Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 190 Obtaining the Heavenly-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill and the Arrival of Master
"Zhou Ling, the champion of this Golden Core Seed competition, has obtained a Heaven-grade Foundation Establishment Pill."

"Thirty mid-grade spirit stones."

"In addition, the fourth-tier spiritual ground cultivation room of the Dao Academy can be used for free for one month when you are in the Foundation Establishment stage."

Dean Zhong's voice continued to ring out in the square.

"The second place winner, Chu Yan, received a Grade Earth Foundation Establishment Pill and ten mid-grade spirit stones; the third place winner, Ji Hai, received a Grade Earth Foundation Establishment Pill."

"The other eight disciples have all obtained the status of Golden Core Seeds and successfully established their Foundation. After entering the Inner Academy, they will receive preferential treatment!"

As Dean Zhong's voice faded.

Zhou Ling walked up to the judges' stage with a delighted expression.

He took a pill bottle and a spirit stone bag from Zhong Yuanzi.

“Zhou Ling, the Dao Academy’s Scripture Pavilion contains a lot of foundation-building experience from seniors. You can take a look when you are preparing to build your foundation.”

Dean Zhong patted Zhou Ling on the shoulder and gave him some instructions.

Considering that Zhou Ling only has a low-grade spiritual root, he needs to make full preparations in all aspects when he prepares to establish his foundation.

Of course, with Zhou Ling's current cultivation level, plus this top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, he should still have a great chance of successfully establishing his foundation.

However, it's estimated that it's only at the Profound Rank Foundation Establishment stage.

After all, it's almost impossible for someone with a low-grade spiritual root to reach the Earth-grade Foundation Establishment stage.

All things considered, using a top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill seems a bit wasteful.

"Thank you, Dean!"

Zhou Ling thanked him respectfully.

"In addition, if you need to use the Dao Academy's cultivation room when preparing for Foundation Establishment, you must report to the Dao Academy half a month in advance!"

Dean Zhong continued.

"understand!"

Zhou Ling nodded and said.

Only then did he bow and thank the judges.

Instructor Hu and Supervisor Zhang also said a few words of encouragement.

Instructor Hu also reminded him to make full preparations when he was building his foundation and not to be careless.

Zhou Ling nodded.

"Zhou Ling, there's something I'd like to discuss with you!"

Just as Zhou Ling was about to step down from the judges' seat, a coach called out to him.

Zhou Ling looked up and recognized the man as Instructor Chen from the Inner Court. He bowed and asked, "May I ask what brings you here, Senior?"

"I'd like to exchange two Earth-grade Foundation Establishment Pills and some other materials that will satisfy you for a Heaven-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. Are you willing?"

"After all, with your low-grade spiritual root aptitude, a low-grade foundation-building pill is enough, and foundation-building may not be successful on the first try."

"If you have two Earth-grade Foundation Establishment Pills, you will have two chances to establish your foundation, and your chances of success will be much greater!"

Instructor Chen spoke slowly to Zhou Ling.

In his opinion, Zhou Ling should be tempted by these conditions.

And it is true that if Zhou Ling cannot establish his foundation after taking the Heavenly Grade Foundation Establishment Pill, then it will be extremely difficult for him to do so in the future.

If you fail once with a Foundation Building Pill, you'll have another chance later.

"Thank you for the reminder, senior. I have no intention of trading Foundation Establishment Pills!"

Zhou Ling shook his head and refused outright.

Now that he has condensed the Five Elements Thunder Body, he naturally wants to do his best to achieve the Heavenly Rank Foundation Establishment.

Of course, even if he had a low-grade spiritual root, he wouldn't trade a Heaven-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.

After all, the probability of successfully establishing a foundation is higher with the Heavenly Grade Foundation Establishment Pill.

Upon hearing this, Instructor Chen showed a hint of surprise and nodded, saying, "Think it over carefully. If you're willing to exchange, feel free to contact me anytime!"

“Okay!” Zhou Ling replied politely.

He then bowed and stepped down from the judges' seat.

