Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Achieving Foundation Establishment
As the auction drew nearer, the Lujiao Mountain Marketplace grew increasingly bustling.
This auction was of great importance, so Lujiao Mountain had dispatched many elite Demons to attend.
Even the Elders of Lujiao Mountain arrived one after another, no fewer than ten of them.
Aside from the Foundation Establishment Great Demon who usually oversaw the Marketplace, another Great Demon from Lujiao Mountain was expected to arrive on the eve of the auction.
Business at the Langlang Mountain Elixir Workshop was booming.
Xu Chang’an publicly informed the Alchemy Little Demons that he needed to enter seclusion to research a new Elixir and was not to be disturbed, no matter how urgent the matter.
After setting up two Middle-grade Arrays in the third-floor Alchemy Room—a Defense Array and an Illusion Barrier Array—he concealed his aura and left the Lujiao Mountain Marketplace.
He planned to officially break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm and become a Great Demon before the auction began!
Once outside the Lujiao Mountain Marketplace, Xu Chang’an transformed into a Wolf Demon and sprinted across the land.
After traveling for over a hundred li, he changed his form again, becoming a Rabbit Spirit and continuing his journey.
He covered another hundred li.
Then, he transformed into a Wild Boar Spirit, took out a seldom-used Middle-grade Magical Artifact, and began Flying in the Sky!
He flew for over a thousand li!
His destination was not the core of the Red Cloud Mountain Range; instead, he flew in the opposite direction, toward a desolate region.
While Flying in the Sky, he constantly changed his direction.
Along the way, he changed his identity several more times.
Finally, he found a suitable place for his breakthrough.
It was a barren mountain approximately eight thousand li from the Lujiao Mountain Marketplace.
The mountain peak was not large, slightly smaller than Cyan Mountain from years ago.
Using a Magical Artifact, he quickly carved out a deep, dark cave.
He took out several Array Flags from his Storage Bag and began the Array Formation process.
An Upper-grade Defense Array, an Upper-grade Concealment Array, a Middle-grade Guardian Array, a Middle-grade Illusion Barrier Array...
These were all Arrays Xu Chang’an had accumulated over time.
The breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm would cause a considerable disturbance. Although there were no powerful Demons nearby, it was still best to take precautions!
After setting up a series of seven or eight Arrays, Xu Chang’an entered the cave to prepare for his breakthrough.
Inside the cave, Xu Chang’an took on a human form and sat cross-legged.
"Let’s begin!"
Xu Chang’an slowly closed his eyes.
"Break through!"
BOOM!
The Spiritual Qi began to surge wildly!
It continuously poured into Xu Chang’an’s Demon Body.
For the Demon Race, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm to become a Foundation Establishment Great Demon involved overcoming three great trials.
The first trial was the Demon Body Pass.
The violent influx of Spiritual Qi would frantically reshape their Demon Body.
This process was extremely dangerous. The slightest mistake could lead to severe injury, or even death.
After passing the first trial, a Foundation Establishment Great Demon could, to a certain extent, change the size of their Demon Body at will.
This was one of the hallmark Divine Techniques of a Foundation Establishment Great Demon.
Because of this, basically no Foundation Establishment Great Demon had a weak body.
This was true even for bird spirits, who were not known for their powerful Demon Bodies.
However, the strength of the Demon Body still depended on a Demon’s Bloodline, aptitude, and accumulated foundation.
Members of the Demon Race with superior Bloodlines, aptitude, and deep foundations could directly forge the Demon Body of a Foundation Establishment Great Demon upon breaking through the Demon Body Pass!
Its toughness would be comparable to an ordinary Middle-grade Magical Artifact!
There were also those with shallow foundations who barely passed the Demon Body Pass, their bodies only comparable to the weakest Low-grade Magical Artifact.
Take the Barbaric Bear Demon from before; he had not yet reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, but his physical body alone had already achieved Foundation Establishment level.
For a Demon with such exceptional talent, the Demon Body Pass was no obstacle at all!
Xu Chang’an’s Bloodline and aptitude were inferior; under normal circumstances, he would never be able to withstand such a violent influx of Spiritual Qi.
It would have torn him to shreds in a matter of breaths!
