I was a mineral prospector in Chengdu, who transmigrated into the body of a mortal sword immortal.

Li Bai's mind sank completely into his body. In his consciousness, the words and Daoist principles of the Qi Condensation chapter of the *Azure Lotus Sword Manual* seemed to come alive, guiding the newly formed, azure-glowing ball of spiritual energy within his dantian to begin rotating slowly and steadily. With each rotation, a trace of impure influence from the *Basic Guidance Chapter* was stripped away and refined, replaced by a purer, more refined azure lotus spiritual energy, carrying a faint lotus fragrance and a sharp edge. This process was subtle and continuous, like a stream polishing pebbles, silently altering the essence of the power. The Azure Nether Broken Sword at his waist resonated warmly against his body, while the azure longsword at the bottom of the pool emanated a tranquil and distant call from the edge of his consciousness.

Time loses its meaning in deep meditation.

At first, he could only follow the most basic route of the Qi Condensation chapter of the Azure Lotus Sword Manual, guiding his spiritual energy through the twelve main meridians with difficulty and meticulous care. The newly generated Azure Lotus spiritual energy was far purer than the previous mixed spiritual energy, and also more "personalized"—it carried an innate sharpness and untamed nature belonging to a sword. Every time it flowed through an acupoint, it brought a slight stinging and tingling sensation, as if countless tiny sword tips were wandering and expanding within his body. Sweat soaked through his tattered clothes, but quickly evaporated in the warm Daoist aura and rich spiritual energy emanating from the bronze divine tree, leaving only faint salt stains.

He had to maintain a high level of concentration at all times, using his strong willpower to control this new power and prevent it from getting out of control and damaging his meridians. In his mind, the knowledge of energy flow and matter transformation from his previous life's geology subtly resonated with the profound principles of spiritual power circulation and yin-yang transformation in the "Azure Lotus Sword Manual." He imagined the flow of spiritual power as magma surging deep within the earth's crust, requiring specific "channels" (meridians) and "pressure" (intention) to guide it; he imagined the opening of acupoints as the discovery and opening of mineral vein nodes, requiring precise "location" and continuous "impact." This unique way of understanding, combining modern scientific thinking with ancient cultivation metaphysics, allowed him to comprehend the techniques far faster than ordinary people.

He didn't know how much time had passed—perhaps a day, perhaps three. When the last trace of impure spiritual energy was completely transformed, the cyan spiritual energy cluster in his dantian stabilized, no longer restless, but slowly rotating like a nebula, emitting a soft yet resilient light. Li Bai slowly opened his eyes.

The world before him seemed to have been washed clean, becoming several times clearer. Every ancient and intricate pattern on the trunk of the bronze divine tree, every wisp of spiritual energy rising from the surface of the sword pool, even the tiny particles of spiritual light floating in the air, invisible to the naked eye, were all clearly visible. He could clearly distinguish the faint chirping of birds and roaring of beasts from the distant secret realm, the gentle ripples of the pool water, and... the vibrant rhythm of his own blood flowing and his heart beating.

The five senses are clear and the mind is pure.

The late stage of Qi Condensation is completely stable, and the solidity of its foundation and the purity of its spiritual power far surpass the achievements of ordinary cultivators who have cultivated for several years.

"good."

A gentle voice sounded beside me.

Li Bai felt a slight chill; he hadn't even noticed someone approaching. Turning his head, he saw an elderly man in a blue linen robe, with white hair and a gaunt face, sitting cross-legged not far from him. The old man held a green bamboo cane in his hand, with a few fresh bamboo leaves hanging from the end. His aura was peaceful, blending seamlessly with his surroundings. If he hadn't spoken, one would almost have thought he was just a stone or an ancient tree by the pond.

"Who is this, senior?" Li Bai quickly stood up and bowed respectfully. He remembered that the high priest had said he would arrange for a cultivator from his clan to guide him.

"I am Qingzhu, sent by the High Priest to see you, this newcomer, and to answer some basic questions." The old man, Qingzhu, smiled slightly, his gaze sweeping over Li Bai, especially lingering on his dantian for a moment, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, "Your foundation is so solid? Such a grandeur at the very beginning of your Azure Lotus spiritual power is rare. It seems that the nascent sword intent resonates deeply with you."

"Thank you for your praise, senior. I am fortunate." Li Bai said humbly. He could sense that this senior Qingzhu had a hidden aura, but it was definitely far above the Qi Condensation stage, and might even have already achieved Foundation Establishment.

