"Foundation Establishment is the building of the Dao foundation for the Great Dao of immortality. It is tempering the physical body to refine its mortal substance."
"The six senses become empty and still. The form is refined into qi, and the five qi return to the origin."
"The three yang gather at the crown, and when the art is perfected, the form is forgotten. The immortal fetus transforms on its own, yin is exhausted and yang becomes pure, resulting in a body outside the body."
"Only then can one shed their mortal coil and ascend to immortality, transcending the mundane to enter the sacred. From then on, they join the ranks of immortals, leaving the mortal world behind."
Inside the cave residence, Lu Yang sat upright on a Meditation Cushion, silently comprehending.
"For the step of Foundation Establishment, different cultivation techniques have different descriptions. But regardless of which one, when it comes to the actual practice, the steps are not all that different."
That is, to use one's own True Qi as the foundation to lift the Sea of Consciousness, refining the form to ascend. For example, the Nine Transformations Dragon Transformation Art he cultivated could, upon Perfection, refine a third-grade True Qi, the 'True Dragon Killing Qi'.
And the subsequent Foundation Establishment technique, the Myriad Chariots Dragon-Riding Ascension Precious Scroll, clearly explained how to use the True Dragon Killing Qi to complete the refinement of form and ascension. From this, one could see the importance of the grade of one's True Qi.
If the grade of one's True Qi was insufficient, one would either be unable to lift the Sea of Consciousness, or their strength and qi would be exhausted halfway through the ascension, causing them to fall with a crash, leaving not even a corpse to be buried. The entire process of Foundation Establishment was just such a path of ascension.
And the end of this path of ascension was the 'Foundation Establishment Realm'. Seeing this, Lu Yang couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "The Foundation Establishment Realm, the Foundation Establishment Realm... so it doesn't refer to a realm of cultivation, but an actual place!" That being said, ascension was only the first step.
After a cultivator lifted their Sea of Consciousness and completely ascended into the Foundation Establishment Realm, they had to begin building their own Dao foundation to ensure they could remain in the Foundation Establishment Realm. This was another great hurdle.
Even if an ordinary cultivator completed the step of ascension, they would have mostly exhausted their own foundation, resulting in them only being able to barely construct a shaky Dao foundation. The result would be an unstable Dao foundation that could not withstand the pressure of the Foundation Establishment Realm and would collapse with a crash.
Failing the ascension might still leave a hope of survival, but if the Dao foundation collapsed, the cultivator themself would undoubtedly die. Luo Wuya had likely fallen at this very stage.
One must know that when a cultivator ascends to the Foundation Establishment Realm and begins to build their Dao foundation, besides needing a solid cultivation foundation, they would also birth endless demonic thoughts out of thin air.
If their Dao heart was not firm, and their mind was restless like an ape and their thoughts like a galloping horse, they would inevitably be influenced by the demonic thoughts. Then, no matter how deep their foundation, it would be of no use.
"Truly, every step is fraught with hardship."
After sorting out the process of breaking through to Foundation Establishment, Lu Yang committed the contents, secret arts, and various key points of the Myriad Chariots Dragon-Riding Ascension Precious Scroll firmly to memory. Immediately after, he took out the Ascension Token and channeled it in his palm.
In the next second, the Ascension Token transformed into a stream of light and flew into his Sea of Consciousness, illuminating his mind with clarity. His entire body felt as if it were about to drift away like an immortal. Closing both eyes, Lu Yang instantly entered a state of deep meditation.
Within his Dantian, a wisp of True Qi manifested, growing a horn, scales and claws, teeth, and whiskers... finally, it shockingly transformed into a vivid, lifelike true dragon.
Boom.
With a loud bang, this true dragon left his Dantian, traveled up through the Ren and Du meridians, passed the Crimson Palace, entered the Purple Mansion, and went straight into the depths of his Sea of Consciousness! Immediately after, Lu Yang felt a great heavenly light burst forth before his eyes.
His True Qi, which had originally been so vast it seemed endless, now poured out like water from an opened floodgate. It transformed into an indescribable, immense force, pushing his Sea of Consciousness to gradually ascend higher!
"Fortunately, I have this Ascension Token."
Lu Yang's mind was clear. Lifting the Sea of Consciousness into the void was no easy task. Originally, there should have been nine heavenly gates blocking the way, and breaking through each one would inevitably consume a great deal of primal energy.
However, with the aid of the Ascension Token bestowed by Daoist Master Yinshan, all nine heavenly gates were wide open. His path of ascension was thus unimpeded. And more importantly, he was not ascending from the very bottom.
"Because I have cultivated 'The Sage's Theft', I already possess a certain status. So, strictly speaking, I am actually starting my ascension from mid-air."
