A Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Wang Yu Transmigrates into a Book, the Dao Ancestor of Rein

Chapter 81 Foundation Building
"Awoo awoo..."

At this moment, Mo Jiao looked in the direction Han Li had left earlier, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

However, he quickly rallied and looked back at the center of the forbidden area: that person had said that once I had subdued all the demonic beasts within the forbidden area, he would return to see me. He might even take me with him.

"Awoo awoo..."

That's right.

Han Li had no intention of taking the Ink Dragon out; he never even considered it from the beginning.

How could he not consider the aspect of the Red Dust Fairy?
Once Fairy Hongfu becomes curious about what kind of spirit beast he has contracted, she will ask him to release it so she can see for herself. And when she does, she'll find it's a level 2 black dragon…

Savor it, savor it carefully.

Therefore, Mo Jiao Xiao Liu should stay in the forbidden area.

Let's work our way up from sixth grade to sixth grader first.

...

About half an hour after Han Li left.

Cultivators from seven different factions emerged from the Crimson Forbidden Land one after another.

These cultivators looked haggard, disheveled, and exhausted, a stark contrast to the group from Yellow Maple Valley.

Just look at Chen Qiaoshan, the eldest son of the Chen family, dressed in a scholar's robe, looking calm and composed.

There are sixteen mature medicinal herbs around me that are over a hundred years old.

Beside her, Chen Qiaoqian was an icy beauty, unapproachable to strangers, and the profits from the nine hundred-year-old spiritual herbs were the envy of all the other disciples.

The brother and sister were the talk of the town for a time.

On the Yellow Maple Valley side, not only did the two of them reap a great harvest, but two other groups of four disciples also made considerable gains.

One of the pairs, both at the thirteenth level of Qi Refining, ranked in the top ten of their respective sects' competitions, while the other ranked in the top thirty. Both were quite strong, and each harvested about ten spiritual herbs. One of them could easily exchange them for a Foundation Establishment Pill with some left over, and the other could also exchange them for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

The two of them caught only 5 fewer plants than the Chen siblings.

The other pair both had reached the twelfth level of Qi Refining.

One of the two brought out nine spiritual herbs, while the other only brought out six.

"Senior Brother Zhang, it's a deal. After you get the Foundation Establishment Pill, you must compensate me with eight hundred spirit stones."

"Don't worry, you'll definitely get your share of the benefits."

original.

One of them actually harvested eight plants, and the other harvested seven.

Furthermore, the one who harvested eight plants was neither a member of the Yellow Maple Valley family nor one of the two who obtained the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Eight spiritual herbs, without any superior or rare varieties, were hardly enough to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill with merit points alone. So, this person made a deal with his temporary teammates.

He gave up two of the most common spiritual herbs to his companion, who came from a family of cultivators, to help his companion increase the income from 7 herbs to 9 herbs, in order to reach the standard threshold for exchanging one Foundation Establishment Pill.

In this way, a temporary companion who is a member of a cultivation family can be exchanged for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

The price is 400 spirit stones for each spirit herb.

Two plants would cost eight hundred spirit stones.

While it might seem like the person buying the spirit herbs is losing out slightly, in reality, everyone gets what they need and makes a huge profit. One gets a Foundation Establishment Pill, and the other gets spirit stone compensation. Foundation Establishment Pills are priceless, so getting one is a huge win. The spirit stone compensation is also worth much more than the sect's merit reward, so they can easily save up enough spirit stones to buy suitable high-quality or even top-tier rare magic weapons.

Li Huayuan overheard their telepathic communication.

He nodded slightly, showing interest, and then looked at Chen Qiaoshan:

"Young Master Chen, are you interested in hearing a word from me?"

"Please enlighten me, Master. I am all ears." Chen Qiaoshan bowed respectfully.

"If you want an extra Foundation Establishment Pill, you can actually exchange one or two with your fellow disciples who are traveling with you, as long as you are willing to pay a certain price..." Li Huayuan stopped there.

He only offered some advice and turned a blind eye because Chen Qiaoshan was a meritorious contributor.

"Thank you, Master."

The eldest son of the Chen family was overjoyed and bowed again.

"Thank you, Uncle Li."

Among the Foundation Establishment managers accompanying the group, one stepped forward and clasped his hands in a salute. This Foundation Establishment cultivator was none other than Chen Qiaoshan's fourth younger brother, Chen Qiaotian.

"You all need to learn to be flexible and not always be so stubborn," Li Huayuan said to the group with great enthusiasm.

Actually, Han Li had mentioned this matter to Chen Qiaoshan before leaving, and also subtly hinted at it to Master Hongfu and Li Huayuan, emphasizing the hardships the disciples faced in the forbidden area. After all, when someone asks for a favor, there's always a price to pay. This reminder and indirect probing were Han Li's way of showing goodwill to Chen Qiaoshan.

Previously, the disciples of Huangfeng Valley who participated in the trials all lived their own lives and had never cooperated like this before. How could they possibly "share" the spiritual herbs they had obtained? It was already a miracle that they didn't scheme against each other. In addition, even the Core Formation stage leaders might not allow it.

But this time is different.

Many things are different.

Chen Qiaoshan's identity should not be underestimated.

Even one of the Foundation Establishment stage managers accompanying the team was a member of the Chen family.

