Chapter 755: Building the Life Bridge, Forging the Dao Foundation

(PS: I have noticed that in any fantasy novel, once it reaches the mid-to-late stages, readers will always jump out and say: "Experts are everywhere, and powerhouses are as common as dogs."

I can tell everyone right now that the Great Lan Dynasty has no more than 3, 00 Dao Foundation realm martial artists, no more than 200 Martial Arts Masters, and no more than 50 Grandmasters. This was set from the very beginning, and I have even specified it for every faction.

The number of Martial Arts Masters and Grandmasters appearing next will certainly be higher than the number of Dao Foundation realm characters, but does that mean there are more powerhouses than Dao Foundation realm cultivators?)

Li Fei walked into his mansion.

Having witnessed two martial artists who were on the same Wind and Cloud Ranking as him break through to become Martial Arts Masters, it would be impossible to say he felt no ripples in his heart.

If not for the accident in the Tomb of Heavenly Water, Li Fei should have already successfully integrated his fifth implant by now and would have likely triggered a core-level extraordinary ability, ready to prepare for his breakthrough.

However, Li Fei did not regret his trip to the Tomb of Heavenly Water, because without this accident, even if he could break through his martial arts realm to become a Martial Arts Master, the subsequent Art Dao realm would have been very difficult to breach.

Now that he has embarked on the true path of combining Law and Martial Arts, Li Fei is more convinced than anyone that his Great Dao will be a smooth journey!

Passing through several courtyards, Li Fei returned to his secret training chamber, closed the doors and windows, and began today's cultivation.

He first activated the array within the secret chamber to isolate the inside from the outside, while also providing a certain level of defense so he would not be easily disturbed.

Then, he picked up a vermilion-colored block-like object and placed it into the incense burner.

Soon, a faint, ethereal fragrance permeated the secret chamber.

Just one whiff was enough to make one feel refreshed and relaxed, with a sensation of being light and immortal!

This is "Ghostly Immortal Incense," a precious spice that assists in the cultivation of Arts, which can make one's virtual thoughts easier to calm and solidify.

The tiny piece Li Fei just put into the incense burner was worth over a thousand yuan!

He needs to use two pieces of "Ghostly Immortal Incense" for his daily cultivation, and he has been doing this for over a month; the money spent on the incense alone has already exceeded sixty thousand yuan.

Art cultivation is even more expensive than martial arts cultivation; it is absolutely impossible for anyone who is not from a wealthy family to afford it!

In order to achieve "Cultivating the Dao through Arts, Refining the Body as a Vessel," Li Fei has almost exhausted all the resources he could exchange from the imperial court as a Marquis over the past five years.

The "Ghostly Immortal Incense" in his hand now is the last batch of resources he exchanged.

For the next five years, he will be unable to exchange for resources through his title.

If he does not find another way to obtain resources, those martial artists who have defected to him at the Xingcheng Marquis Mansion will have no resources to use.

In that case, he would be unable to cultivate his own subordinates, and it would also affect his reputation as the Jing'an Marquis.

However, as long as Li Fei becomes a reserve member of the Blue Patrol Pavilion, he can obtain a certain resource quota; if he can become a full member, his annual resource quota could be comparable to that of a Marquis!

Besides reserve members and full members, even ordinary consultants can possess a certain resource quota.

This is also an important reason why so many people from the Jianghu are flocking to the Blue Patrol Pavilion.

If the imperial court wants to control the Jianghu, it certainly won't just give "fame," it will also give "profit."

With the carrot and the stick, even if many local factions know that the Blue Patrol Pavilion is a "trap," they still have to step into it.

Because if you don't join, other factions will. After these factions obtain the "fame" and "profit" given by the imperial court, they will continue to grow, thereby widening the gap between them and you.

This is Ye Ze's open conspiracy.

Inside the secret chamber, Li Fei quickly entered a state of visualization with the help of the "Ghostly Immortal Incense."

He had successfully forged the Flying Sword Body for over a month now; during this month, he had not practiced martial arts, but had been focusing entirely on cultivating the Art Dao.

