Chapter 209: Once Again
Leaving the duel behind them, Jian Beiyun led Li Lang and his companions toward a group of Nightmoon Valley disciples. They gathered near their tent, in an outdoor area that was partitioned off, warding off any prying eyes.
The disciples were young, all in their teens. No words needed to be exchanged for Li Lang to understand they had been selected to enter the pocket realm.
"Remember everyone, don't take off your hats until you're inside the pocket realm," Jian Beiyun instructed.
On a table nearby, there were dozens of straw hats that had a white cloth hanging from the rim. It covered the wearers' faces and, combined with the amulet that guarded against Qi senses, the spectators would have a hard time identifying anyone within their group.
Jian Beiyun then recited some instructions to the group, letting them know what to take note of. While he had a lot of say, the event wouldn't last that long. Nightmoon Valley simply needed them to enter the realm and back to prove that they had access to The Great Trial of Water Crest.
"Can we not stay to challenge just one trial while we're in there?" one of the young cultivators bravely asked.
"That is a matter for another day. We can't have our guests wait because of your wants."
Seeing the dejected boy's face, Li Lang intervened.
"Well, we only need to show we can enter and exit the realm. Not all of us have to come out right away."
"No," Jian Beiyun sternly replied. "Our instructions are clear. We can't afford to deviate from it at all. Our Valley Master has many plans in place. Any changes would ruin the negotiations we had painstakingly worked for."
"Hmm, I'll follow your instructions, then."
Thinking it through, Li Lang believed his words to be correct. Nightmoon Valley could've come up with some reason to limit the use of the pocket realm. If he allowed people to arbitrarily come and go as they pleased, the others would pressure Nightmoon Valley to open up the realm to even more people.
The worst part was that Li Lang had yet to inquire about the quantity and frequency in which the Crucible could support. Nothing was limitless. There had to be some consumption in running the trials, whether it be the Qi beasts that are part of the tests or the materials used in various crafts.
Li Lang had to have a thorough talk with the three artifact spirits first before hashing out the details. It was at the top of his priority list because if there were some problems, the Valley Master had to be informed right away. Otherwise, it could jeopardize his dealings with the various organizations of the Luminescent Domain.
With the matter clarified, Li Lang's group blended in with the other Nightmoon Valley disciples to enter the pocket realm. Almost a hundred people in beige robes and straw hats emerged. It caught the attention of the crowd, who had gotten bored from not being able to spectate the duel above.
"Look, Nightmoon Valley is making a move! They're sending people toward the pocket realm!"
"Do you really think it's true? They really took control of it?"
"When has Nightmoon Valley ever lied?"
"I mean, they are powerful and resourceful alright, but why did they suddenly gain control of it? If it were to happen, I would have thought the Eroding March Pavilion would've claimed it instead. After all, their disciple was the last to leave the realm during the last opening. He should've been selected by the realm itself."
The gossiping never stopped as Li Lang cut across the crowd. Thankfully, everyone knew to steer out of the way, allowing them to soon come into view of the tower that represented the pocket realm. To be precise, there were four tightly packed towers, and the gap between them was where the entrance lay.
Under the watchful gaze of the crowd, the leading members entered into the gaps. Everyone was anticipating them disappearing at any moment, but even when they reached the most central part of the four pillars, nothing happened.
Seeing this, Li Lang closed his eyes and called out to the three artifact spirits through the connection between artifact and owner. He could only do so now due to the physical contact he was making with the artifact.
"Red, Green, Blue, are you there?"
"Yes. What can we do to serve you?" a feminine voice replied.
"Blue, let me and everyone around me in."
"Are you sure, Master? There are a lot of people watching. While you are absolutely safe inside our territory, that won't be the case when you leave."
"Yes, I've already got all the sorted out. Please let us in."
"Very well."
With that, the group of young cultivators vanished from sight. It elicited a cry of excitement from the audience.
"They're gone! They really took control of it!"
Their absence wasn't long. A few moments later, all of them reappeared in the same spot.
"Everyone!" Elder Yun of Nightmoon Valley shouted. "As you can see, we have total control of who enters and leaves the pocket realm."
"Then why don't you allow more people to enter? Even if the space inside is limited, you can open the realm every year instead."
"As I previously explained, that won't be possible. The pocket realm is not the key to limitless resources. It can only accommodate so many people every so often. Moving on, our Valley asked that every leave this area by the end of the day. It is now under our management, effective immediately. Those who are interested in the quotes to enter the realm can contact us later."
The people in the crowd shared glances, waiting for others to stand up to the premier organization of their domain. Having verified the pocket realm was indeed controllable, many salivate with greed. They wanted to get Nightmoon Valley to give up more slots to the public, but no one dared to voice their request. These cowards waited on others to ask for them.
They knew speaking up now would jeopardize their relationship with their protectors. Unfortunately for these opportunists, the others weren't stupid. Anyone could see the scheme at hand. No one wanted to fall for the first-mover disadvantage! Or so they thought.
Fortunately for them, someone was brave enough to speak out. It was none other than Elder Ji from the Drenched Earth Sect. It shouldn't be too much of a surprise to the crowd, as even now, a member of his sect was fighting a duel up in the air. They had already picked a fight with Nightmoon Valley, so there was no difference if they continued to do the same.
"Elder Yun, surely your eminent organization can be a little more accommodating. How about giving us all a tour of the pocket realm? I'm sure many old folks here, including me, never had the chance to witness the wonders of The Great Trial of Water Crest. We had already been too old back when it was discovered. Please let us fulfill this regret."
"Elder Ji, I thought you were confident about your disciple's abilities?" the Nightmoon Valley elder dryly pointed out. "Why don't you wait for your disciple to win the duel and make the request, then?"
"Our sect doesn't micromanage every aspect of our members. Xin Dou's business is his own, while my business with you is separate."
"Well, my answer remains the same. Our valley has made a decision, and we will not change our minds. I ask that our guests leave at their earliest convenience."
The two elders held their gaze at each other for several tense moments before some quick-minded members of various organizations started to mobilize. They complied with the demands and began evacuating from the area.
After many years, the post of observer of the pocket realm within many organizations would finally be abolished! Some were quite sentimental about this fact. They lamented that their organization wasn't the one to gain ownership of the place in the end. While others were gleeful at the news. They no longer had to spare any resources for this place anymore. They could reassign them to more urgent areas, or allow them to focus on their cultivation.
As numerous cultivators left the area, the dark sphere hovering in the sky disappeared. It did not do so quietly.
The violent sound of impact followed as the earth trembled. It was caused by a figure being slammed into the ground. The force was enough to create a small crater!
As the dust settled, the spectators were able to see who had been sent flying! Laying on the ground was a young man, wearing light brown robes. It was Xin Dou. Realizing this, everyone quickly looked up to confirm with their eyes who the victor of the duel was. What they saw made several people nod in appreciation.
Sima Xue was hovering in the air, riding on a skysword. What was most remarkable about the sight was that she was in pristine condition! Her robes remained untouched, her complexion was still healthy. All signs indicated she barely broke a sweat!
She had undoubtedly defeated her opponent. Many found it a pity they weren't able to witness the fight. They sighed as they got into their Skyrunners while wistfully looking back.
The scene made even Elder Ji of the Drenched Earth Sect speechless. He felt the tides turning against him and ceased his squabbling with Elder Yun. He swiftly reappeared beside the fallen Xin Dou and inspected his condition before carrying him away without a word.
With the troublemakers out of the picture, Li Lang's group was quickly led back into Nightmoon Valley's tent. They got to take off their disguise and prepare for the next part.
Once the onlookers leave, it's time to return to the pocket realm for good! We can finally cultivate with a peace of mind. Foundation Establishment Realm, here I come!
