Wizards in the world of cultivation

Chapter 9 Foundation Building Pill

Because of prior mastery of divine sense, the first hurdle of spiritual power is relatively simple. The essence of the spiritual power hurdle is the compression and transformation of spiritual power within the dantian.

This process requires guidance from spiritual consciousness throughout, and Su You, with his more powerful spiritual consciousness, can naturally do it with ease.

The only difficult part is the physical challenge.

Su You's physical body is currently thirty-two years old, and he is still far from the age of sixty when his qi and blood begin to decline.

but!

The physical body is not just a matter of qi and blood.

The strength of the physical body is also a very important factor in this stage. If the physical body is not strong enough, it is easy to cause damage to the body when spiritual energy is poured into it, ultimately leading to failure in foundation building.

Enhancing physical strength through the radiation of a wizard's force field is a relatively simple method.

However, since the source of magic power within the body has only just been born and the radiation of the force field has only just begun, it has little effect on improving the physical body.

The power field radiation of wizards is a very long and continuous process, taking decades or even hundreds of years to show a significant improvement.

……

Xutian Sect, Zhuoxi Peak, Zhuoshan Pavilion.

Su You sat calmly in the pavilion, waiting for the guests to arrive.

In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, a beam of emerald light pierced the sky, and a handsome young man, sitting astride a gourd, slowly landed beside the Zhuoshan Pavilion.

"A top-grade gourd magic artifact, truly as rumored, indicates immense wealth and power." Su You chuckled, stepped out of the pavilion, and went to greet him.

Some special attack magic weapons are twice as expensive as normal ones, and some even require private customization. Only some wealthy disciples are willing to buy them.

"Senior brother, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. My name is Gu Yanjin. May I ask what brings you here?" Gu Yanjin quickly stepped forward and bowed to Su You, who was waiting nearby.

"I am Jiang Chen from Baiquan Peak. I have heard that Junior Brother Gu has a channel for purchasing merit points. I wonder if you could introduce me to it?" Su You said with a smile.

Although merit points can be exchanged in the outer sect, it's not something you can just do casually.

Su You was also unsure, as there were over 100,000 outer disciples, and he didn't know which disciples didn't need merit points but could exchange them for merit points.

Therefore, the best solution is to find a broker to help with the introduction.

Although a commission will be taken, it can save a lot of time.

Upon hearing that Su You wanted to buy merit points, Gu Yanjin immediately beamed with joy and said, "Senior Brother, you've come to the right place. The merit points traded through me are the cheapest in the sect. The ratio of spirit stones to merit points is 1:1.5, and the commission is also the lowest, only half a percent of the transaction amount. I wonder how many merit points Senior Brother Su would like to buy?"

Su You nodded. He had already inquired about the transaction ratios, including commission rates, before approaching Gu Yanjin; they were the going rate.

He asked Gu Yanjin for help in making an introduction because Gu Yanjin was a descendant of a Golden Core cultivator, had a high reputation, and had extensive connections, which would help him exchange for merit points more quickly.

“I need 10,000 merit points, preferably to complete the transaction as soon as possible,” Su You replied.

The sooner one accumulates good deeds, the sooner one can apply at the Hall of Good Deeds.

Foundation Establishment Pills are expensive and extremely rare; you can't simply exchange them for Foundation Establishment Pills by accumulating enough merit points.

You need to apply in advance and then wait in line at the sect for allocation.

The production of Foundation Building Pills is limited, and they can only be refined using extremely rare spiritual herbs.

Only after completing the once-every-fifty-years secret realm mission and obtaining a large quantity of spiritual herbs will there be a chance of obtaining a large number of Foundation Establishment Pills.

Normally, when refining Foundation Establishment Pills, second-tier demon cores are mostly used. However, among second-tier demon beasts, those capable of producing demon cores are extremely rare.

Therefore, the monthly production of Foundation Establishment Pills is naturally not very high, and most disciples need to wait in line.

Disciples with special privileges or exceptional talent are naturally given priority in allocation, while those with poor talent can only obtain a spot when the Foundation Establishment Pills are plentiful.

Moreover, sect discounts are not so easy to enjoy. First, you need to have enough merit points, which represent your contribution to the sect. Only those with high enough merit points are eligible to redeem them. Second, you need to have excellent aptitude so that the Foundation Establishment Pills will not be wasted.

