Han Li saw that the other person was so carefully apologetic, and thus had to cancel his original intention of giving him a scolding. After all, besides being a bit rude in the past, the plain-looking man hadn't committed any serious mistakes. Thinking thus, Han Li's expression softened, and he said calmly, "Since there's nothing wrong, I'll be off now." With that, he lightly stepped away. The two guards at the teleportation array were replaced with others; otherwise, they would have been stunned to see Han Li suddenly advancing from Qi Stage to Foundation Stage. Han Li rode steadily through the sky on his flying vehicle, feeling exceptionally at ease, while recalling his journey to achieving Foundation Stage. Five months ago, after completing the Foundation Pill, Han Li carefully considered and concluded that conducting his Foundation Stage cultivation within the Earth-Fire Chamber was indeed an excellent choice. At the very least, he could avoid unexpected interruptions that might disrupt his meditation and cause him to abandon his efforts midway. With this decision firmly made, Han Li first consumed one of the original three Foundation Pills and then began channeling his inner energy to activate the pill's effects. The effects of the Foundation Pill took effect swiftly—within just a few hours, Han Li felt a growing flame in his dantian, intensifying steadily, while his limbs and other parts of his body remained icy cold, creating a striking contrast between warmth and coolness. Yet this sensation lasted only a short while. Suddenly, the intense fire in his dantian vanished completely, and the temperature in his limbs returned to normal, leaving Han Li utterly astonished! A flicker of confusion passed over Han Li's face, which then abruptly turned pale. He immediately pressed both hands firmly against his dantian, refusing to release them even an inch. For now, a sharp, piercing pain surged there—like seven or eight sharp knives simultaneously stirring and twisting—so intense that Han Li, completely unprepared, grew pale as a sheet. Beads of sweat the size of yellow beans rolled down his jaw continuously. His entire body bent into a perfect arch. Han Li writhed helplessly on the ground, curling into a tight ball, while simultaneously cursing loudly in his mind—how had he never been told that taking a Juzhi Dan could be so agonizing! But just as he had begun his curses, the intense pain in his dantian suddenly erupted into full force. This eruption transformed into countless streams of heat that immediately flowed through his meridians, spreading throughout his entire body, even reaching deep into his bones. But then, the warmth immediately turned into an unbearable itching sensation, as if countless ants were constantly crawling over every part of his body, making him long to use his head to bang against the corner of the wall in order to ease the agony! This torment that nearly drove Han Li mad persisted for the duration of a meal before gradually subsiding. Only then could he lean against the wall and勉强 stand up. At that moment, he was drenched in sweat, covered all over with an unfamiliar gray substance that was sticky and emitted an odd, unidentifiable odor. Yet Han Li paid none of this much attention. What mattered to him was that his cultivation technique had instantly advanced to the twelfth level, and his entire body felt warm and comfortable, with no discomfort anywhere. Clearly, the foundational pill he had taken had improved his constitution, enabling him to undergo a thorough transformation of his marrow and sinews. The warmth spreading throughout his body was likely the residual effect of the pill's medicinal power, which had not yet fully dissipated and was now being absorbed to enhance his magical energy. This is also the reason why, after taking the Foundation Pill, one must retreat to meditate for three months—otherwise, the medicinal effects will gradually fade with time. At first, Han Li indeed followed the step-by-step process of others who were building their foundation, diligently meditating to absorb the residual medicinal energy. But soon he realized that the energy stored within his body could only deepen his spiritual power slightly, offering no further improvement to his physical constitution. With just a single Foundation Pill, anyone undergoing marrow and sinew renewal would naturally never miss this rare opportunity to enhance their spiritual power and would insist on meditating solidly for three months to fully absorb all the medicinal energy. Yet Han Li was different—he still had a large supply of Foundation Pills in his possession and didn't place much value on these residual energies. What he cared about was how many such physical improvements he would need to undergo before he could finally enter the Foundation Stage. After all, marrow and sinew renewal was the true key to passing through the stages and achieving a successful foundation. After several days of meditation, Han Li finally