"Having just achieved Foundation Establishment, it's time to visit Danxin Cave and seek the master's guidance."

Chen Sheng stood at the mouth of Hidden Dragon Cave, his divine sense extending like an invisible net over a hundred feet.

The intricacies of the surrounding vegetation, the spiritual qi flowing through the rock crevices, and even the crawling paths of underground insects were all perfectly reflected in his sea of consciousness.

He took a deep breath, his white robe gently swaying in the mountain wind.

Taking a step forward, despite having no magical artifact for support, his figure resembled a swan standing on the void, gliding toward the direction of Danxin Cave.

For a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, flight naturally required no external aid.

The divine sense could easily capture subtle changes in airflow, even manipulate them slightly.

Liquid mana in the dantian slowly surged out, forming an invisible layer of spirit light around him, allowing him to ride the wind effortlessly.

This was entirely different from Body Refining!

Body Refiners excelled in short bursts; like now, if he activated the Blood Gang, he could instantaneously flash three hundred feet.

Such an expenditure was significant, mostly used to overcome distance limitations in combat, avoiding being kited, making it unsustainable for regular pursuits.

Initially, Chen Sheng was somewhat unskilled in coordinating mana and divine sense for flight, causing his form to occasionally wobble like a child learning to walk.

But this was where the divine sense shone.

Every imbalance was precisely captured—the disturbances in airflow, shifts in center of gravity, prompting the most precise adjustments in mana.

Within a few breaths, his flight became as steady as a sailing boat, the speed gradually increased, and the sound of his robe cutting through the air became smooth and balanced.

Along the way, Chen Sheng attempted to integrate a trace of Blood Gang into his body technique, his figure suddenly transforming into a faint red afterimage, with a "pop" he vanished from his original spot, appearing the next instant amidst the clouds a hundred feet away.

This outburst moved him:

"With divine sense granted, it's only fitting to cultivate a Fire Escape Technique. The Cultivation Realm is fraught with dangers; having a skill for rapid retreat is indispensable."

Before long, the outline of the Danxin Cave, shrouded in a radiant glow, appeared in view.

"Enter!"

As he reached the entrance, a deep voice resonated from within the cave.

Responding, Chen Sheng stepped through the entrance, immediately feeling an eerie chill smother him, a stark contrast to the warmth outside the cave.

Looking up, he saw within the Golden Cauldron that Dragon Void Daoist had transformed into a ten-foot-long Red Flood Dragon, bathing amidst the swirling flames.

Surrounding the dragon's body, within a foot's reach, was a golden-red flame barrier, covered with countless intricate runes, rising and falling as if it encapsulated a world of fire.

Within this realm, the fierce flames raged, containing immense heat, to the point that faint frost formed outside the barrier, a juxtaposition of heat and cold exuding an uncanny majesty.

Chen Sheng was struck with awe, a name of a Daoist skill flashing in his mind—"Li Fire Realm"!

This was the Tier Three Secret Skill recorded in the "Flood Dragon Sea Overturning Technique," capable of converting all worldly flames into a barrier, combining offense and defense with endless mysteries.

The master was indeed cultivating such divine techniques, no wonder the cave's exterior was so warm, yet inside was chilling.

"Greetings, Master!"

He suppressed the turbulent emotions in his heart, bowing deeply in salute.

The flame barrier receded like a tide, the form of the Red Flood Dragon faded, Dragon Void Daoist returned to human form, slowly opening his vertical pupils.

His divine sense swept over Chen Sheng like a spotlight, a faint smile appearing in his eyes:

"Not bad, you've achieved Foundation Establishment; your speed wasn't slow."

"You seek me for guidance on choosing a technique?"

Chen Sheng cupped his hands in response: "Master's insight is extraordinary."

Dragon Void Daoist nodded, a slight wave of his sleeve sent a crimson jade scroll shooting out like an arrow, hovering in front of Chen Sheng:

"Take it."

Chen Sheng reached out to receive it, and as his divine sense penetrated its surface, an immense load of information flooded into his sea of consciousness.

This jade scroll recorded the cultivation paths of over a hundred cultivators after Foundation Establishment.

The names of techniques, their core characteristics, cultivation challenges, mana attributes, and even their ultimate achievements and reasons for failure were detailed to an astonishing degree.

What warmed his heart even more was that all these cultivators possessed a Fire Attribute Lower Grade Spiritual Root!

Evidently, this collection was gathered by the master specifically for him.

It's well understood that Foundation Establishment is not the end, rather just the beginning. Even High Grade Spiritual Root cultivators face severe bottlenecks after Foundation Establishment.

Mid-stage Foundation Establishment bottleneck!

Late-stage Foundation Establishment bottleneck!

Each checkpoint is hard to surpass. The effects of auxiliary elixirs are vastly diminished compared to the highly-refined formulas during the Qi Cultivation Stage.

This is one of the core reasons many cultivators remain stuck at a certain realm for life.

Not to mention someone with Chen Sheng's Lower Grade Spiritual Root, the bottlenecks he faces are even more severe. Referring to the choices of others becomes especially crucial.

