Bai Zhen leaves the medicine hall and quickly makes his way to the merit hall. There, he trades the merit points he had earned for a single low-grade spirit stone. Afterwards, he makes his way back to his quarters to pick up the boar remains and leaves towards the market.
"Where is it, I remember it was somewhere around here." Bai Zhen looks around to find the shop that buys low-level beast remains. He had seen it the last time he came to the market. After searching around for a bit, he manages to find it.
Bai Zhen approaches the old man sitting at the counter. "Excuse me, I want to sell these rank one mist boar remains."
The old man quickly straightens up. "Yes, young master, the mist boar would be around one and a half spirit stones, hehe." Though Bai Zhen is weak, he is a cultivator nonetheless, and one from the Bai Clan at that. Thus, he would not only be respected but also feared by a mortal like the shopkeeper.
"That sounds alright." Bai Zhen does not haggle with the shopkeeper; he knows the price is fair. After receiving the two spirit stones, Bai Zhen does not waste time lingering and quickly makes his way back to his quarters.
*Hmm, now I have three spirit stones. These should allow me to break through to the second stage of Qi Refining, and if not, I'll get two more in a few days from the clan. But most importantly, once I reach the second stage of Qi Refining, I can finally get a technique from the pavilion.* The pavilion rewards a single technique upon the first breakthrough in Qi Refining.
Bai Zhen sits down with legs crossed and starts to cultivate. He picks up the first spirit stone and slowly starts to consume it. After a bit, it is depleted.
*Still no sign of breakthrough. I guess that is expected. No worry, I still have two stones left.*
Bai Zhen quickly picks up the second stone and starts to consume it. This time, intense pain shoots through his body, his meridians starting to open up, his entire body aching as impurities flow out as black sweat.
*It's close* Bai Zhen quickly picks up the third one. The pain intensifies, his dantian expands, and suddenly— it's done!
Bai Zhen has made his first breakthrough. He is now at the second stage of Qi Refining. At his feet lies a small puddle of black liquid: impurities that were blocking his meridians.
"Are these the impurities?" Bai Zhen had read about this phenomenon in novels, and now he has seen it for himself.
Bai Zhen closes his eyes again and meditates for a few hours to stabilize his cultivation and Qi.
*I can feel the excess amount of Qi in my dantian. It is more than before, and it's more dense also.*
Bai Zhen slowly stands up and picks up his sword. His posture is now better from practicing, his hands steadier and more experienced.
*Let's see if there's any difference.* Bai Zhen makes a swift swing, his arm steady and the strike beautiful. Even though Bai Zhen does not use Qi, the difference is like day and night: it is more precise and more lethal.
*Haha, this is great. I didn't expect such a big change. If I combine this with my own technique, the result would be far more destructive than before.*
With this, Bai Zhen has taken his first step and achieved his first goal. After practicing with his new cultivation for a bit, Bai Zhen makes his way to the skill pavilion. He walks through the grand hall into the back courtyard, and afterwards to the skill pavilion. The pavilion is a grand pagoda with five floors. The first floor holds Qi Refining techniques and can be entered by all Qi Refining members of the clan. The second floor holds Foundation Establishment techniques, only accessible to Foundation Establishment cultivators and elders, though Bai Xueyi is an exception. The third floor holds rare and advanced Foundation Establishment techniques, only Bai Haotian and the elders can enter. The fourth floor holds the inheritance techniques of the clan, only Bai Haotian and the grand elder can enter. Finally, the fifth floor holds the notes and legacy of the Golden Core ancestor.
The first floor is further divided into four sections: the first for early Qi Refining members, the second for mid, the third for late, and the fourth for peak Qi Refining members. In order to enter the pavilion, you need an entrance token.
Bai Zhen arrives outside the grand pagoda. Above the entrance, in big words, "The Skill Pavilion" is written. The grand pagoda is a grey stone structure with weathered blue tiles and has a plaque by the entrance which reads, "Gathering Wisdom for Generations." Bai Zhen enters the pagoda and makes his way to the elder sitting at the counter.
