78: Xia Yuxuan breaks through the Foundation Establishment stage

When Lu Yang finished his Cultivate session and stepped out of the Bamboo Pavilion, he saw that the Spiritual Qi surrounding the neighboring Bamboo Pavilion had calmed down.

Mu Wanqing appeared calm and composed, clearly having succeeded in her Foundation Establishment and stabilized her Realm.

She stood quietly by the side of the spirit plant field, her simple white robes fluttering gently in the cool morning breeze.

Her eyes were slightly closed, her mind clear and serene, and her Divine Sense was drawn inward as she carefully sensed the newly formed Foundation Establishment dao foundation within her Dantian and Qi Sea.

The dao foundation was as smooth as jade, exuding a warm, resilient, and harmonious Aura. Wisps of pure Spiritual Qi flowed ceaselessly across it, several times thicker and more refined than during her Qi Refinement Stage.

An unprecedented sense of clarity and power filled her entire body, and her state of mind became as clear as if washed, like a mirror wiped clean of dust, reflecting Heaven and Earth. Compared to the Qi Refinement Stage, she now possessed a greater depth of composure in observing worldly affairs and a profound sense of control over her own destiny.

A breeze from the mountains swept by, carrying the rustling sound of bamboo leaves and the fragrance of soil; in her current perception, everything became exceptionally clear and rhythmic.

At this moment, various strange phenomena appeared above Purple Bamboo Peak, adding to the solemnity.

The vast Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi seemed to have received an invisible summons, transforming into visible, pale cyan currents that surged from all directions, even from above the Nine Heavens, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, flowing ceaselessly and turbulently toward the summit.

The Spiritual Qi gathered and thickened, forming a massive, slowly rotating vortex of Spiritual Qi above the summit. At its center, a faint seven-colored glow shimmered, accompanied by a low humming sound, as if Heaven and Earth were resonating.

Clouds gathered there, spreading out like brocade, with Spiritual Qi shimmering and leaping amidst them; this was precisely the place where Martial Aunt Chi Rong was in secluded meditation, attempting to break through to a higher Realm.

Lu Yang and Mu Wanqing stood side by side on the bluestone platform in front of the Bamboo Pavilion, their gazes turning simultaneously toward the summit where the Spiritual Qi gathered and the multicolored light flowed.

Both of their eyes held deep anticipation.

They silently prayed that Martial Aunt Chi Rong's seclusion would be successful, that her Dao Heart would be clear, and that she would be able to break through the long-standing shackles in one go, returning to the Peak Realm that once commanded such reverence.

Previously, Lu Yang had exhausted much effort helping Xia Yuxuan stabilize her cultivation at the Qi Refining Great Perfection.

After Xia Yuxuan finished adjusting her breath and her Aura became harmonious, Lu Yang chatted with Mu Wanqing for a while about their cultivation insights before returning to the Bamboo Pavilion, which exuded a faint scent of bamboo.

Inside the Bamboo Pavilion, Lu Yang was manipulating his Spiritual Qi to control the Pill Furnace, while the spirit fire at the bottom of the furnace emitted a gentle and constant heat, nourishing the furnace body.

Lu Yang sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his expression focused, his ten fingers moving with the agility of a butterfly weaving through flowers as he cast spirit plants one by one into the Pill Furnace.

From within the furnace came the faint gurgling sound of medicinal liquids reacting and a strange, fragrant aroma.

"Since Junior Sister Xia has come to Purple Bamboo Peak in person this time, I should take this Opportunity to have her take this batch of newly refined Foundation-Solidifying Pellets and water spirit pill back to Shuiyue Peak to give to Spring Breeze and Turning Rain. It will save her the trouble of making another trip later." Lu Yang reflected thoughtfully.

Previously, when they had finished their Cultivate session and were sharing intimate moments, Xia Yuxuan, in order to deepen their relationship, had voluntarily told Lu Yang all her secrets.

This included the fact that Spring Breeze and Transforming Rain were in secluded meditation, as well as her hope to gain the approval of her mother, the Xia Clan.

This unreserved honesty and trust were like the purest spiritual spring, deeply moving Lu Yang. It dispelled the last trace of distance, causing Lu Yang to secretly resolve to do everything in his power to protect Xia Yuxuan so she could walk further and more steadily on this path of Dao.

