Translator: AnubisTL
After swallowing the first Foundation Establishment Pill, Li Qing focused all his mental energy, wholeheartedly circulating the Fire Origin Art, a basic fire-attribute cultivation manual.
Unlike any previous cultivation-enhancing pills he had taken, this Foundation Establishment Pill didn't immediately transform into pure medicinal power to boost Li Qing's cultivation.
Instead, it slowly sank into his abdomen, continuously releasing a strange energy that surged through the mana in his dantian qi sea, as if cleansing and purifying it.
Boom!
Having cultivated the incomplete Vital Essence Enhancement Secret Art, Li Qing's mana was unusually robust, far exceeding that of most cultivators at his level.
Now, as the Foundation Establishment Pill began to refine his mana, it felt like a vast ocean churning up monstrous waves, with faint rumbling sounds echoing outward.
The first step of Foundation Establishment: refining mana!
This step is also known as spiritual energy purification. Only the purest spiritual energy can undergo liquification!
Without this step, liquifying the spiritual energy within the body becomes extremely difficult. The spiritual energy may dissipate midway, leading to Foundation Establishment failure.
However, with the aid of the Foundation Establishment Pill, this step became remarkably simple.
In fact, Li Qing didn't even need to actively participate; his mana began refining itself autonomously.
As this process continued, the medicinal power of the Foundation Establishment Pill gradually dissipated, while strands of pure medicinal essence began to flow into Li Qing's meridians.
This was another function of the Foundation Establishment Pill: to protect the heart meridian.
If Foundation Establishment failed, the mana would collapse and surge throughout the body, violently impacting the meridians until they ruptured. With this layer of protection, Li Qing wouldn't suffer severe injuries, and his cultivation wouldn't regress significantly.
"So this is the difference in Spirit Root aptitude among cultivators. Just refining the spiritual energy in my body has consumed the entire medicinal power of a Foundation Establishment Pill."
"While this is partly due to the density of the mana in my body, it's still rather disappointing."
Li Qing sighed inwardly. Then, he focused his mind and began to refine his mana independently, no longer relying solely on the pill's medicinal power.
Unfortunately, by the time his mana was nearing complete refinement, the pill's medicinal power had almost completely dissipated.
"Just a little more... While the protective medicinal power in my meridians remains, I might as well push through this mana refinement stage in one go!"
Li Qing thought, and with a thought, he accelerated the mana refinement process.
Finally, after the medicinal power of the Foundation Establishment Pill had completely vanished, Li Qing slowly opened his eyes, a wry smile on his face.
"The Foundation Establishment stage truly presents a thousand dangers, especially for cultivators like me with average Spirit Root aptitude."
Before he could even begin the step of liquefying his mana, the medicinal power of the Foundation Establishment Pill had completely dissipated.
Slowly composing his expression, Li Qing's face regained its focus.
No matter, he thought. I still have five more Foundation Establishment Pills!
He hadn't expected to succeed in Foundation Establishment with just one pill. After years of preparation, he had anticipated this outcome.
Quickly, he retrieved another Foundation Establishment Pill from the white jade porcelain bottle.
Boom!
This time, Li Qing moved with practiced ease. As the pill's medicinal power began to spread, the first stage—mana purification—went smoothly thanks to his already refined and purified mana.
In just a dozen breaths, the purification was complete. Now came the second stage: mana liquefaction!
This stage was extremely perilous. During the process, cultivators had to simultaneously liquefy their internal mana while absorbing heaven and earth spiritual energy.
After all, the mana density of a Qi Refining Realm cultivator, even after complete liquefaction, was still far less than that of a normal Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Most cultivators failed at this stage, unable to persevere to the end.
Let's begin! Mana liquefaction!
With a thought, Li Qing began to consciously compress his internal mana, aided by the medicinal power of the Foundation Establishment Pill.
At this moment, vast amounts of heaven and earth spiritual energy converged toward Li Qing, gradually forming a spiritual energy vortex that furiously absorbed into his body.
Boom!
The sudden surge of energy startled several disciples residing near Li Qing.
"Hmm? This fluctuation... Someone's attempting Foundation Establishment?"
Soon, someone emerged from their courtyard, their gaze filled with uncertainty as they scanned the source of the energy fluctuation. Their eyes finally settled on Li Qing's courtyard.
"It's Li Qing! He's actually attempting Foundation Establishment at this moment! So sudden!"
"He has a Foundation Establishment Pill. What difference does it make when he attempts it?"
"Judging by this energy, it seems a bit unstable. Will he succeed?"
"I doubt it. Didn't so many immortal seeds fail their Foundation Establishment attempts earlier today? With his mere Four Spirit Root aptitude, succeeding would be like climbing to the heavens."
"..."
As the energy of Li Qing's Foundation Establishment attempt spread, some idle disciples couldn't resist spreading the news.
"What? That Four Spirit Root disciple who obtained the Ascension Token is actually attempting Foundation Establishment now?"
"Delusional! Does he think he can succeed just because so many immortal seeds failed earlier today?"
"What a pity. I thought he wouldn't dare take that Foundation Establishment Pill. I was even planning to pay a price to buy it from him."
"Damn it! That ungrateful fool actually took the Foundation Establishment Pill!"
Zheng Donghe's face instantly darkened upon hearing the news, his features contorted with rage.
Bang!
