Clan Cultivation: Starting from Foundation Establishment on Mount Luoxia

The wealthy are ruthless and merciless, while the powerful are swift and decisive.

Once this immortal foundation is established, Li Xiaoyao's attack power and speed will be greatly enhanced, and he will also possess the power of thunder, making his combat strength more than double!

With a thought, he activated all three immortal foundations simultaneously—[Xuanhuang Pass] blazing like fire, [Changsheng Palace] brimming with vitality like wood, and [Susha Palace] sharp as gold.

The three have formed a subtle cycle of mutual generation, with spiritual energy circulating endlessly.

"Three Immortal Foundations... Mid-stage Foundation Establishment complete."

Li Xiaoyao clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within him. "Now, even if I face a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, I have the strength to fight!"

He pushed open the stone door of the cave.

The crowd outside immediately surrounded them.

"Second brother/Second uncle!"

Li Mutian and the others were delighted to see that his breathing had become full.

"I succeeded by sheer luck," Li Xiaoyao laughed, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before landing on Li Xiangping. "Xiangping, are you ready?"

Li Xiangping took a deep breath and nodded emphatically: "Second Uncle, your nephew has reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, and his essence, energy, and spirit are all at their peak. The Molten Metal Essence has also been nurtured, and he can go into seclusion to establish his foundation at any time."

"Alright." Li Xiaoyao patted his shoulder. "It's right next to my cave, in that newly built quiet room. I'll personally protect you."

"Thank you, Second Uncle!"

On that day, Li Xiangping went into seclusion.

In the quiet room, he sat cross-legged and placed the molten gold essence in his dantian.

This second-grade, lower-middle-level fire-attribute rare treasure, after being nurtured for several months, has become connected with his aura and is now emitting a gentle yet powerful fire-attribute spiritual energy.

Li Xiangping circulated the foundational scroll of "Emperor Yan's Burning Heaven Chapter".

Guided by the cultivation technique, the molten metal essence transformed into strands of golden-red light, merging into his limbs and bones, cleansing his meridians, and tempering his physical body.

Foundation building has three stages: marrow cleansing, fluid coagulation, and foundation casting.

The first stage, Marrow Cleansing, involves using spiritual energy to cleanse the meridians and remove impurities from the mortal body. With the aid of a rare item like Molten Metal Essence, Li Xiangping completed the process smoothly in just three days.

The second stage, condensation, involves compressing gaseous spiritual energy into liquid true essence.

This step takes the longest and tests one's foundation the most.

Li Xiang worked steadily and patiently, using the "Emperor Yan's Burning Heaven Chapter" mental cultivation method to slowly condense his essence. After seven days, a small pool of golden-red true essence had formed in his dantian.

The third stage, Foundation Building, involves using True Essence to construct the prototype of an Immortal Foundation, laying the foundation for the Great Dao.

The crucial moment has arrived.

With his mind focused and all his true essence gathered, Li Xiangping began to construct his immortal foundation, the Purple Capital Guard, following the guidance of the cultivation technique!

Outside the quiet room, Li Xiaoyao's divine sense enveloped the area, constantly monitoring the movements inside. Li Mutian, Li Tongya, and others also stood guard nearby.

Suddenly, the temperature in the quiet room soared! Crimson light shone through the crack in the door, and the heat was oppressive!

"It's going to work!" Li Xiaoyao's eyes narrowed.

boom--!

A muffled sound came from the quiet room; it wasn't an explosion, but rather the spread of a heavy, solid aura!

Immediately afterwards, a blazing yet stable pressure from the Foundation Establishment stage spread out. Although it was not as profound as Li Xiaoyao's, it still possessed a majestic aura!

The door to the quiet room opened.

Li Xiangping stepped out, his body shimmering with golden-red spiritual light, his aura already at the early stage of Foundation Establishment!

His eyes gleamed with a sharp inner light, and his every move was accompanied by a faint Daoist aura of flames.

"Father! Second Uncle!"

He bowed deeply, unable to hide his excitement, "Your child... has successfully completed the Foundation Establishment!"

Li Mutian stepped forward, carefully sensing his son's aura. After a long while, he nodded emphatically: "Good! The Immortal Foundation [Purple Capital Guard] is complete, the foundation is solid, and the true essence is abundant. Xiang Ping, you have not disappointed your father!"

