104: Chapter 104 Foundation Building Preparations

A moment later, Qin Changsheng gently opened the mouth of the Storage Pouch.

A dense wave of Spiritual Qi instantly gushed out from the opening.

Qin Changsheng's gaze tightened slightly. He probed into the Storage Pouch with his Divine Sense, carefully taking out the treasures one by one and arranging them neatly on the stone table in front of him.

The first item he took out was a Spiritual Plant that was emerald green throughout with lustrous leaves. At the top of the Spiritual Plant bloomed a small white flower bud, emitting a fresh and dense Spiritual Qi. Crystal-clear dew drops condensed on its leaves, and the Spiritual Qi was overwhelming.

"foundation condensing herb!" Qin Changsheng recognized it at a single glance; this Spiritual Plant was the foundation condensing herb he had dreamed of!

This foundation condensing herb was in perfect condition with pure Spiritual Qi.

With this foundation condensing herb, combined with the High Grade foundation establishment pill in his hand, his success rate for Foundation Establishment would increase significantly, almost reaching eighty or ninety percent.

Qin Changsheng carefully stored the foundation condensing herb into his Storage Space, then turned his attention to the Medicinal Pill beside it.

The Medicinal Pill was entirely lustrous white, glowing with a faint spiritual light. Its surface was surrounded by a gentle and rich medicinal fragrance, and it felt cool to the touch. It was exactly one Medium Grade foundation establishment pill.

Although the Medium Grade foundation establishment pill was not as potent as the High Grade foundation establishment pill he already possessed, it could still significantly increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment.

Next, another Medicinal Pill was taken out.

This Medicinal Pill was the pulse-severing pill that Qin Changsheng had traded to Lin Hao.

Qin Changsheng had sold this Medicinal Pill to Lin Hao for one thousand Spirit Stones.

Unexpectedly, after going in circles, it had returned to Qin Changsheng's hands.

At the same time, Qin Changsheng decided that if there was an opportunity in the future, he would sell it to Lin Hao again.

Immediately after, Qin Changsheng raised his hand and flicked it; a pile of lustrous white Spirit Stones poured out from the Storage Pouch, piling up on the stone table with a crisp clinking sound. There were several thousand of them, flickering with spiritual light and filled with dense Spiritual Qi.

Finally, a long sword, pitch-black throughout with a sharp design, was taken out of the Storage Pouch by Qin Changsheng.

The sword's body was slender, the blade sharp, reflecting a faint cold light. The hilt was wrapped in black velvet, comfortable to hold. A trace of sharp Sword Qi lingered on the blade, and one could faintly feel an impressive fluctuation of spiritual power.

Qin Changsheng knew at a single glance that this was a Low Grade Profound-level Magical Artifact.

A Low Grade Profound-level Magical Artifact, even during the Foundation Establishment Stage, could be considered a top-tier Magical Artifact, far exceeding Qin Changsheng's black wind sword. If used in combat, it could significantly increase his attack power.

However, for the time being, this Low Grade Profound-level Magical Artifact could not be used openly.

After all, it had been looted from Lin Hao.

Qin Changsheng stored all the treasures into his Storage Space and then began to ponder his future plans.

In his view, having the necessary Materials was only the Foundation for Foundation Establishment. To truly succeed in Foundation Establishment and avoid all risks, he needed to make comprehensive preparations. The most urgent and critical step right now was to find a secure place for seclusion.

He understood clearly that Foundation Establishment was the first life-and-death hurdle on the path of immortality, a qualitative leap from the Qi Refinement Stage to the Foundation Establishment Stage, and it was certainly not something that could be achieved overnight.

This process required the Cultivator to be fully devoted, with no distracting thoughts in their mind. The spiritual power needed to circulate continuously and steadily, and it was even more necessary to utilize sufficient and stable Spiritual Qi to nourish the Meridians and break through the Bottleneck.

For an ordinary Cultivator, Foundation Establishment took at least half a year. If the Foundation was weak or the Spiritual Qi was insufficient, it could take half a year or even longer.

If disturbed by the outside world during this period, the minor consequence would be failure in Foundation Establishment and a drastic drop in cultivation, while the major consequence would be the reversal of Meridians, Qi Deviation, and death.

The Outer Sect small courtyard where he currently lived was clearly unable to meet the requirements for Foundation Establishment.

Although the small courtyard was quiet, it was just an ordinary residence; it had not been set up with a Spirit Gathering Array or soundproof Restriction. The concentration of Spiritual Qi was mediocre, far from the abundance and stability required for Foundation Establishment.

