After he relaxed he felt it was time to breakthrough to foundation building. Using some array treasures he used his qi to draw a spirit gathering tier 5 formation by himself. His qi nature and quantity can't create any better as of now, but it would suffice. He had already decided on the cultivation technique, The Trinity refinement technique, the culmination of a life time.
As the formation activated, a vortex of spiritual energy surged into the space, swirling around him like a living tempest. He sat cross-legged, his breathing steady as he began the process of Foundation Establishment.
"Before the heavens recognize the self, the foundation must echo the universe. Bind the chaotic streams of qi within, temper the vessel of essence, and awaken the guiding star of spirit. The three shall converge as one, forming the unshakable base of the Dao."
Han Chen's meridians burned as purified qi flooded his body, merging with his essence and spirit. The process was excruciating, but he endured. Refining Qi, Essence Tempering, Spirit awakening steps being done. Spirit sense which was before comparable to a cultivator now has stepped into that final transformation. It's time to step into next step.
"The pillars of heaven are built upon the stillness of earth. Condense the energies of trinity into a singular form, forging a bridge to the divine. Only by standing firm amidst chaos can the path to immortality be paved."
His dantian became a crucible, the purified energies spiraling and intertwining to form an embryonic foundation.
"Using the Trinity Refinement technique, channel the purified qi, tempered essence, and awakened spirit into a singular base within the dantian. Allow them to spiral and intertwine, forming the embryonic foundation base. This is the unification of self with the universe." The embryonic base pulsed with latent power, its potential vast and untapped.
"Compress the embryonic base, forcing it to withstand the pressures of heaven and earth and the rhymes of dao. Infuse it with the power of the elements—wood for growth, fire for transformation, earth for stability, metal for sharpness, and water for fluidity, thunder for essence tempering, yin and yang for balance and stability, temporal, void and cosmic for connections to Dao. Each element must harmonize, forming a balanced and stable base."
The elements surged through him, their energies intertwining to forge a foundation that transcended mortal limitations.
"Seek the resonance of your foundation with the Dao. Visualize the heavens aligning, the stars descending, and the earth trembling. One's base must reflect the universe, becoming a microcosm of all existence. Only then shall the breakthrough occur."
The final step was the most profound. Han Chen's consciousness expanded, merging with the rhythms of the Dao. His foundation solidified, a flawless construct that defied the heavens' usual constraints.
After the critical breakthrough process passed, he realized it would take him more time to finalize, so he urged the use of world bead to materialize himself in the time chamber.
The process took a month, but when it was complete, Han Chen stood transformed. His foundation was immortal-grade, a rarity even in the upper realms.
No tribulation clouds gathered—his breakthrough had been too perfect, too harmonious with the Dao but not heaven defying, to warrant heavenly retribution. Only endless Dao rhyme surged even affecting the surrounding vegetation and small animals nearby with unknown changes happening to their spirts.
He flexed his hand, summoning a wisp of immortal fire. The primary laws of fire and yang obeyed his will effortlessly. Other elemental energies followed—wood, water, metal, earth, thunder—each manifesting with equal ease. Only time eluded him, its mysteries still to uncover. As realm climbed so is his life-level. His enlightened mind soon recognized multiple layers of laws, and they seem to make sense to him as if he is recalling all their original nature.
His vitality had surged, his lifespan now stretching over 900 years—far beyond the 500 years typical of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. The Tao platform within his dantian held reserves of energy comparable to the combined qi of an entire Qi Refining realm combined.
He summoned a spirit sword 🗡️ from the palace's inventory and stepped onto it, soaring through the small world's skies. The rush of wind against his face brought a rare smile to his lips. "Nostalgic," he murmured. Flew around for a while inspecting the small world and returned back.
With awakening of spirit, the spiritual sense took the final transformation before it becomes complete.
The Dantian holds the essence, nourishing the spirit and body on the journey of inner alchemy. Previously spiritual sense cannot be kept on all the while. Now the Niwan platform is the solar panel, drawing in the energy of the spirit, while the Dantian is the backup battery, storing and replenishing the power within, ensuring the light of the spirit never fades,if spoke in his current world's technology level, he thought to himself.
Inside the storage rooms he could now open higher levels storage rings. He doesn't need to use blood or consume weak spirit sense as of before. Now his soul power could pass through common objects by themself no need for spirit will. But his spiritual consciousness is already merged, and he felt his resolution heightens. He could now see the microscopic environments with his spirit sense.
