The Jade Capital Wheel Formed, Gaining Foundation Establishment Divine Sense Ahead of Time (Please Keep Reading!)

Ye Xiufan, who was circulating his cultivation, nearly sent his Qi astray. He forcibly suppressed the churning Qi in his Dantian.

"A Foundation Establishment Cultivation Method? And one that offers hope of Core Formation? Elder Jiang, is that true?!"

Under Elder Jiang's influence, he had also come to understand cultivation quite well.

Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation.

A heavenly chasm separated each major realm from the next. A Cultivation Method, talent, and resources were all indispensable, and of the three, a Cultivation Method was the hardest to obtain.

And now the Li Household, which Elder Jiang had described as "fallen on hard times after fleeing disaster," had casually handed out an introductory Cultivation Method that offered hope of Core Formation?

Elder Jiang clearly hadn't expected it either and was still in shock. He murmured:

"This Cultivation Method is utterly different from every one I have seen in my life. At the very start of drawing in Qi, it can actually refine Spiritual Qi on its own, stripping away all the other impure Qi and leaving only the water-aspected portion? How wondrous, how marvelous!"

A thought struck Ye Xiufan, and he hurriedly asked:

"It focuses on the water aspect? Elder Jiang, doesn't that mean even a False Spirit Root can achieve the same results as a Heavenly Spirit Root?"

Excitement entered Elder Jiang's voice as he said:

"Indeed. The Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth seems to be a seamless whole, but in truth it is a vast and complex mixture of Spiritual Qi of every attribute. When ordinary cultivators cultivate, they draw all this Spiritual Qi into their bodies indiscriminately, then refine the Spiritual Qi of the particular attributes their Dao Paths require. Most cultivators possess several kinds of Spirit Roots. These are what people commonly call Mixed Spirit Roots, or False Spirit Roots. Those with only a single Spirit Root have the Heavenly Spirit Roots that everyone envies."

Fearing Ye Xiufan wouldn't understand, he gave another example:

"Imagine a cultivator as a tree. The Spirit Roots are the tree's roots, and Spiritual Qi is the nourishment in the soil. If you wish to bear the Dao fruit of water arts, you must draw in enough water-aspected nourishment."

"The total number of roots is fixed at birth and cannot be changed. If you have a False Spirit Root, your roots are divided into several kinds. Some absorb the water aspect, some the fire aspect, and some the metal aspect. In the same amount of time, the nourishment you absorb is a jumble of all sorts, interfering with one another. Only two or three parts in ten can truly nourish the Dao fruit of water arts."

"But if you have a Heavenly Spirit Root, everything from your roots to your branches and leaves is purely of the water aspect. Cultivate for the same day, and you will draw in several times as much water-aspected nourishment as someone with a False Spirit Root. Naturally, you will grow faster and bear your Dao fruit sooner."

Excitement colored Elder Jiang's voice as he said:

"But the Cultivation Method the Li Household gave you takes a different path. Though it does nothing to change the inborn fact that your Spirit Roots are a complex mix, it sets a checkpoint at the very start of cultivation, refining and purifying all the Spiritual Qi drawn into the body anew. It leaves only the water-aspected portion and bars all other impurities at the gate."

"In this way, whether you have three Spirit Roots or five, only water-aspected Qi is truly taken into your Dantian and transformed into cultivation. This effectively raises your cultivation speed straight to the level of a Heavenly Spirit Root!"

Ye Xiufan understood and continued:

"So a cultivator with Three Spirit Roots like me can achieve the same results as someone with a Heavenly Spirit Root? This Cultivation Method really is formidable, but..."

He paused, then asked anyway:

"But Elder Jiang, don't you often say that cultivation methods aren't passed on lightly? Why would the Li Household casually teach such a precious Cultivation Method?"

It was a pointed question that struck Elder Jiang right where it embarrassed him.

Not long ago, Elder Jiang had confidently declared that the Li Household would only pass on crude methods, yet Ye Xiufan had obtained such a formidable Cultivation Method as soon as he joined.

The Dantian fell silent for a moment. Then Elder Jiang cleared his throat, his voice a few shades less confident than before.

"Ahem... this method is indeed quite profound, and truly unlike the methods of the vast majority of schools in the cultivation world. However, I have just examined it carefully once more. What the Li Household gave you should only be the foundational section of this Cultivation Method. They certainly would not bring out the more advanced cultivation formulas that follow so easily."

Li Zhengjun had only given them the Fetal Breath section of the Cultivation Method, and with his profound cultivation, Elder Jiang had seen it at a glance.

But Ye Xiufan scratched his head and continued:

"You may not have seen it, Elder, but the Li Household posted a notice long ago. As long as one has enough Contribution Points, one can exchange them for the subsequent sections of this method..."

