Secondly, the Spiritual Qi concentration at this courtyard of the Pill Treasure Pavilion is much higher than that of Luliu Lane, which is beneficial for his breakthrough.

Before he entered closed-door training, Zhou Xun first purchased two bottles of Clearing Qi Pills at an internal price.

The Clearing Qi Pill is a Foundation Strengthening and Essence Nourishing Elixir commonly used by Middle-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators and is highly beneficial when a Third-Layer Qi Refining Cultivator takes it during a breakthrough.

He then took a bath and entered his room to undergo closed-door training for his breakthrough.

He took out the Calming Incense and lit it.

Smelling the sandalwood, Zhou Xun’s mind quickly became peaceful.

He immediately took out a Clearing Qi Pill and swallowed it.

As the elixir dissolved in his stomach, he operated the Nourishing Essence Technique to refine it.

The medicinal power transformed into Spiritual Qi, which flowed through his meridians, refined, and entered his Dantian as Mana.

As the refinement continued, Zhou Xun’s Mana surged increasingly significantly.

But soon, as the power of one Clearing Qi Pill depleted, Zhou Xun continued taking more.

One pill, two pills…

…

Three days later, the door that had been closed for three days opened once again.

Out walked a handsome young man dressed in aqua-blue clothes, his Mana aura retracted.

It was Zhou Xun, who had just broken through to the Fourth-Layer Qi Refining.

This breakthrough was extremely smooth.

On the first day of his closed-door training, Zhou Xun consumed five Clearing Qi Pills consecutively and reached the Middle-Stage Qi Refining.

The following two days were spent stabilizing his cultivation.

Through this breakthrough, his Mana greatly increased, not only in quantity but also in quality.

Executing the Fireball Technique with Middle-Stage Mana would also see a doubling of its power.

However, the biggest change for Zhou Xun was in his Divine Sense.

Now, his Divine Sense range had reached a radius of fifteen zhang.

Enough to compare with a Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivator.

Zhou Xun speculated that with his current state, combined with a Middle-Grade Spiritual Artifact, he could barely contend with a Seventh-Layer Qi Refining Cultivator.

He finally had a slight capacity for self-defense.

He performed a Cleaning Technique, and the stagnant air from three days of closed-door training was refreshed.

He went to Yuxiang Tower and booked a table for a Spiritual Banquet, eagerly enjoying it before returning home to Luliu Lane.

He rested well for a day.

Early the next morning, Zhou Xun changed his attire and put on the Thousand Faces Mask in a secluded corner.

Instantly, Zhou Xun transformed from a graceful young gentleman to a middle-aged martial artist.

Even if Lin Xueying were face-to-face with him, she would never recognize that this was Zhou Xun.

After exiting the market gate, Zhou Xun headed straight west.

He traveled about five hundred li to an uninhabited valley, where he finally stopped.

This trip of Zhou Xun’s was to familiarize himself with his flying spiritual artifact.

The previous time he used the flying talisman, Zhou Xun flew shakily, nearly falling several times.

He patted his waist storage bag, and with a flash of light, a small cyan, shuttle-shaped boat appeared in his hand.

The Middle-Grade Flying Spiritual Artifact—Cyan Light Shuttle

Zhou Xun had already etched a Divine Sense Imprint onto the Cyan Light Shuttle at home.

He slowly infused it with Mana, and the small boat instantly expanded to a size of one zhang.

He lightly leaped onto it, and with a movement of his Divine Sense, the Cyan Light Shuttle flew forward.

He staggered and almost lost his balance.

After swaying back and forth for a while, he finally stabilized himself.

The Cyan Light Shuttle also flew shakily with no aesthetics at all.

After an hour, the flying shuttle slowly descended, and Zhou Xun jumped off.

He put the shuttle away, took a Qi Recovery Pill, and began meditating to adjust his breath.

During that period, Zhou Xun’s Mana consumption exceeded forty percent.

This meant that with Zhou Xun’s current Mana, he could only sustain the Cyan Light Shuttle’s flight for two hours at full power.

However, these two hours were enough for Zhou Xun to fly thousands of li.

This was much faster than traveling on land.

After adjusting his breath, Zhou Xun took out the Cyan Light Shuttle once more to continue his practice.

For four full days, Zhou Xun practiced until he finally mastered the flying spiritual artifact, after which he returned home to Red Leaf Square.

…

Red Leaf Square, the residence of the Wu Family.

After nearly two months of negotiations and discussions,

The Sun and Li Families finally agreed to join in the assault on the Lin Family.

