I rely on learning to achieve immortality.

The door to the foundation-building chamber slowly closed, and the surrounding noise immediately subsided.

Xu Zhou arrived at the center of the indoor formation and quietly experienced its effects.

"The spirit-gathering array and mind-calming array here are both second-tier, several times stronger than the ones I set up myself."

He sat in the center of the formation, and with a wave of his hand, the Foundation Establishment spiritual items that had been prepared beforehand were placed in front of him.

Besides the most important Foundation Establishment Pill, Blood Refining Jujube, Flawless Leaf, and Meridian Protection Pill... were all right in front of me.

Xu Zhou placed the Foundation Establishment Pill beside him, then took the remaining spiritual items in his hand and swallowed them one by one.

His blood and qi gradually became hot, his magical power began to rise, and his consciousness became lighter and more agile than ever before.

While sensing the changes within his body, he also anticipated the next steps.

"The Three Stages of Foundation Building"

"The Qi and Blood barrier is the simplest. As long as a cultivator has abundant Qi and Blood and a healthy body, they can pass it with a high probability."

"I have suppressed my lifespan for many years, but in the last ten years or so I have had less time to study, so my lifespan has been passing by a little faster."

Now, his physical age should be just over thirty-five or thirty-six.

"However, a cultivator's vital energy is at its peak between the ages of twenty and forty. I also cultivate a health-preserving technique, so my peak period should be even longer. I think it should be fine."

"Furthermore, I hardly fought with anyone, so my body is unharmed and my energy is abundant."

"We can get through this hurdle."

Xu Zhou nodded to himself.

"The mana barrier is a bit troublesome; Senior Brother Li encountered problems at this barrier before."

"But I am different from him. My magical power is so solid that it is almost slow. I only started practicing the Longevity Technique after I had fully mastered it. I have never encountered a bottleneck along the way and have accumulated a wealth of knowledge."

"With the addition of Foundation Establishment items like the Flawless Leaf, this level shouldn't be too difficult."

He nodded to himself as he thought of this, then his expression turned serious.

"What I truly fear is the challenge of the soul."

"In this stage, one's qi, blood, and magical power are mixed, and one has no control over them, relying entirely on the soul to govern. If one fails, even with Foundation Establishment Pills and Meridian Protection Pills to save one's life, one's lifespan will be greatly shortened."

"If we fail here, our foundation will be severely damaged, and it will be difficult to rebuild it in the future."

Thinking of Li Zelei's appearance after his failure, he couldn't help but hesitate.

However, he quickly calmed down.

"I spent almost ten years honing my divine sense, all for this moment."

"With divine protection, we have a good chance of passing this test."

After carefully recalling all the Foundation Establishment tips he had read before and confirming the various situations he might encounter during his Foundation Establishment journey, he finally felt confident enough.

"Let's begin."

Xu Zhou didn't hesitate any longer and began to concentrate and compress his magical power.

...

Outside the foundation building.

Not many people came to observe.

Most people thought he was bound to fail in his foundation building, probably because he was old and frail and couldn't even pass the Qi and blood barrier, so there was no need to observe him.

When Li Pochen arrived, he only saw Li Pojing standing outside.

He paused for a moment, hesitated for a while, then walked closer and called out in a low voice.

"Big brother... what are you doing here?"

Li Pojing's face was gloomy, and he only let out a cold snort.

"When Uncle Xu fails to emerge from seclusion later, someone will need to help him out."

He glanced at the other person, then sneered, "I thought you wouldn't come either."

Li Pochen's expression stiffened slightly.

He paused, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. Then, with a solemn expression, he said, "Brother, I was wrong. I understand now."

"What do you understand?"

Li Pochen continued, "Immortality is the lifelong pursuit of cultivators like us, and Foundation Establishment is a hurdle that must be overcome. Although it is dangerous, it is a hurdle that cultivators must face."

Both the father and the master were clearly aware of this, and were willing to take the risk.

This is the choice they made, and regardless of success or failure, it is the result they deserve.

