Around one year later.
Emerald Cove. Dadangar.
As the sun dipped toward the horizon and the moon began ascent, Aksai prepared for his evening cultivation practice at Shamrock Sanctuary Palace.
The sky, painted in hues of orange and blue, created the perfect backdrop for the practice of Sun-Moon Duality. He stood in the center of the Array Formation, feeling the familiar hum of its power as it activated.
Aksai took a deep breath and consumed the Foundation Stimulation Pill.
The pill’s bitter taste lingered briefly before dissolving completely. He could already feel its energy coursing through him.
The Array Formation around him lit up, casting a soft, ethereal glow. The sunlight and moonlight were filtered through the intricate patterns of the formation, merging into a balanced flow of Essence Equations that seeped into Aksai’s body.
As the Essence Equations integrated with his being, the effects of the pill kicked in. Aksai’s entire body felt like it was on fire, a fierce, burning sensation spreading through his meridians. He gritted his teeth and focused on breathing, allowing the sensation to pass.
Moments later, the intense heat was replaced by an icy plunge, as if he had been submerged in freezing water. These polar opposite feelings occurred intermittently, one after the other, as the pill dissolved into his system.
Aksai’s foundational Spirit essence began to liquefy inside his dantian. He settled into a meditative state, counting the number of Spirit essence droplets within.
Before he started, there were 125 droplets. Thanks to the pill’s effects, he now counted 128 droplets. He needed 200 droplets of Spirit essence to initiate a breakthrough into the mid-stage of the Foundation Building Realm.
***
Aksai wouldn’t have seen the steep increase of three droplets in a single session if it weren’t for the Foundation Stimulation Pill.
The pill’s miraculous properties allowed him to save a lot of time and hard work, enabling him to speed up his journey in the initial stage of the Foundation Building realm.
In Dadangar, Aksai was unique in many ways. Firstly, he had access to his druid powers and Everwood farm, which allowed him to cultivate resources that others couldn’t even dream of having.
He would buy the “damaged goods” from Haan Di’s auction events and revitalize them using his druid powers. He would then cultivate them inside Everwood farm, increasing their quality and potency using the farm’s unique features and environment.
Aksai would then use his expertise in alchemy to concoct the Foundation Stimulation pills himself. This not only saved him time and money in finding the right alchemist but also allowed him to refine his skills in almost every other field.
Processing the cultivation resources added an extra layer of security for Aksai. It also created another stream of revenue for him.
Aksai waited for a while before giving a vial full of Foundation Stimulation Pills to Nuya as a gift. He then asked her to sell the pills at Haan Di’s auction events along with an improved version of Bacchus’ Blessing wine.
Of course, Aksai didn’t ask Nuya to sell all the pills he made. He created secret channels using his subordinates and asked them to sell the pills in the black markets. This enabled him to get higher value for his products while avoiding scrutiny.
Aksai kept a sufficient portion of the Foundation Stimulation pills for himself. He used these pills like candies to increase his cultivation base rapidly while ensuring his safety.
Of course, Aksai couldn’t consume these pills daily. He had to wait a few weeks before taking another pill. Otherwise, the pill’s effects would damage his dantian and meridians.
Aksai’s body cultivation path allowed him to use the pills for a longer time without developing side effects. His Argent Body Realm vessel could digest the pill’s effects with more efficiency and ease than any other regular Spirit cultivator.
Still, Aksai made sure he didn’t go overboard and used the pills moderately.
All of Aksai’s divergent studies and multiple facets of his path came together. He managed to stack their advantages together and progress in his current realm at a rapid rate, which otherwise would have been unthinkable for him.
Aksai was beginning to catch up with Nuya’s speed thanks to his constant use of the pills. This was even though Nuya had better Spirit Root Aptitude than the current Aksai. And this was when Aksai had improved his Initial Spirit Root Aptitude and made it somewhat comparable to average Foundation Building Experts.
***
As he continued to meditate, Aksai could feel the Essence Equations merging smoothly into his body, accelerating his progress. The simultaneous sun and moon energies provided a harmonious balance, amplifying his cultivation.
[ Daily task completed. The 1st layer of Sun-Moon Duality was executed for 45 cycles. Cultivation terminated due to diminished gains below the required criteria.
Mode optimized for inter-realm improvement. The current Spirit Essence reserves: 100%.
Runtime: 6 hours and 59 minutes.
Intra-stage Progress: 128 Spirit essence droplets
Estimated time required to break into the 2nd stage: 3 years (with the use of the Foundation Stimulation Pill or something similar) or 6 years (un-aided cultivation)
Please note that the pill’s effects have diminished due to the user developing tolerance. The pill efficacy has been reduced by 89%. Any more use of the pill will start to harm the user’s meridians]
[The updated overall Stats are as follows]
***
[ Name: Aksai Alden Everwood ]
Age: 44 years
Estimated lifespan remaining: 515 years
[Spirit Cultivation Technique: Sun-Moon Duality]
Spirit Root: Wood, Earth, and Water Triple Affinity Spirit Root
Spirit Root Aptitude: Mid-grade
Spirit Cultivation: Initial Stage, Foundation Building Realm
Intra-stage Progress: 64%
Spirit Sense coverage: Around 110 metres
[Cultivation Arts Progress]
Talisman Creation Expertise: 2nd Order (Mid level)
Array Formation Expertise: 2nd Order (Low level)
Alchemy Concoction Expertise: 2nd Order (Low level)
Artifact Creation Expertise: 1st Order (High level)
Artifact Forging Expertise: 1st Order (High level)
Other cultivation arts expertise: Spirit fish farming, demon beast rearing, Spirit horticulture, Spirit wine concoction, Spirit food cooking, Essence Equation writing (Spirit calligraphy). (Due to lack of data, these cultivation arts are deemed unquantifiable.)
[Body Cultivation: Initial stage, Argent Body realm ]
Estimated Intra-stage Progress: 6%
Body Cultivation Technique: Celestial Harmony
Martial Arts progress:
– Harmony Palm: Master-level proficiency
– Qi Flow Arts: Master-level proficiency
– Guardian’s Qi: Master-level proficiency
– Qi Sword Arts: Master-level proficiency
– White Golden Palm Arts: Master-level proficiency
– Qi Palm Arts: Master-level proficiency
***
After what felt like hours, Aksai opened his eyes and ended his practice.
“I… I guess the Foundation Stimulation Pills are useless for me. I may have used them too frequently to catch up with Nuya,” Aksai murmured to himself as he read the spectral notifications in his vision.
He sighed, acknowledging that the pill’s effect had diminished and that he had begun to build a tolerance.
“Still, making use of the opportunities is better than saving them for later use. I’ve managed to save years practicing cultivation with the help of the Foundation Stimulation Pill. This is enough,” he mused aloud, standing up and stretching.
“But it’s clear that overuse has its limits. It’s time to find new ways to progress rapidly. Perhaps the path of mind cultivation will open up new avenues of progress for me.”
Satisfied but cautious, Aksai left the Array Formation and made his way back into the palace.
He was about to start his routine when he sensed that someone unauthorized had barged into the Devil’s Den.
“Unexpected guests, huh? Hehehe. Let me welcome them.”
Aksai couldn’t help rubbing his hands together in excitement, an evil-looking smile plastered on his face.