Inside the cave dwelling on Meichi Peak.
Before entering seclusion, Li Tongya had often wondered:
What is an immortal foundation?
The Taiyin Breathing and Wheel Nourishing Scripture stated: “The bloom of Taiyin is gathered from Guanghan; the essence of Taiyang resides in Jinyu. Blending both qi into a single chaos forms the immortal foundation.” Li Tongya believed this secretly revealed the method for gathering Taiyin moon essence and Taiyang solar essence, and that the so-called immortal foundation was merely a stand-in name for a special divine ability.
Later, Li Tongya obtained the River Unity Qi Formula, which contained this passage:
“The qi of rivers is vast and turbid, sinking and floating in the Great Abyss. The qi of heaven and earth is pure and lucid, drifting between high and low. Transform the qi of heaven and earth into rivers and seas to seek a single Dao foundation, known as the ‘Vast Sea.’”
Now, having swallowed the Suiyuan Pill, the six wheels emerged from his sea of qi and sea of consciousness, dissolving together above his mist-shrouded sea of qi into six bright streaks of flowing light. A wave of weakness washed over Li Tongya's body; he knew that if he could not forge them into an immortal foundation, his path would end right here in death.
Following the method recorded in the River Unity Qi Formula, the six streaks of light formed from Li Tongya's wheels circled above his sea of qi, churning up rolling waves of qi. The true essence in the sea of qi surged upward, pouring into the flowing light.
Li Tongya’s sea of qi was astonishingly vast. The light absorbed it at extraordinary speed. After circling for who knew how long, the sea of qi had barely dropped by half when bursts of gray light arose, releasing a talisman aloft.
The Vast Ocean Leviathan Talisman.
Above, the talisman qi circled over the sea of qi for a time, reflecting and shining against the six streaks of flowing light as it hung quietly suspended.
Li Tongya had no idea whether this boded good or ill, so he could only brace himself and press on according to the manual. After grinding away for a time, his sea of qi finally reached the bottom, revealing a faint glimmer of radiance.
“Hmm?”
Li Tongya froze slightly. To his surprise, several beams of light shot up from the bottom of his sea of qi, and a white pellet hopped out. Bright, rounded, and gleaming, it shone with boundless brilliance.
“A talisman seed…”
The white pellet leapt directly into the six streaks of light. Unable to dwell on it, Li Tongya drove the cultivation technique with all his might to congeal his immortal foundation.
“This…!”
The six streaks of light gorged themselves full, collided midair, and condensed into sheets of flowing pure water that drizzled down into the sea of qi. Li Tongya’s sense of weakness grew increasingly intense, his vitality churning violently. He finally understood why it was always said that one must achieve Foundation Establishment before age sixty.
Suppressing the overwhelming weakness, the six streaks of light within Li Tongya’s body spun faster and faster, giving off the sound of rushing rivers.
After who knew how long, a point of pure silver light drifted down. Li Tongya opened his eyes, coughed, and exhaled a beam of white qi, blasting a small hollow into the stone wall before him. The dark chamber instantly lit up as the roar of crashing waves broke out with immense force.
Li Tongya sat in place for several breaths before letting out a soft laugh. He chuckled:
“Sixty-two whole years, and at last, I have built my immortal foundation…”
He laughed twice more, wiped a translucent tear from the corner of his eye, and slowly stood up, yet confusion still lingered in his heart.
“Isn't this… a bit too simple?”
Li Tongya's breakthrough had flowed as naturally as water carving a channel. He had encountered almost no obstacles, and it had even felt remarkably effortless.
“The Three Sects and Seven Gates have accumulated countless secret arts over generations to increase the probability of breaking through to Foundation Establishment… Our Li family is just a clan after all. Not only are we unable to calculate our odds of achieving Foundation Establishment, but even after succeeding, we don't even know where we caught our lucky break.”
Li Tongya rose slowly to his feet. His early Foundation Establishment cultivation surged, ready to burst forth, while the various wondrous traits of his immortal foundation, ‘Vast Sea,’ surfaced in his mind.
“‘Vast Sea’ stems from the great rivers, carrying over the exceptionally robust nature from the Qi Refinement stage. Its power is even greater within rivers and waterways, and it excels particularly in water arts; once the immortal foundation is formed, one is naturally adept in the methods of water control.”
