20: Refining Qi is like refining mercury; True Essence transforms into liquid.

The nameless incense at the foot of the mountain gathered like a trickling stream, continuously nourishing Li Muchen's Dao Foundation and Luck. This Power Of Will, originating from the simple gratitude of sentient beings, did not directly increase his cultivation, but it acted as the best whetstone and purifier, constantly tempering his true yuan and cleansing the dust from his mind.

Every day during his Cultivation, Li Muchen would set aside a wisp of his mind to actively sense and accept this flow of Power Of Will, integrating it into the cycle of his own Dao Foundation.

At first, he only passively accepted the tempering effect it brought. Later, he gradually began to try using his own Dao charm to guide and organize these mixed powers of will, extracting the positive mental energy such as gratitude and prayers to blend with his own light of Karma. Simultaneously, he used methods of clearing the heart and calming the qi to quietly dissolve those weak negative thoughts derived from fear, greed, or blind worship.

This process was not only a tempering of his true yuan but also a honing of his Heart-Nature, and a preliminary realization of the relationship between the Dao and sentient beings.

As days turned into weeks, his true yuan became increasingly pure and condensed. Its color gradually shifted from the initial pale green toward a more reserved jade-white that was closer to its essence. When it flowed, it was like mercury or thick paste—heavy yet agile.

Inside his Dantian, that seed of the dao foundation also became more radiant and stable, like a miniature star, constantly breathing in and transforming pure true yuan.

Under the continuous nourishment of his divine yuan, the boundaries of the Purple Mansion space became clearer, and the "spiritual light" within grew brighter. His Spiritual Sense not only expanded to nearly thirty zhang, but its delicacy of perception improved once more; he could even vaguely sense the faint bias of different attributes of Spiritual Qi in the air, as well as the flow trends of the earth vein's aura.

The auxiliary effects of the qi nurturing pill remained, but as his true yuan became purer by the day, the sense of improvement brought by the same dosage gradually weakened. Li Muchen knew this was because his body and true yuan had developed a certain adaptability to the Medicinal Pill, which also meant he needed higher quality pills or a stronger cultivation environment.

He began working on improving the Pill Formula for the qi nurturing pill. Relying on his increasingly powerful Spiritual Sense and deep understanding of medicinal properties, he tried adjusting the proportions of several secondary herbs. He even risked adding a trace of pure wood spiritual qi gathered by the Spirit Gathering Formation—which he had temporarily sealed using a special method—in hopes of enhancing the medicinal effect.

The improvement process was not smooth; he failed several times, wasting some precious medicinal materials. But Li Muchen was not discouraged. After each failure, he carefully analyzed the reasons and adjusted his plan.

Finally, after another mentally exhausting refinement, he obtained a batch of only three pills. However, their fragrance was more internal, their bodies were pale gold, and their surfaces faintly showed cloud patterns—an improved version of the qi nurturing pill.

He named it the "minor restoration pill." Its effect was nearly fifty percent stronger than a normal qi nurturing pill, and its medicinal nature was gentler and more lasting, with fewer Impurities.

The success of the minor restoration pill greatly boosted his confidence. However, refining this pill consumed an immense amount of mental energy and had a low success rate, so it could not serve as a daily consumable; it could only be kept as a reserve for breaking through a Bottleneck or for critical moments.

In the blink of an eye, another month passed.

The mountain climate grew cooler as autumn deepened. The ancient cypress tree remained evergreen, but the vegetation around the temple had begun to take on a golden hue. The heart-clearing grass entered its second peak growth season, its tranquil fragrance becoming even richer.

Late one night, the moonlight was like water and all was silent.

As was his custom, Li Muchen sat cross-legged in meditation at the center of the Spirit Gathering Formation in the Main Hall. Inside his Dantian, his true yuan circulated like liquid mercury; in his Purple Mansion, the spiritual light was clear and bright. His Spiritual Sense enveloped the temple, resonating faintly with the vitality of the ancient cypress tree, the water vapor of the Spirit Well, and the curling Power Of Will from the mountain below.

He swallowed a carefully refined minor restoration pill, preparing for a long period of deep cultivation to attempt a Breakthrough of the Foundation Establishment Early Stage Bottleneck and advance toward the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

The pill entered his stomach and transformed into a surging yet gentle torrent of medicinal power that quickly spread. Li Muchen immediately circulated the Supreme Clarity Purple Mansion Returning to Origin True Scripture, guiding the medicinal power to fuse with the Spiritual Qi gathered by the Spirit Gathering Formation and his own pure true yuan, running at high speed along even more complex and exquisite Meridian paths.

One cycle, two cycles... During the high-speed circulation, the true yuan was constantly compressed and refined, becoming more solid and heavy.

As the Cultivation Technique reached its limit, Li Muchen felt his Dantian swell slightly. That mercury-like true yuan began to churn violently, and the seed of the dao foundation radiated brilliant light, emitting a powerful suction.

It was time!

He concentrated his thoughts, sinking all his mind into his Dantian. Following the methods for breaking through a Bottleneck in his technique, he began to guide that thick, mercury-like true yuan toward the core of the seed of the dao foundation for ultimate compression and condensation!

