Three days later, Xu Ping was invited to Du Xinghuai's mansion.

He walked through the long corridor and entered the main hall.

There weren't many people in the main hall, only three or four.

Xu Ping glanced around and saw that Jiang Tian was also present.

Now he was almost certain that this Foundation Establishment Cultivator, who was disguised as being in the Qi Refining Realm, also wanted to meet his master through Du Xinghuai.

After everyone had arrived, Du Xinghuai personally entertained the guests with a broad smile, and the table was laden with sumptuous food and drink.

After the guests had their fill of food and drink.

Du Xinghuai privately conversed with each of them.

...

During his conversation with Xu Ping, Du Xinghuai probed to see what he sought.

Xu Ping expressed his desire to meet his master, the Hidden Alchemist, to request the refining of a Pill.

But he did not specify what kind of Pill it was.

Xu Ping had specifically learned about Du Xinghuai's master, the Hidden Alchemist, who had a good reputation and proficient alchemy skills in the Immortal City.

Over the years, he had helped several Loose Cultivators refine Foundation Establishment Pills without any mishaps.

He was indeed the best candidate for refining Foundation Establishment Pills.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, my master's alchemy appointments are scheduled for years ahead. You see, there are many powerful forces in the city, and my master cannot afford to offend them."

Du Xinghuai frowned slightly, his expression showing a hint of difficulty.

"I kindly ask Alchemist Du for assistance." Xu Ping's tone was earnest.

"I am not in immediate need of Hidden Alchemist's help in refining a Pill as I have not yet gathered all the materials, and it will take at least another year or two." Without showing any emotion, he extracted a jade box from his storage bag and pushed it in front of Du Xinghuai.

Du Xinghuai lifted a finger and opened a corner of the jade box to see a Mid-grade Spirit Stone lying inside.

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, and with a fluid motion of his sleeve over the table, the jade box vanished instantly.

The motion was as smooth as if it had been practiced a thousand times.

"Ah, Du will try his best! To be honest, it's been hard to see my master these past few years."

Du Xinghuai sighed, seemingly convinced.

"Sorry to trouble you, Fellow Daoist Du." Xu Ping, without hesitation, pushed forward another identical jade box.

"No need to be formal. Since Fellow Daoist Xu and I hit it off at first sight, we should stay in touch; I believe we can meet each other's needs in the future." Du Xinghuai gave a bright smile, and with another wave of his sleeve, the jade box vanished in the blink of an eye.

Xu Ping naturally caught the implication.

He knew that although Du Xinghuai was willing to help him contact his master, once it came to alchemy, there would still be costs involved.

"Of course, Alchemist Du, your alchemy skills are unmatched, and I naturally wish to maintain contact."

Xu Ping smiled slightly, calculating inwardly that as long as this Alchemist Du could introduce him to the Hidden Alchemist, even if it cost a few hundred Spirit Stones later, it wouldn't matter.

...

Upon leaving Du Mansion.

Xu Ping nodded secretly, feeling that it should work out to find a Second-stage Middle Grade Alchemist under normal circumstances.

This Alchemist Du is a man of understanding; if he took gifts and did nothing, it would harm his reputation — who would give him benefits then?

But if, by any chance, he takes the money and does nothing, Xu Ping vowed to let this Alchemist Du know that his Spirit Stones are not so easy to take.

"Now, I just need to complete the Blood Soul Body Refining and break through to the ninth level of Qi Cultivation, then I'll go to the Yellow Dragon Mountain Range to hunt Second-stage Demon Beasts to obtain the Demon Core."

"Soon!" Xu Ping silently murmured to himself.

...

...

Time flies like a white steed galloping past; four months passed in the blink of an eye.

In the cultivation room obscured by an array, Xu Ping sat quietly in a medicinal bath. A crackling sound came from his entire skeleton, followed by a matte crystal-like pattern surfacing on his skin.

His body radiated a powerful Evil Qi that would likely terrify a mortal should they experience its oppressive aura.