Even though Li Huayuan received benefits, why would he still cause trouble at every turn?
The problem lies solely with Chen Qiaoshan, the middle-aged scholar; it remains to be seen whether this eldest son of the Chen family is willing to humble himself and learn to be flexible.

If you can't learn it, or if you can't let go of your pride, you'll inevitably repeat the same mistakes and end up only getting a Foundation Establishment Pill, thus missing out on Foundation Establishment altogether.

Fortunately.

Chen Qiaoshan listened to what was said.

They are also willing to humble themselves.

"Junior Brother Sun, may I speak with you in private?" The middle-aged man in the scholar's robe was gentle and refined, truly embodying the phrase "a gentleman as jade."

"Senior Brother Chen, you're too kind, please." The cultivator surnamed Sun, who had received eleven spiritual herbs, was overwhelmed with gratitude.

He knew the identity of the eldest son of the Chen family.

In the end, Chen Qiaoshan purchased a spiritual herb from the cultivator surnamed Sun.

Then he bought three more from the junior brother who had only brought out six spirit herbs.

The number of spiritual herbs he possessed was increased from sixteen to twenty.

The sect merit points represented by twenty hundred-year-old spiritual herbs are more than enough to exchange for two Foundation Establishment Pills!

This is flexibility.

Subsequently, three more people emerged from Huangfeng Valley.

The two were a pair, but unfortunately, they were unlucky and only twelve plants were brought out together. Furthermore, there were some internal conflicts, and they did not choose to help each other succeed.

After Chen Qiaoshan discovered the discord between the two, he spent money again to buy six of the spiritual herbs, ensuring that the two met the implicit requirements for cultivators at the twelfth level of Qi Refining.

The remaining man, a dark-faced fellow with a Qi Refining level thirteen cultivation, brought out thirteen spiritual herbs.

This person was among the top twenty in the competition.

His previous teammate was also a Qi Refining Level 13 player.

Unfortunately, this person's teammates were unlucky and didn't make it out alive. Upon further reflection, one can probably guess the situation regarding this person's 13 spiritual herbs.

However, no one said much.

Then, Chen Qiaoshan spent money again to buy spiritual herbs.

At first, the dark-faced man refused, even thinking of buying spiritual herbs from his fellow disciples. But he soon discovered that the spiritual herbs possessed by those around him either met the standard for exchanging one Foundation Establishment Pill, or were at a certain minimum level stipulated by the sect.

Having no other choice, he could only grit his teeth and sell two plants to Chen Qiaoshan.

He originally wanted to sell the four extra spiritual herbs he had, since the benefits he could get from exchanging them with the sect were not as great as the profits he could get from selling them to Chen Qiaoshan.

Chen Qiaoshan did initially intend to buy four plants.

But later, we only selected two plants to make up the number.

Clearly, Young Master Chen also has a temper and arrogance.

As for why the dark-faced man was willing to sell instead of suffering mutual losses with Chen Qiaoshan?
Firstly, they couldn't afford to offend him, and selling him would avoid future trouble. Secondly, at that time, another old man from Huangfeng Valley, who was at the eleventh level of Qi Refining, happened to appear. This old man managed to slip out before the forbidden passage was completely closed.

Seeing this, the dark-faced man dared not delay any longer.

In the end, 11 people survived on the Yellow Maple Valley side.

Han Li: 46 spiritual herbs. There is one superior rare herb and several fine ones. There are also many of the three main ingredients for Foundation Establishment Pills. He can exchange them for 7 Foundation Establishment Pills.

Chen Qiaoshan: 28 plants. Most are common century-old medicinal herbs, but there are three exquisite ones that are five hundred years old. They contain all four of the three main ingredients for Foundation Establishment Pills and can be exchanged for 3 Foundation Establishment Pills.

Furthermore, if Chen Qiaoshan had not already become a disciple of a Core Formation elder in the sect, Li Huayuan would definitely have taken him on as a disciple and intercepted him.

Chen Qiaoqian: 9 plants.

The other 6 people: 48 plants.

Final offering: 2 plants.

The old fox continues to adhere to his doctrine of the mean.

The total profit of Huangfeng Valley this time reached the highest single-sector record in the past two hundred years of all trials: 133 plants.

Looking at Qingxu Sect again, their total harvest was 29 plants. Only the expert carrying a sheathed flying sword managed to bring out 15 plants, which was considered a good result. The harvests of the other three survivors were not satisfactory. No wonder Fuyunzi looked constipated at the moment.

On the other hand, Li Huayuan was in high spirits and full of pride.

What surprised everyone the most was the situation of the Hidden Moon Sect.

Of the disciples who survived, only eight actually did.

It is arguably the event with the fewest survivors in the past century.

The total yield of the medicinal herbs for the eight people was only a little over 70 plants.

This was under the premise that Gan Rushuang alone took out more than 30 plants.

It wasn't that Gan Rushuang didn't want to help Old Monster Qiong win the fight.

The difference is simply too great.

Furthermore, if she continued to gather spirit herbs, they wouldn't be ordinary ones from the forbidden area, but rather high-quality or even rare herbs that she herself could use. How could she possibly give up the few that she had worked herself to the bone and almost perished in there to obtain?

And even if it were brought out, it wouldn't change the outcome.

therefore.