This was not a simple increase in the total amount of true yuan, but a qualitative change! He needed to further condense the gaseous and fluid true yuan, transforming it into a higher energy form to lay the firmest foundation for the future "Refining Qi into Spirit" and the formation of a Golden Core!

"Buzz—!"

A low hum echoed within his Dantian. Under the forced compression of the technique and his will, the massive true yuan resisted violently, bringing waves of swelling pain. The Spiritual Sense in his Purple Mansion was also fully mobilized, turning into invisible "pressure" to assist the compression.

The medicinal power of the minor restoration pill, the Spiritual Qi from the Spirit Gathering Formation, the Power Of Will and Karma gathered from the mountain, and even the vitality emitted by the ancient cypress tree were all being crazily absorbed by him to serve as "fuel" and a "buffer" for the compression and condensation.

The pressure grew greater and greater, and the resistance of the true yuan became stronger. Li Muchen felt as if his Dantian was about to explode; his Meridians bore a massive load, and under the extreme focus, his mind began to feel a tearing pain.

But he gritted his teeth and persevered, his mind not falling into chaos at all. The light of Karma emitted an even warmer stabilizing force, protecting the core of his consciousness. The accumulation from countless past sessions of tempering his true yuan and honing his Heart-Nature played its role at this moment.

"Condense!"

A low roar sounded in his heart as all his power was pushed to the limit!

"Boom—!"

It wasn't an actual loud noise, but a shock on the level of the Soul!

Within the Dantian, that mercury-like true yuan that had been churning like boiling water suddenly collapsed inward upon reaching a certain critical point!

A tiny droplet that emitted a piercing white light was quietly born at the core of the seed of the dao foundation!

Immediately following, a second drop, a third... like a chain reaction, more and more true yuan was drawn in and compressed, transforming into these more condensed, purer true yuan droplets that contained terrifying energy!

The mercury faded, and jade liquid was born anew!

When the last trace of mercury-like true yuan completed its transformation, the flowing true yuan that originally filled the Dantian vanished. In its place was a small pool, about the size of a thumbnail, of true yuan jade liquid—clear and translucent as crystal, yet incredibly heavy and slowly circulating!

And that seed of the dao foundation was suspended in the center of the jade liquid, like a stabilizing pillar, its light restrained and even more miraculous.

Foundation Establishment Middle Stage—True Yuan Liquefaction, achieved!

Almost the instant the True Yuan Liquefaction was completed, the Purple Mansion space also shook violently. Its boundaries expanded outward by another small circle, the "spiritual light" inside became more radiant, and the strength, range, and precision of his Spiritual Sense all rose accordingly, instantly breaking the thirty-zhang limit and stabilizing at around thirty-five zhang! His perception ability had reached a new level!

Li Muchen slowly opened his eyes.

A divine light flowed in his eyes before becoming restrained, returning to a calm depth. However, his entire temperament had undergone a subtle change once again. If he was previously quiet and ethereal, he now possessed an additional layer of restrained weight and profundity, like a deep pool—calm on the surface, but containing an unstoppable force within.

He gently raised his right hand, his thoughts moving slightly.

A grain-sized, crystal-clear drop of true yuan jade liquid seeped from his fingertip and hovered in the air. Although tiny in volume, it emitted heart-palpitating energy fluctuations, and the surrounding air seemed to distort slightly. Compared to his previous true yuan, this drop of jade liquid contained energy that was more concentrated, purer, and of a higher level!

He even felt that with just this one drop of jade liquid dissolving, he could instantly recover nearly half of his true yuan, or erupt with a Palm Thunder far exceeding his previous full-power strikes!

"So this is... True Yuan Liquefaction," Li Muchen murmured to himself, his heart filled with the joy of Breakthrough and a clearer understanding of the path ahead.

In the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, the form of true yuan undergoes a qualitative change. It is not just an accumulation of quantity, but a leap in energy levels. From now on, the growth of his total true yuan might not be exaggerated, but its quality, endurance, and explosive power would far surpass what they were before!

Moreover, after the true yuan liquefied, his control over it would be more refined and subtle. Performing Spells and Divine Abilities would also be more effortless, consuming less while dealing more power.

He dispersed the jade liquid at his fingertip, feeling the slowly circulating true yuan jade liquid and the more stable and radiant seed of the dao foundation within his body. Sensing the expanded Spiritual Sense in his Purple Mansion, his heart was as clear as day.

The mountain wind blew into the hall from outside, carrying the chill of late autumn and the fragrance of vegetation.

The ancient cypress tree in front of the hall swayed its leaves gently, as if celebrating for him.

At the foot of the mountain, in that nameless shrine, new incense was lit. Wisps of blue smoke rose, carrying the prayers of sentient beings to merge into the Luck of this mountain, this temple, and this cultivator.

Li Muchen stood up and walked outside the hall, looking up at the starry sky.

His cultivation had broken through another barrier, but the road ahead was still long.

But every step was taken firmly.

Above Qingfeng Temple, a clear light seemed to flash by, shining together with the stars and moon.