Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

He changed the subject, his tone becoming slightly serious: "But to forge a superior Dao foundation, there is another invisible threshold, little known to most, which is the strength of one's life essence."

The most direct manifestation of the strength of one's fundamental energy is lifespan. The lifespan of an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator is two Jiazi, or one hundred and twenty years.

However, due to early life struggles, the consumption of elixirs, and other reasons, most people experience a decline in their vital energy and blood after a hundred years, resulting in a depletion of their fundamental essence and rendering them unable to function.

Lin Zhao recalled that the elders of the Lin family had participated in the demon hunt at the age of one hundred in order to help the family build its foundation, and they quickly died after returning.

When the clan leader Lin Shanhe returned after completing his foundation building, he didn't even get to see the former clan leader one last time.

"The maximum lifespan for Qi Refining cultivators is actually 150 years."

Instructor He continued, "To build a superior Dao foundation, the strength of one's fundamental essence must exceed the standard of one hundred and twenty years for ordinary cultivators."

The closer one gets to the 150-year-old limit of Qi cultivation, the higher the success rate.

Whether you are born with abundant natural resources, have consumed longevity-enhancing spiritual substances, or have cultivated special techniques to strengthen your foundation and nourish your vital energy...

Only those with a strong enough origin are qualified to seek a superior Dao foundation.

His gaze fell on Lin Zhao, carrying a hint of barely perceptible approval:

"Your life essence is now at the level of one hundred and forty years old!"

Even without any life-extending elixirs, as long as one can continue cultivating...

Reaching the Qi refinement limit at 150 years old is not difficult. This is likely related to the cultivation method you practice.

This is all due to the effects of the "Taihe Yangyuan Gong". Lin Zhao has been practicing this technique since he was a child, and he was just about to ask his instructor about it.

Instructor He tapped the table lightly, not asking further about Lin Zhao's cultivation method, and continued:

"The power of the origin is a long-term process, not something that can be achieved in a short time."

Your presence here already surpasses that of many of your fellow disciples.

Many disciples aiming for the highest level of Dao Foundation have spent their accumulated points over the past three years exchanging them for Longevity Pills or other spiritual items to nourish their origin. But you can proceed to the next step ahead of time.

Instructor He's voice softened: "Now that you are qualified, do you have a direction for the spiritual body you nurtured during your Foundation Establishment?"

"Is it to enhance your existing talents, or to make up for certain deficiencies in your spiritual roots?"

Or perhaps... a different path, adding another talent to your future?

"This issue concerns your cultivation over the next hundred years. Think it over carefully, and I can offer you some advice."

The hall was completely silent, save for the gentle sound of bamboo and the murmuring of a spring outside the window.

Lin Zhao already had some ideas in mind, but she still wanted to hear what the instructor had to say first.

Since he's already sitting here, the instructor probably only called him here because they had a plan.

Instructor He glanced at him and smiled slightly: "Actually, you don't necessarily need to add a new talent."

"You are able to combine swordsmanship and talismanic arts to create unique magical forms; your talent is already high enough. All you lack is a suitable spiritual body to house it."

He paused, then lightly traced a faint, almost imperceptible trail of spiritual light along the rim of the teacup with his fingertip. "In terms of spiritual bodies, the Five Elements Spiritual Body is naturally the best."

Once forged, it possesses all five elements, endlessly regenerating, and its cultivation speed rivals that of a celestial spiritual root. It enhances combat, enlightenment, and even lifespan, truly a meteoric rise to power.

Lin Zhao wasn't swayed by this promise and asked directly, "What are the drawbacks of the Five Elements Spiritual Body?"

He didn't believe that such a spirit was without its pitfalls.

Instructor He nodded approvingly: "The downside is the price. Forging a nascent spirit body starts at 100,000 points."

The five elemental spirits corresponding to the foundation-building stage, plus another 100,000.

That's not all—after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, the resources required for cultivation are more than ten times that of cultivators of the same level.

"Don't even mention you, even ordinary Core Formation cultivators might not be able to afford to raise one."

Lin Zhao's eyelids twitched as she listened.

He worked hard for three years, risking his life, to accumulate only 5,000 points.

