I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

Spring goes and autumn comes, cold and heat alternate, and five years have passed in a flash.

For a cultivator, five years is nothing more than a few deep seclusions or a few rounds of cultivation technique deductions.

However, for the Lin family, who are rooted on the shores of Shattered Star Lake, these five years have been a crucial period of consolidation and development, during which their foundation has gradually become more solid and their influence has begun to take shape.

The construction of ethnic communities is becoming increasingly sophisticated, and various systems are constantly being adjusted and optimized in operation.

The ironclad rule set by Lin Che that "no outsiders shall be allowed in the core area" was strictly enforced.

The island's inhabitants mainly rely on Qingxue and her companions' hands-on efforts and the assistance of their contracted spirit beasts.

Although occasionally cumbersome, it has maintained the purity and confidentiality of the internal affairs to the greatest extent possible.

The family business relied on hiring retainers to manage it, with Liu Qingxue and a few others in charge.

Baiweizhai's business remained thriving, providing a stable source of income. Lin Che was also continuously cultivating the spirit beast clan, preparing to gradually expand the family business.

However, the area outside the Lin family's home in Chuyang City has been anything but peaceful over the past five years; in fact, it has been turbulent and bustling.

The source of everything is still that "third-tier top-grade spiritual object" that was "lost" in the Black Tooth Swamp.

Despite the Zhou family's repeated denials, the Zhao family's accusations never stopped, and the rumor that "the Zhou family embezzled the treasure" had spread like wildfire and deeply penetrated people's hearts.

This matter even alarmed the City Lord's Mansion of Chuyang City, who sent a special envoy to inquire about it.

What specific agreement or compromise was reached between the two parties inside the city lord's mansion remains unknown to outsiders.

On the surface, the Zhou family did not seem to have suffered any serious damage from this incident; they simply became more discreet and cautious in their actions.

The real storm is brewing both in the shadows and in the open.

The Zhao family's immense anger, fueled by Zhao Wenyuan's death, the curses afflicting their core members, and their belief that they had been "betrayed" and "schemed" by the Zhou family, ignited an irreconcilable feud between the two families.

In the early years, the desolate wilderness surrounding Chuyang City was frequently rife with brutal ambushes and counter-ambushes, assassinations and reprisals.

Both sides suffered losses among Foundation Establishment cultivators and even Qi Refining elites, and the stench of blood was so strong that it was almost unbearable.

Such a violent conflict has already threatened the stability and order of the Chuyang City territory.

Ultimately, the city lord's mansion had no choice but to intervene forcefully once again, using iron-fisted methods to mediate.

It is strictly forbidden for either side to engage in such direct and bloody fighting again; violators will be subject to joint sanctions by the City Lord's Mansion and other families within the city.

The open conflict was forcibly suppressed.

However, the conflict between the two companies quickly shifted to a broader and more protracted battleground—the struggle for commerce and resources.

Any spiritual materials that the Zhao family intends to acquire, any business deals they reach, or any talents they recruit.

The Zhou family will definitely try every means to get involved, such as raising prices, intercepting deals, and spreading negative news.

Conversely, all of the Zhou family's business ventures will inevitably face equally fierce, or even more insidious, obstruction and sabotage from the Zhao family.

The two companies, like two ferocious beasts with bloodshot eyes, tore and writhed in the business world of Chuyang City.

The Li family, originally one of the four major families, has fallen into a strange silence over the past five years.

His ancestor went into seclusion to break through to the Golden Core realm, and there has been no news of him since. There have been no signs of success or death.

This uncertain situation has attracted many forces that secretly covet the Li family's status and resources to make their move, and various tests have emerged one after another.

The Li family, like a hedgehog curled up, completely withdrew its power, closed its doors, and responded to all probing with a tough yet ambiguous attitude, leaving people unable to figure out their true intentions.

Against this backdrop of constant external disturbances and the entanglement and struggle of various forces.

