30: Dao Jicheng

A mouthful of sweetness surged up his throat, but he forcibly swallowed it down.

His internal organs felt as if they had been crushed into fragments by an invisible hand; the sensation in his back wasn't pain, but a numbness like bones ground into powder.

He didn't look back.

Nor did he need to.

The violent impact that had sent him flying now became his final booster for escape.

The last Divine Movement Talisman was burning, propelling his speed to an unprecedented extreme.

Behind him, the Ink Jade Profound Serpent's roar stretched into a long, venomous tremor in the night.

Lu Yuan's figure transformed into a phantom in the dense forest.

Each breath filled his lungs with the metallic taste of blood.

He had to find a place.

An absolutely safe place where he could complete the most important transformation of his life.

When the roar behind him was finally swallowed completely by the night wind, he almost instinctively, at an inconspicuous mountain wall, crashed into the darkness obscured by vines.

An underground grotto.

The entrance was narrow, but the interior was dry and spacious, and he could even feel a faint airflow from the other end.

An excellent hiding spot.

Lu Yuan did not treat his injuries immediately.

Dragging his almost shattered body, he set up three layers of warning Formations and two layers of defensive Formations at the critical points between the entrance and the interior of the grotto.

With each Formation Flag he placed, a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

After completing all of this, his taut nerves finally relaxed, and he silently slid to the ground, leaning against the cold rock wall.

He took out three jade bottles and one Medicinal Pill from his Storage Pouch.

The dust cleansing flower, with petals like snow, emitted a fragrance that somewhat calmed his surging Qi and blood.

The immaculate spring, with crystal-clear water, had a pure aura that seemed to directly cleanse the fatigue of his Divine Soul.

The spirit condensing grass, with vibrant green leaves, glowed with a reassuring light.

Finally, there was the foundation establishment pill; its medicinal aroma was almost tangible, and the energy it contained was violent yet alluring.

Lu Yuan followed the plan provided by the Exchange and first ingested the dust cleansing flower.

A clear chill swept through his limbs and bones; the impurities in his Spiritual Root were stripped away and purified by an invisible force, making his Meridians clearer than ever before.

Next, the immaculate spring.

The spring water entered his mouth, transforming into an extremely pure warm current that washed over his damaged Physical Body and torn Meridians, cleansing away the last traces of flaws and hidden injuries.

Finally, the spirit condensing grass.

His Divine Soul was enveloped layer by layer by a warm power, becoming tranquil and resilient, overlooking his Physical Body that was about to undergo transformation.

All preparations were complete.

Lu Yuan placed the foundation establishment pill into his mouth.

Boom!

A massive medicinal power, far exceeding his imagination, exploded within his Dantian.

It wasn't a warm current, but an erupting volcano, a surging river of lava!

He guided this violent torrent, launching the most decisive assault against the invisible barrier between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment.

Once.

Twice.

His Meridians were forcibly widened amidst intense pain, and his Dantian expanded wildly at the brink of tearing.

Just at this moment, outside the grotto, the weather changed dramatically.

The Spiritual Qi within a radius of several tens of miles transformed into visible white Qi waves, wildly pouring into the grotto where Lu Yuan was located.

Above the grotto, a massive Spiritual Qi vortex was forming in the sky.

A dazzling pillar of Spiritual Qi shot up from the center of the vortex, forcefully piercing through the clouds in the night sky.

Tens of miles away, a wolf demon that was absorbing Demonic Qi under the moonlight suddenly looked up, its huge wolf eyes reflecting the pillar of light, filled with greed and apprehension.

On another mountaintop, a meditating Cultivator suddenly opened his eyes, gazing at the pillar of light, his face filled with shock.

"This is... someone forming Foundation Establishment here? What a terrifying display!"

Just as this heaven-shaking phenomenon was about to attract countless gazes, dark clouds gathered at an unnatural speed high in the sky.

A ghastly white lightning bolt tore through the entire night sky.

[Option contract executed: Breakthrough phenomenon concealed by natural celestial phenomena.]

Rumble—!

Deafening thunder drowned out all other sounds in the world.

Torrential rain poured down, and strong winds howled, perfectly concealing the astonishing pillar of Spiritual Qi within this sudden thunderstorm.

The Cultivator looked again; in his sight, there was only lightning and thunder, no trace of the sky-piercing pillar of light.

He shook his head, assuming it was just the lightning dazzling his eyes and that he had seen wrong.

Inside the grotto, Lu Yuan was completely unaware of everything outside.

The Bottleneck within his body, under the endless rush of Spiritual Qi, finally emitted a clear, crisp sound of shattering.

The originally gaseous spiritual power condensed and compressed at an astonishing speed, transforming into drop after drop of heavy and pure liquid spiritual power.

His Dantian, at this moment, was completely reshaped, becoming a vast Qi Sea.

In the center of the Qi Sea, countless drops of liquid spiritual power swirled and converged, and finally, a perfect Dao foundation, crystal clear and shimmering with a faint precious light, slowly took shape.

Foundation Establishment, achieved!

Lu Yuan suddenly opened his eyes.

The world was already different.

His Divine Sense spread out like invisible tentacles, easily covering a radius of ten miles.

Every blade of grass, every tree, every insect, every ant, was within his mind.

He could "see" the pricked ears of a wild rabbit several miles away, and "hear" the slight tremor of a leaf vein when raindrops fell on it.

The spiritual power within his body, both in terms of purity and total quantity, had undergone a qualitative leap.

This was the flawless Dao foundation.

At this very moment, the cold notification sound from the Exchange echoed in his mind.

[Congratulations, your transaction Rank has been upgraded to 'Major Account Holder's Seat'!]

[New authority unlocked: Event Target Trading.]

[You can now trade 'event outcomes' of a larger scope and longer duration, such as 'First Place in the Qingyun Sect Entrance Competition' or 'Outcome of the Great Gan Dynasty's Southern Campaign', etc.]

A deep, unfathomable glint appeared in Lu Yuan's eyes.

If before, he was just a retail investor looking for opportunities in the streets and alleys.

Then from today onwards, he finally had the qualification to cast his gaze upon those truly vast chessboards... Several days later.

Lu Yuan had thoroughly consolidated his Early Stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, changed into an inconspicuous gray Daoist robe, altered his appearance, and silently returned to Danyang City.

As soon as he stepped through the city gate, the bronze token in his Pregnant, which represented his status as a reserve member of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, suddenly emitted a very subtle vibration.

A cold message, crossing the barrier of space, was directly imprinted in his mind.

It was from Qingniao.

"Target 'Ye Chen' has arrived in Danyang City and is currently in the City Lord's Manor, secretly meeting with Chen Changqing!"