Xu Qing was extremely cautious when choosing a place to build his foundation.
He had many things to consider. For example, he had to determine if there were people secretly following him. He had to check if the place had powerful forces in the surroundings.
He had to consider spirit energy in the place. It couldn't be too dense or too scarce.
In addition, the location couldn't be close to the forbidden zone or the cities. The wilderness was the best choice.
However, there weren't many places that met all these conditions.
Finally, he had to consider if the place he chose according to his needs had been chosen by others before.
All of this floated in his mind. He had also thought of the forbidden zone temple in the scavenger campsite but the surroundings were too dangerous. Also, that strange singing voice made Xu Qing hesitate. In the end, he gave up on it.
The first place he went to was a Seven Blood Eyes branch city near Purple Earth. This place was in the hinterland of the human race's territory in the Nanhuang Continent. There were fewer forbidden zones and it was relatively safe.
One issue was there were many and all kinds of people here.
As the teleportation light disappeared, Xu Qing walked out of the array formation. He didn't leave the city immediately but found an inn. After vigilantly observing and resting for a night, he used the talisman to change his appearance and continued to teleport away.
Just like that, he teleported seven to eight times in the next half a month. Every time, he would change his appearance and roughly traveled through the entire Nanhuang Continent before deciding that no one was following him.
Xu Qing was finally able to heave a sigh of relief.
His injuries had recovered by 70 to 80% in this half a month. His combat strength was now almost the same as when he was on Merfolk Island.
The recovery of his injuries also allowed Xu Qing to head out of the city and search for a suitable place for Foundation Building in the wilderness.
It was only after Xu Qing searched for another half a month that he finally found a good place.
This place was a mountainous area in the southeastern region of the Nanhuang Continent.
There were many mountains and jungles here. However, they weren't forbidden zones. Instead, they had miasma and marshes like a rainforest.
This caused there to be very few nearby cities. The closest one would take seven to eight days to reach.
There wasn't a dense amount of anomalous substances here but it was the same for spirit energy. As such, there weren't any large factions nearby. Although the overall situation wasn't very suitable, Xu Qing felt that this place was more suitable than the other places he had checked.
The place he chose wasn't on the mountains but the depths of a jungle between two mountains.
According to his previous jungle experience, Xu Qing found a place and started digging.
The soil on the ground was soft and not easy to dig. Xu Qing used Sea Transformation Art to extract most of the water in the soil and dug a cave deep underground.
The entrance was covered by him and he also scattered enough poison powder in the surroundings. Finally, he sat cross-legged in the cave and sensed his surroundings. He then took out the five sets of array formations he had bought and activated them all.
He also activated an array formation that concealed aura and fluctuations. After doing all this, Xu Qing let out a deep breath.
A sense of security that he hadn't felt in a long time surfaced in his mind.
"I'll advance to the Foundation Building here."
Xu Qing looked at his storage bag. He had bought different amounts of food from different cities. They were enough for him to survive here for half a year.
He didn't know how long it would take for him to reach Foundation Building, but Xu Qing had already made a plan. He would not go out or think about anything about the outside world in this time.
He wanted his entire body and mind to be immersed in the breakthrough.
However, Xu Qing felt that he still had two things to deal with first.
He took out the black iron stick and performed a series of hand seals. Spirit energy surged in and ruthlessly suppressed the sleeping Diamond Sect's ancestor. Immediately, a blood-curdling scream rang out from the iron stick.
"Master, what's wrong? I was wrong, I was wrong. Don't kill me. Tell me what I did wrong and I'll make amends!"
Xu Qing didn't bother to reply and continued with the suppression. He only stopped when the Diamond Sect's ancestor was extremely weak and unconscious.
He was worried that the Diamond Sect's ancestor would interfere in the process of breaking through. Now that the latter was weakened so much, Xu Qing felt that there was no big problem.
After that, he performed another series of hand seals and used layers of spirit energy to seal the Diamond Sect's ancestor. Only then did he store the iron stick.
The shadow clearly sensed Xu Qing's actions and was trembling.
Xu Qing expressionlessly looked at the shadow.
The shadow trembled even more intensely. Finally, under Xu Qing's gaze, it suddenly began to tear itself apart, as though it was self-harming.
"Not enough."
Xu Qing calmly spoke. The purple crystal power in his body transformed into suppression that descended viciously, causing the shadow to become increasingly dim. Only when it was about to completely collapse did Xu Qing stop and slowly speak.
"If I fail to reach the Foundation Building realm, I'll crush you to death before I die!"
After saying that, Xu Qing didn't bother with the shadow anymore. He was completely relieved after weakening the two hidden dangers in his body. He finally took out the Spirit Breath Lantern and lit it.
The dim light instantly spread out and enveloped Xu Qing.
Normally speaking, every time such a protective magic tool was lit, it would consume its own energy. As such, cultivators would only activate it when they were breaking through to Foundation Building.
