Chapter 129: The Foundation-Building Great Demon and the Initial Formation of the Spiritual Body

The massive body of the Black Water Crocodile slowly crawled out of the cave. It looked up at the thunderclouds in the sky, then toward Qin Ming, its gaze filled with unprecedented determination.

Rumble!

After brewing for a long time, the first bolt of purple tribulation lightning crashed down. The next moment, electric arcs began to flicker across the scales on the crocodile's back, quickly jumping and dancing over its entire body. This was a bloodline talent it had awakened upon advancing to the second rank.

"A rare lightning-attribute talent!" Qin Ming exclaimed, feeling a surge of joy.

The purple lightning struck the crocodile, but the arcs on its body absorbed the impact, allowing it to withstand the blow. Then came the second bolt, even more violent than the first.

Boom! Crack!

This time, the Black Water Crocodile used its tough, armored scales to defend itself, taking the hit head-on. It was clearly in pain, letting out a low growl.

Third bolt. Fourth. Fifth... Qin Ming watched from the sidelines, his heart pounding. It was fortunate that the crocodile possessed such sturdy armor; most other spirit beasts would never have survived such a continuous barrage.

The ninth bolt of lightning brewed in the sky and then descended with a deafening roar. Its power was clearly the greatest of them all, the color shifting to a brilliant purple-gold, radiating a terrifying celestial might. Qin Ming could not help but sweat for the creature.

The golden lightning struck! At that moment, the electric arcs on the crocodile's back merged into a single field. It raised its massive head and opened its jaws, gathering a blinding ball of purple lightning within. With a roar, it unleashed its innate bloodline talent, spewing a thick bolt of lightning to meet the golden strike.

Rumble! Crackle!

High above Moon-Watching Island, the two forces collided, erupting into a dazzling sphere of light. Countless tiny electric arcs swept across the sky. Spirit beasts within a ten-mile radius of Moon-Watching Lake trembled, staring at the clashing thunder with terror. The spirit farmers of the Wu family on the island were equally aghast. Wu Jiang had only heard elders speak of such things and had never witnessed a spirit beast undergoing a lightning tribulation. He had no idea the display would be so overwhelming.

Moments later, the ninth bolt was weathered, and the tribulation clouds dissipated. The Black Water Crocodile had successfully crossed the threshold, officially becoming a second-rank Foundation Establishment great demon. Its aura became fierce and wild, and its size grew to over ten feet.

Qin Ming was deeply moved; it truly deserved its Earth-grade bloodline talent to possess such formidable strength right after breaking through. From now on, having such a great demon guarding the island gave him great peace of mind. After the breakthrough, the crocodile, looking exhilarated, shrank its size slightly and sauntered over to Qin Ming, showing off proudly.

"Not bad, not bad! You haven't let my hard work in raising you go to waste," Qin Ming said, patting its massive head.

Qin Ming tossed it a Spirit-Devouring Pill to help stabilize its cultivation. With that done, he turned his attention to the Longevity Vine and the frost bees, noting that the six-winged frost bee queen had failed her breakthrough. However, her aura had grown significantly; she simply lacked the final opportunity to reach the second rank. This was expected, as the frost bees’ bloodline was far inferior to the crocodile’s, and they had only reached this point through the aid of the Longevity Vine.

Qin Ming pondered for a moment, concluding that more Spirit-Devouring Pills would be useless for now. He would have to wait for another opportunity. He then pulled out the four blood orbs formed from the Foundation Establishment cultivators—two from the mid-stage and two from the early stage. The moment he took them out, the Longevity Vine reacted violently, as if a shark had caught the scent of blood.

Qin Ming smiled and tossed the orbs toward the vine. Countless black tendrils danced, wrapping around the orbs and frantically absorbing the essence of blood and spirit contained within. Purple runes flickered around the vine, releasing an aura of endless life. The newly ascended crocodile crept over to Qin Ming, drawn by the energy.

