Chapter 75: Foundation Establishment Celebration
Gathering Immortals Tower.
“Haha, congratulations Brother Lin on establishing your Foundation!”
“Brother Lin has reached Foundation Establishment!”
While the wind and snow howled outside, the private room was filled with cheerful laughter.
Shen Lie, Li Erniu, Wei Buyi, and Lu Qingqing all offered their congratulations with glowing faces.
When they first heard that Lin Chang’an had reached Foundation Establishment, they were all stunned and found it hard to believe. It was simply too sudden.
When the news came that Yun Yao had reached Foundation Establishment, they were surprised, but could understand—it was, after all, the final stage for her.
But Lin Chang’an had still been preparing just a short while ago, and suddenly, he reached Foundation Establishment.
Among the smiles of the crowd, there was an invisible, intangible sense of distance—after all, with their different statuses, a natural divide had formed in their hearts.
But Lin Chang’an still spoke with everyone as usual, smiling and chatting, and that unfamiliarity gradually faded.
In response to everyone’s congratulations, Lin Chang’an raised his cup in a toast.
“Foundation Establishment is a matter of great importance, so I didn’t reveal anything beforehand. Today, my success is entirely thanks to your support.”
Without a trace of hesitation, Lin Chang’an downed the wine in one gulp.
“Come, let’s toast Brother Lin!”
Faces flushed with excitement, they all raised their cups. Though they had supported him, deep down, they hadn’t held much hope.
After all, Lin Chang’an was like them—one of those who failed to secure a Foundation Establishment Slot. With a low-grade spiritual root, achieving Foundation Establishment was incredibly difficult.
Their support had been more about the years of friendship.
It was precisely for that reason that Lin Chang’an felt immense gratitude.
After his breakthrough, he first went to Yun Yao’s cave-dwelling to express thanks, then bought some things along the way, and came to Gathering Immortals Tower to inform everyone.
This counted as his small Foundation Establishment celebration.
“Brother Lin, I truly didn’t expect this.”
Li Erniu’s face was flushed, and he spoke in a flurry, clearly overwhelmed.
Lin Chang’an had not only reached Foundation Establishment but hadn’t changed at all—his attitude toward them remained the same.
Looking at the smiling faces around him, Lin Chang’an joined the laughter. Everyone spoke cheerfully about how this was finally a moment of pride—a chance for those who had once failed to prove themselves.
“Fellow Daoists, I will never forget your previous support!”
After three rounds of wine, Lin Chang’an once again stood and raised his cup, solemnly toasting the group. No one dared remain seated—they all stood and raised their cups in return.
“Brother Shen, Little Junior Sister, I happened to buy two bottles of elixirs on the way here.”
As soon as the two bottles of elixirs appeared, Shen Lie and Lu Qingqing’s pupils contracted. Wei Buyi, who was an alchemist, exclaimed immediately:
“That’s Clear Spirit Powder and High-grade Golden Marrow Pill!”
Clear Spirit Powder had the effect of cleansing the meridians and nourishing the foundation.
Seeing the elixir, Shen Lie’s eyes turned red. How could he not know how much this would help him?
He had been at the Seventh Level of Qi Refinement for years, all because of the aftereffects of taking a Barrier-Breaking Pill back then.
This elixir might not fully heal him, but it would be enough to strengthen his foundation and allow further cultivation progress in the future.
Foundation Establishment was out of reach, but the Eighth or even Ninth Level of Qi Refinement was still possible.
The High-grade Golden Marrow Pill was meant for Lu Qingqing.
“Wei Brother, this one’s for you.”
Another jade bottle was brought out. Wei Buyi’s eyes instantly turned red. It was a high-grade healing elixir for treating the meridians—in plain terms, it was to treat his legs.
At that moment, Wei Buyi looked up at Lin Chang’an’s sincere smile and couldn’t help but recall his younger days. Feeling ashamed, he lowered his head and hoarsely said:
“Brother Lin...”
His voice hoarse, he didn’t finish his words, but Lin Chang’an already smiled and nodded, turning to look at Erniu.
“Erniu, you’ve been stuck at the Sixth Level of Qi Refinement for quite a while. You should know how unpredictable the cultivation world is—sometimes, strength is everything.”
Lin Chang’an took out a bottle of Barrier-Breaking Pills, and everyone present smiled.
Though what Erniu received was of the least value, he was still beaming, without the slightest sense of being shortchanged.
As the laughter continued, Lin Chang’an shared the dangers and experiences from his Foundation Establishment.
Naturally, he didn’t mention a few secrets but focused on the difficulty of hunting beasts and how cultivators with poor aptitude like them could succeed in Foundation Establishment.
When he finally said he succeeded with just one Premium-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, everyone gasped in shock.
“Brother Lin, are you saying you still have another Foundation Establishment Pill!?”
They were all astonished. Even though they couldn’t use it, the name alone was enough to leave them in awe.
After all, hadn’t they spent their entire lives cultivating as rogue cultivators for just the slimmest chance at Foundation Establishment?
“That’s right. I still have one more Foundation Establishment Pill.”
Lin Chang’an smiled at everyone. They gradually regained their composure and exchanged bitter smiles.
It was obvious—if any one of them had reached the Late-stage Qi Refinement, Lin Chang’an wouldn’t mind selling it to them.
Unfortunately, everyone knew their own limits. Foundation Establishment was out of reach— even the Ninth Level of Qi Refinement was far away.
