The courtyard was still, and moonlight poured down like liquid silver. Qi Yun sat cross-legged on a blue meditation mat.

His eyes were gently closed, his breathing long and rhythmic. A faint, almost visible aura of True Qi enveloped him.

At this moment, he was circulating his Cultivation Skill with all his might, attempting to break through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

’The fire qi rises, gathering in the Li Palace...’

Reciting the Spell in his mind, Qi Yun guided his True Qi to permeate his heart.

At first, the process was smooth. Nourished by the True Qi, his heart beat powerfully, faintly emitting a crimson glow as a warm vitality spread outward.

Next was the liver. True Qi infused the organ of blood storage and circulation, and a green qi dispersed.

The spleen. Nourishing the source of bodily transformation, it gave off a steady, faint yellow glow.

The lungs. Cleansing the center of respiration, they emanated a hazy white light.

The kidneys. Like a trickling stream, the True Qi warmed the Innate source, and a dark, black glow faintly swirled.

As the True Qi circulated through his five viscera, fine beads of sweat appeared on Qi Yun’s brow. But his Heart and Spirit remained calm as he urged the Qi of the Five Viscera to a state of overflowing fullness.

Next came the most crucial step.

He had to guide the Qi of the Five Viscera to converge and fuse with the source True Qi in his Dantian, deriving the five elements and establishing the internal Minor Circulation.

This would allow him to reach the Qi Refining Fifth Layer!

Taking a deep breath, Qi Yun attempted to direct those five vigorous strands of visceral qi. Each possessed a different attribute, and moving them was like trying to herd five spirited stallions, slowly urging them toward his Dantian.

The five strands of qi had different attributes and subtle variations in strength. Though they all came from him, they were incredibly difficult to synchronize and harmonize.

As they drew near one another, they acted like oil and water, an unseen barrier causing them to repel each other.

Qi Yun’s brows knitted together as he struggled to maintain control, trying to forcibly twist the five strands of qi into one and incorporate them into the cycle.

But the Qi of the Five Viscera grew restless. Not only did the cycle fail to form, but his own qi and blood began to churn in response.

Once. Twice. Three times...

He tried again and again, adjusting the strength and rhythm of each strand of qi, searching for that elusive point of balance.

With each attempt, he felt as if he had brushed against the threshold.

But that final fusion always fell short by the slimmest of margins, never reaching Perfection.

Time slowly passed, and the moon began to set.

Qi Yun’s face had grown a little pale. The long hours of delicate manipulation and repeated failures had not only consumed a great deal of his Heart and Spirit, but the constant effort to harmonize the strands had also severely depleted the True Qi in his Dantian.

The glow from the Qi of the Five Viscera dimmed, slowly receding back into each organ.

The True Qi in his Dantian settled as well, though it was now considerably thinner than before.

The attempt... had failed.

Qi Yun slowly opened his eyes. A flicker of exhaustion and regret passed through their depths, but it was mostly replaced by calm acceptance. He let out a long, silent breath of Muddy Qi, feeling the slight emptiness in his Dantian and the weariness in his internal organs.

’The Qi Refining Fifth Layer is the Realm of Returning Origin. Once you reach this Realm, your True Qi can create an internal Circulation within your five viscera, which will then subtly nourish your physical body over time.

Therefore, a Cultivator at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer can theoretically sustain themselves on True Qi alone, without need for food or water.

Their lifespan can also extend beyond a hundred years.

However, the human body is like a small Heaven and Earth.

Achieving the profound balance needed to harmonize the Qi of the Five Viscera is exceedingly difficult.’

Qi Yun looked up at the sky, silently calculating the gains and losses of his attempt. Without any sign of discouragement, he closed his eyes again and began meditating as usual, recovering his depleted True Qi and Heart and Spirit to build up strength for the next attempt.

In the half-year since his conversation with Li Chong, no one had come to bother him.

He didn’t know if Captain Li’s words had taken effect.

Or if his own ruthless methods, from the time he nearly slaughtered his way through the Seventh Outer Mansion, had finally put real pressure on those stirring in the shadows, convincing them to back off and leave him alone.

But regardless of the reason, his days had been much more peaceful.

So, he had rarely ventured out during this period, choosing instead to focus on honing his Cultivation and preparing for the next examination.

But half a year went by.

His Cultivation Realm, however, had seen little progress. Aside from his True Qi Amount growing more profound, his dozens of attempts to break through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer had all ended in failure.

’I can’t rush this. On the path of cultivation, the more you hurry, the slower you progress.

It has only been a little over a year since I joined, and I’ve already reached the Qi Refining Fourth Layer. My Realm is still among the best in the Outer Mansion.’

Slowly suppressing the impatience rising in his heart, Qi Yun settled his Heart and Spirit.

And at that moment, the Taixu Jade Order at his waist suddenly vibrated.

Opening his eyes, Qi Yun picked up the Jade Order and glanced at it.

A single, concise message materialized on its surface.

[The Hall of All Laws opens in three days. Seize the opportunity.]

’The Hall of All Laws?’

His eyes narrowed. Qi Yun stood and went to the bookshelf in his private room. After searching for a moment, he pulled out a thread-bound book.

*Thousand Difficulties Record*

He opened the tome—a book dedicated to detailing the inner workings of the Wuji Holy Sect—and, relying on a vague memory from skimming it before, quickly found the entry on the Hall of All Laws.

[The Hall of All Laws]

One of the three great marvels of the Outer Mansion.

It opens once every ten years for a period of one month.

The hall does not contain physical Cultivation Skills; rather, it preserves the cultivation insights and realm-breaking experiences left behind by countless generations of the Holy Sect’s Cultivators.

These insights are stored in an exceptionally profound way.

If one is fortunate enough to enter and can successfully trigger an insight compatible with them, absorbing it is like instantly gaining a past Cultivator’s profound comprehension of a specific path.

The benefit to one’s cultivation breakthroughs is immense; it can be called a heaven-defying, fate-changing opportunity.

Thus, the Outer Mansion Disciples all respectfully call it the [Enlightenment Sacred Land].

However, the number of people who can enter the [Hall of All Laws] each time it opens is limited. Some of the spots are arranged and allocated by the Inner Mansion.

The remaining spots are then made available for the Outer Mansion Disciples to fight over.

’Although the Outer Mansion’s [Hall of All Laws] only contains insights from Outer Mansion Cultivators, and the quality might not be on par with the Inner Mansion...

...if I can obtain an insight about balancing the Qi of the Five Viscera for the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, I’ll definitely be able to break through to the Fifth Layer in one fell swoop.

But the Holy Sect hasn’t announced it yet. For Li Chong to know in advance...

Could it be... that he’s already secured a spot to enter?’

Thinking of this, Qi Yun gave a slight shrug.

’Whatever. I’ve gotten this far on my own wits and hard work. It doesn’t matter.’

Having resolved to compete for a spot in the [Hall of All Laws], Qi Yun began to prepare.

The competition for spots in the [Hall of All Laws] wasn’t held separately by each mansion.

Instead, the entire Outer Mansion would participate at once!

Therefore, after the last examination, this would be his first time facing all the Outer Mansion Disciples again.

He opened a dusty chest in his inner room and looked down at its contents. A familiar, sharp glint appeared in Qi Yun’s clear eyes.

The last time, he had fought the Seventh Outer Mansion into submission.

This time, it was the entire Outer Mansion’s turn...

...