Cultivation Starts with Rejuvenation

When Li Ji’an returned to the Li Mansion.

Liu Jingchun was calmly waiting at the entrance.

”Senior, thank you for waiting.” Li Ji’an cupped his hands in respect.

Liu Jingchun nodded: ”It’s I who came early. The Sect has issued an edict, and I can’t delay any longer. I hope Alchemist Li will forgive me.”

”Senior is too kind, the Upper Sect’s edict is important. The Pill was just finished today, and I brought it with me.” As Li Ji’an spoke, he handed a jade bottle containing two Middle Grade Lifespan Extension Pills to Liu Jingchun.

Liu Jingchun received the jade bottle and scanned it with her Divine Sense, a hint of satisfaction appearing on her face: ”Alchemist Li is indeed reliable, thank you.”

”Senior is too kind.”

Liu Jingchun put away the Lifespan Extension Pills, nodded once more, and then turned to leave.

She didn’t leave a Communication Talisman to keep in touch with Li Ji’an like other cultivators had done when requesting Pills.

However, Li Ji’an didn’t mind; it was just a casual move, and he wasn’t curious about what was happening inside the Liu Family.

He turned and went inside.

”Hmm? Xiaoqiao, what’s the matter with you?” As soon as he entered the mansion, he saw Xiaoqiao from a distance, leaning against the door frame of the second courtyard, her breath unsteady.

With a swift movement, Li Ji’an appeared beside Xiaoqiao, supporting her with one hand and probing her Sea of Consciousness with the other.

”Uncle Li, just now... I felt my heart racing again, and an indescribable feeling made my whole body’s blood somewhat agitated.” After calming down a bit, Xiaoqiao hurriedly explained.

Li Ji’an’s expression changed slightly as he turned his head to look in the direction Liu Jingchun had left.

After returning from the last auction, he knew Xiaoqiao was unusual and thought it was caused by Qin Henian’s Fake Pill Qi being out of control. Only now did he learn it was caused by Liu Jingchun.

”Could it be that Xiaoqiao’s ability to connect with the Earth Spirit Mechanism sensed something that others couldn’t?”

”Does this person have some anomaly?”

He pondered for a moment but had no clue.

However, after checking, Xiaoqiao was fine.

”From now on, it’s better to keep a distance.”

-----------

In the following days, the aftermath of the auction dissipated.

Many ambitious Loose Cultivators had already entered the Great Marsh Mountain Range.

Most waited outside the forbidden area designated by the Biyun Sect, ready to act.

The number of people seeking Pills drastically decreased.

Li Ji’an also returned to his normal cultivation rhythm.

Three months later,

on this day, after completing a Grand Circulation, Li Ji’an slowly opened his eyes, a trace of joy appearing on his face.

”There’s still three months left until the ten-year mark of Foundation Establishment, quite unexpected.”

Previously, based on records in the cultivation realm of Cangyun State and experiences shared by others, Li Ji’an had gained a common understanding.

The Foundation Establishment Stage primarily undergoes qualitative changes in three phases, namely the Early, Middle, and Late Periods of Foundation Establishment.

At each qualitative change stage, the Dantian undergoes a transformation, and magical power increases exponentially, a gap that cannot be bridged by mere quantity.

Comparing his talent with his Middle Grade but high-level Spirit Root and the grade of the ’Flame Dragon Technique’ he cultivated, plus the foundation established during his Foundation Establishment, Li Ji’an judged he would progress a bit faster than the average Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator.

On average, a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage takes thirty years to reach the pinnacle of the Early Period, after which they face the bottleneck of the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment. The bottleneck mainly concerns comprehension and mindset; even a Breaking Rank Pill can only assist, not guarantee a breakthrough.

Within the Early Period of Foundation Establishment, there are actually three small sublevels. However, due to the small increase in magical power in these sublevels, at most two or three levels change, and the gap can even be completely masked depending on the grade of the Cultivation Technique, so generally, no one specifically mentions it.

But he will still refer to this standard when assessing his own cultivation progress.

Previously, Li Ji’an estimated that without ample premium Nourishing Elixirs to assist, relying only on Spirit Veins for cultivation would take twenty-seven to twenty-eight years to reach the pinnacle of the Early Period.

If he had ample amounts of Second Tier premium Qi Storage Pills, Condensing Method Pills, and Transforming Spirit Pills as cultivation elixirs, efficiency could increase by about forty percent, and it might take eighteen years.

So, in recent years, Li Ji’an never lacked premium Second Tier Pills.

Fortunately, his alchemy skill was extraordinary. Otherwise, for an ordinary cultivator, even if they had the financial capability, they might not be able to obtain so many premium Pills.

Upon completing cultivation today, he unexpectedly found himself breaking through to the second layer of Foundation Establishment, stepping into the threshold of the third layer.

