50: Chapter 50: The Foundation of the Dao is Complete!

Inside a quiet Immortal Cave within the Blazing Fire Sect.

Qi Yun watched the spiritual light dissipate from his fingertips, his face showing little joy.

Chen Zifan's intention to kill with a borrowed knife was hardly disguised in the transmission, filled with urgency and greed.

Thinking carefully, he was merely a Core Disciple of the Blazing Fire Sect. To intercept and kill a Genius of the Tiangang Sect for a so-called "Opportunity" of unknown authenticity was simply too risky.

But at the thought of it being true—according to Chen Zifan, Su Yunling's eerie speed of cultivation improvement and her repeated excuses of "fortuitous encounters"—

He felt that she truly possessed a great treasure, and perhaps this risk was worth taking.

But the prerequisite was that he couldn't be the only one bearing the burden.

After long deliberation, he rose and left the Immortal Cave, heading straight for another, more grand courtyard.

"Senior Brother Zhang, Junior Brother Qi Yun requests an audience."

"Come in," a steady voice called out from within the courtyard.

Qi Yun pushed the door open and entered. In the courtyard, a tall youth was wiping a crimson long saber. Spiritual light flowed across the blade; it was clearly a high-grade magic tool of impressive quality.

This person was Zhang strong, one of the strongest among the Blazing Fire Sect's Core Disciples this time, at the Peak Tenth Layer Qi Refining.

"What is it, being so mysterious?" Zhang strong didn't even look up, continuing to wipe the blade with a piece of spirit silkworm cloth.

"Senior Brother, some interesting news has come from the Tiangang Sect's side." Qi Yun revealed Chen Zifan's entire plan, only omitting how he, a Blazing Fire Sect Disciple, had become acquainted with a Tiangang Sect Disciple. He focused on the abnormality of Su Yunling's soaring cultivation and the secrets she might be hiding.

Zhang strong's wiping motions stopped.

He looked up, his gaze sharp. "A female Disciple at the Peak of the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining? Are you sure she's worth us taking action?"

"Senior Brother, do not underestimate her," Qi Yun said with a solemn expression. "According to Chen Zifan's information, when this girl entered the Sect a few years ago, she was only at the Early Stage of the Qi Refining Fourth Layer. Now, she is already at the Peak of the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining."

Such speed is far too abnormal. He claimed with absolute certainty that her Foundation is solid and her combat strength far exceeds those of the same rank. Moreover, she possesses many Medicinal Pills and Talismans, as if someone outside the Sect is continuously supporting her from behind, or she has an extraordinary Opportunity."

"Oh?" Zhang strong became interested. "That is somewhat interesting. But how much of this Chen Zifan's words can be believed?"

"If we believe even half of it, it's enough for us to take a risk," Qi Yun said. "A High-Grade Spiritual Root, if she truly has a great Opportunity and is allowed to grow, will eventually become a disaster for our Blazing Fire Sect."

"We might as well use this martial gathering as an Opportunity to test the truth. If there really is a treasure, we two brothers will split it equally. If it's just a false alarm, at worst, we'll just drop the matter."

Zhang strong sheathed his long saber and stood up. "Very well. This matter should not be publicized. Once we reach the Qingxuan Sect, we'll see her first. If it's truly as you say, then we'll find an Opportunity to make her 'accidentally' disappear."

He paused, a cold light flashing in his eyes. "And that Chen Zifan. He can betray his own Sect members without hesitation; there's no guarantee he won't get desperate afterward and use this matter to blackmail us for benefits. Since this person is so greedy for that Opportunity, leaving him alive will ultimately be a disaster."

Qi Yun understood perfectly. "Senior Brother is right. Once the deed is done, we'll just settle him as well."

The two looked at each other, both seeing the undisguised greed and killing intent in each other's eyes.

...

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of miles away in Tianlan Province City.

Inside an Intermediate cultivation secret room priced at ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones per day, Su Chengyuan sat cross-legged.

The four walls of the secret room were built of obsidian to block Divine Sense, and the concentration of Spiritual Qi drawn in by the Formation was nearly three times that of the outside world.

