Ji An burst out laughing, releasing the excitement in his chest.
All the pain he had endured during Foundation Establishment had now become part of the scenery along the way, making this moment all the sweeter.
Outside the bamboo lodge, the Gray-Feathered Sand Goose sensed the spiritual pressure belonging to a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Its eyes rolled about, and it let out a flattering cry.
The Spirit-Seeking Rat leapt about restlessly, squeaking "zhi zhi" in excitement.
After a while, once his mood had settled again, Ji An sat down to begin his first cultivation session after breaking through to stabilize his new realm.
At this point, the Clear Source Sutra was already insufficient. Its range and efficiency in drawing in spiritual qi could no longer keep up with his current stage; no matter how much qi he absorbed, he could refine it in an instant.
When he turned his sight inward, he found that his immortal meridians had become sturdier and thicker, with countless smaller branches spreading out like capillaries.
Then, a sudden joy lit up his face. His heart trembled so violently that he almost lost control of his circulation.
Ji An forced himself to calm down, continued circulating his cultivation method, and sank his mind into his dantian.
The Stone Tortoise floated in the sea of liquid mana, its surface glowing faintly, its aura more ancient and heavy than before. For a brief moment, Ji An even had the illusion that it was alive.
Its spirituality had indeed grown stronger, but that was not the reason for his earlier shock.
He observed: the mana refined and dripping into his dantian was still being devoured, but compared to before, the tortoise was now swallowing far less. Only thirty percent was taken.
Thanks to his immortal meridians strengthening during Foundation Establishment, his aptitude had improved. With the tortoise devouring less, his cultivation efficiency would be far higher in the future, and he would save a huge amount of spirit stones.
Truly, it was a triple blessing.
...
Gé Ying, watching from afar as the aura of her disciple occasionally leaked out, nodded in satisfaction and said gently:
"Very good. Only after Foundation Establishment can one be said to have truly stepped onto the immortal path. At your age, the sect will certainly increase its investment in you."
Every three years, the sect recruited disciples from its various academies. Each batch numbered between two thousand and three thousand.
With so many, it was impossible to carefully guide everyone. For Qi Refinement disciples, the sect adopted a policy of loose oversight.
To stand out in such conditions and succeed in Foundation Establishment proved one's worthiness for further nurturing.
The sect knew this system was harsh on disciples without background or resources, but there was no better solution.
Even with the sect's vast resources, when divided among thousands, it always felt too little.
...
"Thank you for Master's nurturing. If not for your gift of a superior-grade Foundation Pill, I might have stumbled during the process."
Gé Ying waved her hand with a smile.
"No need to be so modest. Aside from those with earth-grade or higher aptitudes who are guaranteed to establish their foundations, in my eyes, the difference between a sixty or seventy percent chance and an eighty or ninety percent chance isn't that significant.
In the end, the outcome is only twofold: success or failure. I've even seen someone with a ninety percent chance fail."
Ji An bared his teeth at that. Whoever that was, they must be nailed to the pillar of shame for life.
After a pause, Gé Ying spoke slowly:
"Now that you've built your foundation, you must soon decide on a cultivation method. Let me share some of my experience as a reference.
After Foundation Establishment, one truly begins to touch upon the mysteries of cultivation. The mana cultivated through a method will start to carry distinct attributes."
"Some methods display wind, thunder, ice, and other affinities; these types often require specific constitutions…"
"Most cultivation methods fall under the Five Elements, with the mana they produce reflecting the essence of one or more elements. Some techniques are single-attribute, while others are dual-attribute, such as wood-water or wood-fire, and there are even methods that contain traits of three or more elements.
For Foundation Establishment cultivators, it's best to choose a single-attribute method. If you can fully comprehend a single elemental method, it's already like having half a foot into the doorway of the Origin Ascension stage."
She continued,
"Cultivating a wood-type method, your mana will show the vitality and ceaseless growth of flourishing life. Cultivating a metal-type method, your mana will carry the imagery of sharpness and killing intent.
By comprehending the divine intent within a cultivation method, you'll also find it easier to grasp the deeper meanings of spells of the same element."
Her eyes softened as she looked at him.
"Your gift for planting is exceptional. Cultivating water, wood, or earth methods would all serve you well on the path of spiritual farming.
But I suggest you focus on water or wood. Both would aid you greatly if you ever choose to learn alchemy.
My strongest recommendation is the wood-type method; it will benefit your long-term development, and wood cultivation methods can even prolong one's lifespan."
In truth, for the sect, having spiritual farmers cultivate earth-type methods was more advantageous, since it allowed them to strengthen spirit veins and improve the land itself. But such an arrangement required each generation to consistently produce excellent Foundation Establishment spiritual farmers, a condition the sect could not guarantee.
Thus, for the sake of her disciple's future, Gé Ying chose not to push him toward earth cultivation.
"If one has never taken longevity-extending pills and hasn't suffered grievous injuries damaging the foundation, the natural lifespan limit of a Foundation Establishment cultivator is around two hundred years.
Depending on how deeply one comprehends the divine intent of a cultivation method, those who cultivate wood methods can extend their lives by twenty to fifty years.
For example, my own lifespan now exceeds that of other cultivators by four or five decades."
Ji An thought for a while and asked:
"Master, if comprehending a method's divine intent helps one better grasp the essence of spells, then wouldn't my having already touched upon the intent of a water spell also help me in understanding a cultivation method?"
Gé Ying paused, then nodded.
"Yes.
But what you've comprehended isn't the whole picture. What you touched upon is only part of the water element.
