Chapter 44: The Mystical Yuan Pool

Su Yuan sat cross-legged in the Yuan Pool.  He glanced at his system panel.  [Name]: Su Yuan  [Region]: Green Vine Continent  [Level]: Rising Fame (9389/10k)  [Realm]: Qi Refining Stage Sixth Layer (99/100)  [Trait 1]: Work-Rest Balance: Current rest time: 183.7 days  [Trait 2]: Dao Follows Nature  [Trait 3]: Seven Stars Shine  Rest time reset!  In an instant, Su Yuan's mind became several times clearer.  But this wasn't the end—the [Work-Rest Balance] trait entered a secondary activation state.  His thought processing speed increased severalfold again!  Cultivation time reached 1.8 days!  More than enough!  Closing his eyes, all the texts he'd studied over the past six months flashed through his mind. Countless cultivation insights automatically organized, categorized, and summarized themselves within his consciousness.  Epiphanies blossomed in Su Yuan's heart as his understanding of cultivation reached new heights.  Previously, he had mastered the Qi Refining Stage to an宗师 (grandmaster) level, while his Foundation Establishment knowledge was merely at a普通大师 (regular master) level. Now, with this influx of knowledge, his comprehension of Foundation Establishment had ascended to grandmaster tier. Even his understanding of the Core Formation Stage had deepened considerably.  "Foundation Establishment builds the dao foundation—but what is dao foundation? It prepares one to comprehend heavenly laws later. Whether it's the Power of Heaven and Earth or conceptual realms, they're merely manifestations of these laws. Foundation Establishment constructs a base to bear these manifestations, gradually progressing from surface to essence until finally touching the level of laws!"  "Common terms like极品 (supreme grade) or上品 (high grade) refer to foundations most suited to bear these powers. Higher compatibility means better quality. Supreme-grade spiritual roots naturally possess the best bearing foundation—the spiritual root itself. Building a dao foundation upon one's spiritual root naturally achieves supreme grade, but this path doesn't suit me."  Su Yuan fell into contemplation.  "Having comprehended two powers and one concept, what if I build my dao foundation's core to perfectly accommodate these, then construct the most suitable foundation around them? Wouldn't that achieve perfect compatibility?" he murmured.  After thorough analysis, Su Yuan confirmed his reasoning was flawless. Others couldn't know what heavenly powers or concepts they might comprehend later—their foundations could only approximate potential directions. Even the closest approximations could only be near-perfect, earning the "supreme grade" label.  But Su Yuan's approach was inverted—constructing a foundation perfectly tailored to his existing comprehensions. This would create a Perfect Dao Foundation! With this, his true essence quality would undoubtedly rank among the world's strongest!  A smile crossed Su Yuan's face as he recalled an ancient text mentioning cultivators who achieved Perfect Dao Foundations in antiquity. "Modern cultivators don't know how to build perfect foundations anymore. Turns out one must comprehend concepts first before establishing the foundation. Ancient cultivators were truly formidable—I wonder if any of those old monsters still survive?"  After this brief reflection, he refocused on organizing his knowledge. Once finished, he gazed at the Yuan Pool, where new insights emerged.  [Dao Follows Nature] activated!  This Yuan Pool was clearly one of heaven and earth's mystical wonders!  Su Yuan's vision transformed—he saw veins of energy pulsing through existence itself!  Within the massive spirit stone foundation, thread-like structures resembling human meridians rapidly transported spiritual energy, converging it into the pool.  Spiritual Veins!  Su Yuan gasped—he was directly observing spiritual veins!  The [Work-Rest Balance] trait amplified [Dao Follows Nature]'s effects dozens of times, allowing him to perceive the mysteries within these natural wonders with unprecedented clarity.  Simultaneously, memories of his half-year observing every corner and detail around the Yuan Pool surfaced, fueling continuous sparks of inspiration.  The entire stone valley framework materialized in his mind—he saw countless mystical energy veins combining into a grand spirit-gathering formation!  "Is this a formation? Not quite... It resembles the natural formation restrictions described in《Thousand Formations Art》, no—it is precisely that kind of naturally-occurring formation restriction!"  Su Yuan's eyes shone brighter.  《Thousand Formations Art》, one of Ten Extremes Wanderer's legacies, described formations as cultivators' language for interpreting nature's mysteries, while formation restrictions were heaven and earth's own untranslated language.  