Cultivating To Immortality

Chapter 762: Qi Refining Perfection

After bidding farewell to Qin Xijun, Song Yan returned to Immortal Cave No. 21 of the Earth-rank.

At this time, Xiao Ju had already roughly cleaned both the Immortal Cave and the courtyard.

Song Yan took out something he had prepared long ago from his qiankun bag: a deep gray ancient scroll, neither metal nor silk, cool to the touch.

Five characters were written in vigorous ancient seal script on the cover.

"Records of Formation Array Principles."

"Xiao Ju," Song Yan handed her the ancient scroll, "This is an ancient text on Formation Dao that I stumbled upon. Although it’s not some profound, world-shaking Legacy, its explanations of Formation principles are quite insightful, especially regarding basic deductions and the changes of spiritual pivots."

Xiao Ju reached out with both hands in surprise, taking it steadily.

Song Yan’s tone carried a hint of gentle affirmation: "In these past days, I’ve observed your keen perception in the flow of Spiritual Qi and the connection of Qi mechanisms. You’ve had some exposure to Talismans and Formations when you used to sew clothes and robes, and there might be commonalities between the two."

"Since you have this Comprehension Ability, you might as well study the Formation Dao. If you can truly achieve something in the future, it will be of great help to your Cultivation path."

Song Yan wasn’t just flattering her; in these past days, when guiding Xiao Ju’s Cultivation, he had noticed that her Comprehension Ability was indeed not bad.

He was about to enter secluded Cultivation for Foundation Establishment, and letting her ponder a cultivation art in addition to her Cultivation would be very beneficial.

When she used to sew Daoist robes, she had some exposure to Formations.

Coupled with Song Yan’s current decision to have Xiao Ju become a Sword Cultivator, perhaps the Dao of Formations would be most suitable.

Among the Dao of Swords, Sword Formations are complex and intricate, requiring considerable strength of Divine Sense and mastery of Formations from the array setter.

If Xiao Ju were to also Cultivate in the future, then laying a Foundation in the Dao of Formations in advance would greatly assist her in understanding Sword Formations, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

This ancient scroll was not actually obtained during his travels, but rather exchanged within the Sect when Song Yan first began researching Sword Formations to prepare adequately.

The content wasn’t overly profound, but it was sufficient for building a Foundation.

"Take it."

Xiao Ju held the ancient scroll, her eyes slightly warm.

Although she had her sewing skills, she knew that this art was ultimately insignificant for Cultivation.

She nodded vigorously: "Xiao Ju understands! I will diligently study it and not let Senior’s guidance go to waste!"

In this world... could such good fortune truly happen to her?

Looking at the calm and composed figure who turned and walked towards the secluded Cultivation chamber, Xiao Ju continued to ask herself.

Why would Senior Song, such a brilliant person, be so good to her?

What Xiao Ju didn’t know was that...

If he were truly asked these questions, Song Yan wouldn’t be able to answer them either.

To get to the bottom of it, perhaps he would have to go to the Relief Grocery Store by the Lingyuan Marsh and ask Qin Xijun, who had bought a few Low Grade Qi Nourishing Pills from him back then.

Song Yan gave Snake Babe a few final instructions, entrusting the full operation of the Immortal Cave to the two of them, and then wasted no more time.

The Restriction’s spiritual light lit up layer by layer, isolating all external disturbances.

In the spacious secluded Cultivation chamber, Song Yan’s gaze became utterly calm, without a ripple, only the Sword Intent within the Zhen Dao Sword Mansion clanged, and the Spiritual Qi in his Dantian Qi Sea was poised to strike.

He did not rush to immediately consume Medicinal Pills for Cultivation, but rather, with a slight movement of his mind, the sword pellet "Mirage" from the Zhen Dao Sword Mansion was quietly brought forth, emitting a dreamlike pink-blue glow.

The next moment, invisible ripples spread out from its center.

Slowly closing his eyes, a wisp of Spiritual Qi, accompanied by his Divine Sense, sank into the illusion created by the "Mirage" sword pellet.

It was still that hazy pink flower tree; the wind stirred gently, and the Spiritual Qi was so dense it almost materialized.

Song Yan gestured with his sword finger.

