Chapter 133, Foundation Establishment

Translator: Raznick

 

During Zhou Daoyi’s absence from Mist Province, quite a few things had occurred.

 

Mu Clan’s annihilation came as a shock.

 

Had it not been for Zhou Mingde, a pillar of strength within the Zhou Clan, he might have requested a replacement to return.

 

The intense battles he had undergone in Cloud Province had given him a profound sense of crisis regarding the current situation.

 

He knew that the Zhou Clan needed a surge in overall strength to maintain stability and pursue development amidst this complex situation.

 

Therefore, upon returning with the Foundation Establishment Pill, his first priority was to have Zhou Chun enter seclusion and dedicate himself to cultivating in preparation for Foundation Establishment.

 

With two Foundation Establishment Pills, as long as Zhou Chun’s luck wasn’t abysmal, Foundation Establishment was a certainty.

 

If, by chance, he succeeded with only one Foundation Establishment Pill, the extra one would provide another opportunity to create a Foundation Establishment cultivator for the Zhou Clan!

 

Although Zhou Chun didn’t understand why Zhou Daoyi was so eager for him to reach Foundation Establishment, since it was a command from the Clan Leader and beneficial to him, he certainly wouldn’t object.

 

Thus, after handing over a few clan affairs to Zhou Daoyi, he returned to his residence to concentrate on cultivation.

 

Of course, Zhou Chun couldn’t dedicate all of his time to cultivation.

 

The remaining time was spent contemplating what path to take after Foundation Establishment.

 

When Zhou Daoyi had him enter seclusion to Foundation Establish, he also had a copy of Detailed Explanation of Foundation Establishment brought from the library, compiled by senior cultivators of the Zhou Clan specifically for fresh Foundation Establishment cultivators.

 

The book detailed the path beyond Foundation Establishment, including a selection of cultivation methods, elective skills, the secret arts to prioritize during cultivation, and various ways to improve oneself.

 

It didn’t claim to cover every possible scenario for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but it was certain to put those who read it on the right track, saving them from numerous detours and mistakes, and giving them more opportunities to advance to the Violet Palace.

 

Therefore, although this book wasn’t a cultivation method or a secret art, it wasn’t something that cultivators below Foundation Establishment could peruse.

 

Originally, Zhou Chun should have waited until he reached Foundation Establishment before reading this book.

 

However, Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi was confident that he would reach Foundation Establishment, so he let him read it early, believing that this would help him make choices more quickly after reaching that stage.

 

Truthfully, after reading this book, Zhou Chun’s horizons expanded, and he gained a great deal of useful knowledge.

 

However, he immediately faced a dilemma.

 

There were so many choices to be made!

 

And once choices were made, it was almost impossible to change course; doing so would be incredibly difficult.

 

This made Zhou Chun prone to staring blankly at the sky during the many days he had free.

 

And apart from the various choices that Zhou Chun needed to make after his own Foundation Establishment, he also had one more thing to worry about: the ascension of the Rock Turtle and the Silver Thunder Python to the second-grade.

 

The Silver Thunder Python was an average demon beast, so there was no bottleneck during its ascension to the second-grade.

 

However, if it were to grow normally, the time span from a superior first-grade demon beast to a second-grade demon beast would be lengthy.

 

To help it ascend to second-grade faster, it would be necessary to prepare some rare pills and spirit treasures.

 

The Rock Turtle was a lesser demon beast. Although it had once used a Yellow Field Rock to purify its bloodline, further bloodline ascension and evolution into an average demon beast would still require the assistance of some special spirit treasures.

 

Those special spiritual items were quite expensive and difficult to find.

 

Though Zhou Chun now possessed a considerable fortune, supporting these two spirit pets to reach second-grade would likely deplete a large portion of his assets.

 

This was fortunate, as he was able to acquire cultivation methods and artifacts without needing to spend money after reaching Foundation Establishment.

 

Otherwise, if he were simply a rogue cultivator, even if he accumulated tens of thousands of spirit coins, they would quickly vanish after Foundation Establishment.

 

Earning a great deal and spending just as much was a normal occurrence in Foundation Establishment.

 

“So, it really boils down to money.

 

“If I could earn ten times as much as other cultivators of the same level after Foundation Establishment, I’d have many more choices and wouldn’t have to agonize over which to pick.

 

“If I could earn dozens of times more than other cultivators of the same level, I could confidently say I want them all and have the financial backing to support it.”

 

In the courtyard, Zhou Chun looked up at the sky, murmuring to himself.

 

He understood the underlying truth.

 

Money certainly wasn’t everything in the cultivation world.

 

Money also couldn’t allow cultivators to do as they please.

 

But for cultivators below the Golden Core Stage, having spirit coins that allowed them to spend freely could solve most of the problems and annoyances.

 

Whether it was artifacts, pills, talismans, or secret arts cultivation methods, those things could all be bought with spirit coins.

 

Once, a senior cultivator said that even a pig, if one were willing to spend unlimited spirit coins on it, could be raised to a third-grade demon beast!

