13: Chapter 13 Foundation Establishment! Success!

In truth, the moment Senior Brother Wang Xuan was completely vaporized within the pillar of destructive lightning.

Chu Xiao's face couldn't help but turn slightly pale.

This move, Ten Thousand Thunders Return to Origin, was his strongest killing move currently, having drained nearly eighty percent of the Spiritual Qi in his body.

That Spiritual Qi, as majestic as rivers and seas, surged out, and a wave of emptiness now emanated from his Meridians, causing his figure to sway almost imperceptibly.

He forcibly suppressed his roiling blood and Qi, his mind rapidly calculating.

"Senior Brother Wang Xuan is dead. Half of his Opportunity can be considered snatched by me."

He knew very well that the System's judgment mechanism had always been "when the dust settles."

Only when he truly held the reward for being first in the assessment—the Cultivation Technique that should have belonged to Senior Brother Wang Xuan—would the System judge his intervention as a complete success.

And then it would proceed with the settlement of the Opportunity return.

Thinking of this, he sheathed his sword and looked toward the high platform with a calm gaze.

At this moment, the entire Martial Arts Arena was still immersed in a deathly silence.

After a brief silence, a mountain-shaking clamor and discussion erupted, completely igniting the scene!

Zhao Yi and Sun Yuan, ranked second and third in the Outer Sect, no longer had the slightest desire to compete.

They bowed deeply toward Chu Xiao, their demeanor respectful to the extreme.

They knew very well that the gap between them and Chu Xiao was already as different as clouds and mud.

The Elder publicly announced the top ten rankings for this assessment; Zhao Yi and Sun Yuan naturally took second and third place.

But at this moment, no one cared about their rankings anymore.

In everyone's minds, only that world-destroying pillar of lightning and Chu Xiao's god-and-demon-like figure remained.

It was foreseeable that after today, Chu Xiao's name would sweep through the Tianyan Sect Outer Sect like a storm—no, it might even reach the Inner Sect!

A peerless Prodigy who rose from the status of a handyman, hidden for eight years, and upon emerging, killed the number one of the Outer Sect to seize the top spot in the assessment!

This would surely become a legend talked about by all Disciples for a long time to come!

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the White-haired Elder was so excited his face was flushed red.

He couldn't even wait for Chu Xiao to step down from the stage.

He leaped down from the high platform himself and arrived before Chu Xiao in a few flashes.

At this moment, the way he looked at Chu Xiao was like looking at a rare treasure.

Filled with appreciation and affection.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He said the word "good" three times in a row, his voice booming. "I have presided over the Outer Sect assessment for over thirty years, and I have never seen a Disciple as brilliant and talented as you!"

"With a cultivation at the Qi Refining Realm Perfection, you have cultivated a Xuan-Grade sword technique to the Realm of Perfection. This Comprehension Ability, this Foundation, is truly unprecedented!"

He didn't ask where Chu Xiao's sword technique came from. At his level, he knew very well that every Genius had their own secrets and Opportunities; prying into them was a major taboo.

He flipped his palm, and a simple Secret Manual made of unknown jade appeared in his hand.

The jade Secret Manual was warm and smooth throughout, with a faint glow flowing on its surface. Five large words were carved on the cover in a flamboyant style—Heavenly Derivation Divine Spirit Technique!

"Chu Xiao!" The White-

haired Elder solemnly handed the Secret Manual to Chu Xiao: "This is the reward you deserve! A High Grade Xuan-Grade Cultivation Technique, the Heavenly Derivation Divine Spirit Technique! I hope that after you enter the Inner Sect, you can use this technique to forge a perfect Dao Foundation and become another pillar of support for our Tianyan Sect in the future!"

Chu Xiao's heart stirred as he reached out and took the heavy jade Secret Manual.

The moment his fingertips touched the Secret Manual, the familiar System notification sound exploded in his mind as expected!

[Ding! Detected that the host has successfully intercepted the Opportunity of Senior Brother Wang Xuan, a person with the 'Favored by Luck' fate. Calculating Opportunity return settlement...]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for triggering an Opportunity return!]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining a Low Grade Earth-Grade Cultivation Technique—Golden Cauldron Jade Art!]

Boom!

Low Grade Earth-Grade!

Even with Chu Xiao's steady Heart-Nature, his heart couldn't help but stir slightly the moment he saw those four words.

His breath hitched!

The difference between Xuan-Grade and Earth-Grade was no longer just a gap between clouds and mud.

It was the gap between Mortals and gods!

In the entire Tianyan Sect, Xuan-Grade techniques were already a symbol of the Inner Sect core, while Earth-Grade techniques were likely only accessible to the Sect Master and those few reclusive Grand Elders!

That was a supreme classic worthy of being a Sect-protecting treasure!

He forcibly suppressed the joy in his heart, showed no emotion on his face as he tucked the Secret Manual into his robe, and bowed respectfully to the White-haired Elder: "Thank you, Elder. This Disciple will not fail the Sect's expectations!"

With the assessment over, Chu Xiao and the others, being in the top ten, enjoyed special treatment.

An Inner Sect Disciple wearing a moon-white robe, with a modest smile on his face, came specifically to guide them.

"Junior Brother Chu Xiao, please follow me."

This Inner Sect Disciple's attitude toward Chu Xiao was exceptionally respectful.