Thus, the Golden Core Seed Competition came to an end.

Afterwards, Zhou Ling and Wang Xin returned to their dormitory.

Nowadays, Wang Xin spends most of her time living with her mother outside.

I come here every few days to nourish my meridians with the help of Zhou Ling's spiritual flames.

"This is a Heavenly Grade Foundation Establishment Pill!"

Inside the small hall, Zhou Ling poured the pills out of the pill bottle and said with a joyful tone.

The pill before me was lustrous and had five distinct patterns on it!
"Brother Ling, the Heavenly Grade Foundation Establishment Pill can increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment by 20% to 30%. When do you plan to establish your foundation?"

Wang Xin poured him a cup of spiritual tea and asked with a smile.

“My master once said that if I could gather the five elemental spirit flames to assist my Five Elements Qianyang True Technique, I would have a great chance of achieving the Heavenly Rank Foundation Establishment.”

"I have now collected four spirit flames, and I only need the water-attribute spirit flame."

"I want to search for a few more years. If I can find it, great. If not, then I'll consider the Foundation Establishment process."

Zhou Ling didn't hide anything from Wang Xin and told her about his plans.

"Mother said that when Master left Maple Leaf Courtyard, he said he was going to find the Spirit Flame for you. I wonder if he found it!"

Wang Xin picked up her teacup, took a sip of tea, and said.

"Master, find me the Spirit Flame?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling's face showed surprise.

It has been almost a year since he was separated from his master, and he misses his master very much.

I never expected my master would go to find the Spirit Flame for me!
This deeply moved Zhou Ling.

However, this spirit flame is not easy to find.

Although I currently possess four spirit flames, the acquisition of each one can be described as a matter of chance.

The Azure Lotus Spirit Flame was a gift from my master, so there's not much to say about that.

The acquisition of Beast Flame comes from the talent [Beast Intimidation], otherwise even if you find Beast Flame, it will be difficult to tame it.

As for the Qianyang True Fire, it was a spiritual flame he cultivated himself, fused with the wisp of radiant flame contained in the Heavenly Crafts Bureau Jade Seal, which was relatively easier to achieve.

As for the earth spirit and earth fire, it was also a very coincidental coincidence.

"Moreover, what's lacking is water-attribute spirit flame, which is the hardest to find, since water and fire are opposing attributes."

"Never mind, I can stay in the outer academy for another five years. If I can find a job within these five years, that would be best. If not, I'll have to try to reach the Foundation Establishment stage."

Zhou Ling thought to himself.

He then put the Foundation Establishment Pill back into the bottle and stored it in his storage ring.

Then she asked Wang Xin, "Xin'er, is your mother capable of refining Foundation Establishment Pills?"

Next, Mother also needs to prepare for Foundation Establishment, so she needs to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Most of the Foundation Establishment Pills available on the market are ordinary ones, while Earth-grade Foundation Establishment Pills are extremely rare.

Once they appear, they are usually reserved and purchased by aristocratic families, making it very difficult for them to fall into his hands.

Wang Xin shook her head. "The formula for Foundation Establishment Pills is only available to a few powerful forces, and it is not allowed to be passed on to outsiders."

Zhou Ling frowned. It seemed he would have to think of other ways. Fortunately, he now had the status of a deacon in the Dao Academy and the Heavenly Crafts Bureau.

As long as you have enough points, you will definitely have the opportunity to exchange them with both sides in the future.

After chatting with Wang Xin for a few minutes, he began to nurture her Dark Fire Spirit Body meridians.

Under Zhou Lingling's nurturing, Wang Xin's Dark Fire Spirit Body meridians recovered most of their strength without her even realizing it.

This also greatly increased Wang Xin's cultivation speed.

They have a natural talent for controlling flames.

······.

Time flies, and three months have passed in the blink of an eye.

During these three months, apart from attending two classes at the Taoist temple, Zhou Ling spent most of his time cultivating in his own retreat.

Another task is to complete the weapon-forging missions of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau.

