Free Web NovelChapter 145: Chapter 145: Foundation Establishment Three Gates
No wonder Elder Li had been standing there like a wooden statue, utterly rigid!
If it was really as Jiang Xu imagined, then that was truly terrifying.
Imagine it: Elder Li was like a supercomputer running at full throttle around the clock. His Divine Sense acted as the processor, perpetually straining to scan, read, and comprehend the overwhelmingly complex information contained within the runes.
For a Cultivator, this kind of high-intensity mental activity was undoubtedly pushing their Divine Sense to its absolute limit.
And just like a computer, the human brain has a limited capacity for processing large amounts of information in a short time.
When the amount of information exceeds its capacity, even the most powerful Cultivators would experience a phenomenon similar to a "crash"—mental exhaustion, slowed reactions, and even temporary cognitive freezes.
Elder Li had maintained this state for a long time. Although his body was rigid and unmoving, his spiritual world was likely undergoing a baptism by an endless torrent of information.
"This is terrifying."
Jiang Xu couldn’t help but take a step back, a sense of respect for Elder Li welling up within him.
This wasn’t something that could be accomplished with great willpower alone.
If one’s Divine Sense wasn’t strong enough, it would all be for naught.
And yet, while receiving this torrent of information, Elder Li could even spare the time to exchange a few words with Jiang Xu.
This made Jiang Xu’s admiration for him grow even stronger!
But admiration was one thing; Jiang Xu was now in an even more difficult position.
Divine Sense was the key to deciphering the runes, but Jiang Xu had not reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, so he had no so-called Divine Sense.
’The resources I have on me now are almost enough to get me to Qi Cultivation Great Perfection. As for Foundation Establishment Pills... since I got a few more Spirit Medicines from the Spirit Medicine Garden, plus the previous Yellow Jade Fruit, I should be able to trade for two or three pills.’
Jiang Xu checked the spoils in his Storage Bag, secretly calculating what he would need for the future:
’I have a decent amount of Spirit Stones, too. If I spend them all, I can buy another one or two.’
’So, that’s about four pills in total.’
’I have Four Spirit Roots. My aptitude is slightly above average for a Four Spirit Roots cultivator, so logically, four pills should be more or less enough.’
To achieve Foundation Establishment, one must attain Essence Fullness, sufficient Qi, and Spiritual Vigor.
These are the so-called Foundation Establishment Three Gates.
Essence Fullness means the body’s essence is overflowing, brimming and bursting with life!
The most widespread saying is that reaching Qi Cultivation Great Perfection before the age of sixty is a sign of Essence Fullness.
For ordinary people, and even for Qi Cultivation Cultivators, the body begins to enter a state of decline after about sixty years of age. It starts to go downhill, growing weaker by the day, and thus can no longer be considered to have Essence Fullness.
Of course, if one practices Dual Cultivation of Body and Technique, a Body Cultivator who focuses on unlocking the treasures of the human body can remain in their prime even at sixty, thus still meeting the standard of Essence Fullness.
Additionally, it is best not to lose one’s Primordial Yang or Primordial Yin during the Qi Cultivation Stage, as they are also part of the body’s essence.
If they are preserved, they will increase the chances of a successful Foundation Establishment when the time comes.
It’s worth mentioning that if a Cultivator attempts a Realm Breakthrough on their own without a Foundation Establishment Pill, a failure will cause the Essence within their body to drain away.
The consequence is a great loss of the Cultivator’s Lifespan, and they may very well be unable to ever reach a state of Essence Fullness again, preventing any further attempts at a breakthrough.
If a Foundation Establishment Pill is used and the breakthrough fails, the Cultivator only loses the essence within the pill, minimizing the loss to themselves.
The loss is at least bearable, allowing them to take another Foundation Establishment Pill and attempt Foundation Establishment again later.
Sufficient Qi refers to reaching Qi Cultivation Great Perfection.
The Mana Fog in the Qi Sea has stacked to ten layers, and Magical Power is so abundant that it completely fills every corner of the Qi Sea.
In the Qi Cultivation Great Perfection Realm, the Magical Power in the Qi Sea can no longer be increased or expanded. This is when one can begin to compress the Magical Power within the Qi Sea, condensing it with the ultimate goal of transforming it into a viscous, liquid Magical Power.
The purpose of the Foundation Establishment Pill is to allow a Cultivator to use its immense medicinal power to compress the Magical Power in their Qi Sea, quickly turning it into a liquid state to meet the requirements for Foundation Establishment.
Spiritual Vigor, then, is the prerequisite for generating Divine Sense.
This means one’s Spiritual Power must be exceptionally strong, sufficient to meet the basic requirements for Divine Sense to emerge.
In fact, most people attempting a Realm Breakthrough fail at this very gate.
This is because in Dinghai State, Qi Cultivation Cultivators basically have no Cultivation Techniques for training their Spiritual Power.
They can only rely on passive methods of training their Spiritual Power, such as through daily meditation and Cultivation, sparring in Magical Combat, or life-and-death crises.
These inefficient methods naturally cause many people to fail to meet the prerequisite of Spiritual Vigor.
They can only rely on the medicinal effects of the Spirit Medicine in the Foundation Establishment Pill, using the opportunity of the breakthrough to gamble on the formation of their Divine Sense.
Succeed, and it’s a cause for celebration.
Fail, and they can only pin their hopes on the next Realm Breakthrough.
These Foundation Establishment Three Gates are what cemented the fame of the Foundation Establishment Pill.
That thing is an Elixir born specifically for Foundation Establishment.
As for Essence Fullness, the first of the Foundation Establishment Three Gates, Jiang Xu had cultivated a Body Cultivation Technique. Plus, he was still a young man of twenty with one hundred and ten years of Lifespan remaining. His essence was practically overflowing.
He wasn’t worried about this. Jiang Xu reckoned that even without a Foundation Establishment Pill, he could withstand the Essence loss from four or five failed breakthroughs.
As for sufficient Qi, he hadn’t reached Qi Cultivation Great Perfection yet, but Jiang Xu anticipated that this gate wouldn’t be a problem either.
This was because Jiang Xu possessed the Perfect Level Cangmu Skill. This Cultivation Technique constantly compressed and condensed his Magical Power. Given enough time, his Magical Power would naturally liquefy.
But Spiritual Vigor... that was what stumped Jiang Xu.
His Spiritual Power was only average. It was only slightly better than normal because he used it a lot for Talisman Making, and that was it.
’If only I had a Cultivation Technique that could enhance Spiritual Power. With my panel’s effect, it would definitely be like the other gates—I’d meet the requirement easily. Then maybe I wouldn’t even need a Foundation Establishment Pill to achieve Foundation Establishment...’
Huh?
Jiang Xu suddenly felt like he had forgotten something.
He rummaged through his Storage Bag for a while before suddenly pulling out a book titled "Divine Forging Technique."
"Well, now..."
Wasn’t this the final piece of the puzzle?
This was the book he had acquired from the study in the Secret Realm. Back then, he had even snatched it from right under a Foundation Establishment Elder’s nose.
It was just that so much had happened afterward that Jiang Xu had almost forgotten about it.
Looking at it now, with the help of the Divine Forging Technique—which was said to enhance Spiritual Power and unlock Divine Sense ahead of time—he might not even need a Foundation Establishment Pill.
Moreover, Jiang Xu looked at the surrounding walls of the shop.
’If I had Divine Sense, it would mean I could memorize these runes. That might be even more important than reaching Foundation Establishment right now.’
