The Eerie Immortal Path: Begin by Devouring Fairy Flesh

Brandon Jiang calmed his mind and focused inward, examining his dantian. He discovered that his spiritual energy had grown slightly, reaching five threads, two more than when he finished cultivating yesterday.@@novelbin@@

Brandon speculated that this was the effect of the Qi Gathering Pill integrating into his body.

If this were true, it would be fantastic. While others had no time to cultivate, his spiritual energy was growing on its own. Over time, his advantage in cultivation would become even greater.

Moreover, he possessed a breathing technique worth two to three thousand mortals.

Thinking of this freely obtained breathing technique, Brandon couldn't help but sigh. Befriending Chu Jun was the best decision he had ever made.

He quickly began to operate the breathing technique, controlling the five threads of spiritual energy within him.

The spiritual energy gradually left his dantian, circulating through his meridians in a specific pattern, refining the energy and making it entirely his own.

This refined and fully controlled spiritual energy was known among cultivators as spiritual power!

All Daoist arts, treasures, and flying boats were driven by spiritual power!

If he had a sacrificial furnace at this moment, he could absorb the spiritual energy from heaven and earth, integrating it into his spiritual power, making it grow stronger as it circulated.

Although Brandon didn't have a sacrificial furnace, he had the spiritual energy reserves from the Qi Gathering Pill.

As he continued to circulate his energy, the spiritual energy in his dantian was constantly drawn and refined.

With the help of the breathing technique, Brandon's speed in refining spiritual energy was incredibly fast—six threads, seven threads, eight threads...

As his spiritual power increased, his speed in drawing spiritual energy became faster and faster.

Several hours later, in the middle of the long night, Brandon's spiritual power had reached over a hundred threads. During the continuous circulation, he clearly felt his physical condition improving under the nourishment of spiritual power.

Suddenly, Brandon had a thought. He mobilized all the scattered spiritual power within him, organizing and merging it into a rope as thick as his little finger!

At that moment, his physical body and spiritual power seemed to break through some kind of barrier, giving him a sudden clarity.

Brandon, guided by Chu Jun, knew that this was a sign of formally stepping into the first level of Qi Refining!

He had achieved Qi Refining!

Brandon felt a deep surge of excitement in his heart!

He had finally reached Qi Refining.

He had finally risen from a mortal, who could be easily slaughtered, to the level of a cultivator!

Although he was still at the bottom tier of cultivators and could die at any moment, his future now held infinite possibilities!

After a long time, Brandon calmed his excitement and slowly opened his eyes.

It was then that he noticed a lot of grime on his body, seemingly the impurities expelled from his body at the moment he broke through to Qi Refining.

The smell of these impurities was quite unpleasant, so Brandon quickly went to fetch water for a bath.

While fetching water, Brandon realized that his body was now immune to extreme temperatures. Even the coldest, bone-chilling well water didn't bother him, and the hottest boiling water wouldn't scald him.

A large bath barrel weighing dozens of pounds felt as light as a feather in his hands, and he could easily handle it!

Even though he had stayed up most of the night cultivating, he still felt energetic and not the least bit tired.

Brandon was both shocked and amazed.

This was the physical condition of a cultivator. If he used his spiritual power, his strength would undoubtedly be even greater!

Brandon thoroughly rinsed himself, removing large amounts of impurities, then soaked in a steaming hot bath, letting out a comfortable sigh.

As he carefully cleaned his body, his fingers brushed over his delicate skin, and he suddenly remembered something.

Since escaping from the Villain of the Blood Sea, he had never properly checked his body.

As he examined himself, he wondered how his body had turned into that of a woman and how he could change it back.

Through Chu Jun's teachings, Brandon was certain that the transformation of his body's gender had nothing to do with the Qi Gathering Pill.

After a thorough examination, Brandon blushed and withdrew his hand, confirming that his body had completely transformed into that of a woman.

The structure of his body, even the meridians and organs, were identical to those of a woman.

Although he needed a female form to stay hidden in the Heavenly Lotus Sect, the thoroughness of the transformation and the mystery of how it happened made Brandon somewhat worried.

He resolved to investigate and solve the mystery of his body's transformation as soon as his survival crisis was over!

This was a matter of his dignity as a man!

After his bath, Brandon changed into a new white robe, stretched comfortably, and feeling quite good, decided to go for a walk since dawn was not far off.

As soon as he stepped outside, he noticed the light was still on in the neighboring room.

The neighboring house was Jessica Yu's residence.

"Still awake this late? Could Senior Sister Yu be cultivating all night like me?" Brandon wondered as he walked to the courtyard wall of Jessica Yu's residence and curiously glanced inside.

The window of the house was wide open, and Jessica Yu sat by the window, in front of an elegant dressing table.

She wore a red nightgown, her figure slender and alluring.

Her face was as pure, beautiful, and cold as when Brandon first met her.

But what puzzled Brandon was that Jessica Yu wasn't grooming herself. Instead, she had her hands behind her head, seemingly searching for something.

Dark clouds obscured the moonlight, plunging the world into darkness.

A fierce wind arose, causing the scarlet lanterns outside the window to sway violently. The flame of the oil lamp inside flickered more intensely, casting Jessica Yu's face in and out of shadow, making her beautiful features appear somewhat eerie.

Brandon frowned, sensing something was amiss.

What was Jessica Yu doing?

Suddenly, in the flickering light, Jessica Yu moved!

She grabbed something at the back of her neck and yanked it hard.

Rip!

The skin at the back of Jessica Yu's head, along with her face, was torn off in an instant.

In the reflection of the bronze mirror on the dressing table, Brandon saw what lay beneath Jessica Yu's face.

His eyes widened in shock, and he instinctively wanted to scream but covered his mouth tightly to stifle any sound.

That face, that face!

It was him!

The Villain of the Blood Sea!!!

On Jessica Yu's delicate body was the head of a man with festering sores, hideous and sinister!

Brandon knew that face all too well!

It was the Villain of the Blood Sea, who had supposedly died and turned to ashes!

He wasn't dead; he was still alive!

He was Jessica Yu! He was Jessica Yu!!!

No... he wasn't Jessica Yu! Jessica Yu was dead! He had taken over Jessica Yu's identity!

The shock and terror Brandon felt were beyond words, his mind and heart seemingly frozen!

Suddenly, the Villain of the Blood Sea, or rather Jessica Yu, seemed to sense something and turned his head sharply, locking eyes with Brandon at an unnaturally twisted angle.

The Villain of the Blood Sea smiled.

His raspy voice, like a nightmare, drilled into Brandon's ears!

"I told you I'd be back! My dear disciple!"