105: Wood-carved Spells and Formations, Cultivating the Origin and Establishing the Foundation of Immortality

Ya Xinyi possessed a far deeper knowledge of cultivation systems than Mutou. Seeing him produce the Peiyuan Pill, she pointed out the benefits for the others to consume it. However, Xiuyuan did not quite understand what Ya Xinyi meant when she said taking the pill would allow him to take that crucial step, and he stared blankly at Mutou and Ya Xinyi.

After a moment of thought, Mutou grasped her meaning and asked, "Do you mean he can reach the stage of Foundation Establishment?"

Ya Xinyi nodded. "This Daoist has decent aptitude, but having lacked guidance from a master, he strayed onto a misguided path. Furthermore, without a higher-level cultivation technique, he remained at the level of an ordinary person. Once he takes this step, he will truly be a cultivator!"

Mutou said, "Oh!" before he could say anything else, Xiuyuan fell to his knees with a thud, saying, "I beg Master and Mistress to grant me this favor!"

Seeing Xiuyuan’s actions, Li Yun and Gu Yueguan hurriedly knelt as well, saying in unison, "We beg Master and Mistress to grant us this favor!" These two old veterans, having sensed from these few words that Ya Xinyi was kind-hearted and perhaps even more proficient in cultivation than Mutou, placed the title of "Mistress" before "Master" in their plea.

But Ya Xinyi shook her head. "This Daoist has already built a foundation through decades of practice; he only lacks a higher internal method and the final push. You two, however, cannot do the same." Seeing their disappointed expressions, she added, "If you take the Peiyuan Pill, you will naturally strengthen your bodies and extend your lives. There will be opportunities in the future; there is no need to rush."

Li Yun and Gu Yueguan then turned their worry into joy and congratulated Xiuyuan.

Xiuyuan asked, "May I ask Master and Mistress, after I take the Peiyuan Pill, what must I do to establish my foundation?"

Ya Xinyi looked at him carefully. "Do not rush. You cannot establish your foundation with your own ability alone; you need your Master’s help. Furthermore, the process takes a day or two, so you must arrange your affairs first."

Xiuyuan replied, "No arrangements are needed. I have brought twelve of my disciples to the temple, and Li Yun can handle the daily affairs. I can begin at any time."

Mutou laughed, "You are far too impatient!"

Xiuyuan blushed and said, "I have sought the Great Dao for many years; hearing Mistress say this, I could not help but be excited!"

Mutou thought for a moment and said, "Since I have nothing else to do, I shall grant your wish."

Xiuyuan was overjoyed. "Thank you, Master!"

Mutou curled his lip. "Don't thank me; thank Xinyi. And... please, do not go kneeling at every turn; I am really not used to it!"

With that, Mutou told Li Yun and Gu Yueguan to handle their respective tasks and took Xiuyuan down to the basement. The method for Foundation Establishment was contained within the *Yuqing Technique*. With his current level of comprehension, Mutou could execute it effortlessly, though he kept Ya Xinyi nearby for guidance just in case. He retrieved a dozen energy crystals from his bracelet, set them in a Tiangang Bagua formation, and had Xiuyuan sit in the center.

Ya Xinyi thought for a moment and said, "Sister Siyu seems to possess a similar power already; she can stay around the formation. The overflowing spiritual energy of heaven and earth will benefit her cultivation."

"Oh!?" Mutou had not known this. He hurriedly called Mu Siyu down, and after a thought, he summoned Ouyang Lingfeng and the three handmaidens from the *Harem*. Pointing to the three women, he said, "These are the handmaidens Gu Feng gave me; let them attend to your daily life from now on!" He then said to Ouyang Lingfeng, "Your aptitude is not bad either; the overflowing spiritual energy may be of use to you as well!"

By this time, Ouyang Lingfeng had already injected both the T-virus and G-virus evolution serums, making her far more skilled than before, though she was still a hair’s breadth away from the Sword Saint level.

The three handmaidens were very clever; upon hearing Mutou’s words, they stepped forward and bowed: "Greetings, Mistress!"

Ya Xinyi waved her hand. "I have no need for servants; let us be companions from now on." The three women, not knowing Ya Xinyi’s personality, simply nodded and stood carefully behind her.

Seeing that everything was ready, Mutou ordered Xiuyuan to enter a meditative state as he usually did. He activated the formation, and the energy crystals rose to the level of Xiuyuan’s eyebrows, radiating spiritual power that swirled around him.

Once Xiuyuan was in deep meditation, Mutou guided the scattered spiritual energy into his body. Xiuyuan’s body gave a slight jolt, and a pained expression crossed his face. Mutou said, "Hold on! This energy is cleansing your marrow and refining your body!"