Even though the Seven Blood Eyes was rich and imposing, it was the same. Most of the disciples would rent a spot in the Foundation Building place when they were about to break through. They wouldn't be as extravagant as Xu Qing.
However, Xu Qing felt that there was no need.
Even though he didn't plan to break through immediately and wanted to reach the limit of his spirit sea, lighting this Spirit Breath Lantern didn't cost him money. What it consumed was its own spirituality.
Moreover, Xu Qing had already sensed that the spirituality of this lamp was quite sufficient. He then took out two jade boxes.
One contained three Foundation Building Pills, while the other contained two.
The former came from the captain, while the latter was obtained by Xu Qing from the storage bag of the unlucky merfolk who tried to breakthrough in the merfolk race's Foundation Building Pagoda.
The other party's status was clearly very high. He should have eaten a few pills and planned to save two for later.
After putting the five Foundation Building Pills to the side, Xu Qing revealed a satisfied expression.
He took a deep breath and under the cover of the Spirit Breath Lantern's light, he closed his eyes and began to cultivate.
Time slowly passed and very soon, seven days passed.
During these seven days, Xu Qing was completely focused on his cultivation. As the Sea Transformation Art continued to circulate and the spirit energy in the surroundings rapidly surged over, the spirit sea in his body kept on growing.
Its range grew larger and larger, from 2,900 feet to 3,400 feet!
This range had already surpassed the highest record in the history of the Seventh Peak in the Seven Blood Eyes. One had to know that back then, Old Master Seventh had only reached 2,700 feet.
Before Old Master Seventh, no one had reached this level. After 60 years now, Xu Qing made a new record in this unknown cave.
The majesty of the 3,400-foot-long spirit sea was extremely astonishing. If Xu Qing manifested it, it would definitely cause a commotion in this jungle. In fact, if the Seven Blood Eyes knew about this, they would probably be completely shocked.
However, although such an outcome would attract the attention of the Seven Blood Eyes, the risk would follow too… In the Seven Blood Eyes, where benefits served as cohesion, if such a dazzling achievement was revealed, the outcome would be hard to predict.
Xu Qing didn't have any thoughts of revealing it. He only wanted to live well. He didn't care about reputation. He only cared that he could live a better life.
In this cruel world, if one wanted to do this, they could only become stronger.
He would kill all the enemies who threatened his life.
Naturally, if revealing his spirit sea could achieve some of his goals, Xu Qing would consider it.
Otherwise, before he reached the level where he had the power to suppress everything, he would continue to restrain his sharpness and only show it at the moment of killing. That was his way of survival.
Xu Qing took a deep breath and continued cultivating.
Just like that, days passed. Every day, his spirit sea would increase by 100 feet as though there was no limit. This caused the excitement in Xu Qing's heart to intensify.
3,500 feet, 3,700 feet…
Seven days later, the spirit sea in Xu Qing's body reached 4,000 feet. This was already four times greater than the Seven Blood Eyes' ordinary great circle of perfection disciples'.
Under the light of the Spirit Breath Lantern, one could see that Xu Qing's entire body had become crystalline. It was as though countless seawater was flowing in his body. In fact, the moisture in the surroundings had become increasingly dense.
"I can still reach higher!"
Xu Qing opened his eyes and stopped cultivating to eat some food. He then checked the array formations and the poison powder scattered outside. After confirming that everything was normal, he rested for a moment before continuing to cultivate.
4,100 feet, 4,200 feet, 4,300 feet…
Three days later, the spirit sea in Xu Qing's body reached 4,700 feet. At this moment, he finally felt a piercing pain that indicated that his body was unable to withstand it.
This piercing pain was like his body had become a water bag that was completely filled with water, stretching his body to the extreme as though it was about to split open.
Xu Qing's breathing hastened slightly. After pondering for a moment, he gritted his teeth and continued to cultivate. This time, his speed clearly slowed down. The range he increased every day began to decrease, from 100 feet to 50 feet.
Moreover, the further he went, the slower the increase. The feeling of bursting also became increasingly intense. Half a month later, he finally pushed the spirit sea in his body to an astonishing level of 5,000 feet.
Such a level was horrifying. Xu Qing felt an unbearable, piercing pain from everywhere in his body, as though it was shattering. The purple crystal was frantically repairing him.
"I've reached my extreme limits…" Xu Qing muttered softly.
He found it extremely difficult to even move. It was as though he was carrying mountains on his back. He felt extremely suppressed.
Although the purple crystal was trying its best to heal him, Xu Qing was aware that this state couldn't be maintained for too long.
"Then… I'll begin Foundation Building!" Determination appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, he picked up a Foundation Building Pill in front of him and swallowed it.
Like water falling into a pot of oil, the 5000-foot-long spirit sea in his body suddenly exploded, forming astonishing waves that surged crazily toward various parts of Xu Qing's body.
The first step of the Foundation Building, sensing, began!
