Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

Chapter 101: Chapter 99: Foundation Establishment

Leaving the Medicinal Garden, Ji An rode the grey-feathered sand geese towards the mountain top.

Next month marks the Midsummer Month; the day to distribute Foundation Establishment Pills is approaching. He learned that the Sect’s Medicinal Garden is preparing various herbs for refining the Foundation Establishment Pills.

Once the herbs are ready, the Alchemists will start the furnace to refine the Foundation Establishment Pills.

The Foundation Establishment Pill Ji An exchanged for will not be available for another five years, but his master is one of the renowned Alchemists of the Sect. He is unsure whether she has been assigned the task of refining the Foundation Establishment Pills.

If his master receives the task, with her craftsmanship, she will undoubtedly produce Foundation Establishment Pills exceeding the Sect’s required quantity, and he plans to exchange his pill for one of this year’s pills.

If his master has not received such a task, she can still help inquire if there is an opportunity to get a Foundation Establishment Pill.

The earlier he establishes his foundation, the sooner he can enjoy the treatment of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Having his own Grotto Mansion and the freedom to manage twenty acres of Spirit Field would be extremely enticing.

Ji An landed at the entrance of the Grotto Mansion, thinking of asking the maid if his master was available today; the Dharma Prohibition of the Grotto Mansion automatically opened, revealing its entrance.

He stepped into the Grotto Mansion and saw his master seated, enjoying tea.

“Greetings, Master,” he bowed courteously and smiled, sharing his plans.

Success is determined by fate, but plans are made by man. Perhaps he could acquire the Foundation Establishment Pill earlier and achieve Foundation Establishment successfully, saving several years.

Ge Ying did not immediately respond to his request. She set down her teacup and asked:

“Exercising your Divine Sense and developing the branches of your Immortal Vein are time-consuming tasks. Have you completed them?”

This disciple was previously very attentive to the time required for nurturing the Immortal Vein and improving aptitude. In recent years, he hadn’t sought her advice on this matter, which surprised her.

“Yes, all completed.

Per the Sect’s Meridian Opening Secret Method, all branches that can be developed during the Qi Refining Stage have been opened by me.

Regarding the enhancement of Divine Sense, I have been diligent in practice, coupled with my naturally stronger Divine Sense than others. So as long as I can obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill, I will undoubtedly achieve Foundation Establishment.”

Ji An said with utmost confidence, having made all necessary preparations; Foundation Establishment should be a natural progression.

“Since two years ago, I’ve observed your Qi Mechanism becoming increasingly harmonious. Observing now, it is entirely unified, indeed a suitable time for Foundation Establishment.

A few years ago, three main ingredients for Foundation Establishment Pills matured in my Medicinal Garden, and I refined a batch. Take this High-quality Foundation Establishment Pill and use it.”

Ge Ying nodded silently. Compared to Li Lingyu’s hesitation, Ji An displayed full confidence, which was excellent.

Foundation Establishment is merely a small threshold in Cultivation and not very difficult.

She took out the prepared pill and repeated the words she had once said to Li Lingyu, smiled, and said:

“Luo Ying, as a Sword Cultivator, will require numerous High-tier Spiritual Objects for refining Flying Swords in the future. However, Sword Cultivators are not good at managing resources, making it challenging to accumulate enough to purchase Spiritual Objects, and they must seek them independently.

You excel at planting and Talisman Making, providing stable income. In the future, within your capacity, do assist her on behalf of your master’s face.”

Even though she can leave some belongings for this cherished junior, they would not last long without accumulating more.

Ji An immediately stood up and said:

“I will assist with anything I can, ensuring Luo Ying won’t face difficulties.”

He agreed readily, thinking his master was truly considerate, planning extensively for this junior.

Ge Ying was pleased with his attitude and gently asked:

“When do you plan to establish your foundation?”

“No better time than tonight.

Master, is there any special technique or matters to be mindful of during Foundation Establishment?”

“Foundation Establishment marks the true beginning of the Immortal Path, requiring a heart-wrenching transformation, and the process isn’t pleasant.