I shouldn't... I shouldn't have put myself in their shoes and been afraid.

Li Pojing did not reply.

After a long silence, he finally said, "You're overthinking it."

"Um?"

Li Pojing turned to look at him: "I said you're overthinking things, you're getting stuck on a rut."

My father always said I was stubborn, but I think you're the one who's always throwing tantrums.

He looked at the stone door of the Foundation Building Chamber: "The reason I'm angry isn't as mysterious as you say. In the end, it's just one reason."

They are your family and teachers. No matter what, you should always be there for them when they need you.

Li Pochen trembled slightly.

His eyes reddened: "Brother, I was wrong. I shouldn't have been afraid and refused to see Father one last time!"

Thinking of this, Li Pojing couldn't help but let out another cold snort.

After a while, he still felt a little soft-hearted and patted his younger brother's shoulder hard.

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore."

He sighed: "Once we've appeased Uncle Xu, you should find a chance to go home and visit him."

"Your mother has missed you terribly these past years. She was the one who was most heartbroken when your second brother and you got into a fight last time."

Li Pochen nodded.

But when he looked up at the door of the Foundation Building Chamber, his expression faltered slightly.

"But, will Master really fail?"

His sudden question also made Li Pojing realize something was amiss, and his expression changed as well.

Then, the two looked toward the Foundation Building Chamber.

The aura emanating from it was quite peaceful and stable, without the slightest fluctuation that could cause one's heart to race.

In comparison, Xu Zhou's foundation-building process was even smoother than Li Zelei's back then.

Time passed slowly.

The two Li brothers stood outside the foundation-building room, their expressions changing one after another.

At first it was just curiosity, then surprise, and later it was almost unbelievable.

They couldn't even detect the specific fluctuations in the Foundation Building Chamber, nor could they discern when Xu Zhou transitioned from the Qi and Blood Barrier to the Mana Barrier.

It seemed that the foundation-building process inside the gate was unimpeded.

It wasn't until he entered the Divine Soul Barrier that some fluctuations occasionally emanated, proving that Xu Zhou had also encountered some trouble.

But that's about it.

Li Pochen was concerned about Xu Zhou, and his face showed a series of changes in expression, from joy to worry.

But Li Pojing is different.

He was a disciple of Ouyang Ming, and had seen his master reach the Foundation Establishment stage.

Comparing the two, he could clearly feel that Xu Zhou's foundation-building process was much smoother than Ouyang Ming's!

Could it be that Uncle Xu can really achieve Foundation Establishment?

A few years ago, Li Pojing would never have believed it.

However, after Ouyang Ming achieved Foundation Establishment, he no longer found the idea of ​​someone achieving Foundation Establishment at an advanced age as hard to believe as before.

As time went by, the atmosphere in the foundation-building chamber gradually stabilized.

At one point, the fluctuations ceased.

The two people outside the door exchanged a glance.

Succeeded?

...

The foundation room is located within the sacred ground.

A slender monk suddenly sensed something in the cave.

"Strange, why has the restriction over the Foundation Establishment room been activated?"

"If I remember correctly, the person using the Foundation Building Room these past few days should be an old man who is nearly eighty years old."

He hesitated for a moment, then realized something was wrong.

"Could it be another Foundation Establishment cultivator of advanced age, like Junior Brother Ouyang?"

Thinking of this, he lost all interest in continuing his cultivation.

"Strange things have been happening one after another in the sect lately!"

"First there was Junior Brother Ouyang, and now, another one?"

He looked surprised, got up and walked out of the cave, flying towards the Foundation Establishment Chamber.

When they were still a few dozen feet away, he suddenly sensed a presence.

The slender cultivator turned his gaze, a friendly smile appearing on his face, and flew to the side.

"I never expected to run into Junior Sister Song here!"

The slender cultivator smiled and bowed to Song Rou in greeting, then asked, "Junior Sister Song, are you here because you were also attracted by the commotion in the Foundation Establishment room?"

