“A Daoist friend of mine is breaking through inside. I ask all fellow cultivators not to disturb—lest any misunderstanding lead to unnecessary conflict.”
From within the Pill Shop, Gu Hong’s voice rang out, imbued with the presence of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, spreading far and wide.
It was a clear warning!
Li An had reached the final critical phase of his breakthrough—any interference now would be disastrous.
Sure enough, as soon as her words fell, many cultivators who had drawn close quickly backed away.
After all, the shop was openly guarded by two Foundation Establishment cultivators—Gu Songxi and Gu Hong—and this was White Tiger City. Who would dare disrupt another’s fortuitous opportunity under such circumstances?
No one wanted trouble.
“Please rest assured, Fellow Daoist Gu. Qiuhui is also here to safeguard this fellow Daoist’s breakthrough. He may cultivate without worry.”
Xu Qiuhui called out from afar as well.
Though her tone was polite, her thoughts turned: breaking through inside the Pill Shop… clearly, someone had sought Gu Hong and her master to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill and was now breaking through immediately afterward.
Even as a disciple of the White Tiger Master with a prestigious status, she still needed to be respectful toward Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Especially now—with Gu Songxi, Gu Hong, and this newly advanced cultivator, there were now three Foundation Establishment experts. Their combined strength was no longer negligible.
Though on the surface she couldn’t get too close due to Zhang Deyi’s influence, privately strengthening ties with them was a wise move.
It was laying groundwork for her own future development within White Tiger Mountain.
At the same time, a thought crossed her mind: a single batch of Foundation Establishment Pills could yield up to five pills… surely there was surplus.
Perhaps she could use this opportunity to repay some of the favors she owed while collecting soul-nourishing materials…
…
Inside the secret chamber—
Li An cultivated with unwavering focus, surrounded by no fewer than five thousand spirit stones!
Outside, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged wildly toward him, forming a vortex above the Pill Shop.
Massive streams of spiritual energy poured into his body, and his dantian had become like a black hole.
Under the intense stimulation of the pill’s power, he refined it madly. His dantian swirled with radiant clouds, and amidst them, droplets of spirit liquid began forming, collecting within the dantian pool.
Foundation Establishment was a major chasm for any Qi Refining cultivator—one with many hurdles to cross.
Body, spirit, mana, will…
Li An’s mana was already extremely pure. As for his spirit, he had trained Super Sense for years and even cultivated divine sense ahead of time.
The most overlooked element by most cultivators was the body.
Yet in Li An’s experience from his past life, the body was the root of cultivation—the vessel that housed the soul and stored mana. The further one progressed, the more crucial it became.
That was why he had rigorously trained in physical arts during Qi Refining.
Now, the stream of liquefied spiritual energy quickly filled his dantian pool to the brim.
But the Life Seed rooted within his dantian was madly absorbing the spirit liquid, growing rapidly.
Previously, the Life Seed was like a small sapling, with nine leaves representing the nine layers of Qi Refining.
Now, nourished by spirit liquid, the seed grew robust—taller, thicker—its once pale green bark now gleaming faintly with golden light.
The once-full dantian pool was now nearly depleted!
On the trunk of the Life Seed, a small bulge appeared—signaling the sprouting of a new branch...
“So much spirit liquid just to grow the Life Seed…”
Li An was slightly startled but didn’t hesitate. He intensified his absorption.
The vortex within his dantian spun wildly, devouring the external spiritual energy. The mountains of spirit stones around him began shattering one by one.
A visible decrease!
This process continued for another two days.
By noon of the third day, the Life Seed tree within Li An’s body finally sprouted a new branch.
Branches unfurled—success!
At the same time, the spirit liquid in his dantian pool stopped being absorbed and remained full.
Colorful clouds drifted above the spirit pool, nourishing Li An’s divine sense and soul.
He had now truly stepped into the Foundation Establishment realm—becoming a cultivator of that stage.
Everything came naturally!
Li An’s mind was calm, not particularly excited. Instead, the result felt expected.
After all, he had prepared too thoroughly: physical training, cultivating divine sense in advance, experience from his past life, and the aid of a supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pill…
“My dantian pool is twice the size of a normal cultivator’s!”
Examining his internal condition, Li An was deeply satisfied.
The stronger the physique, the larger the dantian pool developed during Foundation Establishment. With a larger pool came denser mana, and within the same realm, stronger power.
This was the result of his diligent training in Ironwood Art.
Currently, purely in terms of spiritual power, he could already rival some mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators!
“My divine sense… the enhancement is even greater. Its range is now around eight hundred meters!”
Most newly advanced Foundation Establishment cultivators had divine sense ranges under three hundred meters.
Li An was approaching an entire mile!
“As for my lifespan, it’s increased to six hundred years. Even if I make no further progress, I still have five hundred years of good life ahead…”
This was the part that brought him the most relief.
Upon reaching late-stage Foundation Establishment, he could live up to eight hundred years.
Of course, if he wished to attempt Core Formation, it would have to be before the age of four hundred. After all, passing that threshold was like aging past fifty in mortal terms—physical decline and weakened vitality would make forming a core extremely difficult.
Still, compared to most, he now had plenty of time.
Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators lived at most four hundred years.
Then, he turned his attention back to the Life Seed.
Now deeply rooted in his dantian and flourishing, it had already produced a new branch.
When he focused on that branch, he suddenly felt that every organ in his body seemed to stir with joy, an instinctual impulse wanting to connect with that branch.
“Could it be… this newly grown branch can connect with a specific part of my body?”
Li An was surprised. The growth of the Life Seed could enhance him in all aspects. If a branch connected with an organ or body part, could it grant special reinforcement?
It seemed very likely!
Although he had learned how to cultivate the Life-Nurturing Immortal Forging Art, its various profound applications were not clearly stated within the manual.
Still, Li An wasn’t in a hurry to explore. Just moments ago, his divine sense had already detected the situation outside.
He slowly calmed his breathing and allowed the unique aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator to spread outward unrestrained—
A clear proclamation.
…
Outside the chamber, Gu Hong, who had been on high alert the entire time, finally let out a long breath, her beautiful eyes filled with delight.
Her forehead was slick with sweat. She had been worried the whole time that the commotion might attract interference from Zhang Deyi…
Fortunately, everything went smoothly.
“He succeeded!”
“There’s now one more Foundation Establishment cultivator in White Tiger City.”
“Truly enviable…”
Outside the Pilll Shop, many onlookers’ eyes were filled with envy and longing.
Xu Qiuhui raised her elegant brows slightly and said, “Congratulations to Fellow Daoist on successfully forming your foundation. May I be honored with a meeting?”
…
(End of Chapter)