But by firmly maintaining your mind and not fearing the pain, you will ultimately break through like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.”

Ge Ying had reviewed Ji An’s detailed records. During the Sect’s Illusion Heart Array assessment, he was the first among Daoist School disciples to awaken.

This shows a stable mindset and strong will, with a determined heart in seeking the Dao.

Ji An stored the Foundation Establishment Pill and stood up to take his leave:

“I’ll come back tomorrow after successfully establishing my foundation to seek your advice again.”

“Go ahead, I await your good news.”

…

Returning to the bamboo tower at the foot of the mountain, Ji An tossed a Spirit Feeding Pill to the sand geese and sent the Spirit-Seeking Rat from the room outside, deciding that these two beasts would spend the night outside.

With the Dharma Prohibition closed, he took out the Foundation Establishment Pill, immediately catching a faint fragrance that invigorated him.

The pill looked lustrous and smooth; its surface featured three pill patterns resembling coiled dragons.

A Genuine Grade Foundation Establishment Pill can increase a Cultivator’s Foundation Establishment success rate by twenty percent, whereas a High-quality Pill can elevate it by thirty percent.

Ji An bathed and changed into clean clothes, lit a furnace of incense, and placed the Foundation Establishment Pill, Qingxu Water, Hundred Flowers Spirit Liquid, and other necessary items within reach.

He sat cross-legged on the pudun, calming the spirit and quietening the mind, adjusting the state of his essence, qi, and spirit.

The Golden Crow sank in the west, and the Jade Rabbit began to rise. Moonlight streamed through the window lattice, casting a silver light in the bamboo building.

Ji An opened his eyes, his gaze glittering as bright as stars.

Feeling that both his body and mind were in their best state, he did not hesitate any longer and began to operate the Foundation Establishment Method in the Qingyuan Scripture.

Spiritual qi entered his body through his nostrils, circulating through the Immortal Vein, ultimately refining into magical power, which, like wave after wave of the ocean tide, converged into the dantian.

As magical power continued to surge, the magic power vortex quickly formed and accelerated from slow to fast rotation.

Due to the rapid extraction of surrounding nature’s spiritual energy, spiritual qi from other places converged towards the bamboo building, forming a spiritual energy vortex.

The Foundation Establishment Method could rapidly extract nature’s spiritual energy, but the large influx of spiritual qi in a short period was a huge test for the physical body, which is the origin of the physical body barrier in the three Foundation Establishment Gates.

When spiritual qi poured into his body, the pressure the Immortal Vein endured was much greater than during normal cultivation. The Immortal Vein had to be resilient enough to withstand the continuous influx of spiritual qi.

The physical body needed to withstand the repeated washing of spiritual qi. If the cultivator’s body had suffered severe injuries that damaged the foundation, the influx of spiritual qi would amplify this flaw.

Additionally, if the cultivator’s qi and blood declined, it would be very difficult to endure the influx of spiritual qi for a long time, which is also the reason older cultivators find it difficult to establish a foundation.

The second Foundation Establishment Gate is the Magical Power Barrier.

When a cultivator establishes a foundation, they need to transform the magical power in the dantian from a gaseous to a liquid state. The purer the cultivator’s magical power, the less resistance they encounter in transforming gas into liquid.

Excessive consumption of pills to enhance cultivation, and consumption of tier-breaking elixirs, would all reduce the power of magical capabilities, with the harm from consuming tier-breaking elixirs being the greatest.

Ji An had not consumed any tier-breaking elixirs. Although he had taken quite a few pills to enhance cultivation, he usually paid attention to dissolving pill poison, so his magical power was not mixed.

Later, he spent two years purifying his magical power. Although not top-tier, the purity was high-quality.

The third Foundation Establishment Gate is the Spiritual Sense Barrier.

Strong divine sense allows for more precise control of magical power, directing and accelerating the refinement of nature’s spiritual energy, making it easier to transform magical power from gas to liquid.

The speed of the vortex in Ji An’s dantian was getting faster and faster, and the gaseous magical power mist was becoming denser, yet there were no signs of liquid transformation.

