The Qi Refining stage is divided into nine layers, with two spiritual power refinements acting as bottlenecks.
Breaking through to the mid-stage counts as one, and breaking through to the late stage counts as another. For someone with a Waste Spiritual Root, it's nearly impossible to advance beyond the mid-stage of Qi Refining in their lifetime, and the reason lies here.
It's difficult to refine heaven and earth spiritual energy, and even harder to condense and improve its quality. This process almost always has to be completed through the spiritual root, hence the term "Waste Spiritual Root."
For those with Heavenly Spiritual Roots, not only is their absorption and refinement speed fast, but the quality is also high. They face no bottlenecks before forming their Golden Core, all because their spiritual roots are sufficiently excellent.
Magical power transforms from "strands" into "flows," and then from flows into "streams."
When breaking through to Foundation Establishment, there are three barriers. The blood and energy barrier mentioned by Steward Duan is one, and the spiritual power barrier is another. Cultivators need to complete the third spiritual power refinement.
Transforming streams of spiritual power into liquid "True Essence" is fundamentally different from spiritual power. Foundation Establishment cultivators can fly and easily crush Great Perfection Qi Refining cultivators.
Scale is a major factor.
Outstanding mastery of cultivation techniques can also increase the chances of passing this barrier. For now, this is too far off for Wang Yu, and the information he knows is insufficient.
After the breakthrough, the aged appearance on Wang Yu's face noticeably eased; he no longer looked decrepit.
Apart from his conspicuous white hair, he had largely regained his former handsome youthful features.
No longer needing to submit Spirit Sand freed him from worries about his cultivation speed. Soon, he would become an outer disciple, and minor anomalies could be completely overlooked.
The only regret for Wang Yu was that the Placement Rack showed no changes, confirming his previous speculation.
He would have to wait until breaking through to the fourth layer of Qi Refining—the minor transition from early to mid-stage—before checking again.
He wasn't in a hurry to change the Placement Rack's contents.
He planned to experience how the Placement Rack would reflect his progress with different cultivation content.
That day, he attended the lecture as usual.
Steward Duan personally came to instruct. After the routine two-hour explanation, he didn't dismiss them immediately.
"Wang Yu!"
"Your servant is here."
He was always very careful with his self-reference. Even though he knew what was coming, he didn't overstep.
"True Disciple Su, recognizing your hard work and contributions to the sect—offering your lifespan and providing large amounts of Spirit Sand, having fully paid your 'purchase debt'—hereby promotes you to Outer Disciple of Coldblood Peak."
"Wang Yu accepts the order."
This news instantly caused an uproar in the stone plaza. Whether old-timers or newcomers, since arriving at the Reverse Blood Sect and becoming spirit slaves,
this was the first time they had witnessed someone actually being promoted to outer disciple.
With their mindset unbalanced, some old-timers sourly remarked,
"What's the big deal about promotion? Look how old he looks; who knows how much lifespan he burned."
"I heard competition among outer disciples is even fiercer. How can a mere spirit slave compete with those who have at least triple spiritual roots!"
"Being personally appointed by True Disciple Su isn't enough? Never mind outer disciples, even inner disciples are far inferior in status to a true disciple. Just being associated is enough for him to get by in the outer sect."
"That makes sense."
After the sour grapes, rational individuals analyzed the situation. They all saw hope in Wang Yu—a dawn of escaping their spirit slave status—that seemed very close.
Especially the newcomers, whose spirits hadn't been completely crushed yet.
Seeing the high morale of the spirit slaves, Steward Duan was quite satisfied with the result. Letting Wang Yu truly "eat the cake" greatly helped his subsequent consolidation work.
"Come with me."
"Alright."
There wasn't much to pack in Stone House No. 83.
The clothes Wang Yu wore were even the same set he had on when he was captured, long since worn out. Although he often cleansed them with spiritual power, the fabric was too ordinary, making him look like a shabby scholar.
Steward Duan led the way, first taking him to the elegant pavilion beside the plaza. He handed him the standard outer disciple items one by one, explaining along the way.
"This is the disciple token, also called the [Blood Order]. Drop a blood onto it to bind it to you, then wear it at your waist."
It required blood?
Wang Yu felt a subconscious resistance.
He was highly vigilant about his bodily tissues. Previously, taking his pulverized severed arm back to destroy it was also to prevent anyone from using his flesh and blood against him.
He wasn't afraid now, but worried about the future.
He never believed he would stop at the minor Qi Refining stage.
But since it was a necessary procedure, he had no choice. Following Steward Duan's instructions, he squeezed a drop of blood from his fingertip onto the token.
This waist token, with a black base and a blood-red jade embedded in the center, automatically appeared in front of his waist. A black leather strap extended from both sides of the token, buckling automatically.
The character [Cold] appeared in the center of the blood jade, then faded, replaced by the number zero.
"This token represents you as a disciple of Coldblood Peak. From today on, it symbolizes your identity. Remember, don't lose it. If you do, go to the Administration Hall to get a replacement."
"The number on it represents your sect contribution points. Techniques, spells in the Scripture Depository, resources on Coldblood Peak, special facilities... all require spending contribution points."
"As the name implies, contribution points are obtained by contributing to the sect. The simplest way is through various tasks at the [Mission Hall]."
"The one you hold now is the Black Blood Disciple Order. All outer disciples of the Reverse Blood Sect's nine peaks use this. Inner disciples use the Purple Blood Disciple Order, and true disciples use the highest-grade Red Blood Disciple Order."
"Stewards, elders, hall masters, and other seniors use a different system. You might have a chance to learn about it in the future, or maybe not."
"To be promoted to inner disciple, you need at least late Qi Refining cultivation and total accumulated contribution points exceeding ten thousand. Points spent also count towards the total."
"Alternatively, being promoted by a senior like an elder or true disciple can also make you an inner disciple. Is that clear?"
Wang Yu quickly nodded, indicating he understood.
Next were the other standard items for outer disciples.
"Low-grade storage pouch..."
"First-grade flight artifact: Black Silk."
"One free opportunity to exchange for a technique at the Coldblood Peak Scripture Depository, limited to first-grade techniques."
"One arbitrary exchange token worth one thousand contribution points."
This last one was a special reward from True Disciple Su to Wang Yu. It could be exchanged for spells, cultivation pills, cultivation skills—anything valued under one thousand contribution points.
Wang Yu didn't yet have an intuitive understanding of the value of contribution points.
Additionally, there was the standard uniform for outer disciples. Primarily black with red inner lining and lapels, it was embroidered with the scene of the Reverse Blood Sect's nine peaks, outlined in gold thread, very aesthetically pleasing.
It only had a simple cleaning spirit pattern, considered a quasi-magical garment, not officially graded.
The abundance of basic benefits for outer disciples amazed Wang Yu.
After handing all the items to Wang Yu, Steward Duan said, "That covers the main things. You can learn the remaining details yourself. Now, I'll take you to the residential area for outer disciples."
"Alright."
As a formal disciple, his residence was relocated to the architectural complex at the base of the nine peaks that Wang Yu had seen when he first arrived.
(End of Chapter)