chsdbacks Chapter 26 Preparing for Foundation Building
Chapter 26 Preparing for Foundation Building
Chen Fan stared at the three Foundation Establishment Pills for a moment, then waved his hand, putting them back into the deepest part of his storage bag. He slowly closed his eyes and looked inward at himself. In his dantian, the vortex of energy formed from pure mana had solidified and compressed to its limit, its rotation carrying a faint sense of heaviness and viscosity. It seemed to be only a thin veil away from the qualitative change of liquid true essence.
however.
His mind was focused. Beneath the healed scab at the broken bone in his right chest, the fracture had not yet fully closed, and each deep breath brought a slight, pulling pain. Although his internal magical power had recovered most of its strength, it was far from reaching its peak of perfect harmony. His spiritual sense was also not at its best.
A forced attack would only increase the risk.
He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.
The broken bones in his right chest had completely healed; pressing with his fingertips revealed only firmness, and the pain had vanished. The three scabs had fallen off, leaving faint red marks, shallow and likely to fade within a year. His magical power was abundant and surging, having reached the pinnacle of Qi Refining. Within his dantian, the magical power vortex was solidified like an iron block, swirling steadily. The walls of his consciousness, the Prison-Suppressing Wall, flowed with silver light, as stable as a mountain, and his divine sense had also reached perfection.
Chen Fan remained expressionless as he closed the stone door to his new cave, and the protective light barrier rose. He then headed straight for the General Affairs Hall on the main peak.
Behind the counter stood an elderly steward surnamed Wu, a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the early stages. He had white hair and droopy eyelids. Chen Fan handed him his disciple token.
"Rent a secluded stone chamber."
Withered fingers picked up the token, his cloudy eyes sweeping over it. "Lower grade, ten spirit stones a month, spiritual energy concentration of 10%. Medium grade, thirty, concentration of 30%, with soundproofing. Upper grade, eighty, concentration of 50%, with soundproofing and a defensive array, difficult for Foundation Establishment cultivators to break through."
"Superior quality. Two months." The voice was flat.
Deacon Wu raised his eyelids slightly, remaining silent. He took out a bronze token, subtly engraving a rune with his fingertips, and pushed it back along with the token. "Number 7, Class A. One hundred and sixty spirit stones."
Chen Fan flicked his sleeve, and the spirit stones were neatly piled up. Deacon Wu didn't even glance at them, sweeping his sleeve to collect them all. "The token is valid for two months. Five spirit stones will be deducted for each day overdue. If you remain after the deduction is completed, the enforcement team will clear the area." His words were icy.
Chen Fan collected the cards, turned and left, his figure disappearing into the crowd without any further movement.
Fangshi, Baicaotang.
Upon seeing a regular customer, the waiter put on a smile and asked, "Fellow Daoist Chen, what would you like?"
"Grain-Closing Pill. A pill to restore mana." His gaze swept across the shelf.
The shopkeeper brought out a ceramic jar filled with sealed pills: "Grain-Clearing Pill, three pills for one spirit stone, one pill lasts for three days. Spirit-Returning Pill, five stones for one pill, restores 30% in one hour. Yuan-Returning Pill, fifteen stones for one pill, restores 50% in half an hour."
"Sixty pills for fasting. Ten pills for restoring spirit. Five pills for restoring vitality."
The shop assistant quickly packaged and labeled the pills: "20 Bigu Pills, 50 Rejuvenation Pills, 75 Rejuvenation Pills, totaling 145 spirit stones."
He spent the spirit stones and put the jade bottle into his bag. He turned and went into the talisman shop. In a short while, he obtained twenty fireball talismans, ten ice cone talismans, ten earth wall talismans, and five metal bell talismans. The talismans were neatly inscribed, and he spent more than a hundred spirit stones.
They returned to their cave, the stone gate closed. Supplies were scattered on the ground, like spoils of war.
Core: Three deep blue Foundation Building Pills (divided into three bottles, each with a sealing talisman).
Consumption: Sixty Bigu Pills (sealed with wax), ten Rejuvenating Pills, and five Rejuvenating Yuan Pills.
Talismans: Fireball (20), Ice Cone (10), Earth Wall (10), Golden Bell (5), Fire Python Talisman (1).
Magical artifacts: Golden Flame Spirit-Slaying Blade (suspended at the waist), Black Scale Soft Armor (repaired at the cost of thirty spirit stones, tightly attached to the inner lining).
Remains: Fragments of the Golden Mirror (discarded), fragments of talisman (not discarded).
Miscellaneous items: bone pieces wrapped in oilcloth (bottom layer of the jade frame).
Spiritual Stones: More than 600 remain.
The armored figure lay prone beside the prayer mat, its back armor a gleaming bronze, as if brand new. It gnawed at the fragments of spirit stone with a "crunch," its whiskers swaying slightly. Chen Fan crouched, palm outstretched. The armored figure crawled in, its fist large, its scythe retracted, and lay still.
"Seclusion. It may last one or two months, or three or four months at most," the voice said calmly.
The armored mane stood on end and swayed twice.
Chen Fan separated sixty spirit stone fragments, put them in a bag, and placed it in a corner. He placed the iron armor next to the bag. "Since we've finished eating, I'll go to the market to find food."
The armored creature rummaged through the debris, then clung to it and continued gnawing, making a regular "rustling" sound.
He rose and took out a thin, golden page from the bottom of his bag. Its edges were undulating, covered with intricate patterns. He spread out before the prayer mat and immersed his consciousness into it.
