Chapter 110: Building the Foundation with Myself

No wonder Master Yin always had two voices, one after the other, when he spoke. It turned out there was another "him" inside his body!

This bizarre scene filled Li Fan with horror.

Fortunately, Master Yin seemed to realize his original form was somewhat terrifying. After only a brief display, his body rejoined, returning to its previous state.

He continued, "I used myself as an experiment to verify my hypothesis. Everything that exists between heaven and earth can be considered an unformed wondrous item."

"This process of refinement by the Heaven and Earth Furnace, I call 'Wondrous Transformation'."

"However, if one wishes to use an unformed wondrous item to forge a Dao Foundation, one must complete the unfinished Wondrous Transformation process within oneself."

"The difficulty of this is immense. Failure means immediate death in severe cases. Even if one narrowly escapes death, the body will undergo various bizarre changes."

"Just like my current ghastly appearance," Master Yin chuckled.

Li Fan couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you say you successfully established your foundation?"

"I succeeded, but not completely. My understanding of myself wasn't thorough enough, causing me to fail at the last moment of foundation establishment," Master Yin said with considerable regret.

"If I had a few more chances... no, just one more chance would be enough. If I could do it again, I would certainly be able to perfectly establish my foundation with myself."

"'Establishing the foundation with oneself'?" Li Fan's heart stirred upon hearing this phrase. "What if one successfully establishes the foundation with oneself?"

Master Yin's eyes were full of longing: "That would be equivalent to reshaping one's body by borrowing the power of the Heaven and Earth Furnace. And this body would be the most perfect physique I can imagine."

"As the saying goes, what's most suitable is best. Currently, cultivators often need to find a wondrous item of heaven and earth that matches their affinity when establishing their foundation, in order to maximize its power."

"But no matter the grade of wondrous item, even the legendary Heavenly Wondrous Item, it is absolutely inferior to establishing the foundation with oneself!"

"Think about it: what could be more suitable for you than yourself?"

"The Dao Foundation perfectly aligns with oneself, and all divine abilities and spells become one's own."

"From then on, presumably, any spell would be mastered as soon as it's learned, and perfected as soon as it's practiced..."

Watching Master Yin get more and more animated, Li Fan couldn't help but interrupt him.

"These are all your conjectures, aren't they, fellow Daoist?"

Master Yin paused, then quickly shook his head: "Although I only completed half of the process of establishing the foundation with myself, I can clearly feel that I have significantly improved in all aspects compared to before. This includes my aptitude for cultivation and comprehending techniques, my affinity for spiritual energy, and even the agility of my thoughts..."

"They are all incomparable to what they were before!"

Seeing him speak so eloquently, Li Fan asked again, "Given the miraculous effects of establishing the foundation with oneself, what is its success rate?"

Master Yin explained, "You see, I almost succeeded on my first try, so it stands to reason that the probability of success shouldn't be small."

"Fellow Daoist, you must believe me! This conclusion was reached after I dissected hundreds of cultivators' corpses and painstakingly researched for decades. It certainly can't be wrong. Fellow Daoist, you must try it when you establish your foundation!" Master Yin looked at Li Fan with enthusiasm.

"Hmm, I'll definitely give it a try... Wait, did you say you dissected hundreds of cultivators' corpses?" Li Fan's heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out the question.

"Yes. Fellow Daoist, why that look? Don't you believe me? They're still lying in my basement. Shall I take you to see them?" Master Yin asked.

"Uh, let's skip that. I just wonder, where did you get these hundreds of cultivator remains, fellow Daoist?"

"Hmm?" Master Yin pondered for a moment, his eyes becoming blank.

"Right, where did I get so many corpses from? That's strange, why can't I remember..." he muttered softly.

Li Fan already had an answer in his heart and quickly said, "That's not important. If you can't remember, just forget about it."

"Indeed," Master Yin nodded, looking deeply convinced.

"Thank you, fellow Daoist, for resolving my doubts. My confusion is now gone, so I won't trouble you further."

Just then, when Li Fan heard Master Yin say, "Everything that exists between heaven and earth can be considered an unformed wondrous item," he suddenly felt enlightened. The bottleneck that had been bothering him immediately disappeared.

As long as he had a wondrous item of heaven and earth, he could immediately begin establishing his foundation.

Since his goal had been achieved, Li Fan no longer wished to linger there.

Although Master Yin might not have had any malicious intent, the atmosphere of the place was truly unsettling.

So Li Fan decisively chose to take his leave.

Master Yin tried to persuade him to stay, but Li Fan declined.

"Fellow Daoist, remember to try my method of establishing the foundation with oneself!" Before parting, Master Yin did not forget to earnestly urge him.

Li Fan repeatedly agreed, then flew away.

After a long time, watching Li Fan's retreating figure, Master Yin murmured, "You really must try it; I'm truly not lying."

After a while, he fell silent again.

He turned and walked back to the giant rectangular transparent cage.

The mortals in the four corners had all turned into puddles of flesh and blood; none survived.

"What a pity, none of them made it," he seemed to regret.

"There aren't many experimental subjects left; it looks like I'll have to go out again."

In the four cages, with creaking sounds, the mortals who had turned into flesh and blood were replaced. A new batch of experimental subjects reappeared in the cages.

Sounds of painful wailing echoed once more.

Master Yin was already accustomed to this, his face showing no unusual reaction.

He stared intently at the rectangular transparent cage, gripping the white rib in his arms firmly.

In an almost morbid tone, he whispered, "Don't worry, I will avenge you. I will definitely find the one who created the Immortal-Mortal Miasma and avenge you..."

"I must find you, I must find you..."

Master Yin's murmurs echoed once again in the eerie building.

Myriad Immortals Island.

Back in the Heavenly Profound Mirror, Li Fan searched for "establishing the foundation with oneself."

It wasn't a top secret at all. All cultivators treated it as a joke and didn't believe it in the slightest.

Because everyone who believed in it was utterly ruined during their foundation establishment.

"'Establishing the foundation with oneself'..." Li Fan, of course, didn't completely believe what Master Yin said.

But at least one point, "Everything that exists between heaven and earth can be considered an unformed wondrous item," Li Fan believed was likely correct.

So the question arose: the very thing he relied on for rebirth through a hundred cycles and continuous revival—was "Return to Truth" truly a wondrous item of heaven and earth?

And could he, by relying on "Return to Truth," establish his Dao Foundation?