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"Foundation Establishment Pill, huh!"
Fang Xi's face also showed a desire, but as he watched the crowd that had started to go crazy, purchasing talismans and magical equipment, and rushing out of the bazaar, his heart was as cold as ice.
To venture into a Secret Realm in search of fortune, one faced dangers not only from the realm itself but also from fellow cultivators and cultivation-robbers.
In the face of the temptation of Foundation Establishment, kinship, friendship, and even the bond between master and disciple, might not withstand the test!
Therefore, he steered clear of the bustling crowd and slowly made his way back to his Spiritual Field.
At the same time, he was also pondering over the matter of the Foundation Establishment Pill!
Foundation Establishment is difficult, and reaching the perfected state in the basic cultivation techniques before the age of sixty is only the most basic requirement.
Beyond that, there are three major checkpoints.
The first checkpoint is the Blood Qi Realm! At the time of Foundation Establishment, a cultivator's physique must be strong, and their qi and blood must be abundant with no hidden injuries. It is commonly believed in the Cultivation World that cultivators over the age of sixty, even if they have cultivated to the perfected state of Qi Refining, would find it difficult to establish their foundation due to the decline of their qi and blood.
The second checkpoint is the Magic Power gateway; the magic power must be sufficiently robust, and anything slightly less would make it challenging to meet the requirements for magic power coagulation.
And the last checkpoint is that one must give birth to Divine Consciousness!
Qi Refining cultivators only possess Spirit Sense, which can only be used for internal introspection and reading jade slips, but cannot be projected externally.
Whereas Foundation Establishment cultivators have Divine Consciousness, which allows them to scan dozens of feet around, greatly facilitating spellcasting and cultivation.
Any pill or item that can be useful for these three checkpoints can be called Base-building Spiritual Objects!
"Ancient cultivators dealing with Foundation Establishment would seek out spiritual objects appropriate for breaking through the three checkpoints. For example, Heavenly Earthly Killing Qi could temper a cultivator's physique, and pills that strengthen qi and blood could be used to break through the Blood Qi checkpoint... The same goes for the Magic Power gateway. As for the checkpoint of Divine Consciousness, it is rumored that sacred treasures like Pure Heart Lotus or Warm Jade Heart are quite effective..."
"But Heavenly Earth spiritual objects are ultimately extremely rare, and many are effective for Core Formation cultivators, which makes it too costly for those establishing their foundation..."
"Fortunately, a thousand years ago, the Pill Recipe grandmaster, Shutong Zhenjun, developed the 'Foundation Establishment Pill.' This pill not only stabilizes the qi and blood meridians, but also greatly increases magic power and stimulates the birth of Divine Consciousness. With this pill, the chances of Foundation Establishment increase by thirty percent, and even if the establishment fails, there's no risk of meridian breakage leading to death..."
"You should know, even ancient cultivators underwent life-and-death challenges for Foundation Establishment, and besides those exceptional spiritual objects, using ordinary ones only increased the chance of foundation establishment by a mere twenty to thirty percent..."
"Master Shutong is indeed a benefactor to the Cultivation World for ten thousand years and is an example of modern people surpassing the ancients... It's just that someone from a thousand years ago being considered modern is a bit odd..."
Fang Xi's lips twitched slightly, but thinking of how Yuan Ying True Monarchs live for over a thousand years made it seem reasonable.
After all, they might still not be dead, so why couldn't they be considered contemporary?
...
In the bamboo forest.
Leaves that looked like jade fell one after another, carefully gathered by Fang Xi.
The leaves of the Jade Bamboo had no significant uses; they were just pretty and stone-like. Most Spirit Farmers simply discarded them.
But Fang Xi could take them to the Great Liang World, where they were more useful than gold leaves.
After all, even mundane gold and silver had to be exchanged for Spirit Crystals at the market!
After inspecting the Spiritual Field once more, he approached a lush Jade Bamboo and slashed downwards with a single palm.
Crack!
A bamboo branch fell at the sound, and with a rub of his hands and stripping away the bamboo skin, inside he found the crisp and tender—Spirit Rice!
This Jade Bamboo Rice, grown inside the bamboo stalk, was stored in winter and harvested in spring; right now, it was still very tender.
Fang Xi took a few grains of Spirit Rice and put them in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully like an old farmer, nodding from time to time: "It tastes sweet upon entering the mouth, the Spiritual Power is abundant, there are no pests; come next spring, it should indeed be worthy of a 'good' rating."
This was his means of livelihood; it could not be taken lightly.
After completing his inspection of the Spiritual Field, Fang Xi suddenly felt inspired, took a deep breath, and his palms repeatedly struck out.
Thud thud!
The next moment, crisp sounds emitted from the void.
In the snowy area, only palm shadows could be seen flying about.
Suddenly, Fang Xi switched from palms to legs, his form ghost-like as he slithered and leaped over the white snow-covered ground to a pine tree.
Crack!
He raised his right leg high and then whipped it down like a boneless snake.
On the surface of the pine, the bark cracked and wood chips flew, revealing a whip-like mark!
"Is this... the Power of Qi and Blood?"
Long after, Fang Xi stopped and exhaled a large breath of white air.
On a whim, he practiced his martial arts in the snow, and it seemed that he had inexplicably grasped the flow of qi and blood in his body.
This marked the beginner's entry into the Great Liang Blood Qi Martial Arts!
With persistent effort, he could completely master it, entering the realm of Qi Blood First Transformation!
"I am not some martial arts prodigy, but just now, grasping the qi and blood came easily..."
Fang Xi murmured, his eyes shining slightly: "It seems... in a world with dense Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi, martial arts progress faster!"
