Wu Tie leaned against the wall and sat at the base of it.
Lao Tie burst into laughter beside him. Unlike before when he didn't speak, this time Lao Tie opened his mouth and his two rows of big teeth constantly opened and closed, laughing loudly with a resounding voice.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha... Grandpa, I... am truly happy..."
"This shameless guy died in front of Grandpa..."
"Cultivation is profound, how amazing?"
"Strength is strong, how amazing?"
"Position is high, how amazing?"
"Ha, ha, ha, ha... Dead!"
Lao Tie's jaw opened and closed, his entire head shaking, his laughter echoing throughout the hall, particularly eerie.
Wu Tie turned his head to look at Lao Tie, observing his hysterical laughter.
After a long while, Wu Tie gently said, "Actually, you're sad, aren't you?"
The laughter abruptly stopped, and Lao Tie tightly sealed his mouth. Electric currents flowed on his big tooth, and Lao Tie coldly said, "Kid, stop talking nonsense. I don't have a heart... how can I be sad?"
Wu Tie patted Lao Tie's head. "But you are sad, right?"
Lao Tie stubbornly said, "I am very happy."
Wu Tie immediately prodded him, "If you don't have a heart, how can you be happy? So, deep down, you're still sad, right?"
Blood glimmered in Lao Tie's eyes, and then all thirty-two of his big white teeth simultaneously emitted a strand of electric light, crackling against Wu Tie's thigh.
Wu Tie howled in pain, convulsing as he fell to the ground, his long hair standing on end, countless tiny electric sparks jumping between his hair, making a crisp sound.
"Do you still want revenge?" Lao Tie asked in a chilly tone.
"Yes!" Wu Tie clenched his teeth and stood up despite the pain coursing through his muscles.
"If you want revenge, then you have to listen to me," Lao Tie said, enunciating each word. "Even if I say that dog shit smells better than red dates and goji berries stewed with an old mother hen, you have to believe it!"
"What is a dog?" Wu Tie was confused. "Red dates? Goji berries? Old mother hen?"
Lao Tie fell silent for a moment. Once again, electric light emanated from his thirty-two perfectly aligned teeth, crisp and neat as it struck Wu Tie's thigh.
"Heh, unruly child," Lao Tie said with a cold tone. "Discipline breeds a filial son. This is truly a well-known saying, it's practically a universal truth!" Lao Tie laughed gleefully while one eye fixed on Wu Tie, the other turned towards the crystal ball where Yang Jian was, remaining frozen for a long period of time.
"Tsk... Grandpa doesn't have a heart... how can I be sad? I don't have that function..." Wu Tie convulsed on the ground, while Lao Tie muttered to himself in a low voice, "Emotions, what a damn thing!"
Wu Tie stood up trembling, this time choosing to keep quiet.
This guy Lao Tie had too many means and he didn't hold back, even disregarding the fact that he was just a child. Wu Tie was afraid of him.
"Pick me up and head to that door over there," Lao Tie said coldly. "Kid, it's about your luck now."
Wu Tie's body stiffened for a moment, then he picked up Lao Tie and carried him towards the opposite wall.
If there was what Lao Tie mentioned, the treasure that could enhance his cultivation efficiency, Wu Tie would soon have enough power to seek revenge, right?
If not...
Would it take twenty years to complete foundation building?
Wu Tie shivered and quickened his pace. His enemies would have died of old age, how could he wait such a long time?
The door opened.
An equally desolate white metallic hall.
The hall was extremely spacious, with only a few scattered items emanating a strange crystal light as if they were crafted from crystal. Besides these objects, the hall was several times larger than the rooms outside, with not even a speck of dust on the ground.
"Ah... Oh..." Lao Tie murmured. "Kid, good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear?"
Wu Tie's heart spasmed, and he hoarsely inquired, "What is the bad news?"
"The foundation-building elixir is not here," Lao Tie straightforwardly stated. "Should be correct, this is the last batch of urgently reserved Ancient Divine Army Camp... so, there are many resources that should have been allocated here, as you can see, they are empty."
Snorting, Lao Tie cursed, "Even this Ancient Divine Army Camp itself is incomplete... it doesn't even know what it has in its own storage. I don't know what purpose it serves either."
No foundation-building elixir?
'Foundation-building elixir'!
Wu Tie remembered this name, it was the treasure that could accelerate his cultivation speed and rapidly increase his strength.
"Without it... what about me?" Wu Tie's body wavered.
