The Strongest Inner Qi Realm in History

Unwilling to give up, Gu Qingfeng took out another pill and swallowed it. Soon, the energy within his body began to replenish.

He channeled all of it once again into his five viscera.

No reaction.

Still no reaction.

"What the hell? This doesn’t make sense! Others can at least stimulate some life essence by refining their viscera with this much energy, so why is it that after pouring in the energy equivalent of two peak Qi Gathering cultivators, I still get nothing? And my energy is even enhanced by the Black Dragon Immortal Body—far superior to ordinary Qi Gathering..."

At this point, Gu Qingfeng suddenly realized something.

The Black Dragon Immortal Body!

In an instant, he understood why no amount of energy could refine his viscera—it was because the Black Dragon Immortal Body was too powerful!

Even at its advanced stage, the Black Dragon Immortal Body’s combat prowess was already comparable to the sixth level of the Dragon Transformation Realm.

And note, this was purely his physical strength matching a Dragon Transformation sixth-level expert, whose power came from both true essence and physical might.

This meant that in terms of sheer bodily resilience, Gu Qingfeng’s physique far surpassed even peak Dragon Transformation experts.

One could only imagine how robust his five viscera were.

When ordinary cultivators trained in the Internal Qi Realm, they refined viscera at the peak Qi Gathering level. But Gu Qingfeng was refining viscera that surpassed even peak Dragon Transformation.

The difference between the two was like comparing a stream to an ocean.

That was why, no matter how much energy Gu Qingfeng expended, he couldn’t refine his viscera even slightly.

His body was simply too strong, making his viscera equally formidable.

The realization nearly made Gu Qingfeng explode.

"Is this fate’s doing? Does heaven envy genius, refusing to let me break through to the Internal Qi Realm, denying me the system’s cheat?"

But then he reconsidered—this might not be a bad thing. In fact, it could be a tremendous advantage. Though reaching the Internal Qi Realm would require an ocean of energy, once he succeeded, just how terrifying would his internal qi be?

Internal qi refined from viscera surpassing peak Dragon Transformation—how powerful would that be?

Could it rival the true essence of a Dragon Transformation expert?

The future looked promising!

Fired up, Gu Qingfeng entered a frenzy of pill consumption. He kept swallowing pills to replenish his energy, then poured all of it into his viscera for refinement.

Though his viscera showed no reaction, he refused to be discouraged. Instead, the greater the difficulty, the more excited he became.

Because the harder it was to refine, the stronger the internal qi would be once he succeeded!

At that point, wouldn’t he be able to overpower even a Grandmaster with just his Internal Qi Realm cultivation, without relying on his physical strength?

......

Time flew like a fleeting steed—three days passed in the blink of an eye.

This was the longest seclusion Gu Qingfeng had ever undergone!

And also the most rewarding!

Because he had finally reached the Internal Qi Realm!

After exhausting more than half of his pill reserves, he had finally refined a single wisp of life essence.

This tiny thread of life essence, combined with an immense amount of energy, condensed into a strand of internal qi as thin as a hair.

The strand was pitch-black, resembling a strand of hair.

Yet anyone who saw it would be stunned by its density—despite its minuscule size, it gave the illusion of being able to crush mountains.

Of course, it was just an illusion—reality still fell slightly short.

This was internal qi forged from life essence surpassing peak Dragon Transformation physique and energy equivalent to tens of thousands of taels of gold in pills.

Having fought both Grandmasters and Dragon Transformation experts, Gu Qingfeng was well aware of their power levels.

After roughly assessing the quality of this strand of internal qi, he was shocked to find it already comparable to a Grandmaster’s innate tough qi.

(The power hierarchy: Qi Gathering Realm uses energy, Internal Qi Realm uses internal qi, True Qi Realm uses true qi, Tough Qi Realm uses tough qi, Grandmaster Realm uses innate tough qi, and Dragon Transformation Realm uses true essence.)

And this was just the Internal Qi Realm! Internal Qi Realm matching a Grandmaster.

Once he reached the True Qi Realm, his internal qi would undergo a qualitative transformation, shedding falsity for truth, and its power would ascend another level—likely rivaling the true essence of Dragon Transformation experts.

What about the Tough Qi Realm? The Grandmaster Realm?

If he reached those heights, just how formidable would the power within him become?

Gu Qingfeng didn’t dare imagine further—this was like a little heifer boarding a plane...

Of course, this referred to the quality of his internal qi, not the quantity. While its potency matched a Grandmaster’s, the sheer volume was still worlds apart.

But greater quality also meant greater difficulty in cultivation. Just refining this single strand of internal qi had nearly depleted Gu Qingfeng’s pill reserves, almost forcing him to consume the rare treasures he had just looted from the imperial treasury raw.

If future cultivation required this many resources, the cost would be staggering.

Thankfully, demons and monsters could aid his cultivation—otherwise, even someone as wealthy as Gu Qingfeng would feel the pinch.

Abruptly, Gu Qingfeng stood up with a pleased expression, stretching his limbs after three days of stillness, feeling indescribably refreshed.

"A strand of internal qi swallowed into my belly—my fate is mine, not heaven’s! Hahaha..." Gu Qingfeng laughed heartily.

Suddenly, his expression shifted, and his laughter ceased.

He had sensed a disturbance in the sealing array around the Hall of Nurtured Heart—someone had entered.

Sure enough, moments later, Situ Kong appeared before him.

"Is the Ageless Pill ready?" Situ Kong’s tone carried a rare trace of urgency.

Gu Qingfeng wasted no time, tossing a small jade vial into Situ Kong’s hands.

"Was there ever any doubt?"

Ignoring Gu Qingfeng’s arrogance, Situ Kong visibly relaxed before asking, "How many years of lifespan does this Ageless Pill add?"

"One."

"One!?" Situ Kong was stunned. "Back then, Qiu Yulong’s Ageless Pill added at least ten years! Why is yours only one?"

"Qiu Yulong was already a pill-refining Grandmaster when he devised the Divine Refinement Method. I’m just a beginner who’s only recently learned it. Shouldn’t you be amazed that I succeeded in refining the Ageless Pill on my first try instead of complaining that it only adds one year?"

Situ Kong frowned but said nothing more, turning to leave immediately—clearly unwilling to waste a single second.

"Hey! The Ageless Pill is done—when are you letting me out?"

"Wait a little longer." Situ Kong didn’t even look back.

Watching Situ Kong’s hurried departure, Gu Qingfeng smiled silently.

You’re the one keeping me here—don’t come begging for me to leave later.

"Alright, mission accomplished, and my cultivation has made a breakthrough. Time to relax." Gu Qingfeng muttered.

He then called out to the outside, "Someone! This prince demands a feast!"

"Yes, Your Highness." The maids outside hurriedly acknowledged before preparing the meal.

After three days of pill consumption, Gu Qingfeng’s mouth was saturated with medicinal flavors—he craved delicacies to wash it all down.

Once he finished eating, a bath to freshen up and a massage to loosen his muscles would be pure bliss.