Cultivating immortality begins with formations.

Generally speaking.

A cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining needs to meet three conditions before attempting Foundation Establishment.

First, spiritual energy is abundant.

A cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining must compress the spiritual energy in their dantian to the point of being completely full, unable to absorb even a fraction more.

At this moment, the spiritual energy gradually changes from a gaseous state to a liquefied state, and the dantian feels a slight swelling and pain, which is a sign of fullness.

Second, physical perfection.

The liquid spiritual energy during the Foundation Establishment stage generates a far greater impact force than gaseous spiritual energy when flowing through the meridians.

Therefore, cultivators must undergo long-term practice of cultivation techniques or medicinal tempering to enable their meridians and physical bodies to withstand such impacts.

of course.

Some cultivators also have a shortcut: they supplement their physical cultivation techniques to make their physical body and meridians far surpass those of other cultivators at the same level.

Third, the consciousness is like a thread.

The use of spiritual consciousness during the Qi Refining stage is still in a rudimentary stage. Whether it is introspecting oneself or exploring the path outward, it is too rigid and clumsy.

To break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, one must temper one's divine sense to a certain level.

From hard to soft, from straight to curved.

When one looks inward, it is like looking in a clear mirror, with every detail of the meridians, dantian, bones and blood clearly visible, and every flow of spiritual energy can be precisely controlled.

When it is released externally, it is like mercury spilling onto the ground, penetrating everywhere. Whether it passes through hard obstacles or seeps into hair-thin cracks, it is as easy as looking at the lines on one's palm.

Gu Qingyao possesses a mutated ice spiritual root, and her cultivation speed is advancing by leaps and bounds. She has already reached the first stage, the realm of abundant spiritual power.

Furthermore, due to the characteristics of the Ice Spirit Root, his spiritual sense was already comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

This is why, even though Zhang Su was in the same Five Elements Mist Array as her, she was able to sense his presence and easily evade his divine sense probe.

And this final stage is the physical perfection.

Just now, within the Xuanhuo Formation, the alternation of ice and fire acted like a body tempering, directly enhancing the strength of his physical body.

All three trials were successfully completed.

Even if she didn't want to establish her foundation, she couldn't.

This is the way of Heaven.

No cultivator can forcibly stop after reaching the perfect state of the Three Gates. Therefore, Gu Qingyao was completely unprepared for the crucial moment of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

"I'll take you back to the market now..."

Lu Yuan was the first to calm down.

Gu Qingyao frowned slightly. Even without circulating her cultivation technique, the spiritual energy within her body was already approaching liquefaction: "It's too late."

If one does not devote oneself fully to breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage at this moment...

It is bound to fail.

Repairing damaged meridians will take at least ten years.

Lu Yuan then asked, "Do you have any Foundation Establishment Pills on you?"

Under normal circumstances, casually asking others about Foundation Establishment Pills would only bring about one's own demise.

"I have Foundation Establishment Pills, but that's not important... I'm about to establish my foundation, so I don't have time to worry about anything else. Now you..." Gu Qingyao answered quickly, but then stopped abruptly.

She didn't know how to begin the next sentence.

Even a mutated ice spirit root is considered a top-grade spirit root in the cultivation world. Even without Foundation Establishment Pills, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage is not difficult.

to be honest.

Foundation Establishment Pills are meant to give cultivators with mid-grade or even low-grade spiritual roots the opportunity to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Gu Qingyao's only worry at this moment was how to ensure her safety during her Foundation Establishment breakthrough.

If it is within the market area.

Of course there's no need to worry. Whoever is attempting to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, as long as their momentum is felt, the market's enforcement team will send people to protect them.

But in this wilderness...

It should be noted that cultivators are almost powerless to fight back when attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Every cultivator attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage will possess one, or even several, Foundation Establishment Pills.

There are always some people with ulterior motives who cannot suppress their greed.

Lu Yuan knew the unspoken second half of Gu Qingyao's sentence...

He is also making a choice.

