Chapter 189: Foundation Establishment (Part 2)

Chapter 189: Foundation Establishment (Part 2)

The vast Essence Qi Clouds, after absorbing the pill's medicinal power, became even more enormous.

The expanding volume began to impact the solidified Dantian of the Essence Condensation Stage.

Only by breaking through the Dantian's confinement and expanding it to a higher level could he truly enter the Foundation Establishment realm.

Under Luo Chen's meticulous control, the Essence Qi Clouds continuously struck the Dantian Barrier.

With his precise control over spirit energy and the strengthening of his Divine Soul, it should have been a straightforward process.

However, for some unknown reason, the Dantian Barrier remained as solid as a rock, indestructible.

Once, and then again! The cloud, transformed into a whirlwind, relentlessly assaulted the Dantian Barrier.

Finally, it ended in failure.

"I've failed..."

Bitter disappointment filled Luo Chen's mouth.

He hadn't anticipated that he wouldn't be defeated by the pain or overwhelmed by the violent medicinal power.

Instead, it was merely because he couldn't break the confinement.

He stumbled at this single step.

Struggling to stand up, Luo Chen lay down on the bed.

"Unknowingly, this attempt at Foundation Establishment has taken a full three days."

He didn't feel hungry.

Long before, he had already consumed the top-grade Fasting Powder he had refined himself.

For a long time, he wouldn't feel hunger.

"Where did I go wrong?"

Luo Chen could sense that the He Yang Water within his body and the Liuli Gao on his skin hadn't taken effect yet.

Aside from some mental fatigue, he had almost no injuries.

This seemed abnormal.

After all, those who failed the breakthrough often suffered minor injuries to their meridians or, in severe cases, a regression in cultivation, requiring several years of effort to recover.

However, in reality, it was quite normal.

These injuries mostly occurred after breaking through the Dantian's confinement.

The immense spirit energy, like a flood, would gush out uncontrollably.

Similar to a breached dam, the flood would wreak havoc wherever it flowed, causing immense physical damage to cultivators.

Hence, there were the three challenges of Foundation Establishment: the Spirit Energy Challenge, the Physical Challenge, and the Divine Soul Challenge.

However, Luo Chen hadn't even broken through the Dantian's confinement.

With the dam intact, how could there be a flood?

"Is it because my Five Spirit Roots are of exceptionally low quality?"

"No, the Five Spirit Roots only slow down my cultivation speed."

"Then, could it be that my Five Spirit Roots are of exceptional quality?"

Luo Chen recalled a legend.

The Five Spirit Roots, considered the most inferior by the world, were believed to be the second-best quality in the Five Elements Divine Sect, only surpassed by the Heaven Spirit Root.

The Five Elements Divine Sect had a unique perspective, different from traditional immortal cultivation.

In their view, a cultivator's body was like a water jar.

The more spirit roots one had, the larger the jar.

Spirit energy was the water that filled the jar.

Naturally, the fewer spirit roots one had, the faster they could advance to higher realms.

Long before, Luo Chen had felt that his spirit energy was several times that of his peers.

Therefore, he strongly agreed with this theory.

As a result, he spent countless resources to forcefully fill up his own water jar.

But he never expected...

"Not only is my jar bigger than others, but it's also thicker!"

With a bitter smile, he turned his gaze inward.

Within his Dantian, the cloud of spirit energy became increasingly dense.

It was almost one-tenth more than before!

In the past, to increase his spirit energy by this much would have required at least several months of hard work.

But this time, it was accomplished in just three days.

"Perhaps, I can now truly be considered a Grand Completion Qi Condensation cultivator?"

Luo Chen took a deep breath, not discouraged.

He still had his Foundation Establishment Pill!

He still had room for error! Since his body hadn't suffered any serious injuries, he could take some time to recuperate and try again.

"I refuse to believe that adding water to a full jar won't make it overflow!"

The young man sat on the bed, his mouth set in a grimace, and his face slightly distorted.

...

...

Luo Chen's seclusion didn't have a significant impact on the Luo Tianhui Sect in the short term.

Of course, this was only for a brief period.

With the large batch of Jasper Pills that Luo Chen had prepared in advance, the sect could continue its pill business with the Great River Gang, the Nangong family, and the Li Clan.

If this situation were to persist for a long time, with Luo Chen remaining in seclusion indefinitely, it might have a huge impact.

But for now, everything was still developing in a positive direction.

Before this, Xu Ji from Luoyun Sect had arrived.

Two powerful auras erupted within the Luo Tianhui Sect.

One of them was clearly at the Foundation Establishment stage.

All the advanced Qi Condensation cultivators in the sect had sensed it.