He slammed his fist on the table, his fury boiling over. When he first learned that someone had obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill through the Ascension Token—and that the disciple in question had a Four Spirit Root aptitude—he had been ecstatic. He had immediately considered the pill his own.
But who could have known that this disciple, though lacking in talent, wasn't without connections? He was rumored to have deep ties to the renowned Elder Wu within the sect.
"If you dare touch my Foundation Establishment Pill, you'd better succeed in Foundation Establishment. Otherwise, you'll pay dearly later. I'll make sure you're assigned to the most grueling sect affairs."
Zheng Donghe's nostrils flared with anger. He had planned to visit Li Qing again tonight.
But now, all his efforts had gone to waste.
At the Lingyun Sect, news of Li Qing's late-night Foundation Establishment spread like wildfire, even drawing disciples who had been preparing for cultivation out of seclusion to witness the spectacle.
Back in Li Qing's courtyard, the mana liquefaction process had reached a critical stage.
Wu Chong, who was guarding Li Qing, grew tense, even more so than when he had undergone Foundation Establishment himself.
"I'm a Three Spirit Root, and it took me two Foundation Establishment Pills to succeed. Li Qing, you have to hold on!" Wu Chong said anxiously, even forgetting to continue eating.
Damn it!
Li Qing's heart sank. He felt the medicinal power of the Foundation Establishment Pill was about to dissipate, yet the liquefaction of his mana was still incomplete!
Under normal circumstances, a cultivator at this stage would face two choices:
Either end the Foundation Establishment process and rely on the remaining medicinal power of the pill to protect them. Even if they failed, the liquefied mana would only partially backflow through their body, causing minimal damage.
Or press forward relentlessly, pushing through the Foundation Establishment process even without the pill's protection. This path was a gamble: one step could lead to heaven, the next to hell!
But Li Qing was no ordinary cultivator.
His throat moved as if he had swallowed something.
Glug!
It was the third Foundation Establishment Pill!
That's right. Just now, Li Qing had swallowed two Foundation Establishment Pills at once, but he had only swallowed one. The other remained in his mouth, held against the roof of his mouth by his Inner Strength to prevent its medicinal power from dissipating prematurely.
With the second Foundation Establishment Pill added, Li Qing continued compressing the mana within his body without any hesitation.
Pure and dense mana collapsed continuously, while vast amounts of heaven and earth spiritual energy surged into his body, flowing through his meridians and sinking into his dantian. There, it continued to be compressed and collapsed, transforming into liquid mana.
During this process, Li Qing's physical body was constantly cleansed by the spiritual energy, undergoing a complete transformation from the inside out.
This transformation would greatly smooth his future cultivation, making him far more attuned to heaven and earth spiritual energy—a change no less profound than Marrow Cleansing.
After a long while, having absorbed a massive amount of heaven and earth spiritual energy, Li Qing's aura suddenly surged!
Mana Liquefaction Complete!
The most crucial step, accomplished!
A drop of cold sweat trickled down Li Qing's forehead. He remained vigilant, focusing intently.
The next step, though less challenging than the second, was still critical. In the immortal cultivation world, some cultivators let their guard down at this stage, causing their mental state to waver and ultimately leading to Foundation Establishment failure.
The third stage: the dantian must contain the liquid mana, solidifying the cultivator's Dao Foundation!
To ensure stability, Li Qing retrieved another Foundation Establishment Pill from his storage bag. This was a Low-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill, slightly less potent but still possessing the same effects.
He didn't harbor the thought of saving the Foundation Establishment Pills to exchange for cultivation resources later. Once he committed to something, he would do it to the best and most perfect degree possible!
Gulp!
The fourth Foundation Establishment Pill was swallowed!
Foundation Establishment continued, its medicinal power instantly surging forward.
A vast amount of mana, now completely liquefied, began to slowly sink into his dantian. Li Qing focused intently, not daring to relax for a moment, carefully nurturing it as if soothing an infant.
Protected by the medicinal power of the Foundation Establishment Pill, the liquefied mana entered his dantian with almost no resistance.
He had endured!
Boom!
At this moment, the aura Li Qing had just ascended to began to solidify.
His Vital Energy, mana, and divine soul seemed to merge, undergoing a momentary sublimation!
The fourth and final step: the union of essence, qi, and spirit!
There were no obstacles or bottlenecks. His divine soul already matched a Foundation Establishment cultivator's, and his physical body was beyond compare—the physique of a Grandmaster in the mortal realm, its advantages now fully apparent.
Compared to the previous three stages, this was almost the simplest.
Whoosh!
When Li Qing opened his eyes, two beams of light, sharp as swords, shot forth.
At this moment, his essence, qi, and spirit had reached the peak of his life.
Success! He has achieved Foundation Establishment!
Confirming this fact, Li Qing couldn't help but throw his head back and let out a long, triumphant roar:
"Roar!"
As the roar faded, an irrepressible joy spread across his face. After maintaining a calm state of mind for so many days, his emotions finally surged again!
"Hahaha, I finally did it!"
A hearty laugh echoed through the air as Li Qing, overwhelmed with joy, reined in his aura.
Just as he was about to consolidate his cultivation and savor the changes, a respectful voice called out from outside:
"Congratulations to Elder Li Qing on his successful Foundation Establishment!"
(End of the Chapter)
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