Cultivating immortality in the seas, I created an immortal island of eternal life.

After leaving the herb garden, the two continued deeper into the blessed land.

The stone forest gradually receded, replaced by a low hilly area.

The grass and trees on the slope had long since withered, leaving only some charred tree trunks leaning crookedly in the soil, as if they had been burned.

The soil underfoot was surprisingly soft, making a dull, echoing sound when stepped on, and occasionally a few pieces of broken tile could be seen half-buried in the soil.

The two walked slowly.

Qian Qian led the way, glancing back at Gao Yao every now and then.

Gao Yao lagged half a step behind. Even with Wu Ling's warning, his divine sense remained vigilant. Although he couldn't explore far in the gray fog, it was still better than being blind.

The atmosphere was more relaxed than when we were in the herb garden.

People are strange like that; sometimes, after doing something wrong together, they become closer.

Gao Yao knew very well how much of this closeness was genuine; Qian Qian was afraid of him, and he was also wary of Qian Qian.

But outwardly, the two were already chatting casually.

"Qian Qian," Gao Yao spoke first, "You people from your trading company are always out and about, you must come into contact with a lot of Foundation Establishment cultivators, right?"

"Not too much, not too little." Qian Qian took out a piece of dry food from his sleeve, broke it in half and handed it to Gao Yao. Gao Yao didn't take it, so he started eating it by himself.

"Manager Feng himself is a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and he usually associates with other Foundation Establishment cultivators. I, as a disciple who runs errands for Qi Refining, have seen him quite often, but I don't have many people I can talk to."

How exactly is the Foundation Establishment realm divided? Are the differences between the four realms significant?

Qian Qian perked up when he heard him ask this question.

This fat guy is probably born to be a teacher; once he starts talking about what he knows, he can't stop.

"Senior, you've come to the right person." Qian Qian swallowed what was in his mouth, cleared his throat, and said, "Although my cultivation is sparse, I've heard quite a lot over the years as I've traveled around with the trading company."

"The first of the four Foundation Establishment stages is called Jade Liquid, which is simply the process of compressing the gaseous spiritual energy in the dantian into liquid true essence. It sounds simple, but it's incredibly difficult to do. Out of a hundred cultivators who have reached the Qi Refining Perfection stage, you can count the number of them on your fingers if you want to cross this threshold."

"What are the benefits of compressing it?"

"The advantages are enormous. With the same dantian capacity, liquid true essence can hold more than ten times more than gaseous spiritual energy. In a fight, someone else has to gasp for ages after casting a spell, while you can casually unleash a dozen. How can anyone fight like that?"

"What about the second realm?"

"Concentrate." Qian Qian took another bite of dry rations. "Now that I've accumulated enough true essence, the next step is to refine my divine soul."

"Our spiritual sense at the Qi Refining stage is, to put it bluntly, just an extension of spiritual power. It's passable for sensing the slightest disturbance, but it's useless against a powerful enemy. The Condensation stage is different. The soul can leave the body briefly and directly attack the opponent's sea of ​​consciousness. The more powerful ones can even cast illusions."

"I have personally witnessed a senior in the Concentration Realm make a move. With just a glance, three cultivators at the peak of Qi Refining were lying flat on the ground."

"As for the third realm, it's called the Foundation of the Dao." Qian Qian became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke. "To put it simply, it's about forging the foundation of the Great Dao."

"Every Foundation Establishment cultivator who reaches this stage must, based on their understanding of the laws of heaven and earth, construct their own unique foundation with their divine soul and true essence as the core."

"Some choose swords, some choose fire, some choose water; what you choose depends entirely on your personal understanding and fate."

"Once the foundation is laid, is the path set?"

"That's roughly the idea." Qian Qian nodded. "The Dao Foundation is one's own foundation. Later supernatural powers and techniques are like fruits on a tree, all growing from this foundation. If you go astray, it's difficult to turn back."

"Therefore, this realm is the most dangerous and time-consuming. Some people are stuck at the peak of the Concentration stage for decades because they dare not easily establish their foundation, for fear of choosing the wrong path."

