Chapter 135: The Great Sun Tathagata Palm Technique (Dedicated to Alliance Leader zzyzzx123)

Chapter 135: The Great Sun Tathagata Palm Technique (Dedicated to Alliance Leader zzyzzx123)



【Name: Fang Xing】

【Age: 20】

【Occupation: Martial Artist】

【Fifth Realm: External Vision (50/400)】

【Dragon and Tiger Stance: 100/800 (Grandmaster)】

【Military Body Boxing Twelve Forms: 315/400 (Master)】

【Demon God Blade: 356/400 (Master)】

【Extreme Emotion Sword: 321/400 (Master)】

【Dragon Elephant Technique: 1/800 (Grandmaster)】

【Great Golden Vajra Divine Power: 1/400 (Master)】

【Great Sun Tathagata Mantra: 50/200 (Proficient)】

【Heavenly Mother's Virtue, Golden Lotus Twin Safeguard Manual: 1/200 (Proficient)】

【Sky Dancing Steps: 157/200 (Proficient)】

【Gates of the Multitudes (Charging)】

...

"This time, studying the Manual of Myriad Spirits has been extremely beneficial..."

"But later on, I became a little too engrossed in the Tathagata Palm Sutra, to the point where I had to resort to using the Great Sun Tathagata Mantra... and unintentionally increased my proficiency by 30 points."

In the dormitory, Fang Xing sat with his legs crossed, scrutinizing his attribute panel and pondering his gains and losses.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

Below the Great Sun Tathagata Mantra, another sub-menu seemed to be generating, similar to the 'Heavenly Mother's Virtue, Golden Lotus Twin Safeguard Manual'!

Faintly, he received a message about a technique named 'Great Sun Tathagata Palm'!!

However, due to consuming too few Martial Arts Concepts, it hadn't been fully deduced yet.

The rune representing the 'Great Sun Tathagata Palm' flickered for a while before eventually fading away.

"Damn... I've noticed that every time I use the 'Great Sun Tathagata Mantra', it brings me a little surprise..."

Fang Xing was so angry that he almost swore. He didn't know if he should feel excited or resistant.

However, after a moment, he calmed down.

"The Tathagata Palm Sutra is a secret art of the Blue Star University's Martial Arts Department... With my current meager External Vision strength, even if I manage to learn it ahead of time, I won't have the power to activate it. It would be like a small horse pulling a huge cart... ultimately impractical."

"When my strength increases in the future, the Manual of Myriad Spirits will still be there, and I can learn it whenever I want... What's there to regret?"

"Would I give up my own path just because of a supreme martial art?"

"I should just continue doing what I'm doing..."

...

Time flowed like water.

In the Purple Kite Immortal City.

Within a first-grade superior spiritual cave.

Fang Xing's cultivation clone sat with his legs crossed, silently refining pills.

Suddenly!

The spiritual energy in the cave, like mist, wafted around him, only to be absorbed completely...

Crack!

A crisp sound echoed from within Fang Xing's body.

"Training Qi Ninth Layer, achieved!"

Fang Xing stood up, feeling the surge of spiritual power in his dantian that had increased by half compared to before, a smile involuntarily appearing on his face.

"I am indeed a peerless genius..."

With a first-grade superior spiritual cave, numerous pills, his innate talent, and a pill-condensing technique, his cultivation progress was incredibly fast!

"The metallic spiritual power naturally carries a sharp aura, which provides some convenience when breaking through realms... Of course, the reason I was able to advance directly from Training Qi Eighth Layer to the Ninth Layer is still due to my innate talent."

Generally speaking, cultivators who reached the Ninth Layer of Training Qi would start preparing for the Foundation Establishment.

Because the perfect Training Qi realm was essentially the peak of the Ninth Layer, and from then on, it was only a matter of accumulating spiritual power without any bottlenecks.

Furthermore, if one wasn't afraid of the high failure rate, they could forcibly stimulate their spiritual power and attempt Foundation Establishment at the Ninth Layer of Training Qi.

This was especially true for Fang Xing.

