Chapter 212: Building the Immortal Foundation

The Cave Abode on Meichi Peak.

Before entering seclusion, Li Tongya often pondered: What is an "Immortal Foundation"?

The *Taiyin Breathing and Wheel Nurturing Scripture* states: "The essence of Taiyin is gathered from Guanghan, the essence of Taiyang lies in Jinyu. When these two qi blend, an Immortal Foundation is cultivated." Li Tongya felt that this implicitly revealed the method of gathering the Taiyin moon essence and Taiyang sun essence, and that the so-called "Immortal Foundation" was a pseudonym for a special divine ability.

Later, Li Tongya acquired the *River and Sea Qi Art*, which contained this line: "The qi of rivers and seas is unified, rising and falling in the great abyss; the qi of heaven and earth is clear and bright, moving freely. Using the qi of heaven and earth to transform rivers and seas, one seeks a foundational path, called the Vast Ocean."

Now, having consumed the Suiyuan Pill, the six spiritual wheels emerged from his Qi Sea and Spirit Sea, and simultaneously dissolved into six bright streams of light within his mist-filled Qi Sea. Li Tongya felt a wave of weakness wash over his body, knowing that if he failed to transform them into an Immortal Foundation, he would perish.

Following the method described in the *River and Sea Qi Art*, the streams of light formed by Li Tongya's six spiritual wheels began to swirl above his Qi Sea, stirring up waves of spiritual energy. The true essence within his Qi Sea surged forth, pouring into these streams of light.

Li Tongya's Qi Sea was astonishingly vast, and the streams of light absorbed energy at an incredibly rapid pace. After swirling for an unknown duration, his Qi Sea had only just depleted by half, when faint grey light suddenly emanated from it, revealing a talismanscript.

The Deep Sea Whale Talisman Script

The talismanscript's energy hovered above the Qi Sea for a while, intertwining with the six streams of light, and quietly floated above them.

Li Tongya wasn't sure if this was a good or bad sign, but he gritted his teeth and continued to cultivate according to the art. After some time, his Qi Sea finally reached its bottom, and a faint glimmer of light shone through.

“Hmm?” Li Tongya paused, slightly stunned. He hadn't expected several beams of light to emerge from the bottom of his Qi Sea, from which a white pellet sprang forth, radiant and lustrous, shining brilliantly.

“A talisman seed…” The white pellet leapt into the six streams of light. Li Tongya paid little mind to anything else and urged his cultivation art, condensing the Immortal Foundation.

“This…!” The six streams of light absorbed their fill, and with a single collision in the air, solidified into flowing clear water, which then descended onto his Qi Sea. Li Tongya's sense of weakness grew increasingly intense, and his vital energy surged relentlessly. He finally understood why it was always said one should achieve Foundation Establishment before the age of sixty.

Suppressing this feeling of weakness, the six streams of light within Li Tongya spun faster and faster, emitting sounds like flowing rivers.

After an unknown period, a point of shimmering silver light descended. Li Tongya opened his eyes, coughed once, and exhaled a plume of white vapor, which blasted a small pit into the stone wall before him. The dark chamber suddenly lit up, and the sound of crashing waves roared.

Li Tongya sat in place for a few breaths, unable to suppress a quiet chuckle. He chuckled, saying, “Sixty-two full years, and I’ve finally established an Immortal Foundation…”

He chuckled twice, wiped a crystalline tear from the corner of his eye, and slowly rose. Yet, he remained puzzled. “It seems… a bit too simple.”

Li Tongya's breakthrough process was smooth and natural, encountering almost no difficulties. It even felt somewhat effortless.

“The numerous secret arts accumulated by the Three Sects and Seven Gates over generations can increase the probability of a Foundation Establishment breakthrough… My family, after all, is a prestigious clan, yet we couldn't even estimate the certainty of achieving Foundation Establishment, and we don't even understand what advantage I gained after breaking through.”

Li Tongya slowly stood up. His cultivation at the early Foundation Establishment stage was ready to burst forth, and the various mystical qualities of his Immortal Foundation, the Vast Ocean, emerged in his mind.