Now, his Dao Foundation's tolerance had increased several times over, but it still could not reach a balance with the seventh-grade Heavenly Water Soul Bone, requiring him to use the power of his Arts to guide the excess Heavenly Water Soul Bone out.

But the Art power brought by the Flying Sword Body was not yet enough to completely suppress the Heavenly Water Soul Bone.

Therefore, Li Fei was constantly strengthening his Art power.

From the Divine Transformation stage to the Possession stage, an Art practitioner needs to refine a magic treasure and then use their own implants to constantly strengthen the connection with the implants inside the magic treasure until resonance is formed; only then can they be considered to have stepped into the Possession stage.

This is also the reason why magic treasures of the Possession stage can only use lower-three-grade implants, because the Art practitioner's own implants are only lower-three-grade and can only form resonance with lower-three-grade implants.

After reaching the Possession stage, an Art practitioner needs to strengthen the magic treasure while using the power of the magic treasure to nourish themselves and enhance their own virtual thoughts.

Only when the magic treasure is completely perfected, the internal implants are fully grown, and one's own virtual thoughts are strong enough, can one be considered to have reached the peak of the Possession stage and begin attempting to break through.

Li Fei refines his body as a vessel; his body is the magic treasure. With the physique of a peak Dao Foundation stage and peerless vitality, the strength of this "magic treasure" of his has already far exceeded the level of the Possession stage and does not need to waste time on strengthening.

Likewise, because he is refining his body as a vessel, Li Fei's virtual thoughts and the "magic treasure" are combined perfectly; there is no need for special training, as resonance arises naturally!

Moreover, the nourishment brought by the Flying Sword Body also caused Li Fei's virtual thoughts to grow rapidly, even exceeding the peak level of the Possession stage.

Therefore, after Li Fei forged the Flying Sword Body, he only needed to let those Art-type implants in his body complete their own growth.

Also benefiting from dual cultivation of Law and Martial Arts, these Art-type implants can continuously draw upon Li Fei's Qi, blood, and strength, growing at an extremely fast speed!

In over a month, the dozen or so Art-type implants in Li Fei's body had all grown to their limit.

At this point, Li Fei could finally begin the next step.

From the Possession stage to the True Spirit realm, there are three barriers:

Building the Life Bridge.

Condensing True Power.

Refining the True Soul.

The first step, "Building the Life Bridge," is to build a "bridge" between oneself and the magic treasure, thereby making the Art practitioner and the magic treasure share a life connection.

This is a necessary condition for refining a Natal Magic Treasure.

Once the Life Bridge is built, a mysterious connection will be established between the void thoughts and the actual existing magic treasure. The Art practitioner can further utilize the power of the magic treasure to continuously condense their own virtual thoughts, eventually turning the void into reality and cultivating True Power.

Once this step is reached, one is only one step away from becoming a True Person.

The final step is to use True Power to transform one's self-consciousness into a True Soul, and then separate a portion of the True Soul to merge into the magic treasure, refining it into a True Spirit.

At this point, the magic treasure will evolve into a Natal Magic Treasure, and the Art practitioner will step into the True Spirit realm, becoming a True Person of the current age.

Li Fei is now starting the first step of his breakthrough—Building the Life Bridge!

If he were still to refine the Dream-Like Decree into his own Natal Magic Treasure, the difficulty of the "Building the Life Bridge" step would be very high; this is a problem one inevitably encounters when taking a shortcut by using an already-formed magic treasure.

Back then, Zhao Yi's master, Zhao Renjie, was stuck at this step; he stole the Dream-Like Decree for over a dozen years and still could not complete "Building the Life Bridge."

Now that Li Fei himself is the magic treasure, the overall framework of this "bridge" exists naturally; the difficulty for him to build the Life Bridge is many times smaller than for other Art practitioners!

Inside the secret chamber, in the conscious world of Li Fei's visualization, more than a dozen places in his body were glowing, and these light clusters were constantly dispersing golden threads toward their surroundings.

These golden threads merged into his flesh, bones, and internal organs, establishing an invisible connection with the light clusters.