They had already done their part in helping Gu Qingyao resolve the outbreak of the cold poison, but then an unexpected turn of events occurred. If they continued to stay here to protect her, the dangers they faced would be truly unpredictable.

unless.

Gu Qingyao was able to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage in a very short time.

Lu Yuan calmly considered the matter for a moment.

The two Five Elements Mist Arrays and the Snow Soul Ice Silkworm, comparable to a Qi Refining Ninth Level cultivator, are enough to withstand any Qi Refining Ninth Level cultivator.

Even if the Foundation Establishment stage arrives, it should be manageable if it's delayed a bit.

If this succeeds...

You can cling to the coattails of a Foundation Establishment cultivator and hold on tight.

Both the risks and profits are high.

With only a little over a year left to live, Lu Yuan made a choice that resembled that of a gambler.

"Fairy Gu, I'll say it again..."

"We share the same hardships in life, and we will share the same grave in death."

"If anyone were to enter the cave, it would surely be because they stepped on my corpse."

He finished speaking.

Lu Yuan walked towards the cave entrance against the light, his back view resolute and courageous, which made Gu Qingyao's mind wander and her eyes blur.

……

Fang Yi emerged from the cave.

Without saying a word, Lu Yuan affixed two Swiftness Talismans to his legs, then took out a Puppet Talisman worth thirty spirit stones, transformed it into his own likeness, and sat cross-legged at the cave entrance...

He himself went to the very edge of the bamboo forest, brushed aside the rotten mud and fallen leaves, and hid inside.

Then, he activated the Qi Concealing Technique, silently and without making a sound.

After he finished doing all this.

An extremely strong surge of spiritual energy erupted from the direction of the cave.

The surrounding spiritual energy suddenly accelerated, surging in and transforming into a vortex that enveloped Gu Qingyao inside the cave.

The commotion over there grew louder and louder.

But Lu Yuan paid no attention. He hid among the decaying leaves, suppressing his breathing to almost nothing, and withdrawing his gaze and consciousness.

He could only sense the changes around him by relying on the two Five Elements Mist Arrays.

Just as this surge of spiritual energy spread in all directions, the Nine Ridges Mountains suddenly lit up with rays of light, and after taking to the air, gazes and divine senses swept towards the direction of the cave.

"Someone is attempting to reach the Foundation Establishment stage!"

"Where did this idiot come from, daring to break through in the Nine Ridges Mountains? Doesn't he have a death wish?!"

"Are there still people this brave?"

"Could it be a trap, a way to lure us over, while in reality, there are assassins lying in ambush?"

"..."

The cultivators in the Nine Ridges Mountains all adopted a wait-and-see attitude. After watching for a while, some lost interest and stopped paying attention.

Some cultivators approached even closer, not out of malice, but simply to observe the cultivators' foundation building and accumulate experience.

Both types of people maintain a certain distance to avoid offending others.

However, the world of cultivation is never short of the bold.

Just when Lu Yuan thought nothing had happened, what was bound to happen still happened.

Through the Five Elements Mist Array, two people had already entered the bamboo forest. They spread their divine senses to explore, but did not discover themselves.

The two approached the cave step by step.

"Husband, there really is someone establishing their foundation. There's a guardian spirit in that cave over there, and it seems to be someone with high cultivation..."

"Level four of Qi Refining!"

A beautiful woman in a purple dress, her almond-shaped eyes wide, couldn't help but laugh out loud: "We originally came to the Nine Ridges Mountains to collect Foundation Establishment Pill materials for Ning'er. Now it seems that heaven is truly helping our family of three."

"Wan'er, you must not be careless."

Beside him stood a middle-aged cultivator, looking wary and glancing around frequently, a white bone staff in his hand.

"Perhaps this person is deliberately disguising himself to deceive my wife and me. You stay here and do not move, while I go and test him."

"Um."

"Be careful, my husband."

The middle-aged cultivator held a white bone staff and pointed it in front of him, causing gloomy death energy to surround him and protect him.

in this way.

Only then did he lift his foot and approach the cave.