Chapter 43: Fourth Layer of Qi Refining

Just like the Soul-Devouring Insects, the Disease-Devouring Insects also consisted of one mother insect and three brood insects.

The mother insect was at level 1, while the brood insects were at level 0.

Since swallowing bacteria and viruses carried virtually no risk, the disease-devouring mother and brood insects entered Li Nainai's body together to devour her cervical cancer cells.

Zhou Chen could actually have had the disease-devouring insects consume all the cancer cells in Li Nainai's body within ten minutes.

However, considering that doing so would be far too shocking and would bring him a host of unnecessary troubles, he instructed Li Nainai to come once every five days.

As for the acupuncture, it was also meant to curb the proliferation of the cancer cells.

Although it could not completely halt them, it could slow down the deterioration of her condition to a certain extent.

In just over three minutes, the disease-devouring insects returned to the hive dimension, and the remaining time was spent with Zhou Chen performing a pretense of acupuncture.

Feeling somewhat bored, Zhou Chen casually resolved Li Nainai's irregular menstruation and dysmenorrhea issues along the way.

Packing away all the acupuncture needles, Zhou Chen asked Li Nainai to get up.

"How do you feel?" Zhou Chen asked.

Li Nainai felt wonderful; during the acupuncture just moments ago, she had almost fallen asleep.

Her lower abdomen felt warm, a comfort she hadn't experienced in a very long time.

"I feel so comfortable. Little brother, how is big sister's cancer?" anticipation shone brightly in Li Nainai's eyes.

Zhou Chen replied, "Through acupuncture, I have eliminated a portion of the cancer cells, but they are not completely eradicated. Remember what I said earlier: come back in five days, and then five days after that for the final acupuncture session. You can go over there and check your cancer condition to see how things look."

"Oh, okay!"

Ignoring the strange glances from other patients in the waiting room, Li Nainai, dressed in JK attire, white over-the-knee stockings, and small black leather shoes, prepared to undergo a full-body CT scan.

After Li Nainai left, Zhang Ming旭 asked Zhou Chen with a look of disbelief, "My young friend, can you really cure cancer?"

Zhou Chen nodded. "In my eyes, there is no such thing as an incurable disease."

"Xiaonan, go along with that patient and take a look." Zhang Ming旭 instructed Zhang Bingnan to follow Li Nainai and check her test results.

Over an hour later.

Zhang Bingnan returned with an expression of utter astonishment.

The moment Zhang Ming旭 saw his granddaughter's expression, he knew Zhou Chen was not boasting—he really could cure cancer!

What concept was this?

This meant that Zhou Chen's medical skills had surpassed every doctor in the world, including all renowned physicians both past and present, domestic and international!

Zhang Ming旭's voice trembled slightly. "My young friend, can this method of treating cancer benefit the world?"

By this, he meant to ask whether Zhou Chen could share his cancer-treatment methods to save cancer patients on a mass scale.

As the world's number one killer, cancer claimed the lives of over eight million people every year, accounting for one-sixth of all annual deaths worldwide!

Zhou Chen's answer was, naturally, a negative one.

After all, only he possessed the Soul-Devouring Insects, and even if he could eventually eradicate cancer through the Taiji Creation Needles, it was something only he could accomplish.

After all, the primary prerequisite for wielding the Taiji Creation Needles to eradicate cancer was simple: one had to be a practitioner.

Moreover, not a practitioner of the modern cultivation system, but one of the ancient cultivation systems.

"If I had the ability to benefit the entire world, I would dedicate it without hesitation. But unfortunately, I lack that capability."

Zhang Ming旭 sighed. He had anticipated this answer, yet still asked out of a lingering reluctance to give up hope.

After all, Zhou Chen was a unique exception; even his own medical skills were insignificant compared to Zhou Chen's, let alone those of other doctors.

Zhang Ming旭 cautioned, "My young friend, you were somewhat impulsive. It is best to keep a low profile regarding your ability to treat cancer. Should malicious individuals discover this and forcibly abduct you to treat people, the consequences would be unimaginable."

Zhou Chen had naturally considered this point, but he was not worried.

As long as he did not announce to the entire world that he could cure cancer, he would have ample time to enhance his own strength.

Once his cultivation realm also reached the Foundation Establishment stage, he could practically walk sideways unhindered through the mortal world.

Furthermore, as a practitioner of the ancient cultivation system, personal combat prowess was only a part of his strength.

There were many other means at his disposal, such as array formation, forging magical treasures, and inscribing talismans.