Chapter 210: Back into the Realm
"Li Lang, we've tried our best to negotiate, but after a discussion among our leaders, it's been decided that they'll be sending a select group of disciples next month into the pocket realm. It's only a small number of elites as they agreed to delay a large opening to next year," the head disciple of Nightmoon Valley calmly explained.
Li Lang didn't show any reaction despite being foisted upon the responsibility of hosting these disciples. He expected this would be the natural turn of events the moment he had decided to work with another party.
In fact, he welcomed it because he managed to strike a deal with Nightmoon Valley. He would receive a cut of the fees others paid to gain access to the pocket realm. It would fuel his expenses and more. The funds more than paid for his expenses while in the pocket realm. It was a welcome windfall, as there were no guilds nearby to sell his crafts. He could instead fully dedicate himself to breaking through during this time.
"I understand. It shouldn't be an issue."
"About the number of people—"
"I can't speak on that yet," Li Lang interrupted. "I haven't taken stock of the situation inside yet. I'll give you an answer once I've had some time to look into it."
"Very well. We'll have people stationed here, so you can have them relay the information to us. Just make sure to do it as soon as you can. The other organization will continue pressuring us until we can give them an exact quota."
Having said his piece, Jian Beiyun exited from the tent, dragging Sima Xue along.
"Senior Brother, wait! I still don't want to go—"
"Say what you want, but we have many tasks to do. There's no time for you to be playing around."
The two swiftly flew away on their Skyrunner. As Jian Beiyun was someone who was in charge of various day-to-day activities for such a large organization, he had little time to spare. With their departure, various other Nightmoon Valley disciples also scattered.
These disciples, who were only brought along for the demonstrations, slowly left in their own vessels, leaving the once lively tent desolate. Only Li Lang's group remained, along with a few cultivators stationed there. One of them was smiling gently as they stared at their guests.
As much as Li Lang wanted to leave and head straight into the pocket realm, he wasn't rude enough to ignore the elder. He signaled for Wei Ping and Long Yi with his eyes to join him in greeting the elder.
"Thank you, Elder Yun, for taking up the task of dealing with the various envoys and spectators."
"No need to thank me," the elder replied. "I'm just doing as instructed."
"Regardless, you handled all these members from various organizations and lied for our sake. Us juniors may not have anything valuable in your eyes, so the least we can do is show our gratitude."
The elder's smile widened.
"If you want to thank me, then satisfying my curiosity will do."
"Please ask away. I can't promise I can answer everything with my limited knowledge, but I'll do my best."
"In that case, how did you manage to subdue a Spirit-grade artifact like the pocket realm? As far as I know, this is the only artificial pocket realm I know of, so there are no prior instances of something like this before. Especially not by an Energy Gatherer."
"That—I do not know. Perhaps the artifact spirit took a liking to me, but I don't believe I gained control of the realm with my own merit. Has there really been no past cases where a cultivator has taken ownership of an artifact that is much stronger?"
"Hmm, maybe on the main continent, but not here. Those mainlanders like boasting about their long and storied history. You'll have to ask the few mainlanders that do visit us if you want to know."
"Maybe if I chance upon them. I doubt I will come across any mainlanders in the short term, though. Even if I did, I wouldn't recognize them."
"You're correct. When they do visit, they only stay within the grounds of the organization that hosts them."
"Doesn't sound like something I'll be involved with, them. Do you have any other questions, Senior? Otherwise, I'd like to enter the pocket realm before it gets dark."
"No, I have no more questions. Farewell, Junior. I don't know when we'll meet again, but I'll share what I learn from a mainlander if the opportunity arises."
The two both nodded to each other to affirm this agreement while also signaling that the discussion was over.
Without needing to be told, Wei Ping caught their student's attention and got them ready to set out.
When the group exited the tent, they noticed the place had become a lot more barren than before. Nightmoon Valley had successfully gotten all the other organizations to recall the people they had stationed here. They even erected a barrier around the entire area. It dimmed all the light entering by a small degree.
"Do you think this barrier blocks people from looking in?" Long Yi asked.
"Most likely. I've been told they took measures to secure our privacy, so we should be safe from any prying eyes. We can enter the pocket realm without worry."
"Except for the Nightmoon Valley personnel on the lookout."
"That c-can't be helped," Wei Ping chimed in. "It's better than n-not being able to use the realm again a-at all."
With nothing tying them down anymore, the group arrived before the four pillars that represented the Crucible in no time. They walked into gaps just as they had done in the morning and quickly found themselves transported inside.
They were brought to the main hall, which was the central hub of the place. It had tall ceilings with massive red support beams every few paces. The place was so large that their eyes could barely see from one end of the lobby to the other. However, having lived in the pocket realm for years before, the trio expertly guided their students toward the living area and began explaining some rules.
Li Lang left that mostly to his friends while he silently slipped off elsewhere by himself. Once he was away from everyone, he called out a name.
"Blue. Take me to the core."
In the blink of an eye, Li Lang suddenly found himself at the peak of the mountain. He momentarily looked up at the purple sky and yellow clouds before directing his gaze to a nearby shabby hut. He didn't hesitate to walk straight into it and his scenery changed again. He was brought to a place where the yellow clouds stretched beneath him, replacing the ground, while an open violet sky loomed across the horizon.
In the distance, three orbs of light drifted toward him. Once they got close enough, they transformed into three young humans. The three politely greeted Li Lang with a bow.
"Welcome back, Master!" the three shouted in unison.
"It's been some time, so let's have a nice chat to catch up, shall we?"
Having settled into the pocket realm, it only took a week for Li Lang's students to get used to their new living environment. Their life there wasn't that different from before. They would dedicate it to cultivating.
However, the students weren't permitted to make use of the trials yet. They were still focused on achieving the breakthrough to the next realm instead of any fancy techniques that could help them express their power. The only exceptions were the two in the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Now that they had an opportunity to obtain a cultivation technique that the artifact spirits thought suited them, they wouldn't forgo it.
Earth-grade cultivation techniques were an entirely different beast compared to the ones they used to practice in the lower realm. The entire mechanics behind it had changed, so the techniques had to be different. As cultivators went up in major realms, the techniques they practiced would become more sophisticated. It would slow down their progress, but that was the price one had to pay for attaining greater power.
"Li Lang, I received the Obsidian Edge technique. Hurry and memorize it," Long Yi called out as he barged into Li Lang's room.
Without a word, he snatched the book from the giant and gestured for him to wait outside. He then began recording everything on the computer inside his lab. He had done the same when Xiao Dong had come the previous day and when Long Yi came with his artificer textbook.
Cultivation techniques in the Foundation Establishment Realm were not cheap. So far, he had less than five of them in his database. Two from the bazaar that his companions bought and the two he received in the past few days from the Crucible.
As he transcribed the manual, he thought of what type of technique he would get when the time came for him.
He didn't need to think hard to know why Long Yi was given the Obsidian Edge technique. His giant friend specialized in techniques with an affinity toward the earth element. This Obsidian Edge technique was exactly that.
It allowed its practitioner to absorb Qi of the earth element by transforming their spiritual roots. With an abundance of earth energies, their martial and Qi arts of the same affinity could become more devastating. That was because spiritual roots didn't only absorb energy, it also acted as the muscles that manipulated these energies as well.
If Long Yi practiced this technique, all his earth-based techniques would become stronger. The Obsidian Edge would allow the earth he conjures to be reinforced, allowing it to hit harder and to defend better. His signature Terra Moon Slash would definitely become a lot more powerful and he would be able to use it with less strain.
