Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 162 Foundation Establishment Divine Sense and Foundation Establishment Seed Assessment (Please Subscribe)

After continuing the refining process for seven more days, Zhou Ling attempted to draw three or four sword inscriptions each day.

Furthermore, by utilizing talents such as [Intermediate Observation], [Intermediate Analysis], and [Innate Talent], one can continuously observe and analyze to improve proficiency in sword inscription.

Finally, I've maxed out my proficiency in sword inscription.

Drawing sword inscriptions three or four times a day also greatly depleted his spiritual energy.

However, with the assistance of the talents [Soul Training] and [Soul Like a Blade], his soul cultivation also progressed rapidly.

This day.

In the training room.

Zhou Ling arranged the spirit paper and spirit ink, and took out the spirit brush.

The patterns of the sword's inscription appeared in his mind's eye, and he began to draw them.

Soon, Zhou Ling gradually drew out the seven separate sword inscriptions.

I felt a mysterious light shimmering on the spirit paper.

But at this moment, his divine sense was rapidly dissipating, like a dam releasing a flood.

On the spirit paper, bright inscriptions seemed to instantly break free from their constraints.

A flash of light.

The entire inscription instantly disintegrated.

A whoosh.

A wisp of green smoke rose from the spirit paper.

"Just one last step!"

Feeling a sharp pain in his mind, Zhou Ling muttered helplessly to himself.

Looking at the broken inscription on the table, he rubbed his face to cheer himself up.

[You are currently creating a sword inscription. Divine Soul as a Blade +1, Divine Soul +2, Sword Inscription Proficiency +1]

After recovering slightly, he continued to observe the inscription marks on the spirit paper.

[You are currently observing the Sword Inscription, Intermediate Observation +1, Sword Inscription Proficiency +1]

[You are analyzing a sword inscription. Intermediate Analysis +1, Sword Inscription Proficiency +1]

Based on the analysis results, Zhou Ling pondered for a moment and quickly summarized the next detailed adjustment plan.

However, he felt a slight headache at this point and did not continue drawing.

He then took out a pill bottle and poured out a black pill.

This is a Soul Nourishing Pill, with two faint pill patterns flashing on it.

This Soul Nourishing Pill was specially refined by Wang Xin to help him restore his consciousness.

It was only refined today.

After all, the materials for Soul Dao Pills are relatively scarce, but fortunately, Xuan Yuan Dao Academy has no shortage of various materials.

Of course, the price isn't cheap either.

He then tossed the pill into his mouth.

He activated the incantation to refine and absorb the medicinal power.

[You are absorbing the power of the Soul Nourishing Pill. Pill stress +1, Soul Nourishing Pill power +1]

As the medicine spread rapidly, Zhou Ling, who was sitting cross-legged on the futon, had veins bulging on his forehead and looked pained.

The Soul Nourishing Pill with the original two-core pattern contained extremely abundant spiritual power. With the activation of the [Spiritual Medicine Stress], the surging medicinal power transformed into a torrent of spiritual power that violently washed over Zhou Ling's sea of ​​consciousness.

Zhou Ling could only continuously circulate the "Qinghui Nourishing Spirit Technique" to refine the medicinal power.

But the overwhelming medicinal power left him no time to refine and absorb it.

[You are absorbing the soul power of the Soul Nourishing Pill, becoming more resilient with each setback +1, and your proficiency in the "Qinghui Nourishing Spirit Technique" +20.]

Just then, the "The More You Frustrate, the Stronger You Become" skill kicked in, and Zhou Ling felt a cool sensation suddenly emerge in his mind.

The soul seed within his sea of ​​consciousness flickered with light, rapidly absorbing the soul power of the Soul Nourishing Pill.

In just a few breaths, Zhou Ling's previously contorted and painful expression began to ease, and his complexion gradually returned to normal.

Half an hour later, as the medicinal power was completely absorbed and refined, Zhou Ling opened his eyes, his gaze bright and piercing.