"Even without using a Foundation Establishment Pill, I have a ninety percent chance of success in Foundation Establishment... The remaining ten percent is the possibility of being disturbed, having flaws in my technique, or encountering deviation..."

After all, a Heaven-grade spirit root wouldn't encounter many bottlenecks before pill condensation.

If one cultivated to the perfect Foundation Establishment realm, they would have a certain chance of achieving pill condensation even without using various pill-condensing spiritual objects.

"However, to be on the safe side, I should still take a Foundation Establishment Pill. That slight increase in the probability of Foundation Establishment is negligible, but the pill's main effect is to protect the cultivator from severe injuries in case of failure..."

For solitary cultivators in Zhenguo's cultivation world, a Foundation Establishment Pill was an invaluable treasure, an opportunity to grasp the Dao.

Aside from the three major immortal sects, which provided a small number of Foundation Establishment Pills to their true disciples periodically, other sources of Foundation Establishment Pills were scarce and unstable.

For the Zhenguo family cultivators and small sects, achieving Foundation Establishment often relied on either risking their lives or using Foundation Establishment spiritual objects.

"As the sanctuary for solitary cultivators in Zhenguo, Purple Kite Immortal City holds a Foundation Establishment Pill auction every few years... But it's unstable, and I don't have the patience to wait for years."

Fang Xing snapped his fingers, and a golden sword light flew out, penetrating several inches into the stone wall.

"This is a minor spell called 'Golden Sword Qi of the Metal-Transforming Technique', which is a supplementary skill to the Qi Refining stage. After reaching the ninth layer of Qi Refining, the Golden Sword Qi has already reached perfection, and now golden sword lights dance between my fingers like golden snakes."

"The Immortal City's Grand Auction usually features a Foundation Establishment Pill auction once every few years, and during the remaining years, there's an annual auction for Foundation Establishment spiritual objects..."

Foundation Establishment spiritual objects also held a certain appeal for Fang Xing.

For instance, the 'Pulse-Protecting Pill', which could ensure one's survival even if their Foundation Establishment attempt failed, was something he definitely wouldn't want to miss out on.

In addition, local cultivators liked to use all sorts of sinister energies to temper their bodies and enhance their spiritual power... as aids for Foundation Establishment.

For Fang Xing, these were precious sources of unique universal energies!

"Within the treasure trove, there's a special pill-condensing technique that can be used to infuse universal special energies into the Martial Gold Pill during its creation, thus enhancing the foundation of the Golden Core..."

"Of course, not all energies are compatible... they must be properly matched."

"I definitely can't miss the annual grand auction..."

"Lastly, if I want to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill, I'll probably have to find someone to collaborate with me in refining it."

Within the Purple Kite Immortal City, there were second-rank pill refiners capable of refining Foundation Establishment Pills.

Although Fang Xing trusted Su Ye more, it seemed that she wouldn't be back any time soon, so he had no choice but to look for alternatives within the city.

Refining a Foundation Establishment Pill was a rare opportunity for a second-rank pill refiner, so they would most likely not refuse.

"If not for my poor pill refining skills, I might have succeeded on my first try, and there would be no need to seek help from others."

Although he had the assistance of the Myriad Transforming Cauldron, Fang Xing had only practiced for a short time, and currently, he only had some confidence in refining first-rank high-quality pills—by "confidence," he meant that he could ensure the pill formed, even if it turned out to be a low-quality one, he could still salvage it through subsequent nurturing.

His true pill refining skill was probably only at the level of a first-rank medium-quality pill, far from being able to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill, which was a second-rank pill. If he attempted it, he would definitely fail and wouldn't even have a chance to rectify his mistake.

"But if I want to find someone to help me refine it, I'll need to gather all the materials required for a Foundation Establishment Pill."

"I have a second-rank Demon Pill in my possession, which is the most crucial primary material... As for the auxiliary materials, the smaller sects and families in this area will undoubtedly be hoarding them, waiting for an opportunity. Once I spread the word, someone will definitely seek cooperation... and I can even choose my partner!"

