Foundation Establishment lifespan can exceed five hundred years! Golden Core lifespan can exceed a thousand years!
Qi Ping believed that few people could resist the temptation of a long life—certainly not himself. Aside from wanting power, freedom from threats, and a comfortable life, the ultimate goal of cultivation was immortality. Breaking through to Foundation Establishment would grant him over five hundred years of life! This was an irresistible lure, providing him with enough time to accomplish many things.
In the future, no matter how difficult cultivation became, he could slowly grind his way up. If his talent was insufficient, he could find more animal companions with powerful talents. Not to mention, the breakthrough would bring immense power. What Qi Refinement cultivator could resist the lure of Foundation Establishment?
"Foundation Establishment!"
"The day has finally arrived!"
Having reached the peak of Qi Refinement, Qi Ping was incredibly excited. He had prepared for so long, and now the final condition was met!
Previously, he had pushed his comprehension of the True Meaning of Fire to a deeper level. Progress on the Farming Domain had been slower, as clarity of the Dao-heart was harder to achieve than mere cultivation levels. However, a Dao-heart intent was not a strict requirement for Foundation Establishment; it merely increased the success rate and strengthened the foundation.
Foundation Establishment, as the name implied, was about building the foundation of one's cultivation. Someone like Meng Yan could have broken through long ago, but he had waited until he achieved Dao-heart enlightenment to ensure a powerful foundation for his future Golden Core breakthrough.
Indeed, Meng Yan's strength at Foundation Establishment was formidable. Even while heavily injured, he could make two disciples from major sects stay on high alert, fearing he might suddenly unleash a killing blow. That was the power of a foundation forged through both law-based True Meaning and Dao-heart intent—though Meng Yan's special physique played a role as well.
Qi Ping's soul and physical body had also been pushed to their current limits. The only slight imperfections were his lack of a soul-cultivation manual and a high-tier physical talent. However, these would not hinder his breakthrough. For a cultivator, the body and soul only needed to be strong enough; chasing absolute perfection in every minor detail would be putting the cart before the horse.
"Before I begin the breakthrough, I must familiarize myself with the Golden Flame Manual one more time. I must ensure my body, essence, and spirit are at their absolute peak..."
Qi Ping had been studying this manual for over half a year. When he first began to understand it, he was shocked by its power. It was actually a Secret Transmission grade manual!
In the classification of Foundation Establishment techniques, they were generally divided into four grades: Low, Medium, High, and Secret Transmission.
Low-grade manuals were the worst. Not only was their power low, but they also possessed major flaws. The probability of reaching the Golden Core stage with such a manual was less than ten percent. These were used by the lowest tier of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Medium-grade manuals were standard. They lacked powerful features, but if one's talent and luck were sufficient, they could support a cultivator until the Golden Core stage. Most Foundation Establishment cultivators practiced manuals of this level.
High-grade manuals usually possessed powerful traits or combat capabilities—such as the strong healing of wood-attribute techniques or the indestructible nature of metal-attribute ones. Those who could use such manuals were either core members of great families or disciples of major sects.
Beyond that was the Secret Transmission grade! These were the closely guarded secrets of major sects and families, allowed only for the most core members.
Qi Ping had originally thought Meng Yan had given him a high-grade manual, but upon inspection, he found it was a Secret Transmission one! Having some understanding of the cultivation world, Qi Ping knew exactly what this meant. At that moment, he felt the heavy weight of the gift in his hands. This was something that could not be bought with tens of thousands of spirit stones; its value was immeasurable. He etched this kindness deep into his heart.
As a Secret Transmission manual, the Golden Flame Manual's defining characteristic was that the spiritual energy it produced was exceptionally dense and powerful! Its foundation was equally robust, living up to its prestigious rank.
However, the difficulty of the Golden Flame Manual was also immense. The greatest restriction was that it required a powerful spirit fire to temper one's cultivation and spiritual energy base. Only through the tempering of spirit fire could the true power of the Golden Flame Manual be revealed!
Clearly, Meng Yan had noticed that Qi Ping possessed a powerful natal spirit fire, which was why he chose this manual. Without a natal fire, the manual would have been useless to Qi Ping. Unless he first bought and refined a rare spirit fire—which was even rarer than Foundation Establishment Pills—he would never have succeeded.
But with his Beast King's Flame, the manual was a perfect match. Furthermore, Qi Ping shared Ya Ya's Solar-Fire Physique, and his blood contained a wisp of True Solar Fire. He was a natural-born talent for the Golden Flame Manual. Meng Yan likely had no idea just how high their compatibility truly was; he only knew Qi Ping had a strong natal fire.
Moreover, as Ya Ya awakened its Great Sun Physique, its Solar-Fire Physique had been continuously tempered, making the True Solar Fire in Qi Ping's blood even stronger than before. Compared to when Ya Ya first evolved from the Li-Fire Physique, it was now much more powerful. It could be predicted that as Ya Ya grew, the True Solar Fire in Qi Ping's blood would increase, and his fire-attribute talent would rise accordingly.
Regarding the Beast King's Flame, as Qi Ping's comprehension of the True Meaning of Fire deepened and he continued to refine and sense Ya Ya's natal fire, the flame had reached Level 4. Its power was greater than ordinary natal fires, and its potential was far higher.
With all these factors combined, Qi Ping found sensing and practicing the Golden Flame Manual exceptionally easy.
"I have no issues with the comprehension or control of the manual. During the breakthrough, I can handle the manipulation part with complete confidence. Now, I just need to wait for my state to reach its peak!"
Over the past six months, Qi Ping had memorized every detail of the manual. He had practiced the circulation of spiritual energy thousands of times in his mind. When the time came, he would move as smoothly as flowing water, without a single error.
During the Foundation Establishment process, one must immediately use their chosen manual to condense a foundation after breaking through the barrier. Failure at this stage could lead to a regression in cultivation or even total loss of power. This was one of the hurdles, but Qi Ping was fully prepared.
He spent the next three days patiently adjusting his state. Then, Qi Ping, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open.
The opportunity for Foundation Establishment had arrived!