In the solitude of his rented cave in the middle zone of White Mountain City, Aksai prepared for the most pivotal moment of his cultivation journey.
The cave’s stable 2nd-order Spirit vein aura enveloped him, providing the optimal environment he had painstakingly sought.
He settled into his meditation stance, feeling the energy of the cave resonate with his spirit. The surrounding Array Formations activated, creating a protective barrier and enhancing the Spirit essence flow within the cave.
Aksai retrieved a vial containing ten Foundation Establishment Pills. His heart pounded with a mix of excitement and trepidation. He had spent four years meticulously preparing for this moment, and now it was time to put everything to the test.
“Safety first,” Aksai said to himself before consuming the first pill.
He began practicing the Stellar Greenwood Tantra, channeling his Spirit essence throughout his body according to the directions of his cultivation technique.
The pill dissolved on his tongue, and he felt a rush of potent energy flood his system. His mind, body, and spirit experienced an inexplicable surge.
The Spirit essence surged through his pathways, igniting the process of refining his Spirit bloodline.
Aksai reverted to his druid form, his appearance changing rapidly while his eyes remained closed. He didn’t let it distract him and tried to stabilize his breathing.
Aksai’s druidic lineage began to stir, reacting to the influx of power. His body trembled as the elemental affinities of wood, earth, and water started to manifest. Vines and roots subtly crept along the cave walls, stones shifted, and a faint mist filled the air.
Time passed quietly as Aksai was lost in the sea of emotions induced by his breakthrough event. However, things didn’t go as smoothly as he wished them to be.
“Aaaaaargh!”
The surge of Spirit essence within Aksai’s body proved too overwhelming. His internal pathways strained under the pressure, resulting in severe agitation of his Spirit essence. His mind felt chaotic, and his body trembled with internal injuries.
Though his condition was serious, the potency of the Foundation Establishment Pill prevented any life-threatening damage. He was left exhausted and bruised, but his spirit remained undeterred.
Usually, Spirit cultivators wouldn’t try to achieve a breakthrough anytime soon if their first attempt was a failure. This was because their bodies would get so severely injured that they needed to recuperate and rest, replenishing their life force before they dared to go for another attempt.
However, Aksai had his qi-based body cultivation technique to rely on. His body was many times more resilient than ordinary Spirit cultivators. Plus, he had many ways to replenish his life force back to its peak within a short time.
Not to mention the fact that Aksai was a druid. His life force had already exceeded the limits of his Spirit cultivation base, enabling him to ignore many of the pitfalls that other Spirit cultivators of similar Spirit Root Aptitude encountered during their breakthrough attempts. Had he not upgraded his Spirit Root, it would have become even more problematic for him than it was at this point.
Aksai rested for two days, allowing his body to recover. During this time, he practiced Celestial Harmony. He ate a lot of qi-rich Flesh Pumpkins and other cultivation resources like some rich young master from a prestigious clan to restore his ideal form. He also drank the Spirit wine Bacchus’ Blessing from his own vineyard to calm his mind as well.
The internal injuries rapidly healed, and the Spirit essence within him gradually stabilized. During this time, he reflected on his failed attempt, analyzing what had gone wrong and how he could improve.
Aksai’s neural link fabric provided him with an accurate representation of his previous failure. It recorded the blockages the flow of the Spirit essence encountered within his Spirit essence pathways and suggested ways to recalibrate his practice of the Stellar Greenwood Tantra as well as the Base Building items included in the Yantra, providing various methods so that he didn’t repeat the same mistakes twice.
Aksai didn’t feel discouraged at all. He felt like he had all the time and life force in the world to achieve his breakthrough. After all, he had already seen many of the problems coming his way. That’s why he had spent so many years preparing countermeasures.
Time passed and Aksai lost the sense of time.
He consumed a second pill, its potent energy surging through him once more. Practicing the Stellar Greenwood Tantra with recalibrated settings, he directed the flow of Spirit essence with renewed focus.
The elemental affinities of wood, earth, and water manifested again, but the process felt slightly more controlled. Yet, as he neared the critical point, the breakthrough eluded him, and he faced another backlash. This time, the internal injuries were less severe, and Aksai sensed he was closer to success.
Undeterred, he repeated the process, consuming a third pill, then a fourth, and finally a fifth. Each attempt brought him closer to the brink of a breakthrough. His body endured the strain, and his mind wrestled with the chaotic influx of Spirit essence. With each failure, the backlash lessened, and his understanding deepened.
If other Spirit cultivators knew that Aksai was trying to achieve a breakthrough by consuming one Foundation Establishment Pill after another, they would call him a madman. Having one Foundation Establishment Pill was already a privilege.