This was why many members of the Demon Race with inferior Bloodlines found it difficult to become a Foundation Establishment Great Demon, even with the help of a Foundation Establishment Pill.
However, with the help of his panel, the Demon Body Pass was no longer a problem.
A breakthrough via the panel was a perfect breakthrough.
Several hours of being irrigated by Spiritual Qi caused the toughness of his Demon Body to continuously increase.
It rose all the way to the absolute limit for a Foundation Establishment Great Demon, its toughness alone comparable to the most durable Middle-grade Magical Artifact.
This meant that even without relying on Demon Power, Xu Chang’an was strong enough to fight an ordinary Early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator!
The second trial of Foundation Establishment was the Demon Power Pass.
During the Qi Refining Stage, Demon Power was gaseous and circulated within the body.
But in the Foundation Establishment Stage, Demon Power would become liquid.
The challenge of this trial was to transform the gaseous power into a liquid state.
It placed extremely high demands on the purity of a Demon Race member’s Demon Power.
In this trial, the Foundation Establishment Pill could play a role.
It could, to a certain extent, help purify Demon Power.
For Xu Chang’an, this trial was naturally no obstacle either.
In less than an hour, his Demon Power successfully liquefied.
In terms of purity, his Demon Power was also of the absolute highest quality.
The third trial was the Demon Recognition Pass.
One had to condense their Spiritual Qi to finally form Demon Sense.
Since Xu Chang’an had already developed Demon Sense back in the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, this trial was naturally no obstacle for him.
In a little over an hour, he successfully passed this trial.
A normal Early-stage Foundation Establishment Great Demon’s Demon Sense could cover a radius of about a hundred zhang.
Some Great Demons with deep foundations could cover a radius of three hundred zhang after their breakthrough.
But Xu Chang’an’s Demon Sense could cover a radius of four hundred and ninety zhang!
Within a circular area with a radius of four hundred and ninety zhang, his Demon Sense could perceive everything with precision.
And this was just at the beginning of the Early-stage Foundation Establishment; the range of his Demon Sense could continue to expand in the future.
Once the three trials were passed, Xu Chang’an felt his mind become crystal clear.
After sitting cross-legged for nearly another hour, the surrounding fluctuations of Spiritual Qi finally subsided.
"Foundation Establishment Realm, achieved!"
Xu Chang’an couldn’t help but roar at the sky.
Fortunately, the Arrays concealed the sound, preventing it from reaching the outside world.
At this moment, Xu Chang’an’s Demon Body stood one zhang tall.
His teeth and claws were incredibly tough; with a single swipe, he could easily shred a Low-grade Magical Artifact.
His fur was incredibly resilient. Even a Qi Refining Ninth Layer Cultivator wielding a Middle-grade Magical Artifact and unleashing their full Demon Power could not breach his Defense.
An ordinary Foundation Establishment Great Demon was certainly not this outrageous.
But with a perfect breakthrough achieved via the panel, reaching this level was easy.
’So this is a Foundation Establishment Great Demon! Truly powerful!
The Demon Race is truly worthy of its reputation. In my past life, even with the panel, I never had such a powerful Demon Body.
But now, with my Demon Body alone, I can tear an ordinary Early-stage Foundation Establishment Human Race Cultivator to shreds!’
Xu Chang’an’s foundation was so profound that although he had just broken through, he was already comparable to a Great Demon at the Peak of Early-stage Foundation Establishment!
If he combined that with his Demon Power and experience in Magical Combat, he could even hold his own against an ordinary Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Great Demon.
As for who would win or lose, that could only be determined by an actual fight.
But in terms of probability, his chances of winning were no less than fifty percent!
The perfect Foundation Establishment achieved with the panel’s help allowed him to fight across three Minor Tiers!
Early-stage Foundation Establishment Minor Achievement, Great Achievement, Peak, and then Mid-stage Foundation Establishment!
After the breakthrough, Xu Chang’an spent some time adapting to his new body.
After several attempts, he finally had a clear understanding.
At his smallest, he could become the size of an ordinary mouse!
At his largest, he could grow to a height of three zhang!
Between these two extremes, he could change his size at will!
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