"The good news is, someone delivered a set of alchemical instruments here," Lao Tie directed Wu Tie to carry him to a peculiar instrument that was several meters tall, wide, and covered in a thick layer of white transparent crystal.
"With sufficient materials, it can refine the foundation-building elixir," Lao Tie said. "As for the formulas, I have them... how should I put it, as the ninth generation medical and nursing type Ancient Divine Army, Bin Que, I still possess some basic data."
With a peculiar tone, Lao Tie continued, "All the materials can be found outside. Along the way, I've already discovered many."
"But... the most important ingredient..." Before Wu Tie could express his joy, Lao Tie's use of 'but' caused his heart to hang in the air. "I can help you gather all the necessary materials for one portion of the foundation-building elixir. After that, it's up to you."
"Up to me?" Wu Tie's body twitched. He still didn't understand what he would face and curiously asked Lao Tie, "What is the most important ingredient?"
"Flesh and blood!" Lao Tie said one word at a time. "The blood and flesh of the poisonous snakes, lizards, spiders, snails, cave rats, bats, and insects outside... about a thousand jin of flesh and blood can be used to create one portion of the foundation-building elixir."
"Flesh and blood?" Wu Tie shuddered.
A thousand jin of flesh and blood in exchange for one portion of the foundation-building elixir, he felt that the machine in front of him had become much more sinister and terrifying.
"What do you think?" Lao Tie retorted. "What do you think foundation building is? Foundation building is forging a perfect body, laying the most perfect foundation for future cultivation. What does a perfect body need? It needs nutrition and energy!"
"The foundation-building elixir provides the purest nutrition and the most active energy, stimulating your body to perfectly absorb these nutrients and energy, coordinating with the foundation-building style to transform your body into the most perfect state," Lao Tie quickly explained. "Therefore, flesh and blood is equal to the foundation-building elixir. Do you have any problems with that?"
Wu Tie shook his head.
He understood Lao Tie's words.
Because Huo Fu-zi told him that his father and older brother never wasted even a crumb of food. Their strong physique and extraordinary power relied on large amounts of food to provide enough energy.
"Flesh and blood is equal to the foundation-building elixir, I understand," Wu Tie clenched his fist, firmly memorizing it in his heart. One thousand jin of flesh and blood, combined with other materials, could be used to refine one portion of the foundation-building elixir.
Two hours later, Wu Tie struggled to climb out of the deep pit while carrying Lao Tie.
Red lights constantly flashed in the midst of mushroom clusters and ferns. The red light emitted from Lao Tie's eyes was alarmingly lethal, easily killing numerous creatures.
In just a short quarter of an hour, Lao Tie had accurately killed enough prey to obtain one thousand jin of flesh and blood. Wu Tie breathed heavily as he shuttled back and forth numerous times, finally delivering these creatures back to the hall where the alchemical instrument was located.
Accompanying the delivery were the other materials required to refine the foundation-building elixir.
Three types of moss with different colors.
Seven types of clearly poisonous mushrooms.
Two types of ferns known to cause severe consequences when consumed.
In addition, there were a few drops of venom extracted from the fangs of a black ringed snake, a sac from a venomous spider, and the narcotic saliva of two misty grey spiders.
When these strange materials, along with the one thousand jin of prey, were poured into the alchemical instrument, a white light enveloped the entire apparatus. In a split second, accompanied by a faint 'ding' sounded, a small door on the side of the instrument slid open.
A tray slowly extended, and a half cup of thick green liquid emitted a pungent smell within the transparent crystal cup on the tray.
This was the foundation-building elixir.
Wu Tie eagerly stared at the foundation-building elixir.
It represented hope for rapid cultivation, rapid growth in strength, and the power for Wu Tie to seek revenge against his enemies.
"Dad... Older brother..." Wu Tie clenched his fist, his body trembling intensely.
Lao Tie was set down by Wu Tie, and upon seeing Wu Tie's appearance, he dryly chuckled. "Although I know I'm a bit shameless... I can't help but say..."
"Kid, the prey can be put directly inside... heh, without being cleaned, their fur, organs, and other filthy things... heh heh, drinking it requires some courage!"
Wu Tie lowered his head and looked at Lao Tie, then picked up the crystal cup. In one gulp, he drank the foundation-building elixir.
Viscous, slippery, and emitting a strong aroma.
Once the foundation-building elixir entered his oral cavity, a portion was quickly absorbed by the mucous membranes of his mouth. In his throat, even more of the elixir was rapidly absorbed. In the time it took to breathe once, the half cup of elixir, weighing less than one liang, was completely absorbed by his body.
