Qin Changsheng didn't stop. Following the methods recorded in the manual, he manipulated the spiritual energy surging into his body, repeatedly nourishing the newly formed spiritual energy pool, stabilizing his newly broken realm, and guiding the chaotic spiritual energy around him into its proper order, integrating it into the pool.
After an unknown amount of time, he slowly opened his eyes. Two brilliant beams of light flashed from within them. A faint, pure, and profound fluctuation of Foundation Establishment stage spiritual energy surrounded him, vastly different from his previous Qi Refining Stage 10 aura.
He slowly raised his hand, and the spiritual energy transformed into a gentle stream, flowing freely and effortlessly within his cave.
A relieved smile slowly appeared on Qin Changsheng's lips, his eyes filled with excitement.
Months of arduous cultivation, following the manual's instructions, and overcoming numerous dangers—he had finally succeeded in Foundation Establishment!
From the peak of the tenth level of Qi Refining to the early stage of Foundation Establishment, he crossed the first life-or-death hurdle on the path of cultivation. Thanks to Xuan Yangzi's insights, abundant resources, a stable cave dwelling, and his own perseverance and focus, he finally achieved a qualitative leap.
Qin Changsheng's gaze also fell upon the attribute panel.
[Name: Qin Changsheng]
[Lifespan: 27/+∞]
[Cultivation Level: Foundation Establishment Level 1 (1/20000)]
[Cultivation Technique: Qi Induction Technique (Perfect)]
[Spell: Fireball Technique (Perfect)]
[Swift Wind Sword Technique: Perfect]
[Smoke Shadow Step: Perfect]
[Fireball Talisman Crafting: 2051/3000 Great Success]
[Qi Gathering Pill Refining: 225/5000 Great Success]
[Spiritual Root: Top-Grade Five Spiritual Roots]
[Number of Attribute Draws: 1]
[Attributes: Cultivation, Storage Space, Avatar, Immortality, Substitute Death, Concealing Breath, Exchange, Sword Heart Clarity, Sharing, Intelligence]
Looking at the contents of the attribute panel, Qin Changsheng was somewhat dazed.
He hadn't expected that nearly a year had passed since he reached the Foundation Establishment stage.
However, seeing his cultivation reach the Foundation Establishment stage still made him very happy.
At the same time, Qin Changsheng noticed he had one more chance to draw an attribute.
"Activate attribute draw." Qin Changsheng's eyes turned to the attribute panel.
As he spoke, his sea of consciousness suddenly shimmered with golden light. Countless tiny attribute phantoms floated and flickered within the golden light, some glowing white, some blue, and occasionally a few streaks of purple light flashed by, disappearing in an instant. Each attribute phantom emitted a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy, representing a different ability enhancement.
Qin Changsheng focused his mind, his gaze fixed on the attribute phantoms in his sea of consciousness. He didn't rush to choose, but quietly waited for the attributes to flow and settle.
A moment later, a dazzling golden beam of light suddenly emerged from the countless attribute phantoms.
As the golden light slowly dissipated, a gilded inscription, engraved with intricate patterns, gradually emerged. Four powerful characters were clearly visible on the inscription: "Source of Mana."
[Source of Mana: Golden Inscription, 1. [Abundant Spiritual Energy] The mana pool in the host's dantian will automatically increase fivefold.]
[2. [Nourishing Spiritual Veins] - Continuously releases gentle primordial spiritual energy to nourish the host's spiritual veins, repairing hidden dangers, widening veins, and enhancing their resilience.]
[3. [Recovery] - When the host meditates and rests, the speed of mana recovery increases fivefold.]
[4. Your avatar can also benefit from the Mana Source effect.]
Qin Changsheng slowly opened his eyes, a brilliant light flashing in them.
He could clearly feel the spiritual energy pool in his dantian slowly expanding. The speed of spiritual energy generation was indeed five times faster than before. A warm sensation emanated from his spiritual meridians, and the slight fatigue and discomfort left over from the Foundation Establishment stage were rapidly dissipating.
"Excellent!" Qin Changsheng murmured to himself, a smile he couldn't hide.
With this golden attribute, Mana Source, Qin Changsheng no longer needed to worry about insufficient mana.
At the same time, Qin Changsheng began to plan for the future.
He knew that successfully establishing his foundation was merely a new starting point on the path of cultivation, not the end;
Drawing the "Mana Source" golden attribute was just an extra boost, not a permanent solution.
Although he had now broken free from the shackles of the Qi Refining stage, many weaknesses had been exposed. If he didn't address these weaknesses promptly, he would surely struggle to establish himself in the future, let alone face the great calamity of the cultivation world.
Qin Changsheng slowly closed his eyes, his mind beginning to analyze his situation. Plans for the future gradually emerged, each one directly addressing his shortcomings and aligning with his current cultivation needs and potential crises.
He knew that to truly control his destiny, he must proceed step by step, addressing all his weaknesses and steadily improving his strength.
