A moment later, Qin Changsheng gently opened the storage bag.
A rich surge of spiritual energy instantly gushed out from the opening.
Qin Changsheng's gaze narrowed slightly. He probed the storage bag with his divine sense, carefully taking out the treasures one by one and arranging them neatly on the stone table in front of him.
The first item he took out was a vibrant green spiritual herb with glistening leaves. A small white bud bloomed at the top of the herb, emanating a fresh and rich spiritual energy. Dewdrops glistened on its leaves, its spiritual energy overwhelming.
"Foundation-Consolidating Grass!" Qin Changsheng recognized this spiritual herb as the Foundation-Consolidating Grass he had been dreaming of with just one glance!
This Foundation-Consolidating Grass was in perfect condition, its spiritual energy pure.
With this Foundation-Consolidating Grass, combined with the high-grade Foundation-Establishing Pill he possessed, his success rate in establishing his foundation would increase dramatically, almost reaching 80% or 90%.
Qin Changsheng carefully stored the Foundation Establishment Grass into his storage space, then looked at the pill beside him.
The pill was pure white, radiating a faint spiritual light, and its surface was enveloped in a warm, mellow medicinal fragrance. It was slightly cool to the touch; it was a mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.
While a mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pill wasn't as potent as the high-grade one he possessed, it could still significantly increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment.
Next, another pill was taken out.
This pill was the Meridian Severing Pill that Qin Changsheng had traded to Lin Hao.
Qin Changsheng had sold this pill to Lin Hao for one thousand spirit stones.
Unexpectedly, it had returned to Qin Changsheng's hands after all this time.
Qin Changsheng also decided that he would sell it to Lin Hao again if the opportunity arose in the future.
Immediately afterward, Qin Changsheng raised his hand, and a pile of shimmering white spirit stones poured out of his storage bag, piling up on the stone table with a crisp clinking sound. There were thousands of stones, their spiritual light shimmering and their spiritual energy dense.
Finally, Qin Changsheng retrieved a longsword from his storage bag, its blade entirely black and sharply styled.
The sword was slender, its blade sharp, gleaming with a faint cold light. The hilt was wrapped in black velvet, providing a comfortable grip. A sharp sword aura swirled around the blade, and a considerable fluctuation of spiritual power could be faintly sensed.
Qin Changsheng knew at a glance that this was a low-grade Xuan-level magic weapon.
Even for a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, a low-grade Xuan-level magic weapon was considered top-tier, far surpassing Qin Changsheng's Black Wind Sword. If used in combat, it would significantly enhance attack power.
However, for the time being, this low-grade Xuan-level magic weapon could not be used openly.
After all, these were stolen from Lin Hao.
Qin Changsheng stored all the treasures in his storage space, then pondered his future plans.
In his view, having all the materials was merely the foundation for Foundation Establishment. To truly succeed and avoid all risks, thorough preparation was essential. The most urgent and crucial step right now was finding a safe place for secluded cultivation.
He knew that Foundation Establishment was the first life-or-death hurdle on the path of cultivation, a qualitative leap from the Qi Refining stage to the Foundation Establishment stage, and not something that could be achieved overnight.
This process required the cultivator's complete focus, free from any distractions. Spiritual energy needed to circulate steadily and continuously, and sufficient and stable spiritual energy was required to nourish the meridians and break through bottlenecks.
Ordinary cultivators typically took at least half a year to achieve Foundation Establishment. If their foundation was weak or their spiritual energy insufficient, it could take half a year or even longer.
If he were to be disturbed by external forces during this period, at best he would fail in his Foundation Establishment and suffer a significant drop in cultivation; at worst, his meridians would reverse, he would suffer a cultivation deviation, and he would die.
And the small courtyard he currently resided in on the outer sect was clearly insufficient to meet the requirements for Foundation Establishment.
While the courtyard was tranquil, it was merely an ordinary dwelling, lacking any spirit-gathering array or soundproofing barriers. The concentration of spiritual energy was mediocre, far from the abundant and stable energy required for Foundation Establishment.
