After Lu Chang'an left the Wanbao Pavilion, he walked quickly forward, but did not head towards the exit of the market.
A moment later, Lu Chang'an arrived at an inn named Two Dragons.
As a Cultivator from a Cultivation Family, Lu Chang'an had been influenced since childhood and naturally knew some of the unspoken rules of the market.
He had spent one hundred Spirit Stones at the Wanbao Pavilion, revealing his wealth, and it was possible he could be targeted by ill-intentioned individuals.
Therefore, he had already planned to find an inn in the market and stay for a day after purchasing the Qi Gathering Pill, then take the Qi Gathering Pill to Breakthrough to Qi Refining Stage 4.
"Damn it, that kid went to stay at an inn. There's no way to do business with him now."
The Grey-robed Cultivator, who had been secretly trailing Lu Chang'an, witnessed Lu Chang'an enter the inn and twitched his mouth.
However, he did not give up so quickly and continued to wait in the shadows, observing.
Inns in the market were not cheap; the price for a one-day stay was usually fifty Spirit Sands.
Some Cultivators who held onto a glimmer of hope, knowing they were being targeted, would find an inn and enter, attempting to shake off their pursuers, and then leave once their pursuers had departed.
The Grey-robed Cultivator only turned to leave after seeing Lu Chang'an indeed take out Spirit Stones to check into the inn.
Lu Chang'an completed the check-in, took the Restriction jade token for his room, and found the correct room.
"This is my first time staying at an inn in the market," Lu Chang'an pushed open the door and entered the room, curiously surveying the furnishings inside.
The room was ordinary and not much different from his home, except that the Spiritual Qi inside was much denser.
Lu Chang'an shook his head lightly, but he wasn't there to admire the room.
"During the period of taking the Qi Gathering Pill and Breaking through to Qi Refining Stage 4, I absolutely cannot be disturbed."
Lu Chang'an was very clear about this point. He stepped forward, activated the room's Restriction, and tightly closed the doors and windows.
Lu Chang'an took out a jade bottle, opened the stopper, and a faint Medicinal Pill fragrance immediately permeated the air.
Gazing at the round, glistening Medicinal Pills in the bottle, a mix of anticipation and apprehension welled up in Lu Chang'an's heart.
This Medicinal Pill was expensive; his entire fortune was riding on this one Medicinal Pill, and he needed immediate results.
Lu Chang'an poured out the Medicinal Pill, carefully placing it in his palm.
"This Qi Gathering Pill, its effect must be good!"
Before he finished speaking, Lu Chang'an had already tossed the Medicinal Pill into his mouth.
The Medicinal Pill melted upon entry, flowing down his throat directly into his internal organs.
Lu Chang'an's heart filled with joy, and he secretly thought that this First-Order High Grade Medicinal Pill was indeed extraordinary.
The moment the dissolved Medicinal Pill liquid flowed into his internal organs, Lu Chang'an felt a warm current begin to spread throughout his body.
"The Medicinal effect has arrived."
Lu Chang'an sat cross-legged, composed his mind, and began to circulate the Everspring Cultivation Technique.
Lu Chang'an possessed Spiritual Roots of five attributes: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. The Cultivation Technique he Cultivated was the Wood-attribute Everspring Cultivation Technique, which was the most commonly Cultivated among his Family's Cultivators.
For no other reason than that it allowed him to absorb others' Cultivation experience.
As the Cultivation Technique deepened, the warm current grew stronger and stronger, finally transforming into a vast amount of Spiritual Qi surging through his Meridians.
Several hours later.
Lu Chang'an's tightly closed eyes gradually opened, and a look of pleasant surprise flickered in his gaze.
He could clearly feel that the Qi Refining Stage 3 Bottleneck had already been Broken through; he was now a Cultivator at Qi Refining Stage 4.
"After eight years of Cultivation, I've finally reached the Qi Refining Middle Stage."
Lu Chang'an grinned, his previous tension and apprehension swept away, replaced by pure joy and excitement.
Eight years. He had waited for this day for far too long.
Lu Chang'an rejoiced for a moment, then got up from the bed and walked to the window, pushing it open to look outside.
Outside the window, a deep night had fallen.