In three months, his peak Qi Refining cultivation was completely stabilized, and his cultivation levels in the four attributes of metal, wood, water, and earth all reached the ninth level of Qi Refining.

In addition, he has already condensed two drops of liquid spiritual energy in his body, and is only one step away from Foundation Establishment.

Of course, for many cultivators, this one step is something they can never cross in their entire lives.

In addition, he has mastered all five elements of sword intent in the Five Elements Sword Technique, and now he is using the Five Elements Sword Formation.

He felt he was now capable of dealing with mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators. His progress in inscription was also rapid, but due to his cultivation level, he was still unable to successfully create a high-grade second-tier inscription.

Of course, there's no problem with proficiency.

The problem is that the cultivation level is insufficient, and the spiritual power is insufficient to condense into a seal during the drawing process.

Even with meticulous assistance, it is difficult to achieve.

After all, normally one needs to be in the late Foundation Establishment stage to be able to refine a second-tier high-grade inscription.

It's already quite astonishing that Zhou Ling, who is only at the peak of Qi Refining, can refine a mid-grade second-tier inscription.

After all, there is a fundamental difference between the spiritual energy liquefaction of Foundation Establishment cultivators and the spiritual energy of Qi Refining cultivators.

An ordinary Foundation Establishment Level 1 cultivator is enough to deal with three Qi Refining Peak cultivators.

"If we continue cultivating now, the compression effect of spiritual energy will be limited. We still need to find a water-attribute spiritual flame as soon as possible!"

Inside the cultivation room, Zhou Ling opened his eyes, his gaze shining brightly, and murmured to himself.

In the past few months, besides cultivating, he has also been issuing missions within the academy to search for information about water-attribute spirit flames.

At the same time, they also asked He Zijian and his sister, Sun Dajie and others to keep an eye out.

However, there has been no news from them for some time.

This left him feeling somewhat helpless.

After all, He Zijian and his sister, one is at the Flying Dragon Battle Academy and the other at the Heavenly Summer Dao Academy, so they have quite a few connections.

In addition, Sun Dajie, being a know-it-all, basically knew everything that happened at Xuan Yuan Dao Academy.

However, in order to achieve the Heavenly Rank Foundation Establishment, he had no choice but to continue his search.

After all, achieving the Heavenly Rank Foundation Establishment is crucial for one's entire cultivation career, providing an advantage when advancing to the Golden Core stage or even the Nascent Soul stage.

As Zhou Ling was pondering, a slight vibration came from the sound transmission jade on his body.

Zhou Lingxuan immediately took out the sound transmission jade.

"Brother Ling, my mother is treating us to lunch at Xiangmanlou Restaurant. She said she's welcoming a mysterious guest, so you'd better come early!"

Zhou Ling was taken aback when he heard Wang Xin's voice.

"Aunt Wang is treating us to dinner, and there's a mystery guest too?"

Zhou Ling didn't think much of it and immediately replied, "Okay!"

Seeing that it was almost the end of the 9 AM time outside, he got up and left the cultivation room.

······.

Qingyun Immortal City, Fragrant Pavilion.

"Master!"

Upon entering the private room, Zhou Ling was astonished to see a woman in a purple dress with exquisite features and a stunning figure.

His face immediately lit up with joy.

I never expected that my master would come to Qingyun Immortal City.

"sit down!"

Zi Ling said calmly.

On either side of her sat Wang Yu and Wang Xin.

"Greetings, Aunt Wang!"

Zhou Ling bowed to Wang Yu again.

Wang Yu smiled and nodded.

Zhou Ling then sat down next to Wang Xin.

"It's been over a year since I last saw you, and you've grown into a real man!"

Zi Ling said with a smile.

Zhou Ling picked up the wine pot, filled his master's wine bowl, and asked, "Master, when did you arrive in Qingyun Immortal City?"

Zi Ling picked up the wine bowl, took a big gulp, and said, "I only arrived today."

"Master, where do you plan to stay here?" Zhou Ling asked, refilling Wang Yu's and Wang Xin's glasses.