Gan Rushuang did not help Qiong Laoguai make a final struggle.

Faced with Qiong Laoguai's mournful gaze, he could only return an apologetic look.

"Senior Qiong, look..."

Li Huayuan was truly audacious enough to take the initiative to "beg for alms".

"Take it and take it."

With a mix of heartache and annoyance, Old Monster Qiong tossed down five nearly transparent, invisible needle talismans and then hurriedly departed with the people of the Hidden Moon Sect aboard the Heavenly Moon Divine Ship.

He wanted to know what had happened.

He really couldn't figure it out.

Seeing that the people from the Hidden Moon Sect had left, Fuyunzi of the Pure Void Sect tried to slip away unnoticed. However, he was stopped by Li Huayuan:

"Fellow Daoist Fuyunzi, don't rush off. Where is my Bloodline Flood Dragon's inner core?"

Upon hearing this, Fu Yunzi's expression showed even greater heartache than that of Qiong Laoguai. Despite his clearly middle-aged features, which appeared to be only in his forties, he now looked as old as sixty or seventy.

However, due to the strange looks from those around him, he had no choice but to reluctantly take out the level 5 demon core from his storage bag.

The next moment, it was snatched away by Li Huayuan:

"Bring it to you."

"My Bloodline Dragon's inner core..."

"Hey, fellow Daoist, a bet is a bet. I, Li, accepted the loss of the Iron Essence last time."

"Hmph, let's go."

The remaining three families—Huadaowu, Lingshoushan, Tianquebao, and Jujianmen—were the most unwilling, mainly because Jujianmen had only sent one disciple!
The most excited person was from the Spirit Beast Mountain, where eight of them emerged!
Although the harvest of spiritual herbs was not as plentiful as that from Yellow Maple Valley and Hidden Moon Sect, it was still quite substantial, amounting to more than 60 plants.

"What exactly happened? Why did my Giant Sword Sect suffer such heavy losses this time?" What about the barefooted young cultivator he had such high hopes for?

He was even prepared to accept the other party as a disciple under his name.

Did they all perish inside?
Well, the loss of many people is a minor matter.

He only brought out 6 spiritual herbs. How could he explain this to the other elders in the sect?
Therefore, when the burly man from the Giant Sword Sect looked towards Huangfeng Valley, he subconsciously released his Core Formation stage aura, showing no kindness towards the Qi Refining stage cultivators.

"Fellow Daoist, are you planning to bully the weak with your strength, or are you planning to tear up the rules jointly established by the seven sects?"

Li Huayuan snorted coldly, straightened his back, and stood in front of all the disciples.

Several Foundation Establishment cultivators stood guard around the Qi Refining disciples, ready for battle.

"Alright, fellow Daoist, aren't you ashamed? Who can you blame for your lack of preparation?" The man from Spirit Beast Mountain sneered. "I heard that both the Hidden Moon Sect and Yellow Maple Valley prepared Spirit Fusion Talismans to allow their disciples to team up in pairs. It's perfectly normal for them to have such gains. As for us, we're still used to being leisurely and carefree. We want the horse to run fast but don't feed it. It's good to learn a lesson from this."

“That’s right, I’ve heard that too. Most of the disciples from the Hidden Moon Sect and the Yellow Maple Valley successfully teleported in pairs using the Spirit Fusion Talisman. How could their harvesting efficiency not be high when they were in pairs or even groups of several people? Instead of messing around here, we should prepare more and invest more next time.” The old woman from the Blade Transformation Valley also agreed with the Core Formation stage cultivator from the Spirit Beast Mountain.

Huadaowu also suffered heavy losses, but they still had to save face.

Seeing that no one from any of the factions supported him, the burly man from the Giant Sword Sect could only let out a resentful snort.

Then, he led the rather deserted Giant Sword Sect team away into the distance.

"Fellow Daoist Li, congratulations..."

"Brother Li, you have defeated the Hidden Moon Sect. Congratulations!"

"... "

"Not at all, not at all, just lucky, all thanks to Senior Sister Hongfu..." Li Huayuan returned the greetings one by one, knowing why these people spoke up for him.

The reason is very simple.

The strong are respected.

After obtaining the Invisible Needle Talisman from Old Monster Qiong, Li Huayuan became a notable figure among the Core Formation cultivators in the Yue Kingdom. He was even capable of fighting against late-stage Core Formation cultivators. Subtly striking back at early- to mid-stage Core Formation cultivators was entirely feasible.

Is it better to befriend such a person or to offend them? This is essentially a multiple-choice question.

That guy from the Giant Sword Sect was just angry for a moment; he'll probably have to pay him a visit in person later.

"Let's go back to the sect!"

...

Amidst the swirling yellow sands of the Gobi Desert, a pristine white jade flying boat swiftly travels from north to south.

On the stern of the enormous flying boat stood two stunningly beautiful young women.

It was none other than Fairy Ni Chang, a newly promoted Core Formation cultivator of the Hidden Moon Sect thirty years ago, and Gan Rushuang, a Core Formation cultivator who had secretly formed his Core more than fifty years ago but had never made it public.

The two women had been close since the Foundation Establishment stage, and after reaching the Core Formation stage, they became even closer, like sisters.

