"Creak."
As Song Changsheng pushed open the wooden gate of his small courtyard, a gentle breeze swept through, stirring the copper bell by the window, which let out a crisp ding-dang sound.
"It's already been several years since I last stayed here… this place still brings me the most peace." Song Changsheng gazed at his courtyard, his heart filled with a rare sense of tranquility.
These past few years had been filled with constant turmoil, and he'd been on edge the entire time. Only now could he finally relax.
No one had lived in the courtyard for years, and a thick layer of dust had settled over everything. Song Changsheng rolled up his sleeves and gave the place a thorough cleaning, inside and out.
After finishing, he sat cross-legged on his bed and began contemplating his next steps.
The most urgent task was finding clues about the Dragonblood Orchid. Once he obtained it, he could begin cultivating Inscribing Formations with the Body, which was now his top priority.
Beyond that, his formation skills had already reached Tier 2, Low Grade, with no immediate room for further advancement. His artifact forging was still stuck at Tier 1, Peak Grade, just a step away from Tier 2.
He planned to request a batch of forging materials from the clan during this time to hone his skills and breakthrough that bottleneck, aim to reach Tier 2, Low Grade as soon as possible.
As for his cultivation, he was already at the brink of Qi Refining Level 9, just one step away from the Great Perfection Stage.
This stage was especially important it was when a cultivator had to form their own Dao Foundation, a critical prerequisite to breaking into the Foundation Establishment realm. Without a Dao Foundation, one wasn't even qualified to attempt the breakthrough.
But forming the Dao Foundation was highly dependent on one's talent and took time sometimes decades for cultivators of mediocre aptitude. Many watched helplessly as their vitality dwindled over the years, eventually returning to the earth in failure.
Although Song Changsheng's talent was decent, he still didn't know how long this process might take so the earlier he began, the better.
"I've tried to avoid relying on pills over the years, but my meridians and acupoints have still accumulated a lot of pill toxins and impurities.
Before attempting to reach Great Perfection, I need to purge them completely. Looks like I'll need to exchange for a Marrow-Cleansing Pill and I can issue a bounty for the Dragonblood Orchid while I'm at it."
With that, Song Changsheng set off for the Contribution Hall. First, he posted a bounty offering 500 spirit stones for the Dragonblood Orchid.
Then, after demonstrating his cultivation level to the clan elders, he successfully exchanged for a single Marrow-Cleansing Pill.
Though it was only a Tier 1, Peak Grade pill, the Marrow-Cleansing Pill was incredibly valuable. The key ingredient, the Marrow-Cleansing Flower, could only be grown in top-tier spirit fields and required daily watering with spiritual spring water.
The cultivation cycle for the herb spans fifteen full years before it can be used in alchemy. Given the foundation of the Song Clan, they could only produce a few batches per year at most.
The Marrow-Cleansing Pill had powerful effects it could cleanse the meridians and marrow, dissolve pill toxins, and expel impurities from the body. A cultivator could only take it three times in their entire life, and it was typically reserved for critical moments, such as breaking through a bottleneck.
Under normal circumstances, this pill required at least 300 contribution points to exchange. But as a Purple Mansion seed of the clan, Song Changsheng was entitled to one free dose this was the privilege that came with his status.
After returning to his courtyard, Song Changsheng sat cross-legged beside the pond in the backyard and took out the Marrow-Cleansing Pill.
The pill, about the size of a thumb, instantly melted into a sweet medicinal liquid upon entering his mouth. It flowed down his throat and spread throughout his limbs and bones. He immediately activated his cultivation technique to refine the medicinal energy.
Before long, a pleasant warmth flooded his entire body it was incredibly comfortable.
Half an hour later, the pill's power was completely refined. His skin was covered in a sticky, foul-smelling sweat, with a faint black hue.
This was the pill toxin and impurities expelled from his body and the stench was so revolting it nearly made him vomit.
With a swift dive, he plunged into the nearby pond and scrubbed himself thoroughly several times so thoroughly that it felt like he'd nearly rubbed off a layer of skin before climbing ashore.
After drying off and getting dressed, he sat down cross-legged once again and took out the Blazing Sun Pill he'd obtained in the ancient cave.
Thanks to the Marrow-Cleansing Pill, the bottleneck in his cultivation had been cleared. Now, with this pill, he could make the final leap into the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining Realm!
As he swallowed the crimson-red pill, a burst of pure spiritual energy exploded inside his body. He quickly circulated his technique to refine the overwhelming surge of energy.
As a Tier 2, Low-Grade spirit pill, it was difficult to refine. The process lasted an entire day and night. Finally, as his dantian and spiritual sea expanded to their limits, Song Changsheng stepped into the realm of Qi Refining Great Perfection, just one step away from Foundation Establishment!
After briefly stabilizing his cultivation, Song Changsheng took a hearty swig of spirit wine, then calmed his mind and entered his spiritual sea.
As a Qi Refining cultivator, his spiritual sea was vast yet mostly empty. Only a single jade scroll floated silently in mid-air, emitting a faint glow.
With a heart full of anticipation, Song Changsheng slowly unfurled the Dao Scripture and began to meditate on it.
Every time he broke through to a new realm, his comprehension of the Dao Scripture would deepen, granting him unexpected benefits. From the Yin-Yang Profound Essence Scripture to Water-Fire Control, each had given him immense help.
Thus, he was hopeful that this time, too, he would uncover something miraculous.
And so began a three-day, two-night meditation.
Just as his mental strength, physical stamina, and spiritual energy reached their limits, a golden character "Vision" flew out from the Dao Scripture.
The character began to twist and transform, evolving into something new...
Several hours later, Song Changsheng opened his eyes, a brilliant smile spreading across his pale face. "To think I'd obtain an eye technique this time every breakthrough does bring me a surprise."
What he had acquired was a pupil technique named "Eye of True Sight", a secret art capable of piercing through illusion and seeing the underlying truth.
Though not particularly useful in direct combat, it was an exceptionally powerful support technique. For example, when breaking through formations, activating this eye technique would allow him to easily locate the formation's core.
There was still no word on the whereabouts of the Dragonblood Orchid, so while he waited, besides forming his Dao Foundation, he could take this time to cultivate this new eye technique...
In cultivation, time flows unnoticed; in the mountains, years pass like a dream.
Time flew by. Five months passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Song Changsheng remained diligent every day without fail, he absorbed the power of the sun's essence and the moon's radiance to aid in the formation of his Dao Foundation.
His ambitions were not small he didn't want to form just an attribute-less or even a regular elemental Dao Foundation. His sights were set on the Great Dao.
The attribute-less Dao Foundation was formed purely from spiritual energy. It was the most common and unremarkable type.
An elemental Dao Foundation was composed of spiritual power aligned with one's natural elemental affinity. It was much harder to form, but once a cultivator reached Foundation Establishment, they could instantly grasp the true essence of that element.
But the Great Dao Foundation was on another level entirely.
It involved laws such as life and death, destruction, or slaughter. One had to absorb the corresponding powers of these principles to form such a foundation and once successful, they could comprehend the very truth of the Dao.
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