The Lin family of Shattered Star Lake, however, is like a small boat steadily moving forward on the edge of a stormy sea.

Thanks to the respite gained by Lin Che's earlier scheme to sow discord, the family's presence was reduced, allowing them to live in seclusion and focus on development.

It was in the dead of night in this fifth year, when all was quiet.

Lin Che, who was meditating in the core of the Qingxuan Secret Realm, slowly opened his eyes.

He sensed the barrier of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

……

Azure Mystery Realm, the island in the middle of the lake.

This place is the source of the spiritual veins of the secret realm, with spiritual energy so rich it's almost liquefied, forming a misty spiritual fog that lingers year-round.

Lin Che sat cross-legged on a smooth jade platform in the center of the island, his eyes closed, his aura merging with the surging spiritual energy around him.

His mind was completely absorbed into his dantian.

He looked inward at the true energy emanating from his dantian, which emitted five soft halos.

This is precisely the unique characteristic of a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator when their true essence begins to manifest.

After a cultivator enters the Foundation Establishment stage, their true qi transforms into a more refined and condensed true essence. Initially, it has no obvious attribute bias and appears as a chaotic and colorless state.

As one's cultivation deepens and one's understanding of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and one's own path of cultivation grows, one's true essence will gradually "color" by the time one reaches the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

It manifests the attributes and characteristics corresponding to the cultivator's main cultivation method or spiritual root talent.

Lin Che's dantian simultaneously possesses the sharpness of metal, the vitality of wood, the suppleness of water, the intensity of fire, and the weight of earth. These five colors flow and complement each other, forming a unified whole.

Within the vortex, a full fifteen thousand drops of condensed, mercury-like true essence pulsed rhythmically with the operation of the cultivation technique, each drop containing pure spiritual power of the five elements.

At this moment, the entire dantian and qi sea have been filled and solidified to a certain limit, swelling and about to burst.

The inner wall could even feel the subtle vibrations caused by the continuous scouring and impact of the true essence torrent.

That was a clear sign that one had reached the next level of enlightenment.

During these five years, Lin Che devoted the vast majority of his time to cultivation.

Although he had the support of cultivation feedback from his two natal spirit beasts, as the head of the family, he was burdened with clan affairs, raising children, and spending time with his wife, which ultimately took away some of his mind and time.

Otherwise, with his Five Holy Spirit Roots and the help of the secret realm and spirit beasts, he might have broken through to the next realm even sooner.

However, Lin Che knew that his own cultivation was the most fundamental pillar for the survival and growth of the Lin family. Therefore, after handling necessary matters, he always returned to the secret realm as soon as possible to devote himself to arduous cultivation.

Until recently, he adjusted his physical body, divine sense, and true essence to a perfect and flawless peak state, and finally decided to break through to the next realm today!

Once the mind is focused, the "All Beasts Pay Homage to the Ancestor" technique begins to operate.

It guides the already perfected vortex of true essence within the dantian towards deeper changes.

"boom--!"

As if a huge rock had been thrown into a calm lake, the normally flowing vortex of five-colored true essence suddenly began to vibrate violently!

The high-speed friction and collision between the true essences stirred up invisible yet violent waves, causing Lin Che's stable aura to fluctuate significantly for the first time.

The transformation has already begun.

Lin Che's mind was as calm and undisturbed as a deep pool in an ancient well.

The powerful divine sense meticulously controlled the flow of every strand of true essence.

The process of making a breakthrough is essentially about refining and condensing the essence, and then elevating it.

Under the dual guidance of the cultivation technique and divine sense, those 15,000 drops of true essence began to rotate, squeeze, and collide at an even more violent speed!

Each impact ejected tiny sparks of spiritual light, forcing the true essence to collapse inward, becoming denser and more solid, and further purifying the five elements' spiritual power contained within.

At the same time, the extremely dense spiritual energy of heaven and earth on the island in the middle of the lake seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, and frantically gathered together, forming a visible vortex of spiritual energy that poured in from Lin Che's center!

