The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

Three days later, at dawn.

Master Qingyun personally came to Qingzhu Peak to escort Han Mu to the Five Elements Spirit Pool. The two flew through the air and soon arrived at a forbidden valley deep within Huangfeng Valley. The valley entrance was heavily guarded, with four Core Formation elders stationed there. Upon seeing Master Qingyun, they respectfully bowed.

"Sect Leader, Elder Han, the Ancestor is already waiting at the Spirit Pool."

Upon entering the valley, Han Mu immediately sensed the rich spiritual energy of the five elements. The valley was not large, about a hundred feet in circumference, with a circular spiritual pool in the center with a diameter of ten feet. The pool water was divided into five colors: gold, green, blue, red, and yellow, clearly distinct yet flowing in and out of each other, which was the Five Elements Spiritual Pool.

Standing by the pool, Patriarch Linghu nodded upon seeing Han Mu arrive, saying, "You've arrived. The Five Elements Spirit Pool is the foundation of our Yellow Maple Valley, containing the primordial power of the five elements of heaven and earth. Tempering your body here can cleanse impurities from your flesh, solidify your foundation, and greatly benefit your Core Formation. However, the process is extremely painful, so you must be mentally prepared."

"I understand," Han Mu said solemnly.

"Take off your clothes and enter the pool," said Ancestor Linghu. "Remember, the five elements are mutually generating and mutually restraining. You need to absorb the water from the five-colored pools simultaneously to maintain balance. If you favor one element, you will either fail to temper your body or damage your foundation."

Han Mu did as instructed, removing his outer garment and leaving only his close-fitting shorts before slowly stepping into the spirit pool. The moment he entered, the five-colored water surged forth as if alive, flowing into his body from his limbs and bones. Five different types of spiritual energy coursed wildly through his meridians, causing excruciating, tearing pain.

Han Mu groaned, gritting his teeth to steady himself. He sat cross-legged and began circulating the "Primordial Longevity Technique," guiding the five elements of spiritual energy within his body. As soon as the technique began, the pain lessened slightly, but the impact of the spiritual energy remained intense.

"System, monitor your physical condition and guide the balance of the five elements."

[Monitoring activated...]

[Current Five Elements Spiritual Power: Metal 15%, Wood 12%, Water 18%, Fire 10%, Earth 20%]

Balance: 65% (Requires a balance of 90% or higher)

[Suggested adjustment: Increase the absorption of Wood and Fire elements, and decrease the absorption of Earth and Water elements]

Following the system prompts, Han Mu adjusted his breathing and cultivation technique. Sure enough, the five elements of spiritual energy gradually reached a balance, and the pain lessened considerably. The five-colored pool water continuously flowed in, tempering his muscles, bones, flesh, and internal organs.

Time ticked by. Half an hour later, black impurities seeped from Han Mu's body—filth from his flesh. The impurities were washed away by the pool water, revealing skin as clear and lustrous as jade. He could feel his physical strength continuously increasing, and his meridians widening.

"Very good, the foundation is solid and the absorption is even." The voice of Ancestor Linghu rang in my ears. "Now, I will increase the intensity of the spirit pool. Be prepared."

Before Han Mu could respond, Ancestor Linghu formed hand seals, and the five stone pillars surrounding the spirit pool lit up. The pool water surged, and the concentration of the five elements' spiritual power suddenly tripled! Even more violent energy surged into Han Mu's body, instantly shattering the newly established balance.

"Ugh!" Han Mu screamed in agony, blood flowing from his seven orifices. The five elements of spiritual energy were running rampant within his body, causing cracks in his meridians and excruciating pain in his dantian.

"Hold fast to your mind!" Elder Linghu shouted sternly. "This is a necessary test before forming your core! If you can overcome it, your foundation will far surpass that of your peers!"

Han Mu bit his tongue, the excruciating pain keeping him conscious. He circulated the Primordial Longevity Technique with all his might, but the rampaging spiritual energy far exceeded his control. If this continued, he would be burst apart by the five elements' spiritual power!

"System, emergency plan!"

[Warning: Overload of Five Elements spiritual energy, meridians damaged by 17%]

[Emergency Plan 1: Forcefully break through to the Pseudo-Core Realm, absorbing excess spiritual energy, success rate 40%]

[Emergency Plan Two: Detonate some spiritual energy to reduce the burden; this will worsen the damage to the meridians, but it can save the life.]

[Emergency Plan Three: Use the "Five Elements Reincarnation" secret technique recorded in "The True Explanation of the Five Elements" to resolve the rampaging spiritual power through the principle of mutual generation of the five elements. Success rate: 60%. Requires 500 clan contribution points.]

"Use Option Three!"

[500 Clan Contribution Points consumed, 750 points remaining]

[Beginning the deduction of the "Five Elements Reincarnation" secret technique... Deduction complete]

[Operational Path: Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, Earth generates Metal, and so on]

Following the path deduced by the system, Han Mu guided the rampaging Five Elements spiritual energy within his body. The Metal element spiritual energy transformed into Water, Water generated Wood, Wood generated Fire, Fire generated Earth, and Earth generated Metal. A perfect Five Elements cycle formed within his body, and the rampaging spiritual energy was gradually tamed, instead becoming an aid in tempering his physical body.

A look of surprise flashed in Linghu Patriarch's eyes. He had originally planned to help Han Mu when he could no longer hold on, but he did not expect that Han Mu had found a way to resolve the situation on his own. Moreover, this method was quite profound and seemed to be in harmony with the Five Elements Dao.

