He Pingsheng returned to his small courtyard from Yu Ning Palace.
He Pingsheng did not disturb anyone, but closed his small door and hung the sign that read 【In Seclusion】 on the door.
This sign was already a bit old and worn.
It had been hanging there for many years.
Hmm… if he had Time, he should make a new one.
He Pingsheng activated his Formation, then walked into the bedroom and sat cross-legged on the floor.
First, he sat in meditation for a full cycle, calming his mind and eliminating distracting thoughts.
Then he would ponder the issues of Cultivation.
A practical problem now lay before He Pingsheng.
He had encountered a Bottleneck, and relying solely on consuming Medicinal Pills would not allow him to Breakthrough.
Absorbing the spiritual energy between Heaven and Earth was also the same; he could not Breakthrough.
There were only two ways to Breakthrough.
The first was to consume various Heaven And Earth Treasure.
For example, the Water Essence Spirit Apricot.
Of course, there were definitely more than just the Water Essence Spirit Apricot that could break through the Qi Refinement Stage Bottleneck; it was said there were more than a dozen kinds!
The second method was to break through the Bottleneck through opportunity, without any Heaven And Earth Treasure.
For example, an Epiphany!
Suddenly Breakthrough during a life-or-death situation in battle!
Encountering some important matter, his mind becoming clear, and Breakthrough.
Or understanding a significant Dao in Cultivation.
And so on.
All of this could be called enlightenment, or it could be called opportunity.
But opportunity is something that can be met but not sought.
Most people's choice was only the first one, which was to search for Heaven And Earth Treasure.
If they couldn't find it, they wouldn't Breakthrough, after all, the purpose of Heaven setting up the Bottleneck was to subtly tell you: stop Cultivating, this is as far as you go.
He Pingsheng took out the only Water Essence Spirit Apricot from his Storage Pouch, pondered for a long Time, and finally decided not to eat it for now.
He would put it away first.
Then, he took out some other items.
A small green shield, a top-grade spirit tool, the Holy Wood Shield, with eight Restrictions on it.
A small Time bell, a top-grade spirit tool, the soul extinguishing bell, with eight Restrictions on it.
A small black flag, a top-grade spirit tool, the Nine Luminaries Dragon Slaying Banner, with eight Restrictions on it.
All these items were strengthened by He Pingsheng using the gathering treasure basin after he came out of the Secret Realm six years ago.
But he had never had Time to refine them.
Now, it was Time to refine them.
To avoid being flustered when encountering a strong enemy.
Once these three Treasure Artifacts were refined, with offense, defense, and Divine Thought attacks.
He Pingsheng's combat power would be greatly increased.
With these three items in hand, plus his five Dantian and several Heaven Rank Spells, he could basically sweep away those of the same rank.
Hmm… let's start with this Holy Wood Shield; defense is the kingly Dao.
…
Several days later, in Yu Ning Palace.
Zhao Ling'er respectfully knelt on the ground: “Disciple has not failed Master’s expectations; today, I have reached Qi Refinement Stage Perfection!”
“Good, good, good!” Yu Ning was overjoyed and said, “Well done, all of you are well done!”
“My Disciples, each and every one of them is truly excellent!”
On Xiuzhu Peak, Hongde Yard was originally the strongest.
Then Senior Brother Yu Xuan Palace was second in strength.
Her Yu Ning Palace’s Disciples were the weakest.
But now, in just a few short years, this had been reversed.
Her Yu Ning Palace had risen from behind, leaping to first place in one go.
Because a few years ago, her eldest Disciple Hou Muxian had Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Now even Zhao Ling’er had Breakthrough to the Twelfth Layer.
Zhao Ling’er was originally at the Ninth Layer!
After coming out of the Secret Realm, she used six years to raise her cultivation from the Ninth Layer to the Eleventh Layer.
Upon reaching the Eleventh Layer, she also encountered a Bottleneck.
This was nothing to fear, because Zhao Ling’er still had a Water Essence Spirit Apricot in her hand. After she swallowed the Water Essence Spirit Apricot in one go, her cultivation Breakthrough to the Qi Refining Stage Twelfth Level.
