Chapter 104: Gains After Foundation Establishment

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Ji Yao’s speed in foundation building was swift, yet thoroughly filling the expanded dantian with spiritual fluid proved painstakingly slow—more than three times slower than others. While others took at most a month from foundation building to stabilizing their cultivation, Ji Yao spent a full three months before emerging from seclusion, with only seven days truly spent on successful foundation establishment.

The remainder of her time was dedicated to expanding the dantian, replenishing its spiritual fluid, and finally compressing it further. Unlike others who only needed to fill their dantian with spiritual fluid to stabilize their cultivation, Ji Yao faced an unexpected situation that demanded an additional step: compressing the fluid to increase its density, a necessity for her dantian’s current state.

To put it simply, Ji Yao felt her dantian had undergone an upgrade—not merely in size but in quality as well. It was akin to a high-grade vessel requiring a higher-tier liquid, and this choice was made by the vessel itself. What to hold was beyond the owner’s control; as it was part of her body, she could only yield to its instinct and redouble her efforts.

If the dantian in the Qi Refining stage was no different from others—accumulating ethereal, cloud-like spiritual energy—and foundation building transformed this gaseous state into liquid, then in Ji Yao’s case, the once springlike liquid had thickened into a porridge-like consistency. This analogy seemed most fitting to her.

Her most direct impression was the inner vision of her dantian’s spiritual energy, now a thick porridge resembling lotus root starch she had once tasted—though only in texture, as the color differed. The dense spiritual fluid inside her dantian was mainly pale gold and dark brown, interspersed with distinct streaks of red, colors that corresponded to her spiritual root attributes.

Speaking of inner vision, she had long since opened her sea of consciousness, yet this foundation building rendered the sea far more tangible. Previously, Ji Yao was only vaguely aware of its existence and the far-reaching divine sense she could project beyond others of equal cultivation. Now, she could clearly see her consciousness as a vast cosmic canopy.

As her cultivation deepened, countless sparkling lights shone like a starry sky, with her primordial spirit at the center as the brightest star. Watching these lights approach, her spirit gradually grew stronger.

During the final month, Ji Yao focused on strengthening her connection with the Five-Color Stone Array Plate, which she named the Celestial Star Plate. Though prepared as her destined magical treasure, she already communicated with it using her divine sense.

With the Clear Moon Free Sword serving as a conduit, Ji Yao merely needed to send her divine sense through the array’s core to imprint her consciousness upon the treasure. After forming her core formation, she would then use essence blood and blood from her heart to mark the eyes of the yin-yang fish at the top layer of the array plate, consecrating it for absorption into her dantian’s nurturing.

Once stamped with her consciousness, the Celestial Star Plate could be preliminarily used, though it remained a prototype lacking an inscribed array formation, requiring Ji Yao herself to complete it.

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Situ Jing handed Ji Yao a palm-sized short dagger, entirely black with a restrained luster that obscured its material. Yet it could cleave iron like mud; none of the broken swords Ji Yao had brought back from the Sword Tomb could withstand a single strike from this dagger.

Ji Yao tried infusing it with spiritual energy, but it showed no reaction. Surprisingly handy despite its unassuming appearance, if it truly was an indestructible weapon, it would be an ideal tool for stealth attacks.

Situ Jing watched Ji Yao receive the dagger but instead of using it seriously, she merely gestured at a pile of broken swords gathered at her feet, her lips twitching slightly as she reminded her, “Girl, don’t waste time. This thing wasn’t forged as a weapon, and besides, it’s an immortal artifact you can’t wield properly yet.

“This short dagger is a tool my disciple made for inscribing arrays. He has forty-nine others; only this one remains. I thought it was small and delicate enough to fiddle with, so I’m giving it to you to use for engraving the Celestial Star Plate’s array.”

Ji Yao was dumbfounded, staring at the black dagger in her palm, struggling to accept it as an immortal artifact—especially one used as a mere tool. More baffling was that Situ Jing treated it like a toy!

Are immortal artifacts really so common? Could they be made just for play? But their taste was questionable; the dagger’s dark and dull exterior was hardly decorative.

Sensing Ji Yao’s thoughts, Situ Jing sent a gust of palm wind that staggered her almost to the ground.

“Don’t get any wild ideas. This dagger’s surface is coated with powder ground from the outer shell of the Five-Color Stone, mixed with powder from the stone itself. This lets the Celestial Star Plate recognize it while concealing its nature as an immortal artifact.”

Ah! So that’s why its color looked ugly yet familiar—it was the Five-Color Stone’s outer shell. Thinking back to her first encounter with the stone, it really was quite unsightly.

Later, Situ Jing explained this was a sealing layer. Ji Yao had always thought it was an illusion created by the array, but now she realized a tangible substance was also masking the stone’s interior.

Steadying herself, Ji Yao smiled foolishly as she looked between Situ Jing and the dagger in her palm. This was good—an inconspicuous immortal artifact! Using it felt effortless.

Situ Jing cleared her throat, trying to conceal her embarrassment. “You know I can’t forge artifacts, so this was the best way to disguise it. Fortunately, since it’s only a dagger, this method suffices. As for your Celestial Star Plate, that’s made of Five-Color Stone—you’ll have to craft it yourself.”

She then tossed Ji Yao a jade bottle and a scroll.

Ji Yao understood two things: first, that anyone skilled in artifact forging wouldn’t have made the dagger look so ugly; second, that Situ Jing had used the most primitive means to handle it.

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Second, the black substance coating the Five-Color Stone only conceals the material beneath the immortal artifact layer. For a material like Five-Color Stone, which cannot be forged but rivals divine artifacts, this alone wouldn’t suffice. It must be combined with a sealing array.

If her guess was correct, the scroll contained the imprint of the original sealing array for the Five-Color Stone.

This seal concealed the stone’s essence but did not mask its inherent abilities—a perfect fit for a material that cannot be forged.

Thus, Ji Yao spent nearly a month engraving this array into the Celestial Star Plate, carefully filling each array line with the black powdered substance.

As she finished the final stroke, the entire array blazed brightly before suddenly being absorbed by the plate. What had been a prismatic, translucent Celestial Star Plate instantly turned dull, blackened, and unremarkable, its original brilliance completely hidden.

Ji Yao extended her divine sense to communicate with the internal array. At her thought, the array contracted, and the plate shimmered once more with iridescent beauty—a truly wondrous sight.

“All done. You can go now. At least let your master and senior brothers know you’re safe and sound, no mishaps. As for the Celestial Star Plate, as long as the initial array and black powder remain, no one will notice even if you carve the array openly.”

Situ Jing said this and ushered Ji Yao out of the space. This girl was carefree indeed—three months without a single public appearance, yet Situ Jing had kept a watchful eye.

Aside from Mo Daoyan’s entanglements with the Enforcement Hall leaving him unavailable, Ji Yao’s senior brothers connected to Mo Daoyan had rotated daily to check on the bamboo hut.

Situ Jing, however, was unaware that Ji Yao’s quiet outings had actually drawn the attention of numerous admirers of fine character and quality.

Truly, the new generation pushes the old forward—remarkable!

After all, the Heavenly Law Peak was more like a monastic sanctuary, lacking elder sisters or junior sisters who might inquire after her.