Clearly, it was much faster than his previous prediction.

At this rate, in perhaps five or six years, he might reach the pinnacle of the Early Period and touch the bottleneck of the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment.

”Achieving the Middle Stage in fifteen years still doesn’t compare with the True Disciples of the Sects in Jiang Yunzhou!”

Regarding Top-Grade Pills and premium Pills, in terms of efficacy, there’s almost no difference. The reason Li Ji’an pursued premium was that the Cultivation Technique he practiced wasn’t very good, and his magical power wasn’t as strong as with a Superior Cultivation Technique. He didn’t want Pills to affect his magical power either.

The Spirit Roots in Jiang Yunzhou weren’t much better than Li Ji’an’s, and naturally, they didn’t lack Pills. The greatest advantage was having a Cultivation Technique at least one grade higher, followed by the experience gained in magical combat.

Furthermore, within the Sect, there must be certain treasures or secret techniques that can enhance Foundation Establishment cultivation, of which Li Ji’an wasn’t aware.

This includes the experiences, guidance, and advice from senior members of the Sect, all of which should have some influence.

”Be content!” Li Ji’an, feeling satisfied, left the Alchemy Room.

Upon reaching the front yard, he saw Duanmu Qin teaching Xiaoqiao how to play the guqin.

After hearing that music could help purify one’s mind, Xiaoqiao voluntarily sought out Duanmu Qin for instruction.

Li Ji’an understood her intentions.

Especially as she grew older and interacted more with the families of the great masters around her, Xiaoqiao better understood the unwritten rule in the cultivation realm that Loose Cultivators who don’t offer value aren’t kept.

In general, without any personal ties, Li Ji’an, being a Loose Cultivator, had been more than generous in providing her with a cultivation Dao Field. After she formally entered Qi Cultivation, his duty was fulfilled.

From that point on, it was up to her to forge her path in the cultivation world.

This is the unwritten rule of the cultivation realm.

However, over the years, Li Ji’an never had such an idea.

This made Xiaoqiao feel even more self-conscious once she understood this unwritten rule.

Thus came her previous attempt to offer herself.

After all, among the families of people like Doctor Bai, those who couldn’t offer mutual aid value were generally wives, concubines, or maids.

Subsequently, Li Ji’an reassured her again, making her feel more ashamed.

She always wanted to do something to help Li Ji’an.

Initially, she pinned hopes on Array techniques, but now she could only set up Tier One Arrays, which were almost useless to Li Ji’an.

So, she forced herself to learn music from Duanmu Qin.

After observing for a moment, Li Ji’an slightly shook his head.

Choice overrides effort.

With her extraordinary ability to communicate with the Earth Spirit Mechanism, she should delve deep into Array techniques, or at the very least, learn Dragon-Seeking and Gold-Dividing from the Red Stone Wanderer.

Considering her self-esteem, Li Ji’an didn’t disturb her, planning to guide her to the right direction when there was a chance.

That evening, as a gesture of gratitude, Li Ji’an invited Duanmu Qin to discuss Dao and listen to her sharing about the situation in the mountain range.

Allegedly, the road near the direction of the Celestial Origin Province and Dao Source State had recently been blocked. Many Loose Cultivators from these two provinces had gathered and even opened a new safe passage to Cangyun State.

”It’s said that quite a few sect disciples came to join the fun, including a few Sword Cultivators from the Qi Tomb of the Dao Source State, as well as members from the Golden Sun Sect and the Carefree Sect.”

”Among the Five Great Clans, aside from the Liu Family, which allegedly sent a Late Period Foundation Establishment cultivator due to near expiration, the other four families all sent a Fake Pill Ancestor to lead.”

”In the past month, five Loose Cultivators approaching the Ruins Forbidden Area from Cangyun State have been killed by the Biyun Sect.”

”There are also Tribulation Cultivators mingling outside the Ruins Forbidden Area, causing several Daoists to suffer.”

...

The two exchanged insights while discussing Dao.

The next morning, just as Li Ji’an was playfully teased by Duanmu Qin and about to administer a minor punishment, a familiar knock came at the door.

”Yan Family of the Desert, seeking Alchemist Li!”

Li Ji’an chuckled heartily and, after dressing, went to greet the visitor.

Opening the door, he saw Yan Qingwan, not seen for ten years, still gentle and serene, like a quietly blooming white lotus.

”Aunt, long time no see.”

”Fan’Er!” Yan Qingwan smiled gracefully, stepping forward two steps.

”Hmm?” Then, as her Divine Sense inadvertently sensed the inside of the bedroom’s intimacy, Yan Qingwan instantly stopped in her tracks.

Her face showing slight awkwardness: ”Fan’Er, did I... come at a bad time?”