“Come here!” Yu Ning told her Disciple to come closer and said, “Upon reaching the Qi Refining Stage Twelfth Level, everyone gets a Foundation Establishment Pill!”
“Here… this is for you!”
Yu Ning waved her hand, and with two buzzing sounds, a Storage Pouch immediately appeared. She gently opened the Storage Pouch and took out a jade bottle, handing it to Zhao Ling’er: “Inside is a Medium Grade Foundation Establishment Pill!”
“Thank you, Master!”
Zhao Ling’er took the Foundation Establishment Pill and then curiously looked at the Storage Pouch, saying, “Master, how can your Storage Pouch be invisible?”
“Hehehe…” When the Storage Pouch was mentioned, Yu Ning was so happy she couldn't close her mouth, saying, “This is a top-grade Storage Pouch. Top-grade Storage Pouches all have the function of invisibility, and once they are hidden within the flesh and blood, even a Nascent Soul Stage Great Master cannot see them!”
“Wow!” Zhao Ling’er said, “That’s too amazing!”
“Isn’t it?” Yu Ning proudly raised her chin and said, “This was won by your Junior Brother, Old Nine, when he competed in the Ice Peak Sect. He immediately offered it to me!”
“Sigh… I told him I didn’t want it, but he insisted on giving it to me!”
“Junior Sister Qiao from Tianfu Mountain asked him for it, but he didn’t give it to her; he insisted on keeping it for me. Hahahaha… this child!”
“Heh…”
Upon hearing Master's words, Zhao Ling’er immediately became solemn and said, “Master, Junior Brother is too filial!”
“Who says he isn’t?” Yu Ning said, “Oh right, this brat told me not to tell anyone, so you must keep it a secret for me!”
“Don’t tell outsiders!”
“Don’t worry, Master, I definitely won’t tell outsiders!” Zhao Ling’er put away the Foundation Establishment Pill and said, “Disciple will go back into seclusion first to try and Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage!”
“Go!” Yu Ning said, “If one Foundation Establishment Pill isn’t enough, then if you need more Foundation Establishment Pills later, you’ll have to find a way yourself!”
“Okay!”
Zhao Ling’er walked out of Yu Ning Palace, then rushed straight to Tian Xiaoqing’s small courtyard in a hurry.
“Xiaoqing, Xiaoqing…”
Tian Xiaoqing opened the door!
The two walked into the house!
Tian Xiaoqing was currently at the Qi Refining Stage Tenth Layer.
However, she hadn't consumed the Water Essence Spirit Apricot yet.
Because after reaching the Tenth Layer, she also hadn't encountered a Bottleneck.
She was just waiting to Breakthrough to the Eleventh Layer, and once she reached the Eleventh Layer, she could instantly ascend to the Twelfth Layer.
“What’s wrong?” Tian Xiaoqing asked, “Did you get the Foundation Establishment Pill?”
“I got it!” Zhao Ling’er took out the Foundation Establishment Pill and shook it: “It’s Medium Grade. You should also Breakthrough quickly, and after you Breakthrough, quickly ask Master for a Foundation Establishment Pill; maybe she still has a Medium Grade one now!”
“It’ll be gone if you’re late!”
“Mhm, mhm, mhm…” Tian Xiaoqing said, “I’ll need at most another half a year!”
“Oh right!” Zhao Ling’er said, “Let me tell you, Master has a top-grade Storage Pouch… Junior Brother gave it to her!”
“Heh… Junior Brother went to the Ice Peak Sect for a competition, not only did he win the competition, but he also got a top-grade Storage Pouch as a reward. Qiao Huizhu asked him for it, but he didn't give it to her; he directly brought it to show filial respect to Master!”
“Ah?” Tian Xiaoqing was shocked and said, “Then wouldn’t Senior Sister Qiao be very sad?”
“That’s why!” Zhao Ling’er said, “This matter cannot be known to outsiders. Master said not to tell anyone outside…”
“Mhm, mhm, mhm…” Tian Xiaoqing nodded: “Don’t worry, we are all our own people, not outsiders!”
“But speaking of it, He Pingsheng is indeed very generous and worth befriending!”
Zhao Ling’er said, “Who says he isn’t?”