"These secret realms are mostly extremely dangerous, heavily fortified. Not only are powerful demonic beasts lurking within, but ancient killing formations also exist. Even highly skilled cultivators might not emerge unscathed."
"Although I can't offer much help in Foundation Establishment, I have something to give you!"
With that, Xuan Yangzi waved his hand, and a yellowed booklet slowly floated to Hu Nan's side.
Hu Nan quickly reached out and caught it. It felt warm to the touch, and he could clearly sense the faint spiritual energy contained within. He looked down at the booklet and asked respectfully, "Sect Leader, what is this?"
"This is my own experience in Foundation Establishment when I was young," Xuan Yangzi continued. "Back then, although my spiritual roots were superior to yours, I still encountered many dangers and failed several times before finally succeeding in breaking through."
"This manual records my cultivation methods for Foundation Establishment, my techniques for refining spiritual energy, and the secrets to dealing with the dangers of Foundation Establishment and suppressing inner demons. All of this is based on my personal experience and is entirely truthful."
He looked at Hu Nan, his eyes full of expectation: "Although your spiritual roots are not great, your comprehension is not low. Study this manual carefully and combine it with your own cultivation; you will avoid many detours and further improve your chances of success in Foundation Establishment."
"Remember, this manual is only an aid. Ultimately, you must rely on your own perseverance and composure. Do not depend on it excessively."
Although Qin Changsheng remained calm, his face showed excitement and gratitude. He bowed deeply again, his tone earnest: "This disciple thanks the Sect Leader for this reward!"
Qin Changsheng knew that although this Foundation Establishment manual was not a rare treasure, it was more precious than ordinary magical artifacts. Xuan Yangzi's personal experience would allow him to avoid many dangers during his Foundation Establishment process.
Xuan Yangzi looked at him and nodded in satisfaction: "Alright, I have told you everything I needed to say, and I have given you what I needed to give you. After you go down, remember to concentrate on your cultivation, consolidate your foundation at the peak of Qi Refining, and temper your character. Do not be impatient for quick success."
"Disciple will remember the Sect Leader's teachings!" Hu Nan bowed and replied.
"Hmm, you may leave," Xuan Yangzi waved his hand.
"Disciple obeys!" Hu Nan bowed again, carefully putting away the Foundation Establishment manual, then slowly turned and walked towards the hall's door.
With Hu Nan gone, only Xuan Yangzi remained in the hall, sitting upright on the jade couch in the main seat, his expression complex and unreadable.
The image of Hu Nan bowing and turning away was still clearly imprinted in Xuan Yangzi's mind.
"Calm and composed, neither arrogant nor impatient, with extraordinary perseverance and comprehension far surpassing his peers. Even after winning the competition, he showed no arrogance. Such a temperament is the rarest foundation on the path of cultivation, making him an excellent candidate to lead the sect."
After saying this, Xuan Yangzi still sighed slightly.
Because Hu Nan was merely a low-grade four-elemental root.
As the sect leader of the Heavenly Sword Sect, he had seen countless people throughout his life and knew that spiritual roots represented a person's upper limit.
Even with the best temperament and strongest willpower, a cultivator could hardly break free from the constraints of their spiritual roots.
Their future achievements would at most be limited to Foundation Establishment; reaching Core Formation would be virtually impossible.
The weakness of possessing only the lowest-grade four spiritual roots was like an insurmountable chasm, standing in the way of Hu Nan's cultivation path and hindering his desire to take on disciples and pass on his position.
It wasn't that he was unwilling to give Hu Nan a chance, nor that he looked down on his inferior spiritual roots; rather, as the sect leader, he had to consider the future of the sect.
What the Heavenly Sword Sect needed was a leader capable of upholding the overall situation and leading the sect through the calamity, not a cultivator with ambition but limited by his spiritual roots, unable to achieve anything significant.
"So be it, so be it." Xuan Yangzi slowly closed his eyes, his tone full of relief, yet concealing a hint of resentment.
...
