Cultivation Starts with Rejuvenation

Compared to the Qi Cultivation Stage, the Dantian undergoes a major qualitative transformation after Foundation Establishment, with its internal magical power flowing ceaselessly, incomparable in might and depth with before.

”Indeed, it’s a gap that cannot be closed by quantity.”

With a slight circulation of his magical power, Li Ji’an felt terrifyingly strong.

”I will remember the goodwill of my fellow Daoists. Please return, and we shall gather again after my retreat.” His magical power surged as he responded to the people outside his cave mansion who came to offer their congratulations.

A month ago, he had to respectfully address some as seniors, but now he could finally interact as equals, which felt much more relaxed.

He then sent messages to Tong Yaoyao and Zhao Shuyao, thanking them for their guardianship.

Now that the Foundation Establishment is complete, he only needs to go into seclusion for some time to stabilize it and no longer has to worry about external influences.

After everyone outside the cave mansion had dispersed, Li Ji’an detailedly reviewed and summarized his experience and insights from achieving Foundation Establishment for the first time in this lifetime, planning ahead for the next life.

”Though the magical power is pure, it lacks in depth, mainly due to the cultivation technique. In the next life, I must cultivate a more advanced technique.”

”There is still room for improvement in the physical body. If I could hit Foundation Establishment with a Second Tier Body Cultivation physique, the spiritual energy it can accommodate would double, and perhaps the spiritual pressure would be enough.”

”The Divine Soul is already more than sufficient and still has a surplus, just proceeding step by step will do!”

”The main function of the Foundation Establishment Pill is merely to make up for one’s deficiencies... if one’s own strength is sufficient, wouldn’t it be better without using it?”

What was that trace of sensing in the void before taking the Foundation Establishment Pill?

If in the next life I don’t take the Foundation Establishment Pill, can I grasp that trace of spiritual mechanism? What benefits would it bring?”

…

Finishing his summary, Li Ji’an sensed the current achievements of his Foundation Establishment more meticulously.

The Dantian and magical power need no further comment.

The Divine Soul was additionally enhanced due to the successful Foundation Establishment, vaguely reaching an early post-Foundation Establishment level, which was expected.

The physical body showed no changes; to break through to the Second Tier Body Refining, further body refining can only be achieved through a Second Tier Demon Core.

Then came the horizontal comparison.

”My magical power aura... seems slightly stronger than Yan Qingwan’s aura from twelve years ago.”

”When Xiao Changfeng just achieved Foundation Establishment last year, his aura didn’t seem as strong as mine now.”

After carefully recalling and comparing, Li Ji’an was slightly surprised.

If the two of them hadn’t used secret techniques to conceal their aura, he felt his magical power aura surpassed theirs at this moment.

”Could it be that there really is a distinction of strength in Foundation Establishment?”

Over the years, he had studied various materials on Foundation Establishment.

One view holds that there are distinctions of quality in Foundation Establishment. With Lower Grade, Upper Grade, and even the Foundation of the Heavenly Dao, it’s said to affect subsequent realms too.

But this view was refuted by many experts, including the True Pill late-stage ancestor of the Biyun Sect, who stated that Core Formation has nothing to do with Foundation Establishment and, based on his observation of various core disciples and Inner Sect disciples, the differences in Foundation Establishment revealed no obvious pattern.

He said that after Foundation Establishment, all cultivators’ Dantians are not peculiar, only differing in magical power strength, unrelated to Foundation Establishment. It should be influenced by cultivation during Foundation Establishment and the quality of the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Yet, some ancient texts record that Foundation Establishment relates to the path, but did not speak of excellence or inferiority in Foundation Establishment.

However, this statement was also negated by the ancestor of the Ten Thousand Laws Palace, the highest cultivation in the Celestial Cyan Domain, saying that there was no felt impact of Foundation Establishment on the Nascent Soul Realm.

”Could it really be as the Biyun Sect ancestor said, and that the grade of the Foundation Establishment Pill influences the post-Foundation magical power situation?” After a bit of contemplation, Li Ji’an used the difference between himself and Yan Qingwan for comparative reasoning.

He and Yan Qingwan practiced the same cultivation technique and neither used Breaking Rank Pills during the Qi Cultivation Stage. Judging solely from their magical power situation, the biggest difference was that he used a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill for assistance, whereas Yan Qingwan used a lower-grade one.