More importantly, the small courtyard had no concealment whatsoever, and the soundproofing was extremely poor. Once he began Foundation Establishment, the fluctuations of Spiritual Qi around him would inevitably increase significantly, and the commotion would be far from small. It would be very easily detected by other Disciples in the Sect, potentially even attracting the prying eyes of those with ulterior motives.

After careful consideration, Qin Changsheng had already made a decision.

To successfully achieve Foundation Establishment, he must first rent an Immortal Cave for seclusion within the Sect.

Behind the Heavenly Sword Sect, there was a specialized area for seclusion Immortal Caves. Each Immortal Cave there had been carefully set up by the Sect with Spirit Gathering Arrays and soundproof Restrictions. Some high-level Immortal Caves even had defensive Restrictions. They could isolate all external interference and gather Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, making the concentration of Spiritual Qi inside the Immortal Cave several times higher than that of an ordinary small courtyard. It was an excellent place for Sect Disciples to seclude themselves for cultivation and to break through their Realm.

Although renting an Immortal Cave was very expensive, it was very safe, and the Spiritual Qi was abundant.

As long as he could rent an Immortal Cave behind the mountain, he could take all his treasures inside, set up multiple layers of protection, Cultivate in peace, and isolate himself from all external disturbances.

Inside the Immortal Cave, he could utilize the abundant Spiritual Qi, combined with the foundation condensing herb and the foundation establishment pill, to steadily nourish his Meridians, stabilize his Foundation at Level 10 Qi Refining Stage Perfection, and then choose the right moment to break through the Foundation Establishment Bottleneck, maximizing his success rate for Foundation Establishment.

Qin Changsheng took out a Spirit Stone and began to chant a spell.

Not long after, Hu Nan's figure appeared before Qin Changsheng.

"Go to the General Affairs Hall and rent an Immortal Cave for one year!" Qin Changsheng ordered.

"Understood!" Hu Nan cupped his hands and quickly disappeared from the scene.

...

Heavenly Sword Sect.

Inside a certain pavilion.

Lin Hao lay on the bed, his face pale as paper, his eyes tightly closed. Even in his unconscious state, the pain throughout his body was hard to conceal.

His empty sleeves were neatly rolled up, and the severed ends were wrapped in thick bandages, which had long since been soaked through with seeping blood.

Beside him, an old man was diagnosing and treating Lin Hao.

Lin Zhentian sat upright in a grand chair by the bedside. The Pressure of his Golden Core Stage had been reined in, but it was still hard to hide the restlessness and baleful aura between his brows.

He had just returned from the shore of Qingyun Lake; unable to spare time to hunt down that thief in black, he had immediately brought Lin Hao back to the Elder Hall and summoned the top physician in the Sect for treatment.

As a Golden Core Elder, he had been proud all his life and had never lost his composure like this. But Lin Hao was his only son, the hope of the Lin family. Now, he had ended up in such a state, having lost both hands.

Not long after, the old man stood up.

Seeing this, Lin Zhentian asked anxiously, "Physician Li, how is my son's condition?"

Physician Li sighed softly, looked at Lin Zhentian with a complex expression, then glanced at Lin Hao on the bed. His tone was full of regret and helplessness: "I have already carefully examined Young Master Lin's injuries. The situation is not entirely hopeless, but it is not optimistic either."

Lin Zhentian stepped forward and asked urgently, "What do you mean? Physician Li, just tell me straight!"

Physician Li took a deep breath and said, "Young Master Lin's arm injuries are relatively manageable. Although they were severed by a Sharp Weapon and there is residual Sword Qi, fortunately, the Foundation of the Meridians was not damaged. As long as there is a pulse-renewing pill, combined with the medicinal soup I have prepared for nourishment, and by slowly Repairing the damaged Meridians and flesh, within half a year, his arms will be able to re-condense."

Hearing this, Lin Zhentian's tense nerves relaxed slightly, and a trace of relief flashed in his eyes—as long as Lin Hao's hands could recover, there was still hope.

But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, Physician Li's next words hit him like a basin of cold water, dousing him completely.

"However..." Physician Li paused before continuing, "That Sword Qi, while severing Young Master Lin's arms, has already invaded his body and headed straight for the Dantian."

"When I examined him, I discovered that Young Master Lin's Dantian has already suffered heavy damage, and his spiritual power is in chaos. His original Level 10 Qi Refining Stage cultivation has already regressed to the Level 9 Qi Refining Stage."

"He will need at least a year of recuperation before he can continue to Cultivate!"