Immortality begins with inheriting the myriad arts of cultivation.

Chapter 141 Ancient Tree Grows Foundation

After the New Year.

When Bai Lin returned to Xiantao Mountain from Gaoji Mountain, Li Ping carefully examined her but couldn't help but frown.

What made him frown was Bai Lin's cultivation level.

When Bai Lin arrived at Immortal Peach Mountain, she was nineteen years old and had reached the third level of Qi Refining.

Having been at Immortal Peach Mountain for nine years, she had to manage her cave dwelling and handle various miscellaneous matters. However, Li Ping often bestowed upon her pills to enhance her cultivation, and she was also able to cultivate in a second-tier high-grade spiritual land.

So her cultivation speed wasn't slow before, but in the last two years, Li Ping could clearly feel that her cultivation speed had slowed down.

So much time has passed, and I still haven't been able to break through to the sixth level of Qi Refining.

According to Li Ping's estimation, she should have broken through last year.

Thinking of this, he casually asked, "Lin'er, have you encountered any problems in your cultivation recently?"

Upon hearing Li Ping's words, Bai Lin was visibly taken aback, but she quickly smiled and said, "No, my cultivation is going very smoothly."

"That's good." Li Ping reminded her, "You should focus more on your cultivation and try to reach the peak of Qi Refining around the age of forty."

Berlin nodded: "Yes, I understand."

"Alright, you can go ahead and get busy!"

Watching Bai Lin's departing figure, Li Ping couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

His cultivation speed couldn't have suddenly slowed down for no reason, so he guessed that Bai Lin might be hiding something from him.

When Bai Lin first arrived at Xiantao Mountain, she was nineteen years old, but now, nine years later, she is twenty-eight.

As she grew older and experienced more, her thoughts became more complex, and she was no longer as innocent as before.

Li Ping secretly shook his head: "She's only at the fifth level of Qi Refining at twenty-eight, while Bai Qing, who's only a year older, is about to break through to the eighth level. Although her spiritual root is a bit weaker, it shouldn't be this much of a difference."

"I hope you'll realize this soon and not waste your time!"

In fact, Bai Lin received more cultivation-enhancing pills from him than Bai Qing did.

……

Less than two months passed after the New Year.

Gu Musheng finally honed his magic power to the peak of Qi Refining, adjusted his mindset, and then went to Immortal Peach Mountain without hesitation to apply for the Foundation Establishment qualification he had won at auction and to receive Foundation Establishment Pills to break through to Foundation Establishment!

After his identity and Foundation Establishment qualifications were verified, someone soon flew over from Qinglong Mountain to pick him up.

The man who came over was dressed in a light blue robe and had an imposing presence; it was Zhang Tie.

Li Ping had already instructed him to take the initiative to undertake the task of building a foundation and protecting Gu Musheng.

Zhang Tie naturally obeyed his elder brother's words unconditionally, so he had already made arrangements with Meng Qingyi beforehand, and the task of protecting the Dharma naturally fell to him.

"Second Brother!" Gu Musheng called out enthusiastically as he saw Zhang Tie land.

Zhang Tie smiled and nodded, leading Gu Musheng up the mountain, explaining the situation there as they walked.

Finally, he led Gu Musheng to the secret chamber where he had last secluded himself to attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Second Brother, shall I go in now?" Gu Musheng asked.

Zhang Tie smiled and said, "Don't rush, wait a moment, I'll send a message now to have someone deliver the Foundation Establishment Pill."

Upon hearing this, Gu Musheng nodded and waited patiently.

Shortly after Zhang Tie sent the message, a figure flew down from the mountain.

Upon meeting, the figure greeted him casually, "Junior Brother Zhang, it's you protecting me this time? What a coincidence!"

Upon seeing who it was, Zhang Tie smiled and said, "Yes, Brother Xiong, I'm sorry to have troubled you to make this trip."

The person who delivered the Foundation Establishment Pill was none other than Xiong Pohai.

"Huh, it's you." Xiong Pohai landed and saw Gu Musheng next to Zhang Tie, and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, seemingly not expecting that Gu Musheng would be the one attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Gu Musheng quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Senior Xiong."

Xiong Pohai handed the jade bottle containing the Foundation Establishment Pill to Zhang Tie for inspection.

Then he looked at Gu Musheng and waved his hand casually, saying, "No need for formalities. If you successfully establish your foundation, then we'll all be on the same side. The reason I took you down last time was just to enforce the law, so I hope you won't blame me."

Gu Musheng repeatedly said he dared not.

Xiong Pohai just smiled and didn't say anything more.

Just then, Zhang Tie finished inspecting the jade bottle and confirmed that the seal on the bottle was intact and was indeed the work of Master Fenglan.

He then handed the jade bottle to Gu Musheng and solemnly said, "Third brother, I wish you every success!"

Gu Musheng nodded, took a deep breath, and walked straight into the secret room.

He activated the secret chamber formation, sat cross-legged in the center of the chamber, and began to meditate to adapt to the environment and adjust his state.

Seeing that the secret chamber was sealed off by the array, Zhang Tie and Xiong Pohai exchanged a few more pleasantries.

After the other party left, he walked to the side and sat cross-legged to protect Gu Musheng.

It is guaranteed that no one will disturb Gu Musheng while he is building his foundation.

……

Several days later, in a secret room.

Gu Musheng, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes. After several days of recuperation, he was now in peak condition and ready to attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Without hesitation, he took out the jade bottle that Zhang Tie had given him not long ago.

