Cultivation Starting from Choosing Augments-Chapter 85 - 83: Observing the Heavens, Examining the Earth, Understanding People

Chapter 85: Chapter 83: Observing the Heavens, Examining the Earth, Understanding People

The unexpected acquisition of the Wuji Spirit Soil left Xiao Chen in disbelief.

’Who on earth were these two Demon Cultivators?’

’And that large banner from before was clearly no simple item either.’

"Fog Manipulation Technique!"

Xiao Chen immediately cast the Water Magic he had learned in the Flame Pool Secret Realm.

Bursts of water vapor erupted around him, and a damp fog immediately enveloped the nearby flames.

He had never been particularly fond of such Supporting Magic.

However, after he’d killed the Tian Family’s Three Brothers, putting out the fires had been a real hassle.

So, after returning, he had reviewed the Fog Manipulation Technique. It was proving very useful now, extinguishing all the nearby flames in just a few moments.

He then searched the area carefully.

He not only found two Storage Bags but also discovered a palm-sized Bone Bottle in the robes of one of the Demon Cultivators.

’Huh, what’s this?’

Curious, he opened the stopper, and the pungent smell of blood immediately assaulted him.

Inside were three dark-red, Spirit Pill-like pellets. They appeared to be a type of Elixir he didn’t recognize.

After cleaning up the scene, he rushed back to Heyang County.

Outside the Xuan Family residence, a number of Loose Cultivators had already gathered, watching from a distance.

A junior disciple stood guard at the main gate, his Li Huo Sect Magic Robe a clear deterrent to the greedy onlookers.

"Xiao, you’re back!"

The junior disciples were thrilled to see Xiao Chen return.

The Xuan Family had quite a few Cultivators. If they were all confirmed to be accomplices of the Demon Cultivators, the Contribution Points for assisting in their capture alone would amount to dozens per person.

"Xiao, aside from the warehouse in the back, which has a Spirit Seal and hasn’t been opened, we’ve already checked everywhere else."

Another junior disciple, at the ninth level of Qi Refining, led him to the Xuan Family’s warehouse.

Xiao Chen raised his hand and launched a fireball at it, only to find the Spirit Seal was surprisingly sturdy. It clearly wouldn’t be easy to break.

Chen Zixuan explained, "Xiao, I’ve seen this Spirit Seal in a book before."

"It’s an Eight Trigrams Spirit Returning Lock. It automatically absorbs the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to repair itself."

"Without the specific Secret Technique, it can’t be opened, even if besieged by ten cultivators at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining."

"Oh?" Xiao Chen took two steps closer. "Earth Shaking Technique!"

This was the last of the Earth Magic he had obtained in the Flame Pool Secret Realm.

As the Power of the Earth Veins surged through him, he stomped his foot, twisted his waist, and threw a vicious punch.

DONG!

With a dull THUD, the warehouse’s massive Refined Iron door fell straight backward and slammed onto the ground.

The disciples’ eyes twitched. The entire door had been forged from Refined Iron a foot thick.

’Looks like the books aren’t always accurate.’

Xiao Chen calmly retracted his right hand, discreetly placing it behind his back.

Inside the warehouse were large quantities of Spirit Grass preserved by the Xuan Family, refined Spirit Ore, and several chests of stockpiled Spirit Stones.

However, there were no completed Magical Artifacts or Elixirs to be seen.

Clearly, the Xuan Family had been living in rather dire straits.

Xiao Chen instructed the junior disciples to inventory and log all the items.

"Xiao, how many Spirit Stones should we write down?"

"How many Spirit Stones are in the chests?"

"Eight thousand, six hundred thirty-three."

"Then why are you asking me?"

Chen Zixuan piped up, "Tian, you must have miscounted. I counted six thousand, two hundred thirty-three."

Tian was the other ninth-level Qi Refining disciple besides Xiao Chen.

He froze for a moment before catching on. "Right, I miscounted. It should be six thousand, two hundred thirty-three."

Xiao Chen suggested, "Let’s all count them together to make sure there are no mistakes."

The junior disciples present immediately gathered around.