"The Soul Nourishing Pill with the Two-Dan Pattern is incredibly potent!"

Zhou Ling exhaled, his heart filled with shock at the rapid progress Xin'er's alchemy skills had made.

Originally, Xin'er could only refine Soul Nourishing Pills with one-stage patterns, but in recent days, as her Dark Fire Spirit Body has recovered somewhat.

Their alchemy skills have also improved significantly.

Without giving it much thought, Zhou Ling continued to circulate the "Qinghui Nourishing Spirit Technique" to stabilize his suddenly surging spiritual cultivation.

On the Soul Seed, the phantom of the Fire Essence Maple Tree has already sprouted several red leaves.

This is the state of mind when the first level of the "Qinghui Nourishing Spirit Technique" has been perfected.

Zhou Ling was overjoyed. He could feel that at this moment, his spiritual cultivation was very different from before.

Even without the aid of [Divine Soul Like a Blade], one can still release it freely.

This is something that can only be done when one's soul has entered the Foundation Establishment stage.

His original practice of the "Qinghui Nourishing Spirit Technique" had laid a solid foundation for his soul.

With the assistance of his soul talents such as [Soul Training], [Soul Like a Blade], and [Illusion Simulation], his soul makes considerable progress every day.

In addition, he occasionally received Soul Nourishing Pills from Wang Xin, so he quickly raised his soul to the ninth level of Qi Refining.

This time, with the completion of the first level of the "Qinghui Nourishing Spirit Technique", I have reached the Great Perfection.

His spiritual cultivation even broke through the Foundation Establishment stage.

This was something he never expected.

Although the main benefit was from taking a Soul Nourishing Pill every now and then.

In addition, the auxiliary effects of talents such as [Divine Sense Training] and [Divine Soul Like a Blade] continuously enhanced his divine sense.

Zhou Ling was still overjoyed that he had entered the Foundation Establishment stage so quickly.

Immediately, he quietly released his divine sense, which passed through the room in a moment.

Night had already fallen outside, and several figures were walking on the bluestone path in the dormitory area.

The surrounding dormitory rooms all possess the ability to sense the spirits of their neighbors.

Zhou Ling did not investigate, but instead extended his divine sense along the bluestone slab until it reached about sixty feet before stopping.

Once you pass this area, you'll be out of the dormitory area.

He dared not casually probe other areas with his divine sense.

Immediately, his consciousness retreated rapidly, like flowing water.

"If I extend my divine sense to its fullest extent now, it will be able to reach a distance of a hundred feet!"

Withdrawing his divine sense, Zhou Ling murmured with a face full of joy.

The soul of a Foundation Establishment cultivator is usually enough to extend outwards by a distance of a hundred feet.

Although his divine sense has just entered the Foundation Establishment stage, he has [Divine Soul Training] and [Divine Soul Like a Blade], which makes him superior to even ordinary early Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Refining sword inscriptions and sealing spirits should be easier now."

Zhou Ling murmured.

The original sword inscription was almost missing, but now his spiritual cultivation has greatly improved.

Zhou Ling intuitively felt that the sword imprinting, which had previously made him somewhat strained even with his full effort, seemed to be not too difficult at this moment.

Moreover, once the "Qinghui Nourishing Spirit Technique" is cultivated to the point of developing a soul attack, combined with the "Soul as a Blade" skill, its power can be further enhanced.

At that point, it might even be possible to defeat a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Of course, this was just Zhou Ling's idea.

Now, he lives a comfortable life at the Dao Academy and doesn't have to worry about encountering any Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Immediately, Zhou Ling arranged the spirit paper again, picked up the spirit brush, and continued to draw the sword inscription.

As divine sense and spiritual flames were simultaneously unleashed.

Soon, a sharp aura flashed on the spirit paper.

"It's done!"

Zhou Ling's face was filled with excitement.