Six Flying Swords and three Sword Shadows circled and flowed: Unmoored Boat, Lord Lin, Entwined Branches, Crying Moon, and two other reasonably good quality Flying Swords obtained as spoils of war, spiraled according to an abstruse trajectory.

Amidst the buzzing, they landed near Song Yan, and a more complete Spirit Gathering Sword Array gradually took shape.

The moment the Sword Array was completed, the entire small illusion seemed to ripple slightly.

The pure Spiritual Qi contained within the illusion itself, coupled with the powerful pulling force of the Spirit Gathering Sword Array, instantly caused an endless torrent of majestic Spiritual Qi to surge from all directions, instantly cleansing his entire body.

The Spiritual Qi was dense within the illusion, so Song Yan temporarily had no plans to take Medicinal Pills.

Indeed, Medicinal Pills could quickly fill a Cultivator’s body with Spiritual Qi, rapidly increasing their cultivation, but they were not without drawbacks.

After all, they were artificially refined, and no matter how skilled the Alchemist, there would always be some Impurities within them, more or less.

And even if the Materials for refining Spirit Medicine were pure, they could still be tainted by the "turbid Qi," "Evil Qi," or "miscellaneous Spiritual Qi" of the heavens and earth.

It was difficult to completely eliminate these during the refining process, especially for Low Grade Medicinal Pills and those refined in bulk.

These substances could not be absorbed and refined by Cultivators, so if Medicinal Pills were consumed indiscriminately for Cultivation, over time, a pill toxin would form.

If the pill toxin was not removed for a long time, it would gradually accumulate.

In minor cases, it would block Meridians and hinder Cultivation; in severe cases, it would lead to Cultivation failure and Qi Deviation.

The so-called grade of Medicinal Pills was the standard for measuring the amount of Impurities in them.

Low Grade Medicinal Pills contained more pill toxins, while Medium Grade and High Grade Medicinal Pills contained less, but their refining difficulty and market price would naturally be higher.

Now, with the small illusion within the Mirage bestowed by the Old Man in a Straw Raincoat, the Cultivation speed without consuming Medicinal Pills was already almost the same as when consuming Medicinal Pills.

For daily Cultivation, there was naturally no need to take pills anymore.

Song Yan’s mind slowly calmed down, and he began to form hand seals, immediately activating the "Qi Condensation Scroll."

His Divine Thought condensed, and Spiritual Qi was continuously refined into Spiritual Power and Sword Qi, sinking into the Zhen Dao Sword Mansion, flowing and surging through the Meridians around his body according to the Cultivation Technique’s trajectory.

After several hours of Cultivation, when he finished his exercises, Song Yan opened his eyes, clearly feeling a noticeable improvement in his cultivation.

He couldn’t help but nod to himself.

At this Cultivation speed, the time required to reach Qi Refining Perfection would likely be much faster than he had imagined.

He paused for a moment, then temporarily exited the illusion.

Reaching Qi Refining Perfection was a gradual process, not achievable in a single day, and could not be rushed.

He took out a book from his qiankun bag.

It was the Foundation Establishment Experience (experience) he had obtained from Yuan Zhen. This text had no name, and the characters within it were not all the same.

It was likely that Yuan Zhen had collected them from various places and compiled them here.

Yuan Zhen had previously Cultivated Buddhist Dharma and knew nothing about ordinary spirit refining for Foundation Establishment, so he naturally wanted to make more preparations.

He just hadn’t expected to suffer a setback in a small place like Chu Region, which instead benefited Song Yan.

He meticulously studied and pondered all the details regarding Foundation Establishment recorded within.

Ambiguous points were cross-referenced and verified, ultimately yielding a clear result.

Once his mind had calmed, he re-entered the Mirage Realm to continue Cultivating.

Initially, Song Yan was not eager for quick success. Instead, he used the abundant Spiritual Qi of the Mirage Realm and the formidable power of the Sword Formation to thoroughly stabilize and solidify his Level 9 Qi Refining Realm.

Every inch of his Meridians and every acupoint became tougher and more translucent under the surging spiritual tide.

Like meticulously carving a Spiritual Artifact nearing completion, he repeatedly refined himself, removing hidden blockages, allowing his Spiritual Power to circulate as freely as an arm directing a finger, smooth and unhindered.