As the two women were chatting, the disheveled old monster Qiong suddenly appeared and asked with great confusion:
"Junior Sister Gan, what exactly happened? How could the team lose with you leading them? And how could the losses be so great?"

He could accept losing a bet.

But with such heavy losses, how will he explain this to certain people when he returns to his sect?

You should know that before the trial, he made a solemn promise to many of his fellow disciples, otherwise why would they send their beloved offspring to the Blood Forbidden Land to participate in the trial?
"Senior brother, I wasn't defeated by outsiders, but by my own people..."

Gan Rushuang gave a bitter smile.

At this moment, she had removed the veil that had previously concealed her face, so as to avoid being recognized by someone with ulterior motives in the future.

"Defeated by their own people? What do you mean?"

Old Monster Qiong was completely bewildered.

"It's like this, Senior Brother Qiong. Senior Sister Gan and the others initially had everything go smoothly. On the first day, they gathered more than ten people as planned. On the second day, they successively searched seven or eight monster lairs and several spiritual herb producing areas. At first, everything went well, and they reaped quite a harvest, until they came to an underground stone palace..."

"They encountered a black dragon..."

"Originally, the Ink Dragon was no threat, but that girl from the Zhao family took it upon herself to use a Minor Five Elements Talisman to deal with the pursuing Level 2 Ink Dragon. Unexpectedly, she inadvertently activated the Minor Five Elements Sumeru Restriction Technique within the stone hall passage..."

"That's why the disciples suffered such heavy losses; Senior Sister Gan herself almost got caught and killed in that passage..."

"After finally managing to open a crack and escape from there, it was almost noon on the fifth day. Senior Sister had no choice but to retrieve the magic weapon as quickly as possible, but she didn't have time to go back to the central area to continue gathering spiritual herbs."

Upon hearing this, Old Monster Qiong fell into deep thought.

When they went back and asked some of the survivors, it was indeed the case, which made it even more understandable that Gan Rushuang was upset.

To be honest, they are the victims.

This junior sister spent decades combining ancient texts to create a bizarre martial art to enter the forbidden area, intending to make a fortune. However, she was instead ruthlessly tricked by the shrewish Zhao family member within the sect. The fact that Junior Sister Gan remained calm and didn't lose her temper demonstrates remarkable composure.

If the Zhao family girl ruins his plans and cuts off his path...

If it were him, he probably would have wanted to grind that unruly girl from the Zhao family to dust.
"Sigh...did I do something wrong?"

Old Monster Qiong fell into deep self-doubt:
"If I hadn't encouraged the inclusion of these somewhat disobedient and arrogant individuals within the sect, the outcome might have been completely different!"

At this moment, the old monster Qiong's back view appeared even more desolate and lonely.

...

At his cave dwelling on Red Tassel Mountain, Han Li immediately entered seclusion mode.

He first refined the remaining medicinal power of the Foundation Establishment Pill in his body, and then received the 7 Foundation Establishment Pills, some auxiliary spiritual medicines that could help with foundation establishment, and an invisible needle talisman brought by Dong Xuan'er.

When Han Li saw the almost transparent talisman, he couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

At this moment, his foundation was so solid that it even surpassed that of the vast majority of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

They have both spiritual stones and confidence.

The key point is that he has a total of 10 Foundation Establishment Pills! His own cultivation has also reached the thirteenth level of Qi Refining! It seems that Foundation Establishment is only one step away for him?
And barring any unforeseen circumstances, it will save the original owner more than three years of time spent cultivating spiritual herbs and personally refining Foundation Establishment Pills!
In other words, if he had established his foundation earlier, he would have had more than three years more to cultivate compared to the original body.

"Foundation building, foundation building...!"

If the foundation can be laid more than three years in advance, the benefits will be numerous.

As for the storage bag where the fragments of the silk handkerchief magic treasure were hidden?

Now is not the time to bring it out.

Not urgent.

One Foundation Building Pill was placed in the lower abdomen.

It started warm, then cool, and then heart-wrenching:

"Ah, ah..."

The process of "refining the body, cleansing the marrow, changing the meridians, and tempering the bones" is not pleasant.

Thanks to the miraculous medicine given to him by his master Hong Fu, he suffered much less.

...

Spring has passed and autumn has come; seven months have flown by.

On this day, strange "poof poof poof" sounds came from the cave at the end of Red Tassel Mountain.

Inside the cave, a young man was constantly brandishing his sword, instantly unleashing a series of sword beams, each about ten feet long. It was the Azure Origin Sword Beam.

"The Foundation Establishment stage is indeed much stronger than the Qi Refining stage. A single Azure Origin Sword Beam that I casually unleashed possesses power comparable to the full burst of a high-grade magic weapon."

At this moment, the once hard and smooth cave wall opposite the youth was now riddled with holes, some several meters deep.

This person was none other than Han Li.

Moreover, it was Han Li who successfully established his foundation in one go using six Foundation Establishment Pills.

He sighed somewhat when talking about the process of building a foundation.

The first three pills, to some extent, helped him expel impurities from his body; the effect of the Yi Jing Cleansing Marrow was quite noticeable.

By the fourth one, the impurities discharged were negligible.

Until the fifth pill, after a full two weeks of Yi Jing marrow cleansing, no impurities appeared, and he was only one step away from foundation building.

