Chapter 173: Critical Method

Chen Mobai had no particular requirements for his living arrangements. He was perfectly content in environments like Qingguang Island, let alone a small mountain villa in the Immortal Sect area, complete with water, electricity, internet, and spiritual energy.

However, after the agent left, he took a careful look around and realized something. How did this wooden house resemble something created with talismans?

He took a few photos and sent them to the owner of the Wood Spirit Talisman Shop. After identification, the owner gave a precise answer: it was indeed made with talismans. Chen Mobai could only lament that in cultivation civilization, even the construction industry couldn't make money anymore.

He then checked the filed rental contract, confirming that the foundation where the wooden house stood was legitimate, which put his mind at ease.

Since it had already been cleaned once with a cleansing spell, the wooden house was now spotless.

After going out to buy some basic daily necessities, he returned to the Wuqi Dao Academy.

The two senior students were still at the welcoming stone platform, and Chen Mobai went over to greet them.

Wuqi Dao Academy previously admitted a maximum of 49 students each year. This year, due to pressure from the Immortal Sect, they expanded enrollment slightly, but the total number of students was still relatively small. As a result, the two senior students responsible for welcoming new students had a relaxed time.

Chen Mobai chatted with them for a while and finally learned their names. The senior male student was Meng Mu, and the senior female student was Qu Hongyu.

Both were seventh-year students, at the perfected ninth layer of Qi Cultivation, and both planned to attempt Foundation Establishment within the year.

"By the way, seniors, have you both used the Foundation Establishment Treasure app?" Chen Mobai thought of this software and wanted to know if there were any other factors that could be added to increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment.

"Of course, we've both used it. If we follow the conditions we've envisioned, we basically have a 55% chance of succeeding in Foundation Establishment."

Qu Hongyu's words greatly surprised Chen Mobai. With the Immortal Sect's resources, how could they raise the success rate of Foundation Establishment to over 50% without Foundation Establishment Pills? What was going on?

Could it be that within the Four Great Dao Academies, there were unknown spiritual elixirs even more potent than Foundation Establishment Pills?

When in doubt, ask. Chen Mobai immediately sought guidance humbly.

Since Chen Mobai was the only new student today, Qu Hongyu was happy to offer some pointers to this junior student. She began to explain the Dao Academy's in-depth research on Foundation Establishment.

"Foundation Establishment, as it's called, is the most crucial transformation in the cultivation process. Only by crossing this threshold can one be considered a true cultivator. This is why Foundation Establishment cultivators are referred to as 'True Cultivators' by us."

"To successfully pass this Foundation Establishment stage, three steps must be completed. These target our essence, qi, and spirit—namely, the physical body, spiritual energy, and divine consciousness—and none can be lacking."

"The Foundation Establishment process involves the body undergoing marrow cleansing and muscle tempering, spiritual energy condensing into liquid, and divine consciousness leaving the body. Because these three processes must be completed in one go during Foundation Establishment, the chances of failure are high."

"It is precisely for this reason that the 'Three Foundation Establishment Treasures' developed jointly by the Immortal Sect, Dao Academies, and Scholarly Palaces are designed to address these three steps. They allow a cultivator to at least go through the process of essence, qi, and spirit transformation."

"However, while the Three Foundation Establishment Treasures are mystical, they are ultimately just a patched-together version of a Foundation Establishment Pill. They cannot assist during the final unified sublimation leap of essence, qi, and spirit. Therefore, the key to successful Foundation Establishment still lies in the cultivator's own will."

Chen Mobai nodded involuntarily at this point, grasping the most crucial detail. Foundation Establishment Pills were still the most effective.

At this moment, seeing his humble and eager-to-learn attitude, Qu Hongyu felt he was a teachable young person and continued her explanation.

"But willpower is such an abstract concept. Therefore, to significantly increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment, leaders of the Immortal Sect generation eight hundred years ago took the initiative, and had Jumang Dao Academy, in conjunction with the Taiyi Medical Palace, begin more in-depth research into this transformation process."

