Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 245 Replenishing Qi and Blood
The process of a cultivator forming their core is the condensation of liquid mana in their dantian into a solid pill. Compared to the compression of gaseous mana into liquid during the foundation building stage, the quality is higher, the mana is more refined, and the difficulty is also greater.

The conditions for forming the Golden Core also differ.

First challenge: Gathering Spirit!

The cultivator absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy into his cave, preparing for the next step of absorbing spiritual roots into his dantian. Then, he circulated his cultivation technique at high speed to refine it into mana, instantly increasing the amount of mana in his dantian and forming an extremely powerful spiritual pressure.

The stronger the spiritual pressure, the greater the chance of compressing liquid mana into a solid pill, and the higher the purity of the pill. Conversely, if the spiritual pressure is insufficient, the mana liquid is difficult to compress into crystals, resulting not only in failure to form a pill but also in backlash, vaporization of the mana liquid, a drop in cultivation level, and an even lower success rate in forming a pill again.

The quality of a cultivator's first step in the process of forming the Core is judged by the amount of spiritual energy they can absorb.

This fundamental requirement is a spiritual vein dojo!

Based on over six thousand years of experience in the cultivation world, a third-order spiritual vein is a necessary condition for condensing the core. Only by attempting to condense the core on a third-order spiritual vein can one barely absorb enough spiritual energy for subsequent spiritual pressure.

However, the spiritual energy provided by a third-grade low-level spiritual vein can only reach the lower limit, which is only enough to hope for condensing a pill. If you want to further solidify and purify it, a third-grade mid-level spiritual vein is almost the bottom line for condensing a true pill.

Besides the basic requirement of a spiritual vein dojo, the depth of the attacker's personal magical power is also crucial.

The more powerful one's magic, the more spiritual energy one can gather when using the Devouring Whale technique.

At this moment, the spiritual energy gathered by Xiao Changfeng in the first stage almost affected half of the Biyun Sect's spiritual vein dojo, providing a solid foundation for the subsequent absorption of spiritual roots and the refinement of cultivation techniques. It was not much different from when Elder Tian condensed his true core back then. In this step alone, it can be considered that there is hope for a true core.

However, this is only the beginning, and it only proves that Xiao Changfeng has accumulated considerable magical power over the years.

The fact that one can possess such a refined and profound level of magical power despite relatively insufficient cultivation techniques is directly related to years of honing one's skills.

The seven elders were all delighted to see Xiao Changfeng pass the first stage of Core Formation.

Faced with the competition between Zhao Qi and Xiao Changfeng over spiritual resources, although they ultimately chose Xiao Changfeng, they were still somewhat uneasy.

Given Xiao Changfeng's spiritual root talent and the cultivation method he practices, he does indeed have innate shortcomings. Even with the sect's abundant spiritual resources for Core Formation, the possibility of him achieving a false Core is still the highest.

Theoretically speaking, once Zhao Qi loses his abundant spiritual resources for Core Formation, even if he has the talent of Earth Spiritual Root and cultivates the sect's treasured technique, the chances of him achieving a true Core are still slim, and it is highly likely that he will only achieve a false Core. After all, the sect's treasured technique is only an Earth-level technique.

Thus, given that both Xiao Changfeng and he were fake core cultivators, the seven elders did not have much to worry about.

But the fear is that Zhao Qi might unexpectedly form a true elixir in the end.

Therefore, only when Xiao Changfeng can condense a true core can they be completely free from worries.

Previously, their biggest concern was Xiao Changfeng's magical power.

This gave them something to look forward to.

Half a day later, the vortex of spiritual energy above Xiao Changfeng's cave finally calmed down, and then a cloud of rosy clouds covering an area of ​​one mile appeared.

The rosy clouds are a reflection of the magical power that a person is refining in an instant when attempting to form the Core Formation. When a large amount of magical power is refined in an instant, there will be a hazy aura of magical light, which gathers in one place and then condenses into clouds. This can directly reflect the amount of magical power refined in the dantian of the person attempting to form the Core Formation, as well as the efficiency of the magical power refining.

After the first step of gathering spirit, now comes the crucial step of testing the attacker's talent: bursting magic!

To cause a surge in dantian power within a limited time.

The more magical power one refines, the stronger the spiritual pressure becomes.

The amount of magical power that can be refined depends on two factors: the spiritual root and the cultivation technique, in addition to the spiritual energy gathered in the first step.

The better one's spiritual root talent, the faster and larger one can absorb the spiritual energy swallowed in the previous step into one's body, and then quickly refine it by circulating one's cultivation technique.

"A mile of rosy clouds?" When the seven elders saw the range of rosy clouds above Xiao Changfeng's cave, their expressions became slightly solemn.

The most recent record for the Biyun Sect in condensing a True Core is Elder Tian, ​​who already possessed a three-mile-long cloud of magical power at the start of the second stage.

"The problem still lies in the talent of spiritual roots."

"With twenty-three strands of top-grade spiritual root, it's considered the bottom of the top-grade spiritual root category. It's already quite good that it can provide a mile of cloud and mist."