"My Yi Jing Marrow Cleansing should be more thorough than that of other cultivators who only use a single Foundation Establishment Pill, right?"

Now that the effects of the cleansing and marrow-washing techniques had worn off, it was time to focus all his efforts on breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage. Without hesitation, while the medicinal power of the previous pills still had considerable residual effect and was at its peak, he took the sixth pill. Then, the immense medicinal power exploded within his body, almost knocking him unconscious on the spot.

Fortunately, the auxiliary elixirs given by Fairy Hongfu and the calming elixirs harvested from the forbidden area stabilized his mind.

It was precisely because of this that he witnessed firsthand the unprecedented expansion of his dantian, the condensation of his gaseous magical power into liquid true essence, and the subsequent rush of energy into his dantian as if finding a harbor.

This is also a crucial step in the transition from the Qi Refining stage to the Foundation Establishment stage.

The liquefaction of mana is a standard for mana quality to reach the Foundation Establishment stage.

This time, he witnessed the entire process of initial foundation building, rather than the confused foundation building in a dream on another timeline.

"I have already started practicing the fourth level of the Azure Origin Sword Technique. However, I am still lacking in related techniques. I need to make up for this deficiency later."

The first three levels of the Azure Origin Sword Technique are complete, consisting of only the Azure Origin Sword Light move.

After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, one can cultivate a protective sword and shield.

It's also an instant-cast spell: instantly releases a protective sword and shield. Its defensive power is similar to ordinary low- to mid-level defensive spells, but this shield has a certain sword aura counterattack effect; if an outsider attacks this shield, they will be attacked by the sword aura automatically released by the shield.

"Speaking of which, now that I've reached the Foundation Establishment stage, shouldn't I be able to unlock the inheritance of that golden page?"

Taking out the silver page he obtained from the barefoot giant, Han Li first melted it down to obtain a gold page. Then, while taking medicine to restore his mana, he also cast a levitation spell on the gold page, and continuously poured the Azure Yuan Sword Light into it.

The power of the Azure Origin Sword Technique is the key to unlocking the inheritance.

On the other side of the golden page, it was like a bottomless pit, absorbing all the sword light completely.

I don't know how much time passed, but I had consumed quite a few pills until most of my internal mana was depleted.
"Om..."

The golden surface, gleaming brightly, no longer absorbed the sword's edge; instead, it began to reflect it back.

Moreover, the light on the pages spontaneously converged, quickly gathering into tiny, ant-sized characters that floated around the gold pages. These characters resembled a cluster of stars, scattered and densely packed.

Han Li raised his hand and the golden page appeared in his hand.

The next moment, as if finding an outlet, countless starlight surged into his right hand, and the golden pages seemed to stick to his right hand as well.

Han Li seemed to have expected this. He waited patiently for all the golden characters to flow into his body and then into his mind.

"coming."

This is the complete Qingyuan Sword Technique legacy left behind by Qingyuanzi, a Nascent Soul cultivator from Tiannan, tens of thousands of years ago.

As the golden characters flooded his mind, a sharp pain surged from his forehead, threatening to explode. Fortunately, Han Li had prepared in advance with the necessary supplementary elixirs, allowing him to absorb the inherited knowledge relatively easily.

Three days and three nights passed, and all the discomfort in his mind disappeared. The golden light characters that poured in also transformed into a large amount of inherited information.

The Qingyuan Sword Technique from the first to the thirteenth level, not the incomplete nine-level version from Huangfeng Valley.

In addition, a supplementary method called "Three Revolutions Rejuvenation Technique" was also provided.

The Three Revolutions of Rebirth are intended to allow cultivators to rebuild their power and essence through repeated compression. By doing so multiple times, their power can be purified several times over. When combined with the Azure Origin Sword Technique and completed in three revolutions, it increases a cultivator's chances of forming their Core by at least 50%.

The Golden Core is originally formed by solidified True Essence. If a cultivator completes the Third Transformation of the Primordial Essence and obtains nearly solidified True Essence, then forming the Golden Core will naturally be a natural process.

Another advantage of combining the Azure Origin Sword Technique with the Third Transformation of the Primordial Essence is that it grants several times the True Essence and Mana of an ordinary cultivator of the same level.

A more refined and pure form of true essence and magical power.

More abundant true essence and magical power.

It is undoubtedly effective not only for condensing the Golden Elixir, but also for forming the Nascent Soul.

A more solid foundation will undoubtedly make the process of breaking through the nascent soul and forming the nascent soul much easier.

Also.

It is also effective against those who have transformed into spirits.

Otherwise, why would a top-grade spirit stone be helpful for taking the first step of the Nascent Soul stage?

just.

There is a drawback to cultivating the Azure Origin Sword Technique: it consumes a lot of resources.

It's not just the Foundation Establishment stage that's burned; the Core Formation stage and Nascent Soul stage are burned as well.

Because it was several times the mana and true essence of a cultivator of the same level, even though the original owner obtained dozens or hundreds of extremely precious ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs from half of the Spirit Garden, he could only advance from the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm to the middle stage.

If you change the Nascent Soul stage, there's a slight chance they'll progress from the early to late Nascent Soul stage. Even a peak Nascent Soul cultivator could potentially be used to create a Deity Transformation stage cultivator.