A faint heat surged through his oral cavity, throat, and abdomen, spreading throughout his entire body.
His skin began to redden, and Wu Tie could clearly feel the increase in his strength. Even his breath became increasingly scorching.
"Foundation building, forging a perfect physical foundation..."
"What defines a perfect physical foundation? Strength, physique, agility, spirit."
"That means strength must be large, vitality must be strong, speed must be fast, and energy must be abundant."
"Bloody essence condenses primordial energy, primordial energy transforms gang energy, and gang energy fills the body..." Lao Tie laughed. "I've heard you mention the level of your cultivation at home... you guys are a group of useless grandsons... this level of division is no different from when I was young, right?"
While laughing, bloody light emitted from Lao Tie's eyes, a large mass of light enclosing him, and a person clad in white tight-fitting armor appeared once again.
"Foundation-building style, first form, begin!" A sweet and gentle female voice resounded, and the white figure moved.
Wu Tie instinctively followed the movements of the white figure and began performing the actions, striking one by one. The movement was gentle and harmonious, full of a natural and harmonious charm. The female voice had a unique rhythm, and Wu Tie unconsciously followed the rhythm of the voice, entering into a rhythmic pattern of breathing.
One breath in, one breath out...
The heat flowing from the foundation-building elixir followed Wu Tie's movements, gently spreading to every corner of his body.
Like a spring rain, nourishing things silently.
Like flowing mercury, reaching every minute crevice.
Gentle, slow, but meticulous, without any dead angles.
A human body consists of 206 bones, 639 muscles, and nearly six billion muscle fibers. When every nerve in the body is connected, it stretches nearly four million li...
Wu Tie's family inherited the "Heavenly Breaking Fist," which was tyrannical and fierce, training at an extremely fast pace, but it could only exercise dozens of specific bones and a hundred or so muscles.
The foundation-building style, gentle and relaxing, encompassed a total of 1,200 different postures and movements, but it could perfectly mobilize the entire body, exercising every detail of the body.
"The foundation-building style... theoretically the most perfect foundation-building method... it's just that it's too slow... unfortunately, it's too slow..." Lao Tie looked at Wu Tie, who was drenched in sweat, his skin burning crimson. Lao Tie muttered in a low voice, "However... we are not short on time, huh, kid?"
"If you can build the foundation perfectly, why not gamble?" Lao Tie laughed. "I had already despaired... lying in that dirt pile without seeing anyone for so many years... I thought that all hope was completely lost. I didn't expect... you would be sent here..."
"I never believed in gods, in fate... but now, my standpoint has wavered a little."
"You made me struggle out of despair... I've experienced that kind of despair, so why not take a gamble?"
"Although it's just a theory... I choose to believe it..."
"As long as you can build the foundation perfectly..."
"You must build the foundation perfectly... I... want to take a gamble."
The melodious and soft female voice echoed in the hall as the foundation-building style continued, becoming increasingly gentle and slow, with each movement holding for longer.
Wu Tie's body gradually began to emit a trembling sound of tendons and bones. His body subtly adjusted itself, slowly approaching some kind of 'most perfect physical form.'
This would be an extremely long and arduous process.
The foundation-building elixir was still exerting its effects.
Sweat continuously dripped down, and blue electric light flickered on the white metallic floor. Drops of sweat that reached the ground disappeared instantly, and the floor remained spotlessly clean.
Wu Tie breathed at a slow pace, and the breath he exhaled was faintly grey, carrying a pungent smell.
The foundation-building style gradually evolved to the one-hundred and eighth form.
This movement elegantly stretched like a bow, lying sideways on the ground with only the left elbow and left heel touching the ground.
Wu Tie maintained this position, his spine subtly resembling a nimble snake. He kept this posture and eventually fell asleep.
The one-hundred and eighth form was his limit.
The foundation-building elixir had completely diffused throughout his body, nourishing every minute detail of his body.
Full one thousand jin of flesh and blood, in addition to other materials, provided the essential nutrients for Wu Tie's body, weighing less than sixty jin.
Crack...
Slight sounds came from Wu Tie's body, and his muscles and bones subtly trembled. The potent vitality in the abundant nutrients stimulated the growth of his muscles.
The foundation-building style's exceptionally peculiar postures ensure that these muscles can maintain their best form.
Lao Tie's eyes no longer emitted red light, and he silently waited while propping himself up on the ground.
"Grandpa... is very patient..."