"With the help of a Core Formation Spiritual Treasure, I wonder if we can catch up?"

When Elder Tian was forming his core, he received a rare spiritual treasure from the sect, ranked in the nineties, which helped him achieve this. In the end, his magical power enveloped a ten-mile-long area, creating a magnificent spectacle that stirred the blood of countless disciples.

An hour later, the magical cloud above Xiao Changfeng's cave increased from one mile to two miles, and its momentum almost stopped.

This is the limit of Xiao Changfeng's twenty-three strands of superior spiritual roots.

"Boom~"

Just as the rosy clouds paused, like an explosion, a burst of air rang out from two miles away, instantly expanding several times in size to reach a range of eight miles.

"Hiss~ What kind of Core Formation Spiritual Treasures are among the Core Formation Spiritual Resources prepared this time? The price has actually skyrocketed by six miles?"

"Could it be true that the rumors about obtaining a top-fifty Core Formation spiritual treasure in the ruins were true?"

"It's highly likely. This kind of surge is far beyond what Core Formation spirit treasures ranked after the fiftieth can achieve!"

"Eight miles of rosy clouds! There is hope for a true elixir!"

The sect has prepared a very generous amount of spiritual resources for Core Formation, but the extent of that generosity remains a mystery.

The most important thing is the ranking of the most essential spiritual resources for Core Formation.

A moment later, the magical clouds stabilized again, continuing slightly within a range of eight li.

"Whether it can be accomplished depends on the next step." The seven elders' faces showed even greater anticipation.

"Boom~" However, just as they were all looking forward to the next step of the core condensation stage, another hollow sound came from the clouds.

Immediately afterwards, everyone was stunned.

The magical clouds surged once again from their previous height of eight li.

"Ten miles!" In just three breaths, the clouds and mist surged to ten miles.

"It's still rising, and the momentum is fierce!"

"Twelve li!"

……

"Fifteen li? How is that possible?"

"No, it's still rising!"

……

"Eighteen miles!" Finally, to everyone's horror, Xiao Changfeng's magical cloud stabilized at eighteen miles!
"Eighteen li! Legend has it that even the Supreme Elder could only manage fifteen li back then, and in the history of the sect, only that forbidden Elder Duanmu reached eighteen li. Changfeng actually..."

"He actually has other Core Formation Spiritual Treasures, and they are even better than the Core Formation Spiritual Treasures provided by the sect. They have increased by ten miles from the original eight miles, so they must be top-twenty superior spiritual treasures!"

"This... Changfeng has lofty ambitions; he probably had grand plans from the very beginning..."

……
-
"You are truly a monster!" Inside the core training ground of the Strange Stone Forest, Ning Sujin stared wide-eyed at Li Ji'an before her.

Li Ji'an gasped for breath, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and smiled somewhat nervously at Ning Sujin: "Heh~ Is it as exaggerated as you say?"

"Exaggeration? I'm being conservative. It took me a full year to even get started, and three years to barely reach the first level. You got started in three months and reached the first level in half a year! I don't know what else to call you but a prodigy." Ning Sujin glared at him, feeling somewhat powerless.

She had heard from the Liu family patriarch that, according to ancient records, being able to master the Soul Forging Technique in just one year was already considered a sign of exceptional talent, and she was quite pleased with herself at the time.

Since she began teaching Li Ji'an the Soul Forging Technique eight months ago, she had repeatedly fallen into self-doubt. It was very likely that Old Thief Liu was deliberately exaggerating his abilities.

"Phew~" Li Ji'an smiled gently, lying in Ning Sujin's arms, enjoying Ning Sujin's comfort and completely relaxing.

"Does the Empress perhaps want to be a jealous woman?" he casually teased.

"Pah!" Ning Sujin spat lightly, and the hand that was massaging her pinched harder.

"If I were a jealous woman, I would have died of jealousy back in the Immortal Dynasty."

"You like to hide your true abilities when you're training your body."

During these nights in August, their relationship grew increasingly intimate, especially since they often reminisced about the innocent days of the Immortal Dynasty, and their way of interacting naturally returned to that time.

Furthermore, when Ning Sujin inquired about the situation of the Duke's Mansion of the Xianci Dynasty, Li Ji'an told her about the change of dynasties back then.

Upon hearing about the power struggle within the imperial court, and recalling how the imperial family's appeasement of the Liu family cultivators had led to the deception of countless talented individuals from the Immortal-Given Dynasty into becoming blood slaves, Ning Sujin was filled with righteous indignation. She declared that if she hadn't come to the cultivation world back then, she should have joined Li Ji'an in storming the imperial court, killing that dog emperor, and making Li Ji'an the emperor.

Li Ji'an then jokingly bestowed upon her the title of Empress.

"How dare you! How can an empress speak to the emperor like that?" Li Ji'an said sternly.

"Hmph, then I will declare myself Empress and you will become my Empress!" Ning Sujin retorted defiantly.

"Hahaha……"

Such behavior from the two could only be found in a mortal world like the Immortal Dynasty; it would be virtually impossible in the cultivation world where the strong are revered.

This is one of the reasons why Li Ji'an found it so interesting.