"This junior greets the esteemed elder. I have come to inform that I've made my first breakthrough and wish to pick out my first technique." The pale yet beautiful elder tilts her head to look at the respectful junior in front of her.
"The first breakthrough? Even those with five spirit roots have long broken through the first stage. Introduce yourself, little one." The charming elder says in an intrigued voice.
"This junior is known as Bai Zhen. I lacked ambition previously and did not cultivate much, thus I did not progress earlier, though I have come to my senses and now hope to uphold the Bai name. This one only has a four spirit root and does not have any parents or siblings." Bai Zhen speaks in a calm and composed manner while remaining respectful to the elder, upholding hierarchy.
The female elder is impressed by Bai Zhen's mannerism, something she doesn't see much in the younger generation. She is surprised to know that he has a four spirit root yet such lacking cultivation.
"I can tell from your lack of cultivation you've wasted time. Don't waste your talent. Be something the Bai Clan can be proud of. You can pick out a technique from the second section."
"This junior is eternally grateful for the elder's favour. I will not shame the clan name and will work to the extreme." Bai Zhen is pleasantly surprised by the elder's favour and does not waste time making his way to the second section, usually reserved for mid Qi Refining members. Bai Zhen looks through the techniques one after another:
> "Wave Palm: Channels Qi into the palm, releasing
a pushing force resembling a crashing wave."
"Mist Blade: Condenses Qi along a weapon's edge, forming a faint misty blade extension."
"Mist Veil: The user exhales a thin mist using Qi to obscure themselves briefly."
"Flowing Mist Barrier: Forms a thin mist shield in front of the user to deflect minor projectiles or weak spiritual attacks."
"Cloud Drift Step: Allows the user to move lightly across uneven terrain as if drifting on clouds."
"Breath of Mist: A Qi circulation method that aligns breathing with the surrounding mist, allowing a cultivator to passively absorb a small amount of spiritual Qi during meditation."
"Stone Skin Art: Temporarily hardens the skin to reduce damage from blunt attacks."
Bai Zhen goes through each manual one after another. The Breath of Mist, a Qi circulation method, could benefit Bai Zhen's weak cultivation. Mist Blade, a proper sword technique, would finally allow him to exert his power. But Bai Zhen had made his choice even before coming to the pavilion. He plans on hunting mist boars while collecting herbs, and something that will aid him in doing just that is a good footwork technique. Even though the techniques in front of him are good, right now, he needs resources more than anything if he is to progress faster.
"Esteemed elder, this is the technique I want." Bai Zhen hands over the Cloud Drift Step manual to the kind elder.
"Cloud Drift Step? I expected you to pick a sword art… The Cloud Step is a difficult technique to master. Are you sure you want this one?" The beautiful elder is visibly confused by his choice.
"I'm grateful for the kind elder's concern. I understand the difficulties associated with this art, but this is according to my needs." Bai Zhen replies in a confident tone, his demeanour respectful.
"Since you are so confident in your choice, I wish you good luck and look forward to seeing you back here." The elder looks amused at Bai Zhen's confidence, something she affiliates with his naivety.
"Before I leave, could the esteemed elder tell me her honourable name?" Bai Zhen asks in a curious and respectful voice, a facade to make an impression.
"You may refer to me as Elder Shuyan." Bai Shuyan replies in a casual voice, surprised by Bai Zhen's boldness, yet she does not mind.
"I'm grateful to Elder Shuyan. Your beauty is truly graceful." Bai zhen replies in a complimenting manner, his voice sweet.
Bai Shuyan's face turns pink from ear to ear. She is left speechless, too embarrassed to think. This is the first time someone has spoke so boldly to her, especially a junior. (Shuyan means graceful.)
"You!!…"
Bai Zhen has already left, her voice resonating in the empty hall.
*That boy, hmph, what does he think, talking like that? I'll punish him the next time I see him…*