Chapter 54

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Chapter 54: Above the Twelfth Layer of Qi Refinement

Five days later, Xu Fan looked extremely pale because all of his Foundation Establishment Stage puppets had been destroyed in battle. If it weren’t for Ye Xiaoyao regaining some of his fighting strength, Xu Fan would have had to step into the fray himself.

The Spiritual Wind Boat had already circled this small world twice.

At that moment, a bloodied figure appeared on the Spiritual Wind Boat.

“Little Fan, hold the fort for a bit; I need to recover my spiritual energy,” Ye Xiaoyao said. Although the beasts weren’t particularly strong, their numbers were overwhelming. As soon as one wave was dealt with, another appeared, making the strange birds seem endless.

“Alright, Brother Ye, you rest first,” Xu Fan said, appearing at the rear of the Spiritual Wind Boat in his Spiritual Energy Armor, ready to fend off the incoming birds. He now suspected there was a place in this small world that could endlessly spawn these strange birds; otherwise, their numbers wouldn’t show any sign of decreasing.

As Xu Fan watched the strange birds closing in, he formed hand seals, and a fiery cloud appeared above his head, hovering parallel to him.

‘Bird Swarm Killing Technique’

Countless fire-red birds shot out from the fiery cloud, crashing into the pursuing strange bird beasts.

‘Boom!!’

A series of explosions echoed across the heavens and the earth.

Every time Ye Xiaoyao witnessed this, he felt as though his Qi Training Stage was utterly useless; the power of Xu Fan’s technique was almost on par with the renowned spells of Golden Core cultivators.

“Old Sword, what’s the most monstrous Qi Refinement practitioner you’ve ever seen? Are they stronger than my brother?” Ye Xiaoyao asked inwardly.

“I’ve seen Qi Refinement practitioners who could slay Nascent Soul beings. Your brother can at most take on a Golden Core. While he’s not top-tier, he’s definitely among the best in the vast Thousand Worlds,” Old Sword replied.

“Damn, Qi Refinement can slay Nascent Soul? A prodigy like that, once they grow, could probably take down emperors. I’ve got to meet him someday,” Ye Xiaoyao said, awestruck.

“You’ll meet him; he’s the enemy of the former Great Immortal Emperor and will be your future target.”

For some reason, Ye Xiaoyao didn’t sense any hatred in Old Sword’s tone.

“………”

“Maybe you should just join my brother’s side; I feel like a total waste compared to them,” Ye Xiaoyao said, feeling utterly inadequate.

“Haha, don’t sell yourself short. Meeting you was no accident; there’s some destiny at play here.”

“Alright, I’ll take it one step at a time. Whether I can ascend is still up in the air.”

Just then, Xu Fan’s furious shout interrupted the moment.

“Foolish bird, you’ve been messing with my mind! Do you really think I can’t kill you?!” Xu Fan roared. That Golden Core Stage strange bird had been emitting a hypnotic sound, which Xu Fan had initially been able to resist.

But the content of that sound was about capturing his entire family to force them to lay eggs for it.

The attack wasn’t powerful, but it was deeply insulting.

Three billiard-sized thunder pearls appeared around Xu Fan, crackling with flashes of lightning.

The bluish light of Xu Fan’s Spiritual Energy Armor flared brightly as a long, tube-shaped artifact materialized in the sky, rumbling with thunder.

“Foolish bird, go back to your egg!”

‘Boom!’ ‘Boom!’ ‘Boom!’

With three deafening blasts, the long-tube artifact couldn’t withstand the immense force and shattered into pieces.

At that moment, the Golden Core strange bird, which had been relentlessly pursuing the Spiritual Wind Boat, exploded into a cloud of blood mist, along with its minions that were caught in the same line of fire.

Xu Fan panted heavily, glaring at the Blood Mist, and muttered, "Damn it, I’ll make you lay eggs!"

Even after slaying the Golden Core Strange Bird, Xu Fan still felt a burning rage. Without hesitation, he switched to cannon mode and unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks on the flock of Strange Birds trailing behind the Spiritual Wind Boat.

