Cube-like Supernatural Powers: Longevity Begins with Qi Refining

Chapter 15 [Chain Mission 1: Break Through the Enemy's Encirclement]

After handing over some of his basic information to Zi Xuan, Xiong Zhou looked around again, glancing at the other dozen or so teams, lost in thought.

He asked in a low voice, "It must be quite rare to see such groups of three to five people in our Tai Li True Teachings."

Li Tianqing replied, "Of course it's rare. To be more precise, this situation should be the first time in nearly 100,000 years."

Holding a paper fan, Li Tianqing pointed to the disciples who had set up soundproof barriers and were beginning to discuss, and said, "In the previous session, and even in the sessions before that, there was a special ranking competition for the first level of Qi Refining disciples, but these guys all chose to go it alone."

"Only newly appointed disciples who have just completed the True Disciple assessment and have not yet accumulated enough knowledge of the laws of heaven and earth, cultivation realm, and protective magical artifacts will gather together and work together within the scope permitted by the rules."

Li Tianqing sighed softly, her face showing worry. "This year's ranking competition for the first level of Qi Refining disciples has changed too much. It actually requires us to enter an outer world and be ranked comprehensively based on our abilities in various aspects."

"The first level of Qi Refining is just the first level of Qi Refining. No matter how much potential you show, it is still just potential. You are in the first stage of Qi Refining."

"With such a level of cultivation, even most disciples of the Tai Li Immortal Sect would feel uncertain about entering an outer realm."

Not only were there no precedents to follow, but it was also difficult to make adequate preparations.

Under normal circumstances, contact with the outside world is basically the content of cultivation for Qi cultivators at the fifth level or above.

Qi cultivators at the fourth level of Qi Refining have virtually no need to interact with the outside world, let alone those at the first level of Qi Refining who are still laying the foundation.

This question is way beyond the scope of the curriculum.

"Two people work together, three people form a group, four people form a team, five people form a group... The clearer you are about your current shortcomings, the more you understand your current weaknesses that are difficult to make up for, the more people you can gather... It can be said to be a last resort."

"Forming a team increases safety and reduces the probability of facing insurmountable dangers upon landing. However, it is much more difficult to demonstrate all one's strengths and abilities in all areas and achieve a higher ranking than to work alone, unless one's greatest strengths are in organization, leadership, and coordination."

Xiong Zhou glanced at the five people gathered around him, the small team that had already formed a bond, and then at the dozen or so disciples who were still standing alone at the altar, unwavering in the slightest.

Xiong Zhou nodded silently.

I understand now. Those who still choose to go it alone are the strongest among the strong.

Xiong Zhou muttered to himself, "So, those thirteen lone disciples are the ones we need to watch out for; we must guard against them eliminating us."

Duanmu Ning nodded and said softly, "That's right, those are the thirteen heaven-defying things. We must stay away from them during the assessment later."

As soon as the girl carrying the wooden box finished speaking, a streak of light carrying flames fell from the sky, splashing up sparks on the ground and evolving into dazzling sparks like maple leaves.

A spirited young man carrying a heavy black ruler emerged from the flames, surrounded by raging fire, resembling the Emperor of Ten Thousand Fires, with a haughty gaze.

Duanmu Ning's expression changed, and she even uncontrollably took a half-step back.

She gasped for breath, covering her face with her hands to hide the inexplicable blush rising within her. "This must be a newly promoted disciple. The medicinal fire within my body has been affected, and I feel inclined to submit to him."

"This... is so cool!"

Zi Xuan pulled the girl, who seemed to be swooning over a crush, away and asked Xiong Zhou, "Junior Brother Xiong Zhou, do you know this newly promoted junior brother?"

"This ability to control the laws of fire, this innate ability to suppress all fire, is too extraordinary. Even a typical fourth-level Qi Refining cultivator might not be able to match it."

Xiong Zhou shook his head.

What new, true masters could he possibly know?

For nearly a year, he has been taking extra classes at Tianli Dojo without stopping for a moment or taking a break. Where would he find the extra time to get to know other people?

His original plan was to react to each move as it came, and if he encountered other true masters, he would run away if he couldn't win the fight, and if he couldn't run away, he would wear armor and wear them down.

Wearing heavy armor at the peak of the fourth level of Qi Refining, and with the [Gate to Another World] constantly replenishing his Qi, ordinary Qi Refining cultivators at the fourth level cannot defeat him or outlast him; at most, they can only temporarily seal him away.

Zi Xuan shook her head and sighed, "Variables, variables indeed. In this year's True Disciple Ranking Competition, it's difficult enough to maintain the current ranking, let alone move up and get better resources."