Therefore, Zhou Chen did not fear individuals harboring malicious intentions coming after him at all.

In fact, he hoped more such people would show up, giving him a valid reason to let the Soul-Devouring and Life-Devouring Insects use them as food.

...

Evening.

Zhou Chen concluded a day of consultations, and Zhang Bingnan drove him back to Beijing University in her sports car.

Freshmen still had military training at night, but even if Zhou Chen skipped it, no one would say a word.

Today, the disease-devouring insects had spent the whole day devouring viral energy, and Zhou Chen was eager to return and cultivate.

Back in his single dormitory room, Zhou Chen sat cross-legged on the bed.

Stored within Zhou Chen's Dantian was the pure energy fed back by the disease-devouring insects today.

All of this energy had been refined and transformed by the disease-devouring insects, and its grade was no less inferior to spiritual Qi.

Initially, Zhou Chen had planned to cultivate the *Taiqing Longevity Scripture*, the core technique passed down from ancient Qi refiners, but this technique had strict requirements regarding innate talent.

Zhou Chen knew his own aptitude was quite ordinary; someone like the Congenital Yin-Yang Spiritual Body he had encountered today would completely crush him.

With ordinary aptitude, cultivation speed would be vastly slower.

Forget about longevity by then; even reaching the Nascent Soul stage would be difficult.

Moreover, the circulation pathways of the *Taiqing Longevity Scripture* were based on spiritual Qi, making the technique uniquely attuned to the characteristics of spiritual Qi.

While the viral energy transformed by the disease-devouring insects was pure, it was not spiritual Qi, but a special type of biological energy.

Therefore, Zhou Chen decided to cultivate the *Taiji Creation Art*.

This was a cultivation technique without any threshold requirements, and it placed no demands on the type of energy—whether spiritual Qi, ghostly Qi, demonic Qi, fierce Qi, or immortal Qi, all could be absorbed.

Not to mention humans, even animals could cultivate it.

Just like its name—Taiji.

All-encompassing and inclusive of everything.

Thus, it had no requirements for aptitude; as long as one possessed the primordial Yin and Yang breaths within their body, it would suffice.

Because the *Taiji Creation Art* primarily cultivated the primordial Yin and Yang breaths within a living creature's body.

Regardless of what kind of energy existed in the outside world, it could be converted into Yin and Yang breaths through cosmic circulation.

And when the Yin and Yang breaths merged into one, it became the power of Taiji.

Ancient practitioners typically absorbed spiritual Qi, cultivating spiritual power as a result.

This technique was immensely powerful, likely no weaker than those peerless techniques of the ancient era.

Most importantly, it had no prerequisites regarding talent, so Zhou Chen immediately began operating the technique.

As the technique circulated, the ancient text recording the *Taiji Creation Art* underwent an unexpected transformation in Zhou Chen's eyes.

The ancient book began to decompose, turning into a stream of Taiji power and an incomplete diagram.

The material of the diagram was unknown—whether animal skin, cloth, or paper—but it radiated a rich, mysterious aura.

Uncertain of what was happening, Zhou Chen subconsciously absorbed the stream of decomposed Taiji power.

Once absorbed by Zhou Chen, this power of Taiji was directly converted into his primordial Taiji power, translating instantly into an increase in his cultivation level.

After refining it for over three hours, Zhou Chen's cultivation realm broke through directly to the fourth layer of Qi Condensation!

Divine soul was not the same as cultivation realm.

Now that Zhou Chen's divine soul strength had reached the Foundation Establishment stage and his cultivation had reached the fourth layer of Qi Condensation, he could finally rely on more than just his divine soul when fighting.

This was definitely an unexpected windfall.

After refining the Taiji power, Zhou Chen stowed the incomplete Taiji diagram into the hive dimension.

The hive dimension was unique; ordinary mortal objects could not enter, and only items from the realm of cultivation were permitted inside.

Following that, Zhou Chen converted all the viral energy absorbed today into Taiji power.

To Zhou Chen's chagrin, despite absorbing viral energy for an entire day, the improvement in his cultivation realm was pitifully small.

This made Zhou Chen aware of the greatest flaw of the *Taiji Creation Art*—the amount of Taiji power required for cultivation was astronomical!

As expected, any technique that allowed people to cultivate while ignoring aptitude had a fatal flaw.

However, Zhou Chen was not overly worried. After all, he possessed the hive dimension; in the future, countless legions of hives would continuously provide him with the energy required for cultivation.

Through a day's absorption, the disease-devouring mother insect advanced to level 2, laying five eggs, while the three brood insects also advanced to level 1.