Inside the seclusion chamber.
Fang Qing silently circulated the Blue Sea Technique, attempting to break through the bottleneck to mid-stage Foundation Establishnt.
Unfortunately, no matter how he completed the great heavenly cycle, the twenty drops of liquid mana in his dantian qi sea remained exactly twenty drops, unmoving.
"As expected... trying to force my way past this bottleneck purely through personal grinding in such a short ti is nothing but wishful thinking. I still need to rely on pills!"
"In truth, I do not need to worry too much about pill toxins. After all, I can use the Dao-Genesis Pearl's [Return to Origin] to purify my mana. But pure mana does not an a pure body. In the future, when I can consu genuine, high-quality pills, I should avoid inferior ones."
Fang Qing took a deep breath and brought out the Minor Barrier-Breaking Pill, swallowing it down.
Boom!
This ti, after beginning to circulate his technique, the situation changed completely!
The pill's power entered his dantian and imdiately transford into strands of misty purple qi. Carrying the twenty drops of liquid mana, it launched a fierce assault against the mid-stage Foundation Establishnt bottleneck.
Crack!
It felt like only an instant had passed, yet it also seed like a very long ti.
In a hazy state of divine sense, Fang Qing seed to hear the sound of a silver vase shattering as liquid burst forth.
Looking inward, he saw that within his dantian, the twenty-first drop of profound azure-green liquid mana was slowly taking shape.
"Mid-stage Foundation Establishnt!"
The mont this twenty-first drop ford, Fang Qing imdiately felt entirely different. His dantian qi sea expanded once more, allowing him to continue consuming water essence pills to further refine his mana.
And that was not all!
His divine sense, previously limited to thirty or forty zhang, suddenly surged outward, reaching roughly fifty zhang.
"After reaching mid-stage Foundation Establishnt, both divine sense and mana experience explosive growth. I can now better unleash the full power of spiritual artifacts."
"With my current cultivation, I will likely only encounter another bottleneck once I reach the peak of mid-stage Foundation Establishnt with fifty drops."
Under normal conditions, a mid-stage Foundation Establishnt cultivator could easily defeat an early-stage one.
Killing them, however, would still be sowhat difficult.
"Hmph. With mana like this, I would like to see who in Ancient Shu still dares call a bright son."
"Wait... I only have superior mana quantity. My Dao Foundation remains lacking in profundity. At worst, I might be seen as a rather capable bright son."
Fang Qing's expression twisted awkwardly for a mont before he brushed the thought aside.
No matter how unpleasant "bright son" sounded, it still counted as a Dao Foundation-level figure—sothing far beyond the reach of re Qi Ingestion cultivators.
Even the weakest bright son could effortlessly slaughter large numbers of Qi Ingestion cultivators!
This difference was evident from mana quality alone.
One drop of his liquid mana was equivalent to the entire mana pool of a ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivator. Even a ninth-layer Qi Ingestion cultivator would only match about half of it.
With mana of this caliber, fighting across realms against Qi Ingestion cultivators would almost always end in victory.
"And my divine sense... previously stuck at the early Foundation Establishnt bottleneck. Now that I have broken through to mid-stage, there should still be a period of growth. Once it reaches its limit, perhaps I can use that second-rank Ice Soul Cold Heart to advance my divine sense ahead of ti to late Foundation Establishnt level—or even pseudo-Core level?"
Fang Qing still possessed quite a few good items. Before, he had been constrained by bottlenecks, and he preferred to save the best resources for decisive monts.
"By the ti I reach the peak of mid-stage Foundation Establishnt, my divine sense should extend around sixty zhang. Then I will strive to push it beyond a hundred zhang using external aids. Powerful divine sense brings imnse benefits in combat, alchemy, and cultivation alike. Alas, it is a pity I still have not found the continuation of the Horse-Headed Vajra Protector Divine thod. If I could dual-cultivate body and spirit with that technique, the results would be even better!"
The maximum divine sense range for Foundation Establishnt cultivators would never exceed one hundred and fifty zhang!
One hundred and fifty zhang equaled one li!
Only Core Formation-level divine sense could be asured in li!
