Translator: AnubisTL
"Shattered Origin Grand Seal, condense for me!"
In his cave abode, Li Qing's eyes were bloodshot, resembling those of a gambler desperate to win.
Indeed, after his secluded cultivation, he had chosen to first practice the Shattered Origin Grand Seal, a divine ability of immense power.
This choice was logical, as the Shattered Origin Grand Seal required constant nourishing within the body; the longer it was cultivated, the greater its power would become.
However, he hadn't anticipated the sheer difficulty of mastering this divine ability, far exceeding his expectations.
Nearly a year had passed since his return from the World of Eternal Night, yet he hadn't even scratched the surface of this technique, failing to condense even the first spiritual seal.
"Almost there... just a hair's breadth away, and it collapsed again! Can this divine ability even be cultivated?"
Staring at the dissipating spiritual seal within his body, Li Qing gritted his teeth, his face etched with frustration.
This was arguably the most challenging thing he had ever encountered in his cultivation journey. After a year of relentless practice, he had made no progress whatsoever.
"I knew cultivating a divine ability during the foundation establishment realm would be difficult, but this is beyond absurd!"
Li Qing rubbed his forehead, his resolve unwavering.
In truth, few foundation establishment cultivators could master a divine ability. Despite their immense power, far surpassing ordinary spells, cultivating these abilities required either exceptionally demanding conditions or proved exceedingly difficult to achieve.
This highlighted the value of magic artifacts and talismans. These cultivation techniques offered relatively easier and more direct ways to enhance a cultivator's combat prowess.
"Keep going! The beginning is always the hardest. Once I condense the first seal, this divine ability will be fully mastered."
Li Qing refused to give up. His vast Lifespan allowed him to quickly regain his composure and stabilize his mindset.
While replenishing his depleted mana, he mentally reviewed his previous failures, meticulously recalling the crucial aspects of the Shattered Origin Grand Seal divine ability.
As his internal spiritual energy gradually replenished, Li Qing once again immersed himself in arduous cultivation.
Failure! Failure! And still failure!
Each attempt faltered during the condensation process. The liquid mana within his body stubbornly refused to coalesce into a true Shattered Origin Seal.
Starting over this time, Li Qing approached the process with a calm and steady mindset. If things got tough, he would simply endure—he had plenty of time.
Fueled by this defiant resolve, Li Qing began the condensation process anew.
But this time, the process unfolded unexpectedly smoothly. Within his dantian qi sea, liquid spiritual energy began to swirl gently, gradually condensing drop by drop into an intricate and mysterious talismanic seal.
"Hmm?!"
Once the seal had fully formed and stabilized, Li Qing's eyes widened in astonishment, his heart surging with excitement.
Success!
It hadn't collapsed, hadn't disintegrated—it had truly condensed.
A deep crimson talismanic seal floated slowly within his dantian qi sea. With a mere thought, Li Qing could unleash the shattered origin grand seal.
No, it should now be called the shattered origin great fire seal, since Li Qing cultivated the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art, a powerful fire attribute cultivation manual.
Of course, the newly condensed seal was still quite small; calling it "grand" was somewhat of an exaggeration.
"Next, I need to nourish this seal through daily practice. The longer I nourish it, the greater its power will become."
"In another eight to ten years, this will be a proper shattered origin great fire seal, capable of unleashing its full divine ability!" Li Qing laughed heartily, finally seeing tangible results after nearly a year of arduous cultivation.
Having completed the first shattered origin great fire seal, Li Qing immediately began condensing the second.
The Shattered Origin Grand Seal divine ability had a limitation: once two or more talismanic seals were condensed and Nourished within the body, they would begin to affect one's cultivation.
After successfully condensing the first shattered origin great fire seal, Li Qing sensed minimal impact.
He decided to proceed with condensing the second talismanic seal to observe the effects.
Condensing the second shattered origin great fire seal wasn't smooth either, taking a full six days to complete.
"There is a slight impact, but it doesn't seem significant. The efficiency of meditation and qi refining has only decreased slightly."
Gazing at the two crimson, profound talismanic seals swirling within his dantian qi sea, Li Qing's thoughts stirred. He considered condensing a third seal to test the limits.
After all, nourishing two talismanic seals was still nourishing, and nourishing three was still nourishing. As long as the impact wasn't too severe, he could accept it.
The third refinement proceeded more smoothly, taking only four days to condense the third crimson talismanic seal.
However, Li Qing felt little joy. Instead, his brow furrowed deeply.
The side effects of this divine ability had become strikingly apparent. The burden on his cultivation from the third shattered origin great fire seal had increased exponentially!
