Seated on a meditation cushion before the pagoda tree, Wang Ping let out a long sigh of relief, gazing at the storage bag in his hand.
The storage bag contained all the materials he needed for Foundation Establishment: Spirit Wood Seedlings and Spirit Grass Seeds for gathering Spiritual Qi, as well as several hundred processed Spirit Wood logs for constructing an array.
It even held two of the most crucial items: Foundation Establishment Pills. In this world, the Foundation Establishment Pill wasn't as mythical as in the novels from Wang Ping's past life. Its ingredients could be cultivated, but successfully refining one depended heavily on luck, and getting a usable pill was even luckier.
After stowing the storage bag, Wang Ping recalled the Foundation Establishment chapter of the Guiyuan Technique. As expected, a new panel appeared:
[Guiyuan Technique (Foundation Establishment Chapter): Your body has completed marrow washing, and your affinity with the world's Spiritual Qi has reached its peak. You must now follow the Foundation Establishment Method to fill all the opened Qi Seas within your body with Spiritual Qi, ensuring none escapes. Your root bone is of superior quality. With at least six hours of Qi Cultivation daily, you can achieve completion in twenty years. (Progress: 0/100, Daily Progress: 0/Six Hours)]
[Note 1: The final step of Foundation Establishment is converting the Spiritual Qi in your body into True Essence. This process will consume five times your total Spiritual Qi reserves. Therefore, you must complete this step in an environment with sufficiently high Spiritual Qi concentration. Current environmental Spiritual Qi concentration (16/100): Inadequate.]
[Note 2: The process of converting True Essence has a chance to trigger a Thunder Tribulation. It is recommended to wear equipment that provides protection against it.]
[Note 3: Before consuming a Foundation Establishment Pill, ensure all pill toxins have been purged from your body.]
The panel's guidance was much as Wang Ping had expected. The addition of hard data made everything more direct, showing him exactly what he needed to do...
First, there was the daily Qi Cultivation. This step was unavoidable unless he relied on pills, an expense not even the Upper Dan Sect could afford.
Second was gathering Spiritual Qi. Yu Cheng Taoist had already made preparations; he'd had Wang Ping clear the entire summit of Qianmu Mountain to plant the Spirit Wood and Spirit Grass needed for the task. 'Twenty years to gather Spiritual Qi... that should be more than enough to meet the requirement!'
'Finally, the Thunder Tribulation. In this world, it's a random event. It's not triggered by being too powerful or anything like that; it's purely chance. Some face it, some don't. There's no rhyme or reason to it. But I don't need to worry too much. The Daoist Scripture Hall's best-selling items are all defensive. I can just buy one when the time comes.'
'Alright then, what I need to do now is plant a forest!'
The first step was to take out the processed Spirit Wood and build eight Spirit Gathering Towers according to the Eight Trigrams positions. Once this basic spirit gathering formation was complete, it would create a suitable environment for the Spirit Wood and Spirit Grass to survive. The second step would be to sow the Spirit Grass Seeds. After the soil became saturated with Spiritual Qi, he could then plant the Spirit Wood.
Thus, the first order of business was large-scale construction on the summit. Qianmu Temple currently had no shortage of manpower. In less than a month, eight Spirit Gathering Towers rose from the mountaintop. Afterward, Zhao Qing, who managed internal affairs, also ordered the construction of a rammed-earth wall halfway up the mountain, completely enclosing the peak.
Wang Ping didn't stop Zhao Qing's eccentric maneuver.
Following the guidance of the Guiyuan Technique's Foundation Establishment chapter, he planted the Spirit Grass Seeds after a rainy day. Then, following the principles of Feng Shui, he dug a deep well two meters wide.
By the time he had finished, autumn had arrived, and the weather was no longer suitable for planting Spirit Wood. Wang Ping wasn't anxious. He continued his daily Qi Cultivation and used the leftover processed Spirit Wood to renovate his small courtyard.
「Early the next spring.」
The day after Wang Ping planted the Spirit Wood Seedlings, the Spiritual Qi concentration reached (28/100). At the same time, news arrived from the base of the mountain: the old Emperor of the Xia Country had abdicated the throne to a new Emperor, changing the era name to Longyuan.