Chen Sheng immediately bowed deeply:

"Master, your efforts are truly appreciated by your disciple!"

"Alright, no need for such childish gestures." Dragon Void Daoist waved his hand, signaling him to rise.

"Let me explain further—Cultivation techniques in the world fall into three categories."

"The first category refines a special kind of mana, both deep and sharp, often paired with powerful spells, gaining the upper hand in magical combat of the same tier."

"However, progress in this type is slow, focusing on the quality and depth of mana, it is difficult to advance to the Upper Realm, and is usually chosen by those with dim prospects."

"The second category yields ordinary mana, lacking mystical means, often trailing behind in magical combat of the same tier, and sometimes getting defeated by others across realms."

"But this type has its benefits too; it involves simple cultivation, fast mana growth without needing deep accumulation, offering advantages in reaching the Upper Realm, and the possibility of going further."

"The third category balances the strengths of both, with deep, profound mana, and rapid progress, known as top-level cultivation techniques."

"Many demonic cultivation techniques belong to the third category, but come with many drawbacks and endless hidden dangers, often leading to deviation, and even making wedding clothes for others."

"As for the few top-level techniques of our sect, they do not have the drawbacks of demonic paths, but they require very high qualifications, which you do not qualify to practice."

Chen Sheng's divine sense quickly swept through the jade scroll, confirming his master's words—the cultivators documented indeed only chose the first two categories.

Dragon Void Daoist looked at him intently: "Which one do you choose?"

Without hesitation, Chen Sheng cupped his hands and said:

"Disciple chooses the second category."

"Disciple's main path is body refining technique; it suffices for magical combat, and I only hope for the day to swallow the Golden Core."

Upon hearing this, Dragon Void Daoist's expression was complex, showing some satisfaction and a slight regret, but eventually, he nodded gently:

"Not bad, the path is the primary focus; how can we cultivators pursue triviality at the expense of the essence?"

"Since you have made your choice, I will recommend you a technique—'Pure Yang Qi Technique'"

"This technique cultivates mana that is extremely ordinary, with only one advantage—it is pure, greatly beneficial for overcoming bottlenecks."

"Among the hundreds of cultivators I have gathered, only two have achieved late-stage Foundation Establishment, relying on this technique."

"And only this technique gives you a reasonable hope to reach Foundation Establishment Perfection before your life span ends."

Chen Sheng solemnly replied:

"Master's dedication is profoundly appreciated; disciple will choose this technique."

With that, he used his divine sense to retrieve a jade bottle from his storage pouch and offered it with both hands:

"This is the Ruyi Pill disciple has just refined, please evaluate it, Master."

Dragon Void Daoist accepted the jade bottle, his divine sense scanned it, causing a pill to fly out of the bottle and hover in his palm, humming and shining with brilliance.

He nodded with approval:

"Eighty-five percent potency, not bad."

"It seems you haven't wasted your time; Tier Two Middle Grade Elixirs are no longer a challenge for you. Next, try Tier Two High Grade, even if you don't succeed, you can spot and fill the gaps."

After pondering for a moment, Dragon Void Daoist swept his sleeve again, and a dark gold jade scroll with tiny flame patterns appeared:

"This contains the pill formula and insights for Tier Two High Grade Nine Yang Pill; go back and study it. Tomorrow, practice with me and let's see how much you've improved in alchemy."

After imprinting it with his divine sense, Chen Sheng respectfully replied:

"Disciple understands."

After a pause, he asked again:

"Disciple has developed divine sense; may I ask if the sect has any methods for cultivating it?"

Dragon Void Daoist laughed aloud at the inquiry:

"Methods for cultivating divine sense? You're quite bold to even think about it."

"Breaking the Pill and Condensing the Infant relies crucially on divine sense, a secret technique even more precious than the Nascent Soul Pill; among the Three Sects of Chu Country, it has long become legend."

In shock, Chen Sheng finally realized how precious the secret techniques for divine sense were.

Dragon Void Daoist kindly advised:

"You, being of loose cultivator background, have limited knowledge, often parroting others. Henceforth, visit the Scripture Pavilion more to broaden your understanding."

Chen Sheng quickly nodded and also inquired about escape techniques and sea of consciousness restrictions.

After contemplating, Dragon Void Daoist said:

"For long journeys, you can refine Rainbow Departing Light in your dantian, it's more reliable than most escape techniques."

"For extreme escape situations, the mana cultivated from 'Pure Yang Qi Technique' won't withstand advanced escape techniques."

"However, in the 'Flood Dragon Sea Overturning Scripture' there is a 'Blood Flood Dragon Secret Skill', once you achieve Great Success during the Foundation Establishment stage, you can flee dozens of miles in one go, sufficient to save your life!"

"As for sea of consciousness restrictions, your cultivation is insufficient; once you reach late-stage Foundation Establishment, you may go to the Instructor Hall to learn."

"Thank you, Master, for your guidance!"

Enlightened, Chen Sheng bowed deeply, then turned and left Danxin Cave.

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