Chapter 8: The Entangling Vine Technique and the Legend of Foundation Establishment

Chapter 8: The Entangling Vine Technique and the Legend of Foundation Establishment

Half a month later.

"Creak~ creak~ creak~"

A piece of pork tied to a tree was being tightly bound by several vines that had mysteriously appeared. The vines continued to tighten, leaving deep blood marks on the meat.

This was the spell—"Blue Silver Entanglement"

Wait, no. Let's try that again.

This was the spell—"Entangling Vine Technique"

One of the simplest spells in the Qi Refining stage, it was known as one of the five basic spells of Qi Refining, alongside "Fireball Technique," "Water Healing Technique," "Golden Finger Technique," and "Earth Wall Technique."

It required no hand seals or incantations—just a thought, and it could be cast. Moreover, its spiritual energy consumption was minimal.

When Chen Ji first learned it, it only took him three to five attempts to master it. The barrier to entry was low, and it was relatively easy to learn.

Of course, this also meant its power was weak. At full strength, it could only squeeze and leave blood marks on a piece of dead pork tied to a tree.

However, this was also due to Chen Ji's low proficiency, as he had only started learning it yesterday.

The "Entangling Vine Technique" might seem ordinary, but the jade slip containing its heritage had cost Chen Ji a whopping 60 spirit stones.

Originally, Chen Ji had planned to learn all five basic spells. But after seeing the prices, he decisively bought only one.

It wasn't to pay homage to some "Divine King Tang," but because he chose the wood-attribute "Entangling Vine Technique" to complement his "Longevity Spring Art."

In this world of cultivation, the most important—and most expensive—thing was

"heritage."

Without a proper background or being born into a sect or noble family, mere survival consumed all the energy of a rogue cultivator.

Under the influence of supernatural powers, "heritage" was tightly controlled by sects and noble families.

For ordinary rogue cultivators, even the most basic heritage was enough to make it nearly impossible to complete their cultivation system in their lifetime.

In most cases, compared to sect and noble family cultivators, rogue cultivators' heritage was always incomplete.

Weak combat abilities, low proficiency in the Hundred Arts of Cultivation, and flawed theoretical knowledge.

"Sigh, it's tough."

Shaking his head, Chen Ji stopped dwelling on these thoughts and continued to grind!

"Creak~"

Another "Entangling Vine Technique" was cast, one after another. The proficiency of the "Entangling Vine Technique" on the panel projected by the "Wordless Book" continued to grow.

With the mastery of the "Gathering Qi Talisman" and the recent start of practicing the "Entangling Vine Technique," Chen Ji's life had become incredibly fulfilling.

He could be called the "workaholic" of the cultivation world and the "best employee" of Qinghe Market.

His daily routine was almost "007"—with the highest priority given to drawing "Gathering Qi Talismans."

Once his divine sense was exhausted, he would use the remaining spiritual energy to practice the "Entangling Vine Technique," depleting his spiritual energy completely.

Then, he would follow "Teacher Ah Jin" to practice the "Five Animals Health Preservation Fist" until his physical strength was completely spent and he could no longer continue.

Finally, he would meditate to recover his spiritual energy and cultivate his foundational technique, the "Longevity Spring Art."

In short, within the limits of time, Chen Ji had pushed his body to its absolute limit.

[Name: Chen Ji]

[Lifespan: 27/77]

[Spiritual Root: Metal 17, Wood 26, Water 18, Fire 23, Earth 16]

[Realm: Qi Refining Third Layer (35/100)]

[Cultivation Technique: Longevity Spring Art (Beginner 1984/2000)]

[Skills:]

Spells: Rain Transformation Art (Beginner 45/200); Entangling Vine Technique (Beginner 166/200)

Talisman-Making: Vajra Talisman (Advanced 337/1600); Gathering Qi Talisman (Intermediate 244/400)

Martial Arts: Five Animals Health Preservation Fist (Intermediate 188/400)

The refreshed panel, with its steadily increasing proficiency, made Chen Ji completely addicted to this kind of "hard work."