"When you seek revenge later, make sure to bring your brother along. I think he’s got more potential than you," Old Sword remarked after watching Xu Fan’s performance.

Ye Xiaoyao nodded in agreement.

"I feel the same. Once Little Fan reaches Foundation Establishment, I doubt I’ll stand a chance against him."

"That spell is way too brutal."

After an hour of nonstop bombardment, Xu Fan finally stopped, having lost count of how many Strange Birds he’d killed. His Spiritual Energy Armor was running dangerously low on energy.

Ten days later, once Ye Xiaoyao had fully recovered, the two managed to break through a weak point in space and escape the small world.

As soon as they emerged, Xu Fan summoned a submarine and flew with Ye Xiaoyao toward the ocean’s surface.

Back in the Town of Zhenhai, the two headed to a teahouse to divide their spoils.

"Little Fan, I don’t need anything else. Just make me a copy of the swordsmanship inheritance," Ye Xiaoyao said.

"You saved my life this time," he added gratefully.

"Inheritance materials aren’t exactly treasures. Sharing them just takes a bit of effort," Xu Fan replied, handing over several swordsmanship inheritance jade butterflies.

"I’m not really into swordsmanship. If I ever need it, I’ll ask you for it."

"Then how can I thank you?" Ye Xiaoyao asked, feeling slightly awkward. Unlike jade slips, the inheritance jade butterflies often contained insights from powerful cultivators, helping the inheritor grasp the knowledge more quickly.

"Here’s a question for you. It’s fine if you don’t know the answer," Xu Fan said after a moment of thought. He couldn’t imagine staying at the Twelfth Layer of Qi Refinement for over a hundred years.

Even if he stayed hidden in the sect, trouble would find him eventually.

The first time he ventured out, he ran into the protagonist and was chased by a Golden Core demonic cultivator, losing half his soul.

The second time, all his Foundation Establishment Stage puppets were destroyed, cutting his strength in half.

"Little Fan, just ask. Even if there’s no answer, I’ll help you find one," Ye Xiaoyao said firmly.

"Is there a Thirteenth Layer of Qi Refinement above the Twelfth Layer? And what’s the limit of the Qi Refinement Stage?"

"Don’t rush to answer. Just let me know before this Floating Sky Ship journey ends," Xu Fan added. He still had some time before reaching the peak of Qi Refinement, so he wasn’t in a hurry.

For now, he just hoped the protagonist’s all-knowing old grandpa might have the answer.

Meanwhile, Old Sword, inside Ye Xiaoyao, muttered, "Why do I feel like this kid knows about me?"

"Alright, I’ll give you an answer before the Floating Sky Ship returns," Ye Xiaoyao said, nodding. The question had piqued his interest, and he planned to ask Old Sword for more details later.

After parting ways, Xu Fan returned to his courtyard and immediately crashed for a good sleep.

Meanwhile, in a modest courtyard, Ye Xiaoyao was deep in conversation with Old Sword.

"Old Sword, is there anything beyond the Twelfth Layer of Qi Refinement?"

"Is that how you ask for help?" Old Sword replied, his tone dripping with pride.

"Great Immortal Emperor!"

"This matter is quite complicated and tied to the Heavenly Way’s Will of this world."

"Never mind, explaining all this to you is pointless. When my true spirit descended into this realm, I explored the entire world."

"In ancient times, this world was ruled by the beast race."

"Back then, the human race was enslaved, and the beast race wouldn’t allow the existence of Foundation Establishment cultivators."

"Anyone who broke through to Foundation Establishment was immediately slain by the beasts. The human race had no power to resist."

"Under such oppression, the human race survived for tens of thousands of years. Through relentless exploration, they developed the Twenty-fourth Layer of Qi Refinement and even the Thirtieth Layer."

"Reaching the Twenty-fourth Layer leads directly to Golden Core cultivation, and the Thirty-sixth Layer corresponds to Nascent Soul."

At this point, Ye Xiaoyao interrupted, "So if someone reached the One Hundred Eighth Layer, would they directly ascend to the Great Ascension Stage?"

"That’s a nice thought, but the Heavenly Way’s Will of this world doesn’t allow it."