As the last node successfully coalesced, the Sword Imprint shimmered with a faint golden light.

Like a golden sword.

"My divine sense is still more than enough to draw another additional spirit-sealing restriction!"

Zhou Ling carefully sensed it and thought to himself.

With the addition of a spirit-sealing restriction, the power of this sword inscription can be increased by 20% to 30%.

The power to control the spirit sword will also increase.

Then, Zhou Ling didn't dare to be careless and continued to observe and analyze.

Ensure that drawing on the instrument is successful on the first attempt.

After all, the sword tray and its equipment are quite valuable.

Two courses cost almost two mid-grade spirit stones.

In addition, he absorbed and refined three mid-grade spirit stones with water and earth attributes.

In addition, these days have been quite expensive.

Besides the daily spiritual food, there are also the expenses for the meat of the two spiritual beasts, which is also a considerable expenditure.

Now, all I have left are five mid-grade spirit stones and three hundred low-grade spirit stones.

Such expenses were also a bit too much for Zhou Ling to bear!
All they earned was the Hunyuan Shield from Xu Qiang last time, worth three hundred spirit stones.

"After the Foundation Establishment Seed assessment, I'll go check on Xu Qiang! I want to get more orders."

"Or we could have Sun Dajie take the orders and then find Xu Qiang to work with!"

After confirming that there was nothing wrong with the inscription, Zhou Ling thought to himself.

Then, he sat cross-legged and meditated to recover.

The next day, early in the morning.

A jade array plate in front of Zhou Ling shimmered with a faint golden light.

It formed a small golden sword aura field around it.

It seemed as if the sword energy within it could be unleashed at any moment.

"The sword plate is finally complete!"

Zhou Ling's face was beaming with joy.

However, he cannot activate the sword plate directly yet; he still needs Wang Xin's help to set up a personal sword formation.

Only then could he use the array plate to control the sword array.

After putting away the array plate, Zhou Ling left the cultivation room.

······.

A night of cultivation had taken a toll on Zhou Ling's energy, and his stomach was already growling with hunger.

After Wang Xin arrived, the two went straight to the cafeteria.

The cafeteria is also extremely lively in the morning.

Zhou Ling bought meat buns, spirit eggs, spirit porridge, and other items, then found a place to sit down.

"Brother Ling, over here." Sun Dajie called out to Zhou Ling from not far away.

Zhou Ling and Wang Xin immediately went over and sat down at a table with Sun Dajie.

"Brother Ling, have you seen the missions that the Dao Academy has issued these past few days?"

Sun Dajie ate the meat bun with gusto as he spoke.

"I'm busy cultivating right now and haven't paid attention to the academy's tasks!" Zhou Ling said with a smile.

These days, he also knows that the academy will announce some tasks every now and then, and the disciples of the academy will complete these tasks.

You will then be able to obtain the corresponding Dao Points reward.

For disciples of the Dao Academy, Dao points are the best thing.

As long as you have enough Dao Points, you can exchange them for various cultivation resources with the Dao Academy.

This includes Foundation Building Pills and advanced cultivation techniques.

Take Zhou Ling's current dormitory as an example; he has to hand over thirty low-grade spirit stones to the academy every month.

However, if there are Dao Divisions, three Dao Divisions are sufficient.

Of course, obtaining the Dao Points is not so easy.

"The most attractive part of the mission announced this time is recruiting dozens of technicians to go to the Star Sea."

“Cultivators who specialize in the four major techniques are especially sought after.”

"I can earn thirty Dao Points each month, plus some cultivation resources!"

"It's a pity they don't recruit puppeteers!"

Sun Dajie said helplessly.

"Star Sea Domain?" Zhou Ling murmured after finishing his meat bun.

"The Star Sea Domain is a third-order star domain! It's a domain developed by our Dao Academy, and it has abundant resources."

Sun Dajie introduced them to Zhou Ling.