As for breaking through from Foundation Establishnt to Core Formation-level divine sense? That was impossible without a third-rank Ice Soul Cold Heart—which was precisely why it counted as a Core Formation spiritual item for the Zhong Family.
"Mid-stage Foundation Establishnt already places among the forefront of the sect's Foundation Establishnt cultivators. If luck is on my side, I might even secure a position of real authority like Cui Zhe did."
"But that is not what I desire."
With his realm advanced, Fang Qing intended to keep it as a trump card. In daily life he would certainly use the Dao-Genesis Pearl to conceal one layer of his mana cultivation.
He sat cross-legged and did not erge from seclusion.
After so thought, he took out an ancient to: the Whale-Devouring Vast Sea Formula!
This seclusion period was the perfect ti to begin introductory into the Ancient Shu [Zhen Water] technique.
"Sigh... My fate is most suited to cultivating [Ji Water], but [Zhen Water] also carries water virtue. It should not be as difficult as the Great Sun Empowernt Secret Art."
"If I could find a Dao Foundation opportunity for [Ji Water], I would not have resorted to this."
Forming a Dao Foundation in Ancient Shu was truly arduous. Fang Qing had no choice but to prepare two paths.
If he overestimated his own alchemy skill and failed to convert a Foundation Establishnt Pill into a [Ji Water] Dao Foundation Pill, then he would have to cast his Dao Foundation with [Zhen Water] instead!
Foundation Establishnt Pills are all refined using second-rank demon cores. Even if those demon beasts lack a Dao Foundation, a single Foundation Establishnt Pill, after so ordinary refinent, should still provide roughly thirty to forty percent of the effect of a true Dao Foundation Pill.
If he refined several more, it would basically equate to one [Zhen Water] Dao Foundation Pill.
Even more crucially, the protective effect that prevents a cultivator from dying upon failing to cast a Dao Foundation should remain intact. That was the most important part.
In truth, Fang Qing believed that with his second-rank Body Refinent and the marrow-cleansing transformation he had undergone during Foundation Establishnt, even if he failed to cast a Dao Foundation he would not fall to the fate of body and dao perishing. Still, it was always better to have a safety net.
"Even if I have no intention of casting my Dao Foundation using the path of [Zhen Water], I will definitely cultivate this Whale Devouring Vast Sea Formula."
Fang Qing naturally understood the principle of biting off more than one could chew. The techniques he gathered and cultivated would at most serve as entry points for Qi Ingestion path—re prirs. He would not invest too much effort afterward.
Instead, when the right opportunity arose, he would directly use the Dao-Genesis Pearl to empower and elevate them to a usable level, allowing him to handle various complex situations.
His main cultivation thod remained the Blue Sea Technique of the Qi Refining path, with at most one Qi Ingestion path technique added, plus perhaps one auxiliary Body-refinent thod.
"If not for the fact that the Dao-Genesis Pearl requires a corresponding prir before it can convert cultivation power, I would not need to go to such lengths."
Fang Qing first emptied the mana within his body. Then he picked up the jade bottle containing the lower-grade seventh-rank Long Whale Bright Moon and circulated his incantation, silently ingesting qi.
Whoosh!
Within the imagery of the whale's song and bright moon, he instantly felt his [Zhen Water] mana surging vast and mighty, pouring into his dantian.
"The sa first layer of Qi Ingestion, yet the mana produced by this Whale Devouring Vast Sea Formula surpasses the Observing the Black Mausoleum Book in both quality and quantity by far."
With a thought, strands of primordial qi descended and were continuously transford into [Zhen Water] mana.
In an instant, the fluctuations of Fang Qing's mana swelled madly. From the first layer of Qi Ingestion to the third layer, then breaking into mid-stage Qi Ingestion, late-stage Qi Ingestion, all the way until he reached the perfect ninth layer of Qi Ingestion before slowly coming to a stop.
"Two and a half drops of liquid mana converted into primordial qi!"
Calculating the expenditure in his mind, Fang Qing could not help but marvel inwardly. "Truly profound mana—second only to the Great Sun Empowernt Secret Art."
One drop of his liquid mana was equivalent to the entire mana reserve of a ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivator.
But when it ca to Qi Ingestion cultivators, the differences beca apparent.
