Chapter 143: 齐头并进、幽泉筑基

It took only a day for the secret medicine to be concocted. It was both convenient and fast.

Additionally, the Cold螭 Pill's chilly flame (Coldflame Elixir Fire) is currently still at the first-tier. This is because rare second-tier spiritual materials, such as a second-tier demon core and Yin Marrow Fluid, were used during its initial refinement.

Once Wang Yu breaks through to the Foundation Establishment stage, the power of this flame will also advance to the second-tier. This was one of the reasons he initially chose the incomplete Cold螭 Alchemy technique.

It possesses a certain growth potential, but that is its limit.

After its medicinal potency is fully utilized, if he wishes to further elevate it to the third-tier in the future, he will need to refine a new "Cold螭 Pill" primarily using the demon core of a third-tier ice-attribute dragon-species demonic beast.

After refining it, it can smoothly grow and advance to a third-tier cold flame.

Further advancement beyond that will be impossible, as even in its complete state, the Cold螭 Alchemy technique is only a third-tier alchemy art.

As cultivation techniques and secret arts advance in tier, they become increasingly rare and expensive; often, they cannot be purchased even with spirit stones, as information control increases with each tier.

Most importantly, the right channels are crucial. Aside from his Lunar Dark Eyes, the Coldflame Elixir Fire is Wang Yu's most valuable asset.

Moreover, after breaking through, the inherited jade slip for the Lunar Dark Eyes will unlock its second layer. There are simply too many things for him to learn, and even more to complete!

This includes the orthodox advanced cultivation techniques of Cold Blood Peak, the Void Escape Art, complementary spells, magic tools, pill formulas, and more.

Just thinking about it gives him a headache.

The placement slots, which he once thought were ample, now seemed entirely insufficient.

"First, realm advancement to unlock more placement slots, then combat power, and finally support skills..."

He constantly planned in his mind, striving for the most optimal utilization.

Following this, Wang Yu's situation finally stabilized.

While taking medicine to nurture the dragon, continuously strengthening the foundation and origin of the dragon's spine to lay the groundwork for the future, and receiving cultivation feedback from the placement slots, his own cultivation could not cease.

After all, the cultivation speed of a dual spirit root is not slow. With the physical body of a second-tier body cultivator, his meridians' strength had significantly increased, allowing him to maintain the Grand Heavenly Cycle technique's operation all day long.

However, his spiritual sense was still somewhat lacking; he needed to reserve an hour each day to recover his energy to maintain the most efficient cultivation speed.

Both paths advanced simultaneously, progressing rapidly!

Two and a half months later.

In September of Wang Yu's fourth year as an inner disciple, within a cramped, dark space, a pale gray flame with a wisp of blue outer aura emitted a faint glow.

At a certain moment, the aura emanating from the cross-legged figure reached a state of perfect harmony, allowing for no further advancement.

"Qi Condensation Great Perfection, achieved!"

One thousand strands of semi-liquefied spiritual energy, far superior in quality to that of cultivators at the same stage, had already formed a rudimentary third of true essence. As his aura diffused, the underground space grew increasingly cold.

Without a moment's hesitation, Wang Yu retrieved another Foundation Establishment spiritual item, the Nether Spring Lotus, from his storage bag. The two high-grade Foundation Establishment spiritual items he had exchanged with Yu Tangtang using the蛟 dragon's inner core were definitely a worthwhile trade.

This was the moment he had been waiting for.

"Everyone says a crippled spirit root can't achieve Foundation Establishment, but I'll see if my dual spirit root proves effective!"

He tilted his head back and consumed the Nether Spring Lotus.

As his hand seals changed, the Cold Blood Ascension Art circulated to its peak. Inside Wang Yu's body, a surging sound like an angry river or tidal wave erupted; it was the tumult of massive spiritual energy transforming into a higher state.

The effect of a high-grade Foundation Establishment spiritual item, comparable to a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, meant that with his foundation and aptitude, failure was impossible.