"Luck is also part of strength." Qingzhu tapped the ground lightly with her bamboo staff. "Now that you've stabilized your realm, what are your plans? Will you continue to nurture your spiritual energy here, or do you want to learn something practical?"

Li Bai answered without hesitation: "This junior wishes to learn the art of sword control, as well as offensive sword techniques." A hint of urgency flashed in his eyes, "This junior has a reason to become stronger as soon as possible."

Qingzhu glanced at him, seemingly seeing through the heaviness and obsession in the depths of his eyes that seemed beyond his years, and nodded: "That's to be expected. The sword cultivators of my Xiling Divine Kingdom mainly cultivate the 'Azure Lotus Sword Control Technique' and 'Azure Lotus Sword Manual' from the 'Azure Lotus Sword Canon'. However, one must take things one step at a time."

He stood up, walked to the edge of the sword pool, and casually folded off a piece of "sword grass" that grew by the pool, resembling a reed but with a metallic sheen.

"The foundation of sword mastery lies in 'mastery.' It's not just about mastering the weapon, but also about mastering one's spirit, intention, and heart." Qingzhu held the sword grass flat in her palm. "Take a look."

Without him making any visible movement, the sword grass slowly floated up, about three inches from his palm, remaining motionless. The next moment, the sword grass began to slowly rotate, its speed gradually increasing, transforming into a blue phantom, emitting a faint whooshing sound. Immediately afterwards, the sword grass darted left and right, up and down, making all sorts of exquisite trajectory changes within a small space, sometimes as agile as a swimming fish, sometimes as swift as a flying bird, and finally even drawing a perfect circle, head to tail, the spiritual energy fluctuations condensed and not dissipated.

"This is not about brute force, but about using divine thought as the thread and spiritual energy as the line to establish a connection with the object, making it as easy as using your own arm." Qingzhu dispersed her spiritual energy, and the sword grass fell back into her palm. "You are a beginner, so don't aim too high. Start with the broken sword at your waist. It is connected to your aura and has the nascent Azure Lotus Sword Intent as a guide, so it is relatively easy."

Li Bai, following instructions, removed the broken Qingming sword and placed it flat on his lap. As Qingzhu instructed, he calmed his mind and slowly extended a wisp of divine thought, like an invisible tentacle, gently enveloping the broken sword. Simultaneously, he mobilized a wisp of Qinglian spiritual power from his dantian, channeling it slowly into the broken sword through the "channel" of his divine thought.

The broken sword trembled slightly and emitted a low hum.

Li Bai was overjoyed, but then he discovered that once the wisp of spiritual energy entered the broken sword, it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea—difficult to control precisely. The broken sword merely vibrated, but could not levitate like the sword grass.

"Don't rush," Qingzhu's voice was calm. "Objects have spirits, especially swords. You need to feel its 'breath,' its 'pulse,' and find that point of resonance. It's not about forcibly commanding, but inviting, about dancing together."

Li Bai took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and stopped trying to force control. Instead, he completely relaxed his mind, letting it permeate the entire broken sword like mercury spilling onto the ground. He felt the cool touch of the blade, the ancient aura remaining in the fine lines, and the faint resonance of the Azure Lotus Sword Intent that shared the same origin as himself.

Gradually, he "heard" an extremely faint yet real rhythm within the broken sword, like the beating of a sleeping heart. He tried to match the fluctuations of his spiritual power with that rhythm.

hum-

The Azure Nether Broken Sword emitted a much clearer sword cry than before, and the azure lotus patterns on its blade glowed faintly. It trembled, slowly and unsteadily lifting itself from Li Bai's knee, hovering an inch, two inches above the ground…

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Li Bai's forehead. Maintaining such precise perception and control was extremely taxing on his mind and spiritual energy. The broken sword trembled in the air, as if it were drunk, its trajectory erratic and threatening to fall at any moment.

"Hold on, feel the spiritual energy flowing inside the sword, imagine it as an extension of your arm," Qingzhu advised at the right moment.

Li Bai gritted his teeth and persevered, his divine sense locked onto the broken sword, maintaining a fragile balance in his spiritual energy output. The broken sword barely drew a crooked circle in the air before crashing back to the ground with a thud.

"Huff...huff..." Li Bai gasped for breath, his face pale, but his eyes gleamed with excitement. He did it! Although it was only the most basic levitation and movement, it was a breakthrough from zero to one!

