In the mortal world, located in the center of the realm of wandering immortals, is surrounded by the sea.
In the sea, all kinds of monsters and fierce beasts can be seen, and it is said that in the deep sea regions, there are powerful monsters that have successfully transformed into human form.
After drifting on a small wooden boat in the sea for half a month, Dingyan finally saw the barrier that separated the mundane world from the spiritual world. From a distance, this formation resembled a vast dome, covering a part of the sea, and the flowing seawater would unconsciously flow around it.
Dingyan stood on the wooden boat, staring solemnly at the immense formation in front of him.
"This formation, connecting heaven and earth, is all-encompassing and can be called an immortal formation! I just don't know who set it up…"
With Dingyan's insight, he could clearly feel the wonder of this large formation.
Ordinary formations typically use the power of formation flags or spirit stones. However, the large formation in front of Dingyan had completely merged with the surrounding heavens and earth, forming a complete unity. To forcibly break this formation would require divine abilities capable of destroying this space. Even in Dingyan's memory, not even the elders of his previous sect in his previous life could achieve this.
Looking up at the sky, Dingyan fell into contemplation.
"It seems I have to go back to the sect to get the jade token… In this case, I can only go into seclusion for about eight years…"
After saying this, Dingyan sat down again, steering the wooden boat under his feet and slowly sailing away.
For the former owner of the body, Dingyan's level of cultivation meant he wouldn't have usually cared about a few wishes. However, for some unknown reason, after borrowing this body, Dingyan seemed to be influenced by the memories of the previous owner, always unable to let go of those two things.
There is a saying, that crossing the heavenly tribulation is easy, but guarding against inner demons is difficult!
Dingyan, who had spent a hundred years preparing for the tribulation in his previous life, understood this deeply.
So Dingyan could only find a way to enter the mundane world first, to fulfill the second wish of the former body. As for the revenge, there were no leads at the moment, so there was no need to rush.
…
Leaving the large formation behind, Dingyan headed east. Three days later, a turtle-shaped island appeared on the horizon. From a distance, the island looked lush and lively.
After mooring the wooden boat on the shore, Dingyan walked slowly towards the interior of the island.
The island was filled with towering ancient trees, and a thick layer of fallen leaves covered the ground, soft and fluffy to walk on.
"The spiritual energy gathers here, and the air feels slightly dry. There must be earth fire nearby," murmured Dingyan to himself.
Earth fire is a natural flame used for forging magical treasures and refining elixirs. Generally, high-level cultivators would not use earth fire, as after crossing their earthly tribulation, they would develop a kind of spiritual fire within them, the power of which would grow along with their cultivation level.
With the three sets of medicinal ingredients he obtained from Yunfeng and the ones he had previously accumulated using the identity of one of the ten senior disciples, Dingyan could fully refine several Foundation Building Pills. By then, there would be no doubt that he could successfully cross the earthly tribulation within the eight years of seclusion. If all went well, Dingyan was confident he could successfully cross the first stage of the dispersed immortals’ tribulation!
After about an incense stick's worth of time, his eyes suddenly lit up.
A secluded mountain valley appeared in front of Dingyan.
The valley was circular, surrounded by mountains, especially the one behind the valley, which was noticeably taller than the others. Smoke rose within the valley, and with a glance, it seemed like there were about a few dozen households. Dingyan felt somewhat surprised and followed the path under his feet to walk towards the valley.
This was a tranquil paradise-like village. There weren't many people, only about ten or so families. Although they were all cultivators, their cultivations were quite low, mostly at the Qi Refining stage.
"People from the outside, I hope you don't disturb this rare peace, otherwise, heaven will condemn you…"
As Dingyan stepped into the village, an old voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
Dingyan was stunned for a moment, then his eyes burst with a gleam, staring directly at the highest stone mountain behind the village. After a while, Dingyan withdrew his gaze, frowned as if feeling something was wrong. After hesitating for a little while, he stepped into the village.
The villagers felt very unfamiliar with the outsider, looking at Dingyan with curiosity and wariness. After observing for a little while, Dingyan found a relatively secluded corner and sat down.
Most villagers only looked at him, and if someone approached to talk, Dingyan would just smile in response.
And so, Dingyan sat here for three days.
During this time, the villagers gradually became familiar with this unfamiliar yet friendly young man. Even from the mouths of some children, they found out the young man's name was Dingyan.
On the evening of the third day, Dingyan, who had been sitting quietly, slowly opened his eyes and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"There really is earth fire here, but it's deep underground. It's going to be somewhat troublesome to use." After confirming the presence of the earth fire, Dingyan got up and left the village.
