My Clones Can Cultivate

Chapter 90

Among all the four realms within the Mortal Stage, the Qi Refining Realm can be said... or rather considered... to have the most delicate cultivation process; breaking through into that realm is something that must be done with extreme care.

Unlike the Qi Gathering Realm, which is all about gathering qi threads and using them to form qi beads, once enough qi beads have been formed and they reach a certain number... depending on various factors and circumstances... a qi ring will naturally form around them, and eventually a qi cluster will be created.

The moment a qi cluster is formed, that person has successfully stepped into the Qi Gathering Realm.

Although each subsequent stage becomes progressively harder than the previous one, which is simply the natural order established by the universe, it still isn’t something overly complicated according to common reasoning.

After all, all a cultivator needs to do is expand their spirit core before forming another qi cluster to break through into the second stage, then continue repeating that same process over and over again until they eventually create ten qi clusters, signifying that they have reached the very peak of the Qi Gathering Realm.

That was all there was to the Qi Gathering Realm, but the Qi Refining Realm was far more complicated, and as stated before, it was a realm that demanded extreme caution.

Qi Refining revolves around breaking down the gathered qi beads back into minute connecting qi threads once again before using those refined threads to condense a refined qi bead.

A single refined qi bead possesses the combined energy, power, and aura of all the ordinary qi beads gathered within a single qi cluster. The formation of a refined qi bead consists of three layers... simple, right? Well, in theory, yes; in practice, not at all.

The first layer involves expanding the qi ring surrounding the qi beads so that it won’t interfere during the dismantling process. Once the qi ring has been successfully expanded, the cultivator proceeds to the second layer, and this is by far the longest and most exhausting part of the entire cultivation process.

After all, every single qi bead must be broken down at an incredibly minute rate; if one were to recklessly shatter an entire qi bead at once, then what follows would be an extremely troublesome backlash capable of causing unimaginable damage.

In the best-case scenario, the cultivator would merely suffer minor internal injuries; in the worst-case scenario, however, the sudden destruction of the qi bead would release an overwhelming surge of qi threads that would violently disrupt the surrounding qi ring, damaging it severely.

And if the qi ring were to completely collapse, then every qi bead contained within it would instantly disperse. The cultivator would be forcefully dragged from the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm all the way back to the ninth stage of the Qi Gathering Realm, but that wouldn’t even be the end of their suffering.

There was an extremely high possibility that the violent surge of energy would severely damage their meridians, leaving them incapable of cultivating ever again.

Yet there existed an even worse possibility: if that violent burst of qi currents spread into the cultivator’s remaining qi clusters and damaged them as well, then the best thing that cultivator could pray for was that they didn’t end up in hell, because, put simply, he or she would be dead.

One could clearly see the terrifying dangers associated with forcefully shattering a qi bead like that, and yet, what Yuexin had done wasn’t merely breaking apart one qi bead; instead, she shattered more than one hundred qi beads all at once.

She would never have attempted such madness if she had any other choice, but based on her current cultivation speed, she would need more than two weeks to finally step into the Qi Refining Realm, and the tournament was only two to three days away.

She simply didn’t have the luxury of time. Because she possessed a Sacred Grade spirit root, the number of qi beads contained within each of her qi clusters vastly surpassed that of ordinary cultivators at the same realm; she possessed one hundred and twenty qi beads within a single qi cluster.

While other cultivators only needed to carefully focus on breaking apart three to five qi beads at a time, she had to slowly dismantle one hundred and twenty qi beads, one by one, breaking each of them apart at an incredibly minute rate while making sure every movement remained perfectly stable throughout the entire process.

If she continued at this same pace, then there was no doubt that she would never step into the Qi Refining Realm before the tournament arrived; after all, it was already almost here.

Yuexin had this sickening feeling that if she failed to reach the Qi Refining Realm, then her chances of winning the tournament would be less than ten percent. Yuexin’s instincts were incredibly sharp; she trusted them completely, and right now, they were telling her that she would surely lose if she failed to break through into the Qi Refining Realm.