They secretly speculated about it.

After the battle at Xiao Huan Mountain, Zhan Hall's Hall Master Wang Yuan had disappeared.

Now it seemed that he had already reached Foundation Establishment!

Not knowing the secret behind this, they naturally came to this conclusion.

As Luo Chen entered seclusion, a rumor began to circulate among the upper echelons of the Luo Tianhui Sect.

"He's attempting to break through to Foundation Establishment!"

After a busy day, Gu Caiyi came to the cave mansion behind the mountain.

Feng Xia had prepared a sumptuous meal to treat her.

The two women chatted about the current affairs of the sect as they ate.

And at the center of their conversation was none other than Luo Chen.

"Is his progress really that fast?"

Feng Xia was astonished.

Gu Caiyi nodded slightly, "It's indeed that fast; we just subconsciously overlooked it before."

She sighed, recalling Luo Chen's unusual actions in the past.

He had stayed in Slanted Moon Valley for a long time, often asking her or Duan Feng to purchase pills and medicinal ingredients.

Now it seemed that Luo Chen had been diligently cultivating all along!

Feng Xia smiled slightly, "That's true, Luo Chen has always been the most hardworking and talented among us."

Talented? Gu Caiyi pursed her lips and smiled, but Luo Chen's Five Spirit Roots talent was far from exceptional!

"I hope he succeeds!" Feng Xia said firmly.

Gu Caiyi teased, "Then you don't want your man to reach Foundation Establishment?"

That man was undoubtedly Duan Feng.

However, when his name was mentioned, Feng Xia's expression became melancholy.

Despite having avenged his grudge, Duan Feng had become even more silent and reclusive.

Nowadays, he spent most of his time in the Artifact Hall, guiding his disciples in crafting magical tools.

Seeing Feng Xia's melancholy expression, Gu Caiyi's eyebrows furrowed, "By the way, what's going on between you two? Aren't you planning to become Dao companions?"

"Even that playboy Ceng Wen has settled down and started a family, and his child is already one year old."

"You two should hurry up too!"

However, Feng Xia just smiled bitterly,

"These things can't be rushed."

"Hmm?"

"Duan Feng wants to maintain his virginity and use that pure Yang energy to break through to Foundation Establishment."

Gu Caiyi pouted, "The idea that preserving Yang energy helps in Foundation Establishment is just a rumor, it can't be taken seriously."

"But it's true that most successful Foundation Establishment cultivators are those who were chaste during Qi Condensation."

Gu Caiyi was taken aback and couldn't refute this.

In her early years at Tianxiang Tower, she had seen too many playboy Qi Condensation cultivators.

She no longer considered maintaining virginity as something significant.

But she never expected that Duan Feng would still adhere to this tradition.

"Thinking about it this way, Luo Chen might also be..."

Gu Caiyi had a hidden suspicion.

When Luo Chen was selling his unorthodox pills like the Zhumiao Pill, she never thought of him as a virgin.

Especially when Ceng Wen often addressed Luo Chen as 'Daoist Friend'.

She had long considered Luo Chen as a fellow cultivator like Ceng Wen.

But later, when Luo Chen repeatedly rejected Murong Qinglian's matchmaking proposals, it showed that his heart was set on the Dao.

Gu Caiyi had witnessed Luo Chen's journey from a wandering cultivator to the owner of the Alchemy Hall, earning over a thousand spirit stones a month.

Later, when Luo Chen established the Luo Tianhui Sect, he became the master of a region.

It was impossible for her not to have any thoughts about him.

During the quiet nights, she had wondered what it would be like if they were together.

There was no answer!

Because whenever she showed signs of intimacy, Luo Chen never took it further.

At the time, she assumed that Luo Chen didn't have such intentions.

But now it seemed that Luo Chen was truly single-minded and devoted to the Dao!

Thinking about Luo Chen's arduous journey,

Gu Caiyi smiled bitterly, "What kind of ending would be worthy of the twists and turns he's gone through?"

"Perhaps Foundation Establishment?" Feng Xia murmured, but her words had a deeper meaning.

...

"Only Foundation Establishment!"

After ten days of rest.

Luo Chen adjusted his state and sat beside the Ice and Fire Spirit Spring, which he had once again activated to the second-rank spirit land.

Even after experiencing a failure, he wouldn't give up.

He was well aware that without Foundation Establishment, everything was an illusion!

Without Foundation Establishment, he wouldn't be able to protect the foundation he had built with great difficulty.

Without Foundation Establishment, he couldn't freely display his pill refining techniques, and it would only make him a target of envy.

