43: Chapter 43: Studying the Lesser Five Elements Array, Setting Up the Void Array, Foundation Establishment Approaching

The cultivation of Qi Refining 8th Stage surged and flowed within his body, dense and heavy, yet agile and free.

Ye Qing could clearly perceive the power contained within every inch of his flesh, every wisp of Spiritual Qi, and every thread of his Divine Sense; it was more than a notch stronger than when he was at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, and it carried the profundity of the stars and the mystery of the Void Realm.

He did not rush to leave the rock crevice where he was hiding, but instead calmed his mind to consolidate his Realm, while simultaneously beginning to study the newly acquired "Lesser Five Elements Prohibition Formation (Fragmented)."

Although this Formation was a fragmented piece, its level was far higher than any Formation he had previously encountered; it was a true Middle Stage Formation Legacy, focusing on "Restrictions" and "Law Breaking," while also possessing the abilities of concealment, protection, trapping enemies, and even backlash, which was exactly what he needed at the moment.

The Formation concepts recorded in the Jade Slip were more profound, the rune structures more complex, and the requirements for the Five Elements mutual generation and Restriction, Spiritual Qi circulation, Formation base refinement, and earth vein connection were also higher.

Ye Qing immersed himself in it, combining his previous experience in setting up the "Yinling Protective Formation," as well as the concepts regarding space and stability obtained from ancient fragmented Formation slips, absorbing, deducing, and verifying them with insatiable hunger.

The super-high Comprehension Ability brought by the space allowed him to understand those abstruse Formation theories faster and grasp their core. The existence of the moonlight jade tree and the "void wind seed" gave him a more intuitive realization of concepts such as "Prohibition," "Breaking," and "spatial isolation."

Ten days later, his understanding of the "Lesser Five Elements Prohibition Formation (Fragmented)" had already reached the introductory level.

Although he could not set up the complete grand Formation due to its incompleteness, he had mastered its core concept of "Five Elements Rotation Prohibition" and the setup methods for several basic Restriction units.

"Perhaps, I can try to combine part of the concepts of the 'Lesser Five Elements Prohibition Formation' with the 'Yinling Protective Formation' I created myself, using the Five Elements rotation as a base, and incorporating the abilities of prohibition and spatial concealment to set up a more powerful and more covert 'Five Elements Void Prohibition Formation'? It would be most suitable as the place for my future closed-door Foundation Establishment."

Once the thought arose, it was difficult to suppress.

He left the rock crevice and returned once again to the spiritual spring in the valley he had previously selected, where the rudimentary form of the "Yinling Protective Formation" was set up.

The Formation was still operating silently with decent results, but compared to his current Formation attainment and needs, it already appeared crude.

He first used his Divine Sense to carefully survey the flow of the earth vein Spiritual Qi throughout the entire valley, and combined with "miscellaneous notes on earth vein geomancy" and his own insights, he re-planned the Formation nodes.

Next, he took out various Formation bases he had refined previously, as well as those recently refined using monster hunting Materials, and then gathered Materials on-site, collecting rocks, spiritual wood, spring water, and metal Ore fragments containing Five Elements attributes from the valley, using his own pure Spiritual Qi and Divine Sense to refine more simple Formation bases on the spot that were more compatible with the local environment.

This time, he no longer pursued a single function for the Formation bases, but instead attempted to engrave complex, micro-Formation patterns containing the changes of Five Elements mutual generation and Restriction on each base, allowing them to echo each other and form a network.

The process was more complicated and arduous, placing extremely high demands on his Divine Sense, Spiritual Qi, and understanding of Formations.

Ye Qing was fully focused, like the most precise craftsman, constructing his own safe "Daoist sanctum" within this small area.

He used the spiritual spring as the water element core, the surrounding spiritual wood as the wood element support, the mountain rocks as the earth element Foundation, buried metal Ore as the gold element sharpness, and his own Spiritual Qi combined with the aura of the "void wind seed" to simulate fire element changes and spatial concealment.

The Five Elements rotated, mutually generating and restricting each other, and the Spiritual Qi circulated in an orderly manner within the Formation network, ceaseless and endless.

At the same time, he cleverly embedded several basic Restriction units from the "Lesser Five Elements Prohibition Formation" into key nodes. Once the Formation was fully activated, it could briefly prohibit the Spiritual Qi circulation of intruders, disrupt their Divine Sense perception, and even trigger a chaotic reversal of the Five Elements to launch a counterattack.

