Yellow Court Daoist

Time elapsed.

Lu Qingfeng settled down in Panlong Mountain. Every day, he cultivated in the Guangyuan Cave Mansion, refining elixir pills and magic artifacts, which he let Han Lin sell at the mountain-side platform.

He enhanced the elixir recipes and artifact refining methods through the Derivation Technique. The elixir pills and artifacts he refined far surpassed those of the same rank, and they were very affordable, quickly becoming sought after.

The name 'Guang Yuanzi' gradually spread.

Many loose cultivators came to visit, and Lu Qingfeng welcomed them all without exception. Despite being a third-rank alchemist and third-rank artifact refiner, he showed no arrogance and earned an excellent reputation on Panlong Mountain. Whether it was ordinary loose cultivators seeking guidance on cultivation or alchemists and artifact refiners asking questions, Lu Qingfeng guided them attentively.

There were even those with whom he resonated, often spending time together enjoying tea and discussing the Dao, living leisurely and freely.

The demand for magic artifacts among the loose cultivators of Panlong Mountain was limited, so Lu Qingfeng spent more time refining elixir pills, but he still had plenty of free time.

Thus, he had more time for cultivation.

In his previous life, Lu Qingfeng had already reached the peak of the Body Tempering Realm, just one step away from breaking through to the Spirit Void Stage, but he ultimately did not make it. In this life, after more than a hundred years of cultivation, he arrived at Panlong Mountain already in the mid-stage of the Body Tempering Realm.

Quietly cultivating.

Eleven years later, his cultivation steadily advanced to the peak of the Body Tempering Realm.

"Spirit Void!"

Lu Qingfeng sat cross-legged in the quiet chamber of the cave mansion, closing his eyes and calming his spirit.

Cultivation starts from the Postnatal stage, passing through the Fetal Breathing and True Qi stages, reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Foundation Establishment has four stages: Energy Introduction, Condensing Liquid, Nourishing Yuan, and Body Refining. This process of laying the foundation is crucial in the path of cultivation and also very time-consuming. Like Lu Qingfeng, who had repeatedly practiced this realm adeptly in the past, still took 105 years in this life to refine it.

Yet at the same time, even with the aid of elixir pills, his foundation was solid.

It's said, "A high building stands on a solid foundation!"

With such a solid foundation, the path of future cultivation, although not entirely smooth, would at least be much easier than those who advance hastily.

From Foundation Establishment to Spirit Void.

The Spirit Void Stage also divides into four phases—

Fasting, Heart Movement, Divine Silence, and Fusion!

The Foundation Establishment Stage has a lifespan of three hundred years, while the Spirit Void Stage extends to eight hundred years. Reaching the Spirit Void Realm, with a long life span, is eight times that of ordinary Postnatal cultivators, more than twice that of Foundation Establishment Practitioners, now qualified to establish a sect and spread the teachings.

After all, with an eight hundred year lifespan, even if three hundred years were spent before advancing to Spirit Void, there would still be five hundred good years left. In those five hundred years, if one could nurture even one Spirit Void disciple, it would be enough to sustain the sect for five to eight hundred years. Thereafter, as long as there is a Spirit Void practitioner every five hundred years, the lineage of the sect can persist.

Apart from this, Spirit Void practitioners possess profound True Yuan and greatly exceed Foundation Establishment cultivators in strength, having an overwhelming advantage against them. With a Spirit Void practitioner stationed in a sect, unless a Core Formation True Man intervenes, or multiple Spirit Void practitioners fight outnumbered, asserting progress, or at least maintaining the stability of the sect from petty thieves and demons is feasible.

However, the Spirit Void stage differs from the Foundation Establishment stage.

The Foundation Establishment stage establishes the physical foundation, while the Spirit Void stage involves the mental level and illusory realms.

Upon stepping into the Fasting Realm, there's no need to consume the Five Grains anymore. Pores all over the body open and close, drawing nature's spiritual energy anytime, anywhere, to replenish oneself.

The True Yuan also continues to grow.

Unbeknownst, as True Yuan accumulates, one will enter the Heart Movement Realm. This realm primarily focuses on mental state; if the foundation is unstable, it's easy for emotions to disturb, dispersing True Yuan and causing the body to explode and die. Even with a stable foundation and sufficient True Yuan and vitality, it might still draw the Heart Demon Tribulation.

If not passed, it likewise results in loss of True Yuan and death.