Without Foundation Establishment, the infighting between the two High Stage Nascent Soul Sects would eventually affect him.

"Only by reaching Foundation Establishment can one embark on the path to longevity!"

A Foundation Establishment Pill landed in his open palm.

Without hesitation, Luo Chen swallowed it.

This time, before the intense pain struck, he focused his mind.

Using the Divine Spirit Demonic Annihilation technique, he adapted to the rhythm of the pain.

As expected, the intense pain returned.

Especially on his tongue, it was even more painful than eating devilishly spicy food.

It felt like someone was piercing his body with sharp needles.

"The Yellow Court above, the Gate of Life below, the Palace of the Void behind, and the Gate of Life in front. Breathe through the skull and into the Dantian, let the pure spiritual energy of the Jade Pool nourish the Spirit Root."

"The Spirit Root is the tongue!"

"If there are no unexpected circumstances, the cultivator's Spirit Root is hidden within the body, and the tongue is the first external manifestation of it."

"Not only that, the tongue is the upper Spirit Root. The lower Spirit Root is located within the Essence Chamber."

"Enduring the pain of the tongue root, without losing the true essence of the Yuan Yang, I only need to conquer the middle Spirit Root!"

After experiencing one failure, Luo Chen did not sit idly by.

He not only analyzed the reasons for his first failure.

But also studied the Duan family's three Foundation Establishment manuals.

The insights on Spirit Roots in these manuals gave him a great deal of knowledge.

The first failure was largely due to wasting too much time on the issue of the tongue root.

As a result, he didn't have enough time to conquer the middle Spirit Root.

As for what the middle Spirit Root was.

Without a doubt, it was the Dantian!

"Using the explosive power of the Foundation Establishment Pill, break through the Dantian's restrictions and reshape a new Dantian."

"Only then can the middle Spirit Root be established as the foundation for the Great Dao!"

"This is the true essence of Foundation Establishment!"

Ordinary people's Dantians couldn't possibly withstand the demands of the path to longevity.

Hence, there was the Dantian solidification in the Advanced Qi Condensation stage.

That was the limit of the human body.

Now, to break through this limit and open up a new path!

The massive medicine power surged into the small Dantian like a flood.

Eleven spiritual energy clouds, under Luo Chen's control, rushed towards the Dantian's boundary wall along with the power of the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Once!

Twice!

...

Time passed, and the Dantian was covered in cracks like a turtle shell, about to be shattered by the immense force.

However, there was a thin membrane that stubbornly remained, dangerously wrapping around the Dantian, holding it tightly.

Even when Luo Chen fainted, he still hadn't succeeded.

When he regained consciousness, dark clouds filled his face.

He didn't pay attention to the even more powerful spiritual energy clouds compared to before.

He had found the reason for his failure in Foundation Establishment!

If the first time was due to inadequate preparation and the thick barrier of the Dantian,

Then the second time, it was because of the thin membrane that appeared after the Dantian cracked.

And he was all too familiar with this thin membrane.

"Essence Poison Barrier!"

Not just any barrier, but a barrier caused by Essence Poison!

Ordinary barriers were mostly caused by the damage inflicted on cultivators after consuming large amounts of certain pills.

Like the Jade Marrow Pill's Dantian Jade Barrier.

Luo Chen had been trying to avoid this.

He took very few low and medium-grade Jade Marrow Pills.

The ones he used later were often high-grade or even top-grade Jade Marrow Pills.

Naturally, there wouldn't be any barriers.

But the thin membrane covering his Dantian, inside and out, was an extremely rare "Essence Poison Barrier."

As the name suggests, this barrier was formed by the accumulation of Essence Poison.

It wasn't something that could be achieved overnight!

"With the qualifications of a Five Spirit Root, yet cultivating at the speed of a Heaven Spirit Root, all thanks to the continuous support of pills without rest."

"But who would've thought that at the final step, it would become the key obstacle on my path."

The pills that were supposed to aid in cultivation had, instead, become the main culprit hindering his progress.

For a moment, Luo Chen didn't know how to deal with this situation.

He only knew that if he couldn't break through this Essence Poison Barrier, he would never be able to establish his foundation.

"No wonder the great sects strictly limit the consumption of pills by talented disciples. It seems they were already aware of this issue."

The great sects certainly didn't lack resources.

At the very least, they didn't lack resources for their lower-ranked disciples.

But precisely, the number of pills that sect disciples could receive each month was strictly controlled.

Even those with exceptional talent.

Now it was clear that the far-sighted elders of the sect had already foreseen this problem.

"If I had a Toxin Transformation Method, I might be worry-free."

"But where can I find a Toxin Transformation Method in such a short time?"