"I live in the inner courtyard of the Xuan Yuan Dao Academy!"

Zi Ling said with a smile.

"Xuanyuan Dao Academy!"

Hearing his master's words, Zhou Ling was taken aback.

"I have acquaintances over there, so you don't need to worry about that!"

Zi Ling finished the spirit wine in the bowl in one gulp and then gestured for Zhou Ling to add more.

Zhou Ling filled the cup again. Hearing that his master was going to stay in the inner courtyard of Xuan Yuan Dao Academy, he knew that he probably wouldn't be leaving Qingyun Immortal City for the time being.

Then there will be more opportunities to ask questions.

Of course, the key is having powerful backers.

"Your cultivation progress is quite good!"

After taking a big gulp of spirit wine, Zi Ling spoke again.

Originally, Zhou Ling was only at the seventh level of Qi Refining, but in just over a year, he reached the peak of Qi Refining, and that was with the Five Elements attribute.

She was very satisfied with the progress.

"I've also entered the second level of the Five Elements Qianyang True Technique, and my Five Elements spiritual power is now complete. It's time to prepare for Foundation Establishment!"

"Here are some foundation-building experiences for cultivating the Five Elements Qianyang True Technique. Take them and study them carefully!"

Zi Ling took out a jade slip from her storage ring and handed it to Zhou Ling.

"Thank you, Master!"

Zhou Ling accepted the jade slip and expressed his gratitude.

"This disciple has now collected four spirit flames, and is still missing one water-attribute spirit flame. In addition, I also have a Heaven-grade Foundation Establishment Pill."

"However, this water-attribute spirit flame is not easy to find. I have been searching for months without any success!"

Zhou Ling told his master the truth.

Upon hearing this, Zi Ling raised an eyebrow and smiled, "It's already quite remarkable that you were able to gather four spirit flames and a Heaven-grade Foundation Establishment Pill in such a short time!"

"You're in luck, kid. I just happened to find what you were looking for!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she moved her hand, and a blue light flashed, revealing a palm-sized round cauldron in front of her.

The furnace and tripod look ancient and heavy.

With a flick of Zi Lingyu's finger, a burst of flames rose from the cauldron.

A crystal-clear white flame shot out from the cauldron and hovered in the air.

The flame was surrounded by a faint blue light, making it look as if it were wearing a dazzling ice armor.

Although it was a flame, it exuded a chilling aura, giving people a feeling of frost rising slowly.

"This is?"

Zhou Ling's eyes narrowed, and then a hint of joy appeared on his face.

[You are observing the Mystic Ice Crystal Flame, Intermediate Observation +1]

[You are analyzing the Mystic Ice Crystal Flame, Intermediate Analysis +1]

[Your Beast Flame, Azure Lotus Spirit Flame, Five Elements Spirit Flame, and Qianyang True Fire have absorbed the Profound Ice Crystal Flame. Five Elements Thunder Qi +1, Beast Flame, Azure Lotus Spirit Flame, Five Elements Spirit Flame, and Qianyang True Fire grade +1, Five Elements Thunder Body +1]

With the guidance of his innate talent, he knew that the spiritual flame before him was the water-attribute spiritual flame he had been longing for.

Mystic Ice Crystal Flame!

"This is a Grade 3 Mystic Ice Crystal Flame, which I obtained by chance from another realm a while ago."

"Perfect, I'll gather all five elemental flames for you!"

"Once you refine it, you can prepare to establish your foundation."

"However, this Xuanbing Crystal Flame contains powerful icy energy, so you must be careful when refining it."

"Otherwise, if you're not careful, your blood and spiritual energy could be frozen solid at any moment, which would be troublesome!"

Zi Ling put the Xuanbing Crystal Flame back into the cauldron and gave Zhou Ling some more instructions.

"Yes, Master!"

Zhou Ling replied respectfully.

I never imagined that my master had been searching for the Spirit Flame all this time.

After collecting the furnace, he hurriedly poured his master a full glass of spiritual wine.

(End of this chapter)