Once the twin clones apply, they will definitely be at the top of the list. After all, those with Heavenly Spiritual Roots don't need Foundation Establishment Pills, so the only ones competing with them are those with Different Spiritual Roots, those with Two Spiritual Roots, and the descendants of some Golden Core cultivators.

As for the descendants of Foundation Establishment stage cultivators?

I'm sorry, but among all the disciples of the Void Heaven Sect, there are over a thousand cultivators who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and the sect doesn't have that many pills to distribute to their descendants.

"Don't worry, Senior Brother Jiang, I can complete the transaction for you in less than three days," Gu Yanjin assured him, patting his chest.

After finalizing the deal, Gu Yanjin left in a hurry.

Ten thousand merit points is not a lot, but it's not a small amount either. Especially for outer disciples, most of them have very few merit points. The transaction cannot be completed by just a few disciples, and he needs to make some adjustments.

Su You only waited one day at Baiquan Peak before receiving a message from Gu Yanjin.

With Gu Yanjin's introduction, Su You made transactions with twenty-three outer disciples in less than a day, finally accumulating ten thousand merit points.

Those he traded with were all elderly people who had no hope of cultivation and could no longer break through to the Foundation Establishment realm. Their descendants could not join the Void Heaven Sect and could not transfer their good deeds, so they could only exchange all their remaining good deeds for spirit stones, which could also bring some help to their descendants.

"Thank you very much for your help this time, junior brother." Su You handed over a storage bag containing the commission for this transaction.

Gu Yanjin glanced at it briefly, then smiled and said, "Junior brother, I'll take my leave now. If you have anything else to do in the future, senior brother, you can send me a message talisman to let me know. I wish you success in your Foundation Establishment in advance."

Su You is now at the peak of Qi Refining and has exchanged a large amount of merit points, which he naturally intends to use to exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills to establish his foundation. He has that much insight.

"Thank you for your kind words, Junior Brother." Su You nodded with a smile.

After the two parted ways, Su You flew on his sword to the Good Deeds Pavilion on Shuwu Peak and submitted his application to exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills.

Before long, the Golden Core True Person Elder on duty at the Hall of Merit summoned Su You.

The Foundation Establishment Pill is different from ordinary items; it is not only extremely rare but also very precious, so only the elder on duty has the authority to exchange it.

"Hmm, you have indeed reached the Qi Refining stage. This month's Foundation Establishment Pill allocation has already been distributed. For the next few months..." Elder Wu looked at the sect's jade book, "you will still need to wait for half a year. If there are any extra Foundation Establishment Pills, the sect will notify you in advance."

The sect refines a certain amount of Foundation Establishment Pills every month, but sometimes when there are enough materials, they will refine more so that those waiting in line have a chance to get them in advance.

As for Elder Wu stepping forward, it was naturally to determine whether Su You was qualified to apply for the Foundation Establishment Pill. To apply for the Foundation Establishment Pill, the first requirement was that one's cultivation had reached the Qi Refining Perfection stage, and the second requirement was that one possessed 20,000 points of sect merit.

If you meet these two conditions, you can apply inside the gate.

The application does not require the deduction of merit points, so Su You still has 21,600 merit points.

After thinking it over, Su You decided not to exchange for any more pills or similar items. Of all the merit points he had accumulated, 20,000 were unusable.

The remaining thousand or so merit points would be a waste for him, whether he exchanged them for magical artifacts or pills, since Su You could use spirit stones to buy them in the Void Heaven Immortal City.

Although the price is higher, good deeds can be exchanged for resources that are rare outside, which are incomparable to spirit stones.

After leaving Shuwu Peak, Su You flew directly to Chuanfa Peak on his sword.

He needs a body-refining technique now.

Su You has no shortage of spirit stones now, so finding a body-refining technique is the most suitable thing to do to improve his physical strength, which will also help him break through to the Foundation Establishment realm.

Although the success rate of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Pill is as high as 80% for those with dual spiritual roots, there is still a risk of failure. Only those with heavenly spiritual roots can achieve a 100% breakthrough without taking the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Regarding spiritual awareness, due to practicing the World Tree Meditation Method, my spiritual awareness has improved slightly.

However, regarding the physical body, it's best to find a body-refining technique to practice and increase the success rate.

Upon entering the Dharma Transmission Pavilion, Su You skipped the first floor and, after deducting ten points of merit, went to the second floor.

