The sun shone down upon me, its bright rays illuminating the sky. However, the clouds above had gathered, blocking the sun's warm embrace from reaching the land. Despite this, a cool breeze swept past me, carrying with it light, golden particles that danced in the air. The wind created gentle gusts that rustled the leaves of the trees, blowing them across the verdant lawn. It was a peaceful moment, a time of serene tranquility. All I could hear was the soft whispers of the wind passing through the grass and the harmonious melodies of the birds singing. It was so quiet, so comfortable, that I almost forgot where I was and what I was doing.
But only almost. I was waiting for Chen Hua and the others, so I began to inspect the creatures under my care. Each and every one of them had successfully transformed into an early grade one monster, with the strongest of them possessing the same strength as a fifth-layer human cultivator. However, they still had a long way to go if we were to survive whatever was coming. I was in the same boat - despite having access to infinite Qi, super training areas, and a plethora of elixirs, I had only reached the seventh layer of Qi training in six years.
I had even gone so far as to create this bamboo island using rune stones and formation arrays, basically establishing a holy land of cultivation. But even with all of these advantages, I had only risen six levels in six years. It was a daunting prospect, but I knew that if I was to overcome whatever challenges lay ahead, I needed to grow stronger, and for the past week I had been gathering workable projects to do just that.
Just as I concluded my inspection of the creatures under my care, I saw Chen Hua, Chen Long, Wang Cheng, and Li Yichen all arrive.
I greeted them warmly, and asked them about their training progress, eager to hear their updates. Chen Long and Li Yichen had both reached the impressive 8th stage of qi refinement, while Wang Cheng had already made it to the ninth stage. However, the state of his physical and mental being suggested that he had rushed into the foundation-building phase, only to fall short at some point. Chen Hua, on the other hand, had just made it into the fifth stage of qi refinement.
After listening to their responses, I began to explain the training process I had created for them. I stressed the importance of starting at the beginning and taking our time to learn each exercise and technique thoroughly, as this would help us progress quickly through the training process. We would then practice those exercises and techniques until we had achieved a basic level of proficiency, before continuing to improve ourselves and reach higher levels of cultivation.
I couldn't exactly explain myself and stress the importance or the urgency of the situation so the least I could do was give them more strength.
The process was intensive and demanding, with hours of practice ahead of us. They took turns training with each other, sometimes working together and sometimes separately, as I supervised them. Each of us was focused and determined to improve our skills, and we pushed ourselves to our limits.
As the day wore on, we split apart and continued the practice session for another couple of hours. We were all exhausted, but the sense of accomplishment was worth it. We knew that we were making progress and that we were one step closer to achieving our goals.
As the fiery sun began its descent, casting golden hues over the horizon, I distributed a storage bag to each member of the group, packed with ample resources to last them for the next four years. Bid them farewell, I watched as they disappeared into the distance, protected by my trusted guardian Lin Shifu, who was a spirit pear tree that I had cultivated from a normal pear tree to a spirit pear tree through my artificial growth enhancement method. Basically, I had taken an artificial wooden elemental and fused it into the pear tree, and just began pouring copious amount of Qi into it, The amount of resources that had been poured into its cultivation was unimaginable, allowing it to achieve the strength of a late-stage foundation establishment realm cultivator.
The very thought of its power was enough to fill me with awe and wonder, yet also a sense of responsibility.
With their departure, I was once again alone with my thoughts, left to ponder my decisions and contemplate the future. After six years of solely focusing on my cultivation, I came to the realization that it would take me a substantial amount of time to reach the foundation establishment realm, even with the help of medicinal aids and formational techniques. Stabilizing my Seventh stage of Qi refining was a top priority before even thinking about using my Qi reserve, as I didn't want to risk damaging my dantian. With this in mind, I made the decision to focus on other areas that could help me in battle.
My goal was to acquire powerful and easy-to-use skills that would allow me to fight way above my fight class. I needed to think outside the box and come up with a strategy that would work to my advantage. My research led me to discover a rare and elusive set of skills that could only be found in ancient texts. I spent countless hours pouring over these texts and practicing the techniques they contained.
The skills I acquired were both powerful and efficient, giving me the ability to take down opponents who were well above my fight class. With these skills, I could now fight with confidence, knowing that I had a fighting chance against any opponent that came my way. While my cultivation base was still a work in progress, I had a newfound sense of power and control that I had never experienced before.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
I had been seeking powerful and easy-to-use skills that would allow me to fight above my current level, and I found my first new skill in a rosary. This particular rosary was made up of one hundred and eight beads, each crafted from a first-rate spirit stone and imbued with seven different runes. With this rosary, I could use the beads as array nodes to deploy any formation from gradeless to third-grade offensive and defensive formations. My amulet acted as a power center, making me a walking and talking fortress with attack power equal to that of a peak late-stage Foundation Establishment practitioner. The rosary was designed to enhance my magic attacks and spells, thereby increasing their effectiveness and range. Additionally, I could generate multiple energy shields at the same time using the rosary for reinforcement purposes. Although I had yet to make the rosary and practice with it, it sounded fantastic on paper.