Both were fundamentally "languages" without essential differences, but natural formation restrictions were inherently more powerful with one critical distinction—they could be mastered holistically without understanding their intricacies, like black boxes requiring only knowledge of their overall functions!  These black boxes were called "restrictions"!  Restrictions were still formations. Some formation masters specialized in using restrictions to arrange formations beyond their normal tier—these were called restriction masters!  Restrictions formed the core of formation inheritances! More restrictions mastered meant greater power! Those who deciphered their underlying principles became true formation grandmasters!  The Yuan Pool's natural restriction wasn't recorded in《Thousand Formations Art》—it must have formed after the sect founder's time.  Su Yuan counted 118 interconnected restrictions composing this natural formation.  The more he observed, the more excited he grew—these restrictions perfectly mirrored human acupoints!  Re-examining the Yuan Pool's position, he realized it corresponded precisely to the dantian's location!  "This... this is miraculous!"  Enraptured, Su Yuan delved deeper, perceiving sigils flowing through the restrictions—many matching《Talisman Guides Heaven and Earth》, another of Ten Extremes Wanderer's legacies.  Studying this natural restriction dramatically advanced his comprehension of both texts.  "Though I don't grasp their essential mysteries yet, I could transplant this entire restriction system into my own body!"  This audacious thought startled even himself!  Natural restrictions were immensely powerful according to《Thousand Formations Art》—only during [Work-Rest Balance]'s enhanced state would he dare contemplate this.  Yet upon consideration, he found it feasible—these auxiliary restrictions seemed remarkably gentle!  "《Spirit Tempering Technique》is outdated. Time for innovation!"  Su Yuan resolved to merge Perfect Foundation methods with natural restriction techniques into his cultivation art before breaking through to become one of history's strongest Foundation Establishment cultivators!  Floating on the pool's surface, Su Yuan expanded his spiritual sense into deepest enlightenment.  But gradually, he encountered inexplicable obstacles while drafting his new cultivation method's framework.  Nearby, the Nine-Colored Celestial Fish observed Su Yuan's stillness before initiating its own breakthrough!  Abyssal suction erupted from its body, voraciously absorbing surrounding spiritual energy as its aura surged.  Other spirit fish huddled in a corner, watching expectantly.  Tri-colored light erupted from the celestial fish, enveloping the entire pool. All spirit fish shimmered similarly, their auras climbing as spiritual energy demands skyrocketed.  This rapid consumption forced the natural restriction to accelerate, drawing distant energy to replenish the pool.  The restriction's intensified operation revealed previously hidden details to Su Yuan, helping him overcome integration bottlenecks between natural restrictions and his meridian system.  He smiled inwardly—heaven itself was aiding him! The fishes' breakthroughs provided perfect references, rewards for his months of nurturing. Everything interconnected like celestial gears turning.  Extending his spiritual sense into Little Cai, Su Yuan was stunned to discover the fish's acupoints formed their own profound system—not natural restrictions, but embodying equally profound heavenly truths!  This revelation gave him a template for integrating restrictions, unleashing unstoppable inspiration!  A serene smile graced Su Yuan's face—like an enlightened sage observing drifting clouds with mirror-clear mind, transcending worldly chaos to grasp profound mysteries.  "Marvelous, marvelous, marvelous!"  Clapping thrice, radiant light flashed in his eyes as all insights fused into consummate understanding—he had attained enlightenment!  Meanwhile in the main peak hall...  Sect Leader Gu rushed over, activating the formation core to observe the Yuan Pool.  He saw a shadowy figure (actually Little Cai and the spirit fish absorbing energy) hovering above the pool, devouring massive spiritual energy.  "What's happening? A breakthrough?"  Checking the energy consumption, he confirmed it exceeded Qi Refining levels—definitely Foundation Establishment tier!  "It really is a breakthrough! Excellent, lad!"  Sect Leader Gu remotely channeled additional energy into the pool—such consumption was trivial for Foundation Establishment needs.  But when he noticed the earlier consumption records, he nearly choked in disbelief.