Chapter 34: The Change in the Purple-Gold Gourd

## Chapter 34: The Transformation of the Purple Gold Gourd

Late into the night, Ye Chen and Xiong Er, those two mischievous souls, once again found themselves in the back mountains of the Heng Yue Sect.

Within that familiar cave, they meticulously counted their ill-gotten gains: Snow Jade Orchid flowers.

"Over nine hundred stalks! This is a windfall, truly!"

"We'll refine it all into Jade Spirit Liquid, a fifty-fifty split. What say you?"

"Agreed!"

And so, the pair continued their search and plunder through the back mountains. Refining Jade Spirit Liquid demanded not only Snow Jade Orchids but also several other spirit grasses. Fortunately, the back mountains were abundant with such treasures.

As dawn approached, the two weary figures finally returned to the cave, their bodies aching from their nocturnal exploits. Most of the night had been spent gathering barely enough medicinal herbs to refine five hundred portions of Jade Spirit Liquid.

"Time to get to work!" Ye Chen, brimming with energy, immediately summoned his true fire, molding it into the form of a refining cauldron. Beside him, Xiong Er was equally spirited, acting as his assistant, tossing spirit grasses into the fiery cauldron according to Ye Chen's precise instructions.

A new day dawned, a fresh beginning.

On the Fengyun Platform, the disciples from the three main peaks continued their intense battles, almost coming to blows with weapons on several occasions. Yet, none of this commotion disturbed Xiong Er and Ye Chen. The two were diligently focused on refining the Jade Spirit Liquid within the cave, the air thick with a refreshing medicinal fragrance.

Days and nights blurred into one another, the sun and moon cycling overhead. In the blink of an eye, nine days had quietly passed. During this time, the two would periodically rest before resuming their arduous refining process.

Under another starry sky, the two lay exhausted on the ground, their chests heaving with ragged breaths. Their efforts had not been in vain; several hundred bottles of Jade Spirit Liquid lay quietly beside them, a truly joyous sight.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask for a long time," Xiong Er said, his gaze fixed on Ye Chen. "You possess true fire, a coveted treasure within any sect. Why did you only manage to secure an outer disciple position?"

"A common man is not guilty, but possessing a treasure makes one so," Ye Chen shrugged. "It's simply that true fire incites jealousy and greed in too many. I had no desire to invite unnecessary trouble because of its existence."

"That makes sense."

"Until my wings are fully grown, I have no intention of exposing my true fire to outsiders."

"The outer sect grand competition is in a month," Xiong Er mused, stroking his fleshy chin. "If you wish to enter the inner sect, I doubt you can achieve it without using your true fire."

"Outer sect grand competition..." Ye Chen pondered. This Heng Yue Sect was likely similar to the Zhengyang Sect, holding an outer sect grand competition every three years, with the victors earning entry into the inner sect.

The thought of the outer sect grand competition brought a tinge of melancholy. It had been over a month since he was expelled from the Zhengyang Sect. Had he still been there, he would likely already be an inner sect disciple.

Worldly affairs truly were unpredictable. Ye Chen sighed involuntarily at his own fate – a sect-abandoned disciple who had suffered endless humiliation. Yet, Heaven was fair, granting him a second chance to bloom anew within the Heng Yue Sect.

"I'm off," Xiong Er said, patting the dust from his trousers. He dug his nose. "Perhaps my old man is searching for me all over the world?" With that, Xiong Er leaped out of the cave.

After Xiong Er's departure, Ye Chen sealed the cave entrance and settled into a cross-legged position on the ground. Soon, he consumed thirty bottles of Jade Spirit Liquid in one go. His true fire immediately surged forth, aiding him in refining the liquid into pure true qi.

As the surging true qi poured into his dantian sea, the ocean within began to churn, golden waves rolling and shimmering. With the continuous increase in true qi, Ye Chen's cultivation was pushed to the peak of the fourth layer of Qi Condensation. At this moment, his pores opened wide, greedily absorbing the spiritual qi of heaven and earth like a whale swallowing water.

*Boom…!*

He didn't know when it happened, but a resonant sound echoed within his body. His realm, as he wished, had broken through to the fifth layer of Qi Condensation.