The first priority was to find a cultivation technique suitable for Foundation Establishment stage cultivators.
Qin Changsheng knew that he was currently cultivating the Heavenly Sword Sect's introductory cultivation method, the *Qi Induction Technique*.
This technique was easy to understand, suitable for Qi Refining stage cultivators to build a foundation and guide Qi into their bodies. During the Qi Refining stage, it could barely sustain his cultivation progress.
Now that he has broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, his dantian has transformed into a pool of spiritual energy, and his spiritual energy has transitioned from a gaseous to a liquid state. The drawbacks of the *Qi-Inducing Technique* are now fully exposed.
The technique's level is too low, its circulation speed is slow, and its efficiency in absorbing spiritual energy is extremely poor. It cannot unleash the true power of the "Source of Mana," nor can it support his long-term cultivation.
Continuing to cultivate the *Qi-Inducing Technique* would only waste his talent and the advantages of its attributes, and might even lead to disordered spiritual energy circulation, affecting the stability of his realm.
Therefore, finding a Foundation Establishment cultivation technique is the most urgent and crucial step at present.
This technique doesn't need to be overly powerful; it only needs to be compatible with his five elements, able to efficiently absorb and circulate spiritual energy, and steadily improve his strength. This would be sufficient to support his current stage of cultivation.
Besides the problem with the cultivation technique, the next step is to cultivate the art of sword flight.
One of the biggest differences between Foundation Establishment cultivators and Qi Refining cultivators is the ability to control flying swords and soar through the skies.
Although Qin Changsheng's cultivation level has greatly increased, his movement speed still relies on the "Shadowy Steps" he learned during the Qi Refining stage. Even with the blessing of the "Source of Mana" and abundant spiritual energy, he is still ultimately moving on the ground, with limited speed and agility.
He knows that flying on a sword would not only significantly increase his movement speed, giving him a decisive advantage when traveling or evading pursuit,
more importantly, flying on a sword is a fundamental ability for Foundation Establishment cultivators and a prerequisite for cultivating advanced sword techniques and participating in sect missions.
Without the skill of sword flight, even if he successfully established his foundation, he would still find it difficult to truly integrate into the ranks of Foundation Establishment cultivators, and his actions would be fraught with inconvenience.
This sword flight skill was available in the sect's scripture pavilion.
Qin Changsheng only needed to use Hu Nan's identity token to exchange for a copy of the sword flight skill in the scripture pavilion.
Finally, he needed to cultivate a high-level offensive spell to compensate for his lack of attack power.
Currently, Qin Changsheng only possessed two offensive spells: the Fireball Technique and the Gale Sword Technique, both at the Qi Refining stage.
The Fireball Technique, at the Qi Refining stage, could barely exert decent power with his pure spiritual energy, more than enough to deal with Qi Refining cultivators.
However, after entering the Foundation Establishment stage, the power of the Fireball Technique became negligible.
Foundation Establishment cultivators possess more resilient spiritual veins and richer spiritual energy, resulting in far superior defense compared to Qi Refining cultivators. Even a fully unleashed fireball spell from a Qi Refining cultivator would struggle to inflict substantial damage on a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
To gain an advantage in battle and truly possess the strength to contend with powerful enemies, a high-level offensive spell is indispensable.
Besides cultivation techniques and sword control, the importance of magical artifacts cannot be overlooked; this is a crucial weakness he must address.
Qin Changsheng knew that he had always used a high-grade Yellow-rank magical artifact, the Black Wind Sword.
When he was in the Qi Refining stage, this sword was sharp and could amplify the power of his sword energy, more than enough to deal with Qi Refining cultivators, even allowing him to gain the upper hand with its superior sword energy.
However, now that he had broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, his spiritual energy had become richer and purer, and his fighting style had upgraded accordingly. This high-grade Yellow-rank Black Wind Sword was now proving insufficient.
The Yellow-grade high-level magic weapon was too low-grade, with limited spiritual energy to withstand. It couldn't fully support his Foundation Establishment stage spiritual energy infusion, and even at full power, it couldn't unleash the offensive power expected of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Furthermore, the Black Wind Sword was made of ordinary material, lacking resilience. If it clashed with a Foundation Establishment cultivator's magic weapon, it would likely be destroyed, and might even backfire, damaging his meridians.
To cope with Foundation Establishment battles and to hold his own against powerful enemies, finding a Xuan-grade mid-level or higher magic weapon was now a top priority.
Although he possessed the Xuan-grade low-level longsword he had seized from Lin Hao, he couldn't openly display it.
After all, Lin Zhentian was within the sect.
After addressing all his weaknesses and improving his strength, Qin Changsheng had one more crucial plan in mind:
To venture into Qingyun Lake and explore, to discover the hidden treasure at its bottom.
He knew very well that within Qingyun Lake lay a treasure as important as the cultivation technique stele.
Obtaining this treasure would allow Qin Changsheng to significantly enhance his strength.