Mortal Cultivator: Lin Tianzun

Chapter 69: Sixty years of hard training, a transformation in one day!
After hurriedly saying goodbye to the Chen family, Lin Fan, carrying the heavy expectations and earnest instructions of his ancestor Chen Minghui, used all his strength to activate the magic weapon, and rushed all the way at lightning speed without stopping for a moment, and rushed straight back to the cave in Huangfeng Valley.

As soon as he set foot on this familiar land, a fiery fighting spirit instantly ignited in his eyes. Without wasting a moment, he immediately plunged into the preparations for his retreat, determined to devote himself wholeheartedly to this arduous battle of training, which was against the clock.

He meticulously inspected the defensive formation along the cave's perimeter, not missing a single crack. His hands danced rapidly in the air, executing complex hand seals one after another, muttering to himself as immense spiritual energy poured into the formation like a surging torrent.

Instantly, the magic circle shone brightly, its dazzling light enveloping the cave tightly, as if it were covered in an indestructible layer of golden armor. Any slight movement, even the approach of a mosquito, would be detected by the magic circle.

He then meticulously arranged several layers of soundproof barriers within the cave. Each barrier was infused with unique spiritual patterns, nested layer upon layer, airtight and completely isolating all external noise and distractions, ensuring an absolutely tranquil environment for cultivation during his retreat.

During the long years of seclusion that followed, Lin Fan set up a strict and regular practice schedule for himself, with every day packed to the brim with activity, and every minute counted.

At dawn, the sky was just beginning to turn pale, and the first ray of light was still struggling to penetrate the darkness of the cave. Lin Fan had already sat upright on the cushion, starting his day of meditation and practice.

His eyes were tightly closed, his breathing was slow and steady, and he was completely immersed in a state of emptiness. The spiritual energy in his body was like a surging river, surging through his meridians.

After completing his training, Lin Fan rested briefly before turning his attention to drawing an intermediate-level talisman. He carefully took out a piece of finely textured talisman paper. Its texture was as delicate as silk, emitting a subtle aura, making it an excellent material for drawing high-level talismans.

Then, he held the spiritual brush in his hand and slowly dipped the tip of the brush into the carefully prepared spiritual ink. The spiritual ink emitted a faint glow, and the power of rare spiritual materials and special runes blended together, and a mysterious aura filled him.

The moment he began to write, Lin Fan seemed to be at one with the universe. His eyes were focused and determined, his wrist steady as a rock. Each stroke was imbued with a perfectly balanced surge of spiritual energy. Runes gradually took shape beneath his brush, some winding like swift snakes, others standing firm like majestic pines. They seemed to be imbued with life, leaping and shimmering across the talisman paper. The process of drawing a talisman required no distraction; the slightest mistake would instantly disrupt the spiritual energy of the entire sheet, undoing all the previous effort.

But Lin Fan relied on his hard practice day after day and his superb control of spiritual power to successfully draw out high-quality intermediate talismans. These talismans that condensed his hard work were carefully kept by him for emergency use.

In the afternoon, sunlight filtered through the cracks in the cave, casting patches of dappled light and shadow on the ground. At that moment, Lin Fan was sitting at a desk piled high with ancient books, concentrating on studying the formation.

Spread out in front of him was a rare edition of formation manuals that he had painstakingly collected from the Seven Sects Market. The paper was yellowed and exuded the old air of time, but the formation knowledge recorded in it was like a mysterious treasure, waiting for him to dig.

His eyes moved rapidly between the pages, sometimes frowning, lost in thought over the complex diagrams and obscure texts; sometimes his eyes lit up, as if he had caught key information between the lines, and then he wrote quickly in the blank space beside to record his inspiration and insights.

When he encountered a formation principle that was difficult to understand, he would take out the formation plate he had prepared long ago. This formation plate was made of special spiritual materials and engraved with intricate runes, and it was a great helper in his research on formations.

He consulted the classics and carefully placed the formation flags and inlaid the spirit stones on the formation disk. Then, he quickly formed seals with his hands and chanted a few words to activate the formation disk. As spiritual power was injected into the formation disk, the formation flags trembled slightly, the spirit stones shone, and a miniature formation slowly began to operate on the disk.

Lin Fan observed every detail of the formation intently, pondering everything from the direction of spiritual power flow to the interaction between the formation patterns. Through repeated practice, he continuously deepened his understanding and mastery of various formations.

When the Taiqing Jade Purifying Bottle gave birth to a batch of fresh and juicy spiritual medicines that were overflowing with spiritual energy, Lin Fan was like a general about to go to the battlefield. He instantly entered a state of preparation and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the cause of alchemy.

He first took out the elixirs ripened in the jade bottle one by one, and carefully screened and classified them according to the elixir recipes recorded in the "Ancient Alchemy Classics" to ensure that the quality and dosage of each medicinal ingredient were accurate.

Once everything was ready, he activated the cauldron to refine the elixir. As his spiritual energy poured into it, a blazing, dark blue flame ignited within, its temperature extremely high and steady. Lin Fan placed the herbs into the cauldron one by one, observing the changes within with undivided attention with each addition. By precisely controlling the amount of spiritual energy and the temperature of the flame, he could precisely grasp the timing for the herbs to fuse.