Suddenly, Xu Ping opened his eyes, a flash of blood-red light passing through them.

He carefully felt the transformation in his body, sensing an unending surge of power from deep within his physique.

He used his Mana to conjure his storage bag, then took out a piece of First Rank refined iron ore, crushed it with his hand, and the ore — comparable to a Lower Grade Magical Artifact — shattered instantly.

Then, he picked up a Mid-grade Magical Artifact, ran it along his arm, leaving only a white mark.

"Ha ha, the Blood Soul Body Refining is finally a success!"

Xu Ping laughed heartily in delight.

Now, he was a legitimate Second-stage Body Cultivator.

Even at the Second-stage level, compared to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, a Body Cultivator is still at a disadvantage.

After all, the physique of a Body Cultivator isn't on par with Demon Beasts of the same level, nor do they have the means to compete with Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

In a one-on-one situation, an ordinary Second-stage Lower Grade Body Cultivator could not defeat a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

However, the Blood Soul Body Refining he practiced was no ordinary Body Refining Technique.

Xu Ping put on his clothes and went to the training room, taking out a specially designed puppet from his storage bag meant for training.

This puppet was something he had purchased specifically — it was extraordinarily durable and intended for practice.

With everything prepared, Xu Ping fixed his gaze, formed a Magic Technique, and shouted lowly, "Blood Demon True Form!"

Immediately, his body began to expand, transforming into a brawny figure over two meters tall, with blood flowing across his skin.

Fortunately, his clothing was a special magical robe, or it would have likely burst apart!

"Such power!"

Xu Ping's eyes shone with blood-red light as he clenched his fists, feeling that his strength had at least doubled compared to before.

Moreover, it wasn't just a simple increase in strength; it was an all-around enhancement, with speed and defensive power significantly improved.

Taking a step forward, he threw a powerful punch, and blood-colored light flowed from his fist.

Bang, bang, bang...

With the sound of resounding explosions, the training-dedicated puppet in front of him was smashed to pieces by a single blow, scattering fragments into the air.

"Such speed and strength, I fear it's not inferior to some Demon Beasts." Xu Ping thought joyfully as he surveyed the results of his power.

With his current Body Cultivation prowess, he could definitely hold his own against an ordinary Early-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

As the "Blood Demon True Form" faded away, his body returned to its original size.

Xu Ping slowly exhaled a turbid breath and then opened the proficiency panel.

[Realm: Qi Cultivation Ninth Level: 6/100; Blood Demon Body Refining First Level: 1/100]

[Cultivation Technique: Five Elements Skill Perfection (Ninth Level): ∞]

"Now that the ninth level of Qi Cultivation and Blood Demon Body Refining are achieved, it's time to hunt demons and gain Demon Cores." Xu Ping pondered internally.

The breakthrough to the ninth level of Qi Cultivation had occurred a month ago, which had expanded his Divine Sense by another fifteen feet and increased his liquid Mana by three drops.

Currently, his Divine Sense has a range of fifteen feet, and six drops of liquid Mana reside in his Dantian, yet his ninth level of Qi Cultivation is not at Perfection.

Once at Perfection, it should add another drop or half a drop of liquid Mana.

It's known that even an Early-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator only possesses eighteen drops of liquid Mana.

"I wonder how many drops of liquid Mana I'll have after breaking through to Foundation Establishment."

Though it's impossible to predict now, he believes it will be more than the ordinary eighteen drops of liquid Mana of an Early-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

...

...

After perfecting the Blood Demon Body Refining, Xu Ping didn't immediately go off to hunt demons.

Instead, he spent a few days ensuring there were no oversights, preparing various supplies and lifesaving techniques.

Pills for restoring Mana, Second-stage talismans, sturdy puppets...

After seven days, everything was ready.

Xu Ping carefully checked everything again, ensuring nothing was overlooked, and then he rode Wang Shan's Spiritual Boat, leaving Qiu Xuan Immortal City and heading toward Yellow Dragon Mountain Range.

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