When night fell, Li Fei walked out of the secret chamber.

He had used up two pieces of "Ghostly Immortal Incense" and had also ended today's cultivation.

The process of "Building the Life Bridge" consumes both virtual thoughts and one's own Art-type implants simultaneously; plus, since he himself is the magic treasure, it also consumes his body, so it cannot be done for long periods.

However, his progress today was very smooth, which could simply be described as lightning speed!

At this rate, Li Fei estimates that he only needs a dozen days or so to complete "Building the Life Bridge."

"Marquis."

Just as he walked out of the secret chamber, the Marquis Mansion steward, who had been waiting outside, walked over.

"What is it?"

Li Fei asked.

Steward: "Lord Lu is waiting for you in the main hall."

"Alright, I understand."

Li Fei stepped toward the main hall.

"Marquis."

In the main hall, seeing Li Fei arrive, Lu Wen rose to greet him.

"It's so late, is there still something?"

Li Fei signaled for Lu Wen to sit down, and he sat beside him.

"Marquis, the latest news: the reserve member of the Blue Patrol Pavilion submitted by the Great Luo Sect is Ning Chuan, and the one submitted by the Lan family is Lan Ruoyun; both of their audits have been passed."

Lu Wen said to Li Fei.

Ning Chuan and Lan Ruoyun had only broken through to become Martial Arts Masters in front of Li Fei this afternoon, and by evening, they had become reserve members.

This was clearly premeditated.

Ning Chuan and Lan Ruoyun both had the certainty of breaking through before they came to Lanling City, and the sects and families behind them had long decided to push them forward.

The Great Luo Sect is currently in decline, with its reputation hitting rock bottom; having Ning Chuan break through today and break historical records is an excellent way to lift their heads and exhale!

As for the Lan family, one of the seven great families, they are the exact opposite of the Great Luo Sect; their momentum has been growing in recent years, and many talents have emerged among the younger generation of the family.

Lan Ruoyun broke through to become a Martial Arts Master at the age of 29; although she cannot compare to peerless geniuses like Ming Qi, Shen Tu Yue, and Ning Chuan, she is better than many. Looking at the current Great Lan Dynasty, apart from Ming Qi and the other two, no one is younger than her at this age.

The ancestor of the Lan family just passed his hundredth birthday; according to the lifespan of a Grandmaster, he has at least another hundred years to live.

And with the talent Lan Ruoyun has shown, she has a very good chance of breaking through to become a Grandmaster within sixty years!

This means that the Lan family is very likely to have two Grandmasters at the same time in the future.

In that case, the Lan family will surpass the other six great martial arts families and will also surpass the "Three Mountains and Four Sects," becoming a top-tier faction second only to the Pudu Temple, the three Daoist sects, the Tianyi Tower, and the Red Dust Pavilion.

This time, the Great Luo Sect letting Ning Chuan become a reserve member of the Blue Patrol Pavilion is to rebuild their momentum and let the world know that the Great Luo Sect has not yet fallen.

And the Lan family letting Lan Ruoyun become a reserve member is to further boost their momentum and let everyone see the potential of the Lan family.

"Is there anything else?"

Li Fei asked.

Lu Wen: "Also, Zhu Fenghua has arrived in Lanling City; he will represent the Tianyi Tower to become a reserve member of the Blue Patrol Pavilion."

Regarding the establishment of the Blue Patrol Pavilion, the joining of the Buddhist and Daoist sects, as well as the Red Dust Pavilion, was foreseeable.

But whether the Tianyi Tower would join was an unknown.

After all, that "Supreme" has not given the imperial court face more than once or twice; if the Tianyi Tower really refused, many people would also find it normal.

But now, Zhu Fenghua has arrived in Lanling City and officially announced that he represents the Tianyi Tower in joining the Blue Patrol Pavilion!

In terms of heritage and comprehensive strength, the Tianyi Tower is not considered the strongest, but because of the "Supreme" Lin Tianyi sitting in command, many people subconsciously regard it as the leader of the Jianghu!