A while later, Dingyan brought back a large piece of wood from outside the village.
"What is he doing?"
"He's not going to build a house, is he?"
The villagers gathered around curiously.
Dingyan didn't say anything. After putting down the piece of wood, he walked out again…
As time passed, the sun set in the west, and night fell.
The sky was filled with stars.
The onlookers had already started to leave, leaving only Dingyan, who was still busy.
The sun rose and set.
The following morning, as the villagers went about their daily routines and walked out of their homes, they suddenly noticed a newly built thatched cottage at the edge of the village, the same place where the young man had been sitting the day before. Dewdrops sparkled on the thatched roof.
"This…" A villager stared blankly at the new cottage.
Dingyan pushed the door open and looked at the villagers with a faint smile.
From then on, this serene village added another household. Gradually, the villagers also came to know that a young man at the end of the village, who was only at the third level of Qi Refining, was named Dingyan, and he was a brewer.
Days passed by.
During this time, Dingyan seemed to have forgotten his identity as a cultivator. Similarly, the people in the village were all living lives similar to ordinary people—working in the fields during the day and resting at night, with no one practicing cultivation.
Dingyan had asked the villagers about their cultivation, and later found out that their fathers and ancestors were all cultivators who had failed their tribulations. As for their cultivations, they were all natural-born.
A month passed by.
It was night.
Ding Yan sat cross-legged in the room, closing his eyes to rest.
The room was very simple, with only a wooden bed and a burning stove. Above the stove, there was a kettle with boiling water, emitting bursts of steam.
"It's nearly midnight." Ding Yan, who had been keeping his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and looked outside, murmuring to himself.
With a wave of his sleeve, a burst of green elemental energy swept out from the cuff.
As the elemental energy passed, the kettle on the stove flew up into the air and landed silently on the ground next to it. Ding Yan then made a seal with his right hand on the stove.
Hum! A burst of green light emanated from the stove, and a red flame rose from within. The temperature in the room noticeably increased.
This flame in the stove was the underground fire that Ding Yan had spent a month extracting. The stove itself was just a cover; normally, Ding Yan had placed a restriction above the stove, making it appear like an ordinary stove. However, once the restriction was lifted, the underground fire would surge up, creating a rare type of fire stove.
"This stove's construction is still lacking." Ding Yan said with a slight frown as he looked at the cracks on the stove.
The materials used to make the stove were acquired by Ding Yan when he was one of the top ten disciples. Those materials would be considered precious treasures for Qi refining cultivators, yet with Ding Yan's current perspective, they were still far from adequate.
"Never mind, as long as I can break through the Qi refining realm and achieve the so-called Immortal Body, I should be able to use the Spirit Fire." Ding Yan shook his head and withdrew his gaze.
Then, he took out a storage bag from his sleeve and poured out some medicinal herbs.
This storage bag was the item exchanged with Yunfeng in exchange for the identity token. The medicinal herbs inside were used to refine the Foundation Building Pill.
After pondering for a moment over the herbs, Ding Yan took out a portion and put the rest back into the storage bag.
Taking the herbs, Ding Yan casually tossed them out. Guided by his elemental power, the herbs floated above the fire seemingly suspended in mid-air. Surrounding them, a thick layer of green elemental energy enveloped the herbs.
"Refine!" Ding Yan lightly commanded.
A stream of elemental energy sprayed out from his mouth and enveloped the herbs.
In no time, the room was filled with a fragrance of herbs. After a short while, beads of sweat appeared on Ding Yan's forehead, and his complexion gradually turned pale.
Suddenly, the underground fire surged up and burned the herbs into ashes with a 'pop'.
The elemental power couldn't hold on!
A wry smile flashed in Ding Yan's eyes. With his soul realm, there would naturally be no waste of elemental power while refining the Foundation Building Pill. But even so, his internal elemental energy was still not enough to complete the refinement. When his energy ran weak halfway through the process, his efforts were in vain.
"It seems I need to find a way to restore some elemental power first. With my current state, I probably need to reach the fifth level of Qi refining to have enough elemental energy to refine a Foundation Building Pill." After sealing the stove, Ding Yan pondered.
If others were to learn about the need to reach the fifth level of Qi refining to refine a Foundation Building Pill, they would surely think Ding Yan was speaking nonsense. After all, the Foundation Building Pill was already considered a good pill. Normally, only a scattered immortal who had overcome a thunder tribulation could refine such a pill. Therefore, to claim that it could be done at the fifth level of Qi refining would be hard for anyone to believe.