“The Vast Ocean originates from rivers and seas, and combines the extraordinarily robust characteristics from the Qi Condensation stage. Its power is even greater within rivers and seas, and it excels in water arts. Once the Immortal Foundation is cultivated, one becomes proficient in water manipulation techniques.”

“It can predict the flow of water veins to foresee future droughts and floods; it does not startle crabs or shrimp when entering water, nor disturb fish or turtles; one feels no hunger when absorbing qi, and is unharmed by ordinary water and fire; it can imbue water with talismanic properties, heal injuries, and treat common folk…”

Li Tongya pondered for a few breaths, somewhat perplexed by many of the manifestations of this Vast Ocean Immortal Foundation. His mind was filled with doubts, and he murmured to himself, “Becoming stronger in water, excelling at water arts, and imbuing water with talismanic properties are understandable, but not startling fish or turtles, being unharmed by ordinary water and fire, and predicting water veins—these seem rather useless.”

Imbuing water with talismanic properties is only useful for Qi Condensation cultivators at the peak of the Embryonic Breathing stage. After all, it costs some spiritual energy, but it has some utility, so that's fine. However, being unharmed by ordinary water and fire refers to mundane elements; even an Embryonic Breathing cultivator can easily resist ordinary water and fire with a single spell, let alone predicting water veins or not startling fish and turtles…

“What kind of cultivation path is this Purple Mansion Golden Core method, truly?”

Li Tongya sighed. Even news of the Lunar Essence Palace remained obscure, let alone the origins of this immortal path. Now, he was merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator, a notable figure around Moon-Gazing Lake, but hardly worth mentioning in the wider Yue Kingdom. For now, he could only set aside his doubts, gently push open the stone door, and exit the dark chamber like a wisp of wind.

The grand hall outside was empty. The stone table and chairs were spotlessly clean, covered in clear water from an unknown source. Puddles of water also covered the floor. The spiritual energy concentration had largely recovered since Li Tongya ceased his cultivation.

The cave abode's main door was slightly ajar. Wishing to test the strength of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Li Tongya cast an illusion and walked through the door. Outside, Li Xuanfeng, who had been cultivating with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. He raised an eyebrow, looked around, and then lowered his head in confusion. Seeing that the dew drops on the ground hadn't changed, he finally closed his eyes and resumed his cultivation.

“Feng'er has also reached the sixth level of Qi Condensation, so this seclusion will likely last around three to five years.”

Li Tongya stepped out of the cave abode. Blindingly brilliant morning sunlight was rising from the distant mountains, and pale golden rays streamed forth from the peaks. His mind felt expansive; he smiled faintly and soared down towards the town.

Lijing Town.

Lijing Town was quite old. Many of its flagstone paths were cracked from countless footsteps. People traversed the roads, either by carriage, on horseback, or on foot. The stone paths around Lijing Town's Pear Garden were particularly deeply cracked, scarred by daily passage of various wheels.

With white walls and blackened eaves, the Pear Garden was one of the few places in Lijing Town where both the great clans and common folk cheered and shed tears together. The warbling refrains of the opera drifted out from the garden. Outside the wall, a circle of half-grown children leaned, pressing their ears against it, listening intently.

“Aiyoh… Upon the Golden Stage ascends my Ganyixi… A beast crown upon his head, hair tied at the temples, and upon him, my iron armor!”

On stage, an actor appeared in black armor and bearing a black flag, adorned with beast fangs and jade. His face was painted with a majestic, awe-inspiring look. The crowd below immediately stirred. Some were filled with righteous indignation, some sighed regretfully, while others wept silently.

The actor in black armor with the black flag and beast-fang-and-jade adornments shook his robes and cried out: “Mu Jiaoman!”

“Your servant is here!” From backstage, a man immediately rushed on. He was slightly stout, wearing golden armor. His actor's face was painted with regular features, yet two rat whiskers were drawn on it, making him appear rather despicable. The moment this person appeared, a wave of boos erupted from the audience below.

Among the crowd below stood an old man, shaking his head repeatedly and sighing, with his hands clasped behind his back. He didn't expect a warm, gentle voice to speak from behind him.

“Venerable elder, what play is this?”

The old man, with temples streaked with white, squinted as he watched. He chuckled and replied: “Ganyixi perishes at the Grand Jue Court.”