Breakthrough to the Third Rank?!

Both Magical Beasts and humans yearn to break through their limits and reach higher realms. For Magical Beasts, it is much more difficult than for human Cultivators. Their progress is slow, and their breakthroughs take much longer than those of Cultivators; each advancement requires centuries. Even though the Fathead Fish Demon's strength had reached the peak of the Second Order, comparable to a False Core, its massive size required even more accumulation. Even after consuming the Fish Saint Pill, it would still require several years of accumulation. The temptation of an immediate breakthrough to the Third Rank was too great for it.

'I'm ready.'

It shook its head in agreement, not waiting for any heaven-sent opportunities to descend, when it heard its master continue, "I'm not ready yet."

The message struck like a bolt from the blue. The Fathead Fish Demon's mood was like a roller coaster, plummeting sharply. Could the master be complaining that I didn't inform him of the news?

"WHIMPER! WHIMPER!"

It approached Jia Ren with a fawning expression, hoping to secure the hard-won opportunity.

"The breakthrough for a Magical Beast is too perilous. Find a suitable Spirit Land and set up a Formation that isolates Spiritual Power signatures."

"It could take as little as three months or as long as a year."

"Use this time to find the right Spirit Land."

The Spiritual Energy required for a Foundation Establishment breakthrough is not insignificant, and a breakthrough to the Golden Core Stage would demand even more. It is the same for Magical Beasts; the richer the Spiritual Energy of the breakthrough location, the better. Ordinary regions would not satisfy the requirements for a breakthrough; it was best to find a decent Spirit Land. Jia Ren had only discovered one such region, not far from himself: the location of the Third Rank Turtle Demon! Jia Ren had no way to convince the Thousand-Year-Old Black Turtle to move; he had to think of another solution.

In addition to the Spirit Land needed for the breakthrough, safety was also a concern. A breakthrough in cultivation would cause a significant fluctuation in Spiritual Power, and it was said that a breakthrough by a Golden Core Cultivator would even cause anomalies to appear. This would surely attract the attention of nearby Cultivators, Magical Beasts, and Bizarre Demons, bringing trouble. A Third Rank breakthrough could not be disturbed; it would be best to have a Protector to eliminate trouble. Jia Ren, with only the strength of the Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage, was unlikely to solve the problems caused by a Magical Beast's advancement to the Third Rank and might even put himself in danger. The best solution was to nip the danger in the bud.

Create a Formation that isolates Spiritual Power anomalies to prevent the fluctuations of the breakthrough from being detected—wouldn't this solve the problem at its root? I'll leave the search for the Spirit Land to the Fathead Fish Demon and the Insect External Incarnation. As for the Formation for gathering Spiritual Energy and concealing Spiritual Power signatures, I'll handle that myself.

Formations were Jia Ren's weak point in the Four Arts of Cultivation, having invested the least amount of time compared to Alchemy, Talisman Crafting, and Magical Instruments. Formations were difficult to learn and master, and they required far more materials than the other three. Only with the backing of a Sect could an Array Master be trained. As a Loose Cultivator, it was not easy for him to gather materials for Formations. Over the past three years, thanks to the Blood Demon Sect, he had gotten his hands on quite a few materials for setting up Formations. With many years of accumulation, his experience in the Formation Path was rich, and setting up ordinary First Order Formations was not difficult.

The Formation Jia Ren chose was the Essence-Sealing Spirit-Locking Array, a Superior Grade First Order Formation. He was quite practiced in setting up this Array, which guarded both the Water Mansion and the entrance to the Water Curtain Cave, making it hard for Cultivators to detect. The materials for this type of Array were all consumed, so more needed to be collected.

The Fathead Fish Demon had already taken action, searching for a suitable Spirit Land for the breakthrough. Jia Ren comfortably took on the role of a hands-off manager, practicing his Cultivation Method. The method he primarily cultivated was called the Mysterious Turtle Water Strategy, derived from the Breakthrough Turtle Spirit Art and incorporating parts of the Xuan Shui Technique. After breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage, he had no subsequent techniques to advance further. Previously, two breakthroughs of the technique would have allowed him to obtain subsequent Cultivation Methods. The further one progressed with the Mysterious Turtle Water Strategy, the more Skill Breaking Points it consumed. Two or three such breakthroughs were bearable, but what about after that? A poor foundation was bound to limit long-term prospects.

