Chapter 166: Foundation Establishment: Simultaneous Breakthroughs in Qi Refinement, Body Tempering,

Chapter 166: Foundation Establishment: Simultaneous Breakthroughs in Qi Refinement, Body Tempering, and Spirit Tempering!

Sitting in the cultivation room, Chu Ning began his practice with the Nine Yang Body Tempering Technique. Immediately after, he cultivated the Spirit Tempering Art, bringing his body and mind to their optimal state.

He then took out a bottle of Xuanling Baodan from his storage bag, poured out a pill, and swallowed it.

In the next moment, a surge of spiritual power was released within Chu Ning's body and instantly rushed towards his dantian.

However, his dantian was already filled to the brim with spiritual power, leaving no room for even a thread of additional energy.

Just as this surge of spiritual power was about to wreak havoc within Chu Ning's body, he followed the foundation-building method recorded in the Yanhuo Shenmu Gong, guiding this surge of power and beginning the process of liquefying his spiritual power.

Instantly, the spiritual power that had already been tempered countless times by Chu Ning, and which seemed impossible to refine any further, began to compress once more under the influence of this surge.

The spiritual power compressed towards the very center of his dantian.

After an unknown period, the mass of spiritual power at the center of his dantian began to slowly condense, turning into a thread-like liquid.

The once-full dantian now had a slight vacancy.

However, it was quickly filled by the surging spiritual power rushing in from outside the dantian.

These spiritual powers no longer compressed the existing energies, but before long, they were assimilated and transformed into Chu Ning's spiritual power.

It wasn't until this point that Chu Ning finally breathed a long sigh of relief and slowly opened his eyes.

He glanced at the sky outside the cultivation room and was surprised by what he saw.

"I've been cultivating for almost a day. With the refinement and rest required for one Xuanling Baodan, it will probably take a full day.

And judging from the state of the spiritual power in my body, I will definitely need far more than 30 Xuanling Baodan.

It looks like the foundation establishment process will take at least a month or two..."

As these thoughts ran through Chu Ning's mind, his hands didn't stop moving. He picked up the jade bottle in front of him and poured out another Xuanling Baodan, then began cultivating once more.

Day after day, one pill after another, nearly a month passed in the blink of an eye.

After consuming 30 Xuanling Baodan consecutively, Chu Ning finally stepped out of the cultivation room for the first time.

"A whole month of cultivation, and the process of condensing and liquefying my spiritual power is not even halfway done.

It seems my preparations were indeed necessary. Even with 60 pills, it's not certain that I can complete the foundation establishment."

After leaving the cultivation room, Chu Ning made his way to the medicinal garden. He took only a brief look around before heading straight to the location of the Iron Spirit Flower.

Before his seclusion, he had specifically instructed Ling Xiao Bai to ignore all other spirit herbs during this period.

The only exception was the Iron Spirit Flower, which he wanted to continue ripening.

According to Chu Ning's previous calculations, the Iron Spirit Flower should be close to maturity by now.

As he entered the garden where the Iron Spirit Flowers were growing, his gaze naturally fell upon the first few flowers that had been forced to bloom and cultivate.

The Iron Spirit Flower was now completely black, its petals resembling piles of iron sand.

When Chu Ning's gaze landed on them, he felt as if his consciousness was being drawn into the depths of that blackness.

"The Iron Spirit Flower has matured!"

Chu Ning quickly approached one of the flowers, but he didn't sense the so-called wood spirit energy.

However, having had prior experience absorbing the Black Mist Iron Spirit Wood, Chu Ning quickly sat down cross-legged.

He released his spiritual sense to cover the Iron Spirit Flower and began cultivating the Spirit Tempering Art at the same time.

Simultaneously, his cultivation progress appeared in his mind:

【Yanhuo Shenmu Gong (High-grade Xuan Tier), Second Layer (667/10000)】

【Nine Yang Body Tempering Technique, First Volume, Endless Muscle Tearing (1499/1500)】

【Spirit Tempering Art, Second Layer (1868/2000)】

During the past half month, Chu Ning had focused all his energy on cultivating the Yanhuo Shenmu Gong after consuming the Xuanling Baodan.

Even after entering the second layer, the pill's effect allowed him to rapidly increase his proficiency by the equivalent of ten days' worth of cultivation each day.

As for the Spirit Tempering Art, he only cultivated it occasionally to maintain balance.