A trace of shock still lingered on Song Rou's face.

Then, she came to her senses and quickly bowed to the other person, saying, "Greetings, Senior Brother Lin."

"No need for such formalities."

The slender cultivator laughed and waved his hand, saying, "Junior Sister Song, there's no need to be so polite with me."

He wanted to get a few more words with Song Rou, the alchemist, but when he sensed the increasingly strong aura coming from the Foundation Establishment Room, his expression turned serious.

"Junior sister, let's not chat for now. Let's go see what this newly breakthrough junior brother looks like."

...

Xu Zhou slowly opened his eyes.

Before one can clearly see what is in front of them, one's spiritual sense expands even faster than one's eyesight.

The next moment, Xu Zhou couldn't help but be a little surprised.

During his Qi Refining period, his divine sense could already extend to a radius of fifteen zhang around him, allowing him to see many things clearly.

But now, after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, his divine sense has surged, reaching a height of forty zhang!

He could see the two Li brothers outside the Foundation Establishment room, as well as Song Rou and another slender cultivator flying towards him from a distance, as if they were right in front of him.

He could even feel the temperature of the mountain breeze that blew by.

Xu Zhou turned his consciousness inward and began to examine himself.

The immense magical power within his body had vanished, replaced by a bright river of magical power flowing continuously through his meridians.

Compared to before Foundation Establishment, the aura emanating from each drop of mana is ten times stronger than that of Qi Refining.

Xu Zhou moved his arms slightly.

The sensations transmitted through the body are also very different.

Hands that were once made of flesh and blood now seem to be forged from steel. A gentle wave of the hand feels as if it carries the weight of a thousand pounds.

He had never practiced any body-refining techniques, but at this moment, his physical strength was not much weaker than Li Zelei's in the past.

"The changes after Foundation Establishment are so drastic?"

Xu Zhou was secretly surprised.

He finally understood why Zhang Wufeng was beaming with joy after successfully establishing his foundation, as if he had become a completely different person.

After reaching the foundation stage, one is no longer an ordinary person; it is indeed a completely different experience.

Suddenly, Xu Zhou seemed to have thought of something.

He immediately closed his eyes again and focused his mind, sensing the gentle and almost invisible part of his body.

Lifespan.

Soon, he saw the white aura of life force within his body.

The white mist, which originally symbolized the lifespan of mortals, was now so thick that it was almost visible.

A hint of joy flashed across Xu Zhou's face.

As he progressed through the Foundation Establishment stage, his senses became clearer, allowing him to accurately perceive his lifespan at any given moment, down to the exact number of years.

"My current physical age should be thirty-six."

"And I have a full two hundred and eighty years left to live!"

Xu Zhou noticed this and couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

So I was actually at the age of thirty-six when I established my foundation?

The Golden Flame Sect has had quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators over the years, but none of them have succeeded in Foundation Establishment at such a young age!

"The youngest one started Foundation Establishment at forty or fifty years old. A Foundation Establishment cultivator at thirty-six... that's unheard of."

Xu Zhou couldn't help but chuckle.

He's not thirty-six years old.

He is now 85 years old!

I entered the sect at the age of twenty, and it has been sixty-five years since then.

Years of studying classical texts, learning skills, alchemy, array formations, and awakening spiritual consciousness—a full sixty-five years of accumulation—have led to the successful foundation building stage.

Xu Zhou smiled slightly and slowly stood up.

He took a few steps and felt his body become much lighter. Although he was just walking around casually, his movements were as swift as someone in the Qi Refining stage using the Wind Control Technique.

"It seems I'll need to spend some time getting used to my form after Foundation Establishment."

Xu Zhou couldn't help but chuckle.

He then activated the Longevity Technique, slowly gathering the aura that had dissipated when he broke through.

The originally sharp and outward-looking spiritual pressure of the Foundation Establishment stage gradually subsided into peace.

They then proceeded towards the indoor stone door.

The stone door opened, and he stepped outside.