Jia Ren wanted to get it right in one step and obtain a top-notch Cultivation Technique that would take him directly to the Nascent Soul. Unfortunately, such treasures were hard to find, even in the Barren Extreme Land. After encountering the Fathead Fish Demon, he acquired the inheritance of Cang Hai True Man: the Cang Hai Jue, which promised a far brighter future than the Mysterious Turtle Water Strategy. With the same three breakthroughs, the Mysterious Turtle Water Strategy could only reach the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, but the Cang Hai Jue could reach the Late Golden Core Stage. Changing Cultivation Techniques was imperative!

The higher the Realm of the Cultivator, the harder it is to switch techniques. Changing Cultivation Techniques could waste painstakingly cultivated Spiritual Power, a cost he was unwilling to bear. This was also the reason for his hesitation. Once the Insect External Incarnation reached the Extraordinary Saint Level, it possessed the meridians of a Cultivator. After it cultivated the Cang Hai Jue, the situation would be completely different.

First, I'll transfer all my Spiritual Power to the Insect External Incarnation and have it change Cultivation Techniques. Then, we'll exchange Spiritual Power to avoid wasting my efforts. Whether the plan would succeed or not, it still had to be tested.

Jia Ren transferred all his Spiritual Power to the Insect External Incarnation, which, in turn, passed the Cang Hai True Power it had cultivated to his main body. The main body and the Insect External Incarnation completed the exchange of Spiritual Power. The meridian route of the Cang Hai Jue operated within his body, his Spiritual Power opening up meridians and acupoints. The Spirit Gathering Array was activated, drawing out a large amount of Spiritual Energy, and the Cultivation Room filled with a mist of Spiritual Energy. The misty Spiritual Energy was rapidly absorbed into his body, gradually converting into Cang Hai Spiritual Power.

If any Mysterious Turtle Spiritual Power remained within him, the clash between the two different types of Spiritual Power would certainly cause conflict and disturb his cultivation. The best method was to disperse the cultivation. Transferring the Spiritual Power to the Insect External Incarnation would not affect his main body and, to a certain extent, achieved the effect of 'dispersing cultivation.' Jia Ren was spared the effects of the conflict between the two different kinds of Spiritual Power; the 'cost' was borne by the Insect External Incarnation.

As his Cang Hai Spiritual Power grew more abundant and the reconstruction of his foundation was complete, he controlled the Insect External Incarnation to slowly transfer the Mysterious Turtle Spiritual Power back. The newly formed Cang Hai Spiritual Power gradually devoured the Mysterious Turtle Spiritual Power, strengthening itself. The transformed medicinal power from the high-quality Consolidating Yuan Pill (Modified) caused his Cang Hai Spiritual Power to grow immense. The Cang Hai Spiritual Power constantly maintained a state of 'a big fish eating a small fish,' slowly converting the Mysterious Turtle Spiritual Power for its own use.

Switching Cultivation Techniques was typically a slow process, but with the help of the Insect External Incarnation, the time required was reduced by at least ninety-nine percent. Compared to the decade or more it would take a normal Foundation Establishment Cultivator to switch Cultivation Techniques, this was incredibly convenient and effortless. The only price was that the Insect External Incarnation could not enhance its strength for a short period and would find it more difficult to use Spiritual Power. This price was insignificant. It was composed of Sound Seizing Demon Mosquitoes. Though its cultivation paused temporarily, with a daily supply of numerous Worm Saint Pills, its rate of improvement was not slow.

「One month later.」

Jia Ren opened his eyes, feeling the entirely new Cang Hai True Power, an irrepressible smile on his face. The conversion of his Cultivation Technique was complete. His strength hadn't slipped, and his Realm was stable.