Furthermore, since he hadn't used the art of talisman making and talisman source analysis to consume his spiritual sense, his progress in this area was naturally slow.

In one month, he had only managed to increase his proficiency by a mere three points.

Just then, Chu Ning faintly sensed a thread of pure wood spirit energy emanating from the Iron Spirit Flower.

Following his spiritual sense, it entered the Niwan Palace and his sea of consciousness.

Chu Ning naturally continued to absorb it, strengthening his spiritual sense.

After cultivating for over an hour, Chu Ning slowly opened his eyes.

As his spiritual sense withdrew, the wood spirit energy within the Iron Spirit Flower stopped leaking out.

However, the blackness that covered the Iron Spirit Flower that Chu Ning had been cultivating with seemed to have faded slightly.

At that moment, Chu Ning stood up and immediately checked his cultivation proficiency.

【Spirit Tempering Art, Second Layer (1871/2000)】

"It increased by three points! After cultivating the Spirit Tempering Art for over an hour, my proficiency actually increased by three points!

This Iron Spirit Flower truly is incredibly effective for strengthening my spiritual sense!"

A hint of joy flashed in Chu Ning's eyes.

After all, he had only absorbed less than a tenth of the wood spirit energy within the Iron Spirit Flower during his previous cultivation session.

"Based on this calculation, a single Iron Spirit Flower can support my cultivation for nearly ten days.

It can help me increase my proficiency in the Spirit Tempering Art by nearly thirty points!"

Looking at the garden filled with black Iron Spirit Flowers, Chu Ning knew that he wouldn't have to worry about strengthening his spiritual sense for a long time to come.

"I'll focus on liquefying my spiritual power and establishing my foundation with the help of the Xuanling Baodan. During the breaks in my cultivation, I'll come here to practice the Spirit Tempering Art.

This way, after I've established my foundation, the Spirit Tempering Art will also reach the perfect stage of the second layer.

My spiritual sense will definitely be stronger than that of other cultivators at the same stage..."

With the assistance of the Xuanling Baodan, the drawbacks of the foundation establishment method were completely nonexistent for Chu Ning.

As Chu Ning dedicated himself to his cultivation, another month passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside the cultivation room, Chu Ning, who had just finished a day of cultivation, wore a complicated expression on his face.

"My spiritual power has actually become so robust. Under normal circumstances, 30 Xuanling Baodan should be more than enough.

Moreover, these are intermediate mid-grade Xuanling Baodan that I've personally refined.

Yet I needed 60 pills, and it still wasn't quite enough to complete the final stage of liquefying my spiritual power."

Chu Ning estimated his progress.

"I hope the last 12 Xuanling Baodan will be enough for me to complete foundation establishment. Otherwise, it could become a troublesome situation."

Muttering to himself, Chu Ning took another Xuanling Baodan and swallowed it.

Ten days later.

Inside the cultivation room, Chu Ning kept his eyes closed, but a faint glow could be seen flickering on his face.

At the same time, a pressure began to emanate from his body, a pressure distinct from that of Qi Refinement cultivators.

As time passed, this pressure became increasingly powerful.

Then, at a certain moment.

Chu Ning abruptly opened his eyes, and a gleam flashed in them before quickly fading away.

"Just now, I seemed to vaguely sense something calling out to me from the northwest.

That aura is extremely similar to the Spirit Seed I encountered before."

Chu Ning muttered to himself, but that feeling only lasted for a fleeting moment during his breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage, and it was gone before he could dwell on it further.

At that moment, he didn't think too much about it and instead carefully sensed the changes in his current state.

"Foundation Establishment!"

Chu Ning exclaimed softly as he felt the transformation of his body's aura, his tone filled with barely contained excitement.

After consuming a total of 70 Xuanling Baodan, he had finally achieved foundation establishment.

At this moment, Chu Ning could deeply sense the surging spiritual power within his body.

The state of his essence, energy, and spirit was something he had never experienced before.

"Foundation establishment is not just about liquefying spiritual power; it also brings about a heaven-defying change in one's communication with the heaven and earth's spiritual energy.

As for my spiritual sense, it's also completely different from when I was in the Qi Refinement stage and used the Spirit Tempering Art to release it externally.

It feels more natural, and the range... Hmm?"

As Chu Ning was sensing his spiritual sense, he suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

Before this, Chu Ning's spiritual sense could reach a distance of about 150 zhang when released externally.

But now, when he released it, he felt that it extended to nearly 200 zhang!