One hundred thousand? That's an astronomical figure.

He cut to the chase and asked directly, "Teacher, do you have any more practical solutions?"

As if he had expected this, Instructor He said unhurriedly, "The Five Sacred Mountains Spiritual Body is the most suitable for you right now."

Seeing that Lin Zhao was listening intently, he continued to explain, "You have four spiritual roots, but you lack the earth element."

Although the Five Sacred Mountains Spirits are of medium quality, they possess a remarkable ability—they can support all things on the earth and also govern the four directions.

Based on the Five Sacred Mountains, one can create illusory mountain formations to guard the five elements' positions. Combined with your four spiritual roots, this indirectly achieves an effect similar to the rotation of the five elements.

It's equivalent to a minor Five Elements Spiritual Body. At that time, your cultivation speed will not be worse than that of someone with dual spiritual roots, and your foundation will actually be stronger.

Lin Zhao was intrigued; this was indeed more reliable than the methods he had come up with on his own.

But what truly made him decide was the casual remark that Instructor He added at the end:

"To forge the prototype of the Five Sacred Mountains Spirit Body, five kinds of earth-attribute natural treasures are needed as a catalyst—just right, five thousand points."

Lin Zhao: "..."

He finally understood why the instructor had brought him over as soon as his score exceeded 5,000.

So that's what they were waiting for!

Without much hesitation, Lin Zhao nodded and chose the Five Sacred Mountains Spirit Body.

Lin Zhao knew very well that it was impossible for him, at the Qi Refining stage, to accumulate 100,000 points.

Moreover, the Foundation Establishment stage involves a massive 100,000-point investment.

If you don't have a Core Formation cultivator to support your cultivation after Foundation Establishment, you can forget about it at all.

A single Five Elements Spiritual Body can consume the life savings of an ordinary Core Formation cultivator. If one doesn't achieve Core Formation in the future, everything will be for naught.

Instructor He immediately applied to the higher authorities using the token. Lin Zhao watched helplessly as the points he had accumulated over three years were wiped out in an instant, and his heart clenched.

Teacher He saw his pained yet composed expression and a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes.

Soon, Lin Zhao's token vibrated, transmitting the secret technique for forging the Five Sacred Mountains Spiritual Body. As for the spiritual items, they needed to be collected from the third-tier Azure Jade Tree outside the courtyard.

Lin Zhao took his leave and applied under the jade tree to immediately send a jade box containing five earth-attribute spiritual materials of different colors.

These spiritual materials are extraordinary; three are native to Yunzhou, while the other two come from outside Yunzhou. One of them comes from the depths of a fourth-tier Nascent Soul sect's spiritual vein.

Only the Zhen Shi Sheng Zong could collect them all so easily.

While forging an acquired spiritual body may seem easy, collecting all the necessary elements in the outside world is incredibly difficult.

Even if you go through great lengths to collect a set of spiritual materials, it's not certain whether they'll be suitable for your cultivation.

Unlike sects, where you can choose freely.

Custom-made to match.

The sect also possesses thousands of such spiritual materials of different types.

He carefully put it away, understanding the situation.

The most important task for the next year is to complete the prototype of this spiritual entity.

In the blink of an eye, it was the fourth year since Lin Zhao came to the Yunhai Cangming Sect.

Walking down the street, you can clearly feel the different atmosphere.

Many of those at the forefront have already begun to forge the prototype of their spiritual bodies in seclusion.

Those like Yan Chiheng and Fang Yue, who already possessed spiritual bodies, began planning for a second spiritual body or using secret techniques to forge their own unique talents.

The real monster has even begun the foundation building process—only three days into the course, news came that Qin Tianjun had successfully forged a superior-grade Dao foundation in one fell swoop!

Over the next year, hundreds of people successfully established their foundations. Occasionally, the extraordinary phenomenon of spiritual light soaring into the sky would appear in the courtyard, attracting many disciples to crane their necks to watch, feeling both envious and anxious.

One day, Lin Zhao was chatting with Xu Chuan and couldn't help but ask, "Based on points, they probably can't afford to exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills and the corresponding spiritual items, right?"