With a slight raise of his eyebrows, Lei Dong felt a flicker of joy in his heart. Qi sensation—he had finally experienced it for the very first time. Yet, at that moment, he dared not make the slightest move, carefully retracing the marvelous feeling of the qi condensing in his dantian. Only when he could no longer hold his breath did he finally exhale a lungful of stale air. Whether it was an illusion or not, his dantian felt faintly cool, and his spirit was instantly refreshed.

Seizing the momentum, Lei Dong immediately plunged into the next round of inhalation and exhalation. Again and again. In the blink of an eye, an entire day slipped by. Lei Dong opened his eyes, a spark of excitement glinting within them. Though less than one or two tenths of his breathing exercises throughout the day had been successful, he had finally crossed the first threshold. Now that he had grasped the qi sensation, he believed his control over the breathing techniques would grow more proficient with time.

Lei Dong quieted his mind and continued to meditate. After a full day’s accumulation, a faint, almost imperceptible thread of Zhenqi was now circulating within his dantian. If he hadn't concentrated intently, he might not have even noticed its existence. However, this tiny coolness filled Lei Dong with immense surprise and joy. After twenty days of hard work, he had finally taken the first step on the path of cultivation.

He improved his Zhenqi bit by bit. Three months—a full three months passed. Now, even without actively breathing, his dantian felt slightly distended. Of course, the ten small Peiyuan Pills gifted upon entry had already been consumed, eight of them. Without those aids, cultivating his Zhenqi to this extent would have taken far longer than this short period. Lei Dong estimated that the effect of each small Peiyuan Pill was equivalent to about ten days of arduous practice. Now, his entire essence, spirit, and vigor were surging and full. Even without internal sight, he could feel that the time was ripe to break through to the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage.

Following the guidance of the Xuan Yin Heart Sutra, Lei Dong slowly mobilized the accumulated Zhenqi in his dantian, guiding it downward through the meridians. The progression was slow and steady. He felt a cool, refreshing sensation flowing from his lower abdomen downwards. That feeling, mixed with a slight swelling yet overwhelmingly satisfying sensation, almost made him groan aloud. However, having thoroughly studied the Xuan Yin Heart Sutra, Lei Dong knew that focus was paramount during a breakthrough. He drew a deep breath, steadied his mind, and forcibly concentrated his attention on the circulation of the Zhenqi.

After about a quarter of an hour, the slow movement of the Xuan Yin Zhenqi abruptly halted. Lei Dong knew it had finally reached the first bottleneck. Holding his breath, he attempted to forcefully drive the Zhenqi downward to break through, but a needle-like stabbing pain erupted from beneath his lower abdomen, causing cold sweat to drench him. He immediately ceased forcing his way through. After resting for a short while, the agonizing, piercing pain finally subsided somewhat.

Having tasted failure, Lei Dong dared not act rashly again. Instead, relying on his understanding of the Xuan Yin Heart Sutra, he adopted a subtle approach, gently massaging the acupoint—which felt like a barrier—with excruciating slowness. The moment that layer of resistance slackened even slightly during the massage, the Zhenqi transformed into a subtle stream, infiltrating the opening without hindrance.

A great embankment is ruined by an ant’s burrow. Lei Dong relied on this method to gradually erode the barrier blocking the Zhenqi's advance. However, as time swiftly elapsed, the Zhenqi stored in his dantian was continuously being depleted. Because he felt his Zhenqi was insufficient earlier, he had swallowed the last two remaining Peiyuan Pills.

Bead-sized drops of sweat constantly streamed down Lei Dong’s forehead. Yet, his expression was one of extraordinary determination. Others might not know, but Lei Dong, having transmigrated, understood that in this world of cultivators wielding heaven-defying power, only by becoming a true powerhouse could one master one's own destiny. Otherwise, under the law of the jungle, one wouldn't even possess the right to resist.