"So, even without taking a foundation establishment pill, my spiritual sense has still significantly improved after using the Xuanling Baodan to establish my foundation?"

At this moment, a delighted smile appeared on Chu Ning's face.

This was something that far exceeded his expectations.

However, when he thought about how foundation establishment was a major stage of advancement, Chu Ning felt that it was somewhat understandable.

While the Xuanling Baodan didn't have the effect of strengthening spiritual sense, the process of foundation establishment itself was a process of refining and strengthening spiritual sense.

Perhaps the improvement in spiritual sense would be even more noticeable if he had used a foundation establishment pill for his breakthrough.

With this thought, Chu Ning immediately checked the changes in his proficiency in his mind.

And when he saw the string of numbers below, his mouth hung open in surprise.

【Yanhuo Shenmu Gong (High-grade Xuan Tier), Second Layer (1667/10,000)】

【Nine Yang Body Tempering Technique, First Volume, Endless Muscle Tearing (1500/1,500)】

【Spirit Tempering Art, Second Layer (1,998/2,000)】

In the past 40 days, the Yanhuo Shenmu Gong had increased by 400 points, but with this breakthrough, it had skyrocketed by 600 points! As for the Endless Muscle Tearing technique, which had been stuck at a bottleneck for several months, it had also reached perfection during this foundation establishment process! Even the Spirit Tempering Art had reached the peak of the second layer, just one step away from perfection.

"The breakthroughs brought about by foundation establishment are indeed all-encompassing."

As these thoughts ran through Chu Ning's mind, his gaze quickly scanned downward.

"Endless Muscle Tearing has broken through to the third layer, bringing my physical body to a level comparable to the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage.

Moreover, it can refresh my innate talent, and this Endless Muscle Tearing technique comes with a divine ability..."

Indeed, as Chu Ning's gaze fell on the next line, he saw:

【Innate Talent Refreshed, Rewarded with the Divine Ability "Condensation Slash"】

There was no detailed introduction to the divine ability Condensation Slash here.

However, since it was a rewarded divine ability, Chu Ning naturally understood how to use this secret technique in his mind.

He took a step forward, and with the help of the Thunderstep, he moved several meters and stood about one meter away from the stone door of the cultivation room.

At the same time, he threw a punch with his right fist, using the Heaven-Shaking Fist to strike the stone door without touching it.

Instantly, an invisible fist wind blasted out.

The fist wind struck the stone door, but the restrictions on it showed no reaction.

However, soon after, a "rumbling" sound came from outside.

It was as if something had struck the restrictions and triggered that sound.

"This is Condensation Slash!"

Chu Ning quickly opened the stone door and looked at the rippling restrictions in the outer passageway, his eyes shining with delight.

This Condensation Slash could actually penetrate restrictions and shields and directly attack the target behind them!

Of course, there were some limitations.

For example, it could only penetrate one layer of restrictions or defenses, and the weakening effect on the attack would vary depending on the strength of the restrictions or shields.

But even so, if used properly, it would definitely catch one's opponent off guard.

"This kind of attack might not have been considered heaven-defying in ancient times when there were many body cultivators.

But in the present era, where body cultivators are relatively rare, it is undoubtedly an incredibly heaven-defying ability."

Chu Ning mused to himself.

After all, non-body cultivators had physical defenses that were far inferior to those of body cultivators.

However, the improvement in his spiritual sense far exceeded what these numbers suggested.

Puzzled, Chu Ning took a moment to sense the changes within himself and soon discovered that the hundred drops of spiritual liquid in his Niwan Palace had all grown in size! Even though the last drop was still ever so slightly smaller than the other ninety-nine, it had surpassed the size of the previous drops.

"So, the Foundation Establishment breakthrough enhances my spiritual sense comprehensively."

Chu Ning quickly understood that while the breakthrough hadn't brought about a significant increase in the proficiency of the Spirit Tempering Art, it had strengthened his spiritual sense foundation.

With this realization, Chu Ning's eyes flickered with excitement as he understood the implications of this improvement. Since each layer of the Spirit Tempering Art doubled his spiritual sense, a larger base would result in an even greater effect after doubling.

This was indeed a more practical benefit than a simple increase in proficiency.

With this thought, Chu Ning couldn't contain his excitement any longer. He flashed out of the cultivation room and headed straight for the medicinal garden.