It trumped the general earth-based technique he got at the bazaar by a mile. The previous technique he practiced only gave him general gains related to earth Qi instead of tempering the things he conjured.
Li Lang was so tempted to dive deeper into unraveling how these techniques worked, but he couldn't afford to yet. He needed to break through himself first, but that didn't mean he couldn't get a head start by noting down his observations.
Long Yi has forty-one spiritual roots, so combined with this new technique, his power should go up by more than one order of magnitude. However, I expect the effects of practicing high-quality techniques to be less effective for Xiao Dong, as he only has thirty-two spiritual roots. Does this mean when it is my turn, the technique wouldn't matter that much with my meager five spiritual roots?
Chapter 211: Observing the Guests
A month passed by in no time.
After Li Lang's group had disappeared into the pocket realm, the area outside had been quiet throughout this time. That was until today when a small group of elite cultivators were allowed to enter into the pocket realm.
Due to the machinations of Li Lang, these newcomers all shared a similar trait. Any discerning eye would be able to notice it right away. That was because all these young geniuses from various organizations of the Luminescent Domain were all at the peak of Energy Gathering!
While their age varied slightly, they were all teenagers. They had an arrogant demeanor to them, as many of them believed themselves to be the most talented person there. They all thought they would become the next Gui Tianzi by the time they exited the pocket realm, revealing their talents to the world.
Only a small group among these young cultivators was different. They all wore the same beige robes that betrayed their identity as members of Nightmoon Valley. One of them, who seemed to be one of the older disciples, suddenly floated up into the air and spoke with a projected voice, catching everyone else's attention.
"Greetings everyone. I am a lowly disciple of Nightmoon Valley who will be your guide during your time in the pocket realm."
His audience said nothing and listened attentively. This normally wouldn't happen despite him having the same cultivation as them. That was because he was a few years older! In their eyes, someone of his age still stuck in the first realm was a nobody. Still, no one dared to disrespect him or challenge his authority. It was due to his identity as a member of the prestigious Nightmoon Valley!
The elders who had sent these people didn't need to remind them for them to know that they should show respect to members of the most powerful group in their domain. That's why no one interrupted the young man as he spoke.
"Many of you should have learned about your predecessors' experiences with The Great Trial of Water Crest, but since it has come under my valley's control, things will be a little different this time."
The young Nightmoon Valley guide paused to see if anyone would pose a question, but all he got in return was silence, so he continued.
"Because the pocket realm had just been opened not too long ago, we can't have you all take the trials whenever you want. You must schedule the trials with one of our staff beforehand or you simply won't be allowed to undergo them. Members of my valley will be able to give you a more thorough explanation while you make the appointments, so please go find one of us who is wearing a red armband once you enter."
The quiet crowd of elite cultivators was soon led into the pocket realm, as no one voiced any questions. They had all been hand-picked by their respective organizations, so only the best had been chosen. They were all intelligent people. No troublemakers were among them, so everything proceeded smoothly.
As instructed, they went to find one of these Nightmoon Valley disciples stationed inside to make their bookings while their guide watched on in the corner. Very quickly, the first group was led to the trials they had signed up for.
"Master, everything is ready. Do you want to spectate?" a feminine voice called out to the guide.
"No need, just make sure to withhold their rewards if my students mess up with keeping them in line. I need them to complete their trial according to our schedule."
The reason for that was that Li Lang, as the owner of the artifact, could direct their rewards to himself momentarily. It wasn't exactly taking their reward, but more along the lines of retrieving it so he could reward the challengers personally. Of course, he would then change his mind, and his Blue transport their reward after going through them.
At the same time, he could also spy on these young cultivators as they tried to make their breakthrough. The three artifact spirits could observe everything happening on their turf. They could transmit live footage of what happened in any place within the pocket realm.
Due to this ability, he had informed his allies in the Nightmoon Valley to limit the people entering to those at the peak of Energy Gathering. That way, he could observe their breakthrough attempts and use them as materials for his research.
All the organizations were only too happy to play along with the request. The pocket realm was the perfect place to break through, as it restricted people from harming each other. It prevented malicious parties from interrupting the breakthrough. While that may be no longer true, as Nightmoon Valley had wrestled control of the place, everyone trusted in their integrity. After all, Nightmoon Valley was the organization that kept the peace.
Like that, Li Lang was able to observe dozens of geniuses cultivate and learn new techniques. Naturally, with a gathering of top geniuses, the breakthrough rate would be high. He was able to observe more and more successful breakthroughs and the subsequent Earth-grade techniques they would receive.
It helped Li Lang tremendously in expanding his repository of techniques.
Everbloom Mantra, Heartsteel Technique. All these techniques are specialized in one element. Very rarely does a technique delve into more than one element. It's understandable I guess, seeing how one who pursues two hares will not catch even one. Trying to learn two elements or more is too ambitious and risky, as it could lead to becoming a jack-of-all-trades. It's just like how artificers prefer mono-element orbs for creating artifact weapons.
Day by day, Li Lang continued to observe these young talents. Even if he wasn't paying attention, his artifact spirit would come to alert him whenever something interesting happened. Still, that didn't make him lazy. He still dedicated some time each day just to observe various geniuses.
During the downtime between cultivation, they naturally would make conversation with their peers or eat together. It was one of the few chances they had to make connections with people from other sects. Li Lang knew it was exactly in these mundane conversations that a lot of information could be gleaned.
"Hey, do you have any chrysanthemum-flavored Nourishment Pills left? I'll trade you twice the amount in original flavored ones or Qi stones, if you prefer."
"No, they don't sell anything but the original in the cities near our Conclave. You're lucky that you have flavors to choose from."
"Well, I don't think it's that lucky, considering it's cutting into my savings. Due to that, I had to beg my master for weeks before they agreed to get me a bottle of Foundation Pills. It came with a long lecture, too."
"Anyway, I plan to journey around the Luminescent Domain as soon as this is over with. Do you think you can show me around Frostcloud Summit when I—"
Before Li Lang could eavesdrop further, Blue suddenly materialized next to him.
"Master, look at this! Something is going on with the boy from the Wail Thorn Sect."
As if having mastered holographic projection technology, she waved her hand to conjure a screen for Li Lang to see. It showed a boy sitting in the lotus position on his bed, bent over in pain. He was violently pulling on his own hair and screaming.
The most disturbing part was that his hair quickly grew longer and longer. Not only that, his black hair was slowly turning brown, and the texture became rougher.
Not able to take it anymore, the boy charged out of his room while yelling at the top of his lungs. This caught the attention of many people who peered out of their rooms to see what was going on, only to quickly retreat into their rooms. However, those who were on their way back to their residence weren't so lucky.
The screaming young man spotted them right away and charged toward them. His hair, which had been dragging along the ground, suddenly came alive and started lunging ahead of its owner by themselves. It was as if he had become Medusa, and his hair had become vicious snakes.
His eyes turned red as his hair attacked the innocent bystanders.
"Cultivation deviation! Someone call one of the other disciples from Wail Thorn," a girl shouted as she dodged the vine-like hair from impaling her. "They should know the method to handle one of their fellow disciples."
Thankfully, as everyone in the pocket realm was a capable genius, no one got hurt except the boy who suffered from cultivation deviation. He was contained by his fellow disciples but failed to rein himself in. His body continued to use up his Qi to produce the vine-like hair until he was exhausted and succumbed.
This incident reminded Li Lang how volatile demonic cultivation could be. He feared what would happen if one of his students was nearby. They would surely get seriously injured, or worse. There was a reason the majority of the cultivator community shunned demonic cultivators. They were literally ticking time bombs! As reasonable as some of them appeared, you never knew when that would change.
