57: Preparing for Foundation Building

After chatting for a while longer and answering a few minor cultivation questions from Ye Yuner, Lin Feng rose to take his leave.

Junior Martial Uncle Zhao Li carefully reiterated a few more points to note when attempting the Foundation Establishment Breakthrough, particularly emphasizing the need to focus the spirit and calm the mind, and not to be greedy for progress or act rashly.

When leaving Yunshu Peak, Lin Feng felt a deep warmth in his heart.

Lin Feng had just returned to the entrance of the Sect's secret chamber when his footsteps halted.

A cool, graceful figure stood quietly outside the door, the moonlight outlining her familiar silhouette.

It was Senior Sister Xiao. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her right hand was unconsciously twirling a strand of black hair that fell across her chest, her fingertips lightly winding the end.

Seeing Lin Feng return, her movements paused slightly. She withdrew her hand, letting it fall naturally by her side, and her lips pursed slightly. "Where have you been all this time?"

Her words faltered briefly, as if she were weighing them, before she continued, "There was no word from you, no trace on the Sect's mission board. Do you know... such behavior causes needless worry for others."

Lin Feng was momentarily taken aback, a strange warmth flickering in his heart, yet his expression remained calm as he cupped his hands in salute. "I apologize for worrying you, Senior Sister. I merely went out to gain experience and seek some opportunities."

Upon hearing that Lin Feng had not only returned but had also reached the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining Stage and was about to attempt the Foundation Establishment Breakthrough, a genuinely delighted smile bloomed on Senior Sister Xiao's face, a rare brightness even reaching the corners of her eyes and brows.

"Qi Refining Perfection? Good! Very good!" she praised repeatedly, her tone unprecedentedly light and cheerful.

She took a step forward, her gaze sweeping over Lin Feng. "The barriers to Foundation Establishment are numerous and formidable, not to be taken lightly. When I attempted this Realm, I nearly failed due to a Heart Demon backlash."

She frowned slightly, seemingly recalling the peril of that time. "Remember, after taking the foundation establishment pill, the medicinal potency will spread like a raging torrent. You must use your Divine Thought as a guide, proceeding slowly and steadily. You absolutely must not be greedy for progress and forcefully compress the Qi vortex, or you will damage your Foundation and suffer the consequences."

She explained in great detail, even recounting how she had guided the medicinal potency step by step back then, and when the optimal time was to take the foundation establishment pill.

Lin Feng listened intently, committing these precious pieces of experience to memory, feeling a warm current flow through his heart.

Moved by genuine feeling, he stepped forward half a pace and gently grasped Senior Sister Xiao's wrist.

"Thank you, Senior Sister..." Before he could finish, he immediately felt the wrist beneath his palm tremble slightly.

Senior Sister Xiao stiffened as if struck by a faint electric current. An extremely faint blush instantly rose on her cool face, spreading all the way to the tips of her ears. She almost immediately withdrew her wrist, simultaneously shifting her gaze slightly away, no longer meeting Lin Feng's eyes.

"You... just remember it well."

Only then did Lin Feng react. Seeing his Senior Sister display such an uncharacteristic demeanor, he was momentarily stunned, feeling somewhat at a loss, and for a moment forgot what he was going to say next.

'Is Senior Sister... angry? Or...?' His thoughts raced, but he couldn't make head or tail of it. He only felt that the Senior Sister before him seemed somewhat different from usual, yet couldn't pinpoint exactly how.

Finally, Senior Sister Xiao's gaze flickered. "There is a Secret Valley in the Back Mountains of the Beast Taming Peak, a place where I usually cultivate in seclusion. It is rich in Spiritual Qi, extremely quiet, and completely free from outside disturbances..."

She paused briefly, her voice softening. "If you find the Sect's secret chamber inconvenient... you may go there for your seclusion. I could also... stand guard for you to some extent."

Hearing this, an awkward scene instantly flashed through Lin Feng's mind, his ears warming slightly as he shook his head.

He saw the corner of Senior Sister Xiao's mouth dip downward briefly, but it quickly returned to its usual cool composure.

Her nature was inherently proud. Seeing Lin Feng refuse, she didn't insist further, merely giving a light nod. "As you wish, then. The barriers to Foundation Establishment are formidable. You must guard your mind and spirit diligently, without a hint of impatience."

