Chapter 23: Spirit Pill and Breakthrough

In a lavishly decorated but long-abandoned high-rise two kilometers away from the neighborhood, the room was covered in layers of dust.

Having changed his residence, Lu Yan cleared a small area near the window, convenient for drawing in the moonlight spiritual energy for cultivation.

Even from such a distance, Lu Yan could still hear the enraged roar of that Peak Qi Refining Zombie coming from the direction of the neighborhood.

Clearly, Lu Yan’s decision to escape early after harvesting zombie souls had been extremely wise.

Large gatherings of ordinary zombies capable of channeling moonlight energy were a vital resource for transcendent zombies, who relied on instinct to absorb that power.

From the way zombie regions were distributed across the city, and the correlation between transcendent zombie strength and the number of zombies under their control, it was clear: the stronger the underlings, the stronger the leader.

Lu Yan had harvested thousands of zombie souls in one sweep—undeniably severing Blood Tendril’s foundation. If he hadn’t escaped in time, a fight would have been unavoidable.

“Looks like I should target zombie harvesting further away from where I live from now on. Doing it too close risks drawing attention from transcendent zombies.”

“The best method is to have the spirits scout around under cover of night, mapping out the territories of transcendent zombies. That way I can plan day-time hunts safely.”

Murmuring to himself, Lu Yan gently tapped the Soul Banner with his index finger. Instantly, a thick wave of ghost mist surged forth, and twenty-seven vengeful spirits appeared inside the room.

The 200-square-meter room was instantly transformed into a ghastly netherworld. One by one, the grotesque spirits with twisted faces drifted about, emitting bone-chilling auras.

At their center knelt a tall, ferocious giant ghost, like a general of the underworld.

Capable of bypassing physical defenses and attacking the soul directly, these spirits were purely born for slaughter.

With just one order from Lu Yan, these twenty-seven vengeful spirits could slaughter every zombie within the entire high-rise.

Under the leadership of the main spirit, Lishi, even mid-stage Qi Refining zombies could be easily slain. Facing late-stage ones head-on wouldn’t be impossible either.

From just eight spirits to twenty-seven—all in a single day’s work.

And the more spirits he acquired, the faster his soul harvesting would become. The only limitation would eventually be how fast he could refine souls into the Soul Banner.

To Lu Yan now, this apocalyptic city filled with millions of zombies was a massive treasure trove—endless zombie souls just waiting to be claimed.

At this pace, not to mention a Hundred-Soul Banner, even a Thousand-Soul Banner, comparable to a Golden Core-level artifact, was no longer just a dream.

As for a Ten-Thousand-Soul Banner, that would take more than just low-grade souls—even a million ordinary zombie souls wouldn’t be enough to sustain it.

But in this vast world, how many apocalyptic cities could there be?

There would undoubtedly be more powerful zombie kings with higher-quality souls in the future. Lu Yan might truly have a chance to forge a Ten-Thousand-Soul Banner one day.

However, for now, the treasure trove was before him—but he couldn’t digest it all just yet.

After maintaining the current manifestation for only a minute, Lu Yan’s face had turned pale.

With the Soul Banner having been upgraded to a Mid-Grade Artifact, its consumption had also skyrocketed. Controlling twenty-seven spirits drained his mana rapidly, nearly emptying him in an instant.

On top of that, simultaneously managing this many spirits required a powerful soul.

Waving his hand to disperse most of the vengeful spirits, leaving only nine behind, Lu Yan retrieved a spirit stone and began replenishing his mana as he muttered:

“No wonder they say cultivators who use Soul Banners are usually Foundation Establishment at minimum.

If there are too few spirits, the banner is useless—easily destroyed with a snap of the fingers. But once the number grows, the required mana and soul strength scale exponentially.

Abundant mana and the divine sense only available after Foundation Establishment are the true keys to mastering a Soul Banner.”

Lu Yan keenly realized the greatest limitation of his current state: his cultivation base was too low, and his soul not yet strong enough to unleash the full power of a Mid-Grade Soul Banner.

“That means my current priority should be cultivation. Only with enough strength can I control more spirits.”

With that thought, Lu Yan retrieved a small, elegant porcelain bottle from his storage pouch.

It was a bottle of spirit pills he had taken from Shopkeeper Chu’s belongings.

Back when he killed Chu and looted his items, Lu Yan had noticed this bottle—but since he hadn’t started cultivating yet and had been focused on his cultivation technique, he’d forgotten about it until now.

From the outside, the bottle looked no different from the low-grade pills commonly found at Bamboo Forest Market. True treasures were usually stored in special jade bottles to preserve their energy and potency, often marked with the refiner’s personal seal.

But the moment Lu Yan opened it, a dense wave of spiritual energy burst out.

He inhaled the fragrance. A refreshing clarity surged through his entire body, replenishing much of his drained mana almost instantly.

“This is a genuine grade-tier spirit pill—and one that increases mana at that!”

Lu Yan could tell at a glance—this was no ordinary pill.

It was likely stored in a porcelain bottle to hide the identity of the original owner, whose jade bottle might have borne identifying marks. Chu probably switched containers to cover his tracks.

To be safe, Lu Yan poured out one pill. It was emerald green like jade.

Scraping off a bit of the powder, he tested it. The moment he began circulating his technique, that tiny bit of dust instantly transformed into pure spiritual energy, rapidly increasing his mana refinement.

Feeling the changes within his body, Lu Yan’s eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he swallowed an entire pill.

Bathed in moonlight pouring through the window, Lu Yan closed his eyes and entered cultivation.

Spiritual energy from all directions surged in like a vortex. Even the moonlight in the night sky seemed pulled toward him, making the surroundings even brighter.

By the time the moonlight faded and the sun had risen high overhead, zombies retreated back into their shelters.

Yet Lu Yan’s cultivation continued.

The vortex of spiritual energy only intensified.

Within the sunlight, faint traces of fire-type spiritual energy gathered around him, following the flow of his breathing and entering his meridians with his technique.

It was only after several more hours that the vortex began to subside.

As everything calmed, there was a crisp sound of shattering from within, and Lu Yan slowly stood up from his meditative posture.

Second Layer of Qi Refining, breakthrough!

(End of Chapter)