Nevertheless, these incidents provided even more data for Li Lang. As helpful as all these new data were, all good things came to an end. He couldn't afford to have these strangers around in their new base for too long or they won't be able to continue with their own matters.
With absolute control over who came and went in his artifact. It was too easy to come up with an excuse, such as insufficient power in the artifact to sustain a prolonged stay. After a month inside, all the guests were promptly kicked out.
Now then, I've seen enough. I think it's time for me to attempt my own breakthrough.
Chapter 212: Ascension Technique Attempt
The rowdy scene within the pocket realm soon became history. All the visitors were transported out and only Li Lang's group remained. Things became quieter as they immersed themselves back into their training.
Li Lang was currently organizing everything he had learned from the event before he attempted to break through again. It wasn't his first time. He had tried previously, albeit using the traditional method. It was only now that he was prepared to use his Ascension Technique for another try.
It was sparked by the successful case of Xiao Dong. While this one-off instance of success didn't prove his Ascension Technique worked, it showed that a breakthrough was still possible when one practiced it.
At the same time, all his other students were also motivated by Xiao Dong. They strived to replicate his success, and so far, there hadn't been any particular accidents or successes.
The old Li Lang would've been appalled to employ such methods that had barely been tested on himself. It went against everything he had been taught. However, he also knew that it was no longer possible to adhere to such strict standards and cautious approaches. The best he could do was carry out empirical studies. Even so, he didn't have all the time in the world.
There was no greater scientific community to support his work. He was at it all alone. If he wanted to follow the same standards he had previously used, he would likely die of old age before he made significant progress. To Li Lang, the urgency of his current situation was akin to that of total war. Everything had to be accelerated in the name of survival. It was the reason why technology often progressed so fast during times of turmoil.
The high stakes made many researchers throw caution to the wind. While resource allocation to critical research topics would increase significantly during such events, at the end of the day, it was the people who carried out the studies. They were the ones who would redraw the line that marked what risks were acceptable.
"Master!" Ruby cheerfully called out. "The auto-analyzer is finished!"
Hearing this, Li Lang paused his typing to look over at the technological marvel that enabled him to analyze the material composition of anything. This time, he had put Long Yi's flesh for analysis.
This wasn't the first time he had done so, as he often monitored his Qi toxin levels back when Long Yi was still in the Energy Gathering stage. However, the reason he did so this time was because he had sensed that Earth-grade cultivation techniques had changed Long Yi's body.
As Long Yi was in a realm higher than his, the auto-analyzer couldn't register any Qi signatures, but he had other avenues to examine that. By using his Veined Flow Calculation Method, he learned that Long Yi's body was becoming more and more attuned to Qi belonging to the earth element. It made Li Lang wonder if there would be any material changes as well.
The answer he got was that his flesh now had higher traces of minerals, trace metals, and silicon! It wasn't at an alarming high quantity yet, but it definitely surpassed the realm of what was considered healthy.
"Hmm, interesting," Li Lang muttered. "I wonder if these effects are reversible or how it would change if he started practicing a different technique with an affinity with another element."
These little findings weren't immediately helpful, but often had a long-lasting influence on a cultivator's future. Li Lang had to consider if he would be comfortable specializing in one particular element and if there were any adverse effects of doing so. He would hate to practice a fire element technique, only to realize he could no longer come into contact with large bodies of water.
After going through the results, he didn't hesitate to put Xiao Dong's flesh into the analyzer next. He then quickly set the matter aside because the auto-analyzer would take at least weeks when it worked on specimens that contained the power of a higher realm than him.
He finished logging the rest of his data and exited from Ruby's artifact space.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself inside a dark cave. It was the same one he had ventured to in order to observe the first-ever breakthrough into the Foundation Establishment Realm. The only difference was that none of the Eternal Wave Sects people or Sima Xue was present. Only Wei Ping and Long Yi could be seen in the distance.
The two had agreed to stand watch over him for his next attempt, so they spent their time cultivating by the only entrance to his cave.
Okay, let's get this started.
Preparation had already been done. The last piece was simply Li Lang himself.
Before he began, he reviewed everything he knew about the breakthrough process.
First, I must consume a Foundation Pill to prevent any accidents. It'll stop my dantian from exploding if I can't control all the energies I will be gathering there.
Then, I will use my custom version of the Ascension Technique to direct all the flow of Qi in my meridian toward my dantian. Once it reaches a high enough saturation, the Qi would undergo a qualitative change. That is when the real challenge begins.
I will have to endure the pain and fatigue of gathering more and more energy toward the navel area of my body. From the interviews I carried out, I will probably be in a delirious state, so I'll have to keep myself together. Only when I endure this ordeal will there be a chance of success.
Having laid a clear roadmap in his mind, Li Lang no longer hesitated and plopped a Foundation Pill into his mouth. He found it amusing that the once precious pill that was almost impossible for him to find could now be obtained in large quantities.
It didn't mean Foundation Pills were easy to get, but just that his accomplishments and connections he had made so far had led him a long way forward from where he previously was.
Before he could dwell on the topic any longer, he soon felt a powerful energy coursing through his body. It twirled around until it transformed into a perfect sphere shape, centered around his navel area.
Taking this as his cue, he began invoking his unique set of Ascension Techniques. It was one of a kind, meant to only be used by him and his physique. It had been carefully calibrated so that the multiple streams of Qi would collide at his dantian at the same time.
Now that he was experiencing the wonders of his technique himself, he didn't forget to employ the Tracing Origin Art to monitor everything happening within his meridians.
Everything seemed to go smoothly as the energies moved as he predicted. Nothing was amiss, but that wasn't surprising. The moment of truth was when the Qi collided.
As someone with only grade-one aptitude, Li Lang only has five spiritual roots. He not only had fewer entryways for Qi, but also meant he lacked the muscles that manipulated Qi. In turn, this meant the layout of his meridians was much simpler compared to someone like Long Yi, who had a total of forty-one spiritual roots!
Very soon, three streams of Qi collided in the area just below his belly button. If he had made any mistakes, he would be feeling it by now, but thankfully, things remained peaceful. His calculations were correct, and the force of the impact was canceled out. The three streams of energy merged together into a spherical globe of energy.
To Li Lang, it felt like he had somehow swallowed a small ping-pong ball. Something was lodged inside of him. It made him feel bloated and uncomfortable, but he didn't mind. Throughout all his previous attempts, he had never gotten this far!
His previous weak control of Qi prevented his energies from taking on any shape. It simply made his flow of Qi stop, as if there was a traffic jam in his meridian channels.
Now, he could feel a constant flow of Qi being delivered to his precious dantian, and the energy was properly condensing. It sucked in more energy from the rest of his body to fuel its growth. It slowly grew from the size of a ping-pong ball to that of a tennis ball!
The discomfort increased, but Li Lang ignored it. He continued to practice the Ascension Technique to pump more fuel into his dantian. His once-filled body was emptied of its reserves, causing it to begin absorbing the ambient Qi!
A vortex of energy was formed with him at the epicenter. His spiritual roots were working overtime as it tried to absorb as much Qi as possible to replenish his used stock. This caused more and more energy to converge into his body.
If Li Lang hadn't taken the Foundation Pill, he would be feeling quite nervous right now. The amount of energy within him was dangerous. It wasn't something he was confident in controlling. He had to use every ounce of his focus to keep his expanding core from going berserk.
The process was gradual, but it didn't make it any easier. What once felt like driving a well-maintained car began to feel like bull riding.
Keep it under control, Li Lang. Make sure to apply even pressure from all directions, but not too much. This isn't a race, but a marathon!
Chapter 213: Ascension Technique Attempt Pt.2
Many of Li Lang's students were now also in the peak stage of Energy Gathering. However, only Xiao Dong managed to take the step into the next realm.