All things have yin and yang. The water element is divided into Ren-water and Gui-water.
What you've grasped is only the intent of Gui-water. When you later comprehend the intent of Ren-water, yin and yang will complement each other, that will be true entry into the path."
She added,
"We can switch to another element's method, but doing so will cause a loss of mana and should be avoided unless necessary."
Then Gé Ying stopped, leaving her disciple some silence to ponder.
Hearing his master's explanation, Ji An finally felt reassured. Others first comprehended a method's divine intent and then used that to aid their understanding of spells; he could go in reverse, using spell-intent to guide his grasp of a cultivation method.
"Master, I will choose a wood-type cultivation method," he said with resolve.
After serious thought, he made his choice. Longevity itself was already a great advantage.
Besides, with the Stone Tortoise at his side, his spell cultivation progressed faster than most. He could rely on it to raise the level of his techniques, meaning that even if he specialized in wood, his proficiency with metal and fire spells would not lag behind other cultivators of those elements.
Having advanced to Foundation Establishment, as long as the sect supplied him with the necessary resources, he intended to stay quietly in his own cave-dwelling; there was no need to live like sword cultivators who had to temper themselves in constant bloodshed.
At most, he would occasionally go out with trusted companions to hunt beasts, just to maintain combat proficiency.
If not for the looming threat of beast calamities, he probably wouldn't even bother with that.
After all, why do cultivators always emphasize fighting and seizing opportunities? Because resources are scarce. If you don't fight and seize them, what will you cultivate in thin air? But if there were other options, what cultivator would truly want to risk their life day after day?
Walk the riverside long enough, and your feet are bound to get wet. One day, you'll inevitably run into something beyond your control.
But Ji An had planting and talisman crafting skills, and now that his aptitude had improved, his need for resources was lower than before.
...
"My own method is the Evergreen Aetherwood Art, a wood cultivation technique that can support advancement all the way to the Origin Ascension stage. You won't need to switch to another.
If there's anything you don't understand in the future, come ask me at any time.
Since you've built your foundation before the age of thirty, you qualify for the sect's key nurturing program. You can redeem cultivation methods for both early and mid Foundation Establishment free of charge."
Disciples without family backgrounds were often valued more by the sect. As for those family-born disciples who wanted to enter the sect's core ranks, they had to gradually cut ties with their clans.
Otherwise, if a disciple who had been painstakingly nurtured still placed family above sect, how could the sect maintain unity?
"I'll make sure to seek Master's guidance more often in the future."
Gé Ying's expression grew more solemn as she said in a low voice:
"We always say that only with Foundation Establishment does one truly step onto the immortal path. A key reason is that the philosophy of cultivation after Foundation Establishment differs completely from that of the Qi Refinement stage.
Qi Refinement is entirely about seeking outward absorbing spiritual energy from the world, from pills, or from spiritual items to nourish the body.
But once you reach Foundation Establishment, while you still draw from the outside, you must also turn inward. You take your body as the furnace, spiritual energy as the flame, and refine your body into the Great Medicine of Life."
She continued:
"The hallmark of breaking through from Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment is transforming mana into liquid. The hallmark of advancing from Foundation Establishment to Origin Ascension is igniting one's Life Fire.
This Life Fire has nothing to do with fire-type spiritual energy; it is the fire of existence itself.
But it's too early for you to dwell on this. Once you reach late Foundation Establishment and grasp the divine intent of your method, you will naturally come to understand."
Seeing Ji An's half-understanding expression, Gé Ying smiled:
"There's no need to overthink it now. Some truths only bring worry when pondered too soon. When your realm is high enough, the understanding will come of its own accord.
I'm glad you advanced to Foundation Establishment so quickly. However, the sect will need to assign other disciples to manage the medicine garden. A cultivator of your caliber as a spiritual farmer won't be so easily replaced.
But my alchemy duties are heavy right now. Go to the Administrative Hall for me and post a task to recruit one or two spiritual farmers with adequate spell mastery.
The requirement is that they must have either Minor Rain Technique or Thick Earth Art at Perfection, and the other at least at Great Achievement."
Ji An smiled wryly and replied:
"Disciple will remain at Verdant Cliff for some time. I'll help keep an eye out and only settle once a suitable candidate is found."
He hesitated, then chuckled.
"Actually, I did have someone in mind. He's been in the sect for seven or eight years and has some talent for planting.
But… none of his spells have reached Perfection, so he's unqualified."
He was speaking of Huang Feihu. It seemed luck was not on that man's side. Still, perhaps it was for the best. Ji An needed someone to help him personally, and Huang Feihu was well-suited.
Gé Ying's eyes flickered, and she gave a small nod.
"You've thought it through. Good."
After the long discussion, Ji An bid farewell to his master and headed for the medicine garden.
The moment Xiang Yong sensed the aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, his brows jumped in shock.
"Congratulations, Martial Uncle!"
Since Ji An had built his foundation, he would likely leave soon. Xiang Yong felt reluctant while Ji An was there; his days had been much easier, and he'd even earned some extra profit on the side.
He didn't know what kind of person would take over, but certainly none could compare to Ji An.
"Share the joy."
Ji An waved his hand with a smile.
"Old Xiang, you're the senior hand here. From now on, make sure to guide the newcomers so they can complete their duties properly."
He offered a few words of encouragement. New spiritual farmers would need an adjustment period, and during that time, more responsibility would fall on Xiang Yong's shoulders.
"Rest assured, Martial Uncle," Xiang Yong said, thumping his chest. "I'll see to it that the tasks are carried out beautifully."
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