Picked up a inconspicuous storage ring. 'Nice, about 10.5 meters in radius.' Bonded with spirit and put some spirit swords, pills and star convergence arrays and went outside. He has been looking for those array plate for some time. In the artifact corner, he found the weapons designed as garments. He took a saint grade defensive armor which could morph itself. At his current level he could urge it to defend against golden core level. If a nascent soul strikes, the armor would remain undamaged but he would be a meat paste.
He then chose the twin-blade as his weapon, though calling it a "blade" wasn't entirely accurate ---it was a weapon that could shift its form.
As he bound it to himself, the elongated edge transformed wherever his hands touched, turning into a smooth, firm grip, while the rest remained razor-sharp. No matter where he placed his hands, that section would adapt to be held comfortably, while the rest morphed back into a lethal cutting edge. This unique trait coupled with its saint grade offensive capacity allowed it to function as both a spear and a blade, making it one of his most trusted weapons back in the First Heaven, the cultivation land of his second life.
He urged his spirit sense to change armor similar to his casual clothes. Ah, well they seem unusually glossy and clean and contrast. He took some time to make it look ordinary.
Returning outside after a month of time inside, he felt no change. Took out the array. Urged his strength to start it. His current realm qi spiritual nature can trigger stellar aura for months at least. Arranged it over the home. Basically, within the range of home, an intangible and invisible barrier is formed, which isolated the cosmic energy refined into spiritual qi, within.
He took time to make it to strict boundaries of home and add some signalling mechanism to stop if needed. As he doesn't want some nobody to come in to check the treasure aura or whatever like last time.
After being inside the array, everyone at home felt extremely comfortable with no plausible explanation. A week later, father stepped into dark jin. A month later, his mother stepped into 'half step master' , as per her. It's just innate realm. She has been practicing the additions to technique he gave her year before. Array was set to run only when Han Chen is around.
He didn't waste a single moment. After stabilizing his realm, he immediately continued refining his spiritual energy. Each minor stage of the Foundation Building Realm was as vast and profound as an entire major realm in the Qi Transformation stage. Without relying on any time-accelerating chamber, he cultivated normally within the World Bead, absorbing the boundless spiritual qi that flooded the space. His progress was astonishing --combined with the few pills he consumed, he reached the peak of the First Layer within just a month, mirroring the flow of time in the outside world.
During this period, his understanding of the laws deepened, advancing to at least the fourth layer or beyond. His soul also underwent rapid growth, and with it, his immortal consciousness sharpened. His body, now further refined, became a conduit for even greater spirit-will force. Previously, his telekinetic abilities were still shackled by mortal limitations, constrained by the biological nature of his flesh. But with his life level advancing, those restrictions began to unravel, allowing his power to surge once more.
His meridians expanded, growing thicker and more sensitive, now capable of channeling traces of immortal qi with even greater fluidity. With the combined boost from his enhanced soul power and the biological transformations his body underwent, his cultivation base surged toward yet another breakthrough. The pressure that once weighed on his spirit eased considerably, and in turn, his perception range, resolution, and overall strength expanded significantly --from what was once just over half, now surpassing 780 meters in scope.
The Trinity Refinement Technique placed immense importance on the quality of the three fundamental pillars of cultivation: body, spirit, and soul. Strength alone was never the goal—it was transformation, a qualitative elevation of one's very existence.
With this in mind, he diligently trained in the associated visualization technique for spirit, pushing his soul power further. Progress was evident, each breakthrough refining his foundation, bringing him one step closer to a true metamorphosis.
He stepped back into the ordinary world, and immediately, his senses were bombarded with a flood of new information. The transition had been gradual over the past few days, allowing him to adapt without feeling completely overwhelmed by the noise, the structures, and the vivid impressions from his spirit sense.
Still, the sheer volume of information it delivered was staggering. The modern world, with its constant chaos and distractions, was far from conducive to a peaceful state of mind. As his understanding of the dao laws deepened, the intricate web of derivative laws that formed the foundation of the physical world began to unravel before his eyes.
Though his biological senses couldn't perceive these phenomena directly, his spirit sense picked up on the subtle fluctuations of information carried by the countless light waves surrounding him. These were the same minor applications of natural laws that humans harnessed for communication.
His vision was flooded with bursts of light, and his awareness extended to everything his will force touched, creating a sensory overload. Yet, with a slight adjustment, he could dial it back to a more manageable level, allowing him to perceive the world as others did. Life resumed its usual rhythm, and he returned to attending classes, carrying on with his routine. That was, until one day, Li Mei reached out to him.