As the vine absorbed the orbs, it continued to grow, sprouting dozens of skull-shaped buds. Three golden entries flashed before Qin Ming's eyes:

[Name: Longevity Vine] [Entry: Faint Longevity X5 (Maturity 1%)]
[Name: Longevity Vine] [Entry: Leaf of Time and Space X5 (Maturity 1%)]
[Name: Longevity Vine] [Entry: Potent Purity X5 (Maturity 1%)]

[Potent Purity: Further purifies a cultivator's mana, increasing refinement and accelerating the efficiency of mana condensation.]

Qin Ming’s eyes brightened. An entry to purify Foundation Establishment mana and accelerate condensation! He knew that the more refined a cultivator's mana, the greater the power of their spells, and the more helpful it would be for future breakthroughs. The Longevity Vine truly understood his needs.

Immediately after, the vine released a richer essence of vegetation and the power of time, which poured into Qin Ming's body. He quickly began circulating the *Ancient Wood Longevity Art* to cultivate the Ancient Wood Evergreen Body. The cyan rune at his brow flew out, transforming into a cyan phantom behind him. As the art progressed, the phantom of the Supreme Wood Dharma Body shifted, taking the form of the Longevity Vine and changing from cyan to silver. A silver, miniature Longevity Vine replaced the phantom.

Qin Ming’s spirit body had advanced to the Ancient Wood Evergreen Body. In an instant, he felt as if he had become an evergreen tree, enduring the passage of ages, standing tall between heaven and earth. The silver phantom suddenly erupted with a silver glow, turning into a silver rune that flew into his brow.

Two hours later, Qin Ming awoke from his meditation. His Ancient Wood Evergreen Body had reached the entry level. The silver rune was not yet complete, merely a prototype; when it was fully realized, his body would reach perfection. Even at this entry level, he could feel his perception of wood-attribute spells and the efficiency of converting spiritual energy into mana had improved significantly.

"It seems these Foundation Establishment blood orbs are truly a great supplement for this vine," Qin Ming mused. The initial cultivation of the Ancient Wood Evergreen Body marked a step forward on his path to the Golden Core.

In the days that followed, Qin Ming focused on his cultivation, his refined mana gradually accumulating like a pool. In his spare time, he used the [Regeneration Spirit Seed] entry to revive the piece of Dragon Blood Divine Wood he had acquired, planting it not far from his cave. However, the plant was too delicate, requiring a higher-grade spirit vein than his second-rank mid-grade one, so he could only barely keep it alive.

Time flowed by, and a year passed in the blink of an eye. Qin Ming returned to his farming life, interspersed with studying alchemy and learning new formulas. He had become highly proficient in refining pills like the Jade Condensation Pill, Yellow Dragon Pill, and Foundation Solidifying Pill.

During this time, an unexpected event occurred. Fairy Qingxia, Mo Lingwei, came to visit. Through some unknown channel, she had gathered all the materials needed for Foundation Establishment Pills in just two years, including two stalks of the 300-year-old Jade Marrow Fungus, which were usually monopolized by large sects. It seemed she was truly blessed with great fortune. Following Qin Ming’s previous advice, she had pooled resources with other cultivators to crowdfund the alchemy.

Qin Ming had once promised her a favor in exchange for the Mist Illusion Mushroom seeds and the third-rank spirit planter heritage: he would refine a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills for her for free. He kept his word. Before Mo Lingwei and her companions, he refined several batches using their materials. With his unique techniques, it was effortless. He didn't bother to hide his methods, knowing they couldn't learn them even if they watched.

Mo Lingwei and the others were fortunate enough to witness his masterful alchemy. Under Qin Ming’s "deliberate" control of the heat, he produced three pills of standard quality. He had intended to produce only two, but his Spirit-Devouring Poison Flame had evolved into a second-rank mid-grade spirit fire after consuming the Shura Demon Fire from the black-robed cultivator, and he had overestimated the heat required.

Mo Lingwei and her group were overjoyed, expressing profound gratitude. Qin Ming had fulfilled his promise, and they were now even. As for how they distributed the pills, that was their own business. Having secured the pills, they departed in a hurry.