For a set of Foundation Establishment Pill materials, the most precious ingredient was the second-rank demon pill. Therefore, according to the rules of pill refining, if there was only one genuine second-rank demon pill, then the person who provided the most valuable material would have the first choice... Of course, they would also have to compensate the other collaborators with spirit stones.

Actually, for Fang Xing, even a low-quality Foundation Establishment Pill was fine.

After all, he had the Myriad Transforming Cauldron to help him dissolve any pill toxins.

"I might as well give it a try..."

Fang Xing was not afraid of being cheated.

In this vast Purple Kite Immortal City, the strongest person was the False Golden Immortal!

Not only was his true body a Grand Master in Dragon Elephant Technique, with a body comparable to a second-rank high-quality demon beast, but he had also cultivated the Great Golden Vajra Divine Power to the Master realm, allowing him to explode with eight times his original battle strength!

In the cultivation world, if there were eight Foundation Establishment cultivators, they might even dare to join forces to attack the False Heavenly Immortal.

Moreover, an eightfold increase in battle strength was not as simple as the combined strength of eight cultivators; it was an exponential explosion in power!

If the False Golden Immortal was not careful, he might even be beaten to death!

'If they try to cheat me, then I'll just have my true body make a move, and I might even make a little extra profit... If the Purple Kite Immortal interferes, then I'll beat her to death too, and I can just go to another immortal city to continue my cultivation...'

Fang Xing silently praised himself for his cleverness.

...

The next day.

Fang Xing left his dwelling, prepared a gift, and set out to find a pill refiner.

"There are three second-rank pill refiners in the Purple Kite Immortal City who are capable of refining Foundation Establishment Pills, and their reputations are all quite similar... They are Huo Xuanzi, Zhou Family's Old Master, and Fuping Sanren..."

"Among them, Fuping Sanren is a wandering cultivator, Huo Xuanzi is affiliated with the City Lord's Mansion, and Zhou Family's Old Master is the head of the Zhou Family, a Foundation Establishment clan..."

According to common sense, Huo Xuanzi should be the best choice.

However, he was backed by the City Lord's Mansion, had connections, and was the most difficult to approach. Moreover, he was known for his bad temper.

Fuping Sanren was a wandering cultivator, and although he was rumored to be amiable, Fang Xing didn't think highly of him. After all, as a wandering cultivator, he had no family or attachments, which also meant he had no weaknesses, and if he ever harbored evil intentions, there would be nothing to hold him back.

The last one was the Zhou Family's Old Master, who had many weaknesses due to his large clan.

"So, I'll choose the Zhou Family's Old Master..."

The Zhou Family possessed a second-rank spiritual land called 'Purple Green Oasis', which was also the location of their clan. However, the Zhou Family's Old Master also had a residence in the Purple Kite Immortal City, where he specifically took on various pill refining tasks.

"The old masters of these Foundation Establishment clans often achieve their cultivation through the combined efforts of the entire clan, and after reaching Foundation Establishment, they bear the burden of their clan. Once they die, their clan will decline... It's actually quite tiring, and the key is that their cultivation often stagnates. The Zhou Family's Old Master used to have good talent, but after breaking through to Foundation Establishment, he hasn't made any further breakthroughs..."

Fang Xing arrived at the Zhou Family's residence and knocked on the door.

"May I ask who the guest is?"

A maid in the early Qi Refining stage opened the door, her expression unchanged as she saw Fang Xing.

"My surname is Fang, and I'm here to find Master Zhou for pill refining."

Fang Xing smiled, his Late Qi Refining cultivation base unconcealed, a notable figure even in the Purple Kite Immortal City.

"Please leave your name card, Guest Fang. My master is currently refining other pills, and once there's an available slot, we will send someone to notify you according to the order of the name cards."

The maid seemed well-trained, her response mechanical.

"Oh?"

Fang Xing chuckled, taking out a gilded name card. "Inside here are the pills I want to refine and the prepared ingredients. Please inform your master."

"Yes!"

The maid immediately took the name card and bowed before leaving.

She entered the inner quarters, passing through an array formation, and arrived in a room with a fiery underground heat source.

