Qin Zhaoming, who had prepared his mind, ate the Qi Condensation Pill.
The moment the pill, which melted as soon as it entered his mouth, reached his stomach...
Bang!
The dense spirit qi condensed in the pill exploded outward.
The surging energy spread to the extremities of his limbs.
"Ugh."
His breath caught as spirit qi filled his entire body. Even his meridians felt like they would burst from the rapidly intensifying pressure.
He hurriedly closed his eyes.
He operated the Five Elements Qi Refinement Technique with all his might, but it was overwhelming.
The rampaging spirit qi was out of control. Instead of properly accumulating in his dantian, it escaped through his skin.
His poor aptitude was holding him back.
'Oh no!'
Most of the pill's efficacy was wasted, escaping through his pores. It was such a shame. It felt like coughing up blood.
Despite his desperate attempts to control the flow, it was beyond his ability.
'No! I saved spirit stones for half a year to buy this Qi Condensation Pill!'
Just as he was biting his lips, unable to do anything, a good idea suddenly occurred to him.
Woong!
He hastily concentrated. The moment he consumed all his remaining Supreme Great Power to make a wish...
A mysterious wave arose and began to guide the flow.
The spirit qi, which had been rampaging like a hooligan, changed dramatically. It suddenly became as docile as a lamb, to the point of absurdity.
'Huh?'
The difficulty that had been tormenting him just moments ago now seemed like an illusion.
Qin Zhaoming, who almost stopped his technique out of some inexplicable indignation, was startled.
'Focus!'
All difficulties had passed, but he couldn't waste the pill due to carelessness. If that happened, he wouldn't be able to sleep properly from frustration.
Casting aside distracting thoughts, he focused on the Five Elements Qi Refinement Technique. He concentrated on guiding all the essence of the Qi Condensation Pill, which contained half a year's effort, into his dantian.
The moment he succeeded in completely absorbing the pill's efficacy...
Bang!
The wall blocking his path shattered in an instant. A thrilling and exhilarating feeling surged up his spine.
He had finally broken through to Qi Refinement level 2!
The evolution occurring at the essence of life level, the ecstatic feeling of transforming into a superior being—it was incomparable to anything else.
"Haa!"
He savored the lingering sensation as he exhaled a turbid breath.
The moment of rising in realm was truly the best. He could understand why practitioners risked their lives for cultivation.
'One Qi Condensation Pill is better than a month of practice.'
The effect of the elixir was also remarkable. His cultivation progress, which had been as slow as a snail, jumped significantly in an instant.
The fortune of 20 spirit stones wasn't regrettable at all.
He deeply felt why practitioners bought elixirs with hard-earned spirit stones.
Qin Zhaoming, who was nodding with satisfaction, focused on his dantian.
He intended to check how much stronger he had become after reaching Qi Refinement level 2.
"...My spirit qi has increased by at least fifty percent."
Roughly 1.5 times.
The total amount of spirit qi had increased, and his physical strength and muscular power had also strengthened. He had become superior in all aspects, including reaction speed.
He felt like he could win even if he fought against two of himself from before the breakthrough, when he was at Qi Refinement level 1.
As he was stretching and adapting to his strengthened body, Qin Zhaoming paused.
"Huh?"
He felt a change in the Supreme Great Power, the supernatural ability engraved in his soul.
He immediately called out for his status window.
[Qin Zhaoming]
[Lifespan]: 15/118
[Realm]: Qi Refinement Level 2
[Supreme Great Power]: 5/15
Looking at the hologram, he cheered.
"Ohhh!"
The Supreme Great Power spheres had increased from 10 to 15! As his realm improved, the Supreme Great Power had also strengthened.
If only the quantity had increased, it wouldn't have meant much, but regardless of how many golden spheres there were, they would all recover in a month.
It meant that as the total amount increased, the recovery speed of the supernatural ability had also accelerated.
"Good!"
Now he only needed to wait two days for one sphere to recover.
'This is amazing! I can go to Mount Zeyang three times a month.'
He was pleased with the changes that came with his rising realm. The feeling of gradually developing was very good.
Qin Zhaoming, who had been grinning like a child receiving a gift, paused.
'Wait... this isn't right.'
Suddenly, he felt a sense of crisis at the sight of himself being happy just because he could go to Mount Zeyang three times.
He had become immersed in his daily routine, focusing on day-to-day survival.
Being diligent was good, but he always needed to keep a desire for improvement in his heart!
He realized he shouldn't cultivate in such a haphazard manner.
Since the Supreme Great Power was a powerful supernatural ability, it needed to be used efficiently. He needed to establish a more proper cultivation plan.
Currently, most of the Supreme Great Power was being consumed mimicking the Concealment Technique, which was clearly a waste.
In fact, the solution was simple.
He could save spirit stones for about half a year and formally purchase the Concealment Technique to master it. Then he could climb Mount Zeyang without relying on the Supreme Great Power.
By that time, he could also use the Supreme Great Power for cultivation.
A virtuous cycle where he became stronger through the supernatural ability, and as his realm rose, the Supreme Great Power strengthened!
To go far, he needed to form such a structure.
Qin Zhaoming, who sighed, smacked his lips in regret.
'I won't be able to even look at a Qi Condensation Pill for a while. If I could consistently take elixirs, I could increase my cultivation speed two or three times.'
Though he had lingering regrets, he had to endure.
His cultivation speed would temporarily slow down, but it would be beneficial in the long run.
After making a rough plan, he closed his eyes.
He calmed his impatient heart and operated the Five Elements Qi Refinement Technique. This was to manage the instability created by his rising realm.