During the alchemy process, he acted like a seasoned conductor, deftly manipulating the essences of various elixirs, allowing them to blend seamlessly within the cauldron, ultimately condensing into plump, ancient elixirs brimming with spiritual energy. However, Lin Fan wasn't satisfied with this. Fully aware of the Qiankun Creation Cauldron's extraordinary capabilities, he placed the refined elixirs within the cauldron to cultivate and upgrade them.

Under the nourishment of the divine cauldron, the surface of the pill gradually showed a richer luster, and the originally restrained medicinal power began to surge.

After the cultivation, the medicinal power of the pills was like a wild horse running free, multiplying several times. Every time Lin Fan took these pills, he could clearly feel the spiritual energy in his body surge like a surging tide, and his cultivation level also improved by leaps and bounds.

Time flies like a white horse passing by, and sixty years have passed quietly during Lin Fan's wholehearted practice.

During these long years, he has never slacked off, and has always been persistent in his pursuit of a higher level of cultivation, moving forward firmly step by step.

For sixty years, Lin Fan had been confined to his secluded cultivation, having barely once left his cave. Even in the crafting of talismans, he had devoted immense effort. During these sixty years, he meticulously crafted over two hundred intermediate-level talismans, encompassing seven or eight different types.

There were the Flame Explosion Talismans, which unleashed powerful fire attacks, instantly igniting a blazing blaze of astonishing power; and the Phantom Talismans, which concealed the body, making it seem as if one melted into thin air, leaving no trace. Each talisman was crafted with immense effort and care, and to him, they were all invaluable treasures.

Lin Fan's array formations, through constant study of array texts collected from the Seven Sects Marketplace, coupled with countless simulations using array plates, have greatly improved his skills. He has now become a master array formation master. Whether it's a maze array to trap an enemy or a defensive formation to protect a cave dwelling, he can deploy and manipulate them with ease, and he has a thorough understanding of the principles and variations of various array formations.

Lin Fan also achieved remarkable success in alchemy. Every time the Taiqing Jade Purifying Bottle produced an elixir, he would devote himself to refining it. From selecting the herbs, controlling the heat, and timing the fusion, he performed every step with impeccable precision. Combined with the Qiankun Creation Cauldron's enhanced elixir cultivation, his refined elixirs were remarkably potent. Through years of practice and exploration, he successfully earned his place among the ranks of master alchemists.

Most noteworthy is his cultivation. For the past sixty years, he has devoted himself entirely to cultivation, having now completed the third stage of the Nine-Turn Samsara Art. This has enabled him to achieve a mana far superior to that of cultivators of the same rank, several times more powerful than that of ordinary cultivators. He has now firmly reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.

Sixty long years had passed in this tranquil cave dwelling. Lin Fan's world, besides the relentless rhythm of cultivation day and night, was filled with the relentless pursuit of ever-higher realms. Now, at the peak of his Foundation Establishment stage, he stood at a crucial juncture in his cultivation advancement: Core Formation, the hurdle he desperately needed to overcome.

The Nine Revolutions of Reincarnation was undoubtedly a heaven-defying technique. Each revolution granted the practitioner immense strength far exceeding that of ordinary people, and also increased the chances of achieving a pill. However, Lin Fan knew that while this technique was powerful, it was also extremely time-consuming.

Now that he had completed the third transformation, if he wanted to reach the fourth, a conservative estimate would be at least fifty years. Lin Fan, already in his early 100s, had a lifespan far exceeding that of ordinary people. But in the vast expanse of time, it was but a drop in the ocean, a fraction too small to squander. The primary purpose of cultivating immortality was immortality and freedom, not simply the acquisition of immense magical power. Lin Fan understood this.

Even more frantic was the looming threat of a demonic invasion. Beneath the seemingly peaceful surface of the world of immortal cultivation, undercurrents surged, and a bloody storm was inevitable. Lin Fan knew that if the demonic invasion launched a full-scale attack, the entire Yue Kingdom would fall, and he would have no choice but to flee.

Forming a Core is not only a crucial step in improving one's strength, but also a top priority for dealing with the impending crisis. However, he knew in his heart that this was no easy task. Only one out of every hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators could achieve the Core Formation stage, demonstrating just how difficult it was.

After successfully forming a pill, one must begin collecting materials to craft a suitable magical weapon. Refining a magical weapon, from searching for rare materials to mastering complex and sophisticated refining techniques, and then through countless attempts and failures, requires a tremendous amount of time and effort, and is by no means something that can be accomplished overnight.

Lin Fan paced in his cave, lost in thought, his eyes gleaming with unprecedented resolve and determination. Time was running out, but he showed no sign of retreat. He knew only by fighting tooth and nail, giving his all, could he have a chance to carve out a path and secure his own safety in this perilous world of immortal cultivation.

Despite the thorns that lay ahead, he resolutely embarked on the arduous journey of forming a core. In the original novel, a strong spiritual consciousness was considered to be a certain aid in forming a core. Han Li's practice of the Great Evolution Technique seemed to increase his chances of forming a core by 10%.

He had also cultivated a spiritual consciousness technique, and his spiritual consciousness was much stronger than Han Li's, so his chances of forming a pill would presumably be even greater. With this slight advantage, Lin Fan was even more resolute in his resolve to fight tooth and nail, vowing to seize a glimmer of hope in this race against time and fate.

(End of this chapter)