"For your first attempt, being able to hold the position for ten breaths and draw a trajectory is already quite remarkable." Qingzhu nodded, his eyes filled with even more admiration. "Practice every day, and you'll become more skilled. Once you can wield this sword as nimbly as that sword grass, you can try heavier objects. The ultimate goal, of course, is the thing in the pond." He pointed to the Azure Lotus Sword at the bottom of the pond.

"As for the sword technique..." Qingzhu pondered for a moment, "The Azure Lotus Sword Technique is profound and complex, consisting of nine forms, each corresponding to a different cultivation level. At your current level, you can first study the meaning of the first form, 'Azure Lotus in Bloom.' This form emphasizes the accumulation of power and the instantaneous burst of energy, like a lotus bud, hidden and unleashed. Once it blooms, the sword energy surges forth, unstoppable. Watch closely."

Qingzhu didn't use a sword, but rather his bamboo staff. He slowly raised the staff, his movements seemingly slow and clumsy, yet an invisible aura began to gather. The surrounding spiritual energy seemed to be drawn towards the tip of his staff. He seemed to transform into a blue lotus about to bloom, serene and reserved, yet brimming with astonishing power.

Li Bai held his breath and stared intently.

Suddenly, Qingzhu's wrist twitched very slightly.

laugh!

A condensed, almost tangible, cyan sword aura shot out from the tip of the bamboo staff. Silent and swift as lightning, it instantly covered a distance of dozens of feet and struck a hard, dark cyan rock in the distance.

There was no loud noise, no flying rocks. Only a thumb-sized, bottomless hole with smooth, mirror-like edges remained on the rock face. There wasn't even a crack around the hole.

Effortless mastery, exquisitely refined.

"The meaning is more important than the form." Qingzhu sheathed his staff, his aura returning to normal. "Remember that feeling of gathering power, concealing it, and striking with certainty. Only when you can condense your spiritual power and sword intent to that level, so that every casual strike carries such power, can you be considered to have entered the first stage of this technique. The specific methods of channeling power and the route of spiritual energy are recorded in the Sword Canon; you can simply follow the instructions."

Li Bai bowed deeply: "Thank you for your guidance, senior!"

Qingzhu waved his hand: "I am just a guide; you must walk your own path. The spiritual energy and Daoist principles here will greatly benefit your cultivation. You can cultivate here with peace of mind. If you have any questions, you can come to the bamboo hut three miles to the east to find me. Remember, before you establish your foundation, do not be greedy or reckless. Laying a solid foundation is the right path."

After saying this, the old man with green bamboo leaned on his bamboo cane and calmly disappeared into the light and shadow cast by the bronze divine tree.

Li Bai sat down cross-legged again, his heart filled with direction and motivation. Following Qingzhu's guidance, he began his daily, tedious yet fulfilling ascetic practice.

During the day, he spent most of his time practicing the Azure Lotus Sword Control Technique. From initially only being able to make the broken sword tremble and hover for a few breaths, he progressed to being able to hover stably for the duration of an incense stick burning; from drawing crooked circles, he progressed to controlling the broken sword to perform simple movements such as straight-line traversal and arc-shaped turns. Each step forward was accompanied by a splitting headache from mental exhaustion and a feeling of depletion from spiritual energy depletion. But he never slacked off, immediately throwing himself into the next practice session after each recovery. The connection between the Azure Lotus Broken Sword and himself grew increasingly strong, and he became more and more adept at controlling it.

At night, or when he was mentally exhausted, he would contemplate the meaning of the first move of the Azure Lotus Sword Manual, "Azure Lotus in Bloom." He wasn't in a hurry to practice the specific sword techniques, but instead repeatedly studied the descriptions in the Sword Manual, recalling the unique aura and the feeling of spiritual energy circulation when Qingzhu demonstrated it. He tried to mobilize the Azure Lotus spiritual energy in his dantian, circulating it along a specific route, condensing it at his fingertips, feeling that state of compression, refinement, and readiness to unleash it. At first, the spiritual energy often dissipated during the condensation process, or even if he managed to condense it, he couldn't control it stably. But he was extremely patient; if he failed once, he would try again.

In his spare time, he would meditate and refine his qi, absorbing the abundant spiritual energy in the secret realm to continue nurturing and strengthening the azure lotus spiritual energy cluster within his dantian. The ancient Daoist aura emanating from the bronze divine tree subtly nourished his soul, allowing his understanding of cultivation techniques and his perception of sword intent to deepen slowly but steadily.