Next, I stumbled upon a set of skills that were too good to pass up - a set of Heaven grade Water spells that I named the 'Eight Treasure'. These spells were a fusion of eight different water-based spells, each with its unique advantages. The Water Escape spell allowed me to meld into the water and travel at incredible speeds, while Water Blade allowed me to sharpen formless water into a weapon. Water Arrow allowed me to launch normal water at a greater distance, and Water Vortex turned formless water into a highly destructive force.
Water Prison allowed me to create a hard and impenetrable surface out of the water, and Tidal Blood gave me complete control over my body by controlling the water inside me. Rain Dance allowed me to imbue normal water with spiritual qi, turning each drop into a spiritual attack. Finally, Water Laser, my own invention, used pressurized spiritual water over one hundred gigapascals and forced it through a tiny nozzle, creating a jet of water that transformed into the sharpest blade, capable of cutting through anything.
Each of these spells had the strength to injure a Golden Core realm cultivator if used with full power. With my innate water manipulation ability, the amount of qi these spells consumed was negligible. While I had yet to master these spells, I knew that with time and practice, I could use them to devastating effect.
I resolved to undertake a new endeavor to strengthen my arsenal even further. This time, I set out to create an artificial ice elemental spirit and imbue it into a sword. It would take me four years to raise its cultivation level to the maximum possible by infusing copious amounts of spirit qi.
The process of creating an artificial spirit was no small feat, and it would require all my knowledge and expertise in the realm of spiritual cultivation. I would need to gather the finest materials and resources and employ a variety of advanced techniques and spells to create the perfect elemental spirit.
Once I would succeed in creating the spirit, I would need to imbue it into a sword, forging a spiritual weapon with an elemental spirit controlled by me. The sword would become an extension of my will, and it would gain immense power and destructive capabilities.
Over the course of the next four years, I would dedicate myself entirely to these projects, experimenting, and refining my techniques.
With these new skills in my arsenal, I felt confident that I could take on any opponent, regardless of their strength or cultivation level.
and growing with me.
It was a daunting task, but I knew I had the skills and determination to see it through. I spent countless hours researching and studying the methods used by the great Elementalists before me. I experimented with different spells and incantations, carefully observing the results and tweaking my methods as needed.
Finally, after months of hard work, I felt ready to begin the actual process of binding the elemental to myself. I gathered all the necessary ingredients and set up my workspace, carefully following the steps outlined in my research.
As I began the incantation, I felt a surge of power coursing through me. The room filled with a blinding light as the elemental slowly materialized before me. I could sense its intelligence and curiosity as it looked around its new surroundings.
As the days turned into weeks, I immersed myself in bonding with my elemental. I spent every moment possible teaching it the fundamentals of magic and nurturing its growth and development. Together, we delved into the depths of its nature, striving to comprehend its essence. Gradually, it began to respond to my thoughts and obey my commands.
After some time, I gave my elemental a name, "Zai," meaning existence, as it possessed no discernible traits. As Zai accepted me as its master, I decided to create a unique weapon - an incanted sword. I settled on an Egyptian Khopesh rather than a Japanese katana, as I wanted to differentiate myself from my future self.
The process of crafting the sword was arduous, but I persisted. Pouring all my knowledge and skill into it, I imbued it with powerful formations, spells, and a special connection to my elemental.
As I completed the incanted sword, I knew that I needed to make it a vessel for Zai, my elemental. With great effort and skill, I fused the two entities together, creating a powerful elemental cultivator that surpassed my own abilities. Zai began to transform, shedding its old form and evolving into a pure and refined spiritual body that now resided within the sword. It was as if the sword had come alive with its own consciousness.
This transformation took three long years of dedicated effort and training. During that time, I bonded with Zai, teaching it the basics of magic and helping it develop its own abilities. It grew in intelligence, equivalent to that of a four-year-old child, communicating with me through mental images projected in my mind.
As Zai's spiritual energy reached the pinnacle of the middle stage Foundation Establishment realm, it greatly enhanced the sword's combat capabilities. Although its physical power had not increased, its spiritual energy now surpassed my own. I marveled at the power and potential of this new elemental cultivator, making me feel a little jealous.