Zhou Ling nodded, thinking to himself, "For now, I'll just focus on cultivating step by step. Once I'm stronger, maybe I can try my luck in other realms." The offer of thirty Dao Fen seemed pretty good, but Zhou Ling wasn't tempted.

Given my current limited strength, there's no need to rush to other realms.

Moreover, he also possesses a portal to a different realm.

It was given to him by his master, who has some connections there, so it might be easier for him to go there on his own.

Of course, sufficient resources are needed to activate the Five Elements Thunder Body as soon as possible.

"No rush. I'll consider taking on missions after my cultivation level improves further," Zhou Ling said with a smile.

After finishing their meal, the three left the cafeteria and went to their respective training dormitories.

······.

On September 12th, the Foundation Building Seed Assessment arrived as scheduled.

Early in the morning, many disciples had already arrived at the Taoist temple square.

Zhou Ling and Wang Xin were among them.

On the jade platform sat six instructors from the Taoist academy.

Among them were Zhou Ling's tutor, Instructor Hu, as well as Dean Zhong and others.

In front of the jade platform, a testing area was isolated by a magic array.

Dean Zhong then began announcing the assessment rules.

The disciples participating in this assessment mainly focus on four core techniques: alchemy, weapon crafting, talisman making, and array formation.

Therefore, whoever refines the highest-grade treasure is the champion.

Of course, the scoring criteria are determined by all six judges.

As the ancient bell rang, the disciples followed the jade tokens in their hands.

Enter the Jade Platform.

Zhou Ling arrived at assessment platform number sixteen.

His gaze swept over the other disciples around him, who were also inscription masters.

Some of the boys looked at Zhou Ling with disdain.

After all, among all the disciples who participated in the Foundation Establishment test last time, Zhou Ling was the only one who failed to establish his foundation.

The fact that he was granted the title of Foundation Establishment Seed seems somewhat undeserved.

"The foundation-building seeds are all of very good quality, and most of them are top-grade spiritual roots."

"There are even top-grade and spiritual beings!"

"Twenty-four people should be able to refine a second-tier treasure by now!"

"Yes! Liu Yu is already a second-grade alchemist and weapon refiner!"

"Truly worthy of being a Foundation Establishment seed."

On the plaza, many disciples watched the twenty-four Foundation Establishment seed disciples being assessed on the jade platform, and occasionally discussed them.

His tone was full of surprise!

No wonder they were able to get a spot in the Foundation Establishment Seed assessment; most of these people have top-grade spiritual roots.

If one has a superior spiritual root aptitude and everything goes smoothly, theoretically, one should be able to reach the Nascent Soul stage.

The cultivation speed of a superior spiritual root is five to ten times faster than that of a mid-grade spiritual root.

Especially in a place like Xuan Yuan Dao Academy, where spiritual energy is abundant, the difference between a mid-grade spiritual root and a high-grade spiritual root becomes very obvious in less than a year.

Especially the higher one's cultivation level, the more obvious the advantage of one's spiritual root becomes.

Moreover, several of these twenty-four people are spirits or possess top-grade spiritual roots.

They will all be the future elites of the Taoist academy.

"Huh, there's someone at the seventh level of Qi Refining, just like me!"

"This person actually has a low-grade spiritual root, how did he become a Foundation Establishment seed?"

Zhou Ling, who was only at the seventh level of Qi Refining, immediately attracted the attention of many disciples.

There was nothing they could do; all the disciples around them were at the eighth or ninth level of Qi Refining.

His seventh level of Qi Refining is truly remarkable.

Moreover, the Foundation Establishment Seeds were very conspicuous in the Dao Academy, and Zhou Ling and others had already attracted the attention of other disciples.

Compared to other talented disciples, Zhou Ling's aptitude and cultivation level are completely at the bottom.

They were even inferior to ordinary disciples of the Taoist academy.

This has made many people curious about Zhou Ling. How did he manage to get the Foundation Establishment disciple spot?

