Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 248 Foundation Building Completed
Waterside pavilions and terraces, winding paths leading to secluded spots.

Li Ji'an sat high on the top floor of the Sishui Chamber of Commerce, admiring the enchanting dance of the Jade Flute Immortal before him, and took a sip of spiritual wine.

Three months ago, after receiving a message from Jade Flute Immortal, Li Ji'an returned to the Heavenly River Immortal City.

This meeting made Master Yuxiao's intention to win him over even more obvious.

If the old man were a high-ranking member of the sect, she would have given up on this idea long ago, let alone hoped to take him to the Myriad Merchants Domain.

But ever since they learned that the old man was not the Lingjiu Zhenren, the idea of ​​binding the old man to the merchant guild has become stronger.

This made her even more curious about the old man's identity.

Normally speaking, due to the monopoly and exclusive supply of resources and dojos within the Tiancang Domain, it is virtually impossible for powerful figures to hide their identities and live in seclusion.

After all, there are only so many spiritual vein dojos within the domain, and dojos of the third rank or above are even fewer.

Anyone who attempts to break through to the Core Formation stage will become known throughout the region.

"Sir, is Yu Xiao beautiful?" As the dance ended, amidst the fluttering of light gauze, the alluring figure of the Jade Flute Immortal drew ever closer.

"The fairy is hailed as the most beautiful woman in Tianyuan Prefecture, so she should naturally be the most beautiful woman in the prefecture." Li Ji'an smiled slightly, unmoved.

"Then, sir, are you unwilling to go to another realm with Yuxiao and live together as a couple?" Yuxiao's eyes were alluring, her red lips parted, and her usual stern and aloof demeanor in front of others was replaced by a seductive plea.

Li Ji'an laughed heartily: "Haha, I have already remembered the kindness of the fairy in giving me medicine. Do I need to repay it with my own flesh?"

"Hehe~" Seeing that the old man had made his point so clear, Master Yuxiao shook his head and chuckled.

“Sir, you are of noble character; Yu Xiao is too superficial.” She understood that the old man was truly unmoved by her beauty.

“You flatter me, Fairy. I have enjoyed working with you all these years. I will certainly continue our friendship if there is an opportunity in the future. This is something I promised you.” Li Ji’an stroked his beard and nodded, then took out a triangular talisman made of animal hide from his storage bag.

The talisman was surrounded by a faint blood-red light, and a powerful killing intent permeated the air.

It was a mid-grade, early-stage, third-tier spirit talisman crafted by Li Ji'an from the heart and life skin of a third-tier spirit beast.

"A third-tier attack talisman!" Jade Flute Master's expression instantly turned solemn.

Taking the third-tier Blood Fiend Talisman with both hands, Jade Flute Master looked up at Li Ji'an, his eyes no longer filled with allure, but with gratitude and surprise.

"Thank you, sir!" When they first discussed the deal, Li Ji'an casually mentioned that he might give away a third-tier spirit talisman in the future, but today he actually kept his word.

"There's no need for that. The fairy has helped me a lot. Only by maintaining good relationships can we last." Li Ji'an offered a helping hand.

Upon confirming the old man's identity as a third-tier talisman master, Jade Flute Immortal was both delighted and slightly disappointed. If the Chamber of Commerce had a third-tier talisman master in its ranks, their development in the Myriad Commerce Domain would undoubtedly be much better. Unfortunately…

Despite being treated with great hospitality, offered substantial sums of money, and even resorting to seduction, all attempts failed.

However, the old man's words, "Only through reciprocal relationships can a relationship last," reassured her that at least her friendship with her husband was still intact.

Afterwards, Master Yuxiao did not insist any further and bid farewell to Li Ji'an amicably.

After returning to the outer peak of the sect, Li Ji'an continued his daily cultivation and puppet research, and instead devoted his time to meticulously studying third-tier pills.