Looking at his own fist, and recalling the feeling of grasping the qi and blood, he became somewhat lost in thought.
'According to Master Mu's words... above the Three Transformations of Qi and Blood, there are even stronger realms, which are the standard for the Principals of Martial Arts Schools... And at the level of a Martial Arts School Principal, one can fully solidify their qi and blood, remaining immobile as a mountain, appearing like an ordinary person in daily life, but upon moving resemble Demonic Beasts, controlling it freely. Even into old age, the qi and blood will not decay in the slightest, only dispersing due to death...'
'Does this not mean...'
Fang Xi's eyes brightened further: "As long as I reach the realm of a Martial Arts School Principal, my qi and blood will be locked in place, with no changes until I die... thus, unaffected by the requirement to perfect Qi Refining before the age of sixty?"
"In other words, even if I attempt Foundation Establishment at seventy, eighty, or even ninety years old, I won't suffer due to insufficient qi and blood, at least the Blood Qi checkpoint won't be a problem."
"This Blood Qi Martial Arts is at least equivalent to one-third of a Foundation Establishment Pill!"
"Truly, with the resources of two worlds at my disposal, sharing strengths and compensating for shortcomings, as long as I keep a low profile and develop in the shadows, I will surely grow stronger!"
A faint smile formed on the corners of Fang Xi's mouth.
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Ever since transmigrating, he had never been as confident about his own future as he was now.
…
Cottages area.
Fang Xi was startled to see that the place was also a mess.
Even Old Mai took out a slightly damaged low-grade Magic Power Flying Sword with great care and stepped out of his house.
"Old Mai, where are you going?"
Fang Xi couldn't help but ask.
"To Purple Dark Mountain, of course!" Old Mai opened his mouth, revealing a grin with a few missing yellow teeth, giving it a fierce look, "One must strive in cultivation until old... Do you know, when I was young, I had an opportunity, but I shrank back, and now, every night, my heart is filled with regret as if it were being scratched by hundreds of claws..."
Hearing this, Fang Xi knew there was no need to persuade him further; the old man had already made up his mind and wouldn't listen to persuasion.
But he still couldn't resist adding, "Then I wish you success in your Foundation Establishment..."
Considering the other's frail constitution, he didn't have much hope for Old Mai.
"Haha... I've long since lost interest in Foundation Establishment, but I still have a clever grandson in the secular world, not like me..."
Old Mai waved his hand and walked away indifferently.
As he was leaving, he seemed to want to forge a good bond for his grandson.
"Old Mai..."
Fang Xi exhaled a breath of white air, watching as the snowflakes covered the other's footprints.
He didn't know what opportunity the other had lost in his youth, but it seemed that he had been living with regret for years.
And now, if he didn't give it his all, he really might feel worse than dead.
'If it were me, without the golden finger, would I go?'
Fang Xi stood at the doorway, like a statue, silently asking himself.
An ordinary life as the bottom of the Cultivation World, versus battling for a chance at Foundation Establishment, to laugh proudly in the Cultivation World, seems like an easy choice, doesn't it?
'Never mind, I'll close the door and practice for the next few days.'
He sighed, went back into his house, and closed the door.
…
Three days later.
Da Liang World.
Fang Residence.
"Ha!"
Fang Xi, dressed in short martial arts attire, his arms bare and muscular, veins writhing like earthworms upon them.
"White Cloud Palm!"
Suddenly, he let out a soft cry and executed a series of palm strikes on the wooden dummy in front of him.
Thump, thump!
After a series of muffled sounds, shallow marks were left on the wooden dummy.
Mu Piaomiao stood aside, looking astonished, "This progress... it's so fast!"
"Master Mu, how's my palm technique?"
After performing a set of martial arts, Laurel immediately came over to wipe off sweat. Fang Xi tossed the handkerchief and casually asked.
Mu Piaomiao took a deep breath, "Mr. Fang, your talent even exceeds my expectations. As of recently, you can already occasionally sense Qi and Blood, right? Within roughly a month, completely mastering Qi and Blood, reaching the Qi Blood First Transformation level shouldn't be a problem."
"That's good to hear."
Fang Xi smiled.
He was certain that, in the Southern Wilderness Cultivation Realm, practicing Great Liang Blood Qi Martial Arts seemed to have its own benefits, with a cultivation speed at least three to four times faster than here!
"Maybe it's due to differences in the concentration of Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi?"
A faint idea was already forming in Fang Xi's mind.
"Once you reach Qi Blood First Transformation, Mr. Fang, you'll become an official disciple of our White Cloud Martial Arts School, get access to the techniques for the second and third transformations, and receive support from Secret Medicines," Mu Piaomiao stated solemnly.
"Thank you, Master Mu."
Fang Xi nodded and had Laurel present a gift.
"This is... isn't it too valuable?"
Mu Piaomiao looked at the jade piece in her hand shaped like a bamboo leaf, her eyes twitching.
This piece of beautiful jade was worth at least several dozen silver taels. Middle-class families in Black Stone City couldn't even spend that much in a year!
Even Mu Piaomiao couldn't help but think that if there were a problem, this disciple would really give money.
"Please don't disdain it, Master Mu."
Fang Xi beamed brightly.
It was a leaf he picked up without any effort; using it to improve goodwill seemed like a good idea.
When She Lei came in the afternoon and received the same treatment, Fang Xi also followed suit.
However, the greed and malice that flashed in She Lei's eyes upon receiving the green bamboo leaf were briefly captured by Fang Xi.
As an Immortal Cultivator, with senses beyond an ordinary person, everything that the Martial Artist thought he was hiding so well was as plain as day in front of Fang Xi.