 

Despite how absurd it sounded, it emphasized the truth about money.

 

But how easy was it to make money?

 

People who earned money ten times better than their peers were incredibly rare in the cultivation world!

 

They were largely one in one thousand!

 

And those who were dozens of times better? It was probably one out of ten thousand.

 

Because the demand for money was so great, after Foundation Establishment, o wne would attempt to cultivate one or two professions to earn some extra money.

 

After all, raw materials weren’t expensive, and low-grade materials were easy for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to obtain.

 

Being able to produce and sell on one’s own was also quite good.

 

But profession also required talent and perception and occupied a lot of the cultivator’s time and energy, so it was not something everyone learned and did well.

 

However, if one truly had the talent to cultivate any one of alchemy, artifacts, talismans, and arrays to a high level, the ability to earn money exceeded that of ordinary peers.

 

Like a cultivating clan such as the Alchemy Li Clan, the amount of spirit coins that an alchemy master earned for the clan in a year reached half the clan’s income!

 

Calling them walking and talking minting machines wasn’t far-fetched.

 

“I have a purification stone jar; once I reach Foundation Establishment and master the method of purifying the inner Savage Qi of spiritual objects, I can use it as a cover and try to sell large quantities of purified herbs!

 

“Moreover, with this treasure in hand, I can also venture alone to foreign, desolate wildernesses to hunt demons and gather herbs and stay in the wilderness for a long time without worrying about replenishing spiritual power.

 

“And because I possess the advantage of purifying Savage Qi, I can also master the four professions at the lowest cost and obtain more practice materials.

 

“I also have clan support. As long as I occupy a high position within the clan, I can completely use the clan’s savings to help me purchase certain important things when it comes to the crucial moment!”

 

Zhou Chun pondered over his methods of earning a living, feeling that his advantages compared to other cultivators were still very significant.

 

If that were the case, the choices could be broadened a little, which wouldn’t be a bad thing.

 

After all, one always had to have dreams, didn’t they!

 

Thinking this, he began to study the book again.

 

Five months later, with the help of the Golden Bud Pill’s potency, Zhou Chun finally managed to open and connect the last three acupoints, and all one hundred and eight acupoints throughout his body were completely opened.

 

His spiritual power had already reached the limit attainable by a Qi Refining cultivator, and he could no longer make any progress.

 

If he wanted to go further, he had to reach Foundation Establishment.

 

Just as he was about to go and see Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi, Zhou Daoyi simply asked him a few questions and then immediately took out two vials: “You can take these two Foundation Establishment Pills, and don’t worry about anything while you go into seclusion and reach Foundation Establishment.”

 

“Yes, I will certainly live up to the Clan Leader’s expectations!”

 

Zhou Chun took a deep breath and, without hesitation, accepted the two Foundation Establishment Pills and put them into his storage bag, his tone very serious.

 

Then, he entered the secret chamber specially used for the clan’s Foundation Establishment on Pagoda Peak, accompanied by Zhou Daoyi’s personal escort.

 

The secret chamber used for Foundation Establishment was in an excellent location, directly on the main spiritual vein of the Nine Peaks, and the spiritual energy was very abundant.

 

And this place was exceptionally quiet, with a separate isolating array erected outside the secret chamber.

 

Once inside the chamber, activating the array would ensure that any fights or skirmishes happening outside would be completely muted.

 

Zhou Chun shut the thick stone door behind him, locking it from the inside.

 

He took out the Sun Augite and placed it on a lamp stand within the room, illuminating the stone chamber, which was roughly three to four hundred square feet in size.

 

Inside the stone chamber, there was a desk and a bookcase, displaying insights and experiences left behind by those who had already reached Foundation Establishment.

 

There was also a low platform crafted from glacial jade.

 

Glacial jade was a spiritual jade, and when crafted into a bed, it would provide cultivators with a calming effect, assisting in mental focus while they meditate.

 

For the first half-month, Zhou Chun spent his time inside the secret chamber simply meditating to regulate his spiritual power and vitality and reading those insights left behind by previous Foundation Establishment practitioners.

 

When he was hungry, he took a fasting pill, and when thirsty, he used his own arts to gather freshwater. When tired, he would simply rest on the glacial jade.

 

Reaching optimal condition two weeks later, he then settled into a cross-legged position on the glacial jade and took out a Foundation Establishment Pill, placing it into his mouth.

 

Foundation Establishment was a mysterious process.

 

Aside from unexpected factors, the primary obstacles preventing a cultivator from reaching Foundation Establishment were the spirit root, the cultivator’s mindset and willpower, and their physical state.

 

A cultivator with a better spirit root was more likely to reach Foundation Establishment.

 

If a cultivator had an upper-grade spirit root, taking a Foundation Establishment Pill increased the likelihood of reaching Foundation Establishment to over fifty percent.

 

However, the rate at which those with an average spirit root could reach Foundation Establishment after taking a Foundation Establishment Pill was only around thirty to forty percent.

 

As for those with inferior spirit roots, the success rate would be even lower.

 

The underlying reason was simple.