Luo Chen slammed his hand on the ground, leaving a five-finger imprint on the hard mineral floor of the thatched cottage.

...

Ten days later, Luo Chen once again sat by the Ice and Fire Spirit Spring.

He was no longer in a flustered state.

Instead, he regained his composure.

In his hand was a large jade bottle containing golden Emperor Stream Paste.

Taking a deep breath, Luo Chen drank the paste.

"So what if it's an Essence Poison Barrier?"

"In the end, it's just another barrier!"

"If I can break through the Dantian barrier formed by a Five Spirit Root, why can't I break through a mere Essence Poison Barrier?"

The Emperor Stream Paste flowed down his throat, turning into a warm liquid that instantly spread through his stomach.

Streams of medicine power, like small creeks, converged and flowed towards the Dantian.

Compared to the violent power of the Foundation Establishment Pill,

The Emperor Stream Paste was much gentler.

It even made Luo Chen feel warm and cozy, almost lulling him to sleep.

There was no pain!

He even felt like sleeping.

Luo Chen subconsciously activated the Divine Spirit Demonic Annihilation, and the slight pain from the stimulated acupoints woke him up.

"A completely different Foundation Establishment method?"

With a thought, he directed the more massive spiritual energy clouds in his body to absorb the medicine power.

Creeks converged to form a vast ocean.

The raging waves crashed against the shore!

The faintly shattered Dantian barrier, under the continuous bombardment, gradually disintegrated.

Finally, facing the Essence Poison Barrier head-on!

This time, Luo Chen deliberately controlled the flow of spiritual power, not with brute force, but with the intention of dripping water wearing through stone, slowly eroding the barrier.

Time passed, day by day!

The effect of one bottle of Emperor Stream Paste was gradually weakening.

"How can I give up halfway in dripping water through stone?"

Without resting as before, Luo Chen drank another bottle of Emperor Stream Paste.

The thick Essence Poison Barrier, under his persistent grinding, grew weaker.

The first bottle, the second bottle.

His spiritual power became even more powerful, surpassing those at the Grand Completion stage and almost matching those at the first level of Foundation Establishment.

But still, he couldn't make any progress.

Even with the massive accumulation of spiritual power in the Dantian, there was a faint feeling of an impending explosion.

Luo Chen forced himself to endure this strange, misplaced sensation.

He understood the principle of striking while the iron is hot, and not letting the opportunity slip away.

If he missed this chance, the Dantian would heal and merge with the Essence Poison Barrier, making future attempts at Foundation Establishment even more challenging.

As the third bottle entered his stomach, a profound and mysterious sensation suddenly surfaced in Luo Chen's mind.

"Success or failure, it all comes down to this moment!"

He vaguely realized that he needed to mobilize the massive cloud-like accumulation of energy within his body to break through the barrier of the poison pill.

This time...

He succeeded!

"Crack!"

The moment the poison pill's barrier shattered, a crisp sound echoed throughout his dantian, audible only to Luo Chen.

At that very instant, the spiritual energy clouds in the sky seemed to be stimulated, abruptly gathering together.

"Drip!"

A drop of extremely pure spiritual liquid fell from the cloud.

Then, a light drizzle of spiritual energy began to fall.

Seizing the opportunity, Luo Chen directed a massive amount of spiritual energy rain, using the Changchun Technique, to reconstruct his dantian! Using the original pill chamber as a foundation and the newly formed spiritual liquid as the material.

The surging Imperial Essence, infused with a hint of gold, merged into the process.

Time passed, and he didn't know how long it had been.

When he looked within, he saw an enormous dantian, or perhaps it should be called a 'Qi Sea'.

The dantian transformed into a sea, containing a hundred rivers, forging the foundation of the Great Dao!

Luo Chen's lips curled slightly.

"Success!"

He murmured to himself, then collapsed, exhausted.

As he lay unconscious, a sharp and intense spiritual energy fluctuation slowly spread from his body.

When he reached the entrance of the Green Thatch House, he was stopped again.

No one cheered for his success.

It was as if no one knew the hardships and difficulties he had endured on his path to Foundation Establishment.

...

...

"Has Luo Chen come out of seclusion yet?"

"I'm sorry, Senior Nangong. Our Sect Leader is still in closed-door cultivation."

In the Universe Hall.

Sima Huiwang sat across from Nangong Jin with caution.

She dared not sit in a higher position.

After all, the other party was a true Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Nangong Jin's brows furrowed, and he shook his head slowly, "This won't do!"

Seeing his reaction, Sima Huiwang could only smile bitterly.

Who would have thought that Luo Chen's closed-door cultivation would last for a whole year!

