After washing off and spending a few days consolidating her base, Yuyue began to prepare to ascend to the third stage of Qi development.

If the second stage of Qi development was the development of digestive systems then the third stage was the development of the brain, skull, and perception.

The creation of the upper Dantian allowed the user to use divine sense. While Yuyue was able to barely make her own divine sense the establishment of the upper Dantian would make it much easier to do so.

This was also the most dangerous step of Qi development, the brain was a delicate organ and if she was improper with her cultivation she could severally injure herself and her own motor functions.

Still, she would not stop her cultivation for such a simple fear.

Although it was dangerous Yuyue still had the oath she made to herself. The search for power would not stop just because it might cause her injury. The path of cultivation was a treacherous one indeed and she could only face it head on.

Sitting cross legged, Yuyue sat with the Jade tortoise pill in front of her. This pill was already treasure on it’s own but Yuyue didn’t know what to expect while eating the pill.

The surface was yellow and flecked with green if it weren’t for the quality the pill itself almost looked like a jade stone itself.

Not waiting another moment Yuyue popped the pill into her mouth. The pill dropped into her stomach like and iron ball.

Yuyue tensed waiting for the pill to activate, she wait for her digestive system to being processing the pill only to realize it was… inert.

“Did they give me a fake pill?” Yuyue thought.

She though back to the pair who she had encountered in the woods, while the man named Haotian did not seem like a dependable fellow, the girl, Tao Xiulan didn’t seem like the type who would allow that sort of behavior.

She focused inwards towards her inner Dantian to realize there was a hard rock like object inside it.

“I can’t digest the pill?” Yuyue muttered

She had though that with her lower Dantian she would be able to easily break through the outer layer of the pill but much like the Jade Tortoise she had fought a few days prior it seemed like the pill was hiding inside itself.

She immediately began to use her Qi to try and break through the pill. Collecting it into a sharp point and stabbing it into the pill.

The Qi upon striking the pill instantly shatter and Yuyue felt a pain in her lower organs

“Hard!” She yelled

She coughed into her hand and out splattered crimson blood. The pill was hard enough that she had injured herself trying to break through.

Normally pills would be easily digested by a second step cultivator, but Yuyue now realized it was harder than it seemed.

She was even stronger than most second step Qi cultivator by having larger than average meridians and Dantians and she was still unable to pierce it.

As she cultivator further and her Dantians grew stronger she would be able to digest the pill, but Yuyue did not have the time to wait. This pill was the only way she could breakthrough to the third stage of Qi development.

She did not have much time either, she only had around a month’s worth of time before she ran out of food.

Since attacking the pill was not worth the effort she was left to sit with the pill in her Dantian. At the very least at the moment it didn’t hinder her Dantian and it was being bathed in her Qi which might weaken the shell to make it easier to pierce later.

Yuyue began to stand up, before she felt another piercing pain in her lower region.

She instantly sat back down and focused on her lower Dantian again. The previously inert pill was not moving around, slamming against the walls of her lower Dantian.

“This little turtle is trying to break free!”

Pills were refined with the spirits of beasts, and it seems like this pill had plenty of lingering resentment and refused to be digested.

Each time the pill slammed into her Dantian walls, Yuyue felt a stabbing pain.

Gritting her teeth, she began to circulate and thicken the Qi around the pill to restrict it’s movement. The pill ignored her efforts and broke through the encirclement like it didn’t exist.

Yuyue grabbed her sword, preparing to cut the pill out from her stomach.

She wasn’t sure she could survive such a traumatic wound, but if the pill poked a hole in her lower Dantian she would die anyway. The Qi from her body would eventually leak until there was nothing left and Yuyue would shrivel up.

As soon as she grabbed the sword her Qi took up a reddish hue. This was something that happened often when Yuyue held the sword but nothing came of it.

Now that her Qi had turned red, the pill suddenly stopped, shying away from her Dantian walls where the Qi was the thickest

“Hmm?” Yuyue thought as she sensed the odd scene.

Kitsura

I'll do a grammar check in the morning, I am so tired rn... 

Enjoy chappy~