He tore open the bottle seal, took out the Foundation Building Pill from the bottle, swallowed it directly, and began to refine its medicinal power.

Gu Musheng has two Foundation Establishment Pills, which theoretically give him two opportunities to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Therefore, his plan was to first try taking one Foundation Building Pill directly.

If it succeeds directly, that would be the best. Even if it doesn't, a single Foundation Establishment Pill can bring one's magic power, divine power, and divine sense closer to the Foundation Establishment stage, making one a half-step Foundation Establishment cultivator!

In this way, it will be much easier to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage again!

Then, he will take another Foundation Establishment Pill and Jade Heart Liquid, and try to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage again in one go!

As soon as he took the Foundation Building Pill, Gu Musheng felt a surge of medicinal power gushing out from his abdomen, like a raging fire, while the rest of his body remained unchanged.

Thinking of the foundation-building method taught by his elder brother, he hurriedly guided the fiery medicinal power to transform his body, magic power, and consciousness, attempting to break through the barrier in one fell swoop.

In an instant, under his guidance, countless streams of heat flowed through his meridians to all parts of his body. Wherever the heat flowed, he felt intense pain, numbness, and itching, making him feel quite uncomfortable.

Gu Musheng knew that the Foundation Building Pill was working to improve his constitution and strengthen his bones and marrow, so he endured the discomfort and continued to guide the remaining medicinal power to circulate throughout his body.

Several days later, when he finally exhausted the medicinal power of the Foundation Establishment Pill in his body, he opened his eyes.

He was only to discover with dismay that his cultivation level was still at the peak of Qi Refining, but his magical power was much stronger than before.

The magic power, which was originally in a gaseous state, has now become viscous.

"With four spiritual roots, Foundation Establishment is indeed difficult." Gu Musheng couldn't help but smile bitterly after checking his own condition.

During his Foundation Establishment attempt, the medicinal power of the Foundation Establishment Pill was completely exhausted, and he didn't even reach the point of drawing upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

After a wry smile, Gu Musheng did not rush to try to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage again, but instead pondered the gains and losses in his previous attempt.

After a few moments, he nodded thoughtfully, then closed his eyes again and sat down to meditate and adjust his state.

With the Foundation Establishment Pill protecting him, and not yet at the stage of drawing upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, he was not injured even though he failed to establish his foundation.

He was physically unharmed, but his magical power inevitably became chaotic, so he needed to adjust his condition before attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage again.

Another ten days or so passed.

After adjusting his state, Gu Musheng opened his eyes and carefully took out the Foundation Establishment Pill that Li Ping had given him from his storage bag, as well as the Jade Heart Liquid that he had won at the Immortal City auction.

Gu Musheng placed the two items in front of him with a solemn expression.

Unlike his first attempt, this will be his last chance.

Instead of rushing to take the elixir, Gu Musheng recalled his various experiences since embarking on the path to immortality.

His ancestors for generations were all ordinary people, but he was fortunate enough to be discovered to possess spiritual roots.

After embarking on the path of immortality, he set up a stall in the immortal city to earn spirit stones in order to obtain resources for cultivation.

He had just achieved some success with his stall when he was ostracized and bullied by other low-level rogue cultivators.

After joining the Tongzhou Association, under the protection of my elder brother, I can finally do business with peace of mind.

After his elder brother achieved foundation building, he did not break his oath as he had guessed, but instead devoted himself to helping them achieve foundation building...

……

Scenes flashed through his mind.

Finally, a smile appeared on Gu Musheng's face, and the image in his mind was fixed on the moment when his elder brother handed him the Foundation Establishment Pill.

At this point, he no longer hesitated.

He poured out the Foundation Establishment Pill he had obtained from the possessed demonic cultivator and swallowed it, then drank the Jade Heart Liquid.

The combination of two Foundation Establishment spiritual items allows him to achieve a Foundation Establishment probability similar to that of a cultivator with three spiritual roots, in addition to the fact that he had already partially established his Foundation.

At this moment, Gu Musheng was full of confidence: "I will definitely achieve Foundation Establishment!"

……

Zhang Tie guarded the secret room for nearly a month, but neither Gu Musheng came out nor did he notice any fluctuations in the spiritual energy of the surrounding world.

Although he had doubts, he didn't think too much about it and just waited patiently.

Furthermore, according to the rules set by True Person Fenglan, no one is allowed to disturb someone attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage unless that person actively opens the formation.

"Perhaps he's still working on his condition," Zhang Tie secretly guessed. "Of course, it's also possible that he failed to establish his foundation and is currently feeling disheartened."

Unlike his other siblings, Zhang Tie's feelings toward his third brother, Gu Musheng, were always complicated.

After all, when his elder brother had just established his foundation, Gu Musheng had tried to cut in line ahead of him by making more contributions.

He is honest and straightforward, but he's not stupid. How could he not have some reservations?

……

But just as Zhang Tie was making his guesses, he suddenly sensed that the surrounding spiritual energy was beginning to fluctuate violently. In just a moment, a vortex of spiritual energy with a diameter of several tens of feet condensed above the foundation-building chamber where Gu Musheng was breaking through.

Under Zhang Tie's watchful gaze, several days later, the spiritual energy vortex, which was tens of feet in diameter, spontaneously dissipated, revealing a dazzling ray of light within.

Zhang Tie knew very well what this scene meant.

The ancient tree has grown, and the foundation has been successfully established.

A third Foundation Establishment cultivator has appeared within the Tongzhou Guild!