"It's already night," Lu Chang'an realized, understanding that during his Breakthrough, he had been so highly focused that he hadn't perceived the passage of time. "The market's inn is so expensive, I should continue to solidify my Cultivation."
Lu Chang'an returned to his bed and continued to Cultivate the Everspring Cultivation Technique.
Half a night passed, and Lu Chang'an had initially stabilized his Qi Refining Stage 4 Cultivation.
He walked out of the inn invigorated. Lu Chang'an made no attempt to conceal his aura, openly displaying his Qi Refining Stage 4 Cultivation.
In the market, the probability of a Qi Refining Middle Stage Cultivator being targeted was significantly lower compared to a Qi Refining Early Stage Cultivator.
Even a newly Breakthrough Qi Refining Stage 4 Cultivator's total magical power was roughly double that of a Qi Refining Stage 3 Perfection Cultivator.
With the total amount of magical power doubled, the means that could be employed greatly increased. This not only included some Spells that consumed more magical power but also allowed for the activation of First-Order Medium Grade Magical Artifacts.
Lu Chang'an continued forward and soon exited through the market's entrance.
The Grey-robed Cultivator, a Qi Refining Middle Stage Cultivator, who had been lurking at the market entrance yesterday, was still there today.
The Grey-robed Cultivator also noticed Lu Chang'an, but his gaze did not linger on Lu Chang'an, not even for a moment.
They clearly understood that Lu Chang'an, having Broken through to Qi Refining Stage 4 in the market this time, must have exhausted all his wealth. There was nothing left to attract them, so they naturally stopped wasting energy on him.
Lu Chang'an put away his curiosity and followed the path he had taken, returning smoothly to Great Green Mountain a little over an hour later.
"The Grey-robed Cultivator lurking at the market entrance looks suspicious, but there haven't been any rumors of rogue Cultivators in the market recently."
After returning home and relaxing, Lu Chang'an had the leisure to ponder.
Suddenly, a possibility occurred to him.
This group of rogue Cultivators might be the dark operatives of a force that no one dared to offend, and they only robbed for wealth, not taking lives.
Therefore, even if some unlucky individuals were robbed, they dared not spread the news.
"Never mind, it's better to stabilize my Cultivation early."
Lu Chang'an returned to his small courtyard and Cultivated in seclusion for three days straight, completely stabilizing his Qi Refining Stage 4 Cultivation.
"I can now inform the Family about my Breakthrough."
Lu Chang'an walked out of his small courtyard and headed towards the peak of Great Green Mountain.
The Lu Family ancestors had once established a rule: every Cultivator of the Lu Family, after Breaking through to the Qi Refining Middle Stage, must begin to take on a core Family affair.
This was a responsibility that every Lu Family Cultivator could not escape.
Of course, there were corresponding rights and benefits.
Typically, every newly Breakthrough Qi Refining Middle Stage Family member would receive a reward of fifty Spirit Stones from the Family.
Secondly, the annual Family stipend would also increase from a few Spirit Stones to twenty to forty Spirit Stones, varying.
This way, in just two or three years, a newly Breakthrough Qi Refining Middle Stage Family member could accumulate over a hundred Spirit Stones to purchase a suitable First-Order Medium Grade Magical Artifact.
"I must make it clear to the Family that I want to go to Lingyuan Mountain to guard the Family's Spirit Medicine garden."
Lu Chang'an pondered as he walked.
Under normal circumstances, the responsibilities each newly promoted Qi Refining Middle Stage Cultivator would undertake were decided by a meeting of the Family Elders.
However, if there was a strong desire, the Family had to seriously consider it.
After all, the Lu Family currently had only thirteen Cultivators, counting both major and minor ones, and could not afford the cost of someone not putting in effort.
With good news, one's spirits are high. Lu Chang'an's steps were light, and in just half an hour, he had climbed from halfway up the mountain to the peak.
At the peak, a cluster of pavilions and towers, exuding Immortal Qi, had been built.
Lu Chang'an went directly to a three-story pavilion.
This pavilion was named the Immortal Ascent Hall, the Lu Family's Family Council Hall, symbolizing that every Family disciple would be like a Dragon, Cultivating the Dao and ascending to Immortality.
"Second Grandfather, your junior Lu Chang'an requests an audience." Lu Chang'an respectfully stood outside the hall and used a sound transmission Spell to convey his message inside.