Cultivation is just so scientific!

Chapter 258: Chapter 175: Foundation Establishment_2

The “Five Elements Qi Absorption Array” was activated, and the array spirit objects created from five second-grade Five Elements Array materials emitted five different glows.

Gold, green, blue, red, and yellow, these five colors respectively represented the attributes of the five second-grade Five Elements Array spirit objects.

Li Shiming’s true form sat at the center of the “Five Elements Qi Absorption Array,” where the most core element wasn’t the five array spirit objects, but himself.

As his true form began to practice the “Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique,” the five kinds of light passed through his body and the Spiritual Energy Vortex simultaneously.

He felt his Spiritual Energy Vortex become one with the “Five Elements Qi Absorption Array,” and he could almost sense the entire residence’s formation operating in unison with him.

Under the spinning of his Spiritual Energy Vortex, the Five Elements Power from the residence’s formation was gathered atop the five second-grade Five Elements spiritual objects, connecting to his Spiritual Energy Vortex through these five nodes.

Originally, the spiritual power within his Spiritual Energy Vortex was of a single attribute, the Gold Attribute, but now, with the operation of the “Five Elements Qi Absorption Array,” part of the Gold Attribute was transformed into the Wood Attribute.

A portion of the Wood Attribute Spiritual Power then changed into the Water Attribute, and when the Water Attribute Spiritual Power reached a certain amount, a part of it transformed into the Fire Attribute, followed by the Earth Attribute.

Finally, Earth Attribute turned back into Gold Attribute, forming a closed loop, and the Five Elements were completed within his Spiritual Energy Vortex for the first time.

Li Shiming was astonished to discover that with each conversion of spiritual power’s attribute, it became even more pure.

And during this transformation process, a “Five Elements Qi Absorption Array” was also forming inside his body.

He wasn’t particularly worried because, in his view, the “Five Elements Qi Absorption Array” in his Spiritual Energy Vortex was merely the result of the external influence of the five array spirit objects and the Wei family’s residence formation working together.

He believed that once he halted the external “Five Elements Qi Absorption Array,” the one within his Spiritual Energy Vortex would disappear.

Experiencing a formation inside his body was a novel sensation.

He deliberately adjusted the position of the internal “Five Elements Qi Absorption Array” to better align it with the flow of spiritual energy within him.

Not knowing how much time had passed, Li Shiming felt extremely hungry. He sent a sliver of consciousness to his avatar, which provided his true form with spirit food and spirit water to relieve the hunger.

After taking care of this, he regained his full focus on the task at hand, knowing that such a crucial moment was not the time to let his concentration waver.

Time lost its significance at that moment, and he couldn’t sense it slipping by.

In any case, whenever he felt hunger, he would send out a thread of consciousness to allow his avatar to replenish food for both his true form and the avatar.

There was abundant spiritual power within him. The internal “Five Elements Qi Absorption Array” combined with the external one to steadily transform the spiritual power in his Spiritual Energy Vortex, slowly but continuously doing so.

Sitting at the exit of a top-grade spirit vein, spiritual energy incessantly entered his body, which the “Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique” then converted into spiritual power.

For some reason, under the synergy of “Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique” and the “Five Elements Qi Absorption Array,” the “Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique” never stopped.

Outside forces had long given up on ideas regarding the Wei family’s residence, a stronghold as impenetrable as a turtle shell with no cultivators emerging. They had rebuilt the market elsewhere, thus fulfilling their original plan.

Among all the powers, the Wei family no longer posed a threat; based on their assessment, only an early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator might have remained within the Wei family.

Such strength held no competitiveness against the other forces, who had even abandoned the task of keeping watch outside the residence.

Three more months went by, and the once lively valley now lay overgrown with weeds and bushes, concealed so completely that even without a formation, ordinary people wouldn’t find the entrance to the valley.

The area which once housed the market within the valley was likewise covered in towering weeds, with only a few charred ruins left as testimony to its past.

In the dwelling of the residence, Li Shiming was approaching the most crucial moment; the spiritual power within him had been refined to its utmost degree.

Within the Spiritual Energy Vortex, the ‘Five Elements Qi Absorption Array’—formed by five glowing points of gold, green, blue, red, and yellow—had long since stopped requiring his control. As long as Spiritual Power entered the Spiritual Energy Vortex, it would automatically be added to the transformation cycle.

