Boom!!!0

The black beam slammed into the massive defensive shield with a deafening roar, shaking the treetops and sending waves of sound rippling through the grove. The earthen-colored barrier trembled violently, its surface rippling like a great, coiling earth dragon. But it held strong, dissipating the overwhelming force layer by layer.0

From above, Zhou Yuanli and Liu Qiang exchanged grim looks.0

"Ninth stage of Qi-Refining," Liu Qiang muttered.0

The Qi-Refining realm was divided into early, middle, and late stages. Each stage was distinctly separate.  If one ignored factors like spirit roots, meridians, acupoints, and physical toughness—which were less relevant to low-tier cultivators—then the amount of spirit power within the body became the best criterion.0

An early-stage Qi-Refining cultivator could barely cast a few basic spells, often struggling to wield even a single low-grade enchanted artifact. In the middle stage, their spirit power expanded significantly. Multiple spells could be cast consecutively, and they might be able to control two or three artifacts at once. If they had a special top-grade enchanted artifact, they could even wield it with difficulty in battle.0

Still, mid-stage combat was stiff and formulaic. To onlookers, battles resembled turn-based...0