With the surge of the small fire spirit's flames, his divine sense also advanced further, and he only needed to practice refining third-tier pills a little more.

When I left Tianhe Immortal City this time, I purchased a batch of third-tier spiritual herbs, which cost a considerable amount of money.

In just four years, Li Ji'an gained complete control over the rapidly growing spiritual flames of the Little Fire Spirit and became highly skilled in refining third-tier spiritual herbs.

On this day, the cultivation of the "Flaming Dragon Technique" finally came to a perfect end, and the elixir in the dantian could not advance any further.

"No more, no less, exactly thirty years!" It took a full thirty years from advancing to the late stage of Foundation Establishment to reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment, just as he had expected.

Now, all that's needed is to refine the magic liquid further, practice the swallowing method for forming the core, and find a suitable place to practice, before attempting to form the core.

However, when Li Ji'an compared his current state of magic liquid with Xiao Changfeng's magic liquid before he formed his core, he found that the overall amount was only about half of Xiao Changfeng's, and much thinner.

Theoretically, given this level of magical power, the chances of condensing a fake elixir are slim.

As expected, after finishing his practice, he immediately went to the Dan Ding Peak within the sect. After carefully examining his magical power, Master Yu Dan spoke frankly.

"Little Li, with your current level of magical power, your chances of breaking through to the Core Formation stage are probably no more than 20%. However, the good thing is that your problem lies in the first stage. If you can't pass the first stage, there won't be too much danger."

Just be mindful of your expectations and don't let failure cause you too much disappointment.

We cultivators all yearn to become immortals and attain longevity. However, the path to immortality is vast and uncertain, often just a mirage. Apart from a handful of immortals who ascended to immortality in ancient legends, no deity-transforming celestial lord has ever been born in the more than six thousand years since ancient times.

Even many important figures suspect that the ancient calamity may have caused this world to have no hope of becoming an immortal.

Looking across the world, in the long river of more than six thousand years, how many Nascent Soul True Monarchs have also perished.

If you manage to develop some unparalleled elixir formula in this lifetime, a thousand years later, you might be remembered even more splendidly than the Nascent Soul True Monarchs of your time.

Normally, when a disciple of the sect wants to use the Daoist temple to break through to a higher realm, he only needs to apply for registration six months in advance. However, as a guest elder, there has never been a precedent of a guest elder forming a core using the Daoist temple, so he needs to make arrangements in advance. Naturally, his first stop is to consult with True Person Jade Pill.

But Master Yudan immediately poured cold water on him.

"Thank you for your guidance, teacher." Li Ji'an understood that the purpose was not to discourage him, but to prevent him from becoming discouraged after failure, and to give him a heads-up in advance.

"Yes, we have known each other for fifty-four years. I have seen your talent, intelligence and perseverance in alchemy. With your talent, if you had entered the inner sect to cultivate diligently back then and had survived to this day, you should have had a chance to become a fake alchemist."

However... every cloud has a silver lining. Perhaps it was precisely because of your choice back then that you were able to avoid the sect's repeated attacks and survive until now.

Therefore, there is no need to regret things that cannot be changed in the past; perhaps it was all fate. Master Yudan offered another word of comfort.

The reason he went to such lengths to reassure him beforehand was because he once had a disciple who had ordinary talent in cultivation but exceptional talent in alchemy.

However, after failing to achieve the false core, he was utterly despondent and became despondent. He even resented Master Yudan, thinking that if he hadn't learned alchemy from him back then and had focused all his energy on cultivation, he might have had a chance to form a core.

Ultimately, he became enemies with Master Yudan, who, in order to prevent him from turning even darker, killed him on the spot.

This became a deep pain in Master Yudan's heart.

"Don't worry, teacher. I have carefully considered everything I have done and I have no regrets about the past." Li Ji'an smiled knowingly.

He might make the wrong choice, but he won't regret it. At worst, he can turn back time and start over.