Silence fell over the Dantian again, longer this time.

After a long while, Elder Jiang's voice finally sounded again, with a hint of forced composure.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem... well... as for that..."

"Just as I said! Your fortune is extraordinary, lad. You are no creature destined to remain in a pond! The Li Household most likely failed to recognize its worth. They didn't see the true value of this Cultivation Method and casually put it up as an ordinary method. Who would have thought that, through a strange twist of fate, it would become your fortuitous opportunity!"

"In that case, you must seize it all the more firmly. Cultivate diligently, save up more Contribution Points, and quickly exchange them for the subsequent sections. With the complete Cultivation Method, your cultivation speed can increase by several times or more!"

Elder Jiang had considered the possibility of a scheme, but cultivators in the Great Scarlet Realm had no habit of scheming through Cultivation Methods.

That was because cultivators in the Great Scarlet Realm could change Cultivation Methods at will. If a method proved unsuitable, at worst they could disperse their cultivation and start again with another.

Moreover, dispersing cultivation only removed one's cultivation within a minor realm; it did not cause a fall in major realm.

The abrupt turn in Elder Jiang's words made the corner of Ye Xiufan's mouth twitch, but he was an honest child and didn't expose him, merely nodding repeatedly.

After some thought, he asked:

"Elder Jiang, I'm afraid saving up Contribution Points won't be a matter of a short while. Wouldn't that mean changing our original plan to go to Gold-Bearing Mountain for that spiritual item and then leave Jade Wave Island as soon as possible?"

Elder Jiang pondered for a moment, then said:

"Mm, there's no rush. The thing on Gold-Bearing Mountain can't run away from Jade Wave Island. As for this Cultivation Method, the more I think about it, the more I feel there is a great deal hidden within it. Once you obtain the subsequent sections, I can study them carefully before deciding what to do. For now, cultivate this path diligently and don't be impatient. Of course, if things go wrong, there's no need to panic. I have my own way to keep you safe."

Reassured, Ye Xiufan asked no more. Like the other Spirit Root children, he condensed the water aspect before the rivers every day.

Three months passed in a flash.

Under the careful guidance of Elder Jiang, a remnant soul four hundred years old, Ye Xiufan cultivated far faster than his peers.

He was the first among them to form a Mysterious View and step into Fetal Breath.

His progress was extremely fast, and Elder Jiang, fearing it would draw attention, used his Law Power to conceal it for Ye Xiufan all the while.

In private, he also had Ye Xiufan search for the Frozen Water spiritual items the Li Household needed.

There was no other reason: after stepping into Fetal Breath, the old man and the youth had come to appreciate the profundity of this method all the more. They therefore threw themselves into earning Contribution Points to exchange for the subsequent sections of the Cultivation Method.

Yet however discreet the two were, their every move had already been recorded by Li Dongping.

While Elder Jiang was still considering taking the Cultivation Method and running, he had no idea that his Dao Path had already been quietly locked in place, and that the Li Household was planning the future of this favored son of heaven.

Inside the imperial palace.

Li Zhengjun slowly brought his cultivation to a close, and the Bright Yang Qi circulating around him retreated into his Dantian.

He had spent three months in seclusion without stepping outside the quiet chamber once.

Now five wheels of radiance rested in their respective places above his Dantian. The Jade Capital Wheel was complete, and he had reached the Embryonic Breathing Fifth Layer.

Li Zhengjun looked inward at the Mystic Mirror and found that his corresponding cultivation had reached Peak Qi Refinement.

In addition, he noticed that the number of people he could bring with him had increased by two.

"In other words, every time I break through a level in the Fetal Breath stage, I can take two more people between the two realms. That's rather few. I wonder whether the number will take a major leap once I break through to Qi Ingestion."

Once the Jade Capital Wheel was formed, Divine Sense first awakened.

This Divine Sense was quite profound. In the Great Scarlet Realm, one could only possess it after Foundation Establishment, yet Li Zhengjun had already awakened it at only the Embryonic Breathing Fifth Layer.

With that, he had several more degrees of confidence in going to Gold-Bearing Mountain to kill the tiger demon at Peak Qi Refinement.

Li Zhengjun noticed Li Yuankai waiting outside the door and instructed him:

"Yuankai, come in."

Outside the door, Li Yuankai paused in his tracks, then pushed the door open and entered. Unable to hide the joy on his face, he performed a deeply respectful bow as soon as he came in:

"Congratulations, my lord, on forming the Jade Capital Wheel! Now that you have reached the Embryonic Breathing Fifth Layer, our Li Household can send a few more capable descendants to assist you!"

Li Zhengjun nodded and said with a smile:

"How have things been in the Ning Kingdom these past three months? Has that Ye Xiufan made any unusual moves?"