…
「March 6th.」
Wang Ping rose in the morning and watered the Spirit Wood and Spirit Grass as usual. After finishing his daily six hours of Qi Cultivation, Yu Cheng Taoist came to the small courtyard with two children of about ten years old.
"Master!"
Wang Ping bowed first.
"You've taken good care of this place."
After glancing around, Yu Cheng Taoist beckoned Wang Ping over. He then pointed to the two sharp-featured children beside him. "I have found two disciples for you."
"This..." Wang Ping was dumbfounded.
"The process of Foundation Establishment is long and tedious, making it the perfect time to instruct disciples. Trust me, you will come to understand certain principles through teaching them. Besides, a garden this large needs someone to help tend it."
Hearing this, Wang Ping looked at the two children and circulated his Spiritual Qi. 'The Spiritual Qi around them is abundant, so their root bones must be decent. They have a chance at reaching Foundation Establishment. And if they cultivate here, the Spiritual Qi is so plentiful they might even be able to practice a Secret Technique.'
Understanding his master's intentions, Wang Ping readily agreed. "Fine, I'll take them."
"Come and kowtow," Yu Cheng Taoist said to the two children. "Next month, we'll pick an auspicious day for you to be formally apprenticed."
"Disciples Liu Shuang and Yang Zhiping pay our respects to Master!"
The two stepped forward together and knelt before the pagoda tree to acknowledge him as their master. Sensing an unfamiliar emotional fluctuation in Wang Ping's Spirit Sea, Yu Lian stirred from her slumber. She rested on a branch of the pagoda tree, watching the two children with curiosity.
'Wait, no. The one named Liu Shuang is a girl. She's just too young to tell, especially wearing a Daoist robe.'
"Also, you can use this time to learn some simple magic. When I was undergoing Foundation Establishment, your grandmaster tossed me a pile of Magic Books and just told me to figure them out on my own. I'm sorting through them now and will have them sent to you within a month at the latest."
Having said his piece, Yu Cheng Taoist departed.
Teaching was a painful affair, especially with two ten-year-olds. Just familiarizing them with all the movements of the *Chang Chun Technique* and then correcting their form took several months before he knew it.
By autumn, Wang Ping's total progress toward Foundation Establishment had reached (3/100), the Spiritual Qi concentration had climbed to (30/100), and his two disciples were finally able to practice the *Chang Chun Technique* on their own.
His two disciples had different temperaments. Liu Shuang was restless and couldn't settle down to study, but she was very clever and learned quickly. Yang Zhiping was quiet, but not particularly sharp. He always listened intently to Wang Ping's lectures, yet he was always just a step behind when it came to practical application.
「One day.」
After finishing his Qi Cultivation, Wang Ping was in the newly expanded courtyard practicing the Cloud Soaring Technique. It was one of the spells from the Magic Books Yu Cheng Taoist had sent. After two days of practice, he could still only rise about twenty feet off the ground. It wasn't a matter of insufficient cultivation; the cloud formed from Spiritual Qi simply wasn't light enough. 'This thing is ridiculously hard to control.'
From his perch atop the white cloud twenty feet in the air, Wang Ping saw an acolyte hurrying up the mountain path.
Wang Ping immediately descended upon seeing this.
Liu Shuang, who had been watching with sparkling eyes, rushed over. "Master, when can I learn to soar on a cloud?"
Wang Ping glanced at Yang Zhiping, who was still practicing his *Chang Chun Technique*, before chiding Liu Shuang, "Master the *Chang Chun Technique* first."
'Take me up there for a look...'
Yu Lian joined the commotion, leaping from the nearby eaves onto Wang Ping's shoulder and urging him from within his Spirit Sea.
Just then, the acolyte reached the summit. He quickly tidied his robes, walked to the courtyard entrance with a letter in his hands, and spoke after a respectful bow:
"Senior Martial Uncle, there is a Qi Refiner from the True Yang Sect at the base of the mountain named Feng Miao. She says she is a friend of yours and requests an audience."
"Feng Miao?"
An image of a valiant, heroic female Daoist surfaced in Wang Ping's mind. His long years as an ascetic had nearly made him forget the battle in Yuanning County.
"Yes, she is my friend. Please show her up."