"This boy is indeed extraordinary," Elder Linghu thought to himself.

After the Five Elements cycle was established, the efficiency of body tempering increased significantly. Han Mu's physical body strengthened at a visible speed, his bones gleamed with a jade-like luster, his blood carried a faint golden light, and Five Elements runes faintly appeared in his internal organs. These were signs that his physical body was about to reach the prototype of a "Five Elements Spiritual Body".

Two more hours passed, and the five elements of spiritual energy in the spirit pool gradually calmed down. Han Mu opened his eyes, and a five-colored light flashed deep within his pupils. He stood up, his bones cracking, and his every move contained terrifying power.

"How do you feel?" asked Linghu Laozu.

Han Mu clenched his fist, the air crackling as he squeezed it: "My strength has increased at least threefold, my meridians have widened by fifty percent, and my physical body can withstand a third-tier magic weapon. More importantly, the five elements of spiritual power are perfectly integrated and I can control them with ease."

"Very good," said Ancestor Linghu with satisfaction. "With your current physical foundation, the success rate of Core Formation can be increased by another 20%. However, this is only the beginning. The real body tempering will last for three months, once every three days, for a total of thirty times. If you can persevere, you can form a Five Elements Spiritual Body, at which point Core Formation will be as easy as drinking water."

"This junior will certainly persevere," Han Mu said solemnly. Such an opportunity is rare and precious.

"Furthermore, I have already instructed Qingyun that your family may relocate to 'Qingxia Peak'," said Ancestor Linghu. "That is where I cultivated in seclusion in my early years. The spiritual energy there is five times that of Qingzhu Peak, and it is protected by a natural five-element formation. While you are tempering your body in the Spirit Pool, your family can develop there."

Qingxia Peak! Han Mu's heart skipped a beat. It was one of the famous spiritual mountains of Huangfeng Valley, second only to the main peak, and had always been inhabited only by Nascent Soul elders or those who had made significant contributions to the sect. Linghu Patriarch's gift was far too generous.

"Thank you for your generous gift, Ancestor!" Han Mu bowed deeply.

"No need to thank me, you deserve it." Ancestor Linghu waved his hand. "Go back and prepare. The second body tempering will be in three days. Also, the Seven Sects Alliance meeting is scheduled for one month from now, and you must attend. Blood Fiend Ancestor's memories contain important information; the seven major sects need to unite to deal with the Reverse Star Alliance."

"Yes."

Leaving the Five Elements Spirit Pool, Han Mu felt completely transformed. Not only had his strength increased, but more importantly, his future path became much clearer. With the full support of Yellow Maple Valley and the assistance of the system, forming his core within three years was not impossible.

Upon returning to Green Bamboo Peak, Han Mu informed his clansmen of the relocation to Green Cloud Peak. The clansmen were both surprised and delighted; they had naturally heard of Green Cloud Peak's reputation, as it was one of the core spiritual mountains of Yellow Maple Valley.

"Father, Qingxia Peak is much larger than Qingzhu Peak, and its spiritual energy is much denser, but correspondingly, there will be more people coveting it," Han Changqing said cautiously. "Are we being too high-profile, being newcomers?"

"It's alright," Han Mu said. "This is Elder Linghu's arrangement, and it's also the sect's attitude. Since they've given us this sacred mountain, they won't let anyone easily covet it. Besides, being high-profile has its advantages—those wavering forces will naturally gravitate towards us when they see that we're being valued."

"Son understands." Han Changqing nodded. "I'll arrange the relocation right away."

"Elder Mo, how is the collection of materials for the Five Elements Condensing Pill going?" Han Mu asked again.

Doctor Mo took out the list: "We have collected 70% of the main ingredients, but we are still missing 'Millennial Earth Core Milk,' 'King of Golden Thread Grass,' and 'Fire Essence Jujube.' These three ingredients are all fourth-grade spiritual herbs, which are rare on the market and need to be obtained through sect channels or auctions."

"Millennial Earth Core Milk..." Han Mu pondered. Chen Song had mentioned this herb; it was one of the best alternative ingredients for the Five Elements Condensing Elixir Powder, but it was indeed hard to find.

"Let's gather the other materials first. I'll figure out how to handle the three flavors," Han Mu said. "Also, the construction of the Transmission Pavilion and the Trial Tower cannot stop. I've already completed the blueprints for the Trial Tower. You build it according to the blueprints, and the necessary materials can be obtained from the sect's treasury."

"Yes."

Three days later, the Han family officially moved to Qingxia Peak. This peak is about a thousand feet high, and the upper part of the mountain is shrouded in clouds and mist all year round, with spiritual energy turning into spiritual rain to nourish all things. There are three cave dwellings at the top of the peak, with the most concentrated spiritual energy. Han Mu lives in the main cave dwelling, while Han Changqing and Doctor Mo each live in one. Hundreds of houses were carved out on the mountainside for the clansmen to live in.

Just as the relocation was completed and Han Mu was about to head to the Five Elements Spirit Pool for his second body tempering, True Person Qingyun rushed over.

"Elder Han, something has happened." Master Qingyun's expression was solemn. "We just received news that Tianque Fortress, Yuling Sect, and Huadaowu have announced their withdrawal from the Seven Sects Alliance and formed the 'Three Sects Alliance,' allying with the Nixing Alliance."

Han Mu's pupils contracted.

The weather is about to change in Tiannan.