Immortal Refiner

Lingyun Sect, Stream Cloud Pavilion—the area where Qi Refining Realm disciples resided.

A surge of energy steadily climbed, reaching its peak before finally settling.

Then, a clear, resonant long howl pierced the night.

”He really succeeded in Foundation Establishment with a Four Spirit Root! How is this possible?!”

”Truly a miracle! He’s leaped over the Dragon Gate in a single bound, his Dao path now infinitely broad!”

”Four Spirit Root? Four Spirit Root? This is the greatest joke under heaven.”

Many disciples who had come to watch the spectacle felt dizzy and disoriented, unable to comprehend that the cultivator who had just succeeded in Foundation Establishment in the courtyard ahead was merely a Four Spirit Root cultivator.

But many others quickly recovered their senses and rushed forward to offer their congratulations, their voices filled with utmost respect.

”Congratulations, Elder Li, on your successful Foundation Establishment!”

”What a joyous occasion! Lingyun Sect has gained another Foundation Establishment Elder!”

”...”

As the chorus of congratulations grew louder, more and more people gathered before Li Qing’s courtyard.

”Hahaha! Thank you, thank you all! We are all sect-mates, so let’s look out for each other in the future.”

In the courtyard, a tall figure emerged with a triumphant expression.

Li Qing, in excellent spirits, didn’t put on airs. He returned greetings to the Qi Refining Realm disciples standing not far from his courtyard, neither arrogant nor humble, his demeanor natural and easygoing.

Among the crowd were some who had once mocked Li Qing, but it didn’t matter. None of it mattered anymore.

With his successful Foundation Establishment, all those petty slights had become fleeting clouds. Li Qing wouldn’t waste a moment dwelling on such trifles.

From now on, he would be an Elder of the Lingyun Sect, while these people would remain mere disciples. In status and cultivation, he had completely surpassed them.

News of Li Qing’s Foundation Establishment success quickly spread throughout the sect, causing quite a stir.

”What?! Really? That Four Spirit Root cultivator actually succeeded in Foundation Establishment?”

”Unbelievable! With such a mixed Spiritual Root, he still managed to achieve Foundation Establishment. You’d be hard-pressed to find another case like this in the entire Immortal Cultivation world.”

”The Immortal Path is truly unpredictable. So many promising immortal seeds failed during the day, yet tonight, a cultivator with such poor aptitude, who entered the sect with an Ascension Token, actually succeeded.”

”Heh heh heh, this must be fate,” Li Qing chuckled.

”...”

Meanwhile, Zheng Donghe’s face was ashen. He had failed to obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill from Li Qing.

Upon learning of Li Qing’s successful Foundation Establishment, Zheng Donghe felt as if he had swallowed a fly. He found the reality utterly unacceptable.

The thought of having to address Li Qing as Elder Li from now on filled him with such humiliation that he wanted to die!

Bang!

”This good fortune, this mere Four Spirit Root, should have been mine!”

In the Cloudsoaring Hall, Sect Leader Xu Yun emerged slowly, stroking his beard and nodding with satisfaction.

”Hmm, this outcome is not bad at all. It can serve as a good example to inspire the disciples whose spirits were crushed by their failures earlier today.”

”A Four Spirit Root achieving Foundation Establishment is indeed rare,” he mused.

As the Sect Leader of the Lingyun Sect, Xu Yun possessed vast knowledge and experience. He had seen not only Four Spirit Roots achieve Foundation Establishment but even Pseudo Spiritual Roots like Five Spirit Roots succeed.

In the world of cultivation, extraordinary individuals were never in short supply.

The news of Li Qing’s successful Foundation Establishment didn’t shock Sect Leader Xu Yun. He was merely slightly surprised.

What truly mattered to Sect Leader Xu Yun was another aspect: Li Qing’s success with a Four Spirit Root could be used as an exemplary model to inspire the disciples.

Earlier that day, five immortal seeds had failed to achieve Foundation Establishment after taking the Foundation Establishment Pill, leaving many disciples feeling defeated and disheartened. Now, this could help restore their morale.

If a Four Spirit Root could succeed, what right did they have to feel discouraged and defeated?!

Of course, he would also emphasize the importance of the Foundation Establishment Pill provided by the sect. This would encourage all disciples to contribute more actively to the sect and accumulate contribution points.

Li Qing remained oblivious to all this, his mind still consumed by the joy of his successful Foundation Establishment.

After sending off the disciples who had come to offer their congratulations, Li Qing exhaled deeply and turned his gaze to Wu Chong, who was diligently devouring his meal. He couldn’t help but chuckle and say,

”Your Gluttonous Divine Art is truly extraordinary. To cultivate simply by eating... I can only imagine how many people would envy you.”

Wu Chong replied vaguely, ”What’s that? There are countless miraculous cultivation manuals in the world. My Master once told me about someone who could steadily improve their mana just by sleeping and dreaming every day.”

Li Qing shook his head, thinking that such extraordinary cultivation manuals likely had specific requirements for individual aptitude, making them unsuitable for everyone.

Take Fatty Wu, for example. He’d overheard snippets of information recently. It turned out this guy carried a trace of extremely faint gluttonous true blood, passed down through generations of his ancestors. It had finally awakened and manifested in his generation.

This was precisely why he was taken as the sole disciple of Ancestor Devourer of Heaven, inheriting the legacy of the Core Formation Ancestor.

”Let’s not dwell on that,” Li Qing said sincerely. ”I owe you a debt of gratitude that I’ll never forget.”

Wu Chong waved it off, not particularly concerned about such matters.

”Why make such a fuss between us? You, on the other hand, should report to Senior Brother Sect Leader as soon as possible now that you’ve reached the Foundation Establishment Realm.”

”Alright, I won’t disturb you any longer. You’ve just achieved Foundation Establishment. You should focus on adapting to and consolidating your cultivation.”

With that, Fatty Wu, still gnawing on a lamb leg, left Li Qing’s courtyard.

”Phew! I really need to report this as soon as possible. I vaguely recall there being quite a few perks for becoming an Elder.”

”First, I’ll get my own cave abode to live in, where I can enjoy even more concentrated spiritual energy!”

”Then there’s the matter of cultivation manuals. The basic Five Elements manual, the Fire Origin Art, is no longer keeping up with my progress. I need to find something new!”

For cultivators, cultivation manuals are absolutely paramount. They form the foundation of one’s cultivation and serve as the basis for daily mana recovery.

Now that he had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, the mana he had cultivated through the Fire Origin Art was no longer suitable for his current stage.

Moreover, if he didn’t obtain a new manual soon, his spiritual energy would become like a rootless duckweed—once depleted, it would be difficult to replenish.

Li Qing didn’t expect to acquire a manual as powerful as Fatty Wu’s Gluttonous Divine Art, but he still needed to give this matter serious consideration.

”Some cultivation manuals contain powerful divine abilities. If you cultivate them successfully, your combat strength can far surpass others at the same cultivation level.”

”However, the downside of these manuals is their slow progress. For someone with average talent like me, I’ll probably only reach the Mid-Foundation Establishment Stage in my lifetime. Advancement will be extremely difficult.”

”Other cultivation manuals are more moderate and balanced, cultivating gentle spiritual energy. While they lack overwhelming power, they excel in simplicity, allowing for faster cultivation progress.”

Li Qing murmured to himself, contemplating his future choice of cultivation manual.

On one hand, there was a significant boost in combat strength; on the other, the pursuit of the Dao.

This dilemma left him deeply conflicted. Both types of manuals had their merits. With formidable combat strength, he could sweep through opponents at his level and even challenge those above him.

And the latter option, of course, was even more crucial in the world of cultivation. In the realm of immortals, a higher cultivation level was ultimately the foundation of everything.

Of course, it wasn’t as if there weren’t manuals that could offer both advantages.

For example, Fatty Wu’s Gluttonous Divine Art required only eating to cultivate. The process was incredibly simple, yet its combat strength was undeniably impressive. Anything linked to the gluttonous beast couldn’t be underestimated.

The gluttonous beast is a True Spirit-level existence. Each one could easily destroy the heavens and earth. Even descendants with only a trace of gluttonous true blood are extraordinary.

However, the cultivation conditions for such manuals are extremely strict, and not everyone can cultivate them.

”Well, let’s take it one step at a time. First, I’ll see if the sect has any suitable fire attribute cultivation manuals I can switch to.”

”Then there’s the World of Eternal Night. Now that I’ve reached Foundation Establishment, I can finally explore Tianliang Mountain.”

”If I can find some suitable manuals among the Ancient Paper Stacks in Tianliang Mountain, that would be a good option.”

Li Qing thought to himself, then slowly sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes again, carefully experiencing the changes brought by the Foundation Establishment Realm.

The most immediate change was his lifespan. Upon successfully reaching Foundation Establishment, his lifespan increased by 162 years!

The string of numbers representing his lifespan had settled at 469.

This meant he had 469 years remaining—longer than many True Lords in the Core Formation Realm!

”I cultivate a fire attribute cultivation manual. If I were to cultivate a wood attribute cultivation manual, my lifespan might have increased even further.”

Li Qing smiled contentedly. For the foreseeable future, he wouldn’t have to worry about his Great Limit approaching—the greatest benefit for any immortal cultivator.

With over four hundred years of lifespan, he could cultivate at a snail’s pace and still reach the Late Foundation Establishment Realm, or even attempt Core Formation, with absolute certainty.

Next, he focused on his divine sense. Li Qing’s brow furrowed slightly as divine sense power surged forth, encompassing the courtyard and even distant scenery, all imprinted vividly in his mind.

His divine soul now rivaled that of a Mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, perhaps even surpassing it. This was the advantage of a solid foundation—once accumulated, it could unleash power far beyond that of cultivators at the same level.

His physical body remained at the Second-Tier level, requiring a Second-Tier body refinement secret technique to advance.

As for his mana, it was unremarkable. The incomplete Vital Essence Enhancement Secret Art had provided a significant mana boost during the Qi Refining Realm, but at the Foundation Establishment stage, the extra mana it offered was negligible.

Finally, the divine ability Li Qing anticipated most.

He opened his eyes, flicked his fingertip, and a wisp of blood-red flame erupted from his fingertip.

That’s right, this is an innate divine ability possessed by all Foundation Establishment cultivators: Innate True Fire!

Even this tiny wisp of crimson flame radiated an unimaginable, terrifying heat, easily capable of melting gold and burning iron—far surpassing ordinary flames of the mortal realm.

”With this Innate True Fire, artifact refinement should become much more effortless in the future.”

”Though it consumes a considerable amount of spiritual energy, using Innate True Fire to process Artifact Refining Spirit Materials will be a significant boon.”

Snap!

Li Qing snapped his fingers, retracting the wisp of Innate True Fire.

His mind raced, considering the possibility of refining a high-grade magical artifact in the future.

Artifact Refinement Technique was, after all, his most fundamental skill, and he couldn’t afford to neglect it now that he had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm.

While he wasn’t short on spirit stones and could obtain cultivation resources through the sect’s contribution points, that didn’t mean artifact refinement was useless.

On the contrary, the Foundation Establishment Realm demanded greater means of self-defense.

For example, the Foundation Establishment cultivator who had piloted the Golden War Boat before—even now that Li Qing had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, he wouldn’t dare confront that individual directly.

The Golden War Boat was simply too terrifying; Li Qing knew he had no means of countering it.

Therefore, magic artifacts were the most direct way to enhance a cultivator’s combat prowess!

(End of the Chapter)

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