Ten days later.
In the Spirit Embroidery Hall of Yun Chang Island.
"What! You broke through to Qi Condensation fourth layer!?"
Ning Shaohong, usually composed and elegant, was uncharacteristically flustered.
Her face was full of shock, and she covered her mouth in a surprised gasp.
Beside her, Ning Fa smiled sheepishly, not surprised by Ning Shaohong's astonishment.
After all, the family had tried everything back then, even procuring quite a few second-tier pills.
But they couldn't help him break through the bottleneck of Qi Condensation mid-stage, and finally gave up.
Now, he, who had been abandoned by the family, had broken through to Qi Condensation mid-stage without anyone knowing, naturally shocking Ning Shaohong immensely.
Ning Shaohong seemed to recall something and asked urgently, "Could it be... your Incomplete Lightning Spiritual Root has recovered?"
Ning Fa shook his head and replied, "Probably not. A few days ago, I refined another special Essence Replenishing Pill. After taking that pill, I was fortunate enough to break through the mid-stage bottleneck."
Upon hearing this, Ning Shaohong couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
But a strange light flashed in her beautiful eyes, and she asked, "Special Essence Replenishing Pill? You're not referring to a One Dao Mark Essence Replenishing Pill, are you? After all, you can already refine this pill stably."
Ning Fa smiled slightly, feigning a bit of pride. "Aunt Hong, I refined an Essence Replenishing Pill with a quasi-two Dao Marks. After taking it, I smoothly broke through to Qi Condensation mid-stage."
Ning Shaohong was shocked once again.
Her red lips parted, and she remained stunned for a long time before exclaiming in disbelief, "A two Dao Mark Essence Replenishing Pill...? How is that possible..."
If Ning Fa had refined a pill with one Dao Mark, she could accept it. But a two Dao Mark pill was simply beyond her comprehension.
Adding another Dao Mark to a pill was far from a simple addition.
There was a long-standing saying in the art of pill refinement.
If refining a pill with one Dao Mark meant the Pill Master had refined the pill to its perfect state according to the recipe, with no room for further improvement.
Then a two Dao Mark pill meant the Pill Master's refinement of this pill had transcended the recipe, possessing unique understanding.
And it had been recognized by the Pill Dao Laws, taking perfection a step further.
There were even three Dao Mark, four Dao Mark pills, and even higher, but such pills only existed in legends.
Adding a Dao Mark to a pill not only doubled its efficacy but also endowed it with unimaginable mysterious abilities.
Let alone second-tier Pill Masters, even many third-tier Pill Grandmasters nowadays.
Might occasionally refine a pill with one Dao Mark, but might never refine a pill with two Dao Marks in their lifetime.
This wasn't to say Ning Fa's current refining skill surpassed these Pill Grandmasters, but it could definitely be said that Ning Fa surpassed them in refining Essence Replenishing Pills.
This naturally also meant that Ning Fa's potential in pill refinement was extremely high.
At least, Ning Shaohong had never heard of any Pill Grandmaster refining Dao Patterned Pills during the Qi Condensation stage.
Seeing Ning Shaohong stunned for a long time, Ning Fa quickly reminded her, "Aunt Hong, it wasn't a complete two Dao Mark pill. The second Dao Mark was just a prototype, not fully formed. But this pill is indeed extraordinary. After I took it, I felt a mysterious energy working within my body, which should be the main reason I was able to break through."
Ning Shaohong then realized she had misheard; it was a prototype of a two Dao Mark pill.
She let out a light sigh of relief, which made it much more acceptable for her.
However, a trace of disbelief still lingered in her eyes as she looked at Ning Fa.
Putting aside other things, just the fact that the quasi-two Dao Mark Essence Replenishing Pill allowed Ning Fa to break through to Qi Condensation mid-stage was extraordinary.
After all, the family had prepared some extremely precious second-tier pills back then, but they couldn't help Ning Fa break through.
But this was also normal.
Although Essence Replenishing Pills were not of high grade, Dao Marks contained the Dao charm of the Pill Dao and possessed mysterious effects that even high-grade pills could not imagine.
Ning Shaohong's beautiful eyes lit up, and she asked, "Little Fa, do you still have the confidence to refine another quasi-two Dao Mark Essence Replenishing Pill?"
Ning Fa quickly shook his head, "It should be very difficult. I was in a wonderful state that day, like being in a dream. I even forgot I was refining pills. When I woke up, this pill was already made. Afterwards, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't recreate that state."
A hint of regret appeared on Ning Shaohong's jade-like face, but she then shook her head and smiled, "I was being greedy. It's already a great fortune that you could experience that state of enlightenment, obtain that quasi-two Dao Mark Essence Replenishing Pill, and advance yourself to Qi Condensation mid-stage."
Ning Fa nodded repeatedly, secretly letting out a sigh of relief in his heart.
In reality, he was lying. He hadn't actually refined a quasi-two Dao Mark Essence Replenishing Pill.
The reason he said that was to find a suitable excuse for his sudden advancement.
He had already decided not to tell anyone the secret of his body, including his family.
The main reason was the experiences of his third uncle and Ning Yuwen.
He didn't want to die young in the future.
Moreover, he still had that equally mysterious scroll within his body.
Now, that scroll was residing in his right arm.
Ning Fa was worried that if the family thought his Lightning Spiritual Root had become complete again, and out of curiosity invited some expert to examine his body, they might discover his mysterious scroll, which would be a huge trouble.
Therefore, he was determined to conceal everything and develop in secret.
For these reasons, Ning Fa falsely claimed he had refined a quasi-second-tier Essence Replenishing Pill, giving himself a suitable excuse.
After all, he could already stably refine One Dao Mark Essence Replenishing Pills, so it wasn't strange if he accidentally refined a quasi-two Dao Mark pill.
From the looks of it now, Ning Shaohong clearly didn't suspect anything.
Ning Shaohong regained her composure, but her gaze towards Ning Fa was somewhat bright.
When Ning Fa had previously approached her with a One Dao Mark Essence Replenishing Pill seeking her help, she was so shocked that she even put aside her resentment.
She found the Second Elder, Ning Weidong, and wanted him to fully assist Ning Fa in breaking through his cultivation.
However, Ning Weidong believed Ning Fa would have difficulty breaking through to Qi Condensation Mid-stage and thus had low cultivation value. He deliberately said he would consider it only after Ning Fa broke through to Qi Condensation Mid-stage.
Unexpectedly, in such a short time, Ning Fa had actually broken through his cultivation.
Ning Shaohong had already made up her mind to seek out Ning Weidong again to persuade him to fully cultivate Ning Fa.
This wasn't just to help Ning Fa, but also for their lineage.
Once Ning Fa was cultivated, they wouldn't have to fear being held back by the Third Elder regarding pills.
Ning Fa felt a bit unnerved by Aunt Hong's gaze, and he lightly coughed, "Aunt Hong, actually, your nephew came today hoping you could help me one more time."
Ning Shaohong smiled elegantly, "There's no need to be formal between us; just say what you need."
Ning Fa's expression turned serious, and he spoke in a deep voice.
After listening, Ning Shaohong frowned at Ning Fa, her eyes filled with incomprehension.
She slowly said, "Did I hear you correctly? You want to challenge Ning Ruiming now and compete with him in alchemy? And you want to refine the most difficult mid-grade first-tier pill, the Three Yuan Pill!?"