Time lost its meaning in absolute concentration.

Outside the illusion, in Immortal Cave No. 21 of the Earth-rank, Xiao Ju held the "Records of Formation Array Principles," her fingertips flashing with spiritual light as she attempted to outline the most basic Spirit Gathering Formation patterns, sometimes furrowing her brows, sometimes showing a look of sudden realization.

Snake Babe either dozed by the spiritual spring or circled Xiao Ju, curiously peering, occasionally looking up at the tightly sealed secluded Cultivation chamber.

During the Qi Refining stage, he couldn’t completely forgo food, so when he occasionally felt hungry, he would take a Bigu Pill, and when thirsty, he would use Spiritual Power to condense a drop of dew to drink.

Only when he believed his Cultivation Realm was thoroughly stable did he begin to supplement with Medicinal Pills to a limited extent.

Furthermore, he did not take powerful pills aimed at increasing Cultivation speed, but rather chose Spirit Pills that primarily strengthened his Foundation and purified his Spiritual Power.

Using the dense Spiritual Qi of the Mirage Realm and the amplification of the Spirit Gathering Sword Array, he thoroughly dissolved the medicinal properties, transforming every bit of the pill’s efficacy into pure Spiritual Power that filled his Dantian.

Ten months passed in this monotonous, repetitive daily Cultivation.

During this period, Song Yan keenly perceived that the immense torrent of Spiritual Qi contained within the Mirage Realm, far exceeding that of the current world, was undergoing a subtle change in its intensity.

After the initial surge, although the Spiritual Qi’s abundance still far surpassed the outside world, it no longer seemed inexhaustible as it did at first.

It became relatively "stable."

He didn’t know if this was a characteristic of the Mirage Realm or another reason, like an invisible reminder telling him that Spiritual Qi would eventually deplete.

However, this information did not shake his state of mind in the slightest; instead, it made him even more composed.

Within the Zhen Dao Sword Mansion, the Sword Qi surrounding the Seed of the Dao of Swords had formed a vortex, its scale nearing Perfection under the continuous infusion of the Spirit Gathering Sword Array and the Mirage Realm’s Spiritual Qi.

Each rotation of this vortex carried immense pressure, and each fluctuation caused the Meridians throughout his body to tremble slightly, emitting a faint hum that only he could perceive.

This was a sign that his Realm had reached its current Peak, with no further progress possible, Spiritual Qi overflowing, and Sword Qi full. This was a natural indication of an urgent desire to Breakthrough the current Bottleneck!

Level 10 Qi Refining Perfection, Foundation Establishment within reach!

Song Yan slowly ended his Cultivation and opened his eyes, which had been nurtured for over ten months.

His expression was calm, and his entire aura was condensed to the extreme, like a silent block of ice.

But if he looked inward, he would find that both his Spiritual Power and Sword Qi were incredibly surging.

At this moment, he entered an extremely profound state.

His Divine Sense was clear and bright, his Sword Qi was full, and the Insightful Void Sword Eye naturally operated.

His thoughts were clear and unobstructed; all past experiences, whether the accumulation from his travels, the pursuit of the Grand Dao, the vigilance against that invisible Heart Demon... all these emotions and thoughts were sorted and integrated, leaving only the purest ambition to advance.

His state had been adjusted to the perfect Peak achievable in the Qi Refining Realm!

"All preparations are complete; now is the time to Break Through the Realm!"

When he opened his eyes again, Song Yan’s gaze was like a deep, ancient well, without ripples, only his will, cast in gold and iron, as stable as a rock.

All his essence, Qi, and spirit were highly concentrated, and all his worries were suppressed to the deepest layer of his mind.

At this moment, his only thought was to mobilize everything this body could bear, and with one fell swoop, break through the first natural chasm that separated mortals from immortals and determined the Foundation of his Dao path!

He slightly raised his hands, placing them on his knees, his fingertips lightly tapping, poised but not yet acting.

As the last great cycle of circulation ended, and the final wisp of Spiritual Power was about to return to his Qi Sea, the surging Spiritual Power and Sword Qi vortex would transform into a torrent to impact the Foundation Establishment Bottleneck.