The first floor contains free books, mostly travelogues by cultivators, martial arts manuals from the mortal realm, basic Qi cultivation techniques, some basic spells, and basic inheritances of cultivation skills, all of which can be viewed for free. Upon entering the second floor, the space suddenly becomes much smaller.

Starting from the second floor, if you want to view or exchange the books inside, you need to collect merit points or spirit stones from your sect. For example, if you stay in the Transmission Pavilion to view the books, you can collect 10 merit points every day for eight hours.

Especially some of the more precious classics, which require good deeds to exchange for.

Su You glanced at the space and saw that there were thousands of shelves on this floor. Unlike the first floor, which was filled with various books, the shelves now contained mostly jade slips.

These jade slips are specially crafted so that even cultivators at the Qi Refining stage, who lack divine sense, can easily view their contents.

Su You casually flipped through a few books and jade slips.

These books, stored in the form of physical books, can be viewed directly, and contain the complete content.

Of the classics stored in the form of jade slips, only a portion can be viewed in their entirety; most can only see the beginning and a brief introduction to the classic.

If you wish to continue watching, you will need to go to the Elder of Transmission to exchange for more.

With thousands of bookshelves and nearly 100,000 kinds of books, if Su You were to search for them one by one, it would probably take him ten days to half a month to find them.

However, as a power with a history of tens of thousands of years, the Void Heaven Sect naturally took all these things into consideration.

Su You went to the bookshelf at the front, where a large number of jade slips were displayed, and many disciples stopped to look at them.

These jade slips contain introductions to the second-level Dharma Transmission Pavilion, categorizing and labeling various scriptures so that disciples who come here to select scriptures can more quickly find the items they need.

Su You quickly browsed through the list and soon found the category of body-refining techniques.

It contains nearly a hundred body-refining techniques, but without detailed descriptions. Fortunately, it provides a location for storing these texts.

Bookshelf number 126 is located in the fifth row, third column, directly south of the Transmission Pavilion.

There are hundreds of body-refining techniques here, all of which can be cultivated to the peak of the first level of body refinement.

As for more advanced techniques, they can only be seen at the third level.

Therefore, choosing which cultivation method to use doesn't make a big difference to Su You, since he will change cultivation methods in the future.

His requirements were that this body-refining technique should be quick and easy to practice, have low aptitude requirements, high resource requirements, and the required resources should be easy to find.

You only need to meet these few requirements.

As for any powerful combat skills or the like, those are not what he needs right now.

Su You's purpose in refining his body was still to establish his foundation. Moreover, after refining his body, he would not achieve great success in a short period of time, and it would be difficult for him to surpass wizards and cultivators in terms of combat power.

Therefore, combat skills and the like are not of much use to him.

Su You carefully selected and read through each jade slip one by one. After reading through all the body-refining techniques, he made his decision.

With a wave of his hand, a jade slip containing a body-refining technique called "Hundred Refinements Body Forging Technique" appeared in his palm.

This technique doesn't have many outstanding features, nor does it possess any powerful combat skills. Its only advantage is that it doesn't have high requirements for the cultivator's aptitude.

On the contrary, it has higher requirements for resources, and there are corresponding pills to help overcome the various resources needed and the bottlenecks encountered when breaking through small levels.

The resources required for this cultivation method are all relatively common. Although the amount required is relatively large and it costs a lot of spirit stones, it is easier to cultivate.

Su You currently has mostly spirit stones on him. After deducting the 15,000 spirit stones he spent on purchasing merits, he still has about 18,000 spirit stones left in his storage bag.

Su You wasn't worried about any problems with this cultivation technique, because the books that could be kept in the Transmission Pavilion had all been screened by the sect, and if there were any dangers, they would be marked on them.

With the jade slip in hand, Su You paid two hundred merit points to the disciple on duty at the Transmission Pavilion to remove the restriction on the jade slip.

"You may keep this jade slip for three days. After three days, return it to the Transmission Pavilion," the disciple on duty instructed. "If it is lost, one thousand merit points will be deducted."

After removing the restrictions on the jade slip, the disciple on duty continued, "Alright, make a vow before this Heart-Questioning Stone that you will not reveal the contents of the jade slip, nor will you intentionally lose it."

After making the vow to overcome his inner demons, Su You took the jade slip back to his cave on White Spring Peak to study it carefully.