Boom—Just as the Zhenqi was nearly exhausted, and Lei Dong thought this breakthrough attempt would only grant him some experience points, the agonizing barrier, under the constant erosion of the Zhenqi, finally melted away like ice. The remaining sliver of Zhenqi immediately surged forward, rushing into that acupoint, coiling continuously, resembling a vortex, or perhaps even a swirling galaxy in the cosmos.

As this Zhenqi continued to spiral, it slowly became more refined. The residual waste qi was then expelled back into the dantian and exhaled outside the body through breathing techniques.

Lei Dong was overjoyed. The capacity of the dantian had limits. The more condensed and refined the Zhenqi, the greater the energy that could be unleashed from the same volume. Seizing the advantage, Lei Dong immediately resumed gathering qi through breathing. The wisps of Zhenqi drawn in with each breath were purified once more. However, the efficiency at the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage far surpassed his previous efforts. After only a few hours of seated meditation and breathing, the Zhenqi within his body recovered to its peak. Not only that, but the Zhenqi in his dantian was now several times more pure than before.

Only then did Lei Dong slowly open his eyes. What met his gaze was a world of sharply defined colors. The light in the simply furnished cultivation room was dim. Before, looking at the stone walls felt somewhat hazy. But now, he could clearly see even the minute particles on the stone surface. Rising to his feet and taking a step forward, his entire body felt light, as if he had the illusion of soaring away on the wind. With a forceful push forward, he actually floated three or four meters ahead.

Cultivation, truly, was the best way to unlock human potential, Lei Dong mused inwardly. As he calmed his mind, he noticed his now more sensitive nose detecting an indescribable, foul stench emanating from his body. He hastily summoned his maid, ordered three full tubs of water, and only then did his body become completely clean. Feeling refreshed and invigorated, he felt almost transcendent.

After asking the maid the time, Lei Dong learned that, without realizing it, he had been in secluded cultivation for nearly four months without stepping outside his door. After being stunned for half a day, Lei Dong finally sighed, understanding the saying "time fades away in cultivation." Looking at himself in the bronze mirror in the bathing room, his skin was fairer, but more noticeably, it was pale, as if a result of prolonged darkness. He knew that having reached the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage, he had barely entered the threshold of cultivation. Not only had his physical constitution greatly improved, but he could also officially begin learning the use of spells. Furthermore, after being a shut-in for four months, it was time to go out and catch some sun.

After savoring a delicious meal slowly, stepping out of his chambers brought him a strange sense of unfamiliarity. Looking around, he wasn't sure where to go. He could only summon a middle-aged male servant and inquire carefully, especially asking where he could learn spells.

The male servant was also aware that this new disciple before him had actually achieved the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage. Not daring to be negligent, he immediately led Lei Dong to meet Tang Qian, the steward in charge of cultivating spell manuals.

Tang Qian appeared to be sixty or seventy years old, yet he gave Lei Dong a profound, unfathomable impression. Knowing that courtesy costs nothing, Lei Dong was exceptionally respectful, gentle, and humble towards him. After reviewing and verifying Lei Dong's identity, Tang Qian showed surprise: "Lei Dong, based on the aptitude you showed in the test before entering the sect, you should rank in the middle—neither good nor bad. Normally, for someone with your aptitude, reaching the first layer of Qi Refining usually takes over eight months. I did not expect that it would only take a mere four months after entry…"

"Steward Tang, this disciple has not stepped out of his room once in these four months," Lei Dong replied with a forced, bitter smile. "That bottle of small Peiyuan Pills has also been entirely consumed."

"Lei Dong, you should just call me Senior Brother Tang. Even I am only at the ninth layer of Qi Refining. All disciples at the Qi Refining Stage are considered third-generation disciples; we address each other based on cultivation levels," Tang Qian said, his attitude significantly softening upon learning that Lei Dong, despite ordinary aptitude, had achieved early success in just four months. He smiled broadly. "It seems Junior Brother Lei’s comprehension must be excellent; otherwise, the ten small Peiyuan Pills alone would not have been enough to accomplish this."

"Senior Brother Tang is too kind," Lei Dong responded with an accompanying smile. "I wonder, before me, how many others have managed to cultivate to the first layer of Qi Refining?"