Chapter 126: The Lamp-Lit Solitary Cultivation

Xu Qing was extremely cautious when choosing a location for his foundation-building. He had to consider many factors: whether anyone was secretly following him, the presence of powerful forces nearby, and the spiritual energy density—it couldn't be too concentrated or too sparse. Additionally, the location had to be away from forbidden zones and cities, with the wilderness being his preferred option. Meeting all these conditions significantly narrowed down the available choices. Finally, he also had to consider if the places he selected might have been previously used by others.

All these considerations occupied his mind. He even thought of the forbidden zone temple at the Scavenger Camp, but its surroundings were too dangerous, and the unsettling singing made him hesitate, ultimately leading him to abandon that idea.

After teleporting, his first destination was a Seven Blood Eyes branch city near the Purple Earth. Located in the heart of the human territories on the Southern Phoenix Continent, this area had fewer forbidden zones and offered a relatively higher degree of safety. However, it was also considerably more populated and diverse.

As the teleportation light faded, Xu Qing exited the array. Instead of immediately leaving the city, he found an inn. After a night of vigilant observation and rest, he used a talisman artifact to change his appearance before teleporting away again.

Over the next half month, he teleported seven or eight times, altering his appearance with each jump. He thoroughly surveyed the entire Southern Phoenix Continent, confirming that no one was following him.

A sigh of relief escaped Xu Qing's heart. During this half-month, his injuries also recovered by about seventy to eighty percent, restoring his combat strength to nearly what it was at Mermaid Island.

With his injuries mending, Xu Qing began to venture beyond the cities during his subsequent teleports, seeking suitable locations for foundation-building in the wilderness. After another half month of searching, he finally found a spot.

The location was in the southeastern mountainous region of the Southern Phoenix Continent. It was characterized by numerous mountains, with jungles frequently nestled between them. These weren't forbidden zones but rather resembled rainforests, filled with miasma and mud. Consequently, cities were scarce in the vicinity, with the closest one being a seven or eight-day journey away. While the alien substance was not particularly potent, the spiritual energy was similarly moderate, meaning no major powers had established themselves there. Despite not perfectly matching all his criteria, Xu Qing, after surveying many areas, concluded that this place was the most suitable.

His chosen spot wasn't on a mountain, but deep within the rainforest between two peaks. Drawing on his past jungle experience, Xu Qing located a suitable area and began digging. The soft, muddy ground was difficult to excavate, but using his Sea Transformation Scripture, he managed to drain most of the moisture from the chosen area. Eventually, deep underground, he completed a cave.

He carefully concealed the entrance. Around the perimeter, Xu Qing generously dispersed a substantial amount of poisonous powder. Finally, settling cross-legged within the cave, he surveyed his surroundings before taking out the five sets of arrays he had purchased and activating them all. He also deployed a formation designed to obscure his aura and energy fluctuations, powering it with spirit stones. Only after completing all these preparations did Xu Qing, sitting quietly in the cave, exhale a deep breath.

A long-forgotten sense of security washed over him. "This is where I'll build my foundation," he murmured.

Xu Qing looked down at his storage bag. He had purchased varying quantities of food from different cities, enough to sustain him for half a year. He didn't know how long this foundation-building process would take, but he had a clear plan: from this moment on, he would not venture outside and would completely detach himself from all external matters. He would fully immerse himself in the breakthrough.

However, before beginning his cultivation, Xu Qing felt there were two matters he needed to address. He took out the black iron skewer, and as spiritual energy surged from his left hand, he fiercely suppressed the sleeping Patriarch Adamantine Sect. Instantly, agonizing screams emanated from within the iron skewer.

"Master, what's happening? I was wrong, I was wrong, please don't kill me! Just tell me what I did wrong, and I'll change!" Xu Qing ignored the pleas and continued his suppression until the Patriarch Adamantine Sect became utterly weak and unconscious from the relentless onslaught. Only then did Xu Qing cease.

He was concerned that the Patriarch Adamantine Sect might interfere during his breakthrough. Now that the Patriarch was incapacitated to such an extent, Xu Qing felt confident there would be no significant issues. Following this, he performed hand seals, applying layer after layer of spiritual energy seals before putting the skewer away, his mind at ease.

Concurrently, the nearby shadow, having clearly witnessed the entire interaction, began to tremble with self-awareness. Xu Qing lowered his gaze, his expression unreadable, and looked at the shadow.

The shadow's trembling intensified. Under Xu Qing's unwavering gaze, it suddenly began to tear itself apart, creating several fissures as if in an act of self-mutilation.

"Not enough," Xu Qing stated indifferently. The power of the purple crystal within him transformed into overwhelming suppression, falling upon the shadow and causing it to dim further. He only stopped when the shadow was on the verge of complete collapse, then slowly uttered his words:

"If I fail in my foundation-building, you'll be the first thing I suppress to death before I die!" Having delivered his warning, Xu Qing paid no further attention to the shadow. With the two major internal threats now severely weakened, he felt completely at ease. He then took out his Spirit Breath Lamp and lit it.

The dim lamplight instantly spread, enveloping Xu Qing. Ordinarily, each activation of such a protective magical artifact would deplete its own energy, which is why cultivators typically only turn them on at the very moment of their foundation-building breakthrough.

