Having successfully completed Foundation Building, Meng Zhang's life underwent a fundamental transformation. From this point on, he finally had some capital to stand in the Cultivation World.
For ancient cultivators, Foundation Building is the starting point of cultivation. Before reaching Foundation Building, cultivators can only be considered to have one foot inside the door of cultivation, and they cannot be truly called cultivators.
After Foundation Building, Meng Zhang was about to embark on a brand-new beginning.
Meng Zhang effortlessly passed the difficult barrier of Foundation Building that had troubled most Refining Qi stage cultivators in the Cultivation World.
Following his successful Foundation Building, Meng Zhang started to familiarize himself with the new abilities that come with this stage. For Foundation Building cultivators, divine consciousness is the most crucial ability. With gradual training, the range and sensitivity of their divine consciousness will increase.
During the Refining Qi stage, although Meng Zhang could achieve "Divine Soul Leaving the Body," he couldn't venture too far away from his physical body. Apart from entering special places like Trial Grounds, his soul couldn't stay outside for too long.
Upon entering the Foundation Building stage, Meng Zhang's soul could travel far away from his body, up to ten miles. Moreover, he had also stopped further strengthening his soul, allowing it to advance.
In the Foundation Building stage, cultivators have a special focus on enhancing the strength and abilities of their souls. Initially, Meng Zhang's soul could only perform simple soul travel, withstanding the strongest winds at best. As his Cultivation Base improved, the range of soul travel expanded.
In the mid-stage of Foundation Building, his soul could travel under the sunlight. Soul travel in daylight marked the mid-stage of Foundation Building.
By the late stage of Foundation Building, his soul could even possess others' bodies after their death, giving the cultivator a chance to start anew even if their physical body was destroyed.
After Meng Zhang cultivated the Sun and Moon True Qi, he could use Solar True Qi and Lunar True Qi separately or merge them into Sun-Moon True Qi. This not only provided him with more tactical options but also represented a substantial improvement in true qi.
As for abilities like controlling wind and flying with the wind, which were common among Foundation Building stage cultivators, they were relatively insignificant.
After becoming familiar with the state of the Foundation Building stage, Meng Zhang left seclusion and appeared before Luo Ye.
Meng Zhang had spent just over half a year in seclusion this time, successfully completing his cultivation. At present, he was still a few days away from turning thirty-one.
Upon seeing Meng Zhang, Luo Ye and Jue Ying were elated. Although they knew the likelihood of Meng Zhang succeeding in Foundation Building was high, until it actually happened, they couldn't be sure if any unexpected incidents would occur.
Luo Ye gave Meng Zhang some advice and allowed him to continue his seclusion to consolidate his Foundation Building Cultivation Base and familiarize himself with the abilities of this stage.
Jue Ying brought the latest news from the outside world. The situation remained the same; Twin Success Valley was pressured and in a difficult situation, but it hadn't suffered any significant damage. As for the Flying Swan Sect, besides ordering its subordinates to blockade Twin Success Valley, there were no further actions, leaving everyone uncertain about their intentions.
At Taiyi Sect, there were no major incidents, and everything was as usual. The sect operated normally, and its disciples were safe. In Meng Zhang's absence, the members of the sect knew their responsibilities and maintained the sect's operations.
In the Foundation Building stage, daily cultivation required a Second Rank or higher spirit vein. Otherwise, they would need to spend a large amount of spiritual stones to set up special gathering arrays.
Since there were no major events outside, Meng Zhang decided to stay here and practice, making use of the Second Rank spirit vein.
Another six months passed, and Meng Zhang's Cultivation Base had completely solidified, making him a qualified Foundation Building cultivator.
Not wanting to delay any longer, Meng Zhang proposed to help Luo Ye drive out the demon air.
Having received many benefits from Luo Ye, it was time to repay the favor.
Although Luo Ye had a slight hesitation, hoping that Meng Zhang would continue cultivating for a few more years to increase his Cultivation Base and have a better chance of success, Meng Zhang considered the uncertain situation outside. There might be unexpected changes that could hinder him from fulfilling his promise to help Luo Ye.
Luo Ye and Meng Zhang made a pact for fifteen years, but it was still far from the agreed time, and yet Meng Zhang was ready to fulfill his promise.
Seeing Meng Zhang's unwavering confidence, Luo Ye let him proceed. After all, Luo Ye had been tormented by the demon air for many years and was more anxious for a solution than anyone else.
The following three months were a grueling battle for Meng Zhang, an unprecedented challenge.
The Solar True Qi burned the demon air, while the Lunar True Qi protected Luo Ye. When the two were combined into Sun-Moon True Qi, it contained a sense of true harmony, making it the nemesis of the demon air.
Sitting cross-legged, Luo Ye and Meng Zhang began their joint journey.
During these three months, both Luo Ye and Meng Zhang faced numerous difficulties and dangers, underestimating the power of the demon air.
The demon air was not only powerful and stubbornly pervasive, but it also seemed to possess a kind of instinct, almost like a living being.
Luo Ye and Meng Zhang were dealing with something far beyond mere forces; they were facing living entities with various reactions.
After each time they exhausted their true qi, they quickly swallowed pills to restore it, and pill toxins accumulated in their bodies rapidly.
Fortunately, Meng Zhang and Jue Ying had a considerable number of stone stalactites. By alternating their usage, they managed to eliminate the pill toxins and continue taking new pills.
Before the stone stalactites were depleted, they finally succeeded in driving out the demon air from Luo Ye's body.
It was an arduous and extraordinary battle, during which Meng Zhang not only gained unprecedented training but also accumulated rich experience in combating demon air.
Luo Ye was now free from the torment, her body fully restored, and his Cultivation Base unaffected, with a stable foundation.
On the other hand, Meng Zhang had nearly been contaminated by the demon air several times and suffered some damage to his foundation. Until his foundation was repaired, his Cultivation Base couldn't be further improved.
To mend his foundation without any special opportunities, it would take at least 20-30 years.
However, Meng Zhang didn't pay much attention to it; after all, he was still young, and delaying cultivation for 20-30 years was not a significant concern. Moreover, if he could obtain suitable spiritual treasures or pills to mend his foundation, it wouldn't be a problem.
Luo Ye, who had been troubled by the demon air for many years, was now in high spirits.
"Little Sect Master Meng, I won't say much about the gratitude I owe you. The favor of giving me a new lease on life is unforgettable."
"I thought my life was over, but you brought new hope. I originally believed that after expelling the demon air, preserving my Cultivation Base would be considered good enough. Unexpectedly, your Sun-Moon True Qi is truly profound. It not only expelled the demon air but also preserved my foundation, giving me hope to break through to the Gold Core stage."
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