After personally experiencing the Foundation Establishment process, he confirmed the efficacy of the Foundation Establishment Pill: its main role was in providing additional magical power to the Dantian and increasing spiritual pressure.

”That must be it!” After reasonable deduction, Li Ji’an likely reached a conclusion.

The high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill provided more and stronger additional magical power and spiritual pressure, resulting in more abundant and deeper liquid magical power.

And Xiao Changfeng, whose magical power was already strong, although without the Foundation Establishment Pill’s aid, still exceeded the additional magical power from Yan Qingwan’s inferior-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.

With this conclusion, Li Ji’an felt fortunate and was especially grateful to Little Fire Spirit.

The quality of the Foundation Establishment Pill not only affected the success rate of Foundation Establishment but also the strength of the foundation laid thereafter.

”Achieving Foundation Establishment at thirty-seven this life, aided unexpectedly by a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, I must not take it for granted.”

After confirming the Foundation Establishment results in this life, Li Ji’an made projections and plans for the future.

”In this life, I should strive for Core Formation as much as possible without compromising safety!”

If one cannot plan for the short term, how can one plan for the long term?

If one cannot plan for the long one, how can they pursue eternal life?

Moreover, now that Foundation Establishment is complete, vitality is much more vigorous, and lifespan is conservatively estimated at least at two hundred fifty to two hundred sixty years.

At least two hundred years are left in this life before Rejuvenation inevitably sets in.

Of course, from feeding the Ant Queen with vitality in a past life, he already understood that consuming vitality could hasten Rejuvenation, and reasonably deduced that techniques like Blood Burning Escape, which consume large amounts of vitality and life force, could significantly bring forward the time of Rejuvenation.

Strictly speaking, the upper limit of my current Rejuvenation is controlled by cultivation level, but the lower limit has always been under my control.

If the ultimate goal of becoming an Immortal of Ten Thousand Worlds benefits, he could advance Rejuvenation by over a hundred years.

However, currently, it seems completely meaningless as every Rejuvenation is a huge risk and challenge.

No matter how comprehensive the arrangements, nothing beats the reassurance of having mastery over one’s strength.

”Core Formation!” With the next goal in this life set, Li Ji’an’s gaze was resolute.

Foundation Establishment consists of three stages: early, middle, and late, with each stage involving a qualitative change.

Whenever there is a qualitative change, the power and depth of magical power significantly increase.

Moreover, the higher the stage, the greater the difference in qualitative changes.

According to many records, the middle stage of Foundation Establishment is more than twice the early stage, while the late stage is twice the middle stage.

”With my talent of a middle-grade Spirit Root and this cultivation technique, reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection at the early stage will probably take at least thirty years!” Li Ji’an reflected on various records and combined them with his own situation, realizing this for certainty.

”Even if I achieve Foundation Establishment Perfection and qualify to strive for Core Formation, it might still take a hundred years!”

This doesn’t even count the two significant bottlenecks in the Foundation Establishment Stage.

The two major bottlenecks of the Foundation Establishment Stage are more challenging than those of the Qi Cultivation Stage, unavoidable even for upper-grade Spirit Roots, except for Earth Spirit Roots and above.

However, Li Ji’an is not too worried about the bottlenecks since records indicate that the bottlenecks during Foundation Establishment mainly involve mental state and comprehension rather than magical power refinement; many need worldly experience or closed-door meditation.

Due to multiple Rejuvenations enhancing his comprehension, he has confidence.

”The Cultivation Realm is ever-changing; no one can predict what will happen in the next hundred years, there’s still a lack of Guardian Path!” After setting his goal, the next step is determining how to achieve this goal safely.

Li Ji’an concluded that the safest magical combat in the Cultivation Realm involves controlling Spirit Beasts, manipulating Puppets, and setting up Arrays in advance to engage in long-distance combat, avoiding direct confrontation with opponents to reduce the chances of injury, death, and enmity.

The next safest are Talismans and Magical Artifacts, allowing for remote control and combat.

This method can serve as emergencies, preventing close contact with opponents while consuming fewer resources.

A step less safe is magic combat, needing direct fighting with high consumption.

The least safe is close-range combat involving Body Refining and certain close-range attack secret techniques.

In the Cultivation Realm, there’s a plethora of unpredictable elements, and during close combat, one could be faced with an opponent’s hidden cards, like a Divine Artifact, from which escape is impossible.