Xiong Zhou did not respond to Zi Xuan. He looked up at the sky and gazed in a certain direction.

Based on his own inspiration, he sensed an unusually strong presence there, which made even someone with the fourth level of Qi Refining Armor feel a chill.

A few breaths later, the youth who was surrounded by flames and resembled the Emperor of Ten Thousand Fires also changed his expression slightly, looking in the same direction that Xiong Zhou was staring at, with a serious expression.

Half a breath later, the thirteen disciples who were preparing to continue their solitary journey also immediately looked up, their expressions moved.

Subsequently, Zixuan, Duanmu Ning, and many other disciples realized something was wrong, and they all looked up at the sky, gazing into the distance with expressions of surprise.

The world has changed.

The originally white clouds were tinged with golden light, and a surge of energy so abundant that it caused extraordinary phenomena in the heavens and earth swept across the sky, reflecting a dazzling golden ocean. A blue lotus flower, surrounded by chaotic energy, swayed silently on it.

The heavy sound of footsteps on the altar, accompanied by the surging sound of waves, echoed in my ears, shaking my soul.

A boy who looked like he was sixteen years old came to the crowd with a bright and sunny smile and gently bowed to the fifty-eight disciples.

One of the true disciples, his face filled with shock, exclaimed in a low voice, "Qi and blood generate metal, condensing and refining like the sea... This is the Indestructible Sacred Body!"

One of the disciples, holding a longsword, exclaimed in shock, "This special physique, which seems to originate from the ancient era, actually exists!"

The girl, dressed in azure feather robes and holding a compass, looked slightly grim. "No wonder the rules for this year's True Disciple Ranking Competition have undergone a major change, and it's being held in the outer realms. It turns out there's such an astonishingly powerful holy body!"

The girl, with a jade ring at her waist and a jade flute in her hand, added softly, "It's not just because of this one extraordinary holy body."

She glanced at the solemn-faced boy carrying a heavy black ruler, and then at Xiong Zhou, who, apart from his physique, seemed quite ordinary.

"And there's this newly appointed disciple carrying a heavy ruler, and that newly appointed disciple who got in through connections."

"Hopefully, the resources available from within the sect will improve in this ranking competition; otherwise, if we drop three places in a row and fall out of the second tier, we're doomed."

After this immortal holy body stepped onto the altar, it seemed to have gathered all the true disciples of this Qi Refining Level One True Disciple Ranking Competition. The entire altar spontaneously rose with rays of five-colored light and began to operate on its own.

The principles of the Five Elements and the Void manifested, evolving into various runes that formed an inverted Tai Chi Bagua array high in the sky. This array slowly tilted, exerting a gravitational force that pulled the true disciples into the air, causing their bodies to float gently.

Zi Xuan whispered a reminder: "Junior Brother Xiong Zhou, please note that the ranking competition for the first level of Qi Refining has officially begun."

As soon as he finished speaking, a terrifying force acted directly on all the true disciples present, turning their bodies into streaks of light that rushed into the Tai Chi Bagua formation, condensing into inverted meteors that shot straight into the sky.

Xiong Zhou's vision blurred; the surrounding scenery was indistinct, the colors chaotic and the lines overlapping and disordered, making it impossible to see clearly.

However, his inspiration was incredibly clear at this moment, approaching a moment of enlightenment. Everything seemed to be rearranged and reorganized, forming one abstract and indescribable sphere after another, full of symbolic meaning.

Following a peculiar trigger, Xiong Zhou suddenly turned around and saw an incredibly special "sphere" in his field of vision. Countless other "beads" were orbiting around it, never stopping.

"This is the 'Qi Refining World'!"

The "sphere" we see now is somewhat different from the "round sphere" that Xiong Zhou saw when he used the [Gate to Another World] to travel through time.

However, his own intuition clearly told him that this was the "Qi Refining World," the world where the Tai Li Immortal Sect was currently located.

Gradually, Xiong Zhou gained a new understanding of the Dao of the Void.

At the same time, he recalled the stone bricks of "Tianyong City," which was suspected to be the residence of a giant god. There was a special pattern on it that seemed to match the realization that was emerging in his heart at this moment.

Before Xiong Zhou could think any further, a ray of light appeared before his eyes, transforming into lines of text.

[Given the intentions expressed at the altar, True Disciple Xiong Zhou, do you confirm forming a team with the four True Disciples: "Zi Xuan," "Li Tianqing," "Duanmu Ning," and "Wu Kang"?]

[If teams are formed, "Zi Xuan" will be the team leader, and the ranking of the first level of Qi Refining disciples in this competition will be determined by calculating the team's overall performance.]