For those who had grade one aptitude, it was attributed to their lack of accumulation. While Li Lang had observed that the level of Qi didn't change from the moment they entered the ninth stage, the accumulation he speculated about referred to the degree of strength a cultivator could exert on their Qi. The only way to improve this was through simple training, but the Lingering Impact Technique Wei Ping had brought back was a particularly effective way to train this Qi strength.
Nevertheless, Li Lang still had cultivated for a lot longer than any of the other kids. It stands to reason that he was the furthest ahead.
The only thing I'm missing should be willpower! Even if Xiao Dong had grade-two aptitude and had more spiritual roots, he shouldn't be that far ahead of me.
As Li Lang's breakthrough attempt continued, he could feel the increasing pressure. It felt like he was hanging from a pole, holding on to dear life. If he fell, his goal of reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm would be over. Every second sapped his strength. It did so slowly, which made the ordeal even more tortuous.
Hours passed, and the event had taken a toll on Li Lang, both physically and mentally. It made his thoughts start going astray.
Why do I have to endure this? I'm a researcher, for goodness' sake. I should leave the hardship up to the soldiers—no, in this case, the cultivators. My mind feels scattered… my focus is crumbling. I have to keep it together.
Still, can't I just leave this breakthrough business to someone else? I can still do my research and help empower others like Wei Ping and Long Yi. They should be able to achieve my goals for me. Goals…my goals.
Li Lang took a moment to recollect his thoughts. He thought hard about what motivated him.
He had suddenly found himself in this world when his new body of his supposed reincarnation had reached a point where it could handle his adult consciousness. Immediately, he had been enamored by the existence of something as fantastical as cultivation that could make someone immortal. After all, it had been what he was researching toward, up until the moment of his death.
Forced to accept his circumstances, he made do with what he had to study this interesting new phenomenon. However, before he could even properly start on that, tragedy had befallen the Zi family who had been taking care of him.
He wasn't fully conscious over the first ten years of his childhood, but he had the memories of their love and care for him. If it was within his abilities, he was determined to help save his two childhood friends who had been kidnapped.
Having thought of the incident with the Abductress, a burst of anger stimulated Li Lang's mind. It jolted him, allowing him to regain some of his focus.
The infamous demonic cultivator was the goal he had set for himself in the short term. He wanted to acquire the power to confront her, whether it be through his own strength or borrowing another's. She was an expert in the Spirit Divide Realm, and not even the largest sects on Violet Isle dared to openly antagonize her.
This is what is driving me to hurry along with my research. In this world, power is the only guarantee. Might makes right.
Reaffirming his resolve, Li Lang redoubled his efforts to cram all the Qi in his body into his dantian. It got harder as the concentration of energy rose, but he didn't stop practicing the Ascension Technique to figuratively pump more Qi toward his navel area.
The discomfort eventually grew into pain and his body became damp from all the sweat.
Wei Ping and Long Yi could only watch Li Lang suffer. Long Yi in particular knew exactly how difficult it was owing to first-hand experience, but they had to keep a close eye on him in case any accidents occurred.
Thankfully, nothing happened so far, and hours passed by.
Li Lang's clarity of mind once again eroded over the long hours. He held on with only one thought in mind: to compress his Qi. His consciousness slowly but surely drifted away.
"Wake up, Langley!" a woman's voice called out. "Goodness gracious, why are you always such a slob? Alfred, when was the last time Professor Langley left this lab?"
The question was strangely directed toward the ceiling of the laboratory, where the speakers embedded into the walls answered.
"The last recorded instance of the professor leaving was thirty-six hours, seven minutes, and twelve seconds ago. Professor Langley was gone for two hours and ten minutes before returning."
The woman then proceeded to shake Langley, who was still slumped over his desk, a few more times before the professor finally showed signs of rousing.
"Debra, five more minutes, please."
In response to his pleas, the woman slammed a tablet into the back of his head.
"I'm not your mom. You better get yourself together—"
"Or I'll regret it?"
"Yes. When the federation cuts your budget, don't come crying to me."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll do what you tell me. I still haven't forgotten about that in-person meeting for next Thursday."
"Langley—That meeting is for today. It's Thursday already. How can someone as brilliant as you have trouble with something as simple as keeping track of the date?"
As if to dodge the question, the professor swiftly got up from his seat and rubbed his eyes. He searched around the mess around his desk and took a swig out of a tumbler before turning his attention to the computer before him.
Seeing this, Debra sighed as she slowly moved behind him. She rested her two elbows on his shoulders and watched him work.
"You can't keep torturing yourself like this. You're a researcher, not a soldier on the frontline who has to push themselves to survive. Humans work better when fully rested."
"Yeah, but we each have limited time in a day. Despite what others may say, I know I'm not a genius. Only by putting in the extra hours will I be able to stay on top and keep the funds coming."
"But is that really all you want? To do—more research?"
"Hmm, if I get rich enough, retiring early doesn't sound bad. I get to start my own lab and decide how things are run."
"...You're hopeless."
After that, the two remained in the same position without exchanging any words. The only sound that could be heard was the keyboard Langley was typing away on.
On the surface, Langley continued as normal, but internally, he had begun to question what he wanted in life. He had passed on starting a family ever since his university days were over. He found no meaning in following his primal urges to reproduce. He refused to be controlled by the chemicals in his body. He believed he was above that. Only animals blindly followed their urges.
Is that truly how I feel? Hmm, it shouldn't be far off. If I have children, my world will begin to revolve around them. I can't have that. I want my time to be my own. Purposely walking into a future that makes me prioritize someone else is a trap of nature.
The two's time in the lab was soon interrupted by a group of armed men waiting at the door. One of them walked in and saluted toward the two scientists.
"I am Sergeant Nicota Earl. Professors, it is time to depart!"
"Thank you for escorting us, Sergeant," Debra said with a smile. "We'll come right away."
Just as she made a move to follow the sergeant, the clicky sounds of the keyboard continued to resonate throughout the room. It made her do a quick one-eighty before she forcefully dragged the middle-aged man up from his seat.
"Langley, let's go!"
"Hmm, fine."
The soldiers outside watched on in amusement as they escorted the eccentric professor out of the lab area. They went into a large elevator that could fit a dozen cars and began to ascend. The ride lasted several minutes, showing how deep underground they were.
They blew past hundreds of floors until they were above ground level, but even then, they continued ascending. Only when they were two hundred floors off the ground did they come to a stop. They were then led through a maze of corridors until they arrived inside a grand office.
Inside, only one person was there. A lone woman with a confident demeanor watched them enter.
"President Dekel, good day to you," Debra immediately greeted. She then discreetly elbowed Langley, urging him to do the same. It only caused him to Langley unenthusiastically parrot her words.
"Good day, President,"
"Thank you, professors. I'm sure we're all busy people, so I'll make this quick. Your team has requested an increase in your budget again, so it has come to my attention. I'm here to ask about your research."
The eyes in the room were all drawn to Langley, as he was nominally the person responsible for their team. Even if he left most of the paperwork to others, he was the one who had to answer to their boss during these moments.
"It's to safely carry out our research, of course. We need the money to set up various safety precautions for our new round of testing. We'll also be taking on ten times the number of test subjects as well."
The president closed her eyes for a few moments while resting her chin on a fist.
"That's not what I meant. I don't exactly care about the budget increase. My aides would've taken note of any issues regarding those details. I've only recently gone over the files regarding your studies since I've just come into office. The records say that you're researching permanent life-prolonging treatment. What I want to ask is if this is truly what you want to pursue and your opinion if this is a research topic worth pursuing."
"Umm, why would you want to know that?"
