Foundation of the Great Dao

Sun rose and moon set, day and night turning in cycles, and ten more days slipped by. On this day, as dusk settled over the cloudy skies, dark clouds suddenly billowed from the west of the commandery city, spreading like splashed ink and growing increasingly dense. Accompanied by rolling thunder and flashes of lightning, the first rain of early autumn showered down over Pingyuan Commandery City. "Chirp, chirp, chirp!" Two little birds, one gold and one silver, were bustling about, carrying the teacups from the stone table in the courtyard into the room. Afterward, they perched obediently beneath the eaves, quietly gazing at their ancestor. Rain filtered through the pine needles and fell upon Qin Xuan. He did not cast a water-avoiding charm, and his clothes were soon soaked through. *Drip, drop.* *Drip, drop!* All along, he had been circulating his internal energy, looking inward at his Flowery Pool, and he caught faint sounds of falling water as well. However, this was something dropping from above, descending directly into the Flowery Pool within his dantian. Ripples stirred continuously across the spirit spring in the Flowery Pool. In the past, the water of his Flowery Pool's spirit spring had been milky white. Yet after practicing the *Cinnabar Dew Flying Transformation Scripture*, as the Bright Stone qi of the Western You Direction among the Five Sprouts qi was steadily absorbed, he had unknowingly achieved the state of refining spirit and returning to clarity at the thirteenth level of Qi Refining. Now, the spirit spring of the Flowery Pool was crystal clear and brimming with spirituality, devoid of any impurities. Those things falling from the sky were streams of Five Sprouts qi. Songsong had been entirely right—the *Jade Rinsing Scripture* was merely a Qi Refining art and contained no method for gathering the Five Sprouts in the first place. With this *Cinnabar Dew Flying Transformation Scripture*, one needed only to stir the spirit spring into a swirling vortex to resonate with heaven and earth, continuously harvesting the Five Sprouts. Those wisps of white radiance coursed through every corner of the spirit spring in his Flowery Pool. Then, driven by the circulation of the Cinnabar Dew Scripture, they condensed into white dew pearls that sank into the eye of the spring. Qin Xuan had kept up this process for a long time. He bore witness to a wondrous, miraculous sight. It was like a lotus seed falling into water, cracking open its husk, brimming with vitality, and sprouting a lotus leaf that floated upon the surface. This was the beginning of the Dao Lotus. Rooted in the Qi Refiner's constitution, it grew out of the Flowery Pool as the foundation of the Great Dao. Once the first leaf of the Dao Lotus sprouted in the Flowery Pool, it signified one's entry into the Foundation Building realm. Qin Xuan had not consumed any Foundation Building Pill to aid the Dao Lotus's growth; everything felt as natural as water carving a channel. A surge of magic power far more potent than anything he had possessed before came into being. The foundation of the Great Dao had finally been established! Where there were lotus leaves, flower buds would follow. The buds sprouted by a Dao Lotus were called lotus platforms by immortal Qi Refiners. Every Foundation Building cultivator, upon reaching the peak of this realm, had the chance to form three lotus platforms, corresponding to the future Three Flowers. After the first lotus leaf sprouted, Qin Xuan had assumed he would temporarily conclude his cultivation at this stage. And yet... The miraculous effects of the *Cinnabar Dew Flying Transformation Scripture* began to reveal themselves. A wisp of Metal Spirit Origin Qi within his body was refined along with the circulation of the scripture, transforming into a golden drop of cinnabar dew that plunged into the eye of the spring. A second wisp, a third... Another five days went by, and a second lotus leaf grew forth! Defying the heavens! Looking inward, Qin Xuan could hardly believe his eyes. A Foundation Building cultivator enjoyed a lifespan of at least two hundred years. For Qi Refiners at this stage, growing each leaf of the Dao Lotus required a considerable amount of time, even if they constantly took elixir pills. Going several years without a breakthrough was entirely common. No wonder Songsong said this art was right for me—she couldn't have been more accurate! Metal Spirit Origin Qi could be refined into cinnabar dew, serving not only as nourishment for the Dao Lotus but also seamlessly integrating into his magic power, which would make his sword arts all the more formidable when unleashed. There was only one slight catch. Much like Senior Mao Yan's Secret Demon Wealth-Depleting Great Art, this technique possessed an uncanny talent for draining one's purse. The Metal Spirit Origin Qi he had saved up over so long had been entirely depleted in one go. Granted, the