In short, you have to give up something to gain something.

"As a pseudo-spiritual root cultivator, if I want to go further, the Azure Origin Sword Technique is the only choice. If I switch to other techniques, several bottlenecks will hold me back."

That's it.

Don't think too far into the future.

Now, let's figure out a way to form the Golden Core.

After refining the remaining medicinal power, he took another pill, but it didn't have much effect. He then consolidated his realm, brought his mana and true essence to full strength, and studied the complete version of the Azure Origin Sword Manual several times. More than a month had passed.

"It's time to pay my respects to Master Hongfu."

...

Hongying Mountain, the main ridge cave.

Dong Xuan'er and two unfamiliar female cultivators looked Han Li up and down.

"What's wrong, senior sister?"

"Nothing, I'm just curious. How did you achieve Foundation Establishment so quickly? You know, it usually takes three months to refine one Foundation Establishment Pill. You only took eight months to achieve Foundation Establishment. Did you only use three or four Foundation Establishment Pills?"

Does that mean that Han Li, with his four pseudo-spiritual roots, has better aptitude than her, with her three spiritual roots?
But how is that possible?

"Senior Sister, I simply took the next Foundation Establishment Pill as soon as its effects began to wear off. Finally, when the medicinal power reached a certain peak, I took the last sixth pill, and that's how I succeeded in one fell swoop. Junior Brother, I was truly fortunate to be able to establish my foundation," Han Li said sincerely.

The seventh one would be a bit of a waste.

"Furthermore, Senior Sister, have you forgotten that I attempted Foundation Establishment at the thirteenth level of Qi Refining? Before that, I had even taken two Foundation Establishment Pills?"

In other words, he had taken a total of nine Foundation Building Pills.

Furthermore, a number of auxiliary medications were used this time, otherwise it wouldn't have been so easy.

"Yes."

Dong Xuan'er nodded with a smile.

Pseudo-spiritual roots are indeed the most useless.

He's much more useless than her.

In the future, Master can't say she wasted resources, can he?
If her master scolded her, she would drag Han Li out to share the damage.

perfect.

"Senior sister, who are these two fairies?"

Han Li had no recollection of the two unfamiliar female cultivators.

The two looked like twins, both possessing exceptional beauty. They were both at the Foundation Establishment stage, specifically the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

"Oh dear, I forgot to introduce you. These two are our senior sisters, disciples that Master took in over twenty years ago when he was traveling. Back then, they were just cultivators from small families, and their cultivation levels were quite ordinary, around the sixth or seventh level of Qi Refining. However, they provided important information, helping Master find the spiritual herbs he needed. Moreover, both of them have excellent spiritual roots, being dual-spiritual-root geniuses. That's why Master took them in as disciples back then."

“Originally, Master was going to take them back to Huangfeng Valley in Yue Kingdom to cultivate, but the two senior sisters did not return together that year due to family reasons. It was not until their grandmother, who they depended on for survival, passed away more than a year ago that they came to Huangfeng Valley and officially joined our sect.”

"The two senior sisters have been here for almost half a year, but since you've been in seclusion to build your foundation, we haven't disturbed you."

So Master Hongfu also took on disciples?

Han Li was somewhat taken aback by this.

It wasn't mentioned in the sect's intelligence reports.

Dong Xuan'er never told him this either.

However, this did not prevent him from immediately and politely greeting them: "Han Li greets the two senior sisters."

"Greetings, Junior Brother Han."

The two women's gazes grew increasingly curious.

Having followed Master Hong Fu for a period of time, they knew all too well her uncompromising attitude towards male cultivators. They simply couldn't imagine that their master, with her inexplicable mysophobia towards men, would actually accept a male disciple as her student!
Simply incredible.

After another round of pleasantries, Han Li subtly inquired and finally learned the general cause and effect of the situation.

It turns out that the important spiritual herbs that Master Hongfu found more than 20 years ago, which was also the opportunity that allowed her to break through the bottleneck of the mid-stage Core Formation realm a few years ago, all came from these two people. It was these two who provided important clues, which led Master Hongfu to find several rare spiritual herbs that were over a thousand years old in an underground ancient tomb complex.

Out of gratitude, and because the two girls were indeed quite talented, Master Hongfu accepted them as his disciples.

However, the two women insisted on staying in their clan to take care of their important relatives, so Master Hongfu bestowed upon them a considerable amount of cultivation supplies, including two Foundation Establishment Pills. She also told the two women that after they achieved Foundation Establishment, they could come to Huangfeng Valley in Taiyue Mountain of Yue Kingdom to formally become her disciples.

Time flies, and twenty-seven years have passed. The two women have not only reached the Foundation Establishment stage, but have also managed to cultivate to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage thanks to the spiritual herbs left behind by their master, Hong Fu.

The elixir ran out, and then, cultivation began to slow down.

Seeing that their path had become increasingly difficult, and with their important concern An Ran passing away, and more importantly, the two women discovered that they were being used as bargaining chips by the elders of their families to make some sordid deals with certain Core Formation families, they immediately and decisively abandoned their families and came to Huangfeng Valley in Taiyue Mountain.

The two women stated that they had already repaid any ties they owed their families over the years.

