"Foundation Establishnt is within reach, it should be celebrated!"
Zhou Yi suppressed the joy in his heart, deciding that celebration could wait until after the breakthrough.
"With my aptitude, just two Foundation Establishnt Pills are likely not enough to break through..."
With that thought, he glanced at the Spirit Ginseng baby next to him, sighing in distress.
The millennium-old Spirit Ginseng, which was originally more than two feet long, now had only one foot left. Seeing Zhou Yi looking over, it lay on the ground crying and wailing, throwing a tantrum.
"rcy, Immortal! rcy, Immortal! If you cut anymore, I will die!"
Zhou Yi said somberly, "Rest assured, another Spirit Ginseng is about to reach a millennium milestone, so we won't need you after that."
"Hm?"
The Spirit Ginseng glanced at the only plant in the dicinal field within the stone chamber, a nine-hundred-year-old specin, and feeling a chill on one of its leaves, it rolled over to Zhou Yi's feet from the ground. "I've bled for you, Immortal, I've contributed, you can't abandon !"
"That will depend on your performance."
Zhou Yi no longer paid attention to the conflicted Spirit Ginseng, sitting down cross-legged and silently reciting the purification spell.
Several days later.
Mana reached its peak state, and Zhou Yi swallowed a Foundation Establishnt Pill. As the Spirit Pill dissolved upon entering his mouth, an overwhelming surge of Spiritual Energy filled his ridians.
The Guiyuan Technique operated on its own, refining the Spiritual Energy while attempting to break through the Foundation Establishnt boundary.
The mana in the Dantian, which had been stagnant for over a decade, began to grow again. Due to the limited capacity of the Dantian, the originally gaseous mana began to condense into a liquid state.
Just as a wisp of liquid mana ford, the collision between the two different states of mana caused violent agitation, like boiling water, and so fine cracks appeared in the Dantian.
At this mont, the Foundation Establishnt Pill started to exert its dicinal effects, rapidly repairing the cracks in the Dantian.
Zhou Yi's eyebrows slightly furrowed; he stopped the flow of mana and waited until the effects of the Foundation Establishnt Pill had been fully realized.
"If the breakthrough fails and the dicinal effects of the Foundation Establishnt Pill are exhausted without fully repairing the Dantian, will it leave behind cracks?"
This question was not recorded in any text; perhaps soone in the Alchemy Sect knew the answer. A normal Loose Cultivator would be lucky to get one Foundation Establishnt Pill in a lifeti; how could they afford to spare any of its potency?
Besides, even if the Dantian was slightly damaged, one could still seek a way to repair it after eventually breaking through to the Foundation Establishnt Stage.
"During the breakthrough, one must retain three... no, five parts of the Pill's power. If it fails, just take another one!"
Having no knowledge in this area, Zhou Yi chose the safest thod and continued to take Foundation Establishnt Pills.
The mana in the Dantian began to condense again, faster than before, and the Dantian itself felt more robust. Five parts of the Pill's power managed to condense a tenth of it into liquid.
"Continue the Alchemy!"
...
Three months passed.
Over the past twenty-odd years, even when Zhou Yi secluded himself for alchemy, he would erge every half a month.
Sotis he'd listen to Loose Cultivators tell tales of the Cultivation World, or seek advice from Li Yu on cultivation techniques, ticulous and discreet. Everyone in the spiritual land considered him patient with tedium, diligent, and studious, a model youth or middle-aged man.
What a pity that his talent was limited; spending two to three thousand Spirit Stones hadn't helped him break through to the Innate level.
At the critical mont of his breakthrough, for the first ti, he didn't leave his chambers for three consecutive months.
The elderly Lord Li Yu, who was over a hundred years old, paused outside the cave dwelling but refrained from knocking.
"There shouldn't be a problem."
Before long, half a year had passed.
Li Yu finally couldn't restrain himself. Even if there were food reserves in the dwelling, they should be nearly depleted. Over the years, his relationship with Zhou Yi had grown to be even closer than those fleeting ties with the mbers of the Imperial Clan.
The bonds of kinship thinned through five or six generations already felt distant.
Thump, thump, thump!
No response ca, and Li Yu's expression changed slightly, as he activated his flying sword to cut open the stone door.
Inside the cave dwelling, it was empty; no one was to be seen.
