In his past life, he was born in the small cultivation nation of Qi Kingdom in the Eastern Desolate Southern Domain, where there was a saying: "Establish the Foundation by thirty, the Nascent Soul is achievable."

Establish the Foundation by fifty, there is hope for Core Formation.

In his past life, Li Jizhou established Foundation at forty years old but ultimately stopped at the Nascent Soul due to the Heaven and Earth Cage.

This, of course, was merely the limited perspective of a small cultivation country, based on the experiences of the cultivators of past generations there.

However, how could the cultivation resources there, whether Spirit Veins, Pills, Cultivation Techniques, or Secret Skills, ever compare to a flourishing era like Central State?

At that time, cultivation just required Spiritual Qi.

At most, taking a few Qi Replenishing Pill, Qi Nourishing Pill could slightly increase cultivation speed.

But in this flourishing era in Central State, even before Qi Cultivation, there are numerous Divine Pills, miraculous medicines, and extraordinary Secret Skills that can greatly enhance cultivation. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Obviously, the threshold is higher here, and the competition is more intense.

Even with Li Jizhou’s past life talent, with a Middle Grade Spirit Root, he would not obtain such resources here and would remain as in his past life.

Like the Ninth Prince, having consumed the Innate Essence so early, not only can he prematurely gather Innate Essence Qi and start cultivation ahead of time, but he can also greatly increase his cultivation speed, something that has only happened once in five thousand years of Jiuli Dynasty.

For the Ninth Prince, reaching Qi Cultivation Ninth Level within a year is almost not a problem.

Though, it’s impossible for him to establish Foundation in just one year.

Foundation Establishment is to build a base for cultivation, and a shaky foundation leads to significant issues later. Thus, even if he reaches Qi Cultivation Ninth Level in one year, he must still spend nearly ten years honing and accumulating, ensuring all aspects are solid before officially establishing Foundation.

Once the Dao Foundation is forged, it needs to be finely polished, nourished, especially for accumulating to form the Golden Core and birth the Golden Core Dharma Aspect. This process requires opportunity and understanding, taking as short as twenty years, or as long as sixty.

Of course, if one does not seek the Golden Core, nor the Dharma Aspect, this time could certainly be shortened.

However, for those with such cultivation speed, it’s impossible not to anticipate the Golden Core or pursue the Dharma Aspect.

Li Jizhou originally thought in this life, with his Wood Spirit Body and studying the Cyan Emperor Creation Skill, he anticipated two years to reach Qi Cultivation Ninth Level. Yet, due to the High Grade Open Source Pill and the Wood Attribute Spirit Stone gifted by Dragon Aspect’s great-grandson Long Zhenxiao, and the extraordinary Cyan Emperor Creation Skill, one year to reach Qi Cultivation Ninth Level became a near certainty.

With this life’s talent, there will be no bottleneck before the Nascent Soul, nor needing Foundation Establishment Pill and Crystal Condensing Pill as assistance.

The only pursuit is to forge a certain Dao Foundation, condense a High Grade Golden Core, and give birth to a High Grade Dharma Aspect.

In these regards, the experience from the past two lives holds little reference value, as he merely sought the elevation of the cultivation realm in the past and did not consider these matters.

And without someone like the Ninth Prince who consumed Innate Essence, without someone like Li Jizhou who practiced the Cyan Emperor Creation Skill Immortal Scripture, nor those who took High Grade Open Source Pill before Qi Refining Stage, even the Crown Prince, who with his Fire Element Celestial Spirit Root, had ample resources and cultivated a certain Celestial Venerable Skill, only started Qi Cultivation at sixteen years old with Qi Sensing Perfection, taking four years to reach Qi Cultivation Ninth Level.

Then he spent another eight years refining and honing, establishing an Earth Grade Dao Foundation at twenty-eight, then twenty-six years of nurturing, honing, understanding the heavens and earth, finally at fifty-four successfully condensing a three-striped Immortal Golden Core, and birthing a Celestial Grade Dharma Aspect field.

"Ah! The Ninth Prince is also entering the academy this year, we have no hope of topping the assessment anymore, what a pity!"

Li Jizhou, dressed in brocade and accompanied by Hong Luan, stepped out of the Seven Kings’ Palace and came to the Imperial City.

Just upon reaching the grand gates of Jiuli Academy, he heard a sigh.

A crowd was gathered there, looking at the newly posted academy notice.

"Innate Myriad Laws Thunder Spirit Body, and consumed the Innate Essence... Who can compare?"

"Indeed, it’s rumored that the Ninth Prince has been cultivating for under seven months now, nearing Qi Cultivation Seventh Level; truly, it’s one level of Qi Cultivation per month. This is truly Heaven’s favored child, we can only look up in admiration."

"Tsk tsk, the Ninth Prince is only ten years old, yet he’s already at Qi Cultivation Seventh Level? Plus, with his Innate Myriad Laws Thunder Spirit Body, in assessments, he may break the Jiuli Dynasty’s record!"

"Hmph, he just got lucky being born well. If any of us could consume the Innate Essence, we’d definitely be no worse than him!"

"..."

The moment this voice was heard, people instinctively distanced themselves from him by one yard.

Li Jizhou was also pushed back three steps by the crowd.

"Have I spoken wrongly?" The person, isolated, dressed in black, stood tall with an unpleasant look, surveying the surroundings.

"Brother, the Ninth Prince has an Innate Myriad Laws Thunder Spirit Body..." someone reminded him gently.

"That’s right, if not, look at the Crown Prince with his Fire Element Celestial Spirit Root, he wasn’t gifted Innate Essence either, just like us, following conventions?"

"The Ninth Prince due to his Innate Extraordinary, then received Celestial Grace, even the Seventh Prince with Innate Wood Spirit Body couldn’t consume Innate Essence."

The black-clothed teenager furrowed his brow with disdain: "Hmph, what is Myriad Laws Thunder Spirit Body? Our senior brother Jing Bohang naturally has the right to speak this, born with a Nine Suns Body, a fundamental body of the Dao, born with nine suns illuminating its anomaly. If not for being born into poverty and delayed, at sixteen..."

"Jing Bohang? Brother, you’re actually Jing Bohang’s junior, my apologies, my apologies."

"Senior Jing naturally has the right to say this."

...

The instant the black-clothed teenager finished speaking, the crowd erupted in exclamation.

Li Jizhou nodded slightly, before last year, Ninth Prince Li Chaoyang was undoubtedly the foremost talent of Jiuli Dynasty.

Yet just last year, the sixteen-year-old Jing Bohang in Yaozhou north of Jiuli Dynasty, during entrance assessments, was discovered to possess a Nine Suns Body, surpassing the Ninth Prince’s Myriad Laws Thunder Spirit Body.

However, due to Jing Bohang’s loss of both parents at a young age, living as a beggar, facing many hardships, even kidnapped by evil cultivators, losing his childhood yang at less than ten years old, damaging his innate source, leading to a flawed physique that cannot truly compare to the Ninth Prince.