Whether the Tianyi Tower joins the Blue Patrol Pavilion is a very important sign.

Now that the Profound Heaven Tower has joined, the significance of the Blue Patrol Pavilion to the jianghu has truly reached its peak!

A plain face flashed through Li Fei's mind, and he nodded:

"Anything else?"

Lu Wenxing: "There is. You asked me to keep an eye on the movements of the Nightmare Sect, my lord. I just received news that the Supreme Elder of the Nightmare Sect, Shen Zhen, will arrive in Lanling City tomorrow. She will represent the Nightmare Sect in joining the Blue Patrol Pavilion and become a reserve member."

Back on Great Luo Mountain, Li Fei had been tracked by a True Person from the Nightmare Sect within the "Dream Realm."

Ever since then, he had intentionally kept an eye on the Nightmare Sect's movements and privately asked Lu Wenxing to help him monitor them.

Lu Wenxing did not ask why Li Fei wanted to keep tabs on the Nightmare Sect; he simply performed his job well.

"Shen Zhen."

Information about the person flashed through Li Fei's mind.

The Nightmare Sect had a total of two True Persons; apart from the Sect Master, there was only this Supreme Elder, Shen Zhen.

The Nightmare Sect was located within Qing Province, and since there were no top-tier factions in that province, the Nightmare Sect, with its two True Persons, had a very good chance of becoming the Blue Patrol Pavilion member for Qing Province.

"I understand. Once Shen Zhen enters the city, do not send anyone to specifically inquire about anything; just pay attention to basic movements."

Li Fei said.

The Nightmare Sect mastered the art of the "Dream Realm" and could easily pry into secrets, so Li Fei did not want Lu Wenxing to alert the enemy.

After Lu Wenxing left, Li Fei stood up and walked into a courtyard.

"My lord."

Xu Xiaotian, who was practicing martial arts in the courtyard, stopped immediately upon seeing Li Fei and bowed to him.

"Mm, how is the preparation?"

Li Fei asked.

"It is already prepared; we can begin at any time!"

Xu Xiaotian nodded heavily.

"Good, then let's begin."

As Li Fei spoke, he walked into the room with him, and both sat cross-legged on the bed.

Li Fei sat behind Xu Xiaotian, pressing his hands against the other's back.

Next, Li Fei employed his self-created "Hundred-Day Breakthrough" method within Xu Xiaotian's body.

Xu Xiaotian's face showed signs of pain, but he was already very familiar with such pain and had gradually grown accustomed to it.

After more than two hours, Li Fei took action to assist Xu Xiaotian in removing a portion of flesh and blood from his body, "exposing" that branch of the implant intact.

Immediately after, while Xu Xiaotian used his internal force to maintain the "channel," he gathered this branch of the implant that had broken free from the constraints of the flesh and blood, drawing it toward his dantian.

Once this was completed, Li Fei channeled "Green God" to accelerate the healing of Xu Xiaotian's injuries, restoring the flesh and blood.

With this, the night's cultivation came to an end.

Xu Xiaotian slowly opened his eyes, revealing an expression of excitement:

"With the assistance of your core-level extraordinary ability, my lord, I can persist for twice as long every day. I should be able to break through within this month!"

Li Fei's self-created "Hundred-Day Breakthrough Method" was built upon his powerful sensory abilities and his unique, one-of-a-kind experience with "Unity."

He had originally estimated that with his help, Xu Xiaotian would have a chance to complete "Unity" within two hundred days and break through to become a Dao Foundation stage martial artist.

It was just that later, he had fused with the Heavenly Water Soul Bone in the Tomb of Heavenly Water, and for the following half a year, he had been unable to attend to Xu Xiaotian.

After his seclusion ended, for this past month or so, Li Fei had spent a few hours every day helping Xu Xiaotian cultivate, in addition to his own practice.

The core-level extraordinary ability "Green God" that he had awakened could not only heal himself but also others, and it could even heal mental trauma.

This made his self-created "Hundred-Day Cultivation Method" even more formidable!

