"What is Foundation Establishment? Since you have all achieved it, you must know, but it is the act of laying a foundation. If the Qi Refining Stage is to prove one's qualification for Cultivation, then Foundation Establishment is to prove that qualification and build a foundation for true cultivation."
Therefore, in a sense, a cultivator in the Qi Refining Stage could not be called a true cultivator. This was because the spiritual energy used in the Qi Refining Stage was ultimately the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
Although it was slightly refined by the cultivator, the difference was like that between an apple covered in dirt and one washed with water. On the other hand, a Foundation Establishment cultivator uses spiritual power. What is spiritual power?
It is the result of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth being fundamentally changed by a cultivator's spiritual nature and will. Spiritual power is not only much stronger than spiritual energy, but it is also deeply imbued with the cultivator's unique color.
Various factors, such as the cultivator's state of mind, the cultivation techniques they trained in, and the spiritual root they possessed, combine to form this color. This color could manifest distinctly or faintly, as if it were barely there.
"Let me put it this way. Think of achieving Foundation Establishment as preparing a white canvas. Now that you have the canvas, shouldn't you each start painting a picture in your own way?"
That picture could be a single line, a landscape painting, or a chaotic mess that one couldn't tell was a painting or a scribble. It could also be a solid, dark black, or it could be so colorful it hurts the eyes.
"What I want to advise you is not to mistake carelessness for simplicity. It's normal for it to be difficult, so even if you linger at the threshold for ten years, it is not too late."
When Woo Do-baek finished his lesson, Yeo Jang-gyeong and Choi Ju-tang bowed politely.
"We will keep it in mind."
"Thank you for your teachings."
From a distance, one could see the whole picture at a glance, but up close, one could see it in more detail. In terms of cultivation depth, Woo Do-baek was no match for Yoo Gye-yoon, but Yeo Jang-gyeong and Choi Ju-tang felt they gained more than when they were taught by Yoo Gye-yoon.
"Senior. I would also like to ask for your teachings."
Jaekyung spoke for the first time. At that, not only Woo Do-baek but also Yeo Jang-gyeong and Choi Ju-tang reacted with surprise.
"I am ignorant about the Cultivation of spirit beasts. If it is something like last time, I can give you some simple advice."
Something like last time referred to the Aura Concealment Art. He meant he could offer advice on miscellaneous skills that could be used even by non-humans. However, that was not what Jaekyung was curious about.
"Senior. As you know, as a spirit beast, I can raise my cultivation just by consuming blood and flesh to grow my vital energy. My current cultivation was also obtained that way."
"Mm. A truly enviable ability."
"But recently, the rise in my cultivation has become sluggish. Even if I eat more spirit beasts than before, I don't feel my vital energy increasing."
Actually, he did feel it. Like a turtle crawling.
"Hmm. A cultivation bottleneck for a spirit beast. As I said, I know nothing about the Cultivation of the demon races or spirit beasts. So, take what I say with a grain of salt."
"The cultivation method you mentioned is the same as what I knew."
"Most spirit beasts' Cultivation emphasizes the physical body. It is similar to the physique-focused cultivators of the human race, but much more ferocious."
The majority of human cultivators train their spiritual power based on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, so they are called dharma cultivators. On the other hand, a small number of cultivators train their physical bodies based on vital energy; they are called physique-focused cultivators.
"To be able to absorb an opponent's vital energy through blood and flesh. I guarantee you, it's an ability that physique-focused cultivators dream of even in their sleep. Since spirit beasts have such an ability from birth, I think no spirit beast needs to complain about lacking an innate gift."
What was the biggest difficulty that physique-focused cultivators faced in their Cultivation? The pain during the cultivation process? Those who walk the path of a physique-focused cultivator are generally people who have steeled themselves to face pain.
To them, pain is a growing pain, and what cultivator in the world would fear growth? What they truly feared was a bottleneck in their cultivation. While no cultivator wouldn't fear a bottleneck, the one faced by physique-focused cultivators was different in nature from the bottlenecks of dharma cultivators.
If the bottlenecks of dharma cultivators were mainly related to their mental state or enlightenment, the bottlenecks of physique-focused cultivators were related to the limits of the human species. Just as spirit beasts could not match the wisdom and numbers of humans, humans could not match the powerful bodies of spirit beasts.
Of course, nothing in the world is absolute, and since the goal of Cultivation is originally transcendence, it is possible to overcome such limitations through Cultivation. But if a limit was something that could be easily overcome with mere words, would it be called a limit?
For physique-focused cultivators to raise their realm, they needed not only their own painstaking efforts but also vast cultivation resources. These cultivation resources were mostly things that supplemented or increased vital energy, and resources of this kind were quite valuable due to their rarity.