So, she made the craziest gamble imaginable... one that countless cultivators wouldn’t even dare to think about. She shattered every single qi bead within one entire qi cluster all at the same time.

Anyone capable of attempting something like this... well, there was probably no one; but if anyone truly did, then without a second thought, they would become a dead goat. No amount of prayers or good fortune would be enough to save them, but Li Yuexin wasn’t exactly a normal human; she was betting everything on her inhuman nature.

It had already allowed her to accomplish countless impossible feats, and as much as she hated bringing out that monstrous side of herself, she truly had no other choice this time. She had to do this; who knew, she might actually survive.

After all, she wasn’t regarded as the number one genius of the Li Clan for nothing. Still, she knew with more than a thousand percent certainty that this was going to hurt... really hurt... but she had no choice except to endure it. So she did what she had to do: she expanded her qi ring, and then, with mighty waves of qi, she shattered the remaining one hundred and five qi beads.

The reaction was immediate; an overwhelming surge of qi currents exploded within the qi ring, battering against it and tearing it apart at an alarming speed.

If those raging qi currents managed to break through, then there was no doubt they would immediately attack the remaining qi clusters, and what would happen afterward... well, that outcome was worse than death itself. Yuexin had already prepared for that possibility.

Not only did she pour waves of qi into strengthening the surrounding qi ring, but she also condensed a second, smaller qi ring inside the first one, attempting to gather the berserk qi currents together once again.

But she didn’t stop there because she knew that alone would be woefully insufficient; instead, she expanded her spirit core even further, creating a much larger internal space before shifting her remaining nine qi clusters farther away from the one that was now raging like a savage beast.

Yet, the terrifying sense of danger clawing at her insides didn’t lessen in the slightest; no, it almost seemed to grow stronger. So she condensed yet another qi ring, wrapping it around the original one; at the same time, she continuously erected layer after layer of qi barriers between the berserk qi currents and her remaining qi clusters.

Still, none of it was enough; the raging qi currents had no intention of giving her any more time to survive their wrath. The very first qi ring she had created was destroyed in what felt like a single second, but that wasn’t the only target of the violent qi currents... no, it was merely the beginning.

The original qi ring was shattered soon afterward, then the third qi ring followed; but by then, Yuexin had already condensed three additional qi rings in an attempt to contain the berserk energy. Yet, they too failed; none of them could withstand the furious qi currents.

After destroying those three qi rings as well, the berserk energy surged forward and began assaulting the layers of qi barriers Yuexin had painstakingly constructed, and those barriers didn’t seem capable of holding on for much longer.

Li Yuexin’s gaze turned solemn the moment she witnessed that scene; things were getting out of hand. She had expected things to become dangerous, but the situation was deteriorating far faster than she had imagined. Still, she had no choice except to endure.

Another reason Yuexin had dared attempt such madness was because her control over qi far surpassed that of most Qi Refining Realm experts; she continuously drew qi from her remaining qi clusters. At the same time, with unbelievably precise control, she manipulated every strand of energy she extracted from her own body.

Then, further reinforced by the spiritual qi she continuously absorbed from the surrounding world, she used both sources of energy simultaneously. One part fought directly against the savage qi currents that seemed hellbent on devouring her from within; the other part desperately tried to contain them.

The battle taking place inside her body was fierce... no, it was unimaginably fierce. Blood slowly trickled from the corner of Li Yuexin’s lips, but that was only the beginning because the longer she fought against the overwhelming surge of qi currents, the greater the damage spreading throughout her body became, and the more damage she suffered, the weaker her control over qi gradually became, which only caused the already terrifying situation to spiral even further out of control.

What Yuexin was doing could be said to be exceptional, and yet even that would be an understatement at best because what she was doing was something many couldn’t even begin to imagine.

She was not only combating an extremely powerful qi current that would have surely ended the life of anyone else if they were the one in her situation, but she was also managing to hold on... no, not just holding on; at the same time, she was making sure the remaining qi clusters were well protected, creating both barriers and distance to ensure their safety, which in one word was her own safety as well.