Ultimately, the Spiritual Power within his body would be evenly divided into five attributes, each attribute automatically refined into extremely pure Spiritual Power.

As for the space within the Spiritual Energy Vortex, which was compressed during the transformation process, it was filled up again by the consecutive and unending cultivation of the ‘Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique,’ absorbing and transforming Spiritual Power.

He had once again reached the Peak of Qi Refining Ninth Layer, except this time it was a pinnacle of Qi Refinement where the Spiritual Power was condensed to the extreme.

His consciousness returned, and he pondered whether to initiate a breakthrough.

To breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, the first step would be to stop the ‘Five Elements Qi Absorption Array.’ With a flicker of Spiritual Thought, he attempted to halt the external ‘Five Elements Qi Absorption Array.’

However, to his shock, he found that at some point, the external ‘Five Elements Qi Absorption Array’ had already vanished. The five Second-Grade Five Elements Spiritual Items were left as mere shells, their pure Five Elements Energy completely depleted.

“What’s going on?” Since the external ‘Five Elements Qi Absorption Array’ had stopped, why was the one inside his body still operating?

IBMz15 didn’t provide an answer; evidently, this outcome had exceeded IBMz15’s analytic capabilities.

He discovered that although the external ‘Five Elements Qi Absorption Array’ had become a shell, the Wei family’s residence array continued to gather the Five Elements Power towards this location, only now it was directly entering the ‘Five Elements Qi Absorption Array’ within his body.

The ‘Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique’ was still operative, pulling Spiritual Energy into his body. It was no longer selective about the energies as before, but instead absorbed all attributes of Spiritual Energy.

No matter what type of Spiritual Energy entered his body, once it passed through the ‘Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique’ and was transformed into attributed Spiritual Power and delivered into the Spiritual Energy Vortex, it would join the cycle of the ‘Five Elements Qi Absorption Array,’ turning into pure Five Elements Spiritual Power.

This process was beyond Li Shiming’s control to stop—not that he didn’t want to, but now it was the ‘Five Elements Qi Absorption Array’ that was driving the ‘Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique.’

The Spiritual Energy Vortex within him had long since reached its maximum capacity. Every time he funneled Spiritual Power into the Vortex, he thought his Spiritual Energy Vortex would burst.

When he was at a loss, the Spiritual Energy Vortex inside him had exploded, and in tandem, each node of the entire Wei family’s residence formation dimmed.

If, at this moment, any cultivator were to attack the Wei family’s residence Defensive Array, even an early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator could break through it with a single strike.

Three months of continuous extraction of the Five Elements Power had long since caused an imbalance in the various energies within this formation.

Li Shiming only felt as if he was immersed in warm water, with even his soul enjoying this warm sensation.

A wondrous energy emanated from the site of the Spiritual Energy Vortex, nourishing every part of his body and his soul, strengthening both.

And inside his body, where there was once the Spiritual Energy Vortex, a lake of Spiritual Power formed. In the center of this lake was a luminous liquid Spiritual Power.

Around the lake of Spiritual Power, five glowing points were still maintaining the operation of the ‘Five Elements Qi Absorption Array.’

Li Shiming awoke from his enjoyment, sensing the changes within him, and a look of indescribable color appeared on his face.

“Just like that?” he muttered to himself.

He had prepared seven Foundation Establishment Pills and had harbored immense worry all along. He had often thought about how difficult Foundation Establishment would be, never imagining that without even using a single Foundation Establishment Pill, he had truly broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Yes, he had become a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, with the liquid Spiritual Power within his body serving as proof. Moreover, his soul had been transformed, naturally emitting Spiritual Thought.

Of course, his ability to wield Spiritual Thought during the Qi Refinement Realm had significantly enhanced its efficacy.

Advancing to Foundation Establishment without using Foundation Establishment Pills was a privilege only Heavenly Spirit Root possessors had, yet even with a Heavenly Spirit Root, there was no guarantee of completing Foundation Establishment without a Foundation Establishment Pill.

This was also why cultivators with a Heavenly Spirit Root still carried a Foundation Establishment Pill with them during Foundation Establishment.