The first four layers of the *Dayan Zhenyu Jing* (Great Evolution Prison Suppression Scripture) have emerged. The first three layers—Concentration, Transformation of Thought, and Prison Suppression—are complete. The fourth layer, locked within a pale gold barrier, trembles slightly upon contact with divine sense; the barrier is impenetrable and requires foundational spiritual power. The first three layers should be recited silently, word by word, three times, without hesitation or omission.
Close the book. Take three jade pill bottles and line them up. Pull out the stoppers, and three Foundation Building Pills, each the size of a longan and radiating a deep blue glow, roll out. Take three more empty bottles, place the pills inside, and affix a sealing talisman to each.
Separate them to prevent unforeseen circumstances.
The three bottles are placed in the most convenient position in the bag. The Rejuvenating Elixir and the Rejuvenating Essence Elixir are next. The Abstaining Elixir is placed on the outer layer. The talismans are divided into two stacks, one for offense and one for defense.
A knife hangs from the waist. Soft armor adheres to the skin.
The rustling sound was rhythmic. Chen Fan squatted down, his index finger lightly tapping the hard, icy back armor.
"I'm gone."
The armored mane swayed slightly.
He stood up and glanced around indifferently. Everything was put back in its place. The jade shelf was empty. A mirror lay on the wall; he glanced at it but didn't take it.
Push open the stone door, revealing the token slot. A pale blue light curtain rises, locking the cave.
Behind the main peak, dozens of stone chambers have been carved into the bare rock face. In front of Gate No. 7 (甲字七门), a bronze plaque is embedded in the groove.
The stone door slid open silently.
The room was two zhang long and two zhang wide, with smooth walls covered in soundproofing and defensive runes. A fist-sized luminous pearl was embedded in the ceiling, its cold light constant. In the center was a three-foot-long pale blue jade platform, filled with spiritual energy—the Earth Vein Seclusion Platform.
Stepping inside, the stone door closed. The soundproofing took effect, and all was silent, as if submerged in the deep sea.
A bronze plaque was inserted into the inner groove of the door. A soft humming sound emanated from the wall, enveloping the room completely. The foundation was impenetrable.
Upon reaching the Jade Terrace, he sat cross-legged.
Cool, pure spiritual energy seeped from the coccyx, forming a powerful spiritual gathering array in the cave.
The storage bag is placed beside the altar. The three Foundation Building Elixir bottles are arranged in front of him. The Spirit Returning Elixir and the Primordial Rejuvenation Elixir are to his left. The Grain-Clearing Elixir is to his right.
Close your eyes. The magical power circulates for the first time.
The dantian, the sea of qi, condenses into a vortex like an overflowing water tank. The goal is not to add more, but to transform qi into liquid. Foundation Building. Refining qi into liquid, its volume collapses a hundredfold, its quality changes a hundredfold. Passing this hurdle extends lifespan by two hundred years, and the path to immortality begins.
If defeated, at best the meridians will be damaged and cultivation will decline; at worst the magical power will backfire, resulting in death and the dissipation of one's cultivation.
With three Foundation Establishment Pills, the success rate is over 70%.
That's enough.
Open your eyes and swallow one Bigu Pill. Close your eyes again and circulate your magical power according to the third level of the "Great Expansion Prison Suppression Scripture" to make final accumulations.
The cycle of heaven and earth begins anew.
The room was deathly silent, save for the long, drawn-out breaths. The pearly light was cold and indistinct, obscuring the distinction between day and night.
The armored carousel gnawed at the stone with a "rustling" sound, seemingly near yet far.
I don't know. Nor do I need to know.
The magical power flowed, circling endlessly, gradually slowing and settling. At first, it was like pushing a millstone, then like grinding a stone. When the magical power stagnated and nearly solidified, the opportunity for impact arrived.
Day 1. Day 2. Day 3.
Take three pills of the Fasting Elixir. The magical power will circulate like an old ox pulling a broken cart.
Five days later. In the dantian and dantian, the qi stagnates, and the magical power sinks to the bottom, like still water without waves. However, it is known that this is not deathly stillness, but rather an absolute stillness where the water surface is pressed to the extreme, making it difficult for ripples to arise.
The time has come.
He opened his eyes, showing neither joy nor sorrow. He took the first jade bottle, traced a line with his fingertip, and the sealing talisman shattered. He swallowed the pill.
The moment the pill entered his abdomen, its immense medicinal power erupted like a volcano! Scalding lava surged through his body! His meridians creaked as if about to burst! His hands formed a hand seal, as steady as a rock, drawing upon the violent medicinal power to forcefully pour into his dantian!
The dormant cyclone was violently shaken by the torrent! It immediately collapsed inward! An invisible, immense force pressed down from all directions! The gaseous magical power was forced to liquefy, and with each wisp of liquid, the volume collapsed a hundredfold!
pain!
The meridians feel like they're being scraped by a thousand files! The dantian feels like a giant hand gripping it tightly, tightening and tightening!
The first dose of the medicine lasted for seven days. During those seven days, his body was like a stone sculpture, his Taoist robe soaked with sweat, repeatedly wet and dry, covered in a pale, salty frost. At the end of the seven days, about 30% of his magical power had been converted. At the center of the vortex, a small ball of mercury-like liquid true essence simmered, pure and heavy.
Not enough. Only 30%.
Reaching out, he took the second bottle. The seal shattered. He swallowed the elixir.
The second dose was even more potent! The combined force caused his meridians to groan and cracks to appear! His face was ashen, but he held his nerves and continued to apply pressure!
The thirteenth day. Fifty percent of the magical power was converted.
The second pill's potency began to wane, and a small pool of vital energy accumulated in the dantian. However, the rate of decline was faster than expected—the golden moment when the two pills overlapped was fleeting.
Without hesitation, he took the third bottle. With a flick of his finger, the sealing talisman shattered. He swallowed the third Foundation Establishment Pill.