Li Yu saw a jade slip lying on the central stone table and hurriedly picked it up to check. Inside, it detailed the procedures for concocting the Primordial Pill.
At the end of the piece, there is a ssage left.
"I borrowed this place and returned a volu of scriptures. From this mont on, our predestined relationship is severed!"
Li Yu looked at the ditation cushion inside the cave dwelling—it still held a bit of warmth—and felt a sense of loss, as if he had just missed a great opportunity.
...
At this mont,
Zhou Yi was flying in the sky.
Without the need to control any magic artifact, his body wrapped in an escaping light as he crossed the firmant, leaving behind a trail of rainbow light.
"At the early stages of Foundation Establishnt, traveling three thousand miles a day is but a trivial matter. Roaming towards the North Sea at dawn and to the Cangwu in the evening, now I sowhat resemble a carefree immortal!"
More than a month ago,
Zhou Yi had taken a total of twelve Foundation Establishnt Pills and finally made a breakthrough in his realm, turning the mana in his Dantian completely liquid.
"The power of my spells has increased three to four tis compared to the Qi Refinent Realm. The step between Qi Refinent and Foundation Establishnt seems like a small one, but the difference in strength is as vast as the heavens and the earth!
The Five Thunder Technique can almost be cast instantly, with several bolts of thunder being released with a wave of the hand, their power surpassing that of common magic artifacts."
"The dozen or so protective magic artifacts that I had are now useless in the duels of the Foundation Establishnt Stage. It seems they have scarcely been used twice?"
Zhou Yi did not grieve over the spirit stones; unused protective artifacts ant that he had never encountered danger. Among the various spells, what truly amazed Zhou Yi was the Divine Bull Transformation, which, after advancing to the Foundation Establishnt realm, had caused yet another surge in his physical strength.
By using his innate spell, he could transform into a golden-horned green bull three to four zhang tall, with a hide that even the Five Thunder Technique couldn't penetrate.
"What a pity, the latter part is missing."
The Guiyuan Technique, which Zhou Yi primarily practiced, also lacked subsequent chapters after the breakthrough to the Foundation Establishnt Stage.
The spiritual energy in the cold pond cave was slightly scarce and could no longer supply Zhou Yi to continue his cultivation. Even if he set up a Spirit Gathering Array, it would only prevent his mana from scattering.
After experiencing the exhilaration of unrestrained flight, Zhou Yi reigned in his pride, landed on the ground, and concealed his aura, appearing as ordinary as any mortal.
"It is only the Foundation Establishnt Stage, the second realm on the path of immortality. Compared to the Zhen Yang Demon Venerate's mountain-shattering blow, I'm still tens of thousands of miles away."
"Low-key, cautious!"
...
Midnight.
Qianjing City was ensconced in silence.
More than twenty years had passed, and except for a change of emperor, nothing else had changed.
The sons of officials beca officials, and the sons of the wealthy remained rich, while the poor commoners still prayed for blessings in the next life.
The Bai family estate.
In the backyard shrine,
the candles burned bright, and the incense was plentiful.
The guards on duty suddenly felt dizzy and all fell into a deep sleep.
Zhou Yi entered the shrine and his gaze swept over each spirit tablet—so he had heard of, and so he had not. He paused at the na of the elder Bai, then turned his attention to an item offered on the altar.
A jade pendant stained with blood.
In a mont of rembrance, he recalled the bustling wedding of old Bai, with guests filling the house, full of cheer and splendor.
"Two hundred years of cultivation flash by in a mont; in the mortal world, eight or nine generations have passed. Perhaps they have already forgotten the promise made back then, rely regarding it as an heirloom of the ancestors."
Zhou Yi picked up the jade pendant and caressed it for a mont, murmuring,
"Old Bai, I t an interesting fellow a few years ago, with a temperant like yours, just not as handso. I thought of making friends with him, but in a blink of an eye, more than twenty years have passed. I've heard from his kin that he's married and has children now."
"Given the circumstances, I shouldn't bother him with a visit!"
The divide between immortals and mortals is not just one of strength.
One period of seclusion amounts to a lifeti for a mortal; even the most amiable cultivator does not wish to affiliate with mortals, to avoid the pain of inevitable loss.
Zhou Yi dropped his blood essence into the jade, with the intention that should the Bai family face disaster, a sense of it would erge if he reached advancent in Divination and Deduction Techniques in the future.
After standing quietly for a mont, he drifted away.
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