Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improving Spiritual Root Aptitude

Wu Fan stared intently at the layer of cyan light shield, his brows furrowed slightly, his expression solemn.

He had seen records of this formation in books.

This formation requires a large amount of spirit stones to activate, and the Bai family would never use it unless it was a matter of life and death.

Could it be that the Deng family could no longer contain themselves and had gathered the entire clan's strength to launch a full-scale attack on Yunxi Mountain?

The thought had barely formed when figures rushed out from various courtyards in the mountains, all of them cultivators dressed in the Bai family's standard attire.

Although everyone looked flustered, they quickly gathered in the direction of the courtyard on the mountaintop.

"Hurry! Let's meet in the front hall!"

Niu Dazhuang snapped back to reality, his face turning deathly pale. He grabbed Bai Ben beside him and started to run towards the mountaintop, then hurriedly turned to Wu Fan and shouted, "Big brother, you come with us too! The clan's protective formation has been activated; something serious must have happened. The patriarch will definitely be gathering everyone for a meeting. There will be more people there, and it will be safer!"

Wu Fan pondered for a moment, then nodded.

Now that things have come to this, he is part of the Bai family and can no longer remain uninvolved.

Moreover, the safety of the Bai family is directly related to his recommendation quota, so he must find out the situation.

The two followed the flow of people up the mountain quickly. When they arrived at the square in front of the family head's courtyard, hundreds of Bai family cultivators had already gathered there.

From direct descendants to sons-in-law of other surnames, and even outsiders like Wu Fan, they all gathered together, their faces etched with worry.

On the high platform in the square, Bai Chenzhan, the head of the Bai family, stood with his hands behind his back, his face calm and expressionless. However, the white-haired elders beside him could not hide their joy, and some even could not contain their excitement.

"Quiet!"

Bai Chenzhan raised his hand and pressed down lightly, and the powerful spiritual energy spread out with the sound, instantly silencing the entire square.

"The clan's protective formation was activated not because the Deng family was attacking, but because the clan's fifth elder, Bai Chenyao, was attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm. You all just need to remain within the Azure Wood Overlapping Waves Formation and perform your respective duties."

These words immediately caused an uproar in the square.

The tension that had been building up suddenly eased, replaced by barely concealed surprise and enthusiastic discussion.

"It's actually the Fifth Elder who's about to establish his foundation!"

"My goodness, is our Bai family going to have another Foundation Establishment cultivator?"

"Excellent! With another Foundation Establishment cultivator in charge, the Deng family will be even less likely to act recklessly in the future!"

A murmur of discussion arose, and the tense atmosphere dissipated. Even the elders standing at the edge of the platform wore relieved smiles.

Niu Dazhuang breathed a long sigh of relief, patted his chest, and said with lingering fear, "Thank goodness it wasn't the Deng family attacking! They scared me half to death! An elder is going to establish his foundation? That's an incredible stroke of luck!"

Bai Ben looked up at him, his eyes full of admiration: "Fifth Elder Grandpa is the best! He'll definitely succeed!"

Wu Fan stood in the crowd, his gaze passing over everyone and looking towards the misty valley at the top of the mountain.

That place is the secluded cultivation location for all the core cultivators of the Bai family.

At this moment, faint blue spiritual energy was surging above the valley, and even from several miles away, one could feel a powerful aura rising steadily.

"Please be patient, everyone."

Bai Chenzhan's voice rang out again, "Brother Yao has been in seclusion for many years, and today he has finally reached the threshold of Foundation Establishment. Activating this clan-protecting formation now serves two purposes: first, to isolate him from external interference, and second, to prevent the Deng family from taking advantage of the situation. Moreover, Foundation Establishment is a perilous process, and success or failure is still uncertain. All elders must guard the key points of the formation and not slacken their efforts."

"Boom~~~"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a muffled, loud thud came from the direction of the mountaintop.

The pale blue spiritual energy suddenly surged, like a giant wave stirred up by a gale, rising sharply into the sky.

