...

The holy crane shield flew out, ready to be used at any moment. At the same time, he activated the defensive treasure given to him by Li Qinghou, which unfolded, covering his immortal silver skin. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Beyond that, he was almost powerless. Clenching his teeth, he called inward, making the whirlpool within him spin faster. Earth energy was relentlessly drawn inwards, not fusing with his spiritual power but instead entangling with it. As it flowed through him, the whirlpool grew stronger and stronger, causing him to violently tremble.

The so-called Tideflow involves capturing earth energy and then combining it with spiritual power to achieve an explosive effect. It will temper the flesh, the Qi pathways, and the soul. It will refine everything!

For every part of spiritual power, one hundred earth energy is required!

This explosive combination creates a liquid, transforming the mist of earth energy into a spiritual ocean!

The spiritual sea has another name: Dao Foundation!

Each complete Tideflow will create one spiritual ocean and one Dao foundation! Nine Tideflows mean nine spiritual oceans and nine Dao foundations! Each additional level will be many times larger than the previous one, like an inverted pagoda!

Time flew by. Two hours later, the whirlpool above Yan Xiaobao's lake was bigger than before. When the earth shook, Yan Xiaobao emitted a powerful roar, causing the whirlpool to enlarge again. When the whirlpool within him reached its capacity, a rumbling sound like thunder arose. Everything he accumulated in the past two hours was for shaping his first Tideflow.

Once the first Tideflow was ready to complete, the whirlpool inside him began to shrink.

As earth energy and spiritual power forming the whirlpool flowed through his Qi paths, the whirlpool shrank, and cracking sounds echoed from within him. The whirlpool soon condensed into a black dot, causing his Qi paths, his flesh, even his soul to tremble violently.

"Tideflow!"

RUUUUUUUUUUMBLE!

As the combination of earth energy and spiritual power spread, his thoughts were filled with rumbling sounds. As he roared, his Qi paths enlarged, his flesh strengthened. His bones, his soul, everything about him grew stronger.

At that same moment, with the help of the Tideflow, earth energy and spiritual power finally merged to form a spiritual liquid, which passed through him into the sea of mist in his Dantian region. Like a drop of water, it explodes with heavenly shattering force upon landing!

When his Dantian region exploded into countless fragments, Yan Xiaobao violently trembled and then reformed into an ocean!

His Dao foundation was established, his spiritual ocean formed!

Meanwhile, his Qi paths, especially his soul, were violently shaken and pulled away from mortal constraints!

However, the ocean was very small, seeming to be only about 300 meters wide. Within it, one could see a violet cauldron covered with countless magic symbols. It rose from the sea, releasing shocking energy that caused Yan Xiaobao's cultivation base to rise rapidly. Yet, the enhancement of the foundation was not yet complete; all the preparation and hard work he put in had yet to be utilized.

Two main factors determine how much Tideflow one can achieve: first, latent talent, and second, techniques cultivated during the Qi Condensation stage!

Techniques stir the tide, while latent talent provides the strength to actually withstand it. With strong latent talent, one can endure multiple Tideflows. Due to weak latent talent, even cultivating many techniques makes it difficult to achieve this. In fact, trying to force too many Tideflows may damage the Dao foundation and lead to death.

Meanwhile, those with common techniques and high potential will also feel equally perplexed.

Therefore, only the combination of techniques and latent talent can lead to success. Both are essential.

In Yan Xiaobao's first spiritual ocean was a cauldron, representing the first technique he cultivated - Violet Qi Cauldron Control Technique! Concerning techniques useful for creating Tideflow, there are almost no limits. Over the years since ancient times, three rules have been established in this regard. The first rule is the technique used for Tideflow must be fully mastered down to the smallest detail. Without such achievement, the Tideflow will fail.

Mastering the technique to that level is not easy; it requires a substantial amount of material resources and spiritual energy.

The second rule is that for each Tideflow, only one technique of any given power level may be used. Adding additional techniques does not aid the successful realization of Tideflow.

The third rule is each successive Tideflow is relatively more difficult, hence requiring more stringent conditions for success.

In most sects, few techniques can push disciples past the fifth Tideflow and into the sixth. These techniques are essentially secret magic and are the true foundation of the sect's power.

Thus, the real test is how the sect distributes its techniques, and how deep their resources are. For instance, in the Spirit Sect, the South Shore's Violet Qi Cauldron Control Technique and the North Shore's Heavenspan Elephant Control Technique must be cultivated to master Violet Qi Cauldron Summoning or Heavenspan Elephant Body, or only the first Tideflow will succeed.

Only Violet Qi Cauldron Summoning and Heavenspan Elephant Body can fulfill the second Tideflow requirements. Meanwhile, since the South Shore's Violet Peak and the North Shore's Sunset Peak are the origin points of these techniques, as long as the disciples there have other powerful technique requirements, they can achieve the third to fifth Tideflow. However, beyond that, finding a Phoenix feather or Qilin Horn is easier than finding potentially useful ordinary techniques. Then, only secret magic can be summoned.