For the Observing the Black Mausoleum Book at perfect ninth-layer Qi Ingestion, it would require only one and a half drops!
This Whale Devouring Vast Sea Formula, however, demanded two and a half!
"From this alone one can see the quality gap between Purple Mansion techniques and Dao Foundation techniques."
"However, although I have now reached perfect ninth-layer Qi Ingestion, if I were to attempt casting a Dao Foundation right now, even with a Foundation Establishnt Pill—I would still have little confidence. I need to properly elevate my own [Zhen Water] attainnt first."
This kind of forcibly accelerated cultivation was naturally less stable than the layer-by-layer progress he had made with his [Ji Water] Observing the Black Mausoleum Book—even when it ca to the confidence of successfully casting a Dao Foundation.
"Next, I should study pill scriptures and strive to refine Foundation Establishnt Pills through ordinary thods."
Fang Qing converted his mana back to the early Foundation Establishnt level and stepped out of the seclusion chamber.
For him now, the Qi Ingestion path held little practical use until he forged a Dao Foundation.
No matter how profound a secret art or divine technique, the gap across major realms remained insurmountable.
The cave residence remained as quiet as ever, with only a few transmission talismans waiting.
"Hmm?"
Fang Qing reached out and caught them. After listening to a few ssages, his expression shifted slightly. "A banquet? Not bad at all."
What he had received was an invitation from Linghu Chong.
"With the sect's situation now looking so promising, it truly is a ti of songs and dances rising to the heavens."
Fang Qing had never been the type to cultivate in bitterness and hardship. Moreover, having just broken through today, his mood was excellent. He imdiately accepted.
Monts later, he piloted a spiritual boat and arrived at Linghu Chong's waterside pavilion cave residence.
Faint sounds of silk, bamboo, pipes, and strings drifted out, accompanied by the soft, gentle murmurs of singing girls. Clearly this banquet had already been going on for who knew how many days.
"Senior Brother Linghu."
Fang Qing entered the waterside pavilion and saw quite a few Foundation Establishnt cultivators indulging freely.
"Haha, Junior Brother Fang? Co, co, take your seat. You arrived late—you owe three cups of penalty wine."
Linghu Chong ca forward warmly. After all, Fang Qing had a clean background and was a mid-grade second-rank alchemy master—one of the key figures the sect leader's faction wanted to win over.
Fang Qing had nothing to object to. He sat down at once, accepted the wine poured by a nearby serving girl, and unceremoniously wrapped an arm around the waist of a dancing girl who pressed close.
Remarkably, the dancers and musicians here were all cultivators—so practicing the dao of music, others the dao of dance within the Hundred Arts of Immortal cultivation.
"First-rank superior musicians who can use lodies to soothe heart demons, heal psychological wounds, and slightly stimulate bottleneck breakthroughs. And these dancers—all still virgins, each possessing considerable inner charm. Senior Brother Linghu truly knows how to enjoy life."
He took a sip of wine, let the woman in his arms serve him food, and felt quite content.
Yet inwardly he could not help sighing. Adversity and prosperity both reveal true character.
During the war, Linghu Chong had perford admirably with nothing to criticize. Now that the sect master's faction was in full bloom—flowers added to brocade, oil poured on raging flas, so young masters were gradually showing their true natures.
Still, there was nothing wrong with it. Aristocratic descendants enjoying pleasures was hardly a cri.
Moreover, it was also a way to win hearts and gather support.
Fang Qing glanced around. Quite a few Foundation Establishnt cultivators had co. Cui Zhe was even present, sitting with a cold face at the seat to Linghu Chong's left, though no dancing girl attended him.
"Acting Sect Master—according to this junior brother's view, you can remove the 'acting' prefix long ago."
The banquet naturally had its share of flatterers lavishing praise on Linghu Chong.
Fang Qing swept his gaze over and saw an unfamiliar face, likely a newly advanced early Foundation Establishnt cultivator—so he paid little attention.
Linghu Chong, flushed slightly from the spiritual wine, laughed. "My cultivation is shallow. Throughout our sect's history, sect leaders have always been late-stage Foundation Establishnt cultivators. Let us speak of it after I reach the middle stage."
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