Debra opened her eyes wide at the direct question her coworker posed. She wanted to reprimand Langley for being so difficult. Why couldn't he just answer the question? Unfortunately, she didn't dare interrupt.
In response, President Dekel spoke frankly, not caring about any etiquette expected of high government officials at all.
"It is our first time meeting, Professor. Many things are new to me. I want to know if increasing our investment in your team is worth it. To do that, I look at people. I'll ask again. Is permanent life-prolonging treatment what you really want to pursue?"
Being struck by such a direct question, Li Lang could feel his mind jolted. He sensed something amiss, as if he had forgotten something important.
What is it that I want? Isn't it just to cure this telomere disease? For survival? But what comes after that? Wait, why does it feel like my objective has changed?
Chapter 214: Ascension Technique Attempt Pt.3
President Dekel stared at Langley unflinchingly as the man appeared to be frozen in place. He was lost in thought, trying to formulate an answer to the president's question. For some reason, the more he thought about it, the more his feeling of unease grew.
He was sure there was no other research topic he would pursue other than the one he was currently working on. After all, his very life depended on it. And if he succeeded, it could benefit quadrillions of people across the Federation of Humanity.
However, a seed of doubt began to sprout deep in his mind. He wondered if his lifelong goal was essentially just trying to survive. This doubt had shaken his resolve.
No, just surviving isn't any way to live. How I spend my days matters too. But what do I want to do once I can live longer? It can't be more research. That would be too…hollow. What did I want back when I was a child?
Drudging up some old memories, Langley couldn't avoid thinking about his mom and her last words. She was the one who encouraged him in everything he did. She taught him not to fear failure, as it was worse to be afraid of trying at all.
The experience of losing his mother while he could only powerlessly sit by her deathbed was what caused his obsession with life-prolonging research. He didn't want that to ever happen again.
It may be illogical, considering it was already too late, but he didn't care. Humans weren't machines. Their each and every action wasn't always logical.
"Professor Langley?" the president finally urged him for an answer after some time.
"Umm, do you mind if I ask what you are pursuing first?"
"That is quite…political of you, making me set an example so you can find a safe way out. Well, I don't mind. My actions are constantly being scrutinized by millions of analysts at every moment. What I am pursuing as the President of the Federation of Humanity is simple. To do my best for the people, so that we can live through the years peacefully. During my term, at least."
"That's…" Li Lang was at a loss for what to say.
Reading his expression, the president continued.
"It is quite plain, I know."
"That is one way to put it. I can't say I expected that answer."
Hearing this, the president smiled.
"I don't appreciate high-minded goals. People who tout them often don't mean it. I don't mind openly admitting that I want my term to go smoothly, so the future generation would come to respect my efforts rather than laugh at my failed policies. That is enough to keep me going while I work. Besides that, I'll look forward to the cushy retirement life once my term ends."
As President Dekel spoke, her tone became more casual as she broached subjects unrelated to her work. It relaxed the mood and also reminded Langley of his childhood dream.
While his friends at school wanted to become firefighters, soldiers, bankers, or just wanted to get rich, Langley's goals were much simpler. He wanted to have a family of his own and live out his life quietly. He didn't have any dreams for a flashy job. It was quite a mature dream for an elementary student, but that meant he wouldn't easily outgrow it.
I became too scared to lose someone important again and gave up making connections. Maybe that can change once I've succeeded in curing myself.
The more Langley explored this idea, the more attractive it became to him. Having a loving family to enjoy longevity with soon became his goal.
However, it isn't so easy. It's a dog-eat-dog world. I'll have to grow stronger to protect myself. From what I hear, immortals are only ageless, but not unkillable. Wait—immortals? What am I talking about?
Blinking rapidly, Langley's mind suddenly raced at maximum speed as some memories resurfaced. He realized what he saw before him wasn't reality!
I'm having a lucid dream, or is this an illusion?
Before Langley—or Li Lang, to be precise, could dwell on it, he felt himself waking up from the dream. He opened his eyes and confirmed his surroundings. The familiar walls and the figure of his two friends reassured him that he hadn't been kidnapped or anything. He was still inside a cave within the Crucible.
Before he could relax, he felt the ambient Qi violently swirling toward him. It wasn't anything new, but the intensity grew stronger than before. When he glanced down, he found a small spherical area within his lower stomach glowing!
The sudden discovery caught him off guard. He almost immediately fumbled his control of the energies accumulating within his body. Realizing he was in the critical moment of his breakthrough, he quickly expunged all idle thoughts and focused.
None of these events escaped the notice of the Foundation Establishment cultivator nearby, who was tasked with watching over his friend.
"Wei Ping, look. He's entering the final stage!"
"Be p-prepare. It's also the most d-dangerous part."
"Hmm, it should be fine! I'm sure of it. He's been waiting so patiently at the peak of Energy Gathering for so long. He is more than prepared for this."
Wei Ping gave him a look and said nothing. He knew Long Yi was just comforting himself. No one could be sure if the breakthrough would succeed, especially when it involved someone with grade-one aptitude using an unproven technique. However, he knew it was pointless to call him out on it.
Both of them wanted Li Lang to succeed. This was especially so for Wei Ping, as it would show this path was feasible for him. Despite being the first to learn the Lingering Impact Technique, Wei Ping had failed at every breakthrough attempt. Now that he learned the Ascension Technique, he was excited to try again.
Li Lang had gone first, but if he succeeded, his excitement would only multiply.
All this caused Wei Ping to grip his hands tightly. He had a feeling that succeeding today would have a significant impact on their future.
Of course, even if they failed, he trusted Li Lang to continue improving his methods until he succeeded, but that took a lot of time. Time was a non-renewable resource. Once spent, it was gone.
Having embarked on the path of cultivation, Wei Ping could sense that speed mattered. That didn't mean he thought cultivators should rush through their training. He had an inkling that each major realm was only going to get exponentially harder the longer one waited.
While each new major realm came with the benefit of prolonging a cultivator's lifespan, the time one had to reach the next realm was barely enough for most people.
Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators had a lifespan of approximately five hundred years. From what he learned from all the experts he had met, only top geniuses broke into the Violet Core realm at the age of one hundred! For the people with less exaggerated talents, the average was between two hundred and fifty to three hundred years. Once one was four hundred or older, their condition would start deteriorating, and the chances of a breakthrough would drop dramatically.
While Wei Ping was pondering the significance of a successful breakthrough, Li Lang was still enduring his trials. His gas tank felt empty, but he had to force himself to persist. Thankfully, after the dream he had, he had a clear goal to dedicate himself to. Whether he knew it or not, it did wonders for his willpower.
I will obtain the secrets to immortality and then become powerful enough to deter everyone from messing with me. That way, I can live a truly free life.
The prospect of such a life excited him.
After another grueling hour, the dreaded cracking noise resounded from the cave! Depending on the cultivator, the sound differed a little, but it also differed between a successful breakthrough and a failed attempt! One marked the arrival of a new stage, while the other was a sign that their efforts had not been rewarded.
The only real way to know which one it was was to carefully examine the cultivator to see if there was any Qi leaking out.
"Wei Ping—" Long Yi muttered. "I don't sense anything. Do you?"
"No…"
"Does that mean he succeeded? Should we take a few steps back before tribulation lightning strikes?"
"It doesn't always strike, but yeah. We s-should back away."
After that, the scene began to calm down. The whirlwind of Qi returned to normal. It allowed the Qi sense of others to approach the man in question.
"Without a doubt, Li Lang had succeeded!" Long Yi celebrated. "He did it! I knew he could do it!"
He lunged at Wei Ping to bring him into a hug.
