“It’s one of the most mysterious places in our region of the Heavenly Blades Sect’s territory. Every year, a portal to the underground world opens within the Golden Dragon Sect. This world is home to various creatures, many with traces of dragon blood. For a week, participants can search for ancient treasures and hunt the monsters there.

It’s said that breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage using true dragon blood can awaken a cultivator’s dragon heritage. Some visitors to the dungeon have met this condition and gained incredible fortune. Rumor has it even our sect leader, Cheon Chu Han, received a dragon legacy there. But, as I said, you have no chance of entering this year.”

“No chance? There’s still a month left! I think I can reach the tenth level in time.”

“Hahaha, well, try. If you succeed, I’ll eat my alchemist’s hat — the one I got with my grandmaster title.”

“Okay, start preparing the mustard.”

“Hahaha. So, where’s this house of yours?”

We had arrived at the settlement and were now floating above the central square as dusk settled in.

“It’s over there. The triangular roof sticking out.”

As we flew closer, I looked at my home from a bird’s-eye view. It didn’t look bad, though I’d need to decorate the eaves with something. Patterns wouldn’t do; I’d have to find jade or another finishing material.

“Wow! I didn’t realize you were so skilled in construction. How did you even build all this? It would’ve been tough for me to get it done in just two days.”

“I didn’t strain myself. Others did the heavy lifting to pay for the pills I made. All I did was cut the stones and fuse them together.”

“How did you fuse them?” - Mu Niam asked, landing and examining the wall up close.

“With stone.”

“What do you mean?”

“You stack two stones, run a heated Qi thread between them, and they fuse together” - I explained, demonstrating the process on two stone fragments.

“What kind of technique is this?” - my mentor asked, astonished.

“Qi thread? I learned it in the Forbidden Tomb. It’s not complicated — well, unless you count the high level of control required. Plus, it uses pure Internal Qi. But that’s the point of a thread — it doesn’t require much Qi. It’s too weak for combat but perfect for slicing stones.”

“Incredible! You figured this out yourself?” Mu Niam asked, suspicion creeping into his tone.

“Of course. I’m a genius!”

“Well, about that hat, I was joking.”

“Ha! Are you worried now? Anyway, I’m serious about reaching the tenth level. The problem is, I can’t find any information on how to transition to the next level. I don’t just want to swallow a pill; I want to understand what happens to my Qi Strand and how to optimize the process.”

“Hmm... I’m not sure what to tell you” - Mu Niam replied, stroking the polished granite wall thoughtfully. - “Such knowledge is hard to come by and even harder to understand. But I’ll bring you a couple of books on the subject.”

“Thank you, master. I’ll be indebted to you” - I said sincerely.

“Alright, I’ll find you tomorrow and give you the books. For now, I must go.”

“Take care, master.”

With that, we parted ways, and I was left alone. After a few minutes of idle daydreaming, I returned to my mundane reality.

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All night, I meditated, absorbing the remaining Qi from the seal. By dawn, I felt that I had accumulated enough energy to advance to the next level. The thought of how much Qi I would need for the seventh level was almost terrifying. If this issue persisted, I’d have to consider breaking through by improving the quality of my Qi rather than just increasing its quantity. It was amusing that while quality should have been a priority, most cultivators focused solely on quantity. Few even seemed to understand what “quality” meant in this context.

At dawn, as the first light spilled over the horizon, Mu Niam arrived. He brought two items: a dusty, weathered bamboo scroll with faded inscriptions and a piece of jade containing the Qi Compression Technique.

“This is an old scripture I found in a cabinet” - he said, handing over the scroll. - “And this jade contains the technique. However, it’s far too valuable to leave with you, so you’ll have to study it while I’m here.”

“Thank you, master. I’ll need about ten minutes.”

“Fine. I’ll examine your house in the meantime. I’ve never seen a roof like this before.”

I seated myself on a stone bench and began studying the jade. The artifact was ancient and hadn’t been used in years, so I had to carefully infuse it with my Qi to avoid damaging the information. Finally, I managed to read its contents and started analyzing and memorizing the technique. It turned out to be a set of instructions for handling an abundance of Qi when one was stuck at a bottleneck. Most intriguingly, it could be applied at any stage of cultivation — not just Qi Condensation.

When I finished, I found Mu Niam admiring the counterforts supporting my roof. Seeing me rise, he approached.

“Why the decorative supports?” - he asked, pointing to the architectural detail.

“To counteract the lateral pressure from the roof beams.”

I then began explaining the basic principles of structural mechanics in simple terms. Without delving into formulas or precise calculations, the concepts behind my architectural choices were straightforward.

“Incredible! It’s all so simple, once you hear the explanation. But until then, it’s impossible to figure out” - Mu Niam admitted.

“Yes, everything genius is simple” - I agreed. - “Thank you for bringing me the jade, master. I’ve already studied it, so you can take it back. I’ll spend the next few weeks focused on cultivation and won’t be able to visit the Alchemist Guild. But I’ll make sure to drop by in a couple of weeks to leave a message or find you.”

“Good. If you manage to break through to the next level, I can talk to an Inner Court mentor about training you in combat. Cultivation level alone isn’t everything.”

“I’m aware. Thank you, master.”

After seeing my teacher off, I turned my attention back to my house. I needed wooden planks for doors and glass for windows. Realistically, glass probably wasn’t available here, so I considered using quartz crystals. However, after thinking about how much effort that would require with my current limited abilities, I decided to forget it. At least I had a roof over my head. I could play the role of a proper cultivator, contemplating the Dao while sitting bare-bottomed on a stone bench. After all, strengthening the body with Qi made it feel like resting on a feather pillow.

I decided to start with the Qi Compression Technique. I reviewed every aspect of the technique in detail, ensuring I hadn’t missed anything. Then, I turned to the “book of pictures” carefully unrolling the bamboo scroll. The author’s handwriting was atrocious, and I didn’t recognize half the characters, but my psionics came to the rescue. Tuning into the astral imprint of the scroll, I “returned to the past” focusing on the moment the author had written these words to access their thoughts. It was a painstaking process, but by evening, I had deciphered the entire text and gleaned ten times as much from the embedded mental images.

The anonymous cultivator’s journal reflected on creating a more “stable” foundation for the Core Formation stage. Although I was far from reaching that level, it was crucial to plan ahead since the structure of the Qi Strand formed during the Qi Condensation stage would later influence the Core Formation stage. In extreme cases, it could limit progress at the peak of this stage or even collapse the entire foundation of cultivation.

The source of such instability could only be identified at the peak of the Soul Manifestation stage, or at level 50. The so-called “soul law” formed as early as the Qi Condensation stage and was shaped by the pills, techniques, and emotions a cultivator experienced along the way.

After processing this information, I focused on the “golden quality” I had integrated into my Qi Strand during my breakthrough to the fifth level. The Qi I had absorbed from the stone was fascinating and... noble. It exuded an internal structure and intrinsic law. However, using the Malicious Gaze technique, I detected no signs of celestial or demonic influences in this law, which was a relief.

Over the next three days, I meditated using the Qi Compression Technique while gradually developing my “internal law” as the foundation and principle of my cultivation. On the third day, I felt my Qi begin to condense sharply in the center of my Qi Strand. The process accelerated, and within minutes, waves of density rippled through my body. Soon, a vibration arose, and my Qi condensed further, increasingly embodying the traits of my personal law.

Essentially, I was attempting to use a cultivation technique intended for the Soul Manifestation stage. For stupid cultivators, this would seem advanced and mysterious, but to me, it was obvious: my Qi needed to align fully with my consciousness from the earliest stages of development.