The Lay Flat Life: My Wife's Cultivation Makes Me Stronger - Chapter 34

Bai Nuo proved true to his claims—his skills in alchemy were indeed exceptional.

With all the ingredients thrown into the furnace at once, Bai Nuo managed to refine all ten Bloodthirst Pills in a single batch. Each pill emerged perfectly round, glowing with a faint dark-red hue, their potency evident.

When Bai Nuo placed the ten Bloodthirst Pills on the table, Han Feng’s eyes immediately lit up with excitement.

“These herbs were incredible. The pills that came out are all high-grade Bloodthirst Pills, with stronger effects. They can increase the user’s strength by one or even two minor stages,” Bai Nuo said nonchalantly.

“As per our agreement, I take two pills, and you keep the other eight,” Bai Nuo added, gesturing for Han Feng to take his share first to confirm the quality of the refinement.

“Thank you,” Han Feng replied, taking eight pills and storing them in his pouch.

“You don’t have a pill bottle? Without one, the potency of the pills will fade,” Bai Nuo remarked and handed a pill bottle to Han Feng.

“Here, take it.”

“Thanks again.”

“No need for thanks. If you ever need more pills refined, come to me. I specialize in Foundation Establishment Pills. If you don’t know the recipe, I can provide it. You can gather the materials, and I’ll refine them for you. Just so you know, Foundation Establishment Pills come with a fifty-fifty split. You’ll need to prepare two sets of ingredients to even things out.”

“Got it. I’ll come back if I need more pills.”

Han Feng cupped his hands in thanks before leaving Bai Nuo’s house.

As soon as Han Feng left, Bai Nuo pulled out his communication jade slip and said, “Hey, Ye family, the high-grade Bloodthirst Pills you requested are ready. Come pick them up when you’re free.”

Back in his courtyard, Han Feng rested easily. There were no unexpected encounters on the way home, and everything proceeded smoothly.

Once back, he went straight to sleep.

For the next few days, nothing significant happened. Ye Longyuan didn’t come looking for trouble, and Jiang Surou went into seclusion to cultivate.

After refining her own batch of Bloodthirst Pills, Jiang Surou had locked herself away with a large pile of spirit stones, focusing on her cultivation.

Although she had recently broken through to the seventh layer of Qi Refining, the looming Ancestor’s Ceremony forced her to hurry her progress. She didn’t have the luxury of time and was determined to push herself through another breakthrough to increase her chances of securing an immortal opportunity.

Thus, during the two-week lead-up to the ceremony, Jiang Surou immersed herself in rigorous cultivation without a moment’s rest, pushing her body and spirit to their limits.

Meanwhile, Han Feng spent his days tending to his garden, playing with the little fox, and lying on his deck chair basking in the sun. He lived in complete relaxation, enjoying his easy-going life without lifting a finger to train.

If Jiang Surou saw how leisurely Han Feng was living, she’d probably be so frustrated she’d want to beat him up on the spot.

While Jiang Surou slaved away in cultivation, Han Feng was contentedly lying around, waiting for his Dao partner to become powerful enough to give him a boost.

On April 30th, in the dead of night, Jiang Surou sat in the secret room of her pavilion, surrounded by a sea of spirit stones. Her eyes burned with determination.

After two weeks of intense cultivation and with her Heavenly Spirit Root, she had finally reached the peak of the seventh layer of Qi Refining. Now, she was ready to push herself into the eighth layer.

For someone with high talent, breaking through the Qi Refining stages wasn’t particularly difficult. It was the later stages of cultivation that became increasingly hard.

Jiang Surou activated her cultivation technique, and the spiritual energy stored in the spirit stones around her began flowing toward her like streams of mist, swirling into her body and driving her toward the next breakthrough.

After half an hour, just as the spiritual energy in the stones was nearly depleted, Jiang Surou’s eyes snapped open.

A powerful surge of energy exploded from her, sweeping through the secret room like a tidal wave.

She had done it.

She had successfully broken through from the peak of the seventh layer to the eighth layer of Qi Refining.

Looking at the ball of spiritual energy condensed in her hand, Jiang Surou muttered to herself, “Not bad. I made it just in time. I wonder if Han Feng has been diligently cultivating. Has he at least made it to the second layer of Qi Refining yet?”

She shook her head slightly, thinking about how Han Feng’s five-year term as a servant disciple was almost up. Though he had finally opened his spirit veins, if he didn’t become an outer disciple by eighteen, his future prospects would become much harder to achieve.

Sighing, she thought, If he can’t make any progress on his own, I’ll just have to ask the family for some resources and help him with some forced breakthroughs.

[Han Feng’s Dao partner, Jiang Surou, has successfully broken through from the seventh to the eighth layer of Qi Refining. You have received a tenfold return of her breakthrough, increasing your cultivation level.]

As soon as the voice echoed in Han Feng’s mind, a massive flood of spiritual energy surged into his body.

Han Feng practically leaped out of his chair in surprise, grabbing the little fox and rushing into his house. He immediately sat on his bed in a cross-legged position and began channeling the spiritual energy into his meridians, carefully guiding it through his body.

If he didn’t properly channel the energy, his body would be overwhelmed, and he might even explode.

As he worked to absorb the sudden influx of power, his cultivation rapidly rose, breaking through from the seventh layer of Qi Refining to the eighth in no time.

But the energy didn’t stop there. His dantian, acting like a vessel, continued to expand as it absorbed more and more spiritual energy. His cultivation surged, pushing him to the peak of the eighth layer and then straight into the ninth layer.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the rush of power slowed down, and Han Feng stabilized at the peak of the ninth layer of Qi Refining.

[Congratulations to Han Feng for successfully breaking through. Your current cultivation level: Qi Refining, Ninth Layer.]

With the ninth layer being the highest stage of Qi Refining, Han Feng’s next step would be to condense his spiritual energy into a solid foundation, entering the Foundation Establishment stage.

Reaching Foundation Establishment would bring many benefits: his combat power would skyrocket, he’d be able to fly freely, and he’d unlock divine sense.

Han Feng grinned to himself, excitedly imagining the day when Jiang Surou would reach the ninth layer and he’d be able to break through to Foundation Establishment as well.

The little fox, sensing the massive change in Han Feng, asked in surprise, “Wow! You broke through! What layer are you at now?”

“Nothing special, just the peak of the ninth layer of Qi Refining,” Han Feng replied modestly, picking the little fox up and heading outside to resume basking in the sun.

“Impressive! I can feel the difference in your aura. You seem… less sleazy than before. What changed?”

“Shut up. I wasn’t sleazy. I just lacked confidence and didn’t like interacting with people, that’s all.”

Han Feng settled into his deck chair, stretching out comfortably.

“Ha! You were totally sleazy. You didn’t even have the guts to deliver gifts to your Dao partner in person, and you didn’t dare suggest dual cultivation. What else would you call that?”

“If you keep running your mouth, I’ll kick you out of here.”

“Speaking of which, once you reach Foundation Establishment, you’ll need a Foundation Establishment Pill. You can’t cultivate on your own, so can you even advance without one?”

“Of course I can. I don’t need to cultivate—I just need my Dao partner to break through. Once Jiang Surou hits the ninth layer of Qi Refining, I’ll be able to reach Foundation Establishment naturally.”

Han Feng was brimming with confidence, blissfully unaware that the future had some harsh lessons in store for him.