Chapter 70: Can't Wait Any Longer! Prepare for Foundation Establishment!
Tianxuan City.
Under the cover of night, Lin Chang’an used the supreme-level Breath Concealment Technique to disguise himself as a cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refinement. Along the way, he returned to the city without encountering any danger.
With his Breath Concealment Technique, unless a Foundation Establishment cultivator intentionally used the Heavenly Eye Technique to observe, it would be impossible to detect him. Cultivators of the same level, unless possessing a special pupil technique, could not see through his concealment.
Only after returning to his cave abode did Lin Chang’an finally breathe a long sigh of relief.
"Finally back."
This journey back was even more exhausting than the two months he had spent lurking in the Cloudmist Mountain Range.
After all, not only was he carrying a Demon Core, but also a Premium-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. If word got out, who knew how many cultivators would target him.
"The main ingredient for the Foundation Establishment materials is only missing the Heavenly Spirit Fruit. This type of spirit fruit is not as rare as the Demon Core and can still be found within the city."
Lin Chang’an checked the materials once more, then carefully placed the Demon Core and Foundation Establishment Pill together, and meticulously applied a Fireball Talisman to them.
This ensured that in a moment of crisis, he could destroy the Foundation Establishment Pill and the Demon Core instantly.
"Never thought the Spiritual Eye I’ve neglected all these years would turn out to be such a great help."
Lin Chang’an sighed emotionally. Back then, he had been lucky to kill the Robber Cultivator Zhou Qing and obtain a bottle of Spiritual Liquid, thus gaining the Spiritual Eye.
He had initially thought this ordinary Spiritual Eye was similar to the Heavenly Eye Technique, and hadn’t bought any more Spiritual Liquid over the years, nearly missing a great opportunity.
"If the Spiritual Eye’s level had been any lower or its stone-penetration ability slightly weaker, I might’ve completely missed the opportunity."
Thinking of this, Lin Chang’an felt even more fortunate. He wasn’t short on Spirit Stones anyway, and he would still need Spiritual Liquid in the future, so this Spiritual Eye must continue to be cultivated.
"Everything is ready; all that’s left is the east wind!"
All the missing materials for the Foundation Establishment Pill could be bought in Tianxuan City, so he didn’t need to risk going outside.
"I’ll strive to reach the peak of Qi Refinement within two years, and then—Foundation Establishment!"
In the secluded chamber, Lin Chang’an’s face revealed a resolute expression.
【Lifespan: 52/124】
【Realm: Ninth Level of Qi Refinement (19/100)】
"Fifty-two years old, ninth level of Qi Refinement!"
……
Time flew by. Lin Chang’an resumed his rigorous routine of Drawing Talismans to exchange for Spirit Stones, and half a year later, he obtained a Heavenly Spirit Fruit at an auction.
At the same time, the explosive influx of Drifting Cultivators into Tianxuan City gradually stabilized, and everything began returning to normalcy.
Within the Yue Kingdom, due to the appearance of Master Lu of the Blackwater Turtle in Tianxuan City, the Palace of Blazing Fire and the Xuanyin Pavilion, with Tianxuan City as their central hub, temporarily formed an alliance, returning to a stalemate with the Divine Sword Sect.
But in secret, the battles and machinations among the three major sects had never ceased.
Robber Cultivators and Demonic Cultivators remained rampant. Many of them might be disguises from the three major sects, yet none of this could affect the prosperity of Tianxuan City.
After all, with Master Lu of the Blackwater Turtle’s mid-Golden Core realm cultivation, combined with a late-third-rank Blackwater Turtle, he alone represented a force capable of influencing the entire Yue Kingdom.
A legendary rogue cultivator of his era—his charisma and deterrence were evident.
……
Two years later.
Inside the cave abode, Lin Chang’an’s aura was immense. He clearly felt like he had reached the peak of late-stage Qi Refinement. However, his expression was solemn as he examined his attributes.
【Realm: Ninth Level of Qi Refinement (97/100)】
"When it reached 95 points, I already felt like I had achieved perfection in cultivation. Is this the limitation of a cultivator’s Spiritual Root?"
Lin Chang’an frowned. According to the Foundation Establishment experience jade slip given by Yun Yao, this situation was almost entirely due to the cultivator himself.
Had he not been able to clearly see his own attributes, he would have thought he had reached completion and begun preparing for Foundation Establishment. In doing so, with only one Foundation Establishment Pill, the likelihood of failure would have been high.
