Clan Cultivation: Starting from Foundation Establishment on Mount Luoxia

Soon, seventeen strangely shaped monster corpses were dug out or dragged out of the ground.

They resemble a giant combination of a pangolin and a lizard, with a body length of nearly ten feet, and their entire bodies are covered with thick, dark red scales with rock-like patterns.

But at this moment, most of these scales were pierced by the crimson fire spear, leaving fist-sized charred holes, killing them instantly.

It has a narrow, pointed head, mouthparts covered with barbs, short, thick limbs, and sharp claws, making it suitable for digging.

"This is... a 'Rockfire Lizard'?"

Li Xiaoyao also disembarked, and after careful examination, he was somewhat uncertain:

"Ancient records mention similar monsters that live in places with strong fire and earth energy. They have hard scales and armor, are good at lurking and ambushing, and feed on underground insects or small monsters. They also occasionally attack surface creatures."

"His demonic power is roughly between the mid and late stages of Qi Refining. Judging from the hardness of his scales and the intensity of his demonic energy, these are mostly equivalent to the sixth or seventh level of Qi Refining."

He looked at Li Mutian with admiration in his eyes: "Brother, you have a keen sense of perception. These fire lizards are very well hidden and move stealthily. If we hadn't detected them in advance, we would have been in trouble if they had suddenly attacked us at close range."

Li Mutian shook his head slightly: "We are unfamiliar with the spiritual energy attributes and the characteristics of the demons in this world. It's always better to be cautious."

"Their scales seem to have some resistance to fire magic, but they are still no match for the purer and higher-level Foundation Establishment True Fire."

He walked to a relatively intact fire lizard carcass, reached out and touched its dark red scales, carefully sensing them with his divine sense:

"The scales contain fire and earth evil energy, making them a natural material for refining weapons. Although their grade is not high, the quantity is large."

"The blood and flesh contain too much malevolent energy and are not suitable for direct consumption. Perhaps one could try to extract the essence or blood for other purposes."

"The demon core... seems to be not yet fully formed, only a murky core of demonic energy."

"Tongya, record: First encounter with a monster in this realm, tentatively named 'Rockfire Lizard,' with the following characteristics..."

Li Mutian began to dictate, and Li Tongya quickly took out a jade slip to record it.

The way the scarred man, the rogue cultivator, the silent archer, and the others looked at Li Mutian was now completely different.

What might have been awe of Foundation Establishment cultivators before has now turned into deep fear and relief.

This patriarch not only possesses solid cultivation, but also acts decisively and ruthlessly, with an incredibly sharp spiritual sense.

Making an enemy of him would be unwise, and working together in the same boat now seems to offer a greater sense of security.

The thin old man who called himself "Poison Old Man" showed a barely perceptible look of surprise in his eyes, then lowered his gaze, lost in thought.

"Alright, the monster has been eliminated, and this place is safe for now."

Li Mutian looked around at everyone:

"As planned, the airship will land and establish a camp. Xiang Ping, you lead the reconnaissance team to explore five li outwards and set up simple warning signs. The rest of you, begin constructing fortifications immediately!"

"yes!"

The gray-black airship slowly landed beside a slope backed by low rocks. The hatch opened, and more personnel, supplies, and tools were unloaded.

With Li Mutian overseeing the operation and Li Xiaoyao and others directing the work, the camp construction proceeded rapidly.

With the flying boat as the core, trenches were dug around it, and the two incomplete "Small Earth Early Warning Array" array plates that Li Xiaoyao had obtained were set up (the coverage area was limited and could only protect the core area). Twisted low shrubs were cut down to make simple fences.

The craftsmen began to use the surrounding rocks and some basic materials carried by the airship to build shelters and storage sheds.

Li Mutian, along with Li Chijing, began to sense and analyze the environment of this world more deeply.

He sat cross-legged on a high rock, and his [Xuanhuang Pass] Immortal Foundation slowly began to operate, like a sophisticated furnace, attempting to absorb, filter, and transform the scorching and heavy alien spiritual energy in the air.

"Jing'er, can you feel it? The spiritual energy in this world is dominated by fire and earth, with some metal energy, but it contains almost no water or wood energy that brings life."

"For those practicing techniques like the True Yang Three Lights Technique, which are biased towards fire and yang, it may be helpful at first because of its intense heat."

"However, if the mixed 'turbid evil' and 'metal sharpness' energies are absorbed directly without tempering, they will inevitably damage the meridians and foundation over time, and even affect one's temperament, making one restless and irritable."

