Before his spiritual energy was fully saturated, Xu Ning immediately began to attack the barrier of the twentieth level of Qi Refining.
After activating his foundation, Xu Ning didn't have much time left. He had to break through to the limit of his foundation in a very short time. Otherwise, once the time was up, there would be no way to make up for it later.
Therefore, Xu Ning dared not pause and directly began to attack the barrier of the twentieth level.
With the attack of his cultivation, the barrier of the twentieth level remained unmoved.
Xu Ning attacked again, still unmoved.
Without any hesitation, Xu Ning immediately used his martial arts, launching another attack along with his cultivation.
But still, it remained unmoved.
Seeing this, Xu Ning gritted his teeth, simultaneously mobilizing his blood and qi, martial arts cultivation, and cultivation, all rushing towards the barrier at the same time.
Boom—
Xu Ning felt a loud noise coming from within his body.
But looking at the barrier again, it remained unmoved.
Reaching the twentieth level of Qi Refining was already an impossible realm, and within that impossible realm, it was a watershed, making the barrier at this level incredibly strong.
Having accumulated so much power for this one level, how could Xu Ning possibly give up? He simultaneously used three cultivation levels to launch a second attack.
Then came the third, the fourth…
Over a hundred attempts, but the barrier remained unmoved.
At this moment, Xu Ning was filled with resentment and disappointment. Had he accumulated so much power, only to fail to break through this barrier in the end?
"No! I can't give up!" Xu Ning gritted his teeth and launched another attack using all three cultivation levels simultaneously.
After a dozen or so attacks, a crack finally appeared in the barrier.
Finally, there was a result! Xu Ning was overjoyed and immediately increased his speed.
Under Xu Ning's relentless attacks, the crack slowly widened.
But then a problem arose for Xu Ning.
Judging from the current trend, even if Xu Ning exhausted all three cultivation levels, he probably wouldn't be able to completely break through that barrier.
Never mind! If I don't try today, I'll definitely regret it later! Charge!
Having made up his mind, Xu Ning began his relentless assault.
After hundreds of attempts, the barrier remained unbroken, though the cracks widened considerably.
At this moment, Xu Ning was filled with resentment. Had he, after so much effort, ultimately succumbed to fate?
No! Even if it meant using his own power, he had to break through!
At this moment, Xu Ning had only one thought: he must reach the twentieth level of Qi Refining, at any cost.
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Gritting his teeth, Xu Ning focused his energy completely, preparing to mobilize his power.
But just then, Xu Ning suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head, and then something resembling a dantian appeared in his mind, storing an exceptionally terrifying amount of spiritual power!
This was... Divine Sense?
Xu Ning had been practicing the Nine Forms of Inquiry into the Divine Realm without interruption.
His divine sense had actually been growing at an incredibly rapid pace.
However, Xu Ning had never been able to see it clearly until now, when his relentless will had finally activated it, allowing him to see it.
Perfect! If three cultivation methods couldn't break through, then he would try four!
Immediately, Xu Ning simultaneously circulated his cultivation, martial arts, blood and qi, and divine sense, launching another attack on the barrier.
Boom!
A deafening roar erupted as cracks instantly spread across the barrier, growing and extending continuously.
Xu Ning was overjoyed. The effect of adding another cultivation level was indeed different.
Without hesitation, Xu Ning launched another attack.
Finally, after five consecutive attacks, the barrier at the twentieth level of Qi Refining was completely shattered, bursting open.
At this moment, Xu Ning's cultivation had fully reached the twentieth level of Qi Refining.
Simultaneously, the lack of spiritual energy within Xu Ning's body caused his cultivation technique to automatically activate, drawing in a surge of surrounding spiritual energy that rapidly entered his body.
At this moment, Xu Ning also felt an extreme hunger.
This was due to the depletion of his cultivation. If he didn't replenish it in time, once all the external spiritual energy was absorbed, his cultivation would collapse irreversibly.
Without any hesitation, Xu Ning quickly grabbed his storage bag, opened it, and began gulping down the energy.
The relentless, terrifying hunger even made Xu Ning's hands tremble as he held the storage bag.
Only after consuming over three hundred Divine-grade Qi Gathering Pills did Xu Ning feel a little better.
He didn't stop, continuing to consume until he had swallowed all the Divine-grade Qi Gathering Pills. Then, he began to circulate his cultivation technique to absorb and digest them.
Xu Ning had prepared very thoroughly for this advancement. Originally, he only needed to prepare over nine hundred Divine-grade Qi Gathering Pills, but he had prepared over a thousand—hopefully that would be enough!
As time passed, all the Divine-grade Qi Gathering Pills were refined by Xu Ning.
At this moment, Xu Ning's cultivation was completely stabilized at the twentieth level of Qi Refining.
Sitting cross-legged, Xu Ning suddenly opened his eyes, spiritual energy flowing within them. He felt fortunate that he had accumulated several years' worth of Divine-grade spiritual herbs and upgraded dozens more Divine-grade Qi Gathering Pills in his efforts to become a legendary alchemist.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been enough, and it would have been embarrassing. Everything would have been in vain.
The thatched hut exclaimed excitedly, "Xu Ning, congratulations! You've reached the twentieth level of Qi Refining!"
Xu Ning asked, "Has anyone else reached that level?"
The thatched hut replied, "Yes! It existed in ancient times, but not in this era!"
Xu Ning asked doubtfully, "Is this the limit of Qi Refining?"
The thatched hut said, "Yes!"
Xu Ning asked, "Then why haven't any cultivators reached the Supreme Foundation Establishment stage?"
The thatched hut explained, "Various reasons! Perhaps they didn't have a Divine-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, or their cultivation collapsed due to insufficient resources when they reached the twentieth level of Qi Refining."
"But the most important point is probably the lack of our help?"
Xu Ning asked doubtfully, "Your help?"
The thatched hut said, "That's right. Supreme Foundation Establishment is extremely difficult. You alone are not enough. You don't need to ask any more questions. Start now! Don't wait until the pressure of cultivation causes automatic Foundation Establishment. Then it will be a loss!"
At this moment, Xu Ning could already feel the cultivation within his body surging.
This is how the limit of Qi Refining works. The pressure from cultivation will lead to automatic Foundation Establishment.
If he didn't have the help of a Divine-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, Xu Ning might only reach the Legendary Foundation Establishment stage, or even fail to reach the Legendary stage.
Foundation Establishment Pills are still far too important for human cultivators.
Without hesitation, Xu Ning patted his storage bag, and a divine-grade Foundation Establishment Pill appeared in his hand. He then tilted his head back and swallowed it.
The pill entered his body and quickly entered Xu Ning's dantian, where it began to spin wildly.
As the Foundation Establishment Pill spun, the spiritual energy and blood energy in Xu Ning's dantian were rapidly attracted and gathered, swirling around the pill.
The speed of the rotation increased rapidly over time, and the vortex it formed also accelerated.
The Foundation Establishment Pill seemed to possess a terrifying suction force, continuously gathering and condensing the spiritual energy and blood energy in his dantian.