"The first of the three Foundation Establishment trials: the Spiritual Energy Trial!"

Within his Dantian Sea of Qi, the already semi-liquefied spiritual energy condensed into a vortex, steadily compressing towards a single point at a moderate yet exceptionally stable pace.

At this moment, the Nether Spring Lotus settled into the center of the vortex. The spiritual energy storm abruptly accelerated several times over. In mere moments, his entire Sea of Qi became empty, with only a single drop of dark blue true essence silently resting in the center.

True essence had condensed! The surrounding spiritual energy surged into his body almost uncontrollably, as if a pressure difference had formed between inside and out.

Wang Yu sent out a wisp of his spiritual sense, emptying several storage bags. Nearly one hundred thousand spirit stones were evenly distributed around him, and the spiritual energy within them was rapidly absorbed at a visible rate.

In his Sea of Qi, a second drop of true essence began to condense.

With this, the Spiritual Energy Trial was passed.

"Next up is... the Qi and Blood Trial!"

His physical body, which had been reshaped during his previous breakthrough to the second-tier of body cultivation, now faced another transformation. While the improvement might not be as significant as before, his adaptability and affinity for spiritual energy would certainly see a drastic increase.

His body groaned and crackled, yet his robust meridians remained virtually unaffected. Surging blue-black qi and blood were squeezed out, providing nourishment for his physical transformation.

The external spirit stones dimmed at an accelerating pace, and the extracted spiritual energy even formed a dense mist, continuously cleansing Wang Yu's body.

During this transformation, a deeper level of life evolution and change occurred.

In less than half an incense stick's time.

Wang Yu revealed a satisfied smile.

The Qi and Blood Trial was passed with ease. The Nether Spring Lotus hadn't even fully exerted its effects, retaining two-thirds of its medicinal power, which would be perfectly utilized for the Spiritual Sense Trial.

As the final trial for Foundation Establishment, the Spiritual Sense Trial had blocked countless cultivators aspiring to reach this stage; it was also the most formidable chasm to overcome.

Although Wang Yu had not yet cultivated the Ancient Soul Art, both his practice of alchemy and the Lunar Dark Eyes had significantly enhanced his spiritual sense.

Within his Niwan Palace at his glabella, the hazy gray mist dissipated over a large area.

The Nether Spring Lotus settled within it, and the ethereal glow it emitted solidified Wang Yu's spiritual sense, which had previously been insubstantial. Like spiritual energy transforming into true essence, his spiritual sense underwent a qualitative change. The range of his perception extended further and further. In the future, once he learned the Secret Art of Mountain Search and Demon Hunt, an area fifty *li* around him would be under his control. As the Nether Spring Lotus's medicinal power was fully expended, the breakthrough came to its conclusion.

The Spiritual Sense Trial was breached!

With all three trials passed, Foundation Establishment was naturally achieved. The fluctuations of spiritual energy became even more pronounced, surging into Wang Yu's body like a river pouring down from the heavens, entering through his head and exiting through his legs. It was a baptism of heaven and earth, a complete transformation.

Furthermore, every perfected spell, secret art, bone art, wondrous technique, and even cultivation method that Wang Yu had mastered transformed into mysterious ancient seal characters, integrating into his Dantian Sea of Qi and vanishing without a trace.

This phenomenon caused him to frown slightly.

He had previously had a hunch about this, thinking that the more perfected spells one possessed during Foundation Establishment, the better. He never expected such a perplexing situation.

He had also never seen any mention of it in the ancient texts of the Sutra Recitation Hall and could only investigate further once he returned.

Now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts.

Upon completing the breakthrough, Wang Yu felt his life essence had once again slightly improved, seemingly recovering the ten years he had consumed when cultivating the Life-Burning Demonic Art. His body had never felt as comfortable as it did today, even surpassing the exhilaration of his last body cultivation advancement.

He inwardly observed his Sea of Qi.

Three drops of Cold Blood True Essence lay silently within. Typically, a Qi Condensation cultivator who successfully breaks through to Foundation Establishment only condenses one drop of true essence. One thousand strands condense into one drop!

