Back in the courtyard, Xile joyfully ran up to greet him, panting with its tongue out, its tail wagging so hard it seemed it would fall off.

Qin Fang patted Xile’s head and walked into the house.

He carefully took out the Porcelain Bottle of Poison Glands and the needle bag of Poison Needles, then hid them beneath a floor tile at the base of the wall.

’...This stuff is a lethal weapon, but it’s also far too dangerous. Naturally, I can’t carry it with me at all times.’

’If I’m not careful and shatter the Porcelain Bottle, or accidentally prick myself with a Poisonous Thorn and drop dead... that would be a real joke.’

Only then did he return to the main room, open the ceramic jar of Bee Meat, and pinch out a piece.

"Xile."

He called out, and Xile came scurrying in from outside. Its eyes lit up as it stared at the meat in Qin Fang’s hand, its tail wagging so fast it looked like it was about to take off.

’...It seems to remember?’

Qin Fang raised an eyebrow, then casually tossed the Bee Meat. Xile leaped up, caught it in one bite, and began to chew with big mouthfuls.

Qin Fang smiled, then ate some himself.

He ate about a pound of it in one go.

’...Truly a heavenly delicacy!’

Although he still wanted more, he had already eaten the meat of nearly an entire bee. Qin Fang didn’t continue; he sealed the ceramic jar, put it away, and walked out to the backyard.

’...He hadn’t done any Cultivation while he was recuperating.’

Now that his injuries were almost fully healed, his Cultivation naturally had to resume.

’...That Mysterious Power is incredibly strong. I must grow stronger as quickly as possible to handle any sudden situations that might arise.’

Exhaling lightly, he took out the bottle of Qi Blood Pills.

He glanced inside... there weren’t many Qi Blood Pills left, fewer than six.

If he hadn’t stopped his Cultivation during this period, he’d probably have run out already.

’...It’s really inconvenient not having Monkey around.’

Shaking his head, Qin Fang tipped out a pill, swallowed it, and then closed his eyes to begin his Standing Pile.

Anjin surged as he experienced the Water-like Intent Realm. Despite not having practiced the Standing Pile for many days, there was no hint of unfamiliarity. This was the effect of the Eternal Dao Fruit.

After an hour of Standing Pile, Qin Fang let out a light breath and looked at his panel.

’Spiritual Snake Listening Wave Pile (High Grade Root Technique) (Minor Achievement) 74/1000’

Qin Fang’s eyes lit up slightly.

’My proficiency increased by 73 points from a single Standing Pile session?’

’So this is the effect of Bee Meat combined with a Qi Blood Pill!’

’...But the last time I ate Bee Meat, the effect was over a hundred.’

’Could it be because I’m an Anjin now? My Cultivation is far beyond what it was, so the effects have naturally started to diminish?’

It was just as his senior brother had told him before... when you were weak, ten pounds felt very heavy. But after you got stronger, ten pounds was still ten pounds, but it would feel lighter.

He pondered for a moment, then exhaled lightly.

’This isn’t bad either.’

’I just ate the meat of almost a whole bee. But Bee Meat is different from a Qi Blood Pill; it has a lasting effect. I probably won’t need to eat any more tomorrow to maintain this level of progress.’

he mused.

Then, Qin Fang stopped overthinking it and began today’s Body Refining.

’...Even though he hadn’t been cultivating for the past few days, he hadn’t been idle. He had already found a large number of burlap sacks and filled them with crushed stones to use for Body Refining.’

He even found a rock about the same size as the previous one to use for weight training.

Skin abrasion, hitting sandbags full of crushed rock, weighted squats...

Qin Fang was sweating buckets.

’But after completing a series of Body Refining exercises, my body, which should have been utterly exhausted, is somehow still full of Vitality?’

A glint flashed in Qin Fang’s eyes.

’Could it be... because of the Bee Meat?’

’I feel like I’m recovering from fatigue incredibly quickly!’

He looked down at his palms, a glint in his eyes.

In the end, however, he went to the woodshed, boiled a large pot of water, and prepared for a medicinal bath.

And before the medicinal bath, he took out the Inner Refining medicine his senior brother had sent him last time. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

’...The Wild Bull Hundred Forgings Inner Refining Method must also be used in conjunction with an Elixir.’

And this Elixir was called the ’Five Qi Pill’.

It had the effect of nourishing the five viscera and harmonizing the five elements.

According to the description of the Wild Bull Hundred Forgings, the Inner Refining Method involved continuously using Anjin to stimulate the five viscera internally, with the ultimate goal of strengthening their functions.

But without the protection and nourishment of the ’Five Qi Pill’, simply stimulating the five viscera could easily lead to injury.

Strengthening the five viscera would in turn be reflected in the five senses, making Qin Fang’s five senses increasingly sharp.

This would then give rise to the mysterious ’Sixth Consciousness’.

’...In fact, the ’Sixth Consciousness’ might have already saved him once.’

It was that sudden feeling of heart-pounding dread, the instant before Yan Jun exploded, that made him subconsciously block with both hands, saving him from being killed instantly by the blast.

Normally, Ordinary People wouldn’t be able to react to such a sudden explosion. For example, a few of Wang Hu’s subordinates were caught in the blast head-on without any preparation, and two of them were killed instantly.

But Qin Fang had a sudden premonition before Yan Jun exploded, allowing him to take a defensive stance. Although he was still injured, the severity was significantly reduced.

’...It seems that as long as one reaches the Anjin level, even without special Body Refining, that mysterious Sixth Consciousness will have already begun to emerge.’

This wasn’t hard to understand.

It was simple... a strong and healthy body naturally leads to a sound mind and ample qi, resulting in a vigorous Spirit.

Body and Spirit are, by their very nature, inextricably linked and mutually influential.

The Physique of an Anjin Martial Artist is far superior to that of a Mingjin Martial Artist.

Developing the mysterious Sixth Consciousness, therefore, seemed to be a matter of course.

Refining the five viscera and enhancing the five senses could also strengthen the Sixth Consciousness...

The best time for Inner Refining was during the medicinal bath. This was because after Outer Refining, the body was in its most fatigued and ’hungry’ state, and at the same time, the Blood Circulation and Membrane Stabilizing Powder was working to restore its functions.