13: Theory of foundation building

The next day, Xu Qi'an pushed open the door of his thatched hut and found that the house next door was already empty.

Meng Shuran's dwelling was tidied up spotlessly, without even a fragment of a Talisman left behind, as if no one had ever lived there.

"It seems he joined the Li Family," Xu Qi'an murmured to himself, his heart feeling little ripple.

The world of cultivation was inherently a place of coming and going; today's neighbor might be tomorrow's stranger.

"Life is like a reverse journey; I, too, am just a traveler."

He shook his head, turned, and walked towards the spirit field.

However, in the following few days, the shantytown and the market suddenly became abuzz because of a piece of news!

Whether Spiritual Farmers or rogue Cultivators, after meals and tea, they were all discussing the same topic—the Mystic Realm ruins in Xiao Langlang Mountain.

"Have you heard? There's a spiritual energy anomaly over at Xiao Langlang Mountain; they say a Mystic Realm ruin has appeared!"

"Indeed! A friend of mine saw it with his own eyes; the spiritual energy fluctuations from the ruins are sometimes strong and sometimes weak, sometimes at the Qi Refining level, but sometimes it feels like the aura of the Foundation Establishment Stage!"

"Foundation Establishment Stage? Doesn't that mean there might be Foundation Establishment Pills or other Foundation Establishment treasures inside?"

"Who knows! But now many Qi Refining Cultivators are rushing over there, afraid they'll be too late to even get a share."

Xu Qi'an walked on the streets of the market, similar discussions constantly reaching his ears.

His heart stirred, and he secretly mused: The ruins opening, with spiritual energy fluctuations sometimes strong and sometimes weak, indeed seemed like a sign of some Restriction loosening.

However, such places were often fraught with danger, and with his current strength, rushing in might lead to more peril than fortune.

There were too many uncertainties, and Xu Qi'an did not want to venture into the so-called Mystic Realm.

He shook his head, suppressing the greed in his heart, and turned to contemplate another issue—Foundation Establishment.

Foundation Establishment was the Realm every Qi Refining Cultivator dreamed of.

Once Foundation Establishment was successful, not only would Lifespan greatly increase to over two hundred years, but strength would also undergo a qualitative leap.

However, the path to Foundation Establishment was not easy, especially for Cultivators with poor Spiritual Root Aptitude like Xu Qi'an; it was even more difficult.

"Above Peak-grade Spiritual Roots, there is no Foundation Establishment Bottleneck; below Peak-grade Spiritual Roots, the chance of Foundation Establishment is slim, often requiring external aid..."

Spiritual Roots are divided into miscellaneous Spiritual Roots, Low Grade Spiritual Roots, mid-grade Spiritual Roots, High Grade Spiritual Roots, Peak-grade Spiritual Roots, earth Spiritual Roots, and heaven Spiritual Roots.

Xu Qi'an murmured as he read the Foundation Establishment Detailed Explanation》 he had bought from a market bookstall, his brows tightly furrowed.

The book mentioned that Foundation Establishment Pills were the most common aid for Foundation Establishment, but they were expensive, often having a price but no availability in the market.

Besides that, some naturally formed spiritual items could also help with Foundation Establishment, such as the "Azure Bamboo Spiritual Wind" in Qingzhu Market, the "Golden Solid Gang Qi" in Jinshi Bazaar, and the "Vast Sea Treasure Flow" in Lingmiao Market.

However, these spiritual items were equally rare, often appearing only once every few decades, and were basically controlled by the masters of the major markets, making them inaccessible to ordinary Cultivators.

"It seems that to achieve Foundation Establishment, I still have to start with Foundation Establishment Pills," Xu Qi'an closed the book, calculating inwardly.

He knew that the auction in Qingzhu Market would auction Foundation Establishment Pills periodically.

If he could bid for a Foundation Establishment Pill and then use the Omnipotent Treasure Basin to gather treasures, perhaps he could obtain Foundation Establishment Pills in bulk and break through the Bottleneck!

However, auctioning for a Foundation Establishment Pill required a large amount of ling stones.

Xu Qi'an estimated it would definitely require at least several thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones!

About twenty years ago, Qingzhu Market had auctioned a Foundation Establishment Pill; the starting price for this Foundation Establishment Pill was three thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and it was finally auctioned for over six thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones!