After all, if they were destroyed by the qi current, then she truly wouldn’t survive. So she was doing all of that while, little by little, containing the qi current. The progress was incredibly small, almost unnoticeable, and yet as time went on she slowly started to gain the upper hand.

And all this she was doing while cultivating; who could possibly do this apart from her? It was not an exaggeration to say such an individual probably didn’t exist; perhaps only she could accomplish something this insane.

But even then she wasn’t safe... no, her life was still in great danger. No matter how much she looked as if she was coping well, the truth was that she was standing at death’s doorstep; that much was certain. A few minutes later, Li Yuexin coughed out a large mouthful of blood, her body trembling from deep pain and utter exhaustion.

Still, she couldn’t relax; she was losing, after all. She continued to battle, but the closer she got to concealing and condensing the qi current, the more pain her body suffered. The more pain she endured, the more her concentration slipped, and the more her focus weakened, the more the qi current gained the upper hand.

Knowing that if things continued this way her death might truly arrive, she pushed her inhumane nature to the forefront. The pain didn’t dull... no, it never dulled.... instead, she accepted it. She embraced the pain itself and used it to push herself even further, forcing herself to continue condensing the violent qi current.

Several more brutal struggles later, Yuexin coughed out another mouthful of blood; she felt as if her body had been torn apart over and over again, yet she refused to stop. She couldn’t, so she continued.

Blood poured endlessly from her mouth, her eyes, and her nose; in fact, it became so brutal that even the pores of her skin started leaking blood until her entire body was dyed crimson, and soon her clothes were soaked completely red. It seemed that her fate had already been decided after all. She had already lost an extreme amount of blood, and yet she still didn’t stop.

Instead, through sheer willpower, she awakened an aspect of her own nature that even she herself knew nothing about. The blood seeped into the small pond of spirit water surrounding her cultivation seat, and when it did, something impossible happened: the entire pond of spirit water became blood.

They weren’t merely dyed red... no, they had truly transformed into blood... her blood. And as if that wasn’t already shocking enough, the blood slowly rose into the air, levitating upward before beginning to revolve around Yuexin.

The atmosphere changed instantly; another form of energy suddenly made its presence known. Unlike the gentle qi she had been circulating before, which was calm and peaceful, another qi erupted into existence: savage, oppressive, violent.

It rushed into Yuexin’s body with overwhelming force. The normal qi she had been circulating carried the refreshing feeling of morning dew and the scent of an ocean breeze, but this new qi was completely different; it carried the heavy smell of blood.

The metallic scent of fresh iron filled the chamber; its aura was sharp, its presence instinctively unsettling, and yet Yuexin was extremely familiar with this qi. It belonged to her bloody self.

Using the natural flow of her water qi together with the newly awakened blood qi, she combined both energies through her unprecedented control and mastery over qi. At first, the two energies resisted one another violently; controlling them together proved unbelievably difficult, but soon, she gradually brought them under control.

And with that, her overall prowess tripled... no, it far surpassed even that. Soon she started gaining the upper hand against the raging qi current; little by little, with an unbelievable amount of effort, she forced the violent current under her control.

Then, after another long and exhausting battle, she finally condensed it: a single refined qi bead was born. The battle was over; she had won in the end. Back in the physical world, Yuexin slowly opened her eyes.

For several long moments, her irises were completely scarlet... the same color as fresh blood. Her gaze was icy cold, devoid of warmth, making her seem like an entirely different person. Then, the scarlet gradually faded, her beautiful blue eyes returned once more, and following that, a gentle smile slowly appeared on her face.

Her gaze softened completely, almost as if another personality had quietly retreated back into the depths of her soul. "I did it," Yuexin whispered, unable to hide the joy in her voice. "I survived... I really did it." She couldn’t help but smile even brighter; against all odds, she had overcome the danger and successfully stepped into the Qi Refining Realm.

Yuexin had indeed become a Qi Refining cultivator, but she wasn’t the only one who had broken through; someone else had finally managed to step into a new realm as well.

-----

Back inside Liyu’s cultivation chamber, Liyu suddenly heard the familiar system notification echo inside his mind: "Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have successfully broken through to the Qi Gathering Realm."