Outer courtyard.
Qin Changsheng sat cross-legged on a futon, pondering his future plans.
"The most urgent task is Foundation Establishment."
Qin Changsheng understood that if he wanted to take the initiative in the great calamity, he must first establish his foundation.
Only after establishing his foundation could he attempt to reach higher realms.
He knew all too well that Foundation Establishment was the first major hurdle on the path of cultivation.
Only by successfully establishing his foundation and possessing the strength of the Foundation Establishment stage could he seize the secret treasure within Qingyun Lake and gradually achieve his rise to power.
However, Foundation Establishment was not something that could be rushed.
Qin Changsheng possessed top-grade five spiritual roots, making Foundation Establishment inherently far more difficult than for ordinary people, and allowing no room for error.
Qin Changsheng closed his eyes in deep thought, Xuan Yangzi's teachings slowly resurfacing in his mind, and he gradually clarified his cultivation plan. Two core goals clearly emerged in his heart.
The first priority was to completely max out his proficiency at the tenth level of Qi Refining.
The tenth level of Qi Refining and its perfection seemed only a step apart, but in reality, the difference was enormous.
The former merely signifies reaching the peak of spiritual power, while the latter involves honing the circulation, absorption, and foundational stability of spiritual power during the Qi Refining stage to their utmost. Only by maximizing proficiency can the circulation of spiritual power become smoother and the foundation more solid, minimizing danger and maximizing the success rate during the Foundation Establishment attempt.
Besides maximizing proficiency, another paramount task is finding a Foundation Condensation Grass.
A Foundation Condensation Grass can reliably increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment by 30%. Combined with a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill and his top-grade five spiritual roots, the success rate should be around 80%.
However, Qin Changsheng currently has no information whatsoever about a Foundation Condensation Grass.
Qin Changsheng took a deep breath and began to review his gains over the years.
Qin Changsheng's divine sense slowly wandered within his storage space, the first thing that came to mind being the mountain of spiritual rice.
The spirit rice grains were plump and white, shimmering with a faint spiritual aura. It was a fundamental resource for cultivators, crucial for maintaining his body's spiritual energy supply and stabilizing his foundation.
"Back then, when I robbed Lin Hao, I got quite a bit of profit. This spirit rice alone, I still have at least 300,000 jin in my storage space."
Qin Changsheng felt some gratitude towards Lin Hao.
If it weren't for Lin Hao's generosity, he wouldn't have obtained so much spirit rice.
This 300,000 jin of spirit rice was enough for Qin Changsheng to cultivate for a long time.
His divine sense shifted slightly, avoiding the pile of spirit rice, and a lustrous sheen entered his perception—that was the spirit stones and spirit sand he had accumulated.
Spirit stones and spirit sand were the hard currency of the cultivation world, and key to cultivation and activating magical artifacts.
"Over the years, I've accumulated quite a bit through careful planning."
"A total of four thousand spirit stones and tens of thousands of spirit sand. While not enough to make me incredibly wealthy, it's sufficient for my daily cultivation."
Four thousand spirit stones are a considerable fortune for him, now at the tenth level of Qi Refining. It's enough to buy the auxiliary medicinal herbs needed for cultivation or repair simple magical artifacts.
Then, his divine sense landed on an ancient-looking pen.
That was the talisman pen, also a gift from Lin Hao.
Lin Hao had given this talisman pen to Qin Changsheng to bribe him.
This talisman pen can smoothly draw low-level talismans, which are quite useful for both daily self-defense and aiding cultivation.
However, Qin Changsheng is currently focused on breaking through to Foundation Establishment and has no plans to draw talismans for the time being.
Qin Changsheng's divine sense gently swept over the talisman pen, and a jade pendant, smooth and radiating a faint blue light, slowly appeared in his perception.
That was the Azure Cloud Pendant, a gift Chen Erniu had given him before he left.
This jade pendant could withstand an attack from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Then Qin Changsheng's gaze fell upon the Spirit Suppressing Pearl.