Finally, using the "void wind seed" as a guide, combined with his insights into spatial fluctuations, he outlined a more profound and more covert "Void Form Concealment Spiritual Light" at the outermost periphery of the Formation. This spiritual light not only distorted light and shadow and isolated auras, but also integrated the spatial fluctuations within the Formation range into the surrounding environment to the greatest extent; unless one had extremely deep attainment in spatial Laws, it would be difficult to detect.

For a full month, Ye Qing was immersed in setting up the Formation.

Failure, adjustment, optimization, and trying again.

When the final "Void Form Concealment Spiritual Light" successfully merged perfectly with the entire "Five Elements Void Prohibition Formation" and operated stably, the entire valley seemed to tremble slightly, then immediately returned to calm.

But Ye Qing, standing outside the Formation, could feel that the familiar valley before him was already different.

The light remained the same, the scenery remained the same, the sound of the wind remained the same, and the chirping of insects remained the same.

But when he probed with his Divine Sense, it was like a clay ox entering the sea; he could only sense a peaceful and natural area, as if this place were just an ordinary corner of a valley. Even when walking close, what the naked eye saw had no flaws, only an instinctive, faint sense of alienation that made people subconsciously want to avoid it.

If one were to forcibly break in, the Restrictions would be triggered, the Five Elements rotation would become chaotic, the Void Form Concealment would fail, and it would reveal its ferocious fangs.

"It's done! The 'Five Elements Void Prohibition Formation' can withstand the fierce attacks of a Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivator for a short while, and its concealment ability is something that even an ordinary Foundation Establishment Mid Stage Cultivator would find difficult to easily see through. It is enough to serve as the place for my closed-door Foundation Establishment!"

Ye Qing felt greatly reassured and full of a sense of accomplishment. This was a masterpiece after he had integrated everything he had learned, the safest nest he had built for himself.

He stepped into the Formation and sat cross-legged on a large rock beside the spiritual spring.

The concentration of Spiritual Qi within the Formation, due to the Five Elements rotation and the Spirit Gathering effect, was already four to five times that of the outside world; it was pure and peaceful, and even carried a trace of the special Dao rhyme of the stars and the Void Realm, making cultivation twice as effective with half the effort.

Being within it, his mind was incomparably peaceful, and the hustle and bustle of the outside world seemed to have faded away.

"It is time to make the final sprint for Foundation Establishment."

A trace of determination flashed in Ye Qing's eyes.

His cultivation of the Qi Refining 8th Stage was steadily advancing toward the 9th Stage under the continuous feedback of the space, the nourishment of the power of the stars, and the excellent environment of this place.

His Physical Body Foundation, through the geocentric poria and multiple feedbacks of spatial energy, had already been solidified to the extreme.

His Divine Soul, under the long-term nourishment and tempering of the moonlight jade tree, the Divine Refining Technique, and the "moonlight heart-clearing powder," was condensed and tenacious, far exceeding those of the same rank.

His understanding of the Five Elements, wind, space, and even the Dao of Formations had also reached the Peak of his current Realm.

The various conditions required for Foundation Establishment were basically met.

The only two things missing were, first, polishing his cultivation to the Qi Refining 9th Stage Perfection, and second, finding an absolutely safe and undisturbed place for closed-door cultivation to deal with the Spiritual Qi anomalies and Heart Demon trials during Foundation Establishment.

Now, this valley within the "Five Elements Void Prohibition Formation" was the most ideal place for closed-door cultivation.

"Next, I will Cultivate with peace of mind here, push my cultivation to the Qi Refining 9th Stage Perfection, while continuing to temper my Divine Soul, consolidate the Formation, prepare all the supplies needed for Foundation Establishment, and adjust my body and mind to the best state."

He set his plan, his mood calm.

Foundation Establishment is the first true natural chasm on the path of immortality.

If one crosses it, their Lifespan will greatly increase, their magic power will undergo a qualitative change, and they will truly step onto the path of longevity.

If one fails, their Dao Foundation will be damaged, their cultivation will regress, and they may even die and disappear.

But he was fearless.

His Foundation was perfect, he was well-prepared, he had the Formation protecting him from the outside, and he had the space relying on him from within.

What he sought was nothing more than for things to fall into place naturally.

Ye Qing closed his eyes and began to operate his Cultivation Technique.

Within the eighty-five zhang space, moonlight and starlight flowed, wind swirls were faint, and the Void Turbulence Zone rotated slowly, continuously feeding back pure and vast energy.

In the valley, Spiritual Qi was dense, the Five Elements rotated, and it was a scene of tranquility.

The final sprint of steady development had already begun.