Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two months had passed.
During this period, Han Xuanji also remained disciplined, strictly adhering to his philosophy of living cautiously.
He never caused trouble and tried to minimize his interactions with others.
He discovered how carefree life was on Lingxiu Peak; unlike other peaks which had various quotas, here, as long as you completed your daily tasks, no one would bother you.
This was a long-standing tradition of Lingxiu Peak, renowned for its arduous Cultivation and lack of internal strife.
For others, life on Lingxiu Peak might have been somewhat monotonous, but in Han Xuanji's eyes, it was an invaluable treasure.
He specifically chose Utility Disciple tasks that were very simple to accept; although the contribution rewards were pitifully small, he didn't care.
All he wanted was to sign in.
However, in the eyes of others, Han Xuanji was a "weirdo," wasting his time on tasks with almost no cost-effectiveness.
One day.
Han Xuanji arrived at a mountain peak, surrounded by cold mist, with a grand hall ahead.
Three large characters were carved on the main hall: "Thousand Lotus Hall."
The Thousand Lotus Hall was a treasure trove on Lingxiu Peak, where many Spirit Lotuses were planted, and the Mystic Heart Lotus was a rare Foundation Establishment spiritual item.
A Foundation Establishment spiritual item is a treasure that assists Cultivators in Foundation Establishment; unlike a Zhuji Pill, which only increases the success rate of Foundation Establishment, a good Foundation Establishment spiritual item can not only increase the success rate but also improve the quality of one's Dao Foundation.
However, for most Cultivators, it was already good enough to have a Zhuji Pill to help with Foundation Establishment; finding a good Foundation Establishment spiritual item was incredibly difficult, as most were snatched by those with powerful backgrounds.
Han Xuanji entered the Thousand Lotus Hall and silently recited in his mind:
"System, sign in."
"Congratulations to the host for successfully signing in at the Thousand Lotus Hall, obtaining the spiritual item 'Ten-Thousand-Year Mystic Heart Lotus'."
"Not bad."
Han Xuanji's eyes lit up.
In the Thousand Lotus Hall, even a thousand-year Mystic Heart Lotus could fetch a sky-high price, and it was often pre-ordered long in advance, so ordinary Disciples couldn't even find a way to buy it.
This was because the Mystic Heart Lotus was an excellent Foundation Establishment spiritual item, suitable for most Cultivators.
"It wasn't in vain that I signed in for so many days."
Han Xuanji muttered to himself.
Han Xuanji hadn't been idle these past few days; his Cultivation had long since reached the Qi Condensation Perfection stage, but he wasn't in a hurry to Breakthrough. Every step on the path of Cultivation was crucial, and rushing a Breakthrough was ill-advised.
If he had only intended a normal Foundation Establishment, he would have already achieved it.
After all, with the Aptitude of an Immortal, he naturally didn't want to settle and definitely aimed to forge a perfect Foundation.
However, to forge a perfect Dao Foundation, he needed to expend extra effort. Not only did he need to refine his spiritual power and solidify his Foundation, but he also ideally needed the assistance of a High Grade Foundation Establishment spiritual item.
And now, after spending seven sign-in opportunities, he finally obtained it.
After signing in, Han Xuanji turned and left.
The people around him didn't find it strange; after all, in the Cultivation world, strength was linked to status, and a Disciple who had just entered Qi Condensation wouldn't attract much attention.
Soon, Han Xuanji arrived at a Cultivation chamber on Lingxiu Peak.
He spent fifteen Spirit Stones to rent it for three days.
Inside the Cultivation chamber, the Spirit Gathering Formation slowly circulated, filling it with abundant Spiritual Qi, making it extremely suitable for secluded Breakthroughs.
Han Xuanji circulated the Feather Transformation True Scripture, and a Spiritual Qi vortex appeared above his head, lingering for a long time.
Countless Spiritual Qi flowed directly from his Heavenly Spirit, and spiritual power surged within his Dantian.
At this moment, Han Xuanji took out the Ten-Thousand-Year Mystic Heart Lotus, and the spiritual item then merged into his body, settling into his Dantian.
He then fully immersed himself in Foundation Establishment.