However, when Li Ji’an prepares his Guardian Path, this order is completely reversed.

First, ensuring his physical body and physique can withstand a lethal attack at a critical moment is key, preventing exposure unless necessary.

Second, learning one or two escape Secret Techniques is essential, allowing a swift withdrawal in crisis, such as the Red Dragon Escape taught by Yan Qingwan.

Third involves Talismans and Magical Artifacts.

Now having achieved Foundation Establishment, his magical power is rich, and his Divine Soul rivals the late stage of Foundation Establishment, necessitating improvement in Second Tier Talismans; not his core card, but one with the greatest destructive potential.

If a late-stage Second Tier Attack Talisman can be crafted, it equates to having the attack power of late-stage Foundation Establishment.

His last card, and also the outermost card, is Gugu.

As for the Array legacy passed down by Granny You, he currently has no energy to study further, and that Array legacy is only a First Tier one, not much significant given his Foundation Establishment status.

”Tier Two Body Refining needs Second Tier Golden Armored Beast Demon Core… too difficult, postponing for now.”

”High-level cultivation techniques are hard to find during the Foundation Establishment Stage in the magic state.”

”Second Tier Talismans… The Talisman legacy from the Grand Elder should be prioritized.”

”Gugu’s lower-grade bloodline being promoted to Second Tier has received substantial assistance from Xiaoqiao and Little Fire Spirit, no surprise, there’s no further possibility for advancement.”

...

A month later, after thorough transformation of his dantian, stabilizing at Foundation Establishment Stage, Li Ji’an emerged from seclusion.

”Steward Qi, representing the main household, congratulates Fellow Daoist Li! A humble gift, no disrespect intended.” Steward Qi had estimated the time in advance and waited outside.

As Li Ji’an exited his Cave Mansion, he was handed a crimson Spirit Ginseng, a secondary ingredient for Second Tier Pill Medicine, also the main ingredient for Youthful Appearance Pill, valued around three hundred Spirit Stones, critical and hard to find.

This gift was not light.

”Steward Qi is too kind.” Li Ji’an received the gift with a smile. For ordinary Foundation Establish Wanderers, or those not particularly close, a gift of three hundred Spirit Stones might seem substantial, but for a Second Tier Pill Master who has crafted supreme-grade pill medicine, it’s certainly not.

Furthermore, Li Ji’an understands what Steward Qi desires.

If the Immortal City could have more Second Tier Pill Masters, it would bring more prosperity and benefits to the Immortal City.

”Congratulations Fellow Daoist Li, a little token from Han, please accept with a smile.”

”Fellow Daoist Li, congratulations, your future is limitless.”

...

Those residing in the Inner City of the Immortal City are often Foundation Establishment Wanderers skilled in their respective fields, having higher demands for Second Tier Pill Medicine and are willing to connect with a Second Tier Pill Master who has crafted supreme-grade medicine.

Similarly, Li Ji’an is interested in the skills and legacies of several among them, wishing to connect.

After all, trying to stay out of the spotlight with the last supreme-grade pill medicine was futile, and with a life goal of Core Formation, three hundred years ahead, perhaps enough time to outlive some elders, he’s not in a hurry for the next Rejuvenation.

”Li thanks fellow Daoists, and I hope you will honor me with your presence at an upcoming banquet.”

After exchanging pleasantries with fellow artisan friends.

”Xie Gui greets Senior Li, bringing a small gift from my master to congratulate Senior on achieving Foundation Establishment.” Xie Gui kept his head lowered, holding a jade bottle with both hands.

”Master Zou is thoughtful, please thank Master Zou for me.” Being familiar with Master Zou’s disposition, Li Ji’an felt indifferent, without special emotions.

Xie Gui hastily bowed deeply, exhaling in relief.

Previously, Master Zou had belittled Li Ji’an, yet upon hearing of Li Ji’an’s success last month, Master Zou grew worried about harboring resentment.

But when Li Ji’an openly referred to him as ”Master Zou” before everyone, Xie Gui immediately felt at ease.

After sending off Xie Gui, another person appeared, sparking Li Ji’an’s mild surprise.

”Jiu Chan represents the Liu Family, congratulating Fellow Daoist Li on achieving Foundation Establishment, wishing for prosperity on the Immortal Path.”