Each of them took one hundred Spirit Stones, Tian took two hundred, and Xiao Chen alone took a thousand.

Afterward, everyone happily signed the ledger as witnesses.

After they departed, escorting the Xuan Family Cultivators and carrying away the large quantities of Spirit Grass and Spirit Ore, the Loose Cultivators who had been waiting outside for a long time surged forward and rushed into the Xuan Family’s home.

They picked the former Foundation Establishment family’s residence clean, taking anything that could be carried away.

After returning to the Li Huo Sect, Xiao Chen went to see Elder Chen again.

After completing the mission handover, he took the opportunity to ask about any important details regarding Foundation Establishment.

Elder Chen replied while watering his flowers with a kettle, "I’ve heard that in the Ancient Times, there were indeed many considerations for Foundation Establishment: observing the auspicious time, discerning the favorable location, and ensuring human harmony."

"However, now that we have the Foundation Establishment Pill, obtaining one has become the most important step."

"If you’re interested in this, I happen to have a written account here with some relevant records."

This account from Elder Chen primarily recorded a large number of failed Foundation Establishment attempts, using them to illustrate just how crucial the Foundation Establishment Pill was.

However, Xiao Chen learned a great deal from the analyses of those failed cases.

Observing the auspicious time: Without a Foundation Establishment Pill, it is best to wait for a time that corresponds to the attribute of one’s Spiritual Root. This can effectively increase the chances of success. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Discerning the favorable location: For Foundation Establishment, it is best to choose a location near a Spirit Vein or prepare a large amount of Spirit Stones and Spiritual Objects to ensure there is sufficient Spiritual Qi.

Ensuring human harmony: Seek the protection of a reliable elder to prevent any unexpected incidents from occurring nearby.

’Why do I have to worry about the timing?’

Xiao Chen frowned. He had a Wood Spirit Root, and each month, only the first, eleventh, and twenty-first were considered Wood days.

Today was the third day of the eighth month. According to this theory, he would have to wait another eight days.

’How reliable is this theory, anyway?’

Ever since obtaining the Earth Element Spiritual Object for Foundation Establishment, Xiao Chen had been growing impatient. He even wanted to attempt his breakthrough today.

But Foundation Establishment was a major undertaking, and he couldn’t afford to be careless.

’Forget it. It’s only a few more days.’

Xiao Chen thought for a moment and decided it was better to play it safe.

’It’s just a delay of a few days. It’s not like some major disaster is going to happen in that short time... right?’

With his Foundation Establishment plan settled, Xiao Chen finally opened the two Storage Bags.

The two Demon Cultivators had been carrying an astonishing three thousand, two hundred and eighteen Spirit Stones.

Additionally, there were two Lower-Grade Magic Robes and two Lower-Grade Flying Swords, apparently used as disguises.

There were also two bottles of Five-Colored Essence Pills, two bottles of Qi Gathering Pills, three Earth Spirit Fruits, and a full eight bottles of Soul-breaking Powder.

Finally, after tossing aside some miscellaneous portraits and bones, he found two small booklets.

One was titled *Divine Fire Summoning Banner*, which was the manual for refining and controlling that fiery red banner.

The Divine Fire Summoning Banner was actually an Upper-Grade Magical Artifact!

The other was titled *Eye of Truth*.

Xiao Chen flipped through it and was thrilled to discover it was a Yellow Level Investigation Skill.

And unlike his own Stargazing Qi Refining Technique, this Magic was extremely powerful.

Its only two downsides were that the cultivation method was extremely tedious and it consumed a vast amount of Spirit Stones.

Reaching Minor Success would require at least several hundred Spirit Stones, while cultivating it to Great Success would require upwards of a thousand Spirit Stones just to start.

Unlike typical Magic that relied on cultivating a Heart Method, this one was different.

The *Eye of Truth* was essentially more of a Body Refining technique, requiring a Cultivator to use Magical Power and corresponding Spiritual Objects to forge a pair of true Spiritual Eyes.

If one could cultivate it to the Great Success Realm, they could effortlessly see through Illusions and pierce disguises without even needing to consciously use the technique.

’This is like gaining a whole new innate ability. What a treasure!’