The Spiritual Qi of the Mirage Realm had long been exhausted, and Song Yan had already exited it.

Sitting cross-legged in the secluded Cultivation chamber, the ultimate state of Level 10 Qi Refining Perfection had reached its Peak, and the Seed of the Dao of Swords within the Zhen Dao Sword Mansion was exhaling a massive Sword Qi vortex, almost materializing.

The Spiritual Qi circulation within his body did not stop; his will, like an invisible carving knife, guided the Qi flow throughout his body, beginning to build his Dao Foundation.

For ordinary Cultivators, Foundation Establishment involved compressing the Spiritual Qi in their Dantian Qi Sea to liquefy it.

But as a Sword Cultivator, Song Yan’s Foundation was that "Seed of the Dao of Swords" which contained the essence of his Dao of Swords.

So before that, there was a crucial step.

The circulation of Spiritual Power, combined with the flow of Sword Qi, caused the entire "Zhen Dao Sword Mansion" to undergo an astonishing transformation.

It was no longer a suspended ethereal mansion, but began to slowly expand, gradually merging with the Qi Sea, the Origin of Spiritual Power.

This process was not particularly difficult.

But it was truly too painful!

Song Yan only felt an unbearable burning pain in his lower abdomen; the suffering far exceeded any hardship he had experienced before.

It was as if within his body, two worlds were overlapping, merging, and reshaping.

Endless pain completely submerged his consciousness.

But at this moment, his Lifebound Flying Sword hummed softly, and his incredibly firm heart of seeking the Dao, along with his powerful Divine Sense, allowed him to barely maintain a sliver of consciousness.

It was like a small boat in a storm, tossed by monstrous waves, yet never completely capsized.

By the end, he had become numb.

After an unknown period, the pain finally gradually receded.

As the Zhen Dao Sword Mansion and the Qi Sea completed their Fusion, a new, vaster space was born.

This was a world of pure Sword Qi.

The pure Spiritual Power originally stored in the Qi Sea was instantly drawn into the Seed of the Dao of Swords by a powerful suction force, but it was not transformed into liquid Spiritual Power. Instead, it was condensed to the extreme, transforming into an even purer, more majestic, and surging Sword Aura.

The Qi vortex transformed into a sea of Sword Qi, with surging waves, boundless and limitless, its capacity and power far exceeding the Qi Sea Spiritual Power of Cultivators at the same Realm.

This step was accomplished with no major difficulties.

For ordinary Cultivators, the difficulties faced during Foundation Establishment were nothing more than three great mountains.

Physical Body, Spiritual Power, and Divine Sense.

Respectively corresponding to a Cultivator’s essence, Qi, and spirit.

Song Yan was currently less than twenty-three years old, and had never suffered any severe injuries.

Furthermore, with the nameless Body Refining technique and the Body Refining baptism of Qilin Blood Essence, the Physical Body hurdle was not an issue.

His Divine Sense, needless to say, since he obtained the Legacy within the liangyi pearl, the Cultivation of this Five Stars Pulse Grasping Skill had not been neglected for a single day.

Now, his Divine Sense had almost reached the level of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

As for that last great mountain... perhaps the Spiritual Qi in Chu Region was indeed thin, but the Foundation Establishment Pill was the key item for overcoming this difficulty.

With a wave of his hand, several items he had already prepared fell into his grasp.

A flash of spiritual light in his left hand, and three Pure Moon Talismans appeared simultaneously, instantly activating under the propulsion of Spiritual Power.

A clear, bright moonlight suddenly rose, like a clear spring flowing through the mountains, gently soothing all the restlessness and anxiety he felt from facing a major Realm Breakthrough.

The Wu Xiang Pill was kept aside, not yet used.

His consciousness had now entered a state of complete emptiness, with only the purest will for Foundation Establishment and an unwavering belief in his own Dao path remaining, protecting him from the invasion of Heart Demons.

Now was the best opportunity to take the Foundation Establishment Pill.

He wiped off the seal of the pill bottle in his right hand, revealing the golden pill.

This pill was the size of a lychee, sparkling with golden light, perfectly round with Spiritual Qi, and naturally formed.

It was that High Grade Foundation Establishment Pill!