Time flows like water.
In the blink of an eye, another two years have passed.
Xu Ping sat quietly on a mat, operating his "Longevity Skill."
His body was surrounded by a green light, like a turbulent ocean, layer upon layer, with a majestic aura.
Today, after years of hard cultivation, he expanded the liquid Mana in his Sea of Qi to the limits of Early-Stage Foundation Establishment—seventy drops of liquid Mana roiled within him.
Then, naturally, he began his breakthrough!
With the help of his panel and his exceptionally thick Mana, this breakthrough was steady beyond compare.
Feeling the breakthrough in a certain bottleneck, under the powerful spiritual pressure from the outside world, a large amount of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi gathered in his Dantian, continuously refined into liquid Mana.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Xu Ping’s mouth.
At this moment, he had successfully broken through and advanced to a Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator!
"Forty years old, Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment."
After a long time, Xu Ping opened his ink-black eyes, feeling joyful and free, letting out a light laugh.
It took him seven years in total to progress from Early-Stage Foundation Establishment to Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment.
This advancement was significantly faster than those with an Earth Spirit Root.
Typically, those with an Earth Spirit Root take about eight years to reach Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment, around twenty years to reach Late-Stage Foundation Establishment, and another twenty years to reach Foundation Establishment Perfection.
As for those with a Celestial Spirit Root, they progress even faster; at the same age, they may have already achieved Core Formation.
"At this cultivation speed, I should be able to master the ’Thousand Leaves Scripture’ before turning one hundred fifty!" Xu Ping smiled at the corners of his mouth.
One hundred fifty is considered old age among Foundation Establishment cultivators, but for him, it will be prime years.
After all, after breaking through to Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment, his lifespan increased by a full thirty years!
[Lifespan: 40/318 years]
Looking at his lifespan of over three hundred years, Xu Ping felt even more content.
Ordinary cultivators do not experience such a significant increase in lifespan from breaking through minor stages, even if they practice longevity-increasing techniques.
Without a doubt, this was the result of the Minor Achievement in the Longevity Skill.
"It seems I underestimated; when my Longevity Skill reaches Perfection, and I advance to Late-Stage Foundation Establishment, surpassing a four hundred-year lifespan should be easy." Xu Ping couldn’t help but grin, revealing his white teeth.
After admiring his lifespan for a while, he began to sense the changes in himself after breaking through to Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment.
Xu Ping extended his Divine Sense, discovering that its range now reached one hundred and twenty zhang, stronger than that of most Late-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.
One should know that the range of the Divine Sense of a typical Late-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator is no more than a hundred zhang.
"With my current strength of Divine Sense, casting the Shocking God Needle again, even Late-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivators might not be able to withstand it," Xu Ping thought in amazement.
Moreover, when he used his Divine Sense to observe inwardly, he found that his Dantian had expanded again, and it surprisingly contained one hundred and five drops of liquid Mana, nearly reaching the peak of a typical Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝔫𝔢𝔱
He estimated that by the time he reached the peak of Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment, his Dantian could hold at least one hundred seventy to eighty drops, which was no weaker than that of an ordinary Late-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"I wonder if I can face a Fake Pill cultivator with all my means combined?"
After contemplating for a moment, Xu Ping shook his head, "Probably not, as Fake Pill cultivators are already in a different realm than Foundation Establishment ones; the gap is too vast, unless..."
Xu Ping’s gaze inadvertently fell on the panel.
[Primordial Sword Skill Minor Achievement: 698/800]
"Unless the Primordial Sword Skill reaches Perfection, and helps me break through to the second realm of Sword Dao—Sword Light Piercing the Sky!"
Ever since the Primordial Sword Skill broke through to Minor Achievement, Xu Ping was surprised to discover that the long-stagnant Sword Qi Thunder Sound realm was slowly advancing.
This discovery brought him immense joy.
Sword Light Piercing the Sky possesses Golden Core power; if he could master it, the enhancement in strength could surpass that of breaking through to Late-Stage Foundation Establishment.
"But the progress of the Primordial Sword Skill is terribly slow as it goes on!" Xu Ping shook his head helplessly.
According to his estimate, it would take at least another ten to twenty years for the Primordial Sword Skill to reach Perfection.
"It’s not something that can be rushed. Now that I’ve reached Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment, perhaps that wooden box might be opened!" Xu Ping thought to himself.
With a flip of his palm, a black wooden box, about a foot long, appeared in his hand.
This wooden box belonged to a Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator he had robbed at Hanyang Market.
Upon researching it, he found it was sealed with a special Restriction, requiring pure Mana explosive force to open.
Xu Ping had tried before, but his Mana at the time was insufficient; even with the addition of the Spirit Summoning Skill and Celestial Demon Solution, it wasn’t enough.
Now, having broken through to Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment and his Mana greatly increased, he might be able to open this wooden box.
"The method to open this box is so difficult; perhaps it contains some treasure!" Xu Ping was secretly excited.
Calming himself, with a solemn expression, he once again attempted to open the wooden box.
As his Mana circulated, a strong aura rose from his body.
Xu Ping held the wooden box in both hands, his whole body bursting with Mana.
The wooden box trembled for a moment, but quickly became calm again.
"It’s not enough; the Mana is still not sufficient!"
Seeing this, Xu Ping helplessly shook his head and stopped circulating his Mana, "It seems I’ll have to stack the two Secret Techniques to increase the Mana limit!"
However, he did not rush to use the two Secret Techniques but decided to consolidate his cultivation level.
After all, he had just broken through to Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment, and his cultivation was not yet stable; recklessly using the ’Celestial Demon Solution,’ which has significant side effects, might cause serious harm to himself.