However, their conditions slightly changed.

The Sun Family, in addition to the original acquisition of the Pill Treasure Pavilion, also demanded forty percent of the Fire Element Stone Vein and half of the Lin Family’s medicinal fields.

Furthermore, all the various treasures, cultivation resources, etc., seized after breaking through the Lin Family this time, would be divided into three portions, with the Sun Family receiving one, and the remaining two families each receiving one.

As for the Li Family, due to their weaker strength and less contribution, in addition to the original Life-Extending Pill and Foundation Establishment Pill, they could obtain twenty percent of the Fire Element Stone Vein and half of the Spirit Fields.

As for the remaining Spirit Fields, Medicinal Fields, shops, Cave Mansions, Spirit Ore shares, etc., all would belong to the organizer, the Wu Family.

Of course, the various scriptures, cultivation techniques, and cultivation skill inheritances captured this time would be copied by all three families.

Once the distribution plan was determined, the next step was the attack plan.

They decided to divide their forces into three routes, with the strongest force led by the Wu Family, attacking the Lin Family base,

The second, slightly weaker force, led by the Sun Family, attacked the Fire Element Stone Spirit Mine.

The last route, consisting mainly of Li Family cultivators, attacked the Pill Treasure Pavilion.

The three families would mobilize all their personnel, direct, collateral, subordinate, and affiliated, except for a few young and low-cultivation individuals,

Including the external forces controlled by the three families, all were conscripted.

Like the Iron Mountain Gang, where Hong San belonged, their backer was the Sun Family.

Before mobilizing, the Iron Mountain Gang Leader, the three Vice Gang Leaders, and the thirteen Hall Masters were all summoned by the Sun Family to arrange the attack tasks.

The other two major forces did the same.

Upon receiving the news, Hong San appeared dazed, with a faint trace of fear.

The Red Leaf Square, which had been calm for a century, was about to face turmoil.

The outer forces would inevitably be used as cannon fodder.

The Lin Family was the second-ranked existence, with extremely strong power.

Hong San was unsure of how miserable the Lin Family would be, but he knew for sure that his Iron Mountain Gang would certainly suffer severe damage.

…

Such a large gathering of people could not be hidden from the Lin Family.

However, it was too late.

When Patriarch Lin received the message from the informant, he could hardly believe it.

After all, since the establishment of Red Leaf Square, the Four Great Clans had coexisted peacefully for a hundred years.

Suddenly hearing that the three great clans were declaring war on them was hard for anyone to believe.

However, as more intelligence surfaced, the Patriarch of the Lin Family had no choice but to believe it.

Upon receiving word from their spies, the patriarch did not hesitate for a moment.

As Red Leaf Square’s founding tradition, the four great clans have been close-knit since its inception.

It had been five hundred years for the unified Four Great Clans.

However, the continuous messages from spies left the Lin Family Patriarch with no choice but to accept the reality.

When the Lin Family Patriarch received the message from the spies, he did not dare to believe it.

After all, since the creation of Red Leaf Square, the Four Great Clans have shared a close bond, now lasting five hundred years.

But suddenly hearing that the three great clans intended to crusade against the Lin Family was something that no one could easily believe.

However, the constant flow of information from their spies forced the Lin Family Patriarch to accept it.

He couldn’t believe it at all.

Nonetheless, as continuous reports came from their spies, the Lin Family Patriarch had no choice but to believe.

When the Lin Family Patriarch received the information from the spies, he did not dare to believe it for a second.

After all, since the founding of Red Leaf Square, the Four Great Clans had coexisted peacefully for five hundred years.

Upon constant updates from spies, the Lin Family Patriarch had to believe the news.

The ringing of the bell sounded twelve times.

Upon hearing this sound, countless members of the Lin Family looked confused and then their expressions changed drastically.

Lin Family rules dictate, that when the bell tolls three times, it signifies a family council!

If it rings six times, a great enemy is approaching!

When it rings nine times, it is a matter of life and death!

As the bell rang twelve times, they hurried towards the family base.

…

Zhou Xun had just returned to his home in Luliu Lane not long ago.

He cooked three large bowls of Spirit Rice and a plate of Demon Beast Flesh and was eagerly savoring them.

After all, practicing the flying spiritual artifact these past few days, enduring the wind and dining in the open, had been incredibly exhausting.

Suddenly, a commotion was heard from the distant street.

A voice shouted, “The Sun, Li, and three great families of Red Leaf Square have jointly decided to attack the Lin Family. Anyone who encounters a member of the Lin Family may take action!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep