Cultivation Starts with Rejuvenation

”Is this the place?”

Leaving behind the subordinate family, Li Ji’an headed towards the northwest direction of the Golden Splendor Immortal City, passing through the Odd Stone Forest, where the Liu Family’s arrays, with the Five Elements in abundance, were shrouded in mist. He gazed afar, pondering deeply.

”One hundred and eighteen years have passed!”

It had been exactly one hundred and eighteen years since the words ”it shall be auspicious.”

And he had undergone rejuvenation twice.

He wasn’t sure if this was the burial site for over a hundred of the body-cultivating prodigies from the Immortal Dynasty.

”Ultimately, too weak. Cultivation is the essence; without becoming a Core Formation True Man, there’s no assurance of a complete retreat.” Resolutely retracting his gaze, Li Ji’an hurried away.

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”Qian is Heaven, Kun is Earth, Zhen is Thunder, Xun is Wind... place the Black Profound Branch at Jing Gate, bury the Golden Iron Heart at Li and Kan... engrave the array patterns with magical power... connect array bases with the Divine Soul, converge at the array hub, channel the mechanism of earth and wood two elements into the foundation of the earth...”

Inside the second courtyard, Li Ji’an guided Xiaoqiao in the practical methods based on Granny You’s array formation inheritance.

Since Xiaoqiao entered the middle stage of Qi Cultivation a year ago, her magical power and Divine Soul barely reached the threshold for setting up a Tier One basic array.

Li Ji’an then taught her Granny You’s array formation inheritance.

Her comprehension in arrays was excellent, nearly comparable to Li Ji’an’s own.

However, theory was theory; arrays involved numerous elements beyond theoretical positions, sensing spiritual mechanisms, and array structure interpretation. It also required magical power to engrave array patterns, the Divine Soul to connect array bases, and further the array hub must intertwine with the Heaven and Earth Spirit Mechanism.

As for actual operation, even Li Ji’an was uncertain.

The materials he had bought from the Liu Family just happened to serve as practice.

Li Ji’an and Xiaoqiao each had a set of materials for a basic defense array, then, following the guide of this defense array map, they set up separately.

”Buzz~”

”Hmm?” Li Ji’an had just started engraving array patterns when he suddenly sensed a vibration behind him.

Turning around, he saw a faint earth-colored shield had already risen on Xiaoqiao’s side.

”Successful?” Li Ji’an looked at Xiaoqiao quite surprised.

Xiaoqiao seemed a bit bewildered herself.

”Did you engrave the array patterns?” According to Granny You’s inheritance, after placing the array base according to position, one needed to engrave the array patterns.

And Xiaoqiao, barely at the middle stage of Qi cultivation, her cultivation technique was ordinary, her Dantian’s magical power thin; Li Ji’an was originally worried this step might exhaust her magical power, failing to engrave array patterns onto the array base.

”Uncle Li, I merely placed the array base according to the array map, then sensed a mysterious kind of spiritual mechanism flowing in from below the earth, and it just... happened.” Xiaoqiao spoke honestly.

”The Earth’s spiritual mechanism automatically infused?” Li Ji’an quieted his mind to sense carefully, but found nothing.

Besides a few rare high-tier arrays with the void as their base, the foundation for most arrays lies in the earth.

Li Ji’an faintly realized Xiaoqiao’s unique ability.

”A natural master of array formation!”

”Good! From now on, you should thoroughly delve into array formations.” After affirming Xiaoqiao’s ability and direction, Li Ji’an proceeded with his own first array setup.

A whole hour later, he finally finished engraving the array patterns, linking all array bases and array hub, barely channeling the earth and wood spiritual mechanism, array accomplished!

”Bang!” Unfortunately, with just a casual touch, the newly formed basic defense array shattered.

This was completely disproportionate to his effort and the cost of materials.

”Forget it, focus on your study.” Saying this to Xiaoqiao, Li Ji’an temporarily gave up.

An individual’s energy is limited; it’s better not to spread too thinly. In this life, apart from basic cultivation, his primary focus has been on guardian talismans, and the Medical Dao capable of altering his next life’s spirit root.

Luckily, the accumulation from the previous life in Alchemy Dao suffices, and in this life, he only needs to delve into it while practicing alchemy, without expending extra energy, fulfilling daily needs.

Of course, Little Fire Spirit is key.

With four years of nourishing magical power and frequent alchemy tempering, Little Fire Spirit has matured rapidly.

Especially after discovering that the Red-Black Stone’s restorative effects in previous years, whenever alchemy consumed the Fire Spirit’s power, it returned to reside on the Red-Black Stone.

Its current Spirit Flame might is now several times stronger than Li Ji’an’s Foundation Establishment’s Pill Fire.

”Gugu, come!” As he was about to return to the Talisman Room, Li Ji’an noticed Gugu leisurely lying in the pond, belly-up basking in the sun, and had a sudden thought.

”Gua~” Gugu flipped over abruptly, its big eyes filled with grievance, then slowly changed color, instantly blending with the pond water and air.

Li Ji’an, however, did not spoil it: ”Li Mansion doesn’t keep idlers; Xiaoqiao studies array formations, Little Fire assists in alchemy. Are you just sunbathing all day?”

Before he finished speaking, Li Ji’an left a shadow behind, using his second-tier body cultivation strength to contend against the second-tier Frog Demon.

”Bang!” The long tongue struck Li Ji’an’s flesh, forcing him to retreat three steps.

Gugu felt the pain and quickly retracted its tongue.

”Gua~” In the next instant, Gugu submerged underwater, disappearing instantly.

Li Ji’an expanded his Divine Sense but couldn’t sense it at all.

”Whoosh~” A sound of breaking through the air rose from behind, Li Ji’an was struck on the back again, staggered to leave another shadow.

Reappearing at Gugu’s previous spot.

Yet it had vanished again.

...

So back and forth they went; although Gugu was a second-tier demon beast, it lacked offensive methods, and its long tongue’s power wasn’t enough to breach Li Ji’an’s current second-tier body.

However, Li Ji’an couldn’t sense its location, and his attacks were all misses.

Until Xiaoqiao secretly pointed out the direction, finally, Li Ji’an managed to strike Gugu with a punch just as it emerged from the ground.

However, Gugu’s long tongue, though insufficient in power, had formidable skin defense; eighty percent of Li Ji’an’s force couldn’t harm it.

Temporarily letting Gugu be, Li Ji’an returned to the Talisman Room.

Besides cultivation, most of his energy was now devoted to talismans.

Unfortunately, his success rate in crafting second-tier exquisite talismans remained too low.

The primary reason was that the Flame Dragon Technique he practiced didn’t refine magical power to be dense or enduring enough.

Besides this cultivation technique being of a low grade, it’s also related to its fire attribute; fire magical power isn’t known for density and endurance.

Additionally, it has some relation to the talisman brush he’s always used.

A second-tier talisman brush is hard to find; a few years ago, he had already asked the auction house to keep an eye out. Unfortunately, being a tool for producing strategically valuable second-tier talismans, the brush is strictly controlled by sects, even harder to come by than the second-tier talismans themselves, with no news yet.

However, deficiencies in the talisman brush can actually be compensated for by skill; given his current skill, creating a Tier Two early period talisman doesn’t significantly suffer from the brush’s limitations.

Li Ji’an quieted his mind, excluding all distractions, wholly focused on talisman creation.

Thus, a year and a half passed quietly.

That day, a shocking piece of news spread from the Great Marsh Mountain ruins.

Two years ago, the Biyun Sect publicly exerted all efforts excavating the ruins, which erupted today.

The most astonishing revelation was the discovery of a hundred-acre ancient medicinal field, speculated to have been a Tier Three medicinal field, containing some remnants of medicinal herbs within, numerous Tier Two primary herbs, and even a few crucial Tier Three medicinal kings with sufficiently long ages!

Besides, exquisite and superior magical artifacts reportedly filled several storage pouches.

Some suspect that a Magical Treasure might even have surfaced.

What intrigued Li Ji’an the most was the discovery of several types of ancient magic and a Wood Element Technique that might be of Earth Level quality within.

In recent years, increasingly feeling the impact of his cultivation technique on cultivation realm and magical power, he had specifically studied the cultivation techniques of this world.

Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow, during his time in the desert, so-called Lower Grade techniques were typically Yellow Level, Middle Grade, and Upper Grade were Profound Level.

Yan Family’s Flame Dragon Technique was dubbed an Upper Grade technique only because it could potentially be cultivated to the Core Formation Stage, but its cultivation speed and the power of refined magical power weren’t truly of Upper Grade quality.

Xiao Changfeng’s sect technique, in contrast, was genuinely an Upper Grade technique.

Once a cultivation technique was practiced, unless a Great Realm change in methods occurred, rebuilding with Transformation Technique would impact the foundation, and even post-Foundation Establishment cultivation in other techniques could exert negative effects due to Dantian transformations from Qi Cultivation Stage techniques if they vastly differ from the new cultivation technique.

Thus, his anticipation for the next life’s techniques was intense, which was why he mingled with the Red Stone Wanderer in the desert last time.

”Biyun Sect will revive their ancestral glory!” Across the Immortal City and the entire Celestial Cyan Domain’s Three States, this phrase has been circulating recently.