Liu Yi activated the Five Elements Qi Refining Art 3.0. Instantly, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi surged into his body like a breached dam, immediately being refined into Five Elements Spiritual Power.
Following a 'buzzing' sound, the surrounding Spiritual Qi gathered even faster. He hurriedly grabbed the spirit fragmentation stones and desperately absorbed the Spiritual Qi within them.
Three hours later, the surging Spiritual Qi gradually subsided.
Liu Yi opened his eyes with a grim expression. He had achieved a Breakthrough, but instead of reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, he had only reached the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining.
"It's over, everything is over!"
His heart was filled with despair, and he muttered to himself, "How could this happen? It doesn't make any sense!"
The deadline for the Sect assessment was imminent. Stuck at the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining, he no longer had time to Cultivate to the Twelfth Level of Qi Refining Great Perfection.
What was worse, his Lifespan only had four years remaining, and being expelled from the Sect seemed inevitable.
After a long time, Liu Yi finally managed to suppress his surging emotions, forced himself to calm down, and began contemplating the reason for his failed Breakthrough.
Suddenly, his expression changed drastically, and a thought flashed through his mind like lightning.
Perhaps condensing 129,600 acupoints was what disrupted the normal rhythm of Cultivation.
This made it impossible to achieve Foundation Establishment from the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, and perhaps even the Twelfth Level of Qi Refining Great Perfection wouldn't guarantee successful Foundation Establishment.
Thinking of this, Liu Yi's expression fluctuated, filled with deep regret, wishing he could slap himself twice.
Although the higher the Qi Refining layer, the more solid the Foundation for future Foundation Establishment and the greater the potential after advancement, this only applied to Cultivators with abundant Lifespan.
For Liu Yi, the most urgent priority now was not pursuing a profound Foundation, but achieving Foundation Establishment quickly to stay in the Sect and extend his Lifespan.
"This is truly a massive trap!"
Liu Yi sighed helplessly, "But there is always a way out. Even if I'm expelled from the Sect, I can still Cultivate in the Mortal Realm, and there's still a chance for Foundation Establishment."
"It's just that the Spiritual Qi there is too thin, unless I can find a new source of Cultivation energy."
"New Cultivation energy source, new Cultivation energy source..." Liu Yi repeated, racking his brain for a solution.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up: "In my previous life, there was solar power generation! In this life, there are also Cultivation Techniques that absorb the power of the sun."
"Whether it's Martial Dao Cultivation Techniques or Immortal Cultivation Techniques, they all exist, but the Cultivation efficiency is too low and the risk is too high."
"If I can improve and perfect the Cultivation Technique, I can solve the problem of Cultivation energy."
"Solar energy is inexhaustible, so there's no need to worry about energy depletion. Moreover, the moonlight and starlight in this Cultivation World can also be used for Cultivation!"
But soon, his expression grew serious again.
Using solar energy for Cultivation was too dangerous; a slight mistake could lead to self-immolation.
"I need to conduct a large number of experiments and explore gradually. Every step of the Cultivation Technique must be repeatedly verified to ensure safety, or else I'll be burned to ashes before even achieving Foundation Establishment."
"Also, if I could imitate the batteries from my previous life and create an energy storage device to directly store solar energy, wouldn't that be just like a Spirit Stone?"
His eyes instantly lit up, and he was so excited he nearly jumped up.
A moment later, Liu Yi calmed his emotions, held his breath, and used his Divine Sense to examine the circulation within his Meridians.
The 129,600 acupoints flickered like brilliant stars, and the Five Elements Spiritual Power flowed through his Meridians like rushing rivers.
Every inch of muscle and every bone radiated a golden luster, nourished by the Spiritual Power.
At this moment, he was confident that relying solely on the power of his Physical Body, he could kill a Ninth Layer of Qi Refining Cultivator with a single punch.
Even more astonishing was that his control over the space-time realm had quietly increased to 3%.
This seemingly small number had doubled his Calculation Power.
It also allowed him to faintly grasp the profound mysteries of time and space.
Now that he possessed greater Calculation Power, he felt more confident about his future plans.
He quickly put away the remaining 20 spirit fragmentation stones, tucked them into his robes, and headed toward the Scripture Pavilion.
He figured he might find Artifact Refining Secret Manuals and Cultivation methods capable of absorbing solar energy, starlight, and moonlight among the ancient texts on the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion.