You should know that a single Foundation Establishment seed assessment spot is something many disciples would kill to obtain.

This means that once someone becomes a Foundation Establishment seed, the resources available to them in the academy will far surpass those for ordinary disciples.

In the eyes of most disciples, Zhou Ling was inferior to them.

"With this level of talent and cultivation, they wouldn't even have a chance to be admitted to the Dao Academy in our Immortal City!"

"Yeah, that kid's incredibly lucky!"

······.

"How could a disciple at the seventh level of Qi Refining with a low-grade spiritual root be allowed to appear on the assessment stage?"

Of course, not only these disciples, but also the judges on the jade platform, all showed surprise when they looked at Zhou Ling.

This level of cultivation is indeed vastly different from that of others.

Only Instructor Hu remained calm.

He knew that Zhou Ling had already tried to refine the Spirit Sealing Restriction. Even though his cultivation level was a bit low, he still had a great chance of entering the top eight.

"clang!"

As the ancient bell tolled, Dean Zhong announced the official start of the assessment.

Zhou Ling was unaware that, without realizing it, he had become even more popular than several other talented disciples, including Liu Yu.

The test items on the jade platform in front of him were also unsealed.

These are two precious swords, one of high-grade first rank and the other of low-grade second rank.

It was clearly intended to let the disciples choose for themselves.

Other items include spirit ink and spirit brush.

As for the inscription, there are no rules; disciples can choose the inscription they are best at to draw.

"To achieve good results, we definitely need to forge a low-grade spiritual weapon, and the power of this spiritual sword must reach the level of a mid-grade second tier!"

Looking at the two tools, Zhou Ling pondered.

As the [Intermediate Observation] indicator scanned through.

He quickly learned the material composition of this spirit sword.

It is made primarily of lapis lazuli, incorporating black gold, hemp gold, and a very small amount of demon blood crystal.

This Demon Blood Crystal is as black as ink, and its properties are quite similar to those of the Black Gold Stone.

It is mainly used for magical artifacts.

And now it's mixed into the spirit sword.

This will undoubtedly increase the difficulty of the assessment.

If the disciple had not carefully observed and discovered the demonic blood crystal, he would not have been able to remove it.

Even if the inscription is successfully drawn, its power will be greatly reduced.

We learned about the material composition of the tools.

Zhou Ling then activated the [Intermediate Analysis] function.

Through [Intermediate Analysis], combined with the second-tier inscriptions they have mastered.

After some thought, he decided to use the Crimson Sun Seal to refine this artifact.

On the one hand, the materials of this tool are mainly of the metal and fire attributes, and the Crimson Sun Inscription matches its attributes, which can maximize its power.

In addition, the Crimson Sun Inscription has seven nodes. The nodes are constructed using beast flames and divine sense, which is far more effective than ordinary nodes.

With the addition of a spirit-sealing restriction, its power is sufficient to reach the level of a mid-grade second tier.

After determining the refining strategy, Zhou Ling summoned spiritual flames in his hand and infused them into the second-tier weapon sword.

Remove the demonic blood crystals contained within.

Meanwhile, on the jade platform, the other disciples also gradually began their own preparations.

Those who refine elixirs begin by processing materials, while those who draw runes and magic arrays prepare spiritual ink, etc.

Among them, Liu Yu and Ye Zhilan are the most eye-catching.

Both of them were not only at the ninth level of Qi Refining, but also had special physiques and came from prestigious families, giving them obvious advantages in all aspects.

The person who received the second-highest level of attention, after the two of them, was Zhou Ling, who was unremarkable and even somewhat pitiful.

After all, judging from the data, Zhou Ling is definitely at the bottom.

So it seems too special.

He's only at the seventh level of Qi Refining, yet he's been granted a Foundation Establishment seed position. All the disciples want to see what level he's at.
"Huh, this is a second-grade spirit flame."

