46: Epic Death, Cultivation Initiation

A thousand miles away, deep within a secluded, uninhabited mountain cave.

Light had never reached here.

The air had been stagnant for a thousand years.

In this eternal darkness, countless tiny specks of light were slowly, almost imperceptibly, gathering and merging.

They were like dandelions scattered by a strong wind, each particle imprinted with the excruciating pain of a torn Divine Soul.

Lin Gou's consciousness drifted in this ocean of endless torment.

Pain.

It wasn't physical pain, but a more fundamental, more profound torture.

His Divine Soul had been forcibly ripped into billions of pieces, and each fragment retained the destructive imprint of being utterly annihilated by Ye Chen's Heavenly Flame Finger.

The System was reassembling these fragments.

This process was ten thousand times more painful than death itself.

His perception was infinitely magnified, allowing him to clearly “see” his Divine Soul, like a piece of porcelain shattered to its extreme, being forcibly glued together, bit by bit, by an invisible pair of large hands in the most clumsy way.

Each joining was accompanied by a searing, Soul-burning sting.

Each Fusion triggered a violent tremor in the Origin of his Divine Soul.

Any other Cultivator, under such torment, would have long since gone Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, or completely devolved into a mindless lunatic.

Lin Gou also felt like he was going crazy.

But he stubbornly endured.

In his mind, only one thought remained, a singular obsession that kept him from being completely engulfed by the pain.

SS-rank evaluation.

Epic death.

At the thought of that glittering evaluation, and the inevitably Heaven-Defying, generous rewards, the intense pain from the depths of his Divine Soul seemed to transform into a sweet anticipation.

It was worth it!

All of this was worth it!

Who knew how much time had passed.

It could have been a day, or it could have been a month.

In this timeless darkness, the slightly weary but undeniably excited mechanical voice finally boomed in the depths of his mind.

【Ding!】

【Warning: Host's Divine Soul is severely damaged, this resurrection time will be extended to 36 hours.】

【Reward settlement completed!】

【Detecting residual effects of the “Resurrection Counterattack” skill, which unexpectedly drew in a wisp of the core medicinal power of a “foundation establishment grass”... Absorbing now...】

【Absorption complete!】

【Rewards transforming...】

Lin Gou's spirit suddenly jolted.

【Congratulations, Host, you have obtained “Perfect Foundation Establishment Comprehension”!】

A profound and mysterious stream of information, like the Nine Heavens Milky Way pouring down, instantly surged into his shattered Divine Soul.

It contained all the mysteries of how to forge the most perfect Dao Foundation, from the intricate methods of spiritual power circulation to the grand concepts of connecting with Heaven and Earth, all-encompassing and meticulously detailed.

These comprehensions seemed innate to him, deeply imprinted in the Origin of his Divine Soul.

Before he could savor them.

The System's prompt sounded again, this time with unprecedented excitement.

【Congratulations, Host, you have received a massive cultivation infusion!】

Boom!

A vast and unimaginably pure torrent of energy appeared out of nowhere within his reassembling Physical Body.

This energy was a Fusion of the feedback from his own power, the destructive force of Ye Chen's Heavenly Flame Finger, and the most core medicinal essence of that foundation establishment grass.

The three forces were perfectly transformed by the System into the purest, most gentle cultivation resources.

The energy torrent washed over his limbs and bones, furiously surging into his Dantian Qi Sea.

His Qi Refining Ninth Layer Early Stage cultivation Bottleneck, in the face of this power, was as fragile as a sheet of paper.

It shattered inch by inch!

His cultivation began to soar at an astonishing speed!

Qi Refining Ninth Layer Middle Stage!

With almost no pause, the Bottleneck was broken through again!

Qi Refining Ninth Layer Late Stage!

The energy torrent still showed no signs of weakening; instead, it grew even more turbulent.

Finally, with a crisp hum, his cultivation steadily stopped at the Realm of Qi Refining Ninth Layer Great Perfection!