He was in no hurry to swallow the Medicinal Pills. Instead, he first pressed the Jade Slip containing the Qingyuan Sword Art to his forehead.

A profound formula flooded into his mind.

Unlike the Qi Introduction Art, which could only be cultivated to Qi Refining Perfection, the circulation path of the Qingyuan Sword Art was more complex and demanded higher resilience from the Meridians.

Its core lay in transforming spiritual power into a type of "Qingyuan Sword Qi" characterized by sharpness and vitality.

The technique detailed various key points for breaking through to Foundation Establishment: compressing the Qi vortex, condensing Qi into liquid, and shaping the Dao Foundation.

Su Chengyuan pondered the technique three times until every detail was etched into his heart. Only then did he open his eyes and take out the jade bottle containing the three-veined supreme grade foundation establishment pill.

Opening the stopper, a fresh and exotic fragrance filled the air.

The pill, warm and moist as jade with three golden patterns naturally formed upon it, lay quietly in the bottle.

He did not hesitate and swallowed the pill in one gulp.

The pill melted upon entering his mouth, and an indescribable gentle warm current slid down his throat and into his belly.

In the next breath, this warm current exploded, turning into an incomparably majestic surge of energy that rushed toward his Dantian.

This energy was extremely pure, without a single trace of violence.

It actively merged into Su Chengyuan's limbs and bones, nourishing his Physical Body and Dantian.

"Buzz..."

Inside the Dantian, the spiritual power vortex that had long reached its limit and was spinning at high speed began to collapse inward under the guidance of this energy.

The massive gaseous spiritual power was continuously squeezed and condensed.

For an ordinary Cultivator, this process would be no less than a form of torture.

But Su Chengyuan felt only waves of pleasure, as if he were soaking in warm spiritual liquid.

The power transformed from the three golden pill veins on the medicine formed an invisible shield, isolating all risks of the Breakthrough and leaving only the purest baptism of energy.

One drop.

Two drops.

After an unknown amount of time, the vortex in the Dantian completely disappeared, replaced by a tiny "miniature lake" formed by dozens of drops of green spiritual liquid.

The Dao Foundation was formed!

Transforming Qi into liquid—this was the Foundation Establishment Stage!

With a thought from Su Chengyuan, an unprecedented sense of power surged into his heart.

If spiritual power in the Qi Refinement Stage was scattered, then in the Foundation Establishment Stage, it had undergone a world-shaking change in both quality and quantity.

He slowly opened his palm. The spiritual liquid in his Dantian rippled slightly, and a wisp of green Sword Qi flickered at his fingertips.

This Sword Qi was only an inch long, yet it emitted a startling sharpness that caused the surrounding air to let out a faint hiss.

What made him feel even more novel was a brand-new sensory ability that spread out in all directions with him as the center.

Within a radius of several hundred meters, except for those places shielded by Formations, everything around him was clearly presented in his "mind."

This was Divine Sense!

From now on, he was no longer a Qi Refining Cultivator who could only rely on his eyes, but a Foundation Establishment Venerable who had truly stepped into the halls of the immortal path, capable of riding a sword through the sky and observing hundreds of meters with Divine Sense!

Su Chengyuan did not immerse himself in this powerful feeling for too long.

He immediately began to circulate the methods of the Qingyuan Sword Art. The spiritual liquid in his Dantian began to move along a new path, bit by bit transforming into more condensed Qingyuan Sword Qi.

It took another few days for him to stabilize his Realm at the Early Foundation Establishment Stage.

Feeling the ceaseless surge of spiritual power within his body, he found himself with new worries.

His Cultivation Technique had changed and his Realm had risen, but his means of protection had not kept up.

first-tier spells like Sharp Gold Finger and Profound Ice Thorns not only had mismatched attributes but their power also lagged far behind the combat requirements of the Foundation Establishment Stage.

The Medium Grade magic tools, the water-severing sword and the black tortoise shield, would likely prove inadequate when facing Cultivators of the same rank.

He had to upgrade his equipment!