"After observing cultivators undergoing Foundation Establishment thousands of times, they finally summarized a set of methods called 'Critical Point Method'."

"This cultivation method allows cultivators to 'pause' at the critical points of essence, qi, and spirit transformation. This means cultivators no longer need to expend energy during the first three steps of transformation, but can instead dedicate all their mental effort to the final leap and sublimation."

"This indeed significantly increased the success rate of Foundation Establishment. In recent centuries, students from our Four Great Dao Academies who successfully cultivated the Critical Point Method, combined with the Three Foundation Establishment Treasures and other external conditions, have achieved a Foundation Establishment success rate exceeding 50%."

Chen Mobai was a bit confused upon hearing this. He didn't understand what the Critical Point Method was or how one could 'pause' the transformation of essence, qi, and spirit.

He continued to humbly inquire. Qu Hongyu, never tiring, directly added him as a friend and sent him a document. She then had Chen Mobai open the document, guiding him through it as he read.

"To give a simple example, during the Foundation Establishment process, the physical body undergoes marrow cleansing and muscle tempering. You can complete this cleansing and tempering before officially starting Foundation Establishment."

"After the body transforms, it automatically triggers the spiritual energy to begin condensing into liquid. Many people, due to insufficient accumulation, can only complete the first step of bodily transformation and are unable to finish the spiritual energy condensation."

"However, with the Critical Point Method, you can interrupt this linkage, pausing directly after the first step of bodily marrow cleansing and muscle tempering. Once you feel you've accumulated enough to allow spiritual energy to condense into liquid, you then release the restriction and begin that step."

"By analogy, if one has sufficient accumulation, they can naturally complete all three steps in one go, achieving sublimation and the leap. But if their foundation is insufficient, they can pause again after the second step of spiritual energy liquefaction, preventing their divine consciousness from leaving the body."

"This is the Critical Point Method, an inspiration gained by a genius from Jumang Dao Academy from the ancient technique 'Jade Lock Golden Gate Art'."

Chen Mobai, upon hearing this, couldn't help but give a thumbs-up. For the Immortal Sect, this was simply an earth-shattering act of great merit.

No wonder the Foundation Establishment success rate among the Four Great Dao Academies could reach 80-90%.

But why wasn't such an extraordinary method widely propagated to the general public?

In the Tianhe Realm, such a method would certainly be guarded as a private treasure. However, in the Immortal Sect, even the latest research knowledge was available for paid access on specific Immortal Sect websites, as long as the public was willing.

Chen Mobai asked Qu Hongyu about this doubt, and she shook her head after listening.

"It's not that the Immortal Sect hasn't promoted it. But this cultivation method has a flaw: the barrier to entry for cultivation is extremely high. An ordinary person might cultivate for decades and still not be able to get started. Anyone with that amount of time could already attempt Foundation Establishment."

"How high is it?" Chen Mobai felt extremely uneasy. He had recently found it difficult to comprehend the "Everlasting Life Scripture" and the "Two Forms Art." If the Critical Point Method was truly abstruse and challenging, he felt he might not be destined for it.

"For our Four Great Dao Academies, it's not so bad. After all, the students admitted to our academies are all exceptionally gifted. 80-90% of them can comprehend it."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai slightly relaxed. Although he was admitted with the lowest score, he believed it was because he reached the late stage of Qi Cultivation late and didn't have enough time to study. Since he could enter Wuqi Dao Academy, he must also be exceptionally gifted, and it was absolutely impossible for him not to comprehend it.

"However, when the Critical Point Method was passed down to the Ten Great Scholarly Palaces, only one percent of the talented individuals there could comprehend it."

"As for the One Hundred and Twenty Prefectures, it's even worse. The student population from all 120 universities combined might not even yield one person who can successfully comprehend it."