149: Chapter 149 Dao Heart

As Chen Shi approached, a white-robed figure walked out from the crowd and headed towards the Shelter Platform.

Mo Han.

He still maintained his stern demeanor, his face calm, his steps steady, showing no trace of nervousness.

He ascended the stone platform, sat down cross-legged in the center, and closed his eyes.

Silence fell around them.

A white-haired elder walked onto the stone platform and stood before Mo Han.

That was the guardian of the Shelter Platform, a Senior in the Golden Core Late Stage.

"The Dao of Foundation Establishment,"

He spoke, his voice not loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Lies in condensing Qi into liquid, transforming mist into water."

"The spiritual power in the Qi Refining Stage is like mist, ethereal and unstable; the spiritual power in the Foundation Establishment Stage is like flowing water, solid and profound."

"Compressing mist into flowing water is Foundation Establishment."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below the platform.

"It sounds simple, but it's difficult to do."

"Compressing spiritual power requires strong Divine Soul power as support."

"If the Divine Soul is not strong enough, one cannot control that compressing force. Lightly, the Meridians will be damaged; severely, the Dantian will shatter."

"Therefore, the first step of Foundation Establishment is Qi Condensation."

"Sink all your mind into the Dantian, feeling the flow of every wisp of spiritual power."

"Then, guided by Divine Soul power, slowly compress that spiritual power."

He looked at Mo Han and nodded slightly.

"Begin."

Mo Han closed his eyes, formed a hand seal, and placed his hands over his Dantian.

The nine Jade Pillars around the stone platform simultaneously lit up, and streams of spiritual power surged out from the Jade Pillars, injecting into the stone platform.

Those spiritual powers gathered above the stone platform, forming a faint light barrier that enveloped Mo Han.

The Shelter Array activated.

Below the platform, everyone held their breath, staring intently at the figure on the stone platform.

Li Changsheng also widened his eyes, not daring to miss a single detail.

He could feel Mo Han's aura changing.

That originally peaceful aura now became somewhat turbulent, as if something was brewing within his body.

Time passed minute by minute.

One incense stick, two incense sticks, three incense sticks.

Fine beads of sweat seeped from Mo Han's forehead.

His brows were tightly furrowed, as if he was enduring immense pain.

Below the platform, someone whispered in discussion:

"He seems to be in a lot of pain..."

"Of course compressing spiritual power is painful; that's compressing all the spiritual power in the Dantian into a liquid state."

"I wonder if he can succeed..."

Li Changsheng didn't speak, just stared intently at Mo Han.

He could sense that the spiritual power in Mo Han's Dantian was slowly condensing.

Those originally ethereal mists were now contracting little by little, as if being squeezed by an invisible hand.

Suddenly, Mo Han's body violently shook!

A powerful aura erupted from his body, impacting the surrounding light barrier!

The light barrier flickered intensely, but it firmly blocked the impact!

"He made it!"

Someone exclaimed.

Mo Han opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing within them.

His aura was twice as strong as before!

Foundation Establishment successful!

Thunderous applause and cheers erupted below the platform.

Mo Han stood up and bowed deeply to his Master below the platform.

Immortal Master Jian Chi nodded slightly, his eyes filled with gratification.

Those Foundation Establishment Stage and Golden Core Stage elders also began to discuss.

"Not bad, successful on the first try."

"Solid Foundation, condensed spiritual power, his future prospects are limitless."

"His Disciple is well-taught."

In the crowd, a Senior Brother in the Foundation Establishment Stage spoke loudly.

"Senior Brother Mo has successfully established his Foundation, let's also share in the good fortune."

"Come, come, let me tell you the key points of Foundation Establishment; you'll all have to go through it eventually."

Everyone gathered around, listening intently.

The Senior Brother said.

"What is the most difficult part of Foundation Establishment?"

"It's not compressing spiritual power, it's control."

"You saw just now, when Mo Han compressed his spiritual power, that aura burst forth, almost breaking through the light barrier."

"If not for the Shelter Array protecting him, he might have been injured."

"Therefore, before Foundation Establishment, one must make thorough preparations."

"The Divine Soul must be strong enough, the spiritual power must be condensed enough, and the mindset must be stable enough."

"Lacking any one of these can lead to failure."

Someone asked.

"Senior Brother, can the foundation establishment pill really increase the success rate by 30%?"

The Senior Brother nodded.

"Yes. But the foundation establishment pill is only an aid; what truly determines success or failure is yourself."

