Longevity through Upgrading Buildings

Chapter 761 - 320: Fake Pill Realm; Level 3 [Beehive]_2

He kept his eyes tightly closed.

Unsure of how much time had passed, the numbers he had been guarding on the stone wall in front of him, which he couldn’t see, finally shifted silently.

["Canglan Nine Tribulations Sword Manual"]

[Proficiency: 100/100]

reached 100.

Thus, the Foundation Establishment was complete.

Ji Yuan suddenly emitted a strong wave of Spiritual Qi, and the mana in his Dantian seemed to encounter a great power, instantly collapsing.

"Condense... for me!"

Ji Yuan formed a hand seal, mobilizing his cultivation, and instantly, the mana in his Dantian seemed to diminish... slightly.

’Damn it, isn’t it said that the first compression can at least reduce it by two to three-tenths?’

’How come for me, not even a tenth is gone!’

Though angry at heart, Ji Yuan naturally understood the specific reason... those numerous Tri-colored Spirit Eggs weren’t eaten in vain.

Eating the eggs brought momentary pleasure.

Breaking through meant facing the crematorium.

That’s exactly how Ji Yuan felt now.

Consuming so many Tri-colored Spirit Eggs led his mana to not only surpass that of same-tier cultivators, but the purity was also incomparable to ordinary cultivators.

As a result, wanting to compress and condense it into a solid Golden Core was naturally not that simple.

... If one attempt fails, then try again!

Sweat dotted Ji Yuan’s forehead as he activated his cultivation technique again, performing a second compression on his internal mana.

Next came the third time.

Then the fourth.

...

A day passed, and Ji Yuan couldn’t recall what number he was on.

All he knew now was that he felt numb.

His only thought was gratitude, gratitude that he had undergone Body Refinement.

If not for the strong physique as a foundation, this "iron-forging-like" compression method wouldn’t have allowed him to persist even ten times before giving up.

And this is the reason most cultivators are trapped at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Spending half a lifetime and condensing a Fake Pill is already considered a great fortune.

Cultivation technique, luck, physique, talent, spirit root, aptitude... each of these limitations is a stumbling block, a roadblock on this path of cultivation.

Ji Yuan considered his cultivation technique decent, luck fair, and physique acceptable.

As for the rest... there’s no need to mention them.

Now, he relied entirely on his exceptionally strong physique to repeatedly compress the mana in his Dantian.

Like now, while restraining the mana in his Dantian, he gained a brief respite.

But soon, the sensation of swelling returned to his Dantian, and he dared not wait any longer, turning to internal vision and continuing the compression.

At this moment, within his Dantian.

The original ocean of mana had disappeared, replaced by a large water-blue Spirit Ball floating in midair.

If a proper Golden Core is the size of an egg, then Ji Yuan’s Spirit Ball now is about the size of a fist.

The task is challenging and distant!

Nonetheless, Ji Yuan retained a faint hope in his heart, what if, just what if luck favored him, and he formed the Golden Core in one go?

Directly skip over the Fake Pill Realm, becoming a legitimate Core Formation Cultivator.

However, rumors say that Earth Spirit Roots rarely have such fortune, though their time in the Fake Pill Realm is brief; after forming a Fake Pill, it doesn’t take ten years before they break through again, becoming Core Formation Stage cultivators.

The remaining True Spirit Roots linger longer in the Fake Pill Realm.

As for Pseudo Spirit Roots... Ji Yuan had not gathered much information.

Because those who form cores with Pseudo Spirit Roots are exceedingly rare.

Not to mention core formation, even reaching Foundation Establishment with Pseudo Spirit Roots is daunting, let alone advancing from the initial stage to the peak.

Even for Ji Yuan... this time he truly experienced the difficulties of core formation.

Frankly speaking, if it weren’t for his body cultivation reaching the Bone Forging Realm, today he wouldn’t stand a chance of entering this Fake Pill Realm; after just two or three compressions, he would have had to give up.

Regarding the subsequent core formation... without the Pill Essence Fruit, he wouldn’t dare attempt it at all.

And the one he currently holds is considered Ji Yuan’s ace in the hole.

If the Fake Pill doesn’t work out, he plans to consume this Pill Essence Fruit first, ensuring his cultivation advances to the Fake Pill stage no matter what.

Beyond that, it would be dealt with later.

Thus, another hour passed.

Strong as Ji Yuan’s physique at the Bone Forging Realm, even he was struggling to endure the pressure of this breakthrough, feeling that if he continued compressing and couldn’t form a Fake Pill, his Dantian would be on the brink of destruction.

’No way, resources left unused will only benefit others; only when converted into strength will they be truly mine!’

With this thought, Ji Yuan took out the Pill Essence Fruit from his Storage Bag.

The moment the Spirit Fruit appeared, its exotic fragrance filled the entire stone chamber.

After inhaling just a whiff, Ji Yuan felt all the fatigue from the breakthrough melt away, and with a second sniff, the swelling pain in his Dantian alleviated considerably.

Holding the Pill Essence Fruit near his mouth, he was about to swallow it whole.

Yet before he could, he noticed a disturbance in the mana within his Dantian!

He promptly inhaled deeply from the Pill Essence Fruit, then quickly stored it away, internally focusing on his Dantian.

Only to see in the center of the Spirit Ball, still half the size of a fist, a faint water-blue Spirit Pill had appeared.

The mana had transformed into a solid state, forming an illusionary Golden Core.

The originally turbulent mana seemed to be subdued by the Golden Core, stabilizing.

"So, I’ve finally entered the Fake Pill Realm?"

As Ji Yuan felt joy in his heart, he attempted further compression, wanting to absorb the remaining mana into the Fake Pill, aiming for the Fake Pill to reach completeness and naturally transform into a Golden Core.