Chapter 8, Gathering Qi Level Three

Jiluo Fei is not particularly attractive, yet she understands the importance of cultivation. After defeating Gu Fei, she obtained a Qi Gathering Stone. Just one Qi Gathering Stone is enough to make anyone envious. However, it seems she has also sustained significant injuries. Once Gu Yiming, Gu Fei's older brother, returns, she will likely have to regurgitate what she has consumed. Even if Gu Yiming does not return, Gu Fei will not let this matter rest.

Ningcheng followed this narrow path and, after walking for about fifteen minutes, saw a small gate, beside which stood a stone house. Inside the stone house was a middle-aged man, who seemed indifferent to the students coming in and out of the small gate; he appeared to be merely a gatekeeper.

Having said that, the young man pointed to a very concealed small door, "That is the side door, which exists on every floor. Once you enter, you can go directly to the back of the training tower. Behind the training tower, there is a place to eat, and the money for meals is earned by yourself. Do not seek out Elder Mu, or you will be doomed. I wish you good luck"

"A plain girl may not necessarily be unattractive; she has merely been disfigured. Otherwise, who in the academy has a better figure than hers? Even Jian Sujie cannot compare..."

... ...

Various shops, snack stalls, and street vendors are all present. However, the quality is quite low, far inferior to the main streets of Cangle City Center. This place is so bustling, and there are so many people that Ning Cheng even doubts whether Ji Luofei is aware of this place at all; at least he has no memory of it prior to now.

Ning Cheng had no desire to continue wandering aimlessly, so he hastily sold some provisions and returned to the seventh floor of the cultivation tower. He needed to accelerate his training speed and reach the fourth level of Qi Gathering as soon as possible. In this place, strength equated to dignity

"Silence, do you wish to die? Dare to speak of Senior Sister Jian."

Ning Cheng understood that the other party did not intend to get to know him. However, the guidance provided by this boy was equivalent to saving his life, and Ning Cheng felt extremely grateful to him.

... ...

That is Gu Fei's older brother, Gu Yiming, and according to these individuals, Gu Fei himself is unwilling to let Ji Luofei go.

Just as he was about to turn and leave Ningcheng, several people emerged from a door beside the circular building, and their discussion caught his attention

Ning Cheng quickly replied, "Yes, this is my first day here, and I don't know where to eat, so I came to ask."

Upon stepping out of this small door, Ning Cheng was immediately astonished by the bustling scene before him; it was simply a marketplace that had everything, filled with noise and activity

Feeling a more powerful flow of true energy than that of the first level of Qi Gathering, Ning Cheng realized that he had undoubtedly advanced to the second level of Qi Gathering. After calculating the time, he found that he had actually been cultivating for two consecutive days and nights

The last duel between Chou Nü Ji and Gu Fei was truly spectacular; I never expected that Gu Fei would not be a match for Chou Nü Ji

Hearing footsteps coming from the grand staircase, Ning Cheng quickly walked to the small door in the corner, opened it, and slipped inside.

Ning Cheng did not expect that asking a question would elicit such a bad attitude from this person. He could only prepare to continue down to the fifth floor to inquire further. The sixth floor is significantly larger than the seventh floor, and occasionally one can see people entering and exiting the training rooms, unlike the seventh floor, where no one is seen coming or going.

The thin spiritual energy in the outside world had no effect on Ning Cheng at all. As he began his cultivation, his dantian, just like before, provided a source of spiritual energy that was purer and denser than the surrounding spiritual energy, allowing Ning Cheng and the * book * to continuously cleanse and open up the meridians throughout his body.

Fortunately, he also knew that very few people practiced on the seventh level, and that Elder Mu would not truly come to oversee him. Ning Cheng did not immediately go out to clean the training room; instead, he continued to cultivate a new spell, the Dust Removal Technique. In the future, after each session of cultivation, he should use the Dust Removal Technique to eliminate the dirt on his body, rather than going downstairs to find water to wash.

Ning Cheng decided to go out in search of Ji Luofei, as he had made no progress in his cultivation and did not wish to remain in this stone house any longer. He had just tidied up a bit and had not yet opened the door when he heard a loud "bang"; the door of his small stone house was kicked open by someone.

A large sign has been erected in the most prominent location, with arrows indicating directions to various places

A few people gradually walked away, and the veins on Ning Cheng's clenched fist were already bulging. He did not go to the fighting arena, but he could already imagine that it must be a bloody battleground, akin to underground boxing. He could not fathom that the Qi Gathering Stone that Ji Luofei obtained with great difficulty came from this place, leaving behind serious aftereffects.

The young man smiled and said, "It's nothing. I was also responsible for cleaning the training room before. After seven years of doing that, I finally reached the second level of Qi Gathering. Then I was noticed by the academy and became an official disciple. Now I have already reached the fourth level of Qi Gathering. Work hard, and perhaps one day you can be like me. Remember, from now on, when you enter and exit the training tower, you can only use the side door."

With the experience gained earlier, Ning Cheng was not panicked at this moment. He discovered that the cultivation methods that appeared in his consciousness were more effective than the cultivation scrolls of the Ning family. Whether it was the speed of the true qi flowing through the meridians or other aspects, everything was flowing at least ten times more smoothly.