Li Chijing closed his eyes to sense the situation, and sweat appeared on his forehead.

With his dual spiritual roots of water and wood, adapting to the spiritual energy of this world is more difficult than with a single spiritual root of fire.

"Father, I feel spiritual energy entering my body, like swallowing sand, burning and stinging, and its flow is sluggish."

"That's the key."

Li Mutian nodded, "Our cultivation method is the 'common method' passed down under the rule of the Qingxiao Immortal Sect. It emphasizes moderation and harmony, gradual progress, and absorbing the pure spiritual energy of heaven and earth."

"The environment of this world gives rise to 'evil energy' and 'turbid energy,' which are closer to the path of 'ancient methods' or 'barbaric methods,' emphasizing power over foundation, making it easy to achieve quick success but also easy to fall into demonic possession."

He pointed to the fire lizard's corpse on the ground:

"Look at these demons, they are born from this 'turbid evil' energy. They are violent and have hard shells, but their intelligence is chaotic, and they are unlikely to achieve anything greater."

"In the scriptures of our Immortal Sect, this kind of power system is collectively referred to as 'Old Law' or 'Heretical Path'."

"What we cultivate has been refined and improved by the great masters of the Immortal Sect throughout the ages. It is inclusive, rigorous in its system, and is called the 'New Method'."

Li Chijing seemed to be deep in thought:

"Father, are you saying that our conflict with the new environment is essentially an incompatibility between the 'new law' and the 'old law' environment?"

"That's one way to understand it."

Li Mutian's eyes showed approval, "But the excellence of the 'new law' lies in its principle of 'understanding and reconstructing the universe'."

"It's not about rejecting different kinds of spiritual energy, but about understanding its composition, using your own cultivation method as a furnace to refine it, and transform it into a power suitable for yourself."

"This requires a higher level of cultivation, stronger control, and a deeper understanding of the Great Dao."

A small ball of crimson-gold flame rose in his palm. At the center of the flame, wisps of dark red turbidity were stripped away, burned, and transformed, eventually making the flame even purer and brighter.

"This is the initial tempering power of the [Mysterious Palace Pass]. As newcomers, we need to gradually adapt and transform."

"In the long run, if we can find the spiritual vein node of this realm and set up a spirit-gathering and purification array, we may be able to transform it into an area suitable for cultivation."

"And this is one of the meanings of exploration—not only to acquire resources, but also to transform the environment and make it work for us."

Li Chijing was deeply moved, gaining a deeper understanding of his father and the Immortal Sect system, and a clearer picture of the challenges ahead.

As the sun sets (there are also luminous objects similar to the sun and stars in this world, but their light is dim and yellowish), the camp is beginning to take shape.

The airship was like a central fortress, surrounded by simple defensive fortifications and sheds, with the faint light of the early warning array shrouding the core area.

Li Xiangping's reconnaissance team also returned, bringing with them preliminary exploration results:

Within a five-mile radius, no large water sources were found, only a few small seepage depressions with turbid and polluted water that need to be treated.

Two types of thorny shrubs suspected to be low-level spiritual plants were discovered, with berries containing a faint fire element.

The terrain is mainly wasteland and low hills. Three traces of rock fire lizard nests (now empty) were found, as well as some other small monsters.

"It seems we need to be on high alert tonight, especially underground."

After gathering the information, Li Xiaoyao concluded, "The rock fire lizards are social creatures. If we kill this small group, we might attract a larger group or other predators."

Li Mutian nodded: "I will personally take the night watch tonight. Everyone should get some rest. Starting tomorrow, the system will explore the surrounding area within a hundred miles to search for stable water sources, possible spiritual veins, and... clues to traces of the 'old laws' of this world or intelligent life."

As night fell, the stars in the night sky of this world were sparse, and a dark red "moon" hung in the sky, casting an eerie glow.

The campfire flickered in the camp, illuminating the tired and wary faces of the group.

Li Mutian sat cross-legged on top of the flying boat, his divine sense like an invisible spider web, slowly covering the camp and the surrounding area from his center.

Although the spiritual energy consumption of a Foundation Establishment cultivator is much less than that of a Qi Refining cultivator, it is still not easy to maintain such a continuous vigilance.

He remained calm, remaining vigilant while continuing to comprehend and adapt to the laws of heaven and earth and the turbid spiritual energy of this world.