More importantly, the courtyard offered no privacy whatsoever, with extremely poor soundproofing. Once he began Foundation Establishment, the fluctuations in his spiritual energy would inevitably intensify dramatically, creating considerable noise that would be easily detected by other disciples within the sect, and even attract the attention of those with ulterior motives.
After considering all these factors, Qin Changsheng had made his decision.
To successfully establish his Foundation, he must first rent a secluded cultivation cave within the sect.
Behind the Heavenly Sword Sect lies a dedicated area for secluded cultivation caves. Each cave there is meticulously equipped with spirit-gathering arrays and soundproofing barriers. Some high-level caves even possess defensive barriers, effectively isolating them from all external interference while simultaneously gathering spiritual energy, resulting in a spiritual energy concentration several times higher than ordinary courtyards. This makes them ideal locations for sect disciples to cultivate in seclusion and attempt breakthroughs.
Although renting a cave is extremely expensive, it is incredibly safe and rich in spiritual energy.
By renting a cave in the back mountains, he could bring all his treasures inside, set up multiple layers of protection, and cultivate in peace, completely isolated from external disturbances.
Within the cave, he could utilize the abundant spiritual energy, combined with Foundation-Condensing Grass and Foundation-Building Pills, to steadily nourish his meridians, solidify his foundation at the tenth level of Qi Refining perfection, and then seize the opportunity to break through the Foundation-Building bottleneck, maximizing his chances of success.
Qin Changsheng took out a spirit stone and began chanting an incantation.
Soon afterward, Hu Nan appeared before Qin Changsheng.
"Go to the General Affairs Hall and rent a cave dwelling for a year!" Qin Changsheng commanded.
"Yes, sir!" Hu Nan cupped his hands in greeting and quickly disappeared.
...
Heavenly Sword Sect.
Inside a pavilion somewhere.
Lin Hao lay on the bed, his face ashen, his eyes tightly closed. Even in his unconscious state, the pain emanating from his body was undeniable.
His empty sleeves were neatly rolled up, the severed wounds wrapped in thick bandages, already soaked with seeping blood.
An old man was treating Lin Hao beside him.
Lin Zhentian sat upright in a grand chair beside the bed. The pressure of his Golden Core stage cultivation had subsided, but the anxiety and ferocity between his brows were still palpable.
He had just returned from the shore of Qingyun Lake, disregarding the pursuit of the black-clad thief, and immediately brought Lin Hao back to the Elder Hall, summoning the sect's top physicians for treatment.
As a Golden Core Elder, he was proud throughout his life and had never lost his composure like this before. Lin Hao was his only son, the hope of the Lin family, now reduced to this state, both his hands broken.
A short while later, the old man stood up.
Lin Zhentian, seeing this, anxiously inquired, "Physician Li, how is my son's injury?"
Physician Li sighed softly, glancing at Lin Zhentian with a complex expression, then at Lin Hao on the bed, his tone full of regret and helplessness: "I have carefully examined Young Master Lin's injuries. The situation is not entirely hopeless, but it is not optimistic either."
Lin Zhentian stepped forward, eagerly asking, "What do you mean? Doctor Li, please just tell me!"
Doctor Li took a deep breath and said, "Young Master Lin's arm injuries are relatively easy to treat. Although they were severed by a sharp weapon and there is residual sword energy, fortunately, the root of the meridians was not damaged. As long as you use the Meridian-Regenerating Pill, combined with the nourishing tonic I prepared, the damaged meridians and skin will slowly repair themselves. Within six months, the arms will be able to regenerate."
Hearing this, Lin Zhentian's tense nerves relaxed slightly, and a hint of relief flashed in his eyes—as long as Lin Hao's hands could recover, there was still hope.
But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, Doctor Li's next words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head.
"However..." Physician Li paused before continuing, "The sword energy, while severing Young Master Lin's arms, had already invaded his body, heading straight for his dantian."
"During my examination, I discovered that Young Master Lin's dantian was severely damaged, his spiritual energy was disordered, and his cultivation, originally at the tenth level of Qi Refining, had regressed to the ninth level."
"He will need at least a year to recover before he can continue cultivating!"