"Mr. Liu''s judgment was wrong; this is not a copper corpse at the Qi Refining Middle Stage!" Li Shiming assessed the situation of the copper corpse, and with the knowledge from the ''Xuanming Corpse Refining Chapter,'' he was able to accurately determine the strength of the copper corpse.

    The copper corpse he had subdued possessed the strength of the Qi Refining Seventh Level, far beyond the Qi Refining Middle Stage that clan leader Liu had informed him of initially.

    Now that the copper corpse was subdued, he faced a problem: the gap between his strength and that of the copper corpse was too great.

    Previously, he thought the copper corpse was at the Qi Refining Middle Stage, and with his strength at the Qi Refining Third Level, making a Blood Covenant and subduing it hadn''t been too troublesome.

    But a copper corpse at the Qi Refining Seventh Level was far too strong for him.

    He would face the worst-case scenario recorded in the ''Xuanming Corpse Refining Chapter,'' being subjected to backlash from the copper corpse every midnight, just as intense as the backlash when he signed the Blood Covenant.

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    This was a burden for Li Shiming, but not an insurmountable one.

    One method was to play the ''Great Compassion Mantra'' on the IBMz15 at midnight, occupying his senses first to lessen the impact of the backlash.

    The other was to quickly enhance his strength. As long as he reached the Qi Refining Fourth Level, he could narrow the gap with the copper corpse and make the backlash disappear on its own.

    He really wanted to continue studying the ''Xuanming Corpse Refining Chapter,'' but he was in Qingqiu Pavilion, insulated by an Array, and he dared not guarantee that unleashing the copper corpse wouldn''t be detected by the grand Array of Qingqiu Pavilion.

    He took out the Gathering Spirit Plate and placed it beneath him.

    In a moment, a sphere of light appeared above the Gathering Spirit Plate, and within this sphere, he felt as if he were submerged in a pool of Spiritual Energy.

    In such an environment, not to mention cultivating, just by continuously breathing, one could improve one''s strength.@@@@

    Only now did he truly understand what Senior Brother Zhu Ji meant by the newcomer phase''s benefits. With the Gathering Spirit Plate coupled with the dense Spiritual Energy here, his advancement to the Qi Refining Fourth Level would come much sooner than expected.

    The Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique began to circulate, and he sensed countless points of Spiritual Energy throughout his surroundings.

    Li Shiming was not satisfied with this answer. Labeling it an answer felt more like leaving things to nature''s course than providing a concrete solution.

    "Isn''t there a more proactive solution?" he pressed on.

    "Yes, strengthen yourself, practice Body Refining Techniques. As long as your body is robust enough, your recovery power will also improve, naturally shortening the interval for practicing the main cultivation technique," Senior Brother Ji replied with a smile.

    He did not believe this solution was something Li Shiming could achieve, not to mention the good deeds required just to access the Body Refining Techniques, or the resources consumed in the process of practicing them, which were far beyond what an ordinary cultivator could afford.

    Within a sect, only those genius disciples who are highly valued by the sect are eligible to learn the Body Refining Techniques.

    The sect would allocate a portion of the resources, which would then be complemented by the resources from the disciples'' influential backgrounds, qualifying them to practice the Body Refining Techniques.

    "I have another question for Brother Ji. Junior Master Cui rewarded me with a piece of war loot from the Xuanming Sect, including a black banner. May I know what this banner is?" Having received an answer to his previous question, Li Shiming continued to inquire.

    This opportunity to ask questions for free was not something he wanted to miss.

    As for the matter of the black banner, since it was given by Junior Master Cui, there was no need for him to keep it a secret.

    "Junior Master Cui?" Senior Brother Ji was first taken aback and then realized who Li Shiming was talking about. He continued, "You mean Steward Cui. I hadn''t realized you know Steward Cui as well."

    At this point, the smile on Senior Brother Ji''s face became more genuine.

    "The black banner of the Xuanming Sect is the Five Ghosts Soul Refining Banner, one of the mainstream magic artifacts used by Xuanming Sect cultivators. The banner can command five fierce ghosts to fight for you.

    Although there are no specific prohibitions against the banner within the sect, its empowerment is considered too malevolent. Hence, it is usually purified before being used, to diminish the resentment of the ghosts within, and then it is deployed.

    After purification, the ''Five Ghosts Soul Refining Banner'' retains little of its combat power but can serve as a helper in everyday tasks, handling simple matters," Senior Brother Ji explained in great detail this time.

    "Here, I have a method for purifying the ''Five Ghosts Soul Refining Banner,'' which does not belong to the sect''s techniques and can be shared freely!" While speaking, he took out a book and handed it to Li Shiming from his storage bag.

    The enthusiasm shown by Senior Brother Ji made Li Shiming feel somewhat unreal. Fortunately, there was no other newcomer present at Qingqiu Pavilion, so it did not affect Senior Brother Ji''s image.