[This team has been named "Mountains and Rivers" by the true disciple "Zixuan"]

[whether]

[Countdown: Ten]

[Countdown: Nine]

Xiong Zhou glanced at it, reached out and clicked on "[Yes]".

The next instant, Xiong Zhou clearly felt the energy surrounding him tremble slightly, and four special "particles" gradually approached him, achieving a special resonance with some of the energy on his body.

Inspiration struck again, and the blurry figures and spiritual aura of the four true disciples—Zi Xuan, Li Tianqing, Duanmu Ning, and Wu Kang—appeared in the perception of the mind.

A near-mechanical swaying sensation appeared, and the centrifugal force of falling downwards spread wildly throughout his body, causing Xiong Zhou's heart to beat faster and faster.

Like shattered glass, fine strands of energy emerged from the energy enveloping the bear boat, emitting a continuous, muffled sound.

Suddenly, Xiong Zhou's viewing angle changed, and a "bead" with a dark blood-red hue and a solid green color appeared before his eyes. It was stuck on the "sphere" that symbolized the "refining Qi world" and rapidly enlarged. The bloody smell that initially made him feel slightly repulsed was now captured by his own intuition.

Xiong Zhou frowned slightly, suppressing his aversion, and focused his mind to use his intuition to perceive the laws of heaven and earth surrounding this "bead," attempting to gain a deeper understanding of it before entering this outer world attached to the "Qi Refining World."

"Old man..."

A resounding echo, born from the very essence of all things, reverberated in his mind. [Innate Divine Power: █ (Pixel Cube)] and [Authority: Abundance] activated simultaneously.

A blood-red, tattered wooden coffin slowly emerged around the "bead," which was entirely emerald green with a hint of dark blood, and enveloped it.

The closer one gets to this "bead," which is entirely emerald green with a hint of dark blood, the clearer the phantom of the broken wooden coffin becomes.

Just as he was about to "touch" it, Xiong Zhou could not only clearly see the strange blood-red patterns on the ancient coffin and the raised green wooden planks, but also vaguely see a corpse with long red hair lying inside.

"Holy crap!"

The intense sense of déjà vu caused Xiong Zhou to let out a sharp, violent cry.

-----------------

The night sky over the Azure Sky Realm was as dark as ever.

The starlight was incredibly dim; most of it was obliterated by the thick black clouds before it even reached the ground.

What came into view was a deep, dark abyss, like a place that was swallowing everything; it was so ferocious, terrifying, and ominous!

On this day, a change occurred.

Fifty-nine meteors, shrouded in silvery light, fell from the sky, following dozens of different trajectories, startling the creatures living on the earth and attracting the attention of beings slumbering deep within it.

The five people, Zi Xuan, Xiong Zhou, Wu Kang, Li Tianqing, and Duanmu Ning, transformed into silver meteors. Their descent slowed down, and they finally hovered steadily about five centimeters above the ground before shattering completely, scattering into tiny silver specks that revealed the figures of the Mountain and River Squad.

Li Tianqing stepped out first, looking at the surrounding environment that resembled an ancient battlefield, and muttered to herself, "Is this the outer world?"

He used his innate supernatural power; a wisp of silver light with cracks slowly moved across his fingertips, constantly trying to leap up.

It seemed as if something was suppressing it, preventing it from leaving its fingertips and making it even more difficult to exert its full power.

Li Tianqing's expression was grim. "Something is suppressing my power and restricting the laws of heaven and earth of the Void Dao. My innate supernatural abilities have basically lost all their external effects."

Upon seeing this, Zi Xuan, Wu Kang, and Duanmu Ning all mobilized their own power to try.

As expected, their power was also limited.

However, the restriction was not as strong as Li Tianqing's, and it still had a certain external effect, at least it could be projected outwards.

Zi Xuan looked at Xiong Zhou, whose face had turned somewhat pale after landing, and asked, "Junior Brother Xiong Zhou, how are you?"

"It shouldn't be more severe than the restrictions imposed on Junior Brother Li Tianqing, right?"

Xiong Zhou suppressed the shock in his heart and deliberately stopped thinking about the red-haired corpse lying in the coffin. He began to sense his own condition.

"I wasn't suppressed at all... The power of my innate supernatural abilities can still be released externally without being affected in the slightest."

Suddenly, without anyone controlling it, the soil formed characters.

This realm is called the "Azure Sky Realm," and it has existed for 103,610,000 years.

[Mountain and River Squad, Tai Li True Disciple Ranking Quest Begins]

[Chain Mission 1: Break Through the Enemy's Encirclement]

The very next moment the text appeared, the entire earth trembled.

One withered hand after another reached out from the depths of the earth, and hoarse roars filled with longing echoed through the night sky!