"Is he really at the seventh level of Qi Refining? How could someone at the seventh level of Qi Refining possibly condense a second-grade spiritual flame?"

“I just checked, and Zhou Ling does indeed have a low-grade spiritual root. He comes from the remote Lingxia Immortal City and is a rogue cultivator.”

"To be able to condense a second-grade spiritual flame at the seventh level of Qi Refining is indeed quite an achievement."

"A rogue cultivator disciple could actually reach such a level!"

"With this second-grade spiritual flame, the results shouldn't be too bad. I should be able to refine a first-grade high-quality inscription."

"Perhaps it can really become a foundation-building seed."

“Foundation Establishment Seed? Absolutely not. I have inside information: of all the Foundation Establishment Seeds, he was the only one who failed the Foundation Establishment test.”

"He's only at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and he also has a low-grade spiritual root. For him to enter the top eight is as difficult as ascending to heaven!"

Many disciples in the square were discussing it.

For a time, Zhou Ling seemed to have become a prominent figure in the Taoist academy, attracting much attention.

After all, Zhou Ling's current situation is worse than that of many of the disciples present.

If they can successfully turn the tables, it will be a great encouragement for them.

Simply put, Zhou Ling's situation actually resonated more with these disciples.

After all, top-grade spiritual roots and spiritual bodies are extremely rare.

"Instructor Hu, did you recruit Zhou Ling?"

On the judges' panel, Zhang Daojian asked with a rather puzzled expression.

Because Zhou Ling was the only one who failed the Foundation Establishment test of the Xuan Yuan Ancient Mirror, and because he had a low-grade spiritual root and cultivated a five-element attribute technique, he remembered him very well.

Seeing Zhou Ling condense a spirit flame, and it was even a second-grade one, they couldn't help but ask Instructor Hu about it out of curiosity.

"Yes, Daoist Supervisor, although this child's aptitude is somewhat lacking, his comprehension of cultivation is top-notch."

Instructor Hu nodded and said.

His tone indicated that he still trusted Zhou Ling quite a bit.

Of course, having a low-grade spiritual root is also a fatal flaw.

He hoped that Zhou Ling could achieve good results, so that with the support of the academy's resources, he could successfully establish his foundation.

"To be able to cultivate a second-grade spirit flame at this age, one truly possesses unique cultivation talent!"

Dean Zhong, who was sitting in the middle, also spoke up in praise.

"It's a pity that he only has a low-grade spiritual root, so his potential is limited!"

"Whether they can even reach the Foundation Establishment stage is questionable. The academy has no reason to waste resources on disciples who cannot achieve the Golden Core stage."

Beside him, an old man in a black robe stroked his white beard, shook his head, and said.

"Instructor Lin, you can't say that. Even those with low-grade spiritual roots can become Nascent Soul cultivators!"

Instructor Hu smiled and said calmly.

The old man in the black robe was Lin Guan, the talisman instructor, who also had considerable competition for interests with Instructor Hu within the Taoist academy.

After all, since they are all instructors at the Taoist academy, whoever trains the best students will have higher performance evaluations.

Naturally, more resources will be obtained.

Moreover, both individuals are in similar situations, and if one has a superior performance, the other may be transferred to the inner court in the next few years.

The rank and treatment would be even more different.

"One in a million, it seems Instructor Hu has high hopes for this disciple!"

Instructor Lin chuckled.

"The fact that you can see the blood demon crystals on the sword shows that the crafting skill is quite good!"

Dean Zhong smiled and said.

Upon hearing this, the other instructors also turned their gazes toward Zhou Ling.

The so-called layman looks at the excitement and the insider looks at the doorway.

Zhou Ling's ability to quickly detect the existence of Blood Demon Crystals on a daily basis already demonstrates the skill level of a second-grade inscription master.

At this point, several instructors also became somewhat curious.

Is it really possible for a disciple at the seventh level of Qi Refining to forge a spiritual weapon?

(End of this chapter)