The sky, which had been dyed golden red by the afterglow of the setting sun, quickly gathered a large amount of water vapor. In a short while, the entire main ridge of Yunxi Mountain was shrouded in thick fog, and the rocks, grass and trees became damp. The air was filled with rich water-attribute spiritual energy.

This strange phenomenon lasted for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Suddenly, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth around Yunxi Mountain accelerated and surged, converging at the mountaintop like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea, gradually forming a vortex of spiritual energy.

The vortex spun faster and faster, growing ever more powerful, eventually transforming into a spiritual tornado tens of feet high, drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and continuously pouring it into the mountaintop.

The monks in the square all looked up, their expressions growing increasingly solemn.

"It has begun! Foundation building and Qi induction, resonance with heaven and earth!"

Someone in the room exclaimed in a low voice.

The blue vortex of spiritual energy swirled, and the pure spiritual power of heaven and earth flowed along the veins of the Azure Wood Wave Array. The entire array emitted a faint green light, firmly enveloping the mountaintop and forming a solid barrier.

On the high platform, an elder with a ruddy complexion stroked his long, snow-white beard and said with a smile, "Nephew Yao, your foundation is solid, and you have also received a top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill bestowed by the clan leader. You will surely succeed in your Foundation Establishment this time!"

Bai Chenzhan nodded slightly, but his gaze remained fixed on the mountaintop, his brows furrowed as if he had some worries: "The path to Foundation Establishment is fraught with uncertainties, not to mention... the Deng family has probably already received the news."

The hearts of everyone in the square jumped again, pounding like drums.

Especially the direct descendants of the Bai family, who have been bullied by the Deng family for years and can no longer hold their heads high. If the Bai family could add another Foundation Establishment cultivator, they could stand shoulder to shoulder with the ancestor and the situation in Qingxi County would surely be reversed, and they would no longer have to swallow their anger.

Wu Fan gazed at the awe-inspiring spiritual phenomenon and pondered to himself.

No wonder the Bai family has been avoiding and forbearing all these years, and the Bai brothers, Chenzhan and Chenyao, have always been confident. It turns out that the Bai family had been laying the foundation for Bai Chenyao all along.

Therefore, it seems that the previously rumored Foundation Establishment Pill was just a smokescreen, and the Bai family patriarch may not have been seriously injured.

All of this was a scheme orchestrated by the Bai family.

If Bai Chenyao successfully establishes his foundation, the Bai family will have two foundation-establishing cultivators, and the power structure of Qingxi County will inevitably be reshaped.

This is also a good thing for Wu Fan. He no longer has to worry about the destruction of the Bai family and having to run away at any time. The quota for recommending Falling Star Valley is also more secure.

Having lived in the Bai family's home for a long time, he had developed a sense of closeness to them and naturally did not want anything to happen.

"Bang—!!!"

Another loud bang came from the mountaintop, and the blue spiritual energy vortex suddenly contracted, with the spiritual power surging more and more violently, clearly indicating that it had reached a critical point in the Foundation Establishment process.

Looking at this extraordinary phenomenon, Wu Fan couldn't help but feel a little envious.

Advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage is his biggest goal right now.

The strange phenomenon of gathering spiritual energy clouds and reverse flow of spiritual power lasted for nearly four hours, until the night deepened, when the huge vortex of spiritual energy gradually dissipated and the spiritual energy in the world slowly returned to calm.

This means that Bai Chenyao's foundation building process has come to an end.

The square was silent. Everyone held their breath and stared intently at the mountaintop, all with the same question in their minds.

Did the Fifth Elder succeed in the end?

Although Wu Fan had seen rough records of Foundation Establishment phenomena in some books, he did not know how to judge whether the Foundation Establishment was successful based on appearance alone.

Just as Wu Fan was pondering the matter of Foundation Establishment, several whooshing sounds came from the distant sky. Three figures sped from the night sky over Yunxi Mountain, breaking straight through the thick fog and water vapor in the mountains.

Under the pitch-black sky, three figures, each with their own unique escape light, hovered outside the "Azure Wood Overlapping Waves Formation." The terrifying pressure emanating from them far surpassed that of anyone Wu Fan had ever seen, and could be clearly sensed even from the plaza below.