Since the main family is acting as the head of the household, they shouldn't blame these sisters, who are from a collateral branch and are no longer concerned about the meager blood ties that have been separated by countless generations.

After escaping, I cut all ties completely; I'll probably never go back in this lifetime.

Of course, the truth or falsehood of it all was up to the sisters themselves to decide, and Han Li simply listened for amusement. He merely listened without offering any comment.

"By the way, junior brother, which cultivation technique are you planning to practice next?" Dong Xuan'er brought up the main topic.

"Does Senior Sister have any recommendations?"

Just then, Fairy Hongfu appeared in the hall and quickly took her seat in the head seat.

"Greetings, Master." The four stood up and bowed in unison.

"Hmm. Not bad, you've truly reached the Foundation Establishment stage." Seeing that her little disciple had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, Hong Fu smiled.

"It's all thanks to Master and Senior Sister's help," Han Li said modestly.

"It's all your own skill; Xuan'er and I just lent a hand from the sidelines." Hong Fu waved her hand. "Han Li, do you know your two senior sisters?"

"Senior Sister Xiuting, Senior Sister Xiulan, I know them all."

"Okay, you should look after each other and make progress together from now on."

"Yes."

The four of them spoke in unison again.

After Hong Fu nodded, she looked over again:
"Han Li, besides seeing me, is there anything else you want to do here?"

"I have come here for three reasons: first, to ask for guidance on some of my cultivation difficulties; second, to request some cultivation methods from my master to enhance my combat skills; and third, to prepare to go out and find a spiritual place to establish my own cave dwelling. After all, Red Tassel Mountain is my master's cave dwelling area. Now that I have already established my foundation, it would be inappropriate for me to stay here any longer," Han Li said, bowing.

"Junior brother, are you not used to living on Red Tassel Mountain?" Dong Xuan'er frowned.

“Senior Sister, the spiritual environment here is excellent, one of the best places in Taiyue Mountain. Moreover, staying here means I can always listen to Master’s teachings, so I am naturally willing to stay. But the sect’s rules are there…” Unless Master Hongfu insists on keeping him here, he would rather be sensible.

Although he was Hong Fu's disciple, he was nothing compared to Dong Xuan'er.

This is not a good thing in the long run.

During the Qi Refining stage, his presence was minimal, but after Foundation Establishment, things changed.

There's a word that goes like this.
Sense of boundaries…

Yes, it's about boundaries.

Staying at the Dong family's Red Ridge Mountain wasn't impossible, but it would be too much of a dependence. If rumors started to circulate, it would damage Dong Xuan'er's reputation and also affect his relationship with the two of them.

Even if some people don't say it, they might still think it in their hearts.

Furthermore, according to the rules of Huangfeng Valley, one must first report to the sect's main hall, and then find a secluded spot in Taiyue Mountain to build a cave dwelling that truly belongs to oneself. This matter also needs to be reported to the sect later. This is a traditional rule, and it aligns with Han Li's intentions.

It's time to find that spring of spiritual light.

First come, first served, to avoid any accidents.

Of course, most importantly, he didn't want to live under the watchful eye of a Core Formation stage cultivator for long. He desperately wanted to unlock his own little treasure trove. The feeling of guarding a mountain of treasures but being unable to use it was incredibly torturous.

"Well, it would be good for you to go and establish your own cave dwelling."

Hong Fu nodded in agreement.

While large trees can indeed provide shelter from wind and rain, they can also limit the growth of saplings.

She does like Han Li very much, as he is down-to-earth, sensible, and honest, but she won't arrange other people's lives unless there are signs that they are going astray.

Since her disciple has his own considerations, she can simply respect them.

"As the fourth disciple of my Red Tassel Mountain lineage, you must not tarnish my name when you are out and about. I have already reforged this 'Silver Glow Sword' for you and added a small amount of four other magical treasures to make up for its shortcomings in other aspects. You can then refine it with your blood. At that time, this sword can be wielded by only you, and no one else can use it. Moreover, after blood refining, it will be even more at your command and as easy to control as an extension of your own limb."

The Silver Glow Sword was the very same exquisite sword that the barefoot giant had obtained.

When Han Li returned, he showed it to his master, Hong Fu. Later, Hong Fu took it and used the Dan Fire to re-temper and change the shape of the sword.

They even added new magical artifacts and metal enhancements.

"Thank you, Master."

Han Li did not refuse.

Using the ingredients and information from the Youth-Preserving Pill as a form of reciprocation has indeed yielded positive results.

"Having offensive treasures but lacking protective artifacts is not enough. You have already returned Xuan'er's Rainbow Cloud Shield, so I will bestow this yellow jade robe upon you."

The Red-Robed Fairy took out a robe from her storage bag that was almost identical to the standard robes worn by Foundation Establishment cultivators in Yellow Maple Valley:

"This is a robe that my elder brother wore back then. It was sewn with superior golden silkworm silk spun by a level 3 demon beast, the Golden Silkworm. Although it is not a top-grade robe, it is still a fine piece among top-tier magic artifacts. Its defensive capabilities are quite impressive."

"In addition, I asked Junior Brother Li to re-temper your Azure Dragon Chain and that top-tier magic artifact steel bracelet using the Three Yang Elixir Fire and certain materials. Now they can both be considered rare top-tier magic artifacts. You can figure out their wonders on your own later."