Who would consume so many of them in such a short time in such an extravagant fashion? Not even the core disciples of the Big Five with better talent than Aksai could secure more than two pills for themselves.
If they were in Aksai’s place, many Spirit cultivators would just accept their fates and decide to pass the remaining pills to their descendants. They wouldn’t dare to do what Aksai could do anyway because of the risks it contained. Who would dream of simply imploding and painting their cave walls with the color of their flesh and blood while trying to become a Foundation Building Expert?
***
“I… I think I get it now,” Aksai opened his eyes from his meditation and thought to himself with a serious face.
“Ideally, my improved Spirit Root Aptitude and my body cultivation path should have been enough for me to achieve a breakthrough into the 2nd realm in my first or second attempt. Consuming the Foundation Establishment Pill would have been nothing more than a mere formality at that time.
But… It’s my druid bloodline that has made things difficult for me.
It has a lot of stringent requirements for me to achieve a breakthrough into the 2nd realm. Is it because of the cultivation technique I practice? After all, the corrupted druid cultivated negative emotions whereas I only focused on cultivating Spirit essence. Or is it because I modified the druid bloodline before pairing it with the primer liquid?” Aksai questioned himself while lost in his own thoughts. In the end, he shook his head.
“I shouldn’t second guess after the bloodline transfusion. There’s no way to turn back anyway. My decision to have the druid bloodline is the correct one. Even if things are difficult now, my bloodline will eventually pave the way for me to ascend to even higher realms in the future. For now, I’ll only focus on what I can do,” Aksai resolved in his mind.
On his sixth attempt, Aksai felt a sense of clarity. Consuming the sixth Foundation Establishment Pill, he resumed the Stellar Greenwood Tantra.
The Spirit essence surged through his pathways with familiar intensity, but this time, Aksai’s control was precise. The elemental energies of wood, earth, and water harmonized within him, and his druid bloodline reacted strongly, refining further with each passing moment.
The critical point approached, and Aksai pushed through the final barrier. His vapor-like Spirit essence began to condense, transforming into a concentrated liquid form.
This time, the Spirit essence funneled over his head, creating a visible vortex. Aksai felt his bloodline react more strongly than ever. His body convulsed as the refining process intensified.
Impurities were expelled from his pores in waves, leaving a dark residue on his skin. The neural link fabric in his mind activated, stabilizing his emotions and preventing the formation of a Heart Demon. Aksai focused on his goal, curbing the chaotic energy threatening to overwhelm him.
Pain wracked his body as the energy tore through his meridians. For a moment, he thought he might fail, but his previous preparations kicked in.
The healing formations embedded in the cave’s walls activated, repairing the damage as quickly as it occurred. His druid bloodline began to refine at an accelerated rate, agitating the surrounding natural energy.
Aksai’s elemental compatibilities surged. The wood element manifested as a lush green aura, the earth element as a solid, grounding force, and the water element as a cool, flowing presence.
His spirit, mind, and body aligned, elevating his entire being to a new level. He felt his consciousness expand, connecting more deeply with nature. He could discern the energy of the cave, each plant, rock, and droplet of water, with his enhanced Spirit Sense.
The breakthrough was successful. Aksai’s body, previously damaged from multiple failed attempts, began to heal spontaneously. His druid bloodline refined even further, allowing him to sense the energy of nature around him with unprecedented clarity.
[6th breakthrough attempt successful. Updated Stats as follows.]
[Name: Aksai Alden Everwood
Age: 42 years
Estimated lifespan remaining: 500 years
Spirit Cultivation: 1st stage Foundation Building Realm
Intra-stage Progress: N/A
Spirit Sense coverage: Around 100 meters]
“500 years! I… I can outlive some Core Formation Lords now?”
Aksai opened his eyes, feeling like a new man.
His druid bloodline had refined significantly, granting him an exaggerated lifespan and a profound connection to nature.
His elemental affinities were stronger, allowing him to manipulate wood, earth, and water with ease. The energy of the cave, and indeed the entire area, seemed to hum in resonance with his being.
“I… feel good. Like a newborn kid who has an endless supply of energy in their veins plus some sugar rush.”
He stood up, flexing his newly strengthened muscles. The cave bore the signs of his breakthrough: plants grew more vibrant, the earth was firmer, and the air fresher.
“A Foundation Building realm druid who has achieved his breakthrough without cultivating negative emotions. I… I wonder what it means for me in the future.”
Aksai thought to himself as he clenched his fists.
After 15 days of going through metaphorical hell and years of toil and hard work beforehand, Aksai had succeeded in reaching the Foundation Building realm.
The power coursing through him was a testament to his hard work and determination.