Every few days, the old man from the Green Bamboo would come to check on him, answering specific questions he encountered in his cultivation and correcting minor errors. Sometimes, he would also bring berries or spring water unique to the secret realm that could help calm the mind or nourish the meridians.

Time slipped away quietly amidst the arduous training. Although there was no alternation of day and night in the secret realm, Li Bai could roughly estimate that more than a month had passed based on his own biological clock and training rhythm.

On this day, he felt that the azure lotus spiritual energy ball in his dantian was full and saturated, circulating smoothly and without hindrance, even faintly radiating a feeling of saturation and expansion. His divine sense was also several times more refined than when he first arrived, and he could control the broken sword as nimbly as directing his fingers. Although he was far from reaching the level of Qingzhu, where he could wield heavy weapons with effortless ease and complete control, it was already showing initial power in actual combat. He had also grasped seven or eight parts of the meaning of "the first bloom of the azure lotus," and could barely compress and condense spiritual energy in his palm, forming an unstable ball of energy that shimmered with a sharp azure light.

it's time.

Foundation Building is the first true chasm on the path of cultivation. It requires extremely compressing gaseous spiritual energy into liquid true essence and constructing the "Dao Foundation" in the dantian to support the Great Dao. The process is extremely dangerous. Backlash during the compression of spiritual energy or deviations during the construction of the Dao Foundation can lead to the complete loss of cultivation, or even death and the annihilation of one's Dao.

Li Bai adjusted himself to his peak condition and put a "Mind-Stabilizing Fruit" that Qingzhu had given him a few days ago, which was helpful for calming the mind and stabilizing the meridians, into his mouth. He faced the Sword Pool and sat cross-legged in the densest part of the bronze divine tree's root system, where the spiritual energy and Daoist charm were most abundant.

He closed his eyes and focused his mind, beginning to fully circulate his cultivation technique according to the foundation-building chapter of the "Azure Lotus Sword Manual".

boom!

The azure lotus spiritual energy cluster within his dantian suddenly accelerated its rotation and began to compress wildly inward. A sharp pain shot through him instantly, as if an invisible hand were violently squeezing his dantian, trying to crush it. The spiritual energy surging through his meridians also became violent, rampaging and crashing about.

Li Bai groaned, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. He focused intently on the clarity of his mind, guiding the compression process with his powerful willpower. At the same time, he mobilized the nascent form of the Azure Lotus Sword Intent between his brows, transforming it into a cool yet resilient will to protect the core of his dantian and the main meridians.

Compress, and compress again!

Under immense pressure, the gaseous spiritual energy began to show signs of liquefaction. One drop, two drops... azure liquid true essence began to appear, but it was extremely unstable, repelling each other, as if it might re-vaporize or even explode at any moment.

Constructing the foundation!

Using his divine sense as a brush, his newly generated liquid true essence as ink, and the emptiness of his dantian as paper, Li Bai began to sketch the prototype of the "Nine-Rank Sword Lotus Dao Foundation," the most suitable for the Azure Lotus Sword Dao as recorded in the Foundation Building Chapter of the Azure Lotus Sword Canon. This was an extremely meticulous and mentally taxing process, requiring precise control and alignment with his own understanding of the sword Dao with each stroke.

Sweat had already soaked his entire body, turning into white vapor under the rising spiritual energy. His body trembled slightly, veins bulged under his skin, and his face was contorted with pain, but his eyes, through his tightly closed eyelids, revealed a rock-solid determination.

The powerful divine soul resulting from the superposition of his two incarnations played a crucial role at this moment. He was able to simultaneously handle the turmoil of compressed spiritual energy, the precision of his Dao foundation, and the stability of his sword intent protecting his body, all three working in harmony.

Time passed little by little.

Within his dantian, liquid true essence increased, gradually converging into a small cyan pond. In the center of the pond, a budding cyan lotus base, formed from pure true essence and sword intent, was slowly taking shape. Although it was only the phantom of three petals, it already exuded a stable, sharp, and ever-renewing Daoist aura.

The moment the last wisp of gaseous spiritual energy transformed into liquid true essence and merged into the lotus base, causing its third petal to completely solidify—

hum!

A clear, melodious sword cry emanated from Li Bai's body. It did not come from an external object, but rather from the resonance between him and the Great Dao when his Dao Foundation was first established! A powerful aura, dozens of times purer and more expansive than that of the Qi Condensation stage, suddenly erupted from his body!