The floor was paved with a reddish-warm jade, and the temperature in the room was rising.

In the center of the fiery room was a reddish-colored pill furnace, and an old man with white hair and taut, wrinkle-free skin was gazing calmly at the fire in the furnace.

"Xiner... What is it?"

Master Zhou held a spiritual artifact, a folding fan, and asked indifferently.

"There's a Late Qi Refining cultivator outside who has come to request pill refining." Zhou Xin quickly bowed and presented the gilded name card.

"Late Qi Refining stage... Never mind, we'll notify him when I have time... This furnace of 'Returning Qi Dan' is a second-grade pill... You should watch more closely, Xiner. Among the Zhou family, perhaps only you can understand a little of my pill-refining techniques."

Master Zhou looked at Zhou Xin with a hint of sigh in his eyes.

In truth, this granddaughter, though he didn't know how many generations had passed, had some talent in pill refining, but not much.

Alas, in a family, one had to pick the best among the available options.

The reason was simple; one could be more selective with disciples, choosing those with superior spirit roots and remarkable comprehension.

However, when it came to children and grandchildren with mediocre talent, one couldn't just discard them.

This was the drawback of family cultivators; they couldn't guarantee that each generation would produce geniuses, whereas sects could select the best from a vast pool of talent.

Thus, in this barren land, sects always dominated, and cultivator families merely supplemented them.

Master Zhou glanced at the furnace again before casually opening the gilded name card, his expression suddenly changing: "This... Xiner, quickly go to the door and invite this esteemed guest in. Make sure to treat him with the utmost hospitality... I will go out to meet him as soon as I finish refining this furnace of Returning Qi Dan."

"Yes!"

Zhou Xin, witnessing this, felt her heart stir, knowing that they had encountered an extraordinary customer.

'I wonder if it's because of his identity... or the value of the pill he wants to refine? If it's the latter... then it must be...'

As if realizing something, Zhou Xin's eyes flickered.

Outside, Fang Xing waited for a moment longer before the maid from earlier came out and respectfully invited him into the guest hall, offering him spirit tea and pastries, which made him smile.

"This tea is good... It has a unique flavor, and the pastry is delicious too."

He drank the tea and ate the pastries casually, occasionally commenting.

Zhou Xin, observing this, felt that it was likely the former guess—the guest's identity was extraordinary.

After all, this was a Foundation Establishment mansion, and usually, Qi Refining cultivators who came here would be nervous and cautious.

Her expression softened, and she said gently, "Please allow me to introduce these to you, Guest. This tea is a second-grade 'Cloud Mist Mountain Tea', produced by the Cloud Mist Mountain Villa. We only get a few pounds a year... My master only drinks a couple of pots himself occasionally. As for this 'Fish Slice Paste', it's a specialty of my Zhou family. It's made by mixing the spirit fish from Purple Green Pond with spirit rice... Our Purple Green Pond is somewhat famous in Zhenguo, producing a type of 'Purple Green Carp', which is a small dragon species. The fish king carries a trace of Flood Dragon bloodline, and every time they're produced, they're immediately booked by the Myriad Beast Sect..."

Zhou Xin spoke with pride, but Fang Xing, listening, felt that the cultivation world in Zhenguo was truly pitiful, with all the good things being taken by the three major sects.

For cultivators, time was the least valuable thing.

Fang Xing waited for a day before a white-haired, youthful-looking old man with a fan in his hand, entered the guest hall with a smile: "I am Zhou Yuantong, nice to meet you!"

"Fang Xing, nice to meet you, Senior."

Fang Xing stood up and gave a slight bow.

This neither humble nor overbearing attitude made Zhou Yuantong unable to gauge him, and he wondered if there was a cultivator family with the surname Fang in Zhenguo.

Among the three major sects, there didn't seem to be any outstanding true disciples with the surname Fang either...

He sat down with a smile and, instead of talking about pill refining, began to chat casually, trying to find out more about Fang Xing's background.

Fang Xing's vague responses left Zhou Yuantong unable to confirm anything, and he felt increasingly frustrated...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end