It's a pity. After the Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage, the effect of the Solidifying Yuan Pill greatly diminishes. Taking Solidifying Yuan Pills at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage felt completely different from taking them at the Mid-Stage. A Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage Cultivator had higher requirements for the quality of Spiritual Power; more and purer Spiritual Power was needed to make even a little progress in cultivation. The Solidifying Yuan Pill became increasingly ineffective for Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage, hardly of great use. The Extraordinary Saint Level Solidifying Yuan Pill, however, was beyond imagination. It still had a notable effect on enhancing Cultivation Level and progressing cultivation even at the Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage. But compared to his previous rapid progress—breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage in just over three years—the current rate was certainly a significant reduction. Even though his cultivation speed had decreased, it was still much faster than that of a Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage Cultivator taking Elixirs appropriate for their Realm. A typical Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage Cultivator, taking suitable Elixirs, might need thirty to forty years to break through. Jia Ren, taking the Extraordinary Saint Level Solidifying Yuan Pill, would only need about ten years to complete the accumulation. They were not on the same level at all. It was like always flying by plane; switching to a train would seem slow by comparison. The difference was huge. I hope to find a better Alchemy Recipe for the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Solidifying Yuan Pills were not highly ranked among Elixirs for the Foundation Establishment Stage, equivalent to the Minor Yuan Elixir for the Qi Refinement Realm. Elixirs like the Great Origin Pill, Spirit Enhancement Pill, and Five Elements Spirit Pill, especially of a higher quality, could produce effects as rapid as covering a thousand miles in a single day.

There's no hurry for new Elixirs for now. Jia Ren still had a large amount of Spiritual Medicine for refining Solidifying Yuan Pills, enough to support both his main body and the Insect External Incarnation's cultivation until the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. The issue of subsequent Alchemy Recipes could be considered after reaching that stage.

With the transformation of his Cultivation Technique complete, the Insect External Incarnation went to collect Formation materials, while Jia Ren himself practiced Formation arts and researched the Ancient Talisman Wings.

Time passed day by day. In the blink of an eye, another month went by.

The Fathead Fish Demon, which had left the Poisonous Miasma Lake for a month, returned, spitting out the corpse of a Second Order Superior Grade odd fish before him, looking for approval. Jia Ren casually threw out dozens of Ancestor Fish Pills as a reward. Only by rewarding it for bringing back treasures can I cultivate this habit in it.

The body of a Second Order Superior Grade Magical Beast was precious. It could be refined into decent Top-grade Magical Instruments. Its Demon Core could be used for making Spirit Pills to enhance Cultivation Level, and its Demonic Blood for Talisman Crafting and feeding his mosquitoes. Monster Beast Meat, rich in Spiritual Energy, was extremely nourishing and could strengthen the body.

"Have you found a suitable Spirit Land? That's efficient."

Being very concerned with its breakthrough to the Third Rank, the Fathead Fish Demon had earnestly visited many places. The odd fish, the former master of that Spirit Land, had unfortunately been attacked by this unwelcome visitor while cultivating peacefully.

"Explore the vicinity to ensure it's safe."

"The focus is to confirm there are no Bizarre Demons."

Not only was it important to choose a suitable Spirit Land, but safety was even more crucial. The Insect External Incarnation went to scout, and within half a day, it had a result: it was unsuitable. Using the Demon-Spotting Talisman to search the surroundings revealed no powerful Magical Beasts within a hundred-mile radius that could pose a threat. However… there were several Bizarre Demons roaming nearby. Bizarre Demons were much more troublesome than Magical Beasts. Jia Ren didn't want to deal with Bizarre Demons, so they had to search for a new location. The man and the fish departed, searching for a suitable Spirit Land. He held the Formation materials bought by the Insect External Incarnation, refining the Essence-Sealing Spirit-Locking Array Plate.

Three more months passed, and good news finally arrived.

"We've found a suitable Spirit Land!"

The Fathead Fish Demon and the Insect External Incarnation had spent three months and found a total of two Spirit Lands. The first one also had security risks and was not suitable as a breakthrough site. This was the third Spirit Land.

"There are no Magical Beasts or Bizarre Demons nearby, no signs of human presence."

"The Fathead Fish Demon can attempt to break through to the Third Rank now."

Jia Ren was cultivating Spells above a waterfall when he saw the figures of the Insect External Incarnation and the Fathead Fish Demon speeding towards him from afar. He would spare no effort in supporting it through the tribulation. The necessary Ancestor Insect Holy Pill, Gathering Essence Array, and Essence-Sealing Spirit-Locking Array were prepared, and the Insect External Incarnation, along with the Fathead Fish Demon, headed to the new Spirit Land. His main body hid in the shadows, ready to act at the right moment.

Once the Fathead Fish Demon successfully broke through to the Third Rank... by then, Jia Ren would control a Golden Core Stage Magical Beast. Apart from Bizarre Demons, there would be little threat to him in the Barren Extreme Land.

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