With four top-tier magical artifacts, encompassing attack, defense, and support capabilities, plus the Cloud-Stepping Boots Han Li acquired, which enhance his mobility, and supplemented by some talismans, he would already be considered quite formidable among Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"And these twelve Youth-Preserving Pills, a bottle of Qi-Harmony Pills, and three Mind-Clearing Pills..."

Thinking about the benefits she had gained from the Hidden Moon Sect through the Youth-Preserving Pill, she liked Han Li more and more.

Such a mutually beneficial interaction left the two new senior female students dumbfounded, their hearts filled with turbulent waves.

They saw it all and felt like they were hallucinating.

They heard it and felt as if they were hallucinating.

It's so unreal.

Is this still the same mentor who was so cold to male cultivators? Even ordinary cultivators wouldn't be this affectionate towards their own sons, would they?
"Master, please take out one of these Youth Preservation Pills first." Han Li was overjoyed, but he did not forget his filial piety.

Hong Fu smiled, her smile growing even wider: "Good child, I've already taken it. These are the rest; take them and exchange them for some cultivation supplies."

"Thank you, Master."

Han Li no longer refused and happily accepted the sword, robe, chain, bracelet, and several pill bottles.

At this moment, the excitement he felt goes without saying.

"If you encounter any difficulties in your cultivation afterward, you can return to your cave on Red Tassel Mountain to stay temporarily. You can come to see me again after I emerge from seclusion each time." Hong Fu added, "By the way, child, if you encounter any difficulties, there is no need to force yourself. You can seek my help. As long as we are in the right and not abusing our power, I will definitely uphold justice for you."

It's unclear what the Fairy Hongfu was thinking when she uttered those words.

Upon hearing this, Han Li bowed again with genuine sincerity.

"Go ahead, take this token and come with Xuan'er to my library to see if there's anything you like..."

"Thank you for your kindness, Master."

In the end, Han Li chose two secret techniques.

First, the "Blood Escape Technique".

A secret technique that can greatly increase flight speed by burning one's life essence.

When these techniques are unleashed, they can even prevent those in the Core Formation stage from catching up for a short period of time.

But the long-term effects are significant.

Use with caution.

The second secret technique is called "Fire Qi".

Fire-attribute secret techniques.

During combat, one can imbue their magical artifact with a layer of fire energy, granting it additional enchanted damage.

It can also transform itself into a ball of fire to deal with certain evil spirits.

The reason for choosing this secret technique is that it can be used in conjunction with the Azure Origin Sword Aura and Azure Origin Sword Shield, imbuing both the sword aura and the shield with the burning effect of fiery aura. While the damage isn't high, it easily distracts the opponent. Furthermore, the fiery aura is effective against Duobao Nu's "Red Rust Pearl" and the middle-aged man from the Wang family of Huadaowu, protecting against methods that specifically corrode the spiritual essence of others' magical artifacts.

This is still very useful.

This also shows that Fairy Hongfu was wary of a certain Core Formation stage cultivator from the Hidden Moon Sect.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have specifically researched and developed this secret technique.

Having chosen his method and resolved his doubts about cultivation, Han Li took his leave.

Two figures walked along the stone pavilion path of Hongying Mountain.

"Senior sister, that's enough. I still need to go to the sect's main hall to report," Han Li said with a smile.

"Why do you have to move out? Isn't it a hassle?"

Dong Xuan'er was still somewhat sullen.

She actually understood what it meant.

"Senior sister, don't forget, I received spirit stones from Master, and I'll be taking care of her herb garden for several more years. Even though I've moved out, I'll still have to come over often." Han Li's smile remained unchanged.

Upon hearing this, Dong Xuan'er suddenly realized what was going on, and the displeasure on her face lessened considerably.

"Also, Senior Sister, you must accept this Youth Preservation Pill."

"You have some conscience."

Dong Xuan'er happily accepted the elixir bottle, her face beaming with joy.

Although her master had already given her one, the one her junior brother gave her was completely different in nature from the one her master bestowed upon her. Moreover, she could use the extras to trade with other female cultivators for what she needed.

"Oh right, junior brother, um, I almost forgot..."

At this moment, Dong Xuan'er handed over a storage bag.

"what?"

Han Li took it and found it was a bag of spirit stones, which puzzled him.

"You idiot, the spirit stones you asked me to sell before you went into seclusion were over three thousand three hundred."

...

After Han Li walked away, the two twin senior sisters not far away immediately clung to Dong Xuan'er.

"Junior sister, what exactly did this junior brother do to be so highly regarded by our master?"

"Yes, Master wasn't like this before..."

They were so curious about this junior brother.

What exactly makes her so favored by her master?

Do not understand.

Don't understand at all.

Moreover, this junior sister gave away over three thousand three hundred spirit stones without hesitation.

Are the sisters simply unsophisticated, or is the Hongying Mountain lineage simply wealthy and powerful?
“I’m curious too, but I don’t know why either.” Dong Xuan’er shook her head.

How could she not want to know the reason behind it?

But I just don't understand it.

In any case, the more handsome and dashing a male cultivator is, the more his master dislikes him.

On the contrary, Master didn't dislike Junior Brother Han, who was so ordinary.

It's like a mung bean and a turtle hitting it off.

(End of this chapter)