Chapter 629: Qi Refining Stage

“My master is considered the strongest martial artist in this country, capable of fighting against Qi Refining Stage 9 cultivators without losing.”

“But what does that matter? Even when facing cultivators he can defeat, my master still has to bow his head.”

“The slave mark means we martial artists will be suppressed by cultivators for our entire lives.”

“I’ve heard that on other planets, some people practice martial arts to profound levels where they can fight against Golden Core cultivators or even Half-Step Nascent Soul stage practitioners, yet they still have to receive the slave mark without exception.”

Feng Qiang didn’t regret practicing martial arts though. Despite all the restrictions, at least he had food and clothing without worry and held high status among ordinary people.

Compared to those common folk, he considered himself quite fortunate.

“We wonder where the Qingfeng Martial Arts School is located. We’d like to see how your school practices martial arts.”

Seeing that the porridge distribution was complete, Feng Qiang nodded in agreement and brought Jiang Li’s group of three back to the martial arts school.

“Master, I’m back! I encountered some very kind people today.”

Feng Qiang found his master and noticed an elderly man sitting beside him, playing chess with his master.

“You are… Uncle-Master Chu?”

“Little Feng, it’s been eight or nine years since we last met, hasn’t it? Here, try some pastries I brought from another country.” Uncle-Master Chu cheerfully handed Feng Qiang a package of pastries.

“Thank you, Uncle-Master Chu.”

“Little Feng, are these three the kind people you mentioned?”

“Exactly! These three were extremely generous, providing enough money to support the refugees outside the city until next year’s planting and harvest season.”

“In that case, I must first thank you three.” Feng Qiang’s master stood up and bowed in gratitude to Jiang Li’s group.

Feng Qiang excitedly added, “Not only that, these three are also cultivators!”

“Oh? Fellow practitioners?” Uncle-Master Chu scrutinized Jiang Li up and down, his heart tightening as he realized his Qi Refining Stage 9 cultivation couldn’t penetrate their depths.

This meant they were at least Qi Refining Stage 9.

“Uncle-Master Chu is my master’s younger brother. He possesses three elemental spiritual roots, making him exceptionally talented. He was taken to the Dragon Transformation Sect as a child and became their disciple.”

Uncle-Master Chu was in his thirties, twenty years younger than Feng Qiang’s master, yet he appeared aged with completely white hair and beard. His eyes shifted nervously, avoiding direct contact with others.

In contrast, Feng Qiang’s master, though in his fifties, had jet-black hair without a single white strand. He sat upright with an imposing presence that commanded respect without anger.

“Might I ask what cultivation levels you three have reached?”

Bai Hongtu said, “Tribulation Transcendence Stage.”

This startled Uncle-Master Chu, who immediately urged Bai Hongtu to be quiet.

“Don’t speak nonsense! Are you claiming to be a Desolation Lord? Falsely reporting cultivation levels while traveling is a major taboo. If the Dragon Transformation Sect discovers this, they’ll determine you’re defiling the Desolation Lord title, and that means certain death.”

Uncle-Master Chu smiled bitterly, “I don’t plan to leave this time.”

“Why is that? Are you no longer with the Dragon Transformation Sect?”

Feng Qiang couldn’t understand why someone would choose to stay here instead of remaining with the prestigious Dragon Transformation Sect.

Uncle-Master Chu closed his eyes, recalling his various experiences at the Dragon Transformation Sect, and sighed deeply, “The Dragon Transformation Sect isn’t a place for someone like me. I can’t compete with them.”

“Although I possess three elemental spiritual roots and my talent is somewhat acceptable, look at me—after thirty years in the sect, I’m still at Qi Refining Stage 9. The fundamental reason is that I was too foolish.”

“When I first entered the sect, I thought I was heaven’s favored child, destined to make my mark in the Dragon Transformation Sect. The senior masters and senior brothers treated me quite well initially.”

“But I never expected that while my senior brother appeared kind on the surface, he secretly worried I might surpass him in cultivation and take his position.”

“For this reason, he set numerous traps for me to fall into.”

“He succeeded. I can never achieve Foundation Building in this lifetime.”

When Uncle-Master Chu said this, his tone was calm and composed, though his true feelings remained unknown.

“Seeing me reduced to a useless person, other senior brothers began targeting me. When they refined spiritual treasures, they needed cultivators’ lifespan as catalyst, so they repeatedly extracted my lifespan.”

