I have a cultivation simulator

Chapter 71 Patience is Key

"The next stages, from Foundation Establishment Level 6 to Foundation Establishment Level 7..."

Zhou Qing composed himself and his expression became solemn.

The transition from the sixth to the seventh level of Foundation Building represents a bottleneck or constraint between the mid and late stages of the development process.

The difficulty of breaking through it is even greater than that in the early to mid-stages.

Once this bottleneck is overcome, it's time for a major overhaul in the later stages of foundation building.

Whether it's Qi Refining, Foundation Building, or Core Formation.

The later stages of cultivation have an extremely strong suppressive effect on the early and middle stages, which is why they are called great cultivators of the same realm.

Even if a cultivator in the early stages of Foundation Establishment cannot defeat a cultivator in the middle stages, they can still escape.

However, a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator facing a late-Foundation Establishment cultivator has a very high chance of being directly killed.

The same applies to the Core Formation stage.

This is also why later-stage cultivators are called "Great Cultivators".

"With my mid-grade spiritual root talent, I'm very likely to be stuck at the peak of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage for decades or even centuries. At that time, I won't need to worry about anything else; I can just take the Breakthrough Pill and burn my potential..."

Zhou Qing thought to himself.

If he had a superior spiritual root talent, he might have considered not taking a breakthrough pill to conserve his potential in order to break through to the Core Formation stage.

However, mid-grade spiritual root talent... in the Foundation Establishment stage, mid-grade spiritual root talent can only be considered as mid-to-lower level, and it will be extremely powerless when facing the bottlenecks and constraints from the mid to late stages.

[You have entered the sixth level of Foundation Establishment. After stabilizing your realm, gently pat your storage bag.]

A jade box appears before you.

The jade box is a rare, third-tier sealed item.

Thirty-four years ago, you placed the Mountain and Sea Ring that sealed the Blood Sea Immortal into the Sealed Jade Box, and further sealed it with numerous second-tier high-grade and third-tier sealing talismans.

Over the years, you have occasionally sensed slight vibrations emanating from within the jade box, which you surmise is the Blood Sea Immortal attempting to break free from the seal.

Unfortunately, even the seal on the jade box itself couldn't be broken by True Immortal Blood Sea, let alone the dozens of second- and third-tier sealing talismans outside the jade box.

[This is not unexpected. In the second simulation, even a cultivator with a low-grade spiritual root like you, True Immortal Blood Sea, chose to bite the bullet and seize the body. Obviously, he didn't have much of a choice.]

Having been sealed away in the Mountain and Sea Secret Realm for two or three hundred years, the Blood Sea Immortal is now extremely weak.

"Wait a little longer."

"Two years from now, a medium-sized auction in the Immortal City will auction off a divine soul treasure."

"It's not too late to confront True Immortal Blood Sea after we've acquired that divine soul treasure."

Are you not worried that the spirit of Blood Sea Immortal will die of old age inside the sealed jade box?

[In the second simulation, even when you are over eighty years old, the spirit of the Blood Sea Immortal is still alive.]

You carefully inspected the sealed jade box, and only put it away after confirming that there were no problems.

[A few days later, you and Shen Lingxiu meet in the cave.]

Since Shen Lingxiu broke down the last barrier between you, she completely set aside her identity as a genius array master and became deeply entangled with you.

[One hour later]

Shen Lingxiu's face was still flushed, and she lay limply on the bed, her breathing slightly rapid. Her white dress and clothes were scattered around her.

"Your Majesty, what brings you to such a lively mood today...?"

Shen Lingxiu looked at you with gentle, alluring eyes, seemingly tinged with resentment.

You sit silently by the bedside, smiling.

[Your terrifying physical body, comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, makes you exceptionally vigorous in bed; even a Foundation Establishment female cultivator like Shen Lingxiu finds it difficult to withstand.]

"Oh, right..."

After you and Shen Lingxiu finished, you didn't forget to ask about your confusion regarding array formations.

[Recently, you've sensed that your mastery of array formations is about to reach the upper level, which is why you've been visiting Shen Lingxiu more frequently than before.]

As Shen Lingxiu answered your questions, her still-warm, fair face nestled close to your embrace.

Although you are unwilling to become her Daoist partner, at least you brought it up beforehand, so you won't say one thing to her face and another behind her back.

Just then, a communication talisman flew in and stopped in front of Shen Lingxiu.

Shen Lingxiu immediately activated the communication talisman, and Lin Yu's voice came through.

"Xiuxiu, my Lin family's shop has been shut down. You are a guest elder of the Array Hall, so we hope you can step in..."

[Lin Yu's urgent voice came through, "Xiuxiu, we've been childhood sweethearts, and we were even betrothed as children. We should be inseparable Daoist partners... You can't just watch my Lin family..."]

[“The Lin family…” Shen Lingxiu’s gaze turned cold. She had already done more than enough by not suppressing the Lin family.]

"Should we talk about it?" you asked from the side.

"I have no connection with the Lin family anymore," Shen Lingxiu said calmly.

You nodded slightly, offering no words of advice.

This is Shen Lingxiu's private matter, and it's not appropriate for you to interfere.

["Wang Lang, wait a while before you leave..." Shen Lingxiu's breathing became rapid again.]

The communication talisman Lin Yu used was for communication outside the cave, meaning that Lin Yu was currently standing outside the cave.

If you go out at this time, it will inevitably be a bit awkward.

You got up, picked up Shen Lingxiu, and continued your tender, intimate moments.

Outside the cave, Lin Yu looked anxious, repeatedly sending out communication talismans, hoping that, out of consideration for their past relationship, he could ask Shen Lingxiu to intervene.

Lin Yu had no idea that his childhood sweetheart and betrothed was currently entwined with another man.

Two hours later, Lin Yu left looking disappointed.

[You've just finished your intimate moment with Shen Lingxiu, so take the opportunity to leave.]

When you returned to the Pill Pavilion, you found Lin Yu waiting outside.

"Master Wang Dan." Lin Yu greeted you immediately upon seeing you.

"Have there been any other male cultivators around Xiuxiu lately?" Lin Yu asked as usual.

"Besides me, I didn't find any other male cultivators," you replied calmly.

This is the truth.

"Then why has Xiuxiu been... all these years?"

Lin Yu sighed and said, "Here's another mid-grade spirit stone as payment."

Lin Yu was extremely wary of the male cultivators around Shen Lingxiu, even Alchemist Zhao Kan, but he let his guard down around you.

......

Half a month later, after estimating the time, you decided to retrieve the 'Nine-Bend Cold Spirit Ginseng' stored in the rented cave.

Twenty-one years ago, with your Water Spirit Body like Ye Feng's, you traded for a 'Nine-Bend Frost Spirit Ginseng' in the Immortal City's black market.

The Nine-Bend Cold Spirit Ginseng is the main ingredient in the Crystal Condensation Pill. Even when taken directly, it can increase the chances of forming a core, making it an item that many Foundation Establishment cultivators at the peak of their cultivation level desperately crave.

[Since you're concerned about the possibility of tracking techniques being used on such a Core Formation artifact, you rented a cave dwelling on-site to store it after acquiring it.]

Now, more than twenty years have passed. Even if this main medicinal herb for Core Formation truly possessed tracking abilities, it should have dissipated by now.

Even a tracking technique performed by a real person can only last for eight to ten years at most without subsequent reinforcement.

You've waited for over twenty years; even the best backup plans will eventually disappear with the passage of time.