This was the biggest reason why Foundation Establishment was difficult for rogue cultivators.
Most rogue cultivators had mediocre aptitude. The limitations of their Spiritual Roots led them to mistakenly believe they had achieved full cultivation.
For example, Mid-grade Spiritual Roots reach completion at 96, High-grade at 97, Earth-grade at 98, while Heaven and Earth Spirit Roots had no bottlenecks and could break through from 99 to 100.
"But increasing the last five points of experience was unbelievably difficult. If my Evergreen Art wasn’t at the supreme level, I probably wouldn’t have made it this far."
Once his experience hit 95, he already sensed the struggle imposed by his Spiritual Root. According to the jade slip, breaking through from Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment was a qualitative leap.
Every point of experience beyond 95 was preparation for that transformation.
And the Foundation Establishment Pill served as the catalyst for that change.
It wasn’t impossible to achieve Foundation Establishment without the pill.
He had managed to grind out two more points thanks to his comprehension of the Evergreen Art, which refined his mana further.
"Although with my supreme-level Evergreen Art, I could further cultivate and refine it, my age and the volatile situation outside can’t wait any longer."
He was already 54 years old. Waiting longer might not benefit his lifespan. After all, the younger one was when forming the Foundation, the higher the success rate.
Lin Chang’an silently pondered. If he had only one Foundation Establishment Pill, he would indeed polish his cultivation further. But now, entering Foundation Establishment sooner would give him peace of mind.
As long as the Foundation Establishment Pill and materials remained in the Storage Pouch, he could not rest easy.
Only by converting them into strength and securing them in hand could he truly feel at ease.
Wang Lin and He Yan’s lessons were still fresh in memory.
One was a prodigy of the Wang Family, and the other was extremely lucky—true representations of geniuses in the world of cultivation. Yet both ended up benefiting others.
"Prepare for Foundation Establishment! Who knows, maybe I’ll be lucky and refine three Foundation Establishment Pills in one furnace. Even a fool could establish their Foundation then."
With a resolute gaze, Lin Chang’an decided to begin preparing for alchemy.
His confidence stemmed not just from his capabilities, but from the fact that his cultivation had been polished to 97—the success rate had increased by more than just a little.
……
Exiting the closed-door cultivation tower, the sound of a clear waterfall echoed. In the courtyard, the Green-Horned Ox lay in the pond, leisurely swimming and occasionally nibbling on lotus leaves.
Seeing this, Lin Chang’an laughed and scolded:
"You silly thing, I spent Spirit Stones to specifically plant those Spirit Lotuses, and now you’ve ruined them all."
However, the Green-Horned Ox, upon seeing Lin Chang’an emerge from seclusion, excitedly ran out of the pond, its short tail slapping water everywhere.
Compared to before, the Green-Horned Ox had grown larger. After all, it was already seven years old. According to the age of the Green-Horned Ox species, it would reach adulthood in another three years.
It was now already a late-first-rank Demon Beast. As Lin Chang’an stroked its head with a look of enjoyment, he shook his head and said:
"No wonder ordinary cultivators can’t afford to raise spirit beasts. Who knows how many Spirit Stones you’ve eaten over these seven years?"
Different types of spirit beasts had different growth cycles. For example, the Zhou Family’s Blackwater Turtle took over a hundred years to reach adulthood. So although it didn’t seem to consume much daily, the cumulative cost was staggering.
Whereas the Green-Horned Ox had a short growth period, but its resource consumption was visibly high.
Back then, the spirit herbs given by Zhou Qing had all been fed to this ox. Over the years, Lin Chang’an had also poured in quite a few Spirit Stones.
"This is...? A letter left by Shen Lie?"
The Green-Horned Ox mooed, then bit a letter from the pavilion and handed it over.
Opening the letter, Lin Chang’an saw it had been left by Shen Lie two months ago. Upon reading its contents, a smile gradually spread across his face.
"Never expected, the treatment Yun Yao once received has now fallen upon me."
It turned out the letter explained that Shen Lie knew he was preparing for Foundation Establishment and expressed their willingness to offer a bit of help. At the end, they jokingly reminded him not to forget to protect them once he succeeded in Foundation Establishment.
Under the setting sun, the figures of man and ox stretched long, accompanied by waves of lighthearted laughter.