"But why isn't he opening his eyes yet? If he's too fatigued, he should've fallen asleep, but that doesn't seem to be the case."
"Maybe s-something is happening within him? Do you s-sense anything?"
"Only Li Lang would know what is happening inside his body."
The two impatiently waited from a distance. They discussed their friend's condition while waiting for him to open his eyes. Unfortunately, he remained seated in the lotus position even when the sun began to set without any signs of that changing.
"What is happening? Why isn't he moving? Did something go wrong?"
"You're the o-one who has first-hand experience in this, so w-why are you asking me?"
Chapter 215: Dantian Introspection
While Wei Ping and Long Yi fretted over what to do with their unresponsive friend, Li Lang was currently busy inspecting the new area that opened up in his body, specifically his dantian.
It was one thing for him to hear about it, but an entirely different one when he experienced its wonders for himself.
Foundation Establishment cultivators have broken free from their shackles of mortality. The amount of Qi they possess is several times higher than any Energy Gatherers. That didn't take into account the qualitatively superior qualities, too.
With access to more powerful Qi, the container was naturally upgraded as well. The dantian had become the storage for all this energy. It was a very special part of a cultivator, and if they focused their senses on it, they could even examine the small world within it!
Just like the meridian channels, the dantian wasn't physical. It wasn't an organ that magically grew on the body.
When Li Lang focused on this special part, he found himself transported to the middle of the ocean somewhere. However, he didn't panic. He was floating high in the air, and he had enough experience to realize this wasn't reality.
This is similar to an artifact space but inside me! If artifacts are made using beast cores, it isn't implausible that the dantian is a human's equivalent!
After allowing his mind to go wild for some time, Li Lang calmed down and assessed his situation. He had heard about the wonders of a cultivator's dantian, so he had a general idea of the nature of this place.
If one looked closely, the ocean below was quite shallow. He could see the bottom of it. That was because it represented the Qi within his dantian. After breaking into this new realm, his foundation was naturally poor. As the name implied, building up his foundation was the nature of this new realm.
Hmm, my celestial sea is perfectly clear. This should be because I haven't dedicated myself to any element yet. I would have thought I leaned toward the fire element thanks to the possession of my Primordial Star Fire, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
After analyzing the sea below him, Li Lang proceeded to try contacting his more trusted partner.
"Ruby, can you hear me?"
"Of course, Master!"
"Good."
Having confirmed his connection to his artifact hadn't been lost, he began logging everything in his lab. He also took the opportunity to go over his database of Earth-grade cultivation techniques again to glean any information about dantians.
"These definitely don't fit my style, but from the key points they share, I think it's safe to say Foundation Establishment is all about strengthening the spiritual roots so it could siphon more energy into the dantian," Li Lang muttered. "Otherwise, it would take eons before any progress is made in filling this sea."
"Speaking of energy, Master, I feel your body is constantly feeding me with your new Qi! I feel like I'll become a lot stronger soon!"
"Well, if the Crucible will regain more of its function due to my breakthrough, I don't find it surprising you would benefit from it too, Ruby. Do you have an ETA?"
"Umm, sorry, Master. I just feel something is going to happen, but I can't tell when."
"Don't worry about it."
Without dwelling on the matter, Li Lang continued to parse through the cultivation manuals. He had done so before, but now that he could observe the situation within a dantian himself, many esoteric concepts became more clear to him.
A few of the techniques had talked about things like building an altar or temple within oneself. It confused the old Li Lang as he only heard the dantian stored all of a cultivator's Qi, so how could energy be used to build structures?
Now that he had gotten a better look at himself, he could tell the ocean of Qi within him wasn't as simple as it seemed. It appeared material, as if the ocean within him was really a world of its own. The only difference was that the entire place was enclosed except for the few openings that constantly poured in more energy from the outside world. He knew they were connected to his spiritual roots. It was as if they were giant pipes that constantly pumped more water into his own little world.
"So that's why this new realm doesn't have nine stages, like in Energy Gathering. There are only early, mid, late, and peak Foundation Establishment cultivators," Li Lang murmured. "The manual says each stage is separated by how developed a cultivator's spiritual altar is. If they're talking about structures, I can assume this is yet another qualitative change in Qi that allows it to become more solid compared to its liquid state. This will take quite a bit of research to unravel."
"Shouldn't Master just take one of those trials again and obtain the most suitable technique?" Ruby suggested.
"I can't rely on that forever. The knowledge contained inside the Crucible is comprehensive but outdated. It's at least thousands of years old if none of those organizations knows the origin of it. Surely, modern techniques have improved after so much time has passed. This isn't an issue that can be addressed in the short term. I have to work on other things as well."
After going through some more Earth-grade cultivation techniques, Li Lang then pulled up the data he had regarding a different set of skills. It was the methods cultivators used to eliminate any traces of themselves to prevent being tracked down or being the target of divination.
Divination wasn't omnipotent. Even an expert in the Spirit Divide Realm couldn't just use divination to find out every detail about someone they never had contact with before. Instead, it required a catalyst. These catalysts were simply any biological material belonging to their target that contained traces of their Qi. It could be their hair, skin, bodily fluids, or pretty much anything.
It was a type of technique that caught Li Lang's eye back when he had done an investigation to help Tai Xilun and his Bloodwave Conclave track down a killer on the loose. This killer had used one of these anti-divination techniques to remove any spiritual traces from the blood they left behind on the crime scene. The only reason they had been exposed was because Li Lang's DNA analysis methods weren't anything they had experienced before. It relied on entirely different principles.
Now that he had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, Li Lang planned to learn a similar technique before exiting the pocket realm. To be precise, he planned to research one that would not only defend him from divination but also shield him from the Qi sense of others.
He would rather not have everyone find out he had broken through so soon. While it wouldn't be a big deal if it was discovered, the same couldn't be said when it came to his students. He needed to prepare a technique to prevent that sooner rather than later.
His success proved that it was possible for his students to break through as well. If more and more of them were found to have crossed this threshold at such a young age, it would start drawing a lot of unwanted attention.
In order to nip this in the bud, Li Lang was determined to formulate one such concealment art.
He didn't have to start from scratch, though. Many organizations had already developed such techniques. It was just that he never had the chance to learn them before. If he ran into any roadblocks, he was sure he could trade for these techniques for reference.
However, before he could get started on his research, he suddenly felt his body being jolted. He was then promptly kicked out of Ruby's artifact space.
"Li Lang, are you okay?"
The newly promoted cultivator opened his eyes to find his friend, Long Yi, an inch away from him.
"Yes, yes. Calm down. There's no need to be worried."
"Well, you haven't moved for hours since your aura consolidated to the level of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. I feared something had gone wrong."
"It was just—me reflecting on my new self. Nothing to worry about."
"Then that's fine, I guess. Anyway, you've made it! You really did break through. Congratulations!"
"Y-yes, congregations, boss."
Only when Long Yi's huge figure backed away a little could Li Lang now spot his friend wearing the wooden mask. Seeing this, he nodded with a gentle smile.
"Thank you. I couldn't have done it without you guys. Next up is your turn, Wei Ping."
"T-that—I can't say I'm c-confident about it yet."
"We can talk about that at another time," Long Yi interrupted. "For now, let's go celebrate! All the kids are waiting for us to start dinner. They'll be overjoyed with the news, too."
With that, the three quickly departed from the cave, returning to the outside world, and headed for the giant gates at the base of the mountain that led to the inner chambers where the trials were.
Along the way, Li Lang couldn't help but to sate his curiosity about the state of his new realm. He stretched his hand toward the treelines and unleashed one of his more harmless techniques, the Veiling Shroud art.