*Huff!*

He exhaled a long breath of turbid qi, feeling completely refreshed. Inspecting his body internally, Ye Chen discovered that his meridians had become sturdier. His bones, too, had been subtly tempered by the true fire, becoming tough and resilient. Both his meridians and bones were now tinged with a dazzling golden light. Due to his cultivation advancement, the capacity of his dantian sea had expanded once more.

"The next breakthrough will require at least a hundred bottles of Jade Spirit Liquid." Ye Chen roughly estimated the amount of true qi needed for the next realm. He knew that the fifth layer of Qi Condensation was a significant turning point in the Qi Condensation realm. Breaking through the first four layers was not difficult, but from the fifth layer onwards, the process changed drastically, becoming increasingly challenging with each subsequent breakthrough. This was especially true for him, possessing a dantian sea, which made it even more difficult.

"Fortunately, I have true fire to refine the Jade Spirit Liquid. Otherwise, relying solely on absorbing the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, who knows when I would be able to break through again?"

With this thought, he patted the ground and sprang to his feet, stretching his somewhat stiff body.

*Eh?*

Just as he stretched, something within his storage bag trembled slightly. Opening the bag, Ye Chen realized that the subtle tremor came from the Purple Gold Small Gourd he had purchased at the Wanbao Pavilion that day. Since buying it, it had remained completely still.

A hint of surprise touched his heart as Ye Chen took out the Purple Gold Small Gourd. The gourd had undergone a transformation; a faint purple light now flickered across its surface, and the engraved runes occasionally flowed with energy.

"Could it be that my realm breakthrough triggered its awakening?" Ye Chen muttered, then gently pulled out the stopper.

Suddenly, the Purple Gold Small Gourd trembled again. Soon, a small vortex appeared at the mouth of the gourd. The spiritual qi between heaven and earth was drawn towards this vortex, then sucked into the gourd.

This sight caused Ye Chen's eyes to brighten. Leaving the stopper off, Ye Chen quietly observed the changes in the small gourd. It was like a living being, absorbing the spiritual qi of heaven and earth. Seeing this, Ye Chen broke open the cave entrance and stepped outside.

Compared to the inside of the cave, the spiritual qi outside was denser. He placed the Purple Gold Small Gourd on a rock, and the spiritual qi of heaven and earth was instantly attracted to it, then forcefully pulled into the gourd.

He didn't know how long passed before Ye Chen leaned forward, looking into the gourd through its mouth. He was surprised to discover that the absorbed spiritual qi of heaven and earth had actually transformed into several drops of spiritual qi liquid. The quantity was small, but it was exceptionally pure.

"You actually possess such an ability!" Ye Chen exclaimed in astonishment. He then raised the small gourd and poured the spiritual qi liquid into his mouth. The spiritual qi liquid, like a clear spring, flowed into Ye Chen's meridians, nourishing his body.

"It's not inferior to Jade Spirit Liquid at all," Ye Chen's face lit up with joy.

Immediately, Ye Chen placed the small gourd back on the rock, allowing it to continue devouring the spiritual qi between heaven and earth. Not only that, he also poured several bottles of Jade Spirit Liquid into it. He discovered that the Jade Spirit Liquid fused with the spiritual qi liquid, becoming even purer, causing Ye Chen's eyes to gleam with fervent anticipation.

Seeing this, Ye Chen poured every bottle of Jade Spirit Liquid from his storage bag into the small gourd. "Truly not bad," Ye Chen gently stroked the small gourd, thinking to himself that the thirteen hundred spirit stones he spent were well worth it.

In the future, he would only need to take out this Purple Gold Small Gourd and place it in a spiritually dense location. It would then automatically absorb spiritual qi and transform it into spiritual qi liquid. Although the small gourd's speed of transforming heaven and earth spiritual qi was somewhat slow, it was constantly absorbing, and over time, small amounts would accumulate into much larger quantities. Most importantly, it didn't consume any of Ye Chen's time.

"A treasure, truly a treasure," Ye Chen said with a chuckle, then put away the Purple Gold Small Gourd and walked out of the back mountains.

(To be continued)