With his current apparent financial resources, he was completely unable to participate in the bidding.

Moreover, there was another problem, which was that every auction of a Foundation Establishment Pill would trigger a bloody storm.

After the last Foundation Establishment Pill was auctioned, the rogue Cultivator who won the bid for the Foundation Establishment Pill left Qingzhu Market, and a fierce battle instantly broke out outside the market.

Who the Foundation Establishment Pill ultimately fell to remained unknown.

"Buying Foundation Establishment Pills from the market auction is also not safe, but at least it's a clear goal."

Xu Qi'an muttered to himself, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes.

Xu Qi'an thought that as long as he successfully bid for a Foundation Establishment Pill, he would immediately use the Omnipotent Treasure Basin to gather treasures.

If someone threatened him to hand over the Foundation Establishment Pill, he would just give it to them, and thus there would be no danger.

But the most important thing was to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill!!

However, Xu Qi'an naturally did not want to place all his bets on this; if he really couldn't obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill, he planned to refine it himself.

To do this, he would have to improve his Alchemy skills and acquire the corresponding Foundation Establishment Pill Spirit Medicine.

The formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill was not rare; instead, the corresponding spirit herbs and Spirit Medicine were difficult to find.

Similarly, even if the spirit herbs and Spirit Medicine were found, the Foundation Establishment Pill could not be easily refined successfully; Alchemy ability was particularly important in this regard.

Whether it was seeking treasures in the Mystic Realm, bidding for pills in the market, or self-refining pills, the sole purpose was Foundation Establishment.

If there was a safer method, Xu Qi'an would not hesitate to choose the latter.

But if there was no retreat, Xu Qi'an could only fight with all his might for a chance at longevity!

Xu Qi'an returned to the shantytown and entered his own house.

As soon as he stepped through the door, Xu Qi'an carefully checked the Talismans posted around the house; seeing that they were intact, Xu Qi'an felt slightly relieved.

This was a routine check he did every time he returned to the house, to prevent anyone with ulterior motives from investigating.

Fortunately, apart from the small incident of the Rice Rat disaster, his cultivation had been exceptionally peaceful, and people like Lu Anhe and Lu Qubing had not come looking for trouble.

However, Xu Qi'an thought about it and realized that with his apparent Qi Refining Third Level cultivation and status as a Spiritual Farmer, who would pay attention to him!

Thinking this, Xu Qi'an's thoughts settled on the Word Concealment Art術法 (technique).

This technique was transformed from the Qi Concealing Technique sold at the stall, through the effect of the Omnipotent Treasure Basin.

The original Qi Concealing Technique had no effect on concealing qi at all; it was a completely useless cultivation method.

However, under the effect of the Omnipotent Treasure Basin, it transformed into the Word Concealment Art, and the effect of concealing qi truly existed.

This Word Concealment Art technique emitted golden light throughout, inscribed with golden seal script inside, unlike ordinary cultivation methods written with spiritual brushes and ink.

The golden seal script only needed to be read with divine sense to merge into one's heart, making it clear and transparent, as if it were integrated with Xu Qi'an.

Although Xu Qi'an didn't know if the current qi concealing method could deceive a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it should be 100% impossible for a Qi Refining Cultivator to see through Xu Qi'an's true cultivation.

As for other cultivation methods, Xu Qi'an had also tried using the Omnipotent Treasure Basin, such as the Azure Wood Art he currently primarily cultivated, but unfortunately, the results were not satisfactory, merely producing a few identical cultivation methods.

None had transformed like the Qi Concealing Technique into a golden and brilliant Word Concealment Art.

Xu Qi'an now suspected that the key to the increase in the cultivation method's grade lay in that golden seal script!

Xu Qi'an shook his head and then began his Body Refinement cultivation; his Body Refinement had now reached the Peak of Body Refinement Third Level, only a sliver away from reaching Body Refinement Fourth Level.

Once he reached Body Refinement Fourth Level, he could change his appearance, and from then on, he wouldn't have to worry about being recognized by those with ulterior motives when entering and leaving the market.

Xu Qi'an no longer hesitated, immediately took out a first-grade low-level Rice Rat meat from his storage bag, and prepared to use the Omnipotent Treasure Basin to see if he could gather first-grade mid-level Rice Rat meat, which might allow him to break through the Bottleneck.