The pure spiritual energy flowed through his 365 acupoints, like rivers flowing into the sea, surging into the evolving torrent of true essence in his dantian, providing him with a continuous source of transformative energy.

The dantian is the most important and fundamental area for cultivators. Such a drastic change brings a burden and pain far beyond imagination.

Lin Che felt a pricking and burning pain throughout his body, as if countless tiny thunderbolts were coursing through his body, and his bones and fascia were making faint, unbearable noises.

My blood and qi were churning, and I heard a buzzing in my ears.

However, his face remained calm, showing no sign of pain.

His mind was firmly anchored within his dantian, guiding this transformation that concerned his path to enlightenment.

A day and a night passed quietly amidst silent pain, extreme focus, and a surge of inspiration.

suddenly--

Lin Che, who was sitting cross-legged on the jade platform, suddenly trembled slightly without warning!

Within the dantian, the true essence, which had been compressed and condensed to the extreme for a day and a night and seemed to have reached the limit of material endurance, finally broke through that invisible critical point at a mysterious moment!

"Buzz—!!!"

A clear, melodious sound, seemingly originating from the very source of the Great Dao, burst forth from the depths of his dantian, instantly cleansing his entire body and even faintly emanating from outside, causing the spiritual energy around the island in the lake to resonate and tremble slightly!

Become!

At the very moment the Dao Ming rang out, Lin Che's dantian and qi sea seemed to break through some kind of shackles, suddenly opening up and expanding inward and outward at the same time!

The original feeling of being bloated and about to burst was completely swept away, replaced by an unparalleled sense of smoothness and fullness.

The new True Essence Color is more refined, concentrated, and vibrant, becoming brighter and deeper.

True essence, like a flood bursting its banks, instantly filled the newly opened dantian space.

And along the meridian network that has long been widened and tempered to be extremely tough, it surges and roars towards the limbs, bones, internal organs, and viscera!

"call--"

Lin Che let out a long breath.

He slowly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing within them. His aura rose and stabilized like a tide, before finally receding into the background.

Late foundation building!

Five years of hard work have finally paid off.

Feeling the surging, new power within him that far surpassed anything he had experienced before, Lin Che finally managed a relaxed and satisfied smile.

However, the changes brought about by the breakthrough in realm did not stop there.

As the new, more refined and pure true essence completed its first full cycle in the expanded and strengthened meridians, a mysterious sensation quietly arose from the deepest part of Lin Che's body.

The surging true energy seemed to have broken through some invisible boundary.

No longer confined to the meridian channels, but naturally begins to resonate and blend deeply with the body's Qi and blood, muscles, bones, skin, and even the outermost microscopic spaces.

Every cell in his body was undergoing a subtle transformation at the level of life, receiving a double baptism and strengthening from the new true essence and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in this resonance.

The flesh and blood became more solidified, the tendons and bones became more resilient, and the skin and membrane faintly shimmered with a very faint precious light.

Immediately afterwards, with a slight thought, without needing to deliberately perform any spells.

"call--"

A hazy, semi-transparent energy shield, with faint five-colored halos flowing slowly like water inside.

It appeared out of Lin Che's body without warning, like the second skin that was closest to him, enveloping his entire body.

Protective Qi!

One of the most prominent and important hallmark abilities of late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators manifests naturally as their cultivation level stabilizes!

Lin Che slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with inner light, calmly examining the layer of qi flowing on his body.

With a slight shift in his mind, he began to attempt to control it.

When the mind is focused on the earth elemental true essence, the translucent aura instantly darkens slightly, becoming thicker and more solid, like an invisible earth barrier, giving people a sense of indestructibility.

As his mind turned to the metal elemental true essence, his protective aura immediately turned into a faint gold color, and a sharp, all-encompassing aura was faintly revealed, as if this protective shield itself was a divine weapon that combined offense and defense.

He then switched to fire-attribute true essence, and a scorching aura instantly rose, with crimson ripples appearing at the edge of his protective energy.