Instantly, a huge amount of smoke was generated, engulfing the entire area with a smokescreen. It easily covered ten times more area than what he could do prior to the breakthrough. And that was when he only unleashed a sliver of his newfound powers.
So this is the power of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Chapter 216: Concealment Techniques
"Congratulations, Teacher Li!" all the students cheered.
They all sat around a large circular table in the mess hall of the pocket realm. While they brought along tons of materials with them prior to isolating themselves inside the artifact space, the Crucible happened to be capable of providing all manner of sustenance!
Normally, trial points were required in exchange for these supplies, but as the owner of the entire artifact realm, Li Lang could naturally bypass that.
His group merrily celebrated his accomplishments and took half the day off to party. When the festive atmosphere started to die down, Li Lang slipped away from his companions. He went toward a secluded area and double-checked no one was near.
He wasn't being so sneaky for any nefarious reasons, but he preferred to speak with his artifact spirits privately.
"Blue, Orange, Green, show yourselves."
As if having expected his summons, the three artifact spirits immediately appeared in their human forms.
Blue took on the appearance of a girl in a blue dress, with her hair dressed all the way down to her waist.
Orange was slightly hunched over with his usual timid expression.
Green looked gruff, like the type of person who took no-nonsense and stared straight into his master's eyes.
Each of them had a completely different personality, but they answered their master's calls just the same.
"Master," they called out in unison. "Congratulations on your breakthrough!"
"Thank you. I assume you three already know what I'm going to ask?"
The three shared a quick glance before Blue stepped forward and bent her knee slightly in reverence.
"You would like to ask about the abilities that you have unlocked, correct?"
"Yes. You previously told me I'll be able to move the entire pocket realm if I break through. Does that mean I can do that now?"
"That's correct, Master. Our main body will be able to shrink down in size. Do you want us to do that now?"
"No need. I'd rather not alarm the people outside. Is there anything else I can do now?"
"Unfortunately, not, Master. You'll only be able to alter the rules of the realm when you have reached Spirit Divide Realm. You may be able to change some minor things once you reach Violet Core Realm, but for now, nothing else can be done."
"Hmm, that's fine, I guess. You guys can still do things like select the type of rewards I want for my trials and provide us with food, so that's enough. Where do you source your food and materials, anyway?
"We have a limited stock of materials. The prices will have to go up when the supply does down, but for things like food, we grow them."
To support her words, Blue waved her hand and summoned forth a projection that showed some part of the pocket realm. It was an area Li Lang had never been to before, but he knew the place was enormous. There were tons of Qi beasts and places he hadn't been to yet.
"Oh, I assume the beasts guarding that area are quite strong."
"Yes, Master. Even if they fail, we can transport that entire area to somewhere else."
"Hmm, I've been meaning to ask, what is the highest level of technique and Qi beast in here? You're a Spirit-grade artifact, so does that mean there are Spirit Divide techniques and beasts in here?"
This time, Green stepped forward to answer.
"Master, as we've previously explained, we're three separate artifacts merged together, which resulted in an increase in the total area of the artifact space. However, we were made with the intention to train the future generation. That's why there is nothing beyond Earth-grade in here."
Li Lang sighed at the news. He had suspected that was the case, but he couldn't help but find it disappointing that materials for the next major realm were missing.
No, I shouldn't be disappointed. It's already amazing that I've become the owner of a Spirit-grade artifact. Earth-grade materials are already more than enough.
"Wait, does that mean we can grow any Earth-grade materials of my choosing in here?"
"Mostly, yes. The ambient Qi in the realm has been adjusted to support plants and crops of that grade."
That means I can get started on my research regarding the effects of Earth-grade foodstuff!
When Li Lang first came across food using these higher-grade ingredients, he almost wanted to research its effects right away. He's been told that these higher-quality foodstuffs could promote cultivation. However, the effects weren't immediate, which meant testing would take a lot of time and cost a lot of money.
Li Lang was no stranger to how expensive these Earth-grade ingredients were. Just the tofu pudding he got for Sima Xue was priced in red crystals. That equated to hundreds of Qi stones. Even if he could now afford it, supplying a large amount to dozens of test subjects was another matter.
With the Crucible's ability to grow these foodstuffs, it would save Li Lang a lot of money!
After conversing with the three artifact spirits some more, the night soon came to an end.
All the students turned in early in preparation for the next day of training. Many of them were at the peak of Energy Gathering. They were so close to reaching the next major realm. This was true for Wei Ping as well.
Now that Li Lang had succeeded, Wei Ping would redouble his efforts. As all the Energy Gatherers busied themselves with their breakthrough, Li Lang gathered the two to first break into the Foundation Establishment Realm the next day.
"I need the two of you to help me devise a technique we can use to disguise our cultivation," Li Lang stated.
"I thought you owned this pocket realm?" Xiao Dong asked. "Can't you just get them to give you the relevant technique?"
"One must fail for the first time in a trial to get rewarded, and it only happens once. Not even I can change that. I'd rather not waste an opportunity for this if I can help it. Even if I'm willing to, the techniques here are thousands of years old. It may not work against the techniques modern cultivator uses."
"Well, what we come up with ourselves may be no better, though."
"At least no one would've seen anything like it before—probably."
"I'm sure it'll work out with Li Lang here," Long Yi interjected. "I can't help with devising any Qi art, but just tell me what to do and I'll do it."
"That's fine. I mainly need you two to try detecting me when I try out various things. Have you guys learned any detection Qi art yet?"
"I have not."
"I have."
Two replies instantly came. Surprisingly, Xiao Dong was the one who had said yes despite having reached the realm later. This caused the other two to give Long Yi a questioning look.
"What? I've been busy with learning other things. I prioritized immediate combat power over anything else."
Li Lang shook his head and moved on. He wasn't there for Long Yi when he went to pick out his techniques, so he couldn't place any blame on him. In the first place, a cultivator's techniques were very personal. He had no say in what others practiced. Even when it came to his students, he could only give them advice, but not dictate what they choose.
"Well, can you teach us your technique then, Xiao Dong?"
"Sure. I still have the texts in my room."
Seeing his student walk away, Li Lang was reminded that they had not yet gotten any space rings for them. The pocket realm didn't have any, so added that to his shopping list for the next time they ventured out.
At the rate things were going, Li Lang only planned to leave when the time came for the Dark Sea Arena.
Now that he had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, there were numerous things waiting for him to do. It was as if he just opened a new chapter in his life. No longer would be treated as a mortal or junior. He was a legitimate cultivator that broke through the shackles of mortality.
There were so many techniques he needed to learn to live up to the reputation, but he also had a lot of time to do that now. With five hundred years of lifespan, he had time to expand his arsenal of techniques and master them. There was enough time to even learn a hundred techniques.
While a hundred martial and Qi arts may be too much, a few dozen were still acceptable. Not every technique had to be some ultimate move used in combat. There were numerous possibilities that allowed cultivators to react to various situations. Divination skills were just one small sub-group among the myriad of possibilities, and right now, Li Lang was exactly studying techniques in one of these sub-groups.
Concealment and detection techniques were likely one more the more common techniques that every cultivator knew. Everyone wanted to get a good grasp of their surrounding.
It was time for Li Lang to tackle the challenge of creating his own technique. It would normally be a complicated endeavor, especially for someone as inexperienced in technique creation as him. But thankfully, all his research on spiritual roots and their role in absorbing ambient Qi, plus his knowledge of concealment talismans, had set up a solid foundation for him to start with.
He presumed that this constant input of Qi was one of the easiest a cultivator could identify someone's cultivation level. If he only planned to create a technique to obscure this fact instead of concealing their presence entirely, Li Lang was confident he would be able to accomplish this task in the remaining months he had.