This realm is extremely perilous; a slight misstep could lead to demise. It's common for Spirit Void Stage cultivators starting from the Fasting Realm to venture into the world to experience life's vicissitudes, enhancing their chances of overcoming the Heart Demon Tribulation.

In the Heart Movement Realm, one must sit in the cave mansion in tranquility, reduce outings, and wait solely for the arrival of the Heart Demon Tribulation to prevent disturbances from emotions that could ruin Cultivation.

However, many Spirit Void Practitioners unknowingly step into the Heart Movement Realm and without precaution, perish and vanish from the path.

At this stage, one can see the difference between disciples of the Immortal Sect who have decent mentors and the Spirit Void Practitioners who are Loose Cultivators. The former have guidance from experienced seniors in the sect, making them more likely to overcome the tribulation. The latter, having scarce experience and mostly relying on their temperament and fortune, stand alone.

"Spirit Void, Fasting!"

Lu Qingfeng's eyes were slightly closed.

He swallowed seven or eight Third-rank Elixir Pills, the 'Five Elements Pill'.

True Yuan within his body boiled vigorously, the liquid True Yuan flowing like boiling oil through his meridians. Spiritual energy from nature continuously poured in, making his True Yuan grow increasingly profound. For a full three months, Lu Qingfeng's internal True Yuan reached a peak, and with the aid of the Five Elements Pill, his True Yuan exploded violently.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Lu Qingfeng, whose strong body was forged through the Nourishing Yuan and Body Refining stages, suddenly emitted bursts of loud pops. Blood splattered from his body, and streams of blood formed blades, shooting out fiercely in all directions.

It appeared as if Lu Qingfeng had become a blood-soaked figure!

But upon closer inspection, it was found that True Yuan wrapped around the blood, opening all the pores on Lu Qingfeng's body. Previously, spiritual energy could only enter through the Heavenly Spirit Acupoint and the mouth and nose, but now his whole body absorbed the spiritual energy from nature.

And it was absorbing constantly.

Compared to the Foundation Establishment Stage, it was more than twice as fast!

Previously, the Heavenly Spirit Acupoint connected the flesh with nature, acting as a bridge. Now the bridge had widened into a broad highway, granting him significant power with each movement.

"No wonder Foundation Establishment Practitioners are no match for Spirit Void ones!"

Lu Qingfeng finally understood.

Not to mention during combat, where Spirit Void True Cultivators constantly recovered their True Yuan, but the mere fact that their entire body could interact with the forces of nature, wielding the power of spells and magic artifacts, was incomparable to what Foundation Establishment Cultivators could achieve.

The difference between them was beyond measure!

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Lu Qingfeng stood up and stretched his limbs, making popping sounds like frying beans. The scabs formed from his blood cracked and flaked off everywhere. Blood flowed away, yet he did not feel any depletion; rather, Lu Qingfeng felt filled with strength as spiritual energy from nature continuously flowed in through the pores around his body, an experience unmatched in his previous cultivation.

There was no need to sit in mediation, the Cultivation Technique operated on its own, refining all the absorbed spiritual energy, gradually and firmly increasing his True Yuan.

"Normally, Spirit Void Stage Cultivators have a 'Root Bone' rated over four points. By stepping into the Fasting Realm, within ten to fifteen years at most, they accumulate abundant True Yuan and vigorous vitality, advancing into the Heart Movement Realm. My Root Bone is inferior, and though my absorption rate of nature's spiritual energy has vastly increased compared to the Foundation Establishment Stage, it is still inferior to cultivators with better Root Bone. If left to occur naturally, entering the Heart Movement Realm might extend from thirty to fifty years."

Lu Qingfeng pondered.

To normal Spirit Void Practitioners, this might be a fortunate delay, allowing ample time for trials and tempering of the mind. However, for Lu Qingfeng, especially the real-life Lu Qingfeng, thirty to fifty years was much too long.

"Fortunately, this process can be accelerated using Spirit Stones and Elixir Pills."

The Fasting Realm is merely a process of accumulation.

Both Spirit Stones and Elixir Pills can speed up this accumulation process.

"After completing Foundation Establishment and advancing onward from Spirit Void, it's better to mainly cultivate with Spirit Stones and avoid consuming Elixir Pills that directly enhance cultivation levels; use Elixir Pills only as an aid for breaking through barriers."

Although Lu Qingfeng had never reached the Spirit Void Stage in his previous life, he had many friends within the Spirit Void Realm back in Fufeng Mountain. Through exchanges, he had no shallow understanding of the Spirit Void Realm.

This life was an opportune moment to utilize that knowledge.

...