“Skill in divining the courses of water veins to foresee future droughts and floods; entering water without startling crabs and shrimp, disturbing neither fish nor turtles; subsisting on qi without hunger; unharmed by water and fire; capable of blessing talisman water to heal injuries and treat the common folk…”
Li Tongya pondered for a few moments, thoroughly puzzled by many of the traits manifested by the ‘Vast Sea’ immortal foundation. Doubts crowded his mind as he thought:
“Growing stronger in water, excelling in water arts, and blessing talisman water are understandable enough. But not startling fish and turtles, remaining unharmed by water and fire, and calculating water veins are truly rather useless.”
Blessing talisman water was only useful for cultivators at the peak of Embryonic Breathing or in Qi Refinement; after all, it merely consumed a bit of magic power, so it was still of some use. That aside, being unharmed by water and fire referred to ordinary fire and water—even an Embryonic Breathing cultivator could easily ward off common water and fire with a simple spell, to say nothing of divining water veins or leaving fish and turtles unstartled…
“Just what kind of cultivation path are the Purple Mansion and Golden Core realms?”
Li Tongya sighed. Even information regarding the Yuehua Yuan Mansion remained obscure to this day, let alone the origins of the immortal path. Right now, he was merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator. On Lake Wangyue, he might be considered an important figure, but in the State of Yue as a whole, he was hardly worth mentioning. For the moment, he could only set his doubts aside, gently push open the stone door, and glide out of the dark chamber like the wind.
The main hall outside was empty. The stone table and chairs were washed spotlessly clean, soaked in clear water that had come from who knew where, and puddles covered the ground. The density of spiritual energy had recovered considerably now that Li Tongya had ceased cultivating.
The cave dwelling’s entrance was left ajar. Intending to test the capabilities of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Li Tongya cast an illusion technique and slipped through. Outside the door, Li Xuanfeng, who had been cultivating with closed eyes, snapped his eyes open, lifted his brows to glance around, and then looked down in slight bewilderment. Seeing that the dew on the ground remained undisturbed, he finally closed his eyes and returned to his cultivation.
“Feng'er has reached the sixth layer of Qi Refinement as well; presumably my seclusion this time took around three to five years.”
Li Tongya stepped out of the cave dwelling. A dazzling, brilliant morning glow was rising from the distant mountains, its pale golden sunlight spilling through the ridges. His spirit felt clear and expansive. Smiling faintly, he leapt into the air and descended toward the town.
***
Lijing Town.
Lijing Town had seen many years of passage. Cracks had been worn into many of its stone-paved streets, where people bustled back and forth, driving carts, riding horses, or walking on foot. The stone roads encircling the town's Pear Garden were especially scarred with deep fractures, ground down day after day beneath the wheels of countless vehicles.
With its white walls and blackened roof ridges, the Pear Garden was one of the few places in Lijing Town where the prominent clans and ordinary folk alike shouted praise and shed tears together. The warbling, rhythmic lilt of opera drifted out from the garden, while a ring of half-grown children leaned against the outer walls, their ears pressed tight to the plaster to listen intently.
“Alas, woe… Upon the Golden Terrace ascends I, Jianixi! A beast crown upon my head, twin topknots tied, donning once more my armor of iron!”
An actor clad in black armor and black banners, adorned with beast fangs and jade, stepped onto the stage. His face was painted with an imposing, martial air, and the crowd below stirred instantly. Some were filled with righteous indignation, some sighed in dismay, while others wept in silence.
The actor in black armor and black banners shook his robe and barked:
“Mu Jiaoman!”
“This official is here—”
A figure immediately darted out from backstage. He was slightly plump and draped in golden armor. Though the actor had handsome, regular features, two rat whiskers had been painted onto his cheeks, giving him a wretched appearance. The moment this man appeared, a storm of boos erupted from the audience below.
Standing among the crowd at the front was an old man, shaking his head and sighing repeatedly with his hands behind his back. Unexpectedly, a warm, gentle voice sounded from behind him.
“Old elder, what play is being performed here?”
The old man’s temples were speckled with gray. Squinting as he watched, he let out a chuckle and replied:
“The Fall of Jianixi at Dajueting.”
Chapter 212