In the cultivation chamber, once the room is closed, the spiritual energy inside will increase exponentially. Ning Cheng does not enjoy such treatment; his small stone house remains the same after it is closed as it was before.

"What do you want from me?" Ning Cheng turned around to see a boy a few years older than him, who appeared to have just come out of the training room. This boy had a much darker complexion than Ning Cheng, and a smile on his lips, clearly showing no malice.

In the following days, Ning Cheng practiced repeatedly, but he could no longer experience the situation where a pure and abundant spiritual energy supported him from within. His cultivation stagnated, yet he had successfully mastered several simple spells. When he had just advanced to the third layer of Qi Gathering, guided by the modifications to his cultivation method, he even upgraded the Fireball Technique to the Fire Blade Technique.

Fewer students come to cultivate on the seventh floor of the training tower. After cleaning several training rooms, Ning Cheng directly locked himself in a small stone room to begin his cultivation.

Thank you for informing me, otherwise I would have been in danger, Ning Cheng said gratefully

"Wait a moment." At the stairway, Ning Cheng was called to a halt by someone.

You not only do not know where to eat, but it seems you are also unaware of the rules here. Remember this in the future: the main staircase is off-limits to workers. If you are encountered by certain students or enforcers, you will either face severe consequences or suffer greatly.

The first place was surprisingly neither a commercial building nor a shop for magical artifacts and elixirs, but rather a place called Douguo. This name was the first time Ning Cheng had heard of it, and a strong sense of curiosity arose within him. He decided to follow the direction indicated by the arrow pointing to Douguo, and after about ten minutes, a massive circular structure appeared before him

Watching those barbarians duel is truly devoid of any meaning, and it has nothing to do with literature. Today's silver coins were lost rather uncomfortably; not only did I miss out on something spectacular, but I also lost money

However, as Ning Cheng advanced to the third layer of Qi Gathering, he became somewhat panicked. After reaching the third layer of Qi Gathering, he could no longer sense the support of that spiritual source within his body. Ning Cheng was well aware that without the mysterious spiritual source in his body, no matter how long he practiced, he would never be able to advance from the third layer of Qi Gathering to the fourth layer.

As he walked down the staircase corridor, Ning Cheng realized he had emerged at the back of the cultivation tower. The area behind the cultivation tower was still part of the academy, but it was seldom visited, featuring only a narrow, winding path. On either side of the path stood towering trees, and through the gaps in the tree shadows, one could still see numerous students of the academy coming and going. Some students had deliberately ventured into this path, hurrying along as they proceeded forward.

Aside from feeling hungry, there was only that sensation of true energy pulsating like a drum. Ning Cheng did not dare to continue his cultivation, as he realized he had already committed an offense; he had not cleaned the cultivation room for two days.

The training rooms on the seventh floor were indeed as he had imagined; there were not many people coming to train. Even after he had not come to clean for three days, there were still several clean training rooms available.

In the days that followed, Ning Cheng remained secluded on the seventh floor for cultivation, while also taking advantage of the opportunity to clean the cultivation room to practice various spells. The only regret was that he practiced spells in the cultivation room without any spiritual energy support

When Ning Cheng awoke once more, he had already reached the second layer of Qi Gathering, and a large amount of filth had once again seeped from his body

Behind the small door is an incredibly dark space, with only a narrow staircase passage that resembles an emergency exit in a high-rise building on Earth

"I just heard you at https://mhetushucomcom, you must be the one cleaning the training room, right?" the boy said directly

On the early morning of the third day, Ning Cheng finally used the dust-clearing technique to clean himself up, and then went to tidy the cultivation room

Upon hearing the words of this young man, Ning Cheng was taken aback. He had just come down from the seventh floor using the main staircase. Moreover, Ji Luofei had not informed him that the main staircase was off-limits. If such a rule truly existed and this young man had not warned him, he would indeed be in grave danger.

After the boy finished speaking, he did not mention his name and went down the stairs by himself

When Ning Cheng began to gather his energy, a new flow of true energy appeared in his mind once again. With the concealment technique in place, Ning Cheng did not hesitate for a moment this time; he directly abandoned the cultivation methods recorded in the Ning family's thin scroll and practiced according to the cultivation method that emerged in his mind.

Ning Cheng stopped, and he saw two people blocking the entrance of the circular building, clearly there to collect fees. He still had some silver coins on him, which were meant for his future living expenses. Ning Cheng did not want to waste them on this uncertain arena.

Even so, Ning Cheng remained anxious; without the support of the mysterious spiritual source, he would be limited to the third layer of Qi Gathering for his entire life

Ning Cheng knew that any one of these cultivating students held a status far superior to his own as a laborer. To avoid unnecessary trouble, he had no intention of inquiring about such individuals, nor did he plan to engage in much conversation with these students. In the Cangqin Kingdom, most of the students who could enter this academy came from extraordinary backgrounds; regardless of who they were, Ning Cheng could not afford to provoke them.

Time passes quickly; in the blink of an eye, ten days have gone by. During this period, Ji Luo Fei has not come to find Ning Cheng even once. Ning Cheng has also rarely gone out, dedicating all his energy to cultivation.