The journey of ascension was thus shortened by a small section. Don't look down on this small section; in reality, it could very well be the last straw that breaks the camel's back. It was impossible to know how much mental effort it had saved Lu Yang.
The Sage's Theft and the Ascension Token each resolved a type of tribulation for Lu Yang on his path of ascension. Meanwhile, the third-grade 'True Dragon Killing Qi' provided him with a sufficiently profound foundation, allowing him not to worry about exhausting his True Qi halfway.
Instead, he could proceed step by step, ascending all the way into the Foundation Establishment Realm. Just like that, an unknown amount of time passed. Lu Yang only felt the brilliant heavenly light before his eyes gradually dim, as if he had passed through a region.
An boundless land appeared within his vision. Lowering his head, Lu Yang actually saw himself. Besides that, he also saw Yin Mountain, the Primordial Saint Sect, the mountains, rivers, sun, and moon, as well as the teeming masses of living beings bustling about their lives.
Or in other words—the mortal affairs. He had seen this scene once before. At Skull Mountain, Daoist Master Yinshan had shown him a great battle between Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the sight had been just like this.
However, at that time, his true spirit had been unenlightened, and he couldn't see the appearance of the Foundation Establishment Daoist Masters at all. He could only see the magical light they radiated. If he had the chance to see it again, he should be able to see more clearly.
In fact, right now, he could see a figure sitting upright to the northwest, closest to him. That was Daoist Master Yinshan. The Dao foundation beneath him was a great black mountain.
Although it stretched for ten thousand miles, in the boundless Foundation Establishment Realm, it was minuscule to the extreme. At the same time, Daoist Master Yinshan also seemed to have discovered him. In the next second, a voice leisurely drifted over: "Focus your mind.
Do not be distracted." The voice was like the tinkling of a clear spring, pouring down and instantly washing away Lu Yang's sentimental thoughts. Only then did he realize with a start, "Demonic thoughts have invaded, stirring up my distracting thoughts!"
Thinking of this, Lu Yang dared not delay any longer and immediately focused his attention on the Foundation Establishment Realm. By now, The Sage's Theft, the Ascension Token, and the third-grade True Qi had all been used to their fullest extent. From here on, he could only rely on himself.
Lu Yang gathered his True Qi step by step and began to construct his Dao foundation. However, he soon discovered a problem.
"My True Qi is insufficient."
That momentary distraction just now had caused him to lose thirty percent of his True Qi out of thin air. This made his already limited True Qi even more scarce, making it difficult to continue. Lu Yang was helpless and could only reduce the scale of his Dao foundation.
The size of a Dao foundation often corresponded to a Foundation Establishment Daoist Master's potential, cultivation level, and the strength of their magical power. By reducing the scale, he was sacrificing his future prospects for the sake of a breakthrough.
He kept cutting it down until it was half of its original planned size, and only then was his True Qi barely enough. But in the next second, Lu Yang saw Daoist Master Yinshan, who was off to the side, suddenly rise to his feet. He strode towards him, letting out a sinister, cold laugh, "Jie jie jie."
"Not bad, not bad. The Dao foundation is built."
"My efforts to help you were not in vain. The Spiritual Treasure in my hands is currently lacking a Dao foundation to complete it. Junior Brother Lu, you truly have not disappointed me. You are excellent material!"
Before his voice had even faded, Daoist Master Yinshan reached out his hand! A familiar feeling, a familiar terror. Lu Yang had personally seen Daoist Master Yinshan make a move before.
The power the other party displayed at this moment was identical to his memory...
Wait, identical?
"That's not right!"
Lu Yang abruptly came to his senses. The Daoist Master Yinshan in his memory was dealing with the Old Ancestor of the Yun family. To deal with him, why would he need such a grand display?
A single glance would have been enough. This is fake! In the next second, Lu Yang's vision blurred.
When he looked again, the demonic thoughts had dispersed. Daoist Master Yinshan was still sitting upright in the same spot, only letting out a regretful sigh.
"Junior Brother, what a pity."
Lu Yang lowered his head in response, only to see that the Dao foundation he had just painstakingly built was already riddled with thousands of holes because he had been influenced by the demonic thoughts for a moment. Seeing this, Lu Yang could only give a helpless smile.
"How bitter."
Rumble!
Before his words had faded, the sound of the Dao foundation shattering resounded throughout the Foundation Establishment Realm. It even triggered a change in the celestial phenomena of the outside world. The wind howled mournfully, like the sound of heaven weeping.
As Lu Yang committed this experience firmly to his memory, he silently chanted in his heart: "Book of a Hundred Lives!"
(End of this chapter)