Gao thought for a moment. According to this standard, Li Su should be either Jade Liquid or Concentration Spirit. That night, he fought against the Foundation Establishment cultivator in black robes on the shallows. Although the blade light was sharp, it was mainly based on true essence. He didn't see any trace of Foundation Establishment.

Zhou Cheng was different. He cleaved a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the same level in two with a single sword strike. His power was so great that just a glance from afar made people unable to even think of resisting.

"What about the fourth realm of enlightenment?"

"The realm of enlightenment is like branches and leaves growing on the foundation of the Dao." Qian Qian brushed the crumbs of dry food from his hands. "Once the foundation of the Dao is established, supernatural powers will naturally arise."

"At this stage, cultivators no longer rely on spells to fight, but have truly developed their own abilities."

"For example, a fire-based cultivator can burn a hundred feet around to ashes with a single thought, while a water-based cultivator can summon wind and rain out of thin air in arid land."

Gao Yao was silent for a while, thinking about Wang Yao.

What level of skill does Wang Yao possess?

Shopkeeper Chen said she was in the late stage of Qi Refining, so the probability of her being in the Mingfa Realm was not small, even though she had never shown her strength in front of him.

"And beyond Foundation Establishment?" Gao Yao continued to ask.

Qian Qian paused, turned back to look at Gao Yao, and said with some surprise in his eyes, "Senior, your leap is too big."

"Just asking."

"Above the Foundation Establishment stage, the paths of ancient and modern methods diverge completely." Qian Qian turned around and said as he walked, "The ancient method cultivates the Golden Core, while the modern method opens the Purple Mansion. Master Xuan Yuan is following the path of the Golden Core."

"What's the difference?"

"The Golden Elixir is to transform oneself into a part of heaven and earth. This Golden Elixir is the proof bestowed by heaven and earth. The Purple Mansion is to open a small world within one's own body, where the inner landscape of the spiritual platform is formed on its own."

"It's hard to say who's better or worse, but their approaches are completely different."

"The four realms of Golden Core are: Condensing the Core, True Intent, Supernatural Power, and Comprehending the Covenant. Condensing the Core is to refine one's cultivation, Dao principles, and the origin of one's soul into a Golden Core. This process is extremely dangerous, but it is said that one's lifespan can leap by five thousand years."

"The four realms of the Purple Mansion are Gathering at the Top, Facing the Origin, Inner Landscape, and Building the Abode. First, open the gate of the Purple Mansion in the sea of ​​consciousness between the eyebrows, then evolve the inner landscape small world in the Purple Mansion, and finally build the Heart Abode in the inner landscape to nourish the soul. Once the abode is completed, one's lifespan is two thousand years."

How can the difference between the Golden Elixir Inner Path and the Purple Mansion Outer Path be so great from the perspective of lifespan alone?

However, Gao Yao didn't ask any more questions after listening. These things were too far removed from his life. Right now, the most important thing was to find a cultivation technique in this blessed land that he could practice in the future.

"Senior," Qian Qian spoke again, this time with a hint of ingratiation in his tone, "Do you have any thoughts on the matter of the cultivation technique?"

Gao Yao glanced at him.

"If I may be so bold as to say something," Qian Qian shrank back, but still finished what he wanted to say, "Master Xuanyuan is a rogue Golden Core cultivator, and his library likely contains Golden Core inheritances."

"This kind of cultivation technique is a treasure of the sect, but in the hands of a rogue cultivator, it is a lifeline. If you can find a furnace to cultivate, you can reach the Foundation Establishment stage in one step."

Gao Yao didn't respond. He knew that Qian Qian was testing him, trying to find out what he was up to and also speculating whether he was a legitimate disciple of the Yunxiang Sect.

But Qian Qian was right. He needed a cultivation technique, a technique that was not subject to anyone's control.

After walking for a while, the hills gradually became flat.

The fog ahead was thinner than before, and the outline of a building could be vaguely seen.

It's not tall, only two stories, but the area is quite large.

The exterior walls are made of dark gray stone bricks, which gleam coldly in the gray mist, and there is a half-open stone door in front.

"We've arrived." Qian Qian stopped and lowered his voice. "Senior, the library is just ahead."

Gao Yao didn't respond. Wu Ling had just reminded him that there were other people ahead as well.

In front of the library, three groups of people were facing each other.

......