"Yes, I am relieved."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Go back and refine your magic power. You don't need to worry about the Core Formation training ground. I still have some influence with you, and besides, given your level of magic power, the sect won't make things difficult for you."

"Oh?" Li Ji'an was overjoyed, but also a little puzzled.

Master Yu Dan smiled at him and explained, "The sect has rules that anyone who is not a disciple of the sect and has the potential to condense a true core is strictly prohibited from doing so." Li Ji'an nodded, understanding the sect's purpose.

He finally understood the message Qin Henian had given him years ago.

Since Qin Chuan's Foundation Establishment stage was stabilized, Qin Henian began to plan a Core Formation training ground for him, as he was determined to help Qin Chuan form a True Core.

At that time, the Qin family will truly become a renowned family of True Core cultivators in the Tiancang Domain.

This would also allow them to truly break free from the control of the Biyun Sect.

But after more than a decade of hard work, things finally started to look promising.

They certainly couldn't rely on the Biyun Sect, and they also had to prevent the Biyun Sect from interfering.

Even a prestigious family of pseudo-Dan (a type of cultivator) in the state struggles so much for a mid-grade or higher Dan formation training ground, let alone a rogue cultivator with no one to rely on.

In comparison, Li Ji'an was much better.

Of course, this is also due to his lack of natural talent.

If one possesses exceptional talent and superior cultivation techniques, then only disciples of a sect can enjoy the Core Formation privilege of a third-tier high-grade spiritual vein training ground.

"Teacher, how is the situation at the front?" Li Ji'an then inquired about the situation at the front.

Many disciples within the sect were killed or wounded, and many of the disciples in charge of intelligence were replaced, resulting in the sect's intelligence not being updated for a long time. If Li Ji'an wanted to know the situation on the front line, he could only do so through the few pseudo-core elders guarding the sect.

"Alas, what else can we do? Countless people have died on both sides. What's the point of all this?" Master Yudan said, looking heartbroken as he spoke of the war in the cultivation world.

"They all dream of an eternal path to immortality, yet they still kill each other. Hmph, they should use this energy to study elixirs. Otherwise, when all the spiritual treasures of the world disappear, even forming a core will be a pipe dream, let alone becoming an immortal?"

What Master Yu Dan said is true. Cultivation in this world mostly relies on the spiritual treasures of heaven and earth, but not all of these treasures can be regenerated. Most of them are relics left over from ancient times.

As cultivators in this realm continue to explore, the spiritual treasures of heaven and earth are becoming increasingly rare.

Moreover, this is not the first time this has happened. The reason why body cultivation declined in ancient times was that most of the human body cultivators at that time also relied on the spiritual objects of heaven and earth.

As the spiritual resources of heaven and earth gradually dwindled, the path of physical cultivation became increasingly difficult, ultimately leading to a dead end.

Judging from the current state of cultivation in this world, Foundation Establishment is relatively easy; cultivators like Xiao Changfeng can successfully establish their foundation without taking Foundation Establishment Pills. However, as for Core Formation, only those with Heavenly Spiritual Roots dare to condense a True Core without the help of spiritual objects from heaven and earth.

Moreover, the best solution, as Master Yudan said, is elixirs.

After all, spiritual plants and herbs can be cultivated artificially, ensuring sustainable development.

Of course, if a new cultivation method could emerge that does not rely on the spiritual treasures of heaven and earth, that would be an even greater feat that would change the entire cultivation world.

After agreeing with Master Yudan, he then recounted the specific situation at the front lines.

After bidding farewell to Master Yudan, Li Ji'an smiled slightly on his way back to the outer peak.

Just as Li Ji'an had predicted, the battle between the two regions, which had been relatively peaceful in previous years, became frequent and intense again half a year ago, and the decisive battle was fast approaching.

However, based on Master Yudan's analysis of the forces on both sides, Li Ji'an foresaw that the final outcome of the war between the two regions would likely be a lose-lose situation with no winners!