"Some people take the foundation establishment pill and still fail; some don't take the foundation establishment pill and still succeed."

"Medicinal Pills are external forces, Foundation is the internal cause; the primary and secondary cannot be reversed."

Another person asked.

"What about the Shelter Array?"

The Senior Brother said.

"The Shelter Array can increase the success rate by 10%, and more importantly, it can protect your Meridians and Dantian."

"Cultivating Foundation Establishment here, even if you fail, the already compressed spiritual power won't instantly backlash, harming your Foundation, and you'll have another chance. Outside, once Foundation Establishment fails and spiritual power is improperly controlled, lightly, cultivation will regress; severely, one will die and their Dao will vanish."

Everyone nodded, their eyes revealing expressions of relief.

Li Changsheng stood in the crowd, listening silently, remembering silently.

He thought of the nine-turn azure profound bead in his body, and that immense life force.

If, during Foundation Establishment, he were to refine those powers...

He shook his head, temporarily suppressing that thought.

At this moment, a clear, cold voice rang out.

"Before Foundation Establishment, one more thing is needed."

Everyone turned around and saw Luo Qinghan had walked over at some point.

She still maintained her clear and cold demeanor, her gaze sweeping over everyone as she slowly said.

"Dao Heart."

Everyone was stunned.

Luo Qinghan continued.

"Foundation Establishment is not just a Breakthrough in cultivation, but also a test of one's state of mind."

"If the Dao Heart is not firm, and there are lingering attachments, at the critical moment of compressing spiritual power, one will be taken advantage of by Heart Demons, and all efforts will be in vain."

She paused, her gaze falling on Mo Han, who was adjusting his breathing in the distance.

"Senior Brother Mo's Dao Heart is firm, which is why he succeeded on the first try."

"If you have distracting thoughts, it's best to clear them away first before attempting Foundation Establishment."

After speaking, she turned and left, leaving behind a group of thoughtful Disciples.

Li Changsheng stood rooted to the spot, gazing at her retreating figure for a long time.

Dao Heart.

Did he have a Dao Heart?

He remembered the deceased townspeople of Qinghe Town, Zhou Yuan's final words, True Lord Xuan Yun's faint azure afterimage, and the Spirit Devourer's scarlet eyes.

He did.

His Dao Heart was to become stronger, strong enough to protect those he wished to protect, strong enough to no longer watch helplessly as those around him died.

He took a deep breath and turned away from the crowd.

Soon, he too would undergo Foundation Establishment.

After Mo Han successfully established his Foundation, Li Changsheng began his final preparations before entering seclusion.

He didn't rush to break through to Foundation Establishment, but instead calmed his mind and carefully studied the cultivation insights left by True Lord Xuan Yun.

The insights were recorded in an ancient Jade Slip, with vast content covering cultivation essentials from the Qi Refining Stage to the Nascent Soul Stage.

Li Changsheng didn't dare to be greedy; he only picked out content related to Foundation Establishment, studying it word by word, sentence by sentence.

"The Dao of Foundation Establishment lies in condensing Qi into liquid. However, the transformation from Qi to liquid is not merely a change in form, but a qualitative leap."

"Qi is ethereal and unstable, scattered throughout the Dantian; liquid is solid and profound, gathered in the Qi Sea."

"Therefore, the key to Foundation Establishment is not quantity, but purity of quality."

"When I established my Foundation back then, I comprehended a method."

"Using the Divine Soul as a guide, the Dantian as a furnace, and spiritual power as raw material, slowly refine it, removing impurities and preserving the essence. This method is time-consuming, but it is steady and less prone to error."

"There is also a taboo: during Foundation Establishment, the most important thing is to avoid impatience."

"If one has distracting thoughts, spiritual power will go out of control. Lightly, Meridians will be damaged; severely, the Dantian will shatter."

"Therefore, before Foundation Establishment, one must first clear their mind of desires and calmly nourish their spirit."

Li Changsheng read this passage several times, silently committing it to memory.

Clear his mind of desires, calmly nourish his spirit.

He stood up and walked to the edge of the spiritual field, sitting down beside the Spirit Tea Tree.

The tea tree swayed gently in the breeze, its leaves rustling softly.

He closed his eyes, listening to the sound, feeling the touch of the wind on his cheeks, and smelling the faint, fresh scent of grass and wood in the air.

In his mind, those distracting thoughts gradually settled down.

He remembered many things.