With that, she turned to leave.

Just as Lin Feng thought she would depart like that, she suddenly pivoted, her skirt hem brushing the ground like flowing clouds, stirring a wisp of cool breeze.

As she passed by his shoulder, her hand lifted in a light, fleeting motion. Lin Feng felt the faintest, almost imperceptible, gentle touch by his ear, carrying a subtle, cool fragrance.

"You must succeed," she said in a low voice. Without waiting for Lin Feng's response, she transformed into a stream of light and gracefully drifted into the distance.

Lin Feng raised his hand to lightly touch his hair, only then discovering that a strand, which she had quietly taken and meticulously woven with Spiritual Power, now rested there, swaying gently in the mountain breeze against his fingertips.

He stood rooted to the spot, unable to calm himself for a long time. Senior Sister Xiao, she... After a long while, he finally took a deep breath, suppressed all distracting thoughts, turned, and entered his Immortal Cave.

The stone door slowly closed.

Foundation Establishment, begins.

The secret chamber's stone door was tightly shut, sealing off the inside from the outside.

Lin Feng sat cross-legged on the stone bed, took a deep breath, and adjusted his condition to its Peak. Before him, arranged in a row, were four foundation establishment pills, five ice heart pills, and one blood origin pill.

Without hesitation, he placed the blood origin pill into his mouth.

The pill dissolved immediately upon entering his stomach. Lin Feng felt as if his entire body were immersed in a warm spring. The subtle, hard-to-detect hidden injuries to his Qi and blood left by the previous series of fierce battles were rapidly repaired under the nourishment of this medicinal potency.

An unprecedented sense of Perfection arose from the deepest parts of his body. His Qi and blood were abundant, his Foundation was stable, and his condition reached an unprecedented Peak.

'Now!' His gaze sharpened as he took out a foundation establishment pill and swallowed it.

The moment the pill dissolved, the sensation was completely different. Within just a few hours, Lin Feng felt a ball of raging fire burning hotter and hotter in his Dantian, yet his limbs were ice-cold, as if two flood dragons were violently clashing and tearing through his Meridians.

"Ugh!" Lin Feng grunted, fine beads of cold sweat instantly breaking out on his forehead. An intense feeling of swelling and pain came from his Meridians. Half his body felt as if plunged into an ice cellar, the other half as if thrown into a furnace. The alternating ice and fire were excruciating.

Gritting his teeth, relying on his powerful willpower, he painstakingly guided these two violent streams of medicinal potency, launching the first assault against the seemingly intangible,sturdy barrier between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment.

Boom.

The medicinal potency slammed fiercely against the invisible Bottleneck barrier. The barrier remained unmoved, but the recoil force churned his Qi and blood. Once, twice... No matter how he urged it on, the barrier showed no sign of loosening.

In the end, the vast medicinal potency gradually subsided, failing to break through the barrier. Instead, it transformed into extremely pure Spiritual Power, settling within his Qi Sea and Dantian. The total amount of his Spiritual Power had clearly increased by a significant margin, far surpassing that of an ordinary Qi Refining Perfection Cultivator. Yet, his Realm remained trapped in place.

'Failed...' Lin Feng opened his eyes, leaned against the wall for support, and struggled to his feet. A flicker of exhaustion passed through his eyes, but more prominent was unwillingness. 'Again.'

After a brief period of rest and Qi regulation, he swallowed another foundation establishment pill, supplemented by an ice heart pill.

The cool sensation brought by the ice heart pill slightly alleviated the pain of the ice-fireIntertwined, but the process of the medicinal potency impacting the Bottleneck was equally arduous.

His face was pale, his entire body trembling uncontrollably, drenched in sweat that soaked through his clothes.

That barrier remained assturdy as ever.

The medicinal potency settled once more, and his entire body felt pleasantly warm, comfortable in every way. The Spiritual Power within him had accumulated to a terrifying degree unimaginable for a Qi Refining Stage Cultivator, almost overflowing. His entire body pulsed with powerful Spiritual Pressure. Yet,But, he simply could not take that final step.

'Why? Why won't it work?'