Watching the skills he had mastered gradually improve, Chen Ji felt that there was nothing more satisfying than "effort always yielding results"!

...

Wandering through the market, Chen Ji looked left and right.

Now, Chen Ji was no longer as strapped for cash as before, not daring to spend a single spirit stone.

At the very least, he now had a surplus of over 40 spirit stones. As long as he didn't aim for high-end items like "heritage," "magical tools," or "pills," he could afford quite a few things.

With some money in his pocket, he could finally browse the stalls properly.

The rogue cultivator stalls were filled with scattered cultivators.

Some carried swords, others large red gourds. Some were barefoot, while others rode spirit beasts or birds...

There was a bit of everything. Chen Ji, dressed in a Daoist robe, was considered "normally dressed" in comparison.

"Mid-stage Qi Refining, late-stage Qi Refining, mid-stage Qi Refining, early-stage Qi Refining..."

"Indeed, most are at the mid-stage of Qi Refining. There aren't many late-stage Qi Refining cultivators or early-stage rookies."

"I'm still too weak."

Chen Ji sighed inwardly, identified his location, and made his way to a familiar stall.

This was a husband-and-wife stall run by an elderly couple. Their stall was filled with various spirit plants, with "spirit rice" alone divided into four or five grades.

"Qinghe Spirit Rice," "Lingyuan Spirit Rice," "Tianyuan Spirit Rice"...

Among them, "Qinghe Spirit Rice" was the one Chen Ji had been eating recently—a local variety from Qinghe Market, with a moderate texture, neither too hard nor too soft. It was also the one Chen Ji had first tried half a month ago.

"Two pounds of 'Qinghe Spirit Rice,' please."

The elderly couple were veterans of the market. They had leased a plot of land in Fajiu Mountain and specialized in growing various spirit plants.

Today, the old man was manning the stall. He was in his sixties or seventies, his face full of wrinkles, and his smile carried a sense of rustic simplicity.

"Oh, it's young Chen..."

The old man smiled and said, "Young Chen, you have quite the appetite. Coming every few days, you must be in good health."

Since practicing the "Five Animals Health Preservation Fist," Chen Ji had noticed a significant increase in his appetite. Add to that the fact that he had a monkey at home, which counted as half a person, and the consumption of spirit rice was indeed higher than that of an average cultivator.

After receiving the spirit rice and completing the transaction, Chen Ji got up to leave.

However, as he held the spirit rice and glanced at the "pills" and "magical tools" on the surrounding stalls, he couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. He slowed his pace, and just then, he overheard a piece of news from a passerby.

"What? An ancient cave mansion has appeared in Yunfu Mountain, and someone claims to have brought out a Foundation Establishment Pill?"

"Was it the legendary Flower Elder who once dominated the Tianyuan Region? He was a peak Golden Core cultivator in his time."

This news exploded like gunpowder, igniting hope in all the cultivators present.

"A Foundation Establishment Pill!"

Without a doubt, this was a divine artifact that all cultivators dreamed of obtaining—a true opportunity.

In the market, there were many late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, and a few who were stuck at the peak of Qi Refining.

Yet, none had managed to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

The difficulty of Foundation Establishment was akin to climbing to the heavens. The three major barriers—spiritual energy, divine sense, and vital energy—were like insurmountable chasms, blocking the path for the vast majority of Qi Refining cultivators.

Liquefying spiritual energy, solidifying divine sense, and strengthening vital energy—these three barriers were the tigers guarding the gate to Foundation Establishment. In the entire cultivation world, there were many spiritual items that could help with a single barrier.

But only the Foundation Establishment Pill could simultaneously stabilize the meridians, replenish spiritual energy, and nurture divine sense.

With just one pill, the probability of successfully establishing a foundation increased by 30%.

However...

"What does that have to do with me, a measly third-layer Qi Refining cultivator?"