fully grasped this point. Naturally, he had no patience to wait another month before taking the second pill of foundational elixir. He reasoned that by consecutively consuming one pill, there should be no serious issue—only a slightly stronger residual effect, which was nothing to worry about. After several deliberations, Han Li took the second pill of foundational elixir within just a few days. The same intense pain and tingling sensation, though anticipated, still brought him considerable discomfort. Yet he noticed this time the pain was slightly less severe than the first time. Nevertheless, a significant amount of impurities still emerged from his body, indicating that his innate potential truly needed improvement. After taking the foundational elixir twice, Han Li felt no discomfort from the lingering effects of the medicine—though the warmth within him was slightly more pronounced. This was entirely acceptable, and his spiritual power surged rapidly, reaching the thirteenth level, the pinnacle of the Qi cultivation stage. With this, Han Li felt reassured. Below, he consecutively took one after another of the Foundation Pills. Each pill exerted the same purifying effect, gradually expelling batch after batch of gray impurities from within his body. However, starting from the third pill, he clearly sensed the purifying power of the pills diminishing—while the impurities being expelled were also decreasing in number. At the same time, a remarkable transformation was taking place within his body's spiritual and vital energy. Originally gaseous, the vital energy had, after several doses of the pills, gradually thickened and became more viscous, showing a clear tendency toward liquid form. By the time he consumed the seventh pill, the vital energy throughout his body—except for a small core region near the Dantian—had become virtually indistinguishable from liquid. Yet, after taking the seventh pill, the residual effects of the pills finally reached a state close to saturation. The warmth that had previously permeated his body now transformed into a near-burning, scorching sensation, causing him to hesitate and hesitate again. He truly had no idea whether, after swallowing the eighth pill, his internal energy would surge so strongly that it might cause some unforeseen complications! Yet Han Li also sensed that he was very close to reaching the Foundation Stage—perhaps only a few more pills would be needed. After a brief consideration, the strong desire to achieve Foundation Stage prevailed. With a determined breath, he swallowed the eighth Foundation Pill. Originally, although he had successfully established his foundational stage, the residual effects of the eight Foundation Pills still remained unchanged, fully pervading his entire body—extremely dangerous! Now, he had to immediately activate his internal energy circulation to absorb these lingering medicinal forces right away, or else a recurrence of the crisis was imminent. Though Han Li had figured out the solution to this emergency, he still felt quietly frustrated throughout, unable to muster any joy. For besides that single scroll, *The Qingyuan Sword Technique*, he possessed no other foundational-level or higher cultivation method. And considering the way his new master had casually handed it over to him, it was clear that this technique was quite mediocre! Moreover, Han Li had previously studied the scroll several times and even consulted others about it. Indeed, the technique was quite ordinary—most Foundation Stage disciples from Huang Feng Valley had mastered it at least two or three layers, yet no one ever went on to deepen their practice beyond three layers. The specific reasons behind its inadequacy, Han Li hasn't quite figured out yet—but the shortcomings of this sword technique are now clearly evident! Currently, Han Li simply doesn't feel like practicing, so he's forced to press on. With no choice, Han Li retrieves the *Qingyuan Sword Technique*, spreads it out on the ground before him, and begins meditating and practicing as instructed. This technique has nine layers: the first three are accessible to cultivators in the Qi Stage, while the middle three and the final three are only suitable for those at the Foundation Stage and the Condensation Stage, respectively. Moreover, for every three layers mastered, a unique divine ability specific to this sword technique becomes available. Once the first three layers are achieved, one can generate a sword aura reaching several zhang in length using only the palms—its power is sufficient to match that of a typical upper-tier artifact! After the middle-layer cultivation is complete, the user can instantly generate a protective sword-and-shield formation. While its defensive strength is comparable to that of a typical early-to-mid-level defensive spell, this shield possesses an inherent ability to launch retaliatory sword-spikes. Any attacker who targets the shield will be struck by automatically released sword-spikes.