Clearly, he had also witnessed that earth-shattering battle just now.

Under the guidance of the Inner Sect Disciple, Chu Xiao stepped for the first time into this area he could once only look at from afar.

As soon as he entered the Inner Sect territory, a wave of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, more than ten times denser than that of the Outer Sect, rushed toward him, causing every pore in his body to dilate.

The Spiritual Qi he had consumed earlier actually recovered slightly within a few breaths.

Cranes flew among the mist-shrouded peaks, spiritual springs tinkled beside strange rocks and exotic plants, and exquisite pavilions and towers were dotted in between, like a fairyland.

He received the moon-white clothing and identity token representing his status as an Inner Sect Disciple.

Afterward, the Disciple led him to an independent courtyard halfway up the mountain, where the Spiritual Qi was most dense.

"Junior Brother Chu Xiao, this will be your Immortal Cave from now on."

The Inner Sect Disciple said enviously, "As the first place in the assessment, your monthly salary is also of the highest level. You can receive one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, ten Small Yuan Pills, and one 'Foundation Consolidation Pill' for strengthening the Foundation every month. Additionally, you have one chance every month to enter the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion to select a Cultivation Technique."

Chu Xiao walked into the courtyard and couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration in his heart.

This was no mere courtyard; it was practically a small-scale blessed land.

Inside the courtyard, there was not only a dedicated Alchemy room and a quiet cultivation room but even a small Spirit Gathering Array that constantly gathered the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

Compared to his previous dilapidated thatched hut, it was simply the difference between heaven and earth.

But Chu Xiao's heart didn't fluctuate much because of this generous treatment.

He knew very well that these external things couldn't compare to his greatest reliance—the System in his mind.

After seeing off the Inner Sect Disciple, Chu Xiao immediately activated the courtyard's Restriction and walked into the quiet cultivation room.

He impatiently took out the jade Secret Manual from his robe.

At this moment, the five words on the Secret Manual had quietly changed, becoming four large words that were simple, heavy, and contained endless Dao rhythm—Golden Cauldron Jade Art!

He sat cross-legged, a flash of determination in his eyes.

He was now at the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining Realm, his Foundation solid to an unimaginable degree, and he was only one step away from the Foundation Establishment Realm.

And this Low Grade Earth-Grade Golden Cauldron Jade Art was the best ladder for him to forge a supreme Dao Foundation!

He decided to go into seclusion immediately to charge for Foundation Establishment!

Without any hesitation, Chu Xiao pressed that cool jade Secret Manual directly against his forehead.

Boom!

A vast torrent of information, like a sea of smoke, instantly flooded into his sea of Divine Sense.

Countless incredibly profound runes and formulas flowed through his mind, evolving into the ultimate principles of heaven and earth.

A moment later, Chu Xiao suddenly opened his eyes, which were filled with shock and wild joy.

This Golden Cauldron Jade Art was simply overbearingly unreasonable!

It didn't just simply increase cultivation speed; it fundamentally changed the Cultivator's level of life!

The Cultivation Technique was divided into nine layers; for every layer cultivated, the Spiritual Qi in the body would undergo purification and compression, its quality skyrocketing several times over!

When the nine revolutions were complete, the purity and abundance of the Spiritual Qi would reach a terrifying level, far exceeding that of a Cultivator of the same level by a hundredfold!

A Dao Foundation forged with the Golden Cauldron Jade Art would be even more indestructible and flawless.

The future path of cultivation would be a smooth one!

"This is it!"

Chu Xiao took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and began to circulate the overflowing Spiritual Qi in his body according to the Mind-Cultivation Technique of the First Revolution of the Golden Cauldron Jade Art.

To break through to Foundation Establishment, one had to compress and condense the gaseous Spiritual Qi in the Dantian Qi Sea to forge a Dao Foundation.

This process was extremely dangerous for ordinary Disciples; the slightest carelessness would result in a shattered Dantian and becoming a crippled person.

But Chu Xiao was enduring double the pain!

The overbearing method of the Golden Cauldron Jade Art caused his Spiritual Qi to undergo constant compression and purification while it was condensing.

It was a sharp pain as if his marrow was being crushed and his Soul was being torn apart!

Beads of sweat as large as beans rolled down his forehead, and his body trembled violently, but he still gritted his teeth!

He knew that the greater the pain endured, the greater the benefits received!

After an unknown amount of time, when all the Spiritual Qi in his Dantian had been compressed to an extreme, turning into a drop of incredibly heavy pale-gold liquid.

"Now is the time!"

Chu Xiao roared in his heart and triggered that drop of liquid!

Boom!

A loud bang originating from the depths of his Soul rang out, and the Realm barrier within his body shattered!

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi within a radius of several miles seemed to be drawn by some fatal attraction, turning into a huge Spiritual Qi vortex that frantically poured into his courtyard!

A massive amount of Spiritual Qi washed through his limbs and bones, transforming his Physical Body and Meridians!

The pale-gold spiritual liquid in his Dantian frantically absorbed the Spiritual Qi, growing rapidly, and finally transformed into a crystal-clear Dao Foundation shimmering with a nine-colored halo!

A terrifying aura, dozens of times stronger than when he was in the Qi Refining Realm, erupted from his body!

Foundation Establishment Realm—it's done!