Xiuyuan remained motionless, allowing Mutou to proceed. Foundation Establishment is essentially a master using the spiritual energy of heaven and earth or energy crystals to cleanse a disciple’s marrow, creating a "small universe" within the disciple’s body and building a bridge to the "great universe" of the outside world. This allows a cultivator to communicate with the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—and use the body as a medium for techniques. Simultaneously, the interaction between the "small universe" and the "great universe" gradually changes the cultivator’s physique, allowing them to channel more energy and use techniques with greater proficiency.

As Xiuyuan’s "small universe" formed, Mutou probed with a sliver of true essence and was slightly startled. The "small universe" had begun to take shape, but due to his advanced age and declining bodily functions, most of the absorbed spiritual energy could not be stored within it.

In other words, even if Xiuyuan succeeded, his innate cultivation would be weaker, making further progress in the future extremely difficult.

Mutou frowned slightly. Ya Xinyi noticed the change in his expression, probed with her own true essence, and retrieved a golden, thumb-sized pill from her bracelet. She flicked it toward Xiuyuan. "Swallow this!" This pill, known as the "Yiyang Pill," was used specifically for disciples who encountered such issues during Foundation Establishment; Ya Xinyi happened to have one.

Since Xiuyuan was relying on Mutou’s formation and had not entered a deep meditative state, he opened his mouth upon hearing her. He felt the pill dissolve into a stream of heat that flowed into his dantian. The benefits this pill provided were immense, and seeing that Xiuyuan’s "small universe" could now properly store spiritual energy, Mutou’s brow finally smoothed.

A day later, the energy crystals were exhausted and fell into the formation, and Xiuyuan awoke. As he opened his eyes, he knew everything had changed. His body had undergone a transformation; his previously gray hair was turning black, and the wrinkles on his face were rapidly vanishing. In just one day, he had transitioned from an elderly man to a man in his prime—the benefits of cultivation were truly profound.

Stunned, and filled with immense respect for Mutou and Ya Xinyi, Xiuyuan knelt and kowtowed respectfully. "This disciple thanks Master and Mistress."

Mutou sighed. "I told you that you don't need to kneel at every turn, yet you insist."

Xiuyuan blushed and stood up, but Ya Xinyi said, "Senior Brother, you have forgotten one thing."

Mutou scratched his head, thinking for a moment. "No, I haven't! I followed the sect’s techniques exactly; there were no omissions!"

Ya Xinyi smiled gently. "There is an unwritten rule in the cultivation world: when a master imparts techniques, they should bestow a magic artifact upon the disciple."

Mutou suddenly realized, remembering that when he first met Xiaoyaozi, his master had bestowed a flying sword upon him. So that was the rule.

However, this put Mutou in a difficult spot. Apart from the four Immortal-Slaying Swords, he only had the four green flying swords needed for the Immortal-Slaying Formation. He truly did not have any other cultivation artifacts. The Yanyun Immortal Veil his sect leader had given him was certainly not suitable to give away!

Seeing Mutou’s dilemma, Ya Xinyi produced a hairpin from somewhere. "Never mind. This is a magic artifact I refined in my early years. It is a bit feminine, but I hope you do not mind!"

To an ordinary person, a cultivation artifact is a heavenly treasure. Xiuyuan was overjoyed and could not have cared less; he accepted it respectfully. "Thank you, Mistress!"

The hairpin emitted a misty green light, and the body of the pin shimmered like flowing mercury, appearing both real and illusory. Ya Xinyi said, "This is an offensive artifact I made when I was learning to refine tools. You only need to channel your true essence to make it attack enemies automatically. With your current level, you will only be able to use it with difficulty."

Xiuyuan left after showering them with thanks. Mutou looked at Mu Siyu and Ouyang Lingfeng. Neither of them followed the path of cultivation, but the spiritual energy entering their bodies still had its benefits. Ouyang Lingfeng, in particular, having been injected with two types of virus evolution serums and now being cleansed by the spiritual energy, had broken through her bottleneck and reached the pinnacle level of a warrior in the magic plane—a Sword Saint.

However, in Mutou’s eyes, a master of Ouyang Lingfeng’s level was nothing special. Seeing her extraordinary aptitude and potential for growth, he intended to cultivate her as his assistant, but... she remained as cold as ever; even after her advancement, there was no joy on her face.

Mutou knew she had been deeply scarred by the destruction of her family. Seeing her silent, he ignored it and asked Mu Siyu, "Siyu, what were you thinking, building such a large underground base?"

Mu Siyu smiled. "Brother Mutou, I actually thought this base was too small. It was only because Wuwei-1 said we could use space-folding technology to expand it tenfold that I let them build it this large."

Mutou asked, "You still haven't told me, what is the use of building such a large base?"

Mu Siyu smiled. "I don't know!"

Mutou frowned. "You don't know?"

Mu Siyu smiled. "That's right! But I believe in being prepared. Since you are going to start plane trading, perhaps there are items you will need to stockpile, or perhaps your space fleet will need robots? In any case, building a larger base only has advantages and no drawbacks, and it costs us nothing!"

Hearing this, Mutou realized she was right and nodded in agreement.