“Overnight, I aged several decades.”

“I knelt before the senior masters, weeping and begging them to punish my senior brother. But they told me that in the cultivation world, the strong rule supreme, and I was merely a failure along the path, not worth helping.”

“Simultaneously, I lost my chance to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill.”

“Without the Foundation Establishment Pill, Foundation Building becomes impossible.”

Jiang Li frowned, “What does this mean? Is Foundation Building completely dependent on the Foundation Establishment Pill?”

Uncle-Master Chu looked at Jiang Li in surprise, wondering why he would ask such a question, “Haven’t you achieved Foundation Building either? Are you like me at Qi Refining Stage 9?”

“Needing the Foundation Establishment Pill for Foundation Building is common knowledge.”

“The Foundation Establishment Pill is controlled by the major sects, and the formula is top secret. Precisely because of this, rogue cultivators are rare—because cultivators who want to achieve something must join major sects and risk their lives to obtain Foundation Establishment Pills.”

“Is this specific to the Dragon Transformation Sect, or is the entire Eight Desolations like this?”

“Of course the entire Eight Desolations is like this.”

Jiang Li understood—the Eight Desolations had monopolized the Foundation Building method, forcing all cultivators to obey the major sects.

Uncle-Master Chu continued, “The reason I returned this time is to ask my elder brother for help in finding some medicinal herbs to help me reach Qi Refining Stage 10.”

“Since Foundation Building is hopeless, why force it? Better to become a Qi Refining Stage 10 hermit in the mortal world.”

“What exactly is this Qi Refining Stage 10?” Bai Hongtu asked.

Uncle-Master Chu looked at the three vibrant individuals and smiled bitterly, “You three are full of vitality, so naturally you wouldn’t encounter troubles like mine.”

“Qi Refining Stage 10 is neither superior nor inferior—it’s stuck in the middle. Once you reach Qi Refining Stage 10, your cultivation stagnates completely, with no hope for Foundation Building.”

“This Qi Refining Stage 10 method has existed for over ten thousand years. They say it was created by Qi Refining practitioners like me who were frustrated and in desperate situations. They even named it ‘False Foundation Building,’ whether in self-mockery or self-amusement.”

“After this method emerged, countless Qi Refining Stage 9 cultivators have chosen this path of no return.”

Jiang Li could see that the reason Uncle-Master Chu couldn’t achieve Foundation Building was because he had been poisoned by an extremely difficult-to-cure toxin that required precisely balanced rare herbs to detoxify.

“Although I had some expectations, seeing the true situation in the Eight Desolations still leaves a bitter taste in my heart.”

Jiang Li shook his head and took out a detoxification pill from his storage ring.

Produced by the Spirit Herb Sect, it was affordable enough for even Qi Refining Stage 9 cultivators to purchase.

If Uncle-Master Chu were in the Nine Provinces, his poison could have been cured the same day he was poisoned.

“This is…” Uncle-Master Chu hesitantly accepted the pill, which clearly looked like something he couldn’t afford.

“A detoxification pill that can cure your poison.”

Uncle-Master Chu looked at Jiang Li with skepticism. His years at the Dragon Transformation Sect had made him distrustful of others.

Seeing this, Feng Qiang’s master couldn’t help saying, “Younger brother, their cultivation is clearly higher than yours. What could you possibly have that’s worth exploiting?”

Uncle-Master Chu still didn’t believe and blurted out, “Of course I have things worth exploiting! My remaining lifespan can be used for artifact refinement, my corpse can be refined into a zombie, my soul can be placed in a soul-summoning banner!”

What he said wasn’t baseless—these were all things he had witnessed at the Dragon Transformation Sect.

Ultimately, Uncle-Master Chu chose to trust Jiang Li. With trembling hands, he consumed the pill.

Uncle-Master Chu’s eyes widened as he clearly felt changes occurring within his body, “This… this is…”

The pill gave him a refreshing, cleansing sensation as its medicinal power dissolved. The toxins that had plagued him for years vanished as if encountering their natural predator.

“I can achieve Foundation Building again!”

Uncle-Master Chu shouted wildly as if gone mad. He knelt before Jiang Li again, weeping without tears, swearing eternal gratitude for Jiang Li’s tremendous kindness.

He had desperately sought an antidote for over a decade without success, returning to his hometown disheartened and resigned to his fate.

Never did he imagine that at his most desperate moment, he would encounter a supreme expert and receive heaven-sent fortune.