Upon reaching the area where the Iron Spirit Flowers were planted, Chu Ning released a wisp of his spiritual sense to lock onto one of the flowers. The next moment, he began cultivating the Spirit Tempering Art.

Strand by strand, he absorbed the wood spirit energy to strengthen his spiritual sense.

Even though it only increased his proficiency by one point, Chu Ning cultivated for nearly two hours.

Finally, he abruptly opened his eyes as he felt a "buzz" and his entire spiritual platform became exceptionally clear.

In an instant, he appeared outside the formation.

At the same time, Chu Ning fully unleashed his spiritual sense.

Without the hindrance of the formation's restrictions, this test of his spiritual sense projection was much more accurate.

"Five hundred zhang!"

Upon realizing the reach of his spiritual sense, Chu Ning couldn't help but rejoice. It seemed that his previous projections within the formation had been hindered to some extent.

Even before the doubling effect, his spiritual sense had a range far exceeding two hundred zhang.

Now, after completing the second layer of the Spirit Tempering Art, his spiritual sense had doubled and reached an impressive five hundred zhang.

Everything within a five-hundred-zhang radius was completely under his control.

"With this spiritual sense strength, I'm confident that I can rival Foundation Establishment cultivators at the mid-stage or above!"

After all, a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the early stage was already considered exceptional if their spiritual sense could reach two hundred zhang.

A range of five hundred zhang was indeed impressive, even for a cultivator at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

"The drawbacks of not using a Foundation Establishment pill during my breakthrough are completely non-existent for me.

This Spirit Tempering Art that I cultivated after Foundation Establishment also strengthens my spiritual sense, and it does so at a fast pace.

Even if I don't find any subsequent Spirit Tempering Arts in the future, with this strong foundation and the increased cultivation speed from the Xuanling Baodan, my spiritual sense will still be stronger than that of many ordinary cultivators at the same stage."

Of course, he thought this way, but if he could find a way to further cultivate the Spirit Tempering Art, Chu Ning wouldn't hesitate to do so.

With this in mind, Chu Ning turned his attention to his mind once more, observing his cultivation proficiency.

Upon reaching perfection in the second layer of the Spirit Tempering Art, he would be able to refresh his divine ability again.

【Spirit Tempering Art, Second Layer (2000/2000)】

【Innate Talent Refreshed, Rewarded with the Divine Ability "Divine Spirit Technique"】

Indeed, Chu Ning soon saw the refreshed divine ability after perfecting the second layer of the Spirit Tempering Art.

The Divine Spirit Technique turned out to be a secret art that could divide his spiritual sense into multiple strands.

With this technique, Chu Ning could now instantly divide his spiritual sense into two strands of equal strength.

While these two strands were not as powerful as a single unified sense, each strand still retained about eighty percent of its original strength.

Moreover, if Chu Ning continued to practice this technique, he could further divide his spiritual sense.

At its peak, he would be able to create ninety-nine strands of spiritual sense!

"This Divine Spirit Technique doesn't seem very useful to me at the moment?"

Chu Ning was slightly puzzled, feeling that this secret art was extremely powerful but somehow not applicable at the moment.

"Wait, no!"

However, he soon shook his head, realizing that it could be incredibly useful for pill refining.

For example, when he refined pills based on the Ling Dan Ji Yao, he used his spiritual sense to perceive the changes in the pills.

For maximum precision, it was best to focus on only one pill at a time.

While he could cover all the pills with his spiritual sense, the perception wasn't as clear.

Now, with the Divine Spirit Technique, he could simultaneously perceive two pills with equal clarity.

If he continued to practice this technique, he could further enhance his perception.

In the future, whenever he needed to control multiple objects with his spiritual sense, this technique would undoubtedly prove invaluable.

With this realization, Chu Ning felt that this technique, like the Divine Binding Art, was incredibly profound and useful.

"And there's also the Spirit Piercing Art!"

At this moment, Chu Ning thought of the secret art that came with the Spirit Tempering Art.

Previously, Chu Ning had been cautious about using his spiritual sense due to its limited strength. However, now that his spiritual sense had far surpassed that of his peers, he could finally cultivate this art.

With a thought, Chu Ning returned to his cultivation room.

When Chu Ning walked out of the cultivation room again, half a month had passed.

"Cultivating the Spirit Piercing Art has indeed made my spiritual sense more agile and controllable."

With a faint smile on his face, Chu Ning released Ling Xiao Bai from the spirit beast room.

He was ready to venture out.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end