The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

Han Mu sat cross-legged in his cave, his body surrounded by a constant flow of five-colored spiritual light. He had completed the second absorption of the Five Elements True Essence Liquid, successfully breaking through to the sixth level of Foundation Establishment, and the liquid spiritual power in his dantian had become much more abundant.

"System, bring up the current panel."

[Host: Han Mu]

[Realm: Foundation Establishment Level 6 (True) / Foundation Establishment Level 1 (Surface)]

[Cultivation Technique: Primordial Longevity Technique (Second Level, Initial Success)]

[Spells: True Understanding of the Five Elements Sword Formation (Minor Success), Basic Five Elements Techniques (Mastery), Weapon Control Techniques (Mastery), Qi Concealment Techniques (Perfect)]

[Magic Item: None]

[Skills: Introduction to Formation, Introduction to Alchemy, Introduction to Weaponry]

[Clan cultivators: 23 (Foundation Establishment 1, Qi Refining 22)]

His cultivation was steadily improving, but Han Mu knew it wasn't enough. Wang Chan had been tricked by the fake Blood Fiend Seed, and he would discover the problem in three to five days at most, at which point he would inevitably return with even stronger forces.

He needs to quickly improve the overall strength of his family.

"System, retrieve available cultivation techniques, elixir formulas, and weapon manuals."

[Currently included cultivation techniques: 42]

[Can teach Qi Refining Stage techniques: "Hun Yuan Chang Sheng Jue" Qi Refining Chapter (Optimized Version), "Qing Mu Jue", "Jin Ge Jue", "Xuan Shui Jing", "Li Huo Jue", "Hou Tu Jue"]

[Available prescriptions: Qingyuan Dan, Guyuan Dan, Heshang San, Juqi San, Jinchuang San, Shigu Fuxue San]

[Available crafting recipes: Flying Sword Crafting (Low Grade), Shield Crafting (Low Grade), Array Flag Crafting (Tier 1)]

Han Mu's gaze lingered on the pill formulas and weapon manuals. Pills could quickly improve cultivation and heal injuries, while magical weapons could enhance combat power; both were things the family urgently needed at the moment.

Let's start with the simplest thing.

He got up, left the cave, and went to the alchemy room.

This alchemy room was built by the ancestors of the Han family. Inside is a first-grade low-level "Earth Fire Alchemy Furnace", which is connected to the earth's fire source through an array, and can continuously and stably provide the flames needed for alchemy.

Han Yunge was busy inside when she saw Han Mu enter and quickly bowed, saying, "Grandfather."

"What are you refining?" Han Mu asked.

"I tried to refine the Azure Origin Pill, but failed three times." Han Yunge said somewhat dejectedly, "I could never control the heat properly."

Han Mu walked to the alchemy furnace and probed it with his divine sense to observe the changes in the flames inside. Although this earth fire was stable, the earth vein fire source itself had subtle fluctuations, requiring extremely precise control of the heat.

"Watch closely," Han Mu said in a deep voice.

He formed hand seals and channeled spiritual energy into the alchemy furnace. The spiritual energy split into five thin streams within the furnace, flowing through the flames according to the generating cycle of the five elements, adjusting the intensity of the fire.

This is the "Five Elements Fire Control Technique" recorded in the "Qingyuan Danjue", which is specifically used to refine elixirs that require precise control of fire.

The flames inside the furnace gradually became calmer, the temperature distribution became more even, and there were no more violent fluctuations.

Han Yunge's eyes lit up: "So that's how it is!"

"The key to alchemy lies in the precise control of spiritual energy and the timing of the fire," Han Mu explained while controlling the flames. "The spiritual energy should be as gentle as flowing water, and the timing of the fire should be as natural as breathing."

He took out the spiritual herbs needed to refine the Azure Origin Pill from his storage bag: Azure Origin Grass, Wood Spirit Mushroom, Dew-Condensing Flower, and Three-Leaf Ginseng. These spiritual herbs were all plundered from the Blood Refining Sect's treasury, and their quality was quite good.

"The first step is to purify the medicinal solution."

Han Mu threw the spiritual herbs into the alchemy furnace. Enveloped in flames, the herbs melted rapidly, impurities were refined by the flames, leaving only the most essential medicinal liquid. Four kinds of medicinal liquids floated in the furnace, their colors being cyan, white, blue, and yellow, respectively.

"The second step is to fuse and condense the elixir."

Guided by spiritual energy, the four medicinal liquids slowly fused together. This process required extremely high control; the slightest mistake could cause an explosion. Han Mu was completely focused, his divine sense precisely controlling every subtle change.

