Chapter 10: The Nine Revolutions Qi Condensation Tribulation
Dusk dyed the bluestone paths of Donghuang Market, and Lu Qingyang squatted in an alley corner, counting the Spirit Stones in his cloth bag. Three Blood-Marked Vines, matured with the qingmu spirit pearl, were exchanged for seven Low-Grade Spirit Stones. The stall owner's pained expression made a subtle curve appear at his lips. The scent of burnt Medicinal Pills from the neighboring shop, mixed with the unique bitterness of the foundation establishment pill, wafted over. He subconsciously touched the sword wound on his ribs, which had not yet healed—if not for the numbing herb powder stockpiled in the Spirit Pearl space during the ambush three days ago, the grass on his grave would already be sprouting.
"Fellow Daoist, how much for this Jade Marrow Flower?" As the richly dressed young man squatted down, the jade pendant at his waist chimed crisply. Lu Qingyang glimpsed the cloud pattern embroidered on his cuff, the mark of an Outer Sect Disciple of Taiyi Pavilion. His fingertips subtly brushed the edge of the stall cloth, and a few seeds of Bewitching Heart Grass quietly rolled into a crack in the ground.
"It's a mutated species from the outer reaches of Nether Abyss," he said, picking up the withered flower stalk and shaking it. "Its effect of neutralizing the fire poison of the foundation establishment pill is thirty percent stronger than ordinary Jade Marrow Flowers." Dark red sap dripped between his fingers, spreading a spiderweb-like pattern on the bluestone—the traces of soaking it in Yao Beast blood last night were handled just right.
The moment the young man pulled out his Spirit Stone bag, a spiritual energy fluctuation suddenly erupted from the end of the market. Three streaks of Sword Qi, carrying the pressure of the Foundation Establishment Stage, swept over. Lu Qingyang grabbed the Spirit Stones and rolled on the ground. The jade bottle containing the fake medicine exploded into dust above his head, and an exasperated roar came from within the purple poisonous mist: "You little bastard, Lu, give me back my Junior Brother's life!"
The qingmu spirit pearl was hot in his embrace. Lu Qingyang activated a Shapeshifting Talisman the instant he crashed through the back door of the tavern. As he transformed into a hunchbacked old woman and mingled with the crowd, he saw three gray-robed Cultivators fumbling around in the poisonous mist with a tracking compass. The hideous burn scar on the neck of the leader looked particularly familiar—half a month ago, during the struggle for dragon blood grass in Burial Dragon Abyss, he had personally used bone-eroding powder to disfigure half of this Foundation Establishment Cultivator's face.
In a dilapidated Immortal Cave deep in a dark alley, Lu Qingyang tallied his gains for the day. Twenty-three Low-Grade Spirit Stones were arranged in a Big Dipper formation, with a tattered Formation Flag, stripped from a desiccated corpse, at its center. The moment the seventh Spirit Stone was embedded in the formation's eye, thin Spiritual Qi began to converge within the formation. This was his improved version of a Spirit Gathering Formation, refined over three years of studying the "Basic Qi Refining Art."
"Qi Condensation Ninth Layer Great Perfection..." He gazed at the swirling Qi in his palm, the qingmu spirit pearl vibrating slightly in his Dantian. Ordinary Cultivators only needed to open the twelve main Meridians to Breakthrough to Qi Condensation Perfection, but the plant essence feedback from the Spirit Pearl had formed its own circulation within the eight extraordinary Meridians. At this moment, his internal Spiritual Qi reserves were comparable to the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment, yet he was still one step away.
The Formation Flag suddenly moved without wind, and the converging Spiritual Qi transformed into a vortex, pouring into his Heavenly Spirit. Lu Qingyang saw the scene of the Old Drunkard's last breath, his dying words stuck in his throat transforming into Heart Demons, rampaging through his Meridians. The normally docile plant Spiritual Qi suddenly became as violent as a Dragon, churning his internal organs—this was the "Nine Revolutions Qi Condensation Tribulation" recorded in ancient texts, a Heavenly Dao trial only one in a hundred thousand Cultivators would encounter.
"If I'm going to die, I'll die on the path to immortality!" He bit his tongue to stay conscious, his Divine Sense sinking into the qingmu spirit pearl space. Three days in the outside world became thirty days and nights within the pearl. Withered dragon blood grass sprouted anew as the hourglass turned back. When the ninth Blood-Marked Vine matured, the Formation Flag finally couldn't withstand the Spiritual Qi impact and exploded into a sky full of sparks.
The blood mist Lu Qingyang spat out condensed into a bizarre talisman in mid-air, and the Soul-Chasing Mark of Taiyi Pavilion appeared on the Immortal Cave's stone wall. He forced himself to shove a handful of Returning Spring Pills into his mouth, but then saw the hourglass in the Spirit Pearl space suddenly stop. A sharp whistling sound of a Flying Sword breaking through the air came from outside; three gray-robed Cultivators had actually tracked him here by following the Spiritual Qi fluctuations from his Breakthrough.
"It saved us the trouble of using the tracking compass," the scar-faced Cultivator said, his Flying Sword impaling the rock wall. The sword's reflection showed Lu Qingyang's miserable state, with blood oozing from his seven orifices. "A mere Qi Condensation Stage Cultivator dares to..." His words abruptly stopped, because the young man, who should have been at the end of his rope, suddenly smiled—a smile that was eerily similar to the man-eating flowers blooming in the poisonous mist of Burial Dragon Abyss.
The azure light emanating from the qingmu spirit pearl enveloped the Immortal Cave. The withered Blood-Marked Vines coiled around the Cultivators' ankles like giant pythons. The rampaging Spiritual Qi in Lu Qingyang's Meridians found an outlet, frantically drawing essence blood from the Foundation Establishment Cultivators along the vines. When the third desiccated corpse crashed to the ground, the Qi vortex in his Dantian finally condensed into a liquid state, and boundless vitality washed over every hidden injury.
"So, the Nine Revolutions Qi Condensation Tribulation requires external force to break through..." Lu Qingyang wiped away the blood scab from the corner of his eye, and the spiritual fire igniting on his fingertips glowed a rare azure-gold. His Divine Sense swept across a ten-mile radius; even the trembling of ant antennae in rock crevices was clearly discernible—this was the perception of the Foundation Establishment Stage, yet he was clearly still in the Qi Condensation Realm.
Seven streaks of Sword Qi suddenly rose from the direction of the market, and Taiyi Pavilion's law enforcement Disciples were speeding towards this location. Lu Qingyang threw the Cultivators' corpses into the Spirit Pearl space to feed the Ghost-Faced Vine, then turned and plunged into the turbulent underground river. The turtle shell map in his embrace suddenly grew hot, guiding him to swim against the current towards a certain underwater cave. When the pursuers' Sword Qi shattered the river surface, he had already submerged into the mist surrounding the outer reaches of Burial Dragon Abyss via the underground river.