63: Foundation Building

The lingering warmth of the auction still swirled around the dome of the Four Seas Pavilion, but the sea breeze outside Tianfeng City had already carried the rusty scent of blood.

Lin Feng slipped out of the back alley of the Spiritual Bamboo Courtyard like a phantom.

He twisted and turned, deliberately choosing the grimy alleys where sewage flowed and the smell of fish assailed the nose, until he confirmed he had shaken off at least three Divine Sense probes that clung like gangrene—one as cold as a venomous snake, one as violent as a vicious shark, and Qiu Laoguai's most persistent, sand-grinding, venomous intent—only then did he plunge into an inconspicuous underground Immortal Cave deep within the "Black Rock Cave" in the west of the city.

The stone door crashed down, stirring up years of dust.

The Spiritual Qi here was thin andmiscellaneous, mixed with the pungent smell of sulfur from the underground fire; its only advantage was that it was deep and chaotic enough, like a forgotten abscess deep within a giant beast's intestines. Lin Feng unhesitatingly threw out seven dark-green Formation Flags, their star patterns swirling. With a soft hum, the light curtain of the Minor Dust Star Array isolated the last trace of outside aura.

“Hoo…” He exhaled a long breath of turbid Qi. He wiped his face, his eyes once again becoming cold and sharp, like a quenched dagger.

This was an Immortal Cave he had newly rented yesterday; although the Spiritual Qi here was low, it had the advantage of being remote and inconspicuous.

…

Five days passed without sleep.

Inside the Immortal Cave, only the dark red glow of the underground fire flickered, illuminating his figure, seated cross-legged like a stone.

The core mantra of the Solid Foundation Method silently circulated in his Sea of Consciousness. In his Dantian, the dark green sea of Spiritual Qi cultivated by the Overturning Sea Sword Art was repeatedly pounded, compressed, and purified by an invisible immense force.

The Spiritual Qi was as viscous as mercury, and as it circulated, faint sounds of wind and thunder reverberated through his Meridians. Beneath his skin, the bronze luster of the Rock Body Tempering Art flickered in and out of existence, resisting the tearing pain brought by the extreme compression of the Spiritual Qi.

He was like a piece of stubborn iron, forged by his own will, refining his state to the absolute Peak of the Qi Refinement Stage, with his sharpness contained and unreleased.

The red glow from the underground fire dimmed, and the Immortal Cave fell silent.

Lin Feng opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as lightning.

To knock on the door of Foundation Establishment, what are you waiting for?

He took out the vermilion fruit, as red as blood and exuding a fragrant aroma, and swallowed it in three bites without hesitation! The pulp melted instantly upon entering his mouth, and a violent, pure burst of fire-wood vitality exploded, as if igniting an oil depot!

His limbs, bones, and Meridians instantly became scorching hot, and all his pores opened. The thin and impure Spiritual Qi in the Immortal Cave seemed to be pulled by an invisible immense force, transforming into a visible pale green vortex that furiously poured into his body!

“This is the moment!”

The Overturning Sea Sword Art operated at full power!

The dark green sea of Spiritual Qi in his Dantian, which had already been compressed to its limit, suddenly boiled under the dual stimulation of the vermilion fruit's vitality and the external Spiritual Qi! Like raging tides and surging waves, it stirred up monstrous billows, carrying immense power, and fiercely crashed against the invisible barrier that lay between mortals and immortals!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Every impact felt like a giant hammer striking deep within his Divine Soul!

Excruciating pain tore at every nerve, his Meridians swelled as if about to burst, and his Dantian vibrated like a boiling cauldron.

Sweat instantly evaporated into white mist as soon as it seeped from his high-temperature body surface.

The Rock Body Tempering Art operated to its extreme, and the bronze light beneath his skin flashed wildly, forcefully suppressing the signs of his Physical Body collapsing.

The barrier was as solid as refined iron. The waves of Spiritual Qi surged fiercely again and again, leaving only imperceptible ripples on the barrier, while his own Qi was severely depleted.

“Divine Sense, break!”

Within his Sea of Consciousness, the power of his Divine Sense, which had long surpassed the scope of Qi Refining and solidified into substance, erupted with ferocity!

It was not formless and intangible, but rather condensed into a deep, dark blue giant sword phantom, its Sword Intent soaring to the sky—this was the manifestation of his will, having cultivated the Giant Sword Tactic to the Transcendent Realm!

The Divine Sense giant sword, with the resolve to sever all shackles, ignored the pain in his Physical Body and fiercely slashed towards the invisible barrier deep within his Dantian!

Clang—!

A piercing, ear-splitting shriek, like metal cracking, echoed in his Divine Soul! The barrier violently shook, and a tiny but clear crack spread open!

“Open for me!!”

Lin Feng's eyes were bloodshot, and a beast-like growl escaped his throat. All the Spiritual Qi he had accumulated, like a flood finding its outlet, roared heaven-shakingly and surged madly towards the crack! Attacked from both inside and out, with the Spiritual Qi torrent impacting and the Divine Sense giant sword slashing!

Crack-crack-crack—!

A teeth-grating sound of shattering echoed from within his body, as if a glacier had completely disintegrated!

Rumble!!!

It was as if Chaos was being created within his Dantian! The Realm barrier shattered with a roar! The vast, surging dark green sea of Spiritual Qi suddenly collapsed inward with furious speed! An indescribable emptiness and sharp pain swept through his entire body, as if his entire life Origin had been drained away.

The next moment!

A point of pure, condensed True Essence, emitting a deep, dark blue glow, was born from the core of that collapse! As tiny as a mustard seed, yet heavy as a thousand pounds! Like the first ray of light at the beginning of the Universe, or the core of a ten-thousand-year-old profound ice nurtured in the deep sea!

This point of True Essence was the seed! The remaining Spiritual Qi in his Dantian, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, was frantically devoured and transformed by it! The dark green receded, replaced by deep blue! The transformation speed became faster and faster, from a point to a surface, from a surface to a whole area! The Dantian space was forcibly expanded and solidified! The liquid Spiritual Qi sea was being refined and compressed, transforming into a higher-grade energy form—liquid True Essence!

The moment the last trace of Spiritual Qi was transformed and devoured—

Buzz!!!

An aura far more powerful, condensed, and profound than that of the Qi Refinement Stage, like a sleeping Vicious Beast awakening, surged unreservedly from Lin Feng's body, shooting towards the sky!

It instantly pierced through the light curtain of the Minor Dust Star Array, stirring up an invisible storm within the small Immortal Cave! Crushed stones rattled down, and the red glow of the underground fire was completely suppressed by the deep blue light!

Foundation Establishment! Achieved!

The aura slowly receded, returning to his body.

Within his Dantian, a deep, dark blue sea of True Essence was calm and still. Every drop of True Essence was heavy and solid, containing immense power and unparalleled Sword Intent as it circulated.

He spread his palm, and a wisp of deep blue True Essence seeped through his finger, solid as flowing water. It gently brushed against the hard black rock ground, silently leaving a smooth cut more than an inch deep.

His gaze fell on the cold jade bottle beside him. Three Foundation Establishment Pills lay quietly within, their pill patterns full, their medicinal fragrance still present. His fingertips were cold, and he felt a lingering fear.

“That was close… If my Divine Sense hadn't condensed beforehand, if my Solid Foundation Method Foundation hadn't been deep, and if I hadn't had the vermilion fruit to guide the Spiritual Qi… this time, I might have…”

His low murmur carried a hoarse, lingering fear.

He carefully put away the jade bottle. These three Foundation Establishment Pills were the unexpected trump cards and fallback he had left.