Chapter 168: Mid-stage Power
Chapter 168: Chapter 168: Mid-stage Power
Li Ping underwent significant changes after breaking through to Mid-stage Foundation Establishment.
First, there was his Magical Power. In the process of breaking through from Early-stage to Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, the depth of his Magical Power had roughly doubled.
Of course, this was a quantitative change in his Magical Power, an accumulation in volume that couldn’t compare to the qualitative transformation that occurred when breaking through a major realm.
Doubling his Magical Power greatly increased his stamina in a fight.
In addition, after the breakthrough, the amount of Magical Power he could mobilize at once had also increased significantly. To put it simply, his power output was greater.
With greater power output, he could naturally unleash more of a Dharma Artifact’s might.
For example, he previously had several Tier Two Top-Grade Spiritual Artifacts, but the Magical Power an Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator could mobilize was nowhere near enough to unleash their full might.
Now that he had broken through to Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, he was far more powerful than before, even if he still couldn’t bring out the full potential of a Tier Two Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact.
Besides Magical Power, his Divine Sense had also improved.
An average Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s Divine Sense could cover a radius of about a thousand feet. Li Ping’s, however, was naturally powerful, reaching up to fifteen hundred feet.
Now, after breaking through to Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, his Divine Sense covered a radius of three thousand feet—still about fifty percent greater than that of an average cultivator at the same stage.
A stronger Divine Sense meant he could control more Dharma Artifacts for attack and defense simultaneously, an undeniable boost to his combat strength.
After taking out his Dharma Artifacts and testing them one by one, Li Ping smiled in satisfaction.
Fueled by his Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Magical Power, his Top-Grade Spiritual Artifacts were beginning to show their true might.
The Blood Banner, a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact he had taken from that Demon Cultivator couple, revealed even more of its unique functions.
He discovered through experimentation that the blood mist released from the Blood Banner could solidify around his body, forming a suit of armor.
Furthermore, this armor was extremely tough; Li Ping estimated its defensive power was equivalent to a Tier Two Upper Grade defensive Dharma Artifact.
While it couldn’t compare to his Blood Transformation Shield, it was still another layer of protection.
...
A few days later, Yu Menghan arrived with the Seven-Color Illusory Light Butterfly for its treatment.
Surprised to find Li Ping’s Cultivation had advanced, she was quick to offer her congratulations. "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Li, on breaking through to Mid-stage Foundation Establishment. You’ve taken another great step on the path to immortality."
Li Ping smiled humbly. "You’re too kind. I’ve only just managed to catch up to you, Fairy."
This wasn’t false modesty. He didn’t know Yu Menghan’s exact age, but judging by her behavior, demeanor, and appearance, she couldn’t be very old—perhaps even far younger than him.
But despite her youth, her Cultivation was not to be underestimated.
When she first came to Immortal Peach Mountain seeking his help six years ago, she had already been a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
In truth, for Li Ping to reach Mid-stage Foundation Establishment at seventy years old wasn’t particularly fast, but it wasn’t slow, either.
The speed of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s breakthroughs depended on their natural aptitude and the resources available to them.
Take the Bai family’s old ancestor, for example. The Bai family wasn’t powerful enough to supply him with Cultivation Elixirs, the Spiritual Land he trained on was poor, and he had to stay and guard his family, never daring to venture out for opportunities.
As a result, he was stuck at the Early-stage Foundation Establishment bottleneck his entire life.
Then there was Xiao Yunzhi. As a cultivator with a Celestial Spiritual Root and a descendant of the most powerful cultivator in the Western Wilderness, her aptitude was peerless, and she had no shortage of cultivation resources.
Furthermore, cultivators with a Celestial Spiritual Root face no bottlenecks before Nascent Soul Formation.
That was why she successfully reached Foundation Establishment before she was twenty. When she met Li Ping, she wasn’t even thirty years old, yet she had already reached Mid-stage Foundation Establishment.
Now, another twenty-three or twenty-four years had passed. Li Ping guessed she was likely a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator by now.
Of course, Li Ping’s aptitude was nothing compared to Xiao Yunzhi’s.
However, the Wetland Water Nourishing Skill he cultivated had a trait similar to that of a Celestial Spiritual Root: he faced no bottlenecks when breaking through minor realms.
For many Foundation Establishment Cultivators, advancing within a realm was simply a matter of time and effort. With enough patience, they could eventually accumulate sufficient Magical Power.
The main reason they remained unable to break through was that they were stuck at a bottleneck, which couldn’t be overcome with time alone.
It was precisely because he had no bottlenecks and only needed to accumulate Magical Power that Li Ping was able to break through to Mid-stage Foundation Establishment at the age of seventy.
...
Hearing Li Ping’s humble words, Yu Menghan simply smiled behind her hand and said no more.
Her reaction made Li Ping even more certain that her aptitude was not to be underestimated—at least that of an Abnormal Spiritual Root.
Otherwise, she would have likely lamented how difficult her own cultivation journey had been.
As usual, Li Ping transferred four wisps of his Nourishing Life Skill Power to treat the Seven-Color Illusory Light Butterfly, then gestured for Yu Menghan to inspect it.
After her inspection, Yu Menghan once again left a Spirit Fruit for Li Ping to help him recover his energy.
At the same time, she said with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work, Fellow Daoist Li. I have some news about the thousand-year ironwood you require. It may be delivered to Fenglan Immortal City within four years."
"Oh? News already?" Li Ping couldn’t help but be surprised by the capabilities of the Ying Sea Commerce Association.
Yu Menghan nodded nonchalantly. "Ironwood isn’t a rare item. It’s only considered so here in the Western Wilderness. At our association’s headquarters, we have piles of it in storage."