Considering that ordinary dharma cultivators could not obtain even a single decent cultivation resource and had no choice but to rely on their own talent and will to continue their Cultivation, one could see what a well-fed bunch these physique-focused cultivators were.
Talent was important, but before that, one couldn't even begin training without money, so physique-focused cultivators were often the rising stars of their sects or members of a cultivation family. Only with a solid background that could secure the resources needed for Cultivation could one stand at the starting line of being a physique-focused cultivator.
Considering this, spirit beasts had a huge advantage. Spirit beasts that could absorb an opponent's vital energy through blood and flesh could, in theory, all be called natural-born physique-focused cultivators. Moreover, the bodies of most spirit beasts were incomparably stronger than those of humans, so it was not easy for physique-focused cultivators to close that gap through training.
From this alone, one could see that the path of a physique-focused cultivator was not an easy one. To put it elegantly, it was not easy, but in reality, it was no exaggeration to call it a path of thorns.
Therefore, some argued that being a physique-focused cultivator was a training method that was unsuitable for humans in the first place. On the other hand, some others argued the opposite, that being a physique-focused cultivator was the most ideal training method to compensate for human imperfection.
Both arguments had their own basis, so this issue remained without a clear conclusion to this day. But putting aside the various hardships of Cultivation, being a physique-focused cultivator was clearly attractive, so cultivators wanted to train in physique-focused cultivation techniques if they could.
There were not a few who boasted of walking the path of both dharma and physique cultivation. Of course, most of them were nobodies not even worth calling dregs, but the very few genuine ones were all recognized as powerful experts.
"Let's get back to the main point. To have grown steadily through blood and flesh until now and then suddenly hit a bottleneck is certainly strange. From what I've heard, spirit beasts can steadily increase their cultivation through blood and flesh alone until they reach the threshold of a Great Spirit Beast."
Woo Do-baek added that he had heard this story from a sect cultivator friend, in case Jaekyung had any doubts. The Immortal Path sects of the human race often captured and raised spirit beasts under the pretext of being sect-protecting spiritual beasts or mountain-protecting spiritual beasts, and thanks to that, they were rich in various knowledge about spirit beasts.
"Then why am I..."
"The most likely possibility is that your body has reached its limit. Even a spirit beast cannot absorb vital energy indefinitely. If that were not the case, wouldn't the demon races have conquered the Azure Abyss Realm long ago?"
What Woo Do-baek said was a possibility Jaekyung had also thought of, one he really did not want to admit.
A limit?
Of course, he would hit a limit someday.
But already?
He hadn't even become a Great Spirit Beast, and it was already his limit? Wasn't that too early? Had the hardship of the Immortal Path already come for him?
Was it because he hadn't inherited a spirit beast's bloodline, because he was born an ordinary snake? Just as Jaekyung's insides were about to boil over, Woo Do-baek's words continued.
"And another possibility is..."
Woo Do-baek hesitated slightly and asked.
"How old are you?"
"Pardon?"
Jaekyung was so flustered by the sudden question that he was momentarily at a loss for words. In the Garden of Remembrance, asking about personal matters was an implicit taboo. Woo Do-baek would not be unaware of that, so this question must have some meaning...
'Ah.'
A thought flashed through Jaekyung's mind.
"Don't misunderstand. The reason I asked your age is that I've heard that some spirit beasts with slow physical growth sometimes experience a plateau because their body's growth can't keep up with the growth of their vital energy. What if your body has not yet fully grown, while your vital energy has increased excessively...?"
Jaekyung hesitated, not knowing how to answer, and then replied that he didn't know. He said the time he spent as a beast was not short, and he was so preoccupied with survival that he failed to perceive the flow of time. It was a poor excuse, but surprisingly, it worked well.
'That could happen.' Woo Do-baek was convinced. He was from a mountain sect, and his background was ordinary.
However, this 'ordinary' was by the standards of the majority of human cultivators, and among Foundation Establishment stage cultivators like himself, his standing was rather humble. Having had to build his cultivation through countless competitions, both overt and covert, since his Qi Refining Stage, he knew well how simple a person's thoughts could become in extreme situations.
The flow of time? In the midst of struggling tooth and nail just to not die, where would one find the leisure to feel such a thing? Stories of entering a secret realm by mistake, going through hell, and coming out to find that several decades had passed were not uncommon in the cultivation world.
"This is all I know. I regret that I don't seem to have been of much help."
"Not at all."
Jaekyung had a gloomy expression. However, it was something he had deliberately feigned; his inner heart was filled with joy and hope.
When Woo Do-baek asked how old he was, Jaekyung's mind snapped to attention. 'Why didn't I think of that?' Actually, it wasn't that he had never thought about it.
He had thought about his age a few times before. It was mostly being surprised by how large his body had become for his age, or wondering at what age his growth would stop... but now he realized it once again. 'My body hasn't fully grown yet.'