Even the affluent Seven Blood Eyes organization adhered to this practice; most disciples would only rent a foundation-building location just before their breakthrough, not indulging in luxuries like Xu Qing.

But Xu Qing saw no reason for such restraint. Even though he wasn't planning an immediate breakthrough, intending instead to push his spiritual sea to its absolute limit, lighting the Spirit Breath Lamp didn't cost him any money; it simply consumed the lamp's inherent spirituality.

After assessing it, Xu Qing found the lamp's spirituality to be remarkably abundant. Without a second thought, he retrieved two more jade boxes.

One contained three Foundation Establishment Pills, and the other, two. The former he had received from the Captain, while the latter Xu Qing had acquired from the storage bag of an unfortunate cultivator's corpse, found within the Mermaid Race's Foundation Establishment Tower.

The deceased cultivator had clearly been of high status, likely having consumed several pills already and saving these two as spares.

As he carefully arranged the five Foundation Establishment Pills, a look of satisfaction crossed Xu Qing's face. He took a deep breath, and enveloped by the Spirit Breath Lamp's soft glow, he closed his eyes and began his cultivation.

Time slowly elapsed, and soon, seven days had passed.

For these seven days, Xu Qing remained undistracted, wholly immersed in his cultivation. As the Sea Transformation Scripture continuously operated, and spiritual energy surged rapidly from all directions, his internal spiritual sea churned. Its expanse steadily grew, expanding from its previous 290 zhang to an astonishing 340 zhang!

This range had already surpassed the highest recorded extent within the Seventh Peak of Seven Blood Eyes. It was important to remember that even the revered Seventh Master had only achieved 270 zhang in his time.

No one before the Seventh Master had ever reached such a height. Now, sixty years later, Xu Qing, secluded in this unknown cave, had once again elevated the mastery of the Sea Transformation Scripture.

A spiritual sea of 340 zhang was astonishingly vast. If Xu Qing were to reveal its full extent, it would undoubtedly cause a tremor throughout the jungle, and if the Seven Blood Eyes organization were to learn of it, it would likely shock everyone from top to bottom.

While such an achievement would certainly garner significant attention from the Seven Blood Eyes, an organization whose cohesion was built on self-interest, displaying such dazzling brilliance could lead to an unpredictable fate.

Therefore, Xu Qing had no desire to publicly reveal his progress. He simply wished to live peacefully; fame held no appeal for him. His sole concern was to survive smoothly and to live a better life.

In this harsh world, achieving that goal required becoming stronger.

Only by eliminating all threats to his life could he truly be safe.

Of course, if revealing the extent of his spiritual sea could help him achieve certain objectives, Xu Qing would still consider it.

Otherwise, until he possessed the power to dominate all directions, his path to survival lay in concealing his true strength, only unleashing it for the killing blow.

Xu Qing took a deep breath, his expression calm, and resumed his cultivation.

Days passed in this manner, and each day, his spiritual sea expanded by ten zhang, seemingly without limit. This filled Xu Qing with even greater excitement.

From 350 zhang to 370 zhang, and then, after another seven days, Xu Qing's spiritual sea astonishingly reached 400 zhang. This was already four times the capacity of an ordinary Seven Blood Eyes disciple at the Great Perfection stage.

Within the glow of the Spirit Breath Lamp, Xu Qing's entire body at this moment appeared far more crystalline, as if countless streams of seawater flowed through him. Even the surrounding water vapor grew increasingly dense.

"I can push it further!" Xu Qing opened his eyes. He paused his cultivation to eat some food, then checked the arrays and the poisonous powder he had spread outside. After confirming that everything in the surroundings had remained undisturbed, he rested briefly before resuming his cultivation.

Four hundred ten zhang, four hundred twenty zhang, four hundred thirty zhang... By the end of the third seven-day period, Xu Qing's spiritual sea had reached an impressive 470 zhang. At this point, he finally felt a piercing pain in his body, as if it could no longer withstand the immense pressure.

This piercing sensation was akin to his body transforming into a water-filled sack, stretched to its absolute limit, seemingly on the verge of rupturing.

Xu Qing's breathing became slightly ragged. After a moment of contemplation, he gritted his teeth and resumed his cultivation. This time, his progress noticeably slowed; the daily expansion of his spiritual sea began to decrease, dropping from ten zhang to five zhang.

Furthermore, the longer he continued, the slower the expansion became, and the sensation of being about to explode intensified. It wasn't until more than half a month later that he finally pushed his internal spiritual sea to an astounding 500 zhang.

This astonishing size was almost unheard of. Xu Qing's entire body now throbbed with excruciating pain, as if it were on the verge of shattering, while the purple crystal within him worked frantically to repair the damage.

"This is the limit," Xu Qing whispered softly.

He felt that even the slightest movement was incredibly difficult, as if he bore the weight of mountains and seas, an extreme heaviness accompanied by a pervasive sense of suppression.

Although the purple crystal was diligently working to restore him, Xu Qing knew that this current state could not be sustained for much longer.

"Then, it's time to build my foundation!" Xu Qing's eyes gleamed with resolve. Without a moment's hesitation, he snatched a Foundation Establishment Pill from before him and swallowed it whole.

Like water hitting a hot oil pan, his 500-zhang spiritual sea erupted violently. Astonishing, towering waves of energy surged outwards, sweeping through every part of Xu Qing's body with overwhelming force.

The first foundation-building sensation began!