Three days was enough time for him to memorize all the contents of the jade slip.

……

The Immortal City of Emptiness.

After comprehending the "Hundred Refinements Body Forging Technique," Su You went directly to a thousand-year-old shop specializing in body forging resources and purchased various resources needed for body forging.

For example, during the process of body refinement, sufficient qi and blood are needed to replenish the body. Under normal circumstances, most body refinement cultivators will buy cheap mid-to-low-level monster flesh and blood.

Su You waved his hand and purchased a batch of first-grade top-quality demon beast flesh. This level of demon beast flesh is a highly nourishing elixir for cultivators who practice body-refining techniques.

However, the price is quite attractive, at one spirit stone per pound. The unit price doesn't seem high, and most cultivators can afford it. But for body-refining cultivators, this pound is probably only enough to fill a tooth gap.

Buying hundreds or thousands of kilograms of such items is something that most cultivators cannot afford; that price is enough to buy a decent high-grade magic weapon.

Secondly, the medicinal bath ingredients are used to eliminate toxins from the body. There are also two kinds of pills, namely, the Tendon Strengthening Pill and the Bone Strengthening Pill, which can accelerate the strengthening of one's muscles and bones after taking them.

These resources are as follows: medicinal bath costs 20 spirit stones per application, and pills are sold in bottles, costing 50 spirit stones per bottle, with each pill costing 5 spirit stones.

Su You bought these in quantities for two people, and he and his clone cultivated together. Anyway, he still had extra spirit stones, so it was good to convert them into his own resources.

After all, no matter which aspect of one's cultivation improves, the Twin Mark will record it invisibly, so even if one perishes outside in the future, there is no need to worry about having to start cultivating again.

……

Three months later.

Su You looked at his muscular body and couldn't help but sigh, "Body refinement is indeed not something that ordinary cultivators can master."

He and his clone cultivated their bodies together, and they only reached the mid-stage of the first level of body cultivation. They spent nearly 10,000 spirit stones on various treasures to speed up their cultivation, averaging 5,000 spirit stones per person.

This is only the mid-stage; to break through to the late stage, even more resources will be needed.

However, Su You's cultivation method is that of a nouveau riche. If he were to slowly refine his qi and blood according to the body-refining technique, and then consume some cheap demon beast flesh and blood when he is malnourished, and then buy pills when he hits a bottleneck, the cost required for his breakthrough would be reduced by more than half.

However, this kind of cultivation takes several times longer than Su You's. He has already advanced to the mid-stage of the first level of body refinement in just three months, which is an extremely fast speed.

It's enough to break through to the mid-stage of Body Refinement now. My physical body is full of energy, and the meridians in my body have become stronger through the training of Body Refinement.

They could have continued cultivating, but the sect has already sent word that the Foundation Establishment Pill for the twin clones has been approved. As long as their identities and foundations are confirmed to be sound, they can break through in the sect's cultivation room.

Therefore, the twin clones need to go and collect them, otherwise they will be outdated and they will have to wait for the next batch of Foundation Establishment Pills to be refined.

Within the Void Heaven Sect, there are 100,000 outer disciples, of whom at least 10,000 are able to reach the peak of Qi Refining. Among them, about one-fifth, or approximately 2,000, are able to break through before the age of sixty.

In addition, about one in ten, roughly two hundred people, have accumulated 20,000 merit points, meaning that each application involves hundreds of competitors vying for the opportunity.

Gemini applicants are only able to be placed in earlier batches because of their qualifications. If they miss this opportunity, they will likely be placed much later in the queue when they apply again.

The twin clones went directly to the Treasure Pavilion, the sect's treasury, which stored various precious items. Some of these valuable items needed to be exchanged here.

"Greetings, Elder Wu. Inner disciple Jiang Chen has come to exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills," the twin clones said respectfully.

The Treasure Pavilion is one of the most important buildings in the sect, containing countless treasures accumulated by the Void Heaven Sect over tens of thousands of years since its founding.

Normally, a Nascent Soul Elder is stationed inside, while a Golden Core True Person distributes the treasures.

Wu Qi looked the twin clones up and down and nodded in satisfaction. "Your energy and spirit are abundant. You must have been practicing a body-refining technique. Not bad, your foundation is good. Take your Foundation Establishment Pill and go into the cultivation room."

(End of this chapter)