Within the Dantian, the originally gaseous spiritual power condensed into liquid form. This was a crucial step in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. The effect of the Zhuji Pill was to help Cultivators complete the condensation of liquid spiritual power. This step greatly tested the quality of a Cultivator's spiritual power.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
When all the spiritual power condensed into liquid, the spiritual power in Han Xuanji's Dantian was like a lake, radiating a seven-colored light.
This was precisely the manifestation of perfect Foundation Establishment, and it also meant that Han Xuanji had officially stepped into the Foundation Establishment Realm.
At the same time, a surge of Divine Sense also appeared in his Sea of Consciousness.
Han Xuanji released his Divine Sense, as if he had gained an extra pair of eyes. Under the coverage of his Divine Thought, he could perceive almost everything around him.
"With Divine Sense, things are much more convenient."
Han Xuanji nodded in his heart.
In the Dao of Cultivation, with each major Realm Breakthrough, one's strength undergoes earth-shattering changes.
Therefore, Realm is the fundamental thing.
After a full three months of Cultivation, Han Xuanji entered the first layer of Foundation Establishment. Such speed was already extremely fast. For many, Foundation Establishment was actually a threshold, and not everyone could successfully break through.
Moreover, in many cases, Cultivation Geniuses do not blindly pursue Breakthrough speed.
Among the ten new talents of the Shenxuan Sect in this generation, several had already entered Foundation Establishment, but it was not perfect Foundation Establishment, only a High Grade Foundation.
The other few were still hoping to find a High Grade Foundation Establishment spiritual item to forge a perfect Dao Foundation, and thus had not yet entered the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Of course, for most people, High Grade Foundation Establishment was sufficient, and there was still room for remedy in the future.
It wasn't to say that without perfect Foundation Establishment, one couldn't Breakthrough to Golden Core or Nascent Soul.
Upon entering Foundation Establishment, one could directly be promoted to an Outer Sect Disciple in the Shenxuan Sect.
In those third-rate small Sects, a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator could probably even become an Elder.
However, Han Xuanji also knew that the Foundation Establishment Realm was nothing in the entire Cultivation world; in the Shenxuan Sect, he was just an ordinary Outer Sect Disciple, completely unworthy of pride.
He still had to continue to lie low!
Moreover, he didn't intend to reveal the fact that he had already achieved Foundation Establishment. For someone with Heaven-Grade Aptitude, with sufficient resources, achieving Foundation Establishment in a hundred days was not astonishing.
But for a mere Yellow-Grade Utility Disciple, achieving Foundation Establishment in a hundred days, even with a Low Grade Dao Foundation, would be enough to attract attention.
The benefits of being an Outer Sect Disciple were insignificant to Han Xuanji.
It was better to calm down and continue signing in and Cultivating.
As long as he stayed low-key,
would Immortal Ascension be difficult?
...
"Congratulations to the host for successfully signing in at Lingxiu Number One Alchemy Workshop, obtaining a bottle of High Grade Yuan Cultivation Pill."
"Yuan Cultivation Pill? It's just the High Grade Spirit Pill for the Foundation Establishment Realm; the System is quite thoughtful."
Han Xuanji smiled.
Qi Condensation Pills could no longer provide him with any help, but Yuan Cultivation Pills came in handy.
Previously, he had also signed in for some High Grade Yuan Cultivation Pills, but he didn't expect to get a bottle of High Grade Medicinal Pill this time.
Next,
Han Xuanji diligently signed in every day, while also assiduously Cultivating various Cultivation Techniques. His strength and Realm both improved at an extremely fast pace.
Spring departed and autumn arrived; time passed unnoticed in the mountains.
Two years passed in the blink of an eye.
Two years, for ordinary people, was a long period of time.
But in the eyes of a Cultivator, it was merely the flick of a finger.
In just two short years, Han Xuanji had already advanced to the Foundation Establishment Perfection stage.
This speed was unbelievable; one must know that the later one progresses in Cultivation, the slower the speed becomes. Breaking through a small sub-Realm in the Late Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm might be dozens of times harder than in the Qi Condensation Realm.
Moreover, Han Xuanji didn't just focus on Cultivation; he didn't neglect other aspects either.
In terms of Sword Dao Realm, he had now reached Minor Achievement in Sword Intent. Even though he had never experienced Immortal Dao battles, he would occasionally venture into some deep mountains to hunt low-level Yao Beasts, basically one per sword, with no difficulty at all.