Just one step away.

Just that final push, and he could forge his Dao Foundation and step into a completely new level of life!

Lin Gou could clearly feel that every inch of his flesh and blood was filled with explosive power.

This feeling of strength was unprecedented.

However, the surprises were not over.

【Congratulations, Host, you have obtained a special item: “Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment Guide”!】

【Item Description: This is a wisp of the Origin of the Great Dao, formed when Heaven and Earth first opened. When used during Foundation Establishment, it can trigger the legendary “Foundation Establishment Heavenly Tribulation”, using Heavenly Lightning to cleanse the Physical Body, temper the Divine Soul, and achieve an unsurpassed Dao Foundation.】

【Warning: This item goes against the Heavenly Dao and will inevitably incur its jealousy. After use, survival is one in ten.】

One in ten chance of survival?

The moment Lin Gou's consciousness saw these four words, not only did he feel no fear, but he was so excited he almost jumped out of his reassembling state.

There's such a good thing?!

To others, this was a dead end with a ninety percent chance of death and a ten percent chance of survival.

To Lin Gou, wasn't this a “one death, nine lives” super invincible luxury gift package?!

One death could be exchanged for an “unsurpassed Dao Foundation”!

This deal was simply a massive profit!

Heaven-Defying!

This reward was simply Heaven-Defying!

The System's weary voice continued.

【System Notification: Due to absorbing the massive energy feedback from “Resurrection Counterattack”, the System is about to undergo its first upgrade.】

【The upgrade requires massive energy support, and current energy reserves are insufficient.】

【Suggestion: Host can simultaneously initiate the System upgrade when undergoing the “Foundation Establishment Heavenly Tribulation”. At that time, the System can autonomously absorb the power of the Heavenly Tribulation, achieving twice the result with half the effort, and potentially gaining additional benefits.】

Lin Gou smiled.

His smile in his consciousness was incredibly brilliant.

Good.

Too good.

The self-service buffet, wasn't it here already!

...On the only path back to the Sect for Qingyun Sect.

A team, dragging heavy steps, slowly moved through the silent mountain forest.

The atmosphere was extremely oppressive.

Every face bore the fatigue of surviving a disaster and an unresolvable sorrow.

Although they successfully obtained the foundation establishment grass, and even severely injured that arrogant Prodigy of the Ye family.

The price they paid was too great.

Nearly half of their fellow Disciples remained forever in that cold, gloomy ruin.

And that figure who stood up at the most desperate moment, exchanging his own life for a glimmer of hope for everyone, weighed heavily on everyone's hearts like a great mountain.

Zhao Linger walked at the very front of the team.

She tightly clutched the jade box containing the foundation establishment grass; its coldness, however, could not calm her turbulent emotions in the slightest.

Her pretty face was deathly pale, and her eyes, which should have been as gentle as water, were now dim and devoid of all brilliance.

In her mind, Lin Gou's final resolute voice transmission echoed repeatedly.

“Senior Sister, trust me one last time!”

She trusted him.

But he had disappeared forever.

The foundation establishment grass, which he had exchanged his life for, now felt heavy as a thousand jin in her hands.

She would rather not have this divine item; she only wanted him back.

Just then, a Disciple at the very front of the team suddenly stopped, letting out a low cry of uncertain surprise.

“Who... who is that?”

Hearing the sound, everyone instinctively looked up.

They saw a familiar figure standing silently beneath an ancient pine tree at a bend in the mountain path not far ahead.

The person wore a green robe, had a tall and straight figure, and a handsome face.

He seemed to have noticed the commotion on their side, slowly turned around, and with a perfectly timed, relieved smile of having survived a calamity, waved at everyone.

“Hey, Senior Brothers, Senior Sisters, you're back.”

Boom!

At this moment, the entire world seemed to stand still.

All the Qingyun Sect Disciples froze in place.