With a thought, Lin Che activated the primal power of the Phoenix Blood True Fire, and a subtle yet sacred crimson-gold hue quietly merged into his inner energy.

This makes the entire protective shield not only intensely hot, but also provides a powerful resistance to evil spirits and spiritual disturbances, and enhances its purifying ability, making it even more powerful.

He raised his hand, his fingertips lightly touching the inner wall of the protective energy.

It doesn't feel hard like iron, but rather has a unique texture that is tough, dense, and elastic.

This seemingly thin layer of air is actually composed of highly condensed, self-circulating true essence.

Not only does it possess powerful physical and spiritual defense capabilities, but it can also change its attributes according to its thoughts to deal with various types of attacks.

With this protective aura constantly surrounding him, his safety will be greatly enhanced, whether he is fighting against others or exploring dangerous ruins.

Many insidious tricks targeting early and mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators, relying on bizarre and cunning methods to penetrate their defenses, will find it difficult to easily break through this ever-present energy barrier that can change at will.

"So this is what the late Foundation Establishment stage feels like...?"

Lin Che carefully experienced the new true essence within his body, which was like a surging river, yet could be precisely controlled in every strand.

The feeling of "controlling one's own limbs" and achieving a level of exquisite mastery over power was much clearer than when I was in the mid-Foundation Building stage.

"No wonder many spells are clearly categorized as 'can be learned in the early stages of Foundation Establishment' or 'can only be cast in the middle stages of Foundation Establishment'..." Lin Che suddenly realized.

Besides the strength of true essence required for the power of the spell itself, the more fundamental reason lies in the precision with which the cultivator controls their own true essence.

The higher the level and the more complex the spell, the more precise the control required for the trajectory of spiritual energy, attribute conversion, and timing of its burst. This is precisely one of the core advantages brought about by the advancement of one's realm.

Looking inward at the dantian, the space of the qi sea expands once again after the breakthrough.

The total amount of true essence it can hold has increased dramatically from 15,000 drops to 50,000 drops!

This is a terrifying reserve.

At this moment, Lin Che finally understood more deeply why cultivators with more outstanding spiritual root aptitude consume resources exponentially.

Those massive amounts of spiritual energy and resources were not wasted, but were genuinely transformed into every drop in the cultivator's dantian, becoming the cultivator's profound foundation!

Once all 50,000 drops of true essence have accumulated and reached the perfect stage of Foundation Establishment, one can begin preparing to condense the Golden Core.

Imagine, an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator has a total amount of true essence in their dantian that is between 10,000 and 20,000 drops. The quality and power of the golden core condensed from this amount are already quite remarkable.

If Lin Che were to use 50,000 drops of pure and refined true essence, which are complete in all five elements, as a foundation, what astonishing level would the golden elixir he condensed be in terms of its grade, potential, and power?

This is why the cultivation world has always emphasized that "foundation is more important than anything else".

Every solid step forward lays an unparalleled foundation for the next leap forward.

Breakthroughs in one's realm bring about comprehensive and multi-dimensional enhancement.

Not only did his true essence and quantity leap forward, his physical body be strengthened, and he gained protective qi, but the range of his divine sense's detection also expanded once again.

Now it can clearly cover an area of ​​twenty miles in radius, and Lin Che can see the scales on the Cangming Jiao in the lake clearly.

They were not in a hurry to leave the country.

Lin Che sat down cross-legged again and continued to circulate his cultivation technique to further solidify his newly advanced realm and allow the surge of power to settle completely.

At the same time, he devoted some of his attention to carefully comprehending and becoming familiar with the various characteristics and wonderful uses of the protective qi.

Experiment with different combinations of true essence attributes to determine the strength and variations of the qi, until you can switch between them at will and instantly.

Another half day passed, until his aura was completely contained and there was no trace of weakness. His protective qi could appear or disappear instantly with his thoughts, and he could control it at will. Only then did Lin Che finally stand up.