This was the first time such a thing had happened since the establishment of the Luo Tianhui.

A whole year had passed, and the Sect Leader had not shown his face once.

Initially, the consequences were manageable, but later, it gradually led to instability within the sect.

If it were just this, Sima Huiwang still had ways to adjust and control the situation.

However, the pills Luo Chen refined were the key to maintaining the fragile balance among several forces.

One year was enough to change too many things.

Firstly, the supply of high-grade Jasper Pills to the Nangong family had been cut off! Secondly, the collaboration with the Great River Gang had been temporarily suspended.

Lastly, the high salaries of the sect's cultivators had made it difficult to sustain the entire force.

Even with the Medicine Hall and the Magical Treasure Hall striving to generate profits, they were now overwhelmed.

Nangong Jin had personally come because of the pill issue.

Others could afford to ignore the pills, but he couldn't.

Without a continuous supply of high-grade Jasper Pills, how could he quickly restore the strength of his family's cultivators?

Qi Nourishing Pills? Don't joke! The Medicine King Sect has always been ruthless and greedy, selling a bottle for a hundred spirit stones.

Recently, news from the inner realm spread that the Luoyun Sect and the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect were at war, vying for control of the Jade Cauldron. The Medicine King Sect took advantage of the situation to inflate prices.

Qi Nourishing Pills were now selling for one hundred and twenty spirit stones per bottle.

Where could they find such a good deal as the Luo Tianhui's eighty spirit stones per bottle?

Therefore, even the Great River Gang couldn't hold back, and he had come personally.

Looking at Sima Huiwang's evasive and delaying tactics, Nangong Jin spoke up.

"After such a long seclusion, is he trying to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage?"

Suddenly, these words escaped Nangong Jin's mouth.

Sima Huiwang's face changed, as the rumors about Luo Chen's Foundation Establishment were only known to the higher-ups of the Luo Tianhui.

How did Nangong Jin find out? Sensing Sima Huiwang's change in expression, Nangong Jin quickly confirmed his guess.

"Three years ago, Luo Chen had approached us to discuss matters related to Foundation Establishment pills."

"It seems he was indeed working on this!"

Muttering to himself, he stood up and walked outside.

Sima Huiwang's face paled, and she quickly followed.

"Senior, what are you planning to do?"

Nangong Jin raised his head, gazing at the peak of the mountain.

With a smile, he said, "Of course, I won't do anything. I just wanted to tell you that breaking through to Foundation Establishment is dangerous. If your Sect Leader dies silently during the process, it's been so long, his remains might have already turned cold."

"So, I don't mind taking a look for you. Rest assured, I won't disturb him..."

His words were rudely interrupted.

"I advise you to stay here and be a good guest."

A cold voice echoed from a distance.

The next moment, a figure appeared, dragging a long, bright red chain, step by step, from the foot of the mountain.

As he advanced, his aura grew stronger.

Soon, it reached the level of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Nangong Jin's face changed slightly.

Wang Yuan!

How could he have reached Foundation Establishment?

But soon, he sensed something amiss.

"Fake Foundation Establishment?"

Wang Yuan's steps halted, keeping a distance of a hundred zhang between them.

"Fake Foundation Establishment is good enough.

Nangong Jin took a deep breath. A hundred zhang was Wang Yuan's battlefield.

Although his cultivation realm was only at the peak of the Qi Condensation Stage, he was a genuine second-level Body Refinement cultivator.

The occasional hints of Foundation Establishment aura indicated that he had another explosive method.

If a conflict arose, even with a defensive magical treasure, Nangong Jin feared he wouldn't gain the upper hand in a short time.

If it escalated, the Luo Tianhui might gang up on him...

He didn't want to repeat Duan Qiankun's mistake.

He laughed, "Friend Wang, you misunderstand. I was just..."

Just as he tried to smooth things over, a powerful aura erupted from the peak of Xiao Huan Mountain.

A loud roar pierced the clouds! A figure stood amidst the clouds.

His wide sleeves flapped in the wind.

With a light voice, he proclaimed:

A destitute youth wanders between rivers, enduring the dust and wind, enduring countless hardships.

The pursuit of immortality is laughable, exhausting all efforts for what purpose?

One day, enlightenment strikes, and the foundation of cultivation is laid, allowing the will to flow through a thousand mountains and valleys.

Suddenly, a black sun appears in the sky, and I ascend to the blue clouds, overlooking the eastern wasteland.

His tone was passionate, expressing the joy of springtime.

The figure lowered his head, his gaze like lightning, scanning the pavilions below.

"Friend Nangong, why not come up for a chat?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end