Having succeeded with this Stone Octopus, Li Chen immediately pursued this line of research further, beginning to attempt modifications on creatures with lower cultivation and weaker bodies.
Modifications involving the blood essence factor had to proceed gradually, like climbing a ladder to heaven, ascending step by step.
Often, the lower the creatures one could work with, the greater one's mastery.
Turning an ordinary mortal into a Core Formation expert was what truly showed ability; modifying a powerful strange beast already at the peak of the tenth level of Foundation Establishment did not.
Still, now that he had reached foundation establishment peak, extending the process to foundation establishment late stage, foundation establishment middle stage, and early foundation establishment would no longer pose a problem.
Li Chen had already mastered modification spells that could raise ordinary living beings to Foundation Establishment, so he integrated these two major modification methods, piecing together a complete ladder to heaven that stretched from the first level of Qi Refining to the Core Formation realm.
Just then, the Auxiliary Brain alerted Li Chen: "An external message has arrived. Connect?"
Li Chen's communication Waymarker was not widely known. Anyone able to contact him would either be from allied factions such as the Golden Sun Gate, or fellow cultivators with whom he had personal ties, such as Qi Maigu and Dong Pengfei.
Thus, he immediately chose to connect.
Sure enough, when he briefly closed his eyes and opened them again, Qi Maigu's figure appeared before him.
The newly appointed elder of the Golden Sun Gate wore a faint smile as he asked, "Fellow Daoist Li, it has been a few days. How is your research into the mysteries of life progressing?"
Li Chen said, "I have successfully mastered the Five-Star Modification Art!"
Qi Maigu was startled, a trace of