This was due to the limitation of aptitude. With low aptitude, the efficiency of refining magical power was slow, making it hard to achieve the minimum concentration standard for liquefaction.

At this time, consuming a Foundation Establishment Pill was necessary.

The Meridian Opening Pill and Foundation Establishment Pill are the greatest inventions in the Cultivation Realm. The Meridian Opening Pill allows humans to introduce spiritual qi into their bodies earlier, nourishing the Immortal Vein and physical body, thus having more time to break through to foundation establishment.

The Foundation Establishment Pill can protect the Immortal Vein and dantian, reducing the pressure of the spiritual qi inflow on the physical body; it also increases the efficiency for low-aptitude immortal cultivators to absorb spiritual qi and convert it into magical power.

Ji An consumed the Foundation Establishment Pill, and like a giant whale swallowing water, more spiritual qi surged into his body, causing the spiritual energy vortex above the bamboo building to suddenly double in size.

In the dantian, the Stone Turtle happily rose and sank, swallowing half of the magical power that flowed into the dantian, causing the magical power mist to become denser, yet still showing no sign of liquid transformation.

Ji An had anticipated this scene long ago. He consumed a few drops of Hundred Flowers Spirit Liquid, and the magical power surging into his dantian significantly increased.

Even though half was swallowed by the Stone Turtle, the magical power mist continued to grow denser.

Thus, every once in a while, he swallowed a few drops of Hundred Flowers Spirit Liquid, and gradually, signs of liquid transformation appeared in the magical power.

However, as the duration of spiritual qi flooding into his body increased, he gradually began to feel a faint pain emerging in his Immortal Vein.

This pain quickly expanded, the circulation of spiritual qi within the Immortal Vein actually generated a burning sensation, with threads of cool qi flowing out from the Yongquan Acupoint and gentle qi from the Jade Spring Acupoint, slightly reducing the burning sensation, though hardly improving his situation.

Pain swiftly spread throughout his body, and Ji An felt as if blades were slicing through his muscles, the tearing pain causing his body to tremble slightly, as beads of sweat began to trickle down his forehead and back.

When enduring pain, time seemed to slow down.

Ji An felt every second was a torture, as the spiritual qi he inhaled seemed like embers, scorching his Immortal Vein and internal organs.

Fortunately, he had mentally prepared in advance. Although every cell in his body screamed in agonizing wails, he endured manifold pains and continued to maintain the operation of the Foundation Establishment Method.

The greatest fear in life is enduring meaningless suffering. If this moment’s pain could add bricks to the path of eternal life, then the pain was bearable.

Ji An felt his body gradually grow numb, but his spirit became more invigorated amidst the honing of pain.

Unknowingly, two bottles of Hundred Flowers Spirit Liquid had been exhausted. He picked up the bottle containing Qingxu Water and swallowed a few drops.

The scope of the spiritual energy vortex above the bamboo building expanded a little more, and the rotation speed of the magic power vortex in his dantian increased slightly.

After a drop of gleaming jade liquid was generated and fell, the most difficult step was finally crossed.

All matters have two difficult passes: from zero to one, from quantitative to qualitative change.

With the formation of the first drop of jade liquid, threads of filthy blood oozed from Ji An’s pores, the result of accumulated blood toxins from postnatal turbid qi in his body.

Ji An directly sipped a little Qingxu Water, holding it in his mouth, swallowing a little when the concentration of the magical power mist in the dantian began to decrease.

The second drop of jade liquid formed, the third drop, and gradually, the speed of jade liquid formation increased.

Ji An regained a sense of his body, and the pain gradually lessened.

Finally, the spiritual qi flowing in the Immortal Vein was directly refined into magic liquid by the spell, and the room was suddenly filled with the spiritual pressure of the Foundation Establishment Stage.

The spiritual energy vortex consolidating above the bamboo building emitted spirit light and then slowly dissipated.

Ji An opened his eyes, seeing the sunlight slanting on the wall. The night had passed.