Li Xiaoyao also said with satisfaction, "By using the essence of molten metal to build your foundation and forging the Purple Capital Guardian Immortal Foundation, your starting point is much higher than that of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. You should cultivate diligently in the future."

"Nephew will certainly do his best!" Li Xiangping said solemnly.

At this point, the Li family had three Foundation Establishment cultivators: Li Mutian at the second level of Foundation Establishment, Li Xiaoyao at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment, and Li Xiangping at the initial stage of Foundation Establishment.

With the addition of Li Tongya at the eighth level of Qi Refining, Li Chijing at the eighth level of Qi Refining, and Li Changhu at the sixth level of Qi Refining, the family's high-end combat power has begun to take shape.

Just as everyone was celebrating, a sudden, urgent chime came from the watchtower on the cliff top!

Clang clang clang—!

Three short and one long signal indicates an emergency warning!

Li Xiaoyao's expression turned serious: "What's going on?"

A clansman came running, panting: "Second Master! A large fleet of flying ships has been spotted in the southeastern void! There are... twelve of them! They're heading towards our plane!"

Twelve ships? Everyone's expression changed.

Li Mutian asked in a deep voice, "Can you see the markings?"

"The distance is still far, but the airships vary in shape, unlike warships, they seem more like... merchant ships! The hulls have a uniform emblem—like some kind of bridge pattern!"

Li Xiaoyao's heart skipped a beat. A bridge pattern? He felt like he'd heard of it somewhere before…

"Let's go take a look."

The group took to the air and flew to the highest point of the Thick Earth Golden Cliff, looking towards the southeastern void.

Beyond the turbid clouds, twelve black dots were approaching from afar in the void.

As they drew closer, everyone could see clearly that they were indeed twelve flying boats of different shapes and sizes, some magnificent and some simple, but each boat had a rainbow bridge emblem spanning the void painted on its side.

"A thoroughfare to all worlds!" Li Xiaoyao blurted out.

Li Mutian looked at him: "You know him?"

"I heard about it at Chuixing Post Station."

Li Xiaoyao quickly recalled, "The Myriad Realms Crossroads is not a sect, but a business family alliance."

"They specialize in void trade, traveling between various new and old expansion planes, buying low and selling high to profit from the price difference."

"It is said that the alliance is composed of seven business families, each specializing in a different area—elixirs, magical artifacts, talismans, spiritual materials, intelligence, population, and even... special services."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "This alliance has a good reputation. They'll buy and sell anything as long as it's profitable. Moreover, they strictly adhere to business rules and never initiate conflicts—because that would affect their business."

Li Mutian's brows relaxed slightly: "So, you're a businessman?"

"It should be."

Li Xiaoyao nodded, "The flying boat formation is loose, and it doesn't have the same chilling aura as warships."

"Moreover... twelve merchant ships, that's a large caravan, they're probably going to set up a 'temporary market' here."

As they were talking, the twelve flying boats had already pierced through the turbid clouds and entered the Bing-749 plane.

They didn't hover; instead, they flew directly towards Luoxia Market.

"They went to the market," Li Xiangping said.

Li Xiaoyao pondered for a moment: "Brother, you stay here at Houtu Jinya. Xiang Ping has just established his foundation and needs to stabilize his realm. I'll take Tongya and Chijing to the market."

"Be careful," Li Mutian cautioned.

Li Xiaoyao, accompanied by his two nephews, flew towards Luoxia Market.

When they arrived, the twelve flying boats had already landed on the open ground outside the market.

The boat doors were wide open, and hundreds of monks dressed in uniform were busy unloading goods, setting up stages, and setting up stalls.

Their movements were swift and well-trained, clearly indicating that this wasn't their first time doing something like this.

Inside the market, cultivators and independent practitioners from other factions had already gathered around, watching with curiosity.

As soon as Li Xiaoyao landed, he saw a middle-aged cultivator in a brocade robe with a prosperous appearance giving instructions.

The cultivator was at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. He had an abacus-shaped magic tool hanging from his waist, and his fingers moved rapidly as if he were calculating something.