For Li Ji'an, the advantage is that both sides suffered huge losses in this battle, and it is estimated that it will be difficult to fight again for many years. Tiancang Domain will definitely need to recuperate and build up its strength. Moreover, because of the countless cultivators who died in this battle, the pressure on the domain's resources will be slightly reduced.

In particular, with the various sects suffering heavy losses, they will definitely increase their efforts in training their disciples in order to avoid a generational gap.

The only thing that worried Li Ji'an was Yan Qingwan and Xiao Qiao, who had been conscripted to the front lines.

Ten years have passed since then, and there has been no news of him.

When he took his leave, he gave each of them three life-saving talismans. Now, he can only hope that the two of them can avoid facing a powerful expert above the True Person level in the final battle.

"Bang bang bang!"

"Qua~"

Upon returning to the solitary peak, I heard the familiar sounds of fighting.

Guagua was locked in a fierce battle with three late-stage Tier 1 puppets.

The three puppets were combat puppets that Li Ji'an had meticulously crafted over the past four years.

A stone figure, made primarily of Heavenly Heart Rock, stands about ten feet tall and is shrouded in Heavenly Heart Rock, capable of withstanding the attacks of a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator. Although its movements are somewhat sluggish, its defensive capabilities are comparable to those of an ordinary mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The second body was made primarily from the muscles of a flying monkey. It was small in stature but extremely agile. Li Ji'an also equipped it with a fine bone-chopping magic weapon, which had considerable attack power.

The third one is made from the bones of a wild yak, with immense strength in both arms. It is equipped with a white bone bow, which can suddenly shoot out a white bone arrow, making it quite difficult to defend against.

These were requested by Guagua himself.

Since Little Fire Spirit advanced to the mid-stage of the second tier and its strength increased significantly, Guagua felt a sense of urgency. In particular, the fear it had experienced in the Fallen Dragon Ridge Wasteland, where it was dominated by the two-headed viper, made it yearn to become stronger.

Its bloodline is currently of medium grade, and without special opportunities, it will be difficult to improve further.

The only possibility is to hone one's skills through combat and life-or-death battles.

Therefore, for the past two years, it has often wanted Li Ji'an to play with it.

In the end, Li Ji'an created these three puppets to satisfy it.

From initially fleeing in panic to now being evenly matched, their growth rate is astonishing.

The three puppets are currently only given simple commands by Li Ji'an to attack Guagua using the Puppet Control Technique. They consume almost one spirit stone every three days, and they cannot coordinate or follow any rules, behaving rather mechanically.

If Li Ji'an were to personally control the three puppets, with the stone golem holding the line in front, the iron monkey hiding behind the stone golem to launch a counterattack, and the skeleton archers launching sneak attacks from afar, the croaking goblin wouldn't last long.

Unfortunately, although Li Ji'an's Soul Forging Technique has reached the second level and his divine sense has truly reached the early stage of True Core, even stronger than Xiao Changfeng's when he first stabilized his realm, he still finds it very difficult to control three puppets in precise combat at once.

This isn't a matter of how strong one's divine sense is. After all, the three puppets are only at the late stage of the first rank, and with his divine sense, he could handle thirty of them. The main issue is that he needs to divide his divine sense into three.

Li Ji'an had read in some ancient books about similar soul cultivation techniques from ancient times. There was even an ancient puppeteer who practiced a secret technique that divided his divine consciousness into a hundred, allowing him to control a hundred puppets at the same time and form an army to fight the enemy.

This made Li Ji'an yearn for it.

But there's no rush. As long as there's this hope, I'll live on and on, and one day I'll have it.

Over the next three years, Li Ji'an refined his magical power and practiced the technique of swallowing whales.

It wasn't until this day, when mournful music filled the sect, that Li Ji'an left the solitary peak again and entered the sect to inquire.

(End of this chapter)