If he continued to nourish all three seals, his future cultivation would be burdened by three major drawbacks.
First, his inherently poor Spirit Root aptitude. His chaotic Spiritual Root already made his cultivation progress painfully slow.
Second, his cultivation manual. Without the enhancement of heavenly spirit fire, the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art was significantly slower than ordinary cultivation manuals.
If he added the third shattered origin great fire seal, the combined weight of these three drawbacks would crush Li Qing's cultivation speed to a crawl.
With this realization, Li Qing made an immediate decision.
He rose, walked out of his cave abode, and with a subtle mental command, unleashed the newly refined shattered origin great fire seal toward the deserted mountainside below.
Boom!
A profound spiritual energy talismanic seal erupted forth, its surface wreathed in searing flames as it hurtled toward the foot of the mountain.
Bang!
Like a bomb detonating at the mountain's base, the seal instantly blasted out a massive crater, the shockwave obliterating the surrounding forest.
"For an un-Nourished spiritual energy talismanic seal, this is quite impressive," Li Qing murmured to himself, already quite satisfied.
The Shattered Origin Grand Seal clearly stated that a spiritual energy talismanic seal's power would steadily increase through time and Nourishing.
While the text didn't specify the ultimate extent of its power, Li Qing surmised it would easily overwhelm opponents of the same cultivation realm.
In the future, these two shattered origin great fire seals within his body would undoubtedly become another trump card in his arsenal.
Having tested their power, Li Qing turned and returned to his cave abode.
The foundation establishment realm emphasized accumulation. The longer a foundation establishment cultivator lived, the stronger they became—this principle held true without exception.
Li Qing had only achieved foundation establishment a few years ago, yet his defensive capabilities were already steadily expanding.
Even if other foundation establishment elders hadn't had the same opportunities as him, their longevity suggested they possessed formidable skills.
After all, anyone who reached this realm was no ordinary cultivator.
Never underestimate a foundation establishment cultivator, especially the old ones!
"Next, I need to study the Blood-Burning Secret Art and the second-tier artifact refinement inheritance."
"But these aren't as urgent as the shattered origin grand seal. I can take my time with them."
Li Qing reflected on his years since achieving foundation establishment. Seclusion had occupied most of his time, yet his cultivation progress had been pitifully slow.
Despite his lifelong focus on the Great Dao, he had to admit he needed to find other ways to accelerate his cultivation.
He could take his time with the remaining secret technique and artifact refinement inheritance, but his cultivation realm truly required urgent attention.
Two paths lay before him. The first was the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art itself. Once he acquired heavenly spirit fire, his foundation establishment cultivation would accelerate dramatically.
With the enhancement of spirit fire, the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art would undoubtedly become a top-tier fire attribute cultivation manual!
Of course, he was well aware that spirit fire was exceedingly rare and difficult to find.
Thus, the second path before him was to consume pills!
He had already tested the efficacy of the Purple Yang Pill, and its effects were truly astonishing. With a sufficient supply of these pills, his cultivation progress would be unstoppable.
Moreover, the Purple Yang Pill wasn't the only pill available to foundation establishment realm cultivators. Other pills, such as the Clear Profound Pill, could also enhance mana and accelerate cultivation, offering similar benefits.
The question then became: where would he obtain these pills?
Without a pill formula or Spirit Herbs, he couldn't refine them himself or ask others for help.
"I'll have to exchange them at the sect. However, the sect only provides a limited number of Purple Yang Pills each year, and the required contribution points are substantial."
"Furthermore, most cultivation-enhancing pills are prioritized for elders responsible for sect affairs and those holding positions of authority in various departments."
Elders like him, who secluded themselves in arduous cultivation without making significant contributions to the sect, naturally had lower priority when exchanging for medicinal pills compared to those serving in various halls.
Of course, foundation establishment elders who chose perpetual seclusion for cultivation often possessed exceptional Spirit Root aptitude or had encountered unique opportunities, reducing their reliance on the sect's medicinal pills.
Thus, for foundation establishment cultivators with weaker aptitude like Li Qing, serving as an administrative elder in one of the sect's halls became a viable path.
Overall, the system remained fair and had endured for so long due to its inherent rationality.
"It's time to emerge from seclusion," Li Qing mused. "For an elder with such poor aptitude, endless seclusion would only invite confusion and suspicion from others."
"Perfect timing, then. Becoming a refining elder in the refining hall will allow me to focus on the second-tier artifact refinement inheritance I just acquired. It's a win-win solution."
Moreover, emerging from seclusion would grant him access to a wealth of new information sources.
This would greatly facilitate his inquiries about heavenly spirit fire.
(End of the Chapter)
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