The evidence was his parents. His parents, whom he first saw at the entrance of the cave where he was born, looked to be at least 50 meters long. In contrast, he was now only a little over 30 meters.
If becoming a spirit beast did not affect his physical growth, he could still grow at least another 20 meters. And if it did, in other words, if becoming a spirit beast affected his physical growth, then his future growth limit was difficult to gauge. 'Do I have no choice but to wait?'
Jaekyung was drawn to the second possibility Woo Do-baek had mentioned. He wanted to believe it, but he also felt there was some truth to it. Looking back, he had run too fast until now.
Jaekyung was no longer a naive beast who knew nothing about the cultivation world. Although there was a difference in species, he knew well that his growth rate was abnormal. If he revealed his true age, no one, including Woo Do-baek, would believe him.
'Let's think of it as taking a brief pause.' As he freed himself a little from the frustration and fear that his Immortal Path might end here, a sense of ease returned to his heart.
Then, as if an outside breeze had blown into a space that had been sealed for days, his state of mind was refreshed, and a certain spiritual sense welled up. 'Being fast is good, but getting too used to being fast might not be.' As long as you don't stop, it's okay to be slow.
It was a thought he had in the past. He had just forgotten it at some point. It seemed he had only now truly and fully understood its meaning.
Perhaps even this current realization was just a temporary illusion, not a complete one, but Jaekyung thought that even if that were the case, it didn't matter. After all, this small spiritual sense had allowed him to take another step forward. Getting used to speed is no different from an addiction.
Since no one can be fast forever, it inevitably gives rise to impatience and induces mistakes. 'Right now, I have no reason or need to be impatient.' Why didn't he know that?
The ones currently occupying the territory, the ones wandering alone, even Cheong-o and Mook-soo. Not one of them had not lived longer than him. And yet, he was not satisfied and burned with frustration, looking at those at the top and wondering why he was so slow.
Of course, Cultivation is not something you do while looking at others, but for the same reason, there is no need to grit your teeth while looking at others. Whether this was enlightenment, a shift in perspective, or a well-packaged mental victory, Jaekyung recognized that at this moment, his state of mind had taken a great leap forward.
And whether it was his imagination, he felt that the formless wall that had been firmly blocking him for some time had receded a little. 'State of mind. Is this state of mind?'
He had heard the senior cultivators of the Twilight Gathering emphasize the importance of the state of mind several times, but until now, he had only known that the state of mind was reflected in one's spirit; this was the first time he had felt its influence on his Cultivation. Does the state of the heart affect one's cultivation realm?
But he hadn't learned cultivation techniques like human cultivators, he had only grown his vital energy by repeating blood and flesh consumption. Was there a part for the state of mind to influence even here? 'Maybe it's because I'm not an ordinary spirit beast.'
A human soul, a human heart. A human spirit. But what it inhabited was the body of a demon race.
The shell was of the demon races, but the core was the same as a human's; he was certainly a different being from an ordinary demon race member. Was that why his cultivation process was also different? Jaekyung suddenly thought of the demon race seniors in the Garden of Remembrance.
The perception of them within the Garden of Remembrance was not very good. When he asked for the reason, the answer that came back was that the minds of those demon race seniors were unstable. Thinking about it now, that was no different from saying they were like the demon races.
Impulsive and fickle, their state of mind was not peaceful. 'Have they completely become members of the demon races?' If so, was it their choice?
If it was a choice, why did they make such a choice? Could it be that they too had experienced cultivation difficulties like him? So, in order to advance faster, did they decide to accept the identity of the demon races more deeply?
As he became more and more engrossed in his own wild speculation, Jaekyung soon scoffed at himself. In any case, he had found his own path. Also, he had no thought of denying himself now.
So, whatever those seniors were like, it didn't matter, and there was no need to care. 'I am me, and they are them.' Jaekyung uncoiled his body and rose.
Although he had been in one position for a long time, he did not feel the slightest bit of stiffness. On the contrary, he was filled with a refreshing feeling, as if he had just woken up from a deep sleep.
'Hmm?'
Leaving his nest and heading for the surface of the water, Jaekyung sharpened his senses at a subtle, hard-to-describe feeling of wrongness. Then, he felt a presence approaching silently from behind.
"Jaekyung!"
Jaekyung, who was about to lunge with killing intent, flinched at the familiar voice.
"How is it? How is it?"
He relaxed the strength he had gathered and turned his body to see Cheong-o staring at him with eyes that were begging for praise.
"Aura Concealment Art?"
"Yeah. How is it? Amazing, right?"
"It is amazing."
Although it had taken quite a while, this level of achievement was certainly amazing enough. In fact, Jaekyung had been on the verge of giving up hope that Cheong-o would ever be able to learn the Aura Concealment Art.
"So, are we doing it now?"
"We have to."
The eyes of the snake and the crow glittered with anticipation.