However, different cultivation techniques possess different inherent characteristics. For instance, techniques that emphasize spiritual energy quantity might condense two, three, four, or more drops of true essence upon breakthrough. With the aid of the heaven and earth's baptism, absorbing as much as possible means any extra is pure gain.

That he, Wang Yu, possessed this quantity was naturally due to the foundation laid by the Profound Essence and the benefits gained from the heaven and earth's baptism by his second-tier perfected cultivation technique.

To advance from the first to the second layer of Foundation Establishment, one needs to cultivate one hundred drops of true essence.

To advance from the second to the third layer of Foundation Establishment, one needs to cultivate three hundred drops of true essence. After accumulating up to five hundred drops, one encounters the first bottleneck: the difficulty of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

The cultivation world refers to this difficulty as — True Essence Condensation!

Condensing five hundred drops of true essence into a "True Essence Spring" is essentially the same as the three spiritual refinements in the Qi Condensation stage, both serving to enhance the quality of true essence.

First condensation yields a spring.

Second condensation yields a lake.

Third condensation yields a sea.

Beyond this step lies information concerning Core Formation.

Based on the cultivation requirements for the Foundation Establishment stage, his efficiency of "50 strands/day" made the breakthrough to the second layer of Foundation Establishment seem perpetually distant.

To think this way would be to underestimate the dual spirit root aptitude.

This is a high-grade spirit root. Under normal resource supply, there's a chance to attempt Core Formation before one's lifespan ends. The speed cannot be this slow.

Spirit roots are tools for cultivators to excavate spiritual energy from heaven and earth.

It's like how he used chopsticks to pick up vermicelli before; not only was it difficult to pick up strand by strand, but they also easily slipped out. After the Demonic Embryo seized spiritual energy, it was like using a vacuum cleaner to absorb it, but his mouth was only so big, so there was a limit to how much he could ingest and digest.

However, after breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, it was as if his mouth suddenly transformed into a gaping maw, and he grew several more mouths on his body, allowing him to perfectly utilize the "vacuum cleaner" tool and eat his fill. The analogy is a bit abstract, but the principle holds true.

This is the complete transformation brought about by a realm breakthrough!

Similarly, the efficiency of a single placement slot increased once more, from "50 strands/day" to "2500 strands/day," a fifty-fold surge in cultivation speed. 2500 strands also translates to "25 strands/day."

If two placement slots were to exert their power simultaneously, it would be "50 strands/day." This means one drop of true essence could be condensed every twenty days, and one hundred drops in two thousand days, allowing him to advance to the second layer of Foundation Establishment.

He could break through in five and a half years.

A normal dual spirit root, however, typically takes eleven years to break through a layer. This is assuming the early stages of cultivation are relatively easy; with the aid of top-grade pills and other methods, this time could be halved.

If one achieves Foundation Establishment by the age of one hundred, there's a faint glimmer of hope of reaching the threshold of Core Formation.

Wang Yu was still young, not yet forty. He would certainly reach the peak of Foundation Establishment in his lifetime, and Core Formation... was not far off for him.

After completing the breakthrough, he glanced at the placement slots.

Unfortunately, Machine No. 6 had not yet manifested. Although he had known this would be the case, there was still a slight pang of disappointment upon confirmation.

He felt slight vibrations approaching from the swamp.

Wang Yu swept his spiritual sense and discovered it was the nearby late second-tier Alligator Dragon demonic beast, which had apparently sensed this area of unusual spiritual energy concentration. His breakthrough had taken less than three incense sticks' time, a truly astonishing speed—a testament to the benefits of a solid foundation combined with the aid of precious treasures.

He had no intention of fighting this demonic beast. With a flick of his sleeve, he collected the large quantity of depleted spirit stones from the ground. Approximately forty thousand spirit stones remained unaffected. The consumption was acceptable; he wasn't bankrupt.

Immediately afterward, with a thought, Wang Yu shot straight up into the sky.