More than a month later, the day finally arrived for Liu Yi to leave the Tianqi Sect.
At the Tianqi Plaza of the Tianqi Sect, over a hundred Outer Sect Disciples were gathered.
Like Liu Yi, they were all being expelled from the Sect because there was no hope for them to achieve Foundation Establishment.
The surrounding area was crowded with Outer Sect Disciples and Inner Sect Disciples who had come to watch the spectacle.
These people pointed and whispered, their eyes full of disdain, as if looking at a group of insignificant ants.
Suddenly, a familiar shout came, "Brother Yi! I finally found you."
Liu Yi turned around and saw Qian Duoduo pushing hard through the crowd and running toward him while shouting.
"Lao Qian, I didn't expect you to specially come and see me off before I left."
Qian Duoduo sighed softly, pulled out 20 spirit fragmentation stones, and handed them over: "Brother Yi, consider these spirit fragmentation stones a small token of my regard. Please take them; perhaps they can help you achieve Foundation Establishment."
Liu Yi quickly shook his head and declined: "No way! I still owe you over a hundred spirit fragmentation stones. How can I take more from you?"
"Don't be a stranger with me!" Qian Duoduo shoved the spirit fragmentation stones into his hand.
"20 spirit fragmentation stones is nothing to me; I can earn them back quickly. But for you, they might be the key to a Breakthrough."
Liu Yi held the spirit fragmentation stones, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded solemnly: "Lao Qian, I won't forget this kindness. When I make it big, I will definitely repay you!"
Qian Duoduo nodded. The two briefly chatted about the past, and then he turned and left.
Just then, a flying boat over three hundred meters long broke through the air in the distance and slowly stopped over Tianqi Plaza.
The cabin door opened, and a woman in white robes stepped out.
Her demeanor was cold, her figure graceful, and her skin was lustrous like jade.
This person was none other than Ye Qingxue, the Saintess of the Tianqi Sect. She possessed a Mutated Ice Spiritual Root and had achieved a Breakthrough from the Twelfth Level of Qi Refining Great Perfection to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
After 20 years of Cultivation, she was now at the Early Stage of the Golden Core Realm, the dream lover of countless Disciples within the Sect.
Wherever she walked, the surrounding Disciples involuntarily held their breath, the murmuring ceased, and countless admiring gazes followed her.
Following behind her were two Inner Sect Disciples at the Golden Core Realm and over a hundred new Disciples recruited through the Ascension Ceremony.
They were either spirited and vigorous or nervous and reserved, yet they all struggled to conceal the longing in their eyes for a new life in the Sect and the pursuit of eternal Immortal Cultivation.
Liu Yi looked at the scene before him, his heart filled with complexity. This moment today felt like yesterday, like a Reincarnation.
128 years ago, he had stood on Tianqi Plaza, similarly harboring aspirations for eternal Immortal Cultivation.
But now, he had become a failure, abandoned by the Sect.
The cruelty of the path of Immortal Cultivation flashed before his eyes: countless Outer Sect Disciples became the Sect's laborers, operating Formations day and night to produce Spiritual Qi, only to be mercilessly discarded like him in the end.
Thinking of this, Liu Yi clenched his fists, and a flame of indignation burned in his eyes.
He secretly swore that he must achieve a Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm and no longer be looked down upon.
He also vowed to break the shackles of Cultivation Aptitude and shatter the high walls of resource monopoly.
He would ensure Cultivation was no longer the privilege of the few, and he would drag those high and mighty Cultivators down from their pedestals.
"I refuse to accept this!"
"Why do they get to be so high and mighty?"
"I must drag these people down from the clouds! I'll make them compete with us ants, rolling around in the mud together."
This idea was insane, but for this already deranged Cultivation World.
If one wasn't crazy enough, survival was truly difficult.
Furthermore, it wasn't a hope without possibility. Over the past month, he had gained much and had new plans for the future, just waiting to be realized step by step.
Perhaps Liu Yi's gaze was too intense; in a trance, he felt as if Ye Qingxue had turned and glanced at him.
Just then, a cold voice rang out above Tianqi Plaza: "Disciples who have been expelled from the Sect, quickly board the flying boat!"
Liu Yi snapped back to reality, suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, and with heavy steps, walked toward the flying boat.