In the end, everyone shook their heads. Lin Chang’an also gently shook his head and finally turned his gaze toward Erniu.
“Erniu, the Beast-Taming Zhou Clan is renowned for their beast-taming techniques. My Azure-Horned Bull still lacks some refinement. When you return, help me inquire with the Zhou Clan.”
This one sentence caused Li Erniu’s face to flush with excitement. He raised his cup and drank it all in one go without hesitation.
“Brother Lin, don’t worry. Leave it to me!”
It was clear that Lin Chang’an intended to trade the Foundation Establishment Pill with the Zhou Clan.
Letting Erniu handle it would allow him to gain great merit.
That was Lin Chang’an’s true gift to Li Erniu. Everyone smiled warmly.
After all, Erniu was a live-in son-in-law. The last time he helped, he used his own private stash of spirit stones. Everyone knew it.
If he could achieve some major merit, his status in the family and clan would definitely change.
“Come, let’s wish Brother Lin a long and prosperous path in the immortal way. Cheers!”
“Cheers!”
The hall was filled with laughter and joy, and Lin Chang’an also wore a broad smile. This trade of a Foundation Establishment Pill with the Zhou Clan was something he had thought through carefully.
Having just broken through, he lacked nothing for now, and his strength wouldn’t improve much in the short term.
The Azure-Horned Bull was at a critical stage of growth. If it could successfully break through to the second rank, the improvement in its strength would be significant.
After all, with the external situation, who knew when the three major sects would tear off all pretenses?
And it would conveniently grant Erniu a great merit—a win-win outcome.
After the celebration, Lin Chang’an gave each of them a Goldlight Talisman, earning everyone’s heartfelt gratitude.
……
In Tianxuan City, the wind and snow howled.
Back in his cave-dwelling, Lin Chang’an naturally sensed the thinness of the spiritual energy and couldn't help but mutter inwardly.
He hadn’t noticed it before, but after visiting Yun Yao’s cave-dwelling, the difference in spiritual energy was indeed stark.
“First I’ll cultivate this ancient technique, then change to a better cave-dwelling.”
Ever since breaking through to Foundation Establishment, he had not yet chosen a cultivation technique. Now that everything was settled, he naturally prioritized studying this technique.
【Lifespan: 54/236】
【Realm: Early-stage Foundation Establishment (2/100)】
“After reaching Foundation Establishment, my lifespan jumped straight to over two hundred thirty years.”
Lin Chang’an’s face was full of joy. This was the benefit of cultivating the Evergreen Art—his lifespan would continue to increase as his cultivation advanced.
Rumor had it that among Foundation Establishment cultivators who cultivated wood-attribute techniques, the longest-lived had reached nearly three hundred years before passing.
“Next is this ancient technique and the required life-bound spirit plant!”
He had previously purchased this life-bound spirit plant at the marketplace.
“This ginseng might be a rare treasure in the mortal world, but in the cultivation world, it’s nothing special.”
A ginseng of three thousand five hundred years had begun to exude faint spiritual energy, which happened to meet the requirements for a life-bound spirit plant.
But upon seeing it, Lin Chang’an could only shake his head helplessly. Truly thousand-year-old spiritual herbs were fought over by even Nascent Soul cultivators. He had no choice but to settle for the next best thing.
This was already the best he could afford within his means.
“Eternal Evergreen Technique!”
Lin Chang’an carefully took out this opportunity from the ancient ruins and examined it again with a solemn expression.
“After all this preparation, let’s begin!”
Inside the cave-dwelling, Lin Chang’an sat cross-legged on a prayer cushion. With a serious expression, he slowly took out a bottle of spiritual liquid and poured it over the ginseng, which was held by a withered leaf bearing the technique’s imprint.
As the spiritual liquid was poured, the ginseng burst forth with renewed vitality, causing Lin Chang’an to sigh inwardly.
After all, it was a mortal-world item—just a bit of spiritual liquid from the cultivation world could cause such a reaction.
Unfortunately, that was all he could manage.
“Refine!”
In the next moment, Lin Chang’an formed a hand seal, squeezed out a drop of essence blood from between his brows, and just as he was about to perform the key part of the ritual refinement, his pupils suddenly contracted.
As the blood dripped onto the ginseng, the millennia-old ginseng began to disintegrate visibly, as if weathered by time.
No—
It was being devoured by the withered leaf beneath it, the one imprinted with the technique.
“What is this!? That spiritual liquid just now!”
Lin Chang’an was suddenly shocked—the spiritual liquid must have dripped onto the withered leaf.
It seemed to have been activated.
Could it be!
Just then, as the essence blood touched the withered leaf, a subtle connection formed, and Lin Chang’an’s expression grew serious.
His life-bound spirit plant was gone, but it seemed the withered leaf might meet the requirement.
“This withered leaf was found in an ancient cultivator’s cave-dwelling, which means it’s at least several thousand years old—perhaps even ten thousand. According to the requirements of a life-bound spirit plant, it should qualify.”
If there were a genuine spiritual herb from the cultivation world, he naturally wouldn’t use something from the mortal realm.
However, as Lin Chang’an hesitated, the withered leaf responded under the ritual, forming a faint connection. It seemed to sense something and emitted a soft green glow.
“Refine!”
Lin Chang’an was taken aback. This leaf imprinted with the technique had already made the choice for him.
After all, a treasure from an ancient ruin’s cave-dwelling would surely surpass any item from the mortal world.
And so, Lin Chang’an immediately began circulating the technique.