While enduring immense pain, Xu Xiaotian received the healing of "Green God," allowing him to persist longer than usual and thereby accelerate his cultivation progress.

"In about 10 more days, you should be able to completely finish the Unity."

Li Fei's understanding of Xu Xiaotian's body was even more detailed than the man's own, and he made a more specific judgment.

"Ten days?!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiaotian clenched his fists.

Ten days later, he would be a Dao Foundation stage powerhouse?

He was only 24 years old this year; a 24-year-old at the Dao Foundation stage—according to the "Discourse on Heaven's Pride," he could also be considered a heaven's pride!

"Many thanks, my lord!"

Xu Xiaotian got off the bed, stood straight, and thanked Li Fei sincerely.

He knew very well that without Li Fei's help, it would have taken him several more years to have a chance to complete "Unity."

"No need for formalities, get some good rest."

Li Fei got off the bed and patted Xu Xiaotian on the shoulder.

He had been helping Xu Xiaotian cultivate every day during this period not only because he wanted one more Dao Foundation stage martial artist under his command, but more importantly, he wanted to gain one more vote for himself in the upcoming referendum.

It was just a pity that Li Fei's time was also precious, and the Hundred-Day Breakthrough Method had very high requirements for talent and willpower, making it impossible for him to cultivate Dao Foundation stage martial artists in large numbers.

Xu Xiaotian had reached the peak of the Qi Transformation stage at 23 and begun "Unity"; such talent was already close to the level of a heaven's pride.

Only with added powerful willpower could he maintain the "channel" with internal force while enduring immense pain, and then gather the implant branches.

If it were someone with weaker talent and willpower, they would not be able to use this "Hundred-Day Breakthrough Method" even with Li Fei's help.

However, after Li Fei awakened an extraordinary ability like "Green God," he could appropriately lower the cultivation standards for the "Hundred-Day Breakthrough Method."

He had already relayed to Xingcheng that his marquis estate had two important criteria for martial artists coming to seek refuge:

The first was fine control over internal force and implants.

The second was willpower.

As long as these two criteria were met and the individual had reached the peak of the Qi Transformation stage, Li Fei was confident he could enable them to complete "Unity" within a year at the latest and become a Dao Foundation stage powerhouse!

In the following ten days, Li Fei helped Xu Xiaotian cultivate every night.

Just as he had expected, on the night of February 23rd, Xu Xiaotian completed the "Unity" of all the implant branches in his body.

With this, although Xu Xiaotian had not yet incorporated a second implant, he could already be counted as a Dao Foundation stage martial artist!

Li Fei immediately had Lu Wenxing handle the paperwork for Xu Xiaotian. From then on, Xu Xiaotian would join the Blue Patrol Pavilion as a guest of the Jing'an Estate and become a councilor for the Blue Patrol Pavilion in the Feng Province region, possessing one vote in the upcoming referendum.

"Have Xingcheng send over a martial arts master who meets the requirements."

After Xu Xiaotian's paperwork was finished, Li Fei instructed Lu Wenxing.

It had been over a year since he was enfeoffed as a marquis, and the marquis estate in Xingcheng had been officially completed; there were eleven martial arts masters who had come to offer their services.

Four had reached the peak of the Qi Transformation stage, and two met Li Fei's requirements.

After Xu Xiaotian became a Dao Foundation stage martial artist, Li Fei intended to continue creating more!

February 25th.

The day after Xu Xiaotian became a Dao Foundation stage martial artist, inside the secret chamber, Li Fei was constructing his "Life Bridge."

At a certain moment, his entire body suddenly erupted with golden light.

An extremely sharp sword intent burst forth from his body, instantly piercing through the array formations set up in the secret chamber!

Subsequently, this sword intent shot straight into the clouds, as if it wanted to pierce a hole through the firmament!

Ning Chuan, Lan Ruoyun, Ming Qi, and Zhu Fenghua—martial arts masters residing in the inner city—all felt something and looked toward the direction of the Jing'an Marquis Estate.

On this day, more than half of the powerhouses in Lanling City sensed the commotion emanating from the Jing'an Estate!

(End of chapter)