Furthermore, this relationship truly soothed his mind during the monotonous cultivation, especially during the soul forging period.

The more beauty he could feel in the world, the more determined he became to achieve immortality, and the more motivated he became.

After the playful banter, Ning Sujin gradually calmed down.

"Li Lang, is it still difficult for Yu Tan's physique to maintain the Foundation Establishment stage?"

Li Ji'an chuckled and shook his head: "It's enough, but it's still a bit of a stretch."

"What are your chances of success?" Ning Sujin asked, somewhat worried.

"With the addition of high-grade Foundation Establishment Pills, it's 60%!" Li Ji'an said truthfully.

A hint of joy appeared in Ning Sujin's eyes: "Sixty percent isn't enough?"

For elders of the Liu family, achieving five or six tenths of their foundation-building stage is already quite impressive.

Li Ji'an reached out and gently stroked her cheek: "Empress, if it weren't for you, a 60% chance would be worth a try, but if the foundation building fails, you will be annihilated... Let alone a 40% chance of failure, even a 10% chance of failure would not be worth the risk."

I need to be absolutely certain!

"..."

Ning Sujin gently bit her full lips, her eyes slightly red.

Ning Yutan had just recovered her consciousness after undergoing a soul search. If she were to fail in her foundation building again and suffer a backlash, she would likely survive, but the primordial spirit residing in her consciousness would no longer be able to exist.

Her cherry lips trembled as she finally said resolutely, "Don't let me become a burden to you!"

Li Ji'an smiled nonchalantly: "It's just a matter of qi and blood; it's not enough to be a burden to me."

"Do you have a solution?" Ning Sujin asked expectantly.

“Always.”

"You're hiding your true abilities again?" Ning Sujin glared at her with her phoenix eyes.

"Haha, you've wronged me this time. I was just waiting for the effects of its self-refining of qi and blood. Now it seems I have no choice but to step in." Li Ji'an laughed heartily.

"What method?" Ning Sujin had a feeling that the method Li Ji'an was talking about wouldn't be too simple.

"Replenish Qi and Blood!"

"Hmm?" Ning Sujin paused slightly.

Li Ji'an stopped beating around the bush and revealed the method of using his own body as nourishment for Ning Yutan's sexual cultivation.

"Does this greatly deplete your vital energy?" After hearing Li Ji'an's explanation of the method of replenishing vital energy, Ning Sujin's first reaction was to ask about its impact on Li Ji'an.

Li Ji'an grinned and gently pulled her into his arms: "With my second-level body cultivator's physique, how much can that little girl absorb?"

“Okay! I’ll explain it to him tomorrow.” Ning Sujin agreed without the slightest hesitation.

Li Ji'an smiled and nodded, then lay down on the jade bed, fully clothed, for a short rest.

As dawn broke, the two parted ways once more.

Watching Ning Sujin leave, Li Ji'an gently rubbed his temples.

These eight months were the most difficult period of his six lifetimes.

Every night I have to endure countless torments of pain deep in my soul, which takes a heavy toll on my mental and physical health.

Fortunately, he had Ning Sujin, a Nascent Soul Realm expert, protecting him closely; otherwise, he would never have dared to forge his soul so frequently.

With his companionship, playful affection, and gentle caresses, his mind became increasingly clear and peaceful, and he recovered quickly, which allowed him to get through the ordeal unharmed.

Fortunately, the results were also very fruitful. Now he feels that his spiritual foundation has become two points stronger, and he estimates that when he reaches the peak of Foundation Establishment, he will be able to touch the spiritual sense of the mid-stage of Core Formation.

Around noon, Ning Yutan came to pay her respects as usual.

They also proactively inquired about the matter of replenishing qi and blood.

Li Ji'an once again told the truth.

"Senior, you have shown me such great kindness. I do not know how to repay you. Please serve me as your maid from now on!" Ning Yu Tan's attitude was very firm, though it is unclear how Ning Su Jin spoke to her.

However, given the state of the cultivation world, for a Qi Refining cultivator like Ning Yutan to request the status of a maidservant when facing a late Foundation Establishment cultivator like Li Ji'an was actually a bit too much for her.

In a world where the strong rule, when there is a significant difference in strength and background, beauty is never a bargaining chip.

"Okay." To put the girl's guard down, Li Ji'an nodded in agreement.

However, considering that Ning Sujin could not leave the Qishilin spiritual vein, he only agreed to let her serve as a maid during the time he came to Qishilin.

"Thank you for your hard work, senior." Seeing Li Ji'an nod, Ning Yutan no longer hesitated and took the initiative to help Li Ji'an take off his clothes.

When Ning Sujin explained her foundation-building situation to Ning Yutan today, Ning Yutan, who still held onto the ideas of the Immortal Dynasty, was initially somewhat resistant.

Unlike the cultivation world, the virtues she accepted for women in the Immortal Dynasty were relatively conservative.

However, considering the possibility that Ning Sujin's soul might be scattered.

Coupled with his admiration and gratitude for the senior expert Li Ji'an, he ultimately forced himself to adapt to the customs and culture of the cultivation world.

(End of this chapter)