The bronze divine tree seemed to sense something; its branches and leaves moved without wind, rustling softly and scattering even more gentle Daoist light. The water in the Sword Pool rippled, and the Azure Lotus Sword at the bottom of the pool also glowed slightly.

Li Bai suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of blue light appearing in them, sharp as a sword, before returning to a deep and calm state.

He slowly stood up, his bones cracking with a series of crisp pops, as if he had been reborn. Some grayish-black impurities seeped from his skin, which were then dispersed by the newly generated true essence within his body. He felt several times lighter, and his strength, speed, and senses all experienced a qualitative leap. Looking inward at his dantian, the small pool of azure true essence, though not large, shimmered and contained astonishing energy. In the center of the pool, the third-grade azure lotus Dao foundation slowly rotated, incredibly stable, continuously absorbing external spiritual energy and transforming it into pure azure lotus true essence.

Lifespan increased to two hundred years! Officially stepped into the threshold of cultivation!

Li Bai clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within him, a surge of heroic spirit rising in his chest. At this moment, if he were to face the sword energy pressure from Sword Intent Peak again, even without relying on the nascent form of sword intent, his Foundation Establishment stage true essence protecting him and his strengthened physical body would be more than enough to easily withstand it.

With a thought, he tried to communicate with the Azure Lotus Sword at the bottom of the pool.

This time, the sensation was much clearer. He could even "see" the dormant, vast, star-like spirituality within the sword's body. Although he still couldn't activate it in the slightest, he tried to wrap a wisp of Foundation Establishment stage Azure Lotus True Essence around his divine sense and slowly approach the sword.

The Azure Lotus Sword trembled slightly, its blade shimmering with light as it actively absorbed the wisp of true essence, emitting a faint, almost pleasurable fluctuation. Then, to Li Bai's astonishment, the three-foot-three-inch-long azure sword slowly rose from the bottom of the pool. Although it was only an inch above the surface, and its weight and resistance were clearly palpable, this was an unprecedented breakthrough!

Even though it has not acknowledged a master, it can already be easily manipulated and a trace of its spiritual response can be evoked!

"It's done!" Li Bai was thrilled. He couldn't wait to fly out of the secret realm and return to Chengdu. With his current Foundation Establishment cultivation and the newly acquired Azure Lotus Sword, no matter how vast the world was, where couldn't he go? Yang Yuhuan... no, Yang Xiaohuan's face once again clearly appeared in his mind, and that longing and sense of urgency spread like wildfire.

But he forcibly suppressed this impulse. The High Priest's warning still echoed in his ears: the greater the power, the deeper the calamity. He had only recently established his foundation, his realm was not yet stable, and his application of foundation-establishment power and control over the Azure Lotus Sword were still rudimentary. If he rashly returned and encountered another powerful enemy, he feared he would not be able to escape unscathed.

"I still need to cultivate. At least I need to cultivate the Azure Lotus Sword Control Technique to the point where I can truly control the Azure Lotus Sword to fly, and cultivate the Azure Lotus First Bloom to the point where I can control it at will!" Li Bai suppressed his emotions, sat down again, and began to consolidate his Foundation Establishment realm, and worked even harder to cultivate the spells and supernatural powers in the sword manual.

More than ten days later.

On this day, Li Bai was practicing sword control by the Sword Pool. He could barely keep the Azure Lotus Sword suspended at waist height and control it to move slowly horizontally. He was completely focused, using his divine sense to carefully feel every change in the sword's body, trying to establish a more stable connection.

Suddenly, the Azure Lotus Sword hanging in front of him emitted an unprecedentedly clear and melodious sword cry without any warning!

Buzz—Clang!

The sword's cry carried a hint of urgency and longing. Its blade shone with a bright blue light and automatically changed direction, its tip pointing straight towards the depths of the southeastern part of the secret realm. It trembled slightly, as if something there was strongly attracting and calling to it.

No, it's not calling for the sword, it's more like calling for... something complete that shares the same origin as it.

Li Bai was deeply shaken and abruptly looked in that direction. Deep within the clouds and mist, towering mountains stretched out—a more remote and unexplored area of ​​the Western Mausoleum Divine Kingdom's secret realm.

The unusual vibrations of the Azure Lotus Sword continued for several breaths before gradually subsiding and returning to calm. However, the direction in which the sword tip pointed was firmly imprinted in Li Bai's mind.