Chapter 50 Refining Essence to Transform Qi and Breaking Through the Fifth Stage

Qin Xiaomo closed her eyes, guiding her breath into her lower abdomen. The flow of energy warmed her, and the fresh, invigorating air she had absorbed earlier gradually rose to her chest, where it lingered, unmoving.

“My breath is stuck in my chest—I can’t control it to move further along the meridians. What should I do?”

“You must use inner vision to guide your intention; only then will your breath obey your will. Next, use your breath to steady your spirit, refine your essence through spirit, and only then can you reach the heavens and earth,” Qian Mubai patiently instructed. “Now that your breath has reached your chest, let it circulate throughout your body. Pay particular attention to your breathing, adjusting the degree of tension and relaxation. Soon, your breath will gradually calm until you can no longer feel it, but the breath remains, not dissipating. Repeat this cycle.”

“What does it mean for breath to remain undispersed? And how do I measure the degree of tension and relaxation?” Qin Xiaomo listened, half understanding.

“The degree depends mainly on comfort and ease. When your breath remains undispersed, you inhale and need not exhale for a long time, or your exhalation becomes slow and prolonged—that is the proper method.”

Qin Xiaomo finally grasped most of it and tried her best to follow Qian Mubai’s instructions. Time slipped by; Qian Mubai observed that her breaths grew fewer and farther between, her complexion peaceful and flushed. He knew she was at the crucial moment of crossing the threshold.

Suddenly, before Qin Xiaomo’s eyes—or rather, within her mind, as if in a dream—lightning flashed, and she seemed to float through the cosmos at incredible speed. She stretched out her hand, and the surrounding stars and stones passed through her body in a blur; her form was like a shadow, formless and intangible.

Qian Mubai saw Qin Xiaomo’s breathing suddenly quicken, her eyes moving rapidly. He feared she might fall into a dangerous deviation, so he used external force to suppress the uncontrollable surge of energy and hurriedly called her name, “Xiaomo, Xiaomo, wake up…”

Qin Xiaomo heard him call her name, but the sound seemed to come from the far horizon, hazy and indistinct, as if her ears were submerged in water. The voice grew fainter and finally disappeared altogether. The whole space felt as if she were the only one in existence. She did not need to breathe or think, simply floating eternally in this void—no sense of time, no concept of life, no purpose of existence.

Such peace—if only she could float like this forever.

After an indeterminate interval, she faintly heard a distorted voice, like a broken movie: “Why hasn’t she woken up yet? Is the computer broken? Xiaomo, Xiaomo! Wake up, Xiaomo!”

Qin Xiaomo saw her real room, with Jidou at the bedside calling her, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not respond. She reached out, only to find her hand passed through her body like air. Gradually, she felt herself begin to float upward; her movements slowed, and she simply let herself rise.

She turned and saw another version of herself lying on the bed, with Jidou anxiously trying to wake her. Had her soul left her body? As she pondered, a powerful force instantly pulled her back into herself. The scenes before her eyes shifted rapidly—Qian Mubai’s face appeared again and again, interspersed with images of cloud-draped towers, exotic beasts, rare delicacies, and soaring through the skies… Was this a dream? Why did it feel tinged with sadness?

“Xiaomo, Xiaomo, wake up!” Qian Mubai’s anxious voice echoed.

His voice grew clearer, louder, moving from distant to near. Qin Xiaomo suddenly opened her eyes, inhaling deeply as if freed after a long time. “Ah!”

She looked around: dimly lit, with several candles burning. “Is this still the cave? What happened to me just now?”

“You almost suffered a dangerous deviation.”

“Is that when you float in an unknown space?” Qin Xiaomo had heard the term many times, but experiencing it firsthand was a revelation, so she asked curiously.

“You… you went to that place?” Qian Mubai seemed unusually tense.

“Yes.”

“What was it like? Tell me.”

“It was surrounded by stars, and I felt like a speck of dust drifting in an endless, vast space,” Qin Xiaomo recalled.

“And then?”

“Then I returned to my original world. Somehow my soul seemed to leave my body, floating uncontrollably, but before I could fully depart, a force pulled me back.”

“Luckily, it was in time.”

For the first time, Qin Xiaomo saw Qian Mubai’s face pale with fear and quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”

“You nearly couldn’t come back. Floating in the realm of void is like being discarded dust, without reincarnation, neither awakened nor destroyed, neither living nor dead, for all eternity.”

Perhaps Qin Xiaomo had no concept of this, so she felt no fear—perhaps that is what people mean by ignorance is fearlessness.

“How did I wake up, then?” Qin Xiaomo was curious.

“Don’t you feel a sweetness in your mouth?” Qian Mubai said helplessly.

He didn’t mention it, but now she sensed a sweet fragrance filling her mouth, refreshing and lingering, with a hint of stickiness.

“What is this? It tastes quite good.”

“It’s a celestial fruit I got from the old man at West Bridge Lake.”

“That red fruit you said had life-saving properties?”

“Yes!” Qian Mubai nodded.

“You took it from my bag?” Qin Xiaomo grew anxious. “You told me it was a celestial fruit, and I’ve been saving it, reluctant to taste it. You just used it up while I was unconscious? This was my first ever celestial fruit…” Qin Xiaomo pouted, heartbroken—even knowing it had saved her life, she still felt sad.

“Do you like it? I can get more from him! It’s no trouble,” Qian Mubai said breezily.

“No trouble? You can really get more? But it’s a celestial fruit!”

“Trust me.” Qian Mubai suddenly grew serious. “Back to the point—do you feel any discomfort, or anything unusual?”

Qin Xiaomo moved her arms and turned her head. As she lifted her gaze, she saw, less than ten meters above, three flying celestial maidens surrounded by golden light, carrying flower baskets and lutes, circling and playing. She could see them but not hear their voices. Noticing Qin Xiaomo watching, the maiden with the flower basket smiled and scattered petals, which drifted down, sparkling and translucent. In the sunlight, each petal shone like a diamond, and the cave, once empty, was instantly filled with strange flowers, intoxicating in their beauty.

“Wow! It’s so beautiful. Am I about to die?”

“What’s wrong?” Qian Mubai asked gently, indulgently.

Her joy suddenly grew heavy. “I actually saw celestial maidens. I heard only those near death can see them…”

Qian Mubai gently patted her head. “Silly girl, you’ve broken through to the fifth tier of the Earth rank, so you can see these lower-ranked celestial attendants. It’s normal.”

“You, can you see them too?” For the first time, Qin Xiaomo felt that Qian Mubai might be far beyond ordinary people. Seeing these maidens seemed commonplace to him; he even knew their ranks. How could an ordinary eighteen or nineteen-year-old possess such abilities?

For the first time, Qin Xiaomo looked seriously into Qian Mubai’s eyes and asked, “Who are you, really?”