scripture's own speed of absorbing the Five Sprouts qi was by no means slow. However, having tasted the shortcut and immense benefits of converting Metal Spirit Origin Qi into cinnabar dew, he found it nearly impossible to suppress the yearning for five elements spirit metal in his heart. For a moment, his emotions surged with restlessness. Pressing down the turbulent feelings, Qin Xuan opened his eyes, a glint of agile brilliance flashing through them. He circulated the *Cinnabar Dew Flying Transformation Scripture*. In an instant, the water that soaked his clothes seeped outward, coalescing into a sphere of water in his palm, leaving his garments dry at once. The sphere shifted in his grasp, drawing in the falling rain until it condensed into a water sword. With a slash toward the sky, the water sword dispersed into sword qi, cutting a stark white line through the air! Brilliant, utterly brilliant! The principle of Heaven One Generates Water from the *Jade Rinsing Scripture* had manifested within the *Cinnabar Dew Flying Transformation Scripture*, allowing him to grasp the Heaven One True Water magic! In the past, casting such a spell would have required specialized practice, but now it came to him with a mere flick of his hand. This effortless freedom brought Qin Xuan genuine delight. He played with it several more times. The magic power within him surged like steam, completely free of any obstruction. A Foundation Building cultivator's magic power was far thicker than that of the Qi Refining stage. If he were to face the guardian elders of the Xieling Sect now, why would he ever need to tread so cautiously? As the saying went, when drinking water, one must never forget the well-digger. He promptly fetched a bucket of spiritual water and poured it over the pine tree. At this moment, Songsong's standing in his heart had already surpassed that of the female sword immortal. That female immortal ignored people; she was nowhere near as good as Songsong. Qin Xuan had not intended to disturb her sleep, but a woman's voice drifted out, asking out of habit, "Did your cultivation go astray again?" "No. I just wanted to thank you for helping me see a bit more of my path clearly." A chuckle laced with amusement reached Qin Xuan's ears. "With that measly cultivation of yours, you think you've seen the Dao path clearly? "The immortal path is vast and boundless, an exceedingly long road. Countless peerless geniuses have fallen along it, and even those who attained the Dao have perished amidst tribulation qi. Rein in your heart and read more romantic novellas to cool your head." Qin Xuan was in a good mood and paid no mind to her scolding. "By the way, Fellow Daoist Pine, do you know any cloud-riding techniques?" "You have no use for them right now." "I do. A senior refined a patch of True Water Mist for me, and I expect it will be finished soon." "Since it's True Water Mist, and you've already gleaned the Heaven One True Water magic from both scriptures, you can simply circulate the *Cinnabar Dew Flying Transformation Scripture* to control the mist. Why waste time learning something else?" Qin Xuan asked, "I'd like to learn an escape technique with great speed." "How fast?" "Something like covering one hundred and eight thousand li in a single somersault—do you have that?" "I do." "Truly?" "In your dreams." Qin Xuan wore a look that said *I knew it*. His gaze shifted toward a patch of raised earth beside the pine tree. It looked as though something were trying to break through the soil, yet it had never sprouted. "Fellow Daoist Pine, what is this?" The woman's voice drifted softly into Qin Xuan's mind. "I don't know either. It seems to be some kind of spiritual object. Water it as well and see if it can grow." Judging by her tone, she did not seem to be lying. Qin Xuan watched it for a while, then looked up into the misty curtain of rain, filled with emotion. From calling at the mountain to forging his Dao foundation, six years had passed. Scene after scene from the past resurfaced in his mind. Uncle Li, Huaimin, Old Daoist Wu, the white crane... These were the people who mattered most to him. Qin Xuan could not help looking at Songsong, suddenly asking, "Fellow Daoist Pine, one day in the future, I will leave Pingyuan Commandery. "Will you come with me?" "No." The reply was resolute. Hearing it, Qin Xuan felt a pang of sorrow. Suddenly, the woman's voice sounded again. "Your cultivation is too low; you can't take me away." Qin Xuan's spirits lifted, and he quickly said, "I can dig the tree up by its roots." "It's not as simple as you think." "Then what level of cultivation would it take?" Songsong pondered for a moment. "At least wait until your foundation manifests and you bloom a dao flower..." Qin Xuan let out a long breath of relief and teased Old Pine, "You gave me a fright." One dao flower, Core Formation, and fiend refinement—Qin Xuan was confident he could achieve it...