After the medicinal liquids blended, they gradually condensed into the shape of pills. A faint fragrance emanated from the furnace.

"The third step is to gently nourish and solidify the elixir."

This is the final step, and also the one that requires the most patience. Han Mu adjusted the flame to its gentlest setting, allowing the pill to slowly rotate within the furnace, absorbing the essence of the earth fire and solidifying its medicinal power.

After an incense stick had burned for a while, a rich aroma of elixir wafted from the alchemy furnace.

Han Mu waved his hand to open the furnace lid, and five emerald green pills flew out. Each pill was the size of a longan, with a smooth surface and emanating pure wood-attribute spiritual energy fluctuations.

"We did it!" Han Yunge exclaimed excitedly.

Han Mu put the pills into a jade bottle and handed it to Han Yunge: "Keep these five Qingyuan Pills safe. They can be used to aid your cultivation. Remember the technique you just used and practice it more."

"Yes!" Han Yunge nodded emphatically.

After leaving the alchemy room, Han Mu went to the weapon-refining room.

Compared to the alchemy room, the weapon-refining room was much simpler. It only contained a first-grade low-level iron-smelting furnace and some basic forging tools.

Although the Han family ancestors left behind some classic texts, no one had ever mastered the art of weapon forging.

"Looks like I'll have to figure it out from scratch."

Han Mu took out several pieces of refined iron ore from his storage bag. These were found near the Blood Fiend Mountains, and their quality was only average.

He lit the furnace and poured the ore into it. Under the high temperature, the ore gradually melted, and the molten iron churned inside the furnace.

Han Mu took out two "quenching stones"—a type of ore that can quickly cool metal and is a commonly used material in weapon forging.

He first used his divine sense to observe the flow of the molten iron, then used his spiritual power to shape it into the prototype of a sword. Next, he cast a spell, and simple runes appeared on the surface of the sword blank—the simplest "sharpness runes," which could slightly improve the sharpness of the blade.

"Quenching!"

Han Mu threw the sword blank into the quenching stone.

laugh--!

White smoke rose as the sword blank rapidly cooled and solidified.

Han Mu picked up the finished iron sword and weighed it in his hand. The blade was somewhat rough, and the runes were dim, barely reaching the threshold of a low-grade magic weapon, but its power was probably not even as good as the spells of a Qi Refining stage cultivator.

"It's good enough if I can succeed on my first attempt at weapon crafting," he consoled himself.

Although this iron sword is of poor quality, it's at least a start. With this experience, next time we can try adding more materials and engraving more complex runes.

"System, record this weapon forging process and analyze areas for improvement."

[Record complete]

[Evaluation of this weapon crafting skill: Basic Mastery]

[Improvement Suggestions: 1. Improve material quality (try adding a small amount of red copper); 2. Optimize rune structure (refer to "Complete Guide to Basic Runes"); 3. Increase the number of forging attempts (at least nine forging attempts are recommended)]

Han Mu kept the suggestions for improvement in mind.

Just as he was preparing to continue refining the second magical artifact, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the cave.

"Ancestor! There's an emergency!" It was Han Changqing's voice.

Han Mu frowned and walked out of the weapon-refining room: "Speak."

"We just received a report from our scouts that the Ghost Spirit Sect and the Joyful Union Sect are gathering!" Han Changqing's expression was grave. "Their numbers are double what they were last time, and..."

"And what?"

"Moreover, the aura of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator is present!"

Late foundation building!

Han Mu's eyes narrowed.

Although he had already broken through to the sixth level of Foundation Establishment, he still wasn't confident of victory against late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. Moreover, the enemy's numbers had doubled.

Is the news reliable?

"Reliable." Han Changqing nodded. "It was relayed back by a surviving spy from the Li family who risked his life. He used the Blood Escape Technique before he died, so it shouldn't be false."

Han Mu remained silent for a moment.

"Pass down the order: everyone to go on high alert. Activate the entire formation, and distribute all pills and talismans."

"Yes!" Han Changqing accepted the order and left.

Han Mu stood outside the weapon-refining room, gazing at the distant sky.

The rain is coming and the wind is all over the building.

It seems they're serious this time.

He turned around and went back into the depths of the cave, taking out the remaining bottle of Five Elements True Essence Liquid.

"I originally planned to wait seven days before taking the third dose," Han Mu muttered to himself, "but now... I can't wait any longer."

He tilted his head back and drank the last third of the True Essence Liquid in the bottle in one gulp.

The pure spiritual energy of the five elements exploded within his body, surging and surging.

This time, he's going to force his way through!