While Lu Yang was refining pills, Xia Yuxuan was not idle.

She sat quietly on a meditation cushion in a corner of the pill room, her eyes slightly closed, casting aside all distracting thoughts, her mind calm and concentrated.

Her entire focus was concentrated on introspecting, guiding the slightly surging Spiritual Qi within her body—caused by her recent Breakthrough—and slowly smoothing it out like a stream returning to the sea.

Within her Dantian, the barrier of the Qi Refining Realm, which had just reached Perfection, was becoming firmer and more harmonious, bit by bit, under the persistent tempering of her Spiritual Qi.

When the furnace fire gradually died down and the pills were formed and fragrant, Lu Yang withdrew his breath and ended his session, slowly restoring the Spiritual Qi he had consumed during Alchemy through meditation and breathing.

He turned his gentle gaze toward Xia Yuxuan, and seeing that her Aura had gradually stabilized, he stood up and approached her, intending to continue guiding her cultivation and help her solidify her dao foundation.

Thus, within the pill room, as the fire in the Pill Furnace had just died down and its residual heat still lingered, the light of Lu Yang's Magic Treasure shone once again. This focused cultivation and selfless protection, in this small space, quietly alternated like the cycle of the sun and moon, continuing in an endless loop.

In this way, three days passed. The Opportunity that Xia Yuxuan gained here was truly profound, and the richness of her harvest was far beyond what she could have imagined when she first arrived.

On the first day, relying on the uniquely rich and pure Spiritual Qi of this place, combined with Lu Yang's Medicinal Pill and assistance, she successfully broke through to the Qi Refining Great Perfection Realm, her entire body's Spiritual Qi surging, reaching the very limit of Qi Refining.

By the late night of the third day, when all was silent and the stars and moon shone together, she steeled herself and consumed the precious foundation establishment pill after adjusting to her optimal state.

The Medicinal Pill melted upon entering her mouth, transforming into a massive, scorching torrent that rushed toward every part of her body!

Almost at the same time, Lu Yang, who was sitting cross-legged as her Protector, instantly placed his palms against the vital points on her back. A vast, pure, and gentle yet powerfully guided Spiritual Qi poured in, acting like the sturdiest levee and the most precise helmsman, protecting her rampaging Meridians and guiding the surging medicinal power and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi that was madly pouring in from the outside, forcing them along a mysterious path to strike against the invisible Foundation Establishment barrier!

Under the dual assault from inside and outside, and with the persistence of a single point of clarity in her mind, she finally succeeded in triggering the resonance of Heaven and Earth. All the acupoints in her body opened simultaneously, and from her Dantian, there seemed to come a faint yet soul-shaking "click"—the door to Foundation Establishment had suddenly swung wide open!

That night, the scene at Purple Bamboo Peak was particularly spectacular, truly a marvelous sight. Two massive Spiritual Qi vortexes swept the Spiritual Qi empty.

One belonged to Martial Aunt Chi Rong, who was attempting to break through to a higher Realm; it was magnificent and vast, influencing the celestial phenomena. The other belonged to the newly Foundation Established Xia Yuxuan; although slightly smaller in scale, it was like a newborn sun, with an astonishing Aura!

The two vortexes were like two greedy and majestic silver Dragons, heads raised to the sky, letting out silent roars, crazily devouring the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi within a radius of several dozen miles!

The thick Spiritual Qi mist was torn by an invisible, immense force, transforming into visible, shimmering torrents of Spiritual Qi that flowed like two inverted, brilliant galaxies, pouring ceaselessly and turbulently into the centers of the two vortexes. The entire Purple Bamboo Peak was shrouded in rich, spiritual light, with the bamboo forest swaying and glowing, as if one were in a dreamlike fairyland.

This vast and unparalleled absorption of Spiritual Qi began at the deepest hour of midnight, with great momentum that continued without pause. The surging Spiritual Qi stirred up a breeze that whistled through the Peaks, and countless specks of Spiritual Qi light danced like fireflies.

It was not until the eastern horizon broke at dawn, and the first ray of golden-red morning light pierced the darkness, that it slowly returned to calm, leaving only the increasingly rich Spiritual Qi across the Peak and an invigorating lingering charm.