Yu Menghan’s disdain for the Western Wilderness’s Cultivation Realm made Li Ping suspect that the Ying Sea Commerce Association might have a Nascent Soul Cultivator among its ranks.
However, she was unwilling to disclose any specifics, so he couldn’t confirm his suspicions.
"By the way, Fairy Yu," Li Ping said apologetically, "I need to leave for a while to take care of some matters, so I’m afraid we’ll have to pause the treatments." He added, "But please rest assured, Fairy. Once my business is concluded, I will certainly return to continue treating your Spirit Beast."
He had broken through to Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, and Yan Hengchuan had long since reached the Qi Refining Ninth Level, not far from its peak.
Now, with all preparations complete, it was time for him to help Yan Hengchuan achieve Foundation Establishment.
Yan Hengchuan was his master’s great-grandson. By helping him reach Foundation Establishment and leaving him to stand guard over the Yan Clan, Li Ping could ensure two hundred years of peace for the Yan family.
He could also fulfill his promise to his master and bring this worldly matter to a close.
Besides, he was the one who had given Yan Hengchuan the Blood Spirit Hundred Transformations Scripture to practice.
Having given Yan Hengchuan the Cultivation Technique, helping him achieve Foundation Establishment was a matter of responsibility, of seeing things through to the end.
Therefore, no matter what, this had to be done.
"Oh? How long will your trip take, Fellow Daoist Li? Is there anything I can do in your stead?" Yu Menghan was somewhat surprised, clearly not wanting Li Ping to leave in the middle of the treatment process.
Li Ping shook his head. "The trip will take half a year at the fastest, perhaps a year or two at the slowest. And it is something I must do myself; it cannot be delegated."
Hearing this, Yu Menghan hesitated for a moment before smiling again. "In that case, I can only defer to your plans, Fellow Daoist Li. I will urge them to send the thousand-year ironwood, so you must remember to return soon to collect it."
"Rest assured, Fairy Yu," Li Ping replied with a smile.
’She’s probably worried I’ll leave without a word, so she’s deliberately using the thousand-year ironwood as bait.’ With a carrot dangled in front of him, she didn’t have to worry about him not returning.
Of course, the main reason Yu Menghan had agreed so readily was—
After six years of treatment, the Seven-Color Illusory Light Butterfly was not only out of danger but also recovering well. Even without Li Ping’s help, it could now heal on its own; it would simply take longer.
...
After informing the Meng family’s old ancestor that he would be traveling for a time, Li Ping left a letter for Zhang Tie and the others.
Out of habit, Li Ping packed up all his belongings before flying out of the Immortal City.
Barring any accidents, he planned to return to the Immortal City to continue his cultivation after this trip.
But just in case something unexpected happened, he might have to go on the run, so bringing everything he owned was essential.
Once outside the Immortal City’s limits, Li Ping tossed out his Floating Shadow Shuttle and floated onto the Flying Ship.
With a surge of his Divine Thought, the Flying Ship transformed into a streak of black light. WHOOSH! It shot toward the Wang family’s Mist and Smoke Mountain in the distance, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Several hours later, Li Ping arrived at Mist and Smoke Mountain, where he picked up Yan Hengchuan and exchanged greetings with Wang Xingwei.
The Floating Shadow Shuttle then transformed back into a streak of light and flew out of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.
On the deck of the Flying Ship, Li Ping stood with his hands clasped behind his back, Yan Hengchuan standing just behind him.
Yan Hengchuan’s expression was a mixture of excitement and apprehension. After silently sensing for a moment, he spoke. "Grandmaster, Yan Liming’s aura is still in the Grassland. He hasn’t left."
"Still in the Grassland?" Li Ping was slightly surprised.
He was curious what a Human Race Cultivator like Yan Liming was doing lingering in the Grassland. The environment there was harsh, resources were scarce, and it had very few Spirit Veins. It was a worthless land that Human Race Cultivators completely disdained.
Only the Tuluo Race tribes, driven out of the Western Wilderness by the Human Race, lived there. It was said that deep in the Grassland, besides the Tuluo Race, there were many other Alien Race tribes like the Great Moon Race and the Fire Worship Race.
Due to their unique physiology, the Cultivators among these Alien Races were less dependent on Spirit Veins, allowing them to survive and thrive on the barren Grassland.
Although Yan Liming was a Demon Cultivator, he was still fundamentally a Human Race Cultivator. Lingering in the Grassland would be a major impediment to his cultivation.
’Unless he has some compelling reason to stay there.’
"Then we’re going to the Grassland," Li Ping ordered without hesitation.
’Dealing with Yan Liming in Alien Race territory is far more convenient than confronting him on the Blood Shadow Sect’s home turf.’
’Of course, the ideal situation would be for Yan Liming to appear in the territory of the Daoist Guardian Alliance. Then I’d be even more confident in taking him down.’
Hearing Li Ping’s command, Yan Hengchuan quickly agreed. "Yes, Grandmaster."
He immediately steered the Flying Ship toward the location he had sensed.
Meanwhile, Li Ping sat down cross-legged, and a cloud of blood mist enveloped him, concealing his figure from view.
Inside the blood mist, Li Ping nodded in satisfaction. He took out his Talisman Brush, Talisman Ink, and Talisman Paper, and began crafting Tier Two Upper Grade Spirit Talismans.
’The reason I’m using the blood mist to hide is mainly to keep Yan Hengchuan from seeing me craft Spirit Talismans.’
’After all, a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator who can craft Tier Two Upper Grade Spirit Talismans... that’s far too shocking. It’s better that Yan Hengchuan doesn’t know.’
As was his habit, he prioritized crafting the most destructive type of offensive talismans: those of the Thunder Element.
The Tier Two Upper Grade Spirit Talisman: the Furious Thunder Talisman!