They stared intently at that figure, each person's expression as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

Someone rubbed their eyes hard, thinking it was a hallucination caused by excessive grief.

Someone's mouth hung open, their jaw almost dislocated, making a “gurgling” sound in their throat, but unable to utter a complete sentence.

Zhao Linger's delicate body trembled violently.

The jade box in her hand fell to the ground with a “thud.”

But she no longer cared at all.

Her eyes, unblinking, watched that person.

The person who should have already gone Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, leaving no bones behind.

It was him.

It really was him!

Lin Gou!

Immense joy, like a mountain collapse and a tsunami, instantly washed away all the sadness and defenses in her heart.

She could no longer control herself, and rushed towards that figure, disregarding everything!

Seeing everyone's petrified expressions, Lin Gou chuckled inwardly, but on his face, he timely displayed a wry smile tinged with lingering fear.

He cleared his throat and began his performance.

“Ah, don't even mention it, it was truly a near-death experience.”

“I don't know what happened, but the moment that Ye Chen was about to kill me, the last life-saving ancestral talisman on me suddenly activated itself.”

“Then I felt my vision go black, and I was swept up by a force and randomly teleported to a mountain gully several hundred miles away.”

“I just woke up and desperately rushed back, never expecting to meet you all here.”

“It was truly dangerous; my ancestral talisman is also gone. Now I'm really back to square one, with no more trump cards.”

As he spoke, he spread his hands, his expression as sincere as could be, as fearful as could be.

His explanation was full of holes.

So clumsy it was almost laughable.

But at this moment, no one cared about any of that.

When Zhao Linger, with a gust of fragrant wind, rushed into his embrace without a care, holding him tightly as if to meld him into her own body.

When all the surviving fellow Disciples, with reddened eyes, cheered from the bottom of their hearts.

When the long-suppressed sorrow was instantly replaced by the wild joy of a hero's return.

Who would still care about those insignificant details?

The hero had returned.

That was enough... Back at Qingyun Sect.

The news of Lin Gou and Zhao Linger's party returning safely with the foundation establishment grass and the damaged Earth Rank Magic Treasure heart-protecting mirror instantly caused a sensation throughout the entire Sect.

They had not only completed their mission but also severely injured the Prodigy of the top Tiannan County family, the “Ye family”!

This was simply the most glorious battle achievement against an external force since the founding of Qingyun Sect!

Although the team suffered heavy casualties, compared to the gains, this small loss was completely acceptable.

The Leading Elder reported the events to the high-ranking officials of the Sect, embellishing the story.

Especially Lin Gou's final “fearless and self-sacrificing” heroic act, which he described in a stirring manner.

For a time, the name Lin Gou enjoyed unparalleled prestige within Qingyun Sect.

Facing the summons and rewards from the Sect's high-ranking officials, Lin Gou acted extremely humble and low-key.

He attributed all the credit to the sacrificed fellow Disciples and the wise and mighty Elder.

He handed over most of the spoils of war, only keeping the damaged Earth Rank Magic Treasure—the heart-protecting mirror—which was allocated to him based on his contributions, at the Elder's insistence.

After doing all this, he requested to go into seclusion, citing “damage to his Origin during the ancestral talisman's teleportation, requiring immediate quiet recuperation.”

The Sect Head and several Elders naturally agreed without hesitation.

They held endless expectations for this Disciple who had repeatedly created miracles.

Leaving the deliberation hall, Lin Gou did not linger for a moment, returning directly to his Immortal Cave.

He refused all fellow Disciples who came to visit.

He stood at the entrance of his Immortal Cave, taking a deep breath.

Feeling the surging spiritual power within him, suppressed to its extreme, ready to erupt.

His eyes shone with unprecedented brilliance.

Foundation Establishment!

He would immediately go into seclusion and strive to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage!

Throughout the entire Qingyun Sect, everyone's gaze was focused on his unassuming mountain peak.

They were waiting.

Waiting for the next move of this legendary Disciple who had already created too many miracles.