 

The better a cultivator’s spirit root, the fewer impurities they had within their body, and most of the Foundation Establishment Pill was to help cultivators eliminate those impurities.

 

It was rumored that above the superior spirit roots, there was another heavenly spirit root qualification. Such people could even reach Foundation Establishment without needing a Foundation Establishment Pill to begin with!

 

However, cultivators with such spirit roots were so rare that even a major sect like Green Lotus Monastery only saw one appear every hundred years.

 

The Zhou Clan had maintained its legacy for over seventeen hundred years, yet had never produced a cultivator with such a spirit root.

 

Compared to the importance of spirit root, the cultivator’s mental fortitude and willpower had a somewhat lesser impact on reaching Foundation Establishment.

 

Once a cultivator in the Twelfth Layer of the Qi Refinement Stage began attempting Foundation Establishment, illusions would manifest in their mind, attempting to confuse the cultivator. If the cultivator couldn’t discern these illusions and allow their consciousness to transcend them, they would ultimately exhaust their spirit within endless illusions and crumble.

 

Those with stronger mental fortitude would dispel the illusions faster, preventing them from exhausting too much focus and wasting the potency of the Foundation Establishment Pill.

 

As for the physical condition, if a cultivator’s age wasn’t seventy or eighty—when vitality began to diminish, or meridians began to atrophy—or if they hadn’t suffered an injury that couldn’t be fully healed, it wouldn’t have much of an impact.

 

Zhou Chun’s spirit root was average.

 

After taking the Foundation Establishment Pill, he soon felt its effects on his body.

 

A sensation of numbness and itchiness arose from his very bones, making him feel extremely uncomfortable all over.

 

This situation had been recorded long ago in the Foundation Establishment insights of senior cultivators, so he wasn’t panicking at all. He silently circulated his cultivation method, absorbing the cool, chilling energy emanating from the jade beneath him.

 

It helped suppress the prickly sensation, easing its intensity to a more bearable level.

 

At this point, Zhou Chun’s skin, already stripped of all clothing, showed a faint grayish-white substance seeping out.

 

This was the impurities within a cultivator’s body, something that hindered a cultivator’s longevity and advancement.

 

The records contained little description of this substance, only stating that it was a congenital impurity formed within the human body.

 

This process of removing the impurities was exceptionally slow, taking a full seven days and nights before the impurities ceased to seep out of Zhou Chun’s body.

 

This didn’t mean that he had completely removed all impurities; it simply meant that the potency of the Foundation Establishment Pill could only eliminate them to this extent.

 

Generally, when the potency of a Foundation Establishment Pill no longer eliminated impurities within a cultivator’s body, it also signified that the cultivator could begin Foundation Establishment.

 

Therefore, Zhou Chun quickly calmed his mind and spirit, entering the next stage.

 

The true Foundation Establishment stage.

 

Boom!

 

As if touching a forbidden object, darkness clouded Zhou Chun’s mind, and when he regained consciousness, he found himself naked and bound to a pillar, while another version of himself watched him coldly, wielding a spiked iron whip.

 

“Outsider, did you ever imagine that after years of walking the cultivation world under my identity, you would fall into my hands today?

 

“Tell me, what should I do to you to vent my ire?”

 

The voice filled with hatred came from that version of himself, and the iron whip in his hand also lashed out at Zhou Chun.

 

The sharp pain caused Zhou Chun to cry out, having never endured such agony.

 

“Painful? It better be! Feel it, savor it! Hahahaha…”

 

Manic laughter mingled with Zhou Chun’s cries of pain, filling the air.

 

Under the intense pain, Zhou Chun felt as if his consciousness was about to be torn apart.

 

He was filled with panic, unsure how the he that was beating him was still alive.

 

[Could it be that his remnant soul never dispersed but remained hidden within my mind?]

 

Zhou Chun thought in terror, then endured another lash, causing him to emit another shrill cry.

 

As this thought occurred to him, he couldn’t help but continue to ponder it, and the fear in his heart deepened further.

 

At the same time, the pain from the iron whip’s strikes intensified, even making it impossible for Zhou Chun to think any further.

 

“Wait, can you stop and let me explain?”

 

He struggled to cry out, hoping to halt the other person.

 

But what greeted him was the rapidly enlarging iron whip, striking straight toward his face.

 

No explanation was needed, as if all he wanted to do was vent his resentment. No matter how much Zhou Chun screamed and cried, the iron whip never stopped.

 

After an unknown amount of time, he realized something was amiss.

 

How could he have been beaten for so long, only to consistently feel pain and weakness, without his soul showing any obvious damage?

 

“I understand! You aren’t some remnant soul; you’re nothing but a false, defiling thought!”

 

A cry of surprised excitement burst from Zhou Chun’s mouth, and then he ignored the iron whip lashing towards him, no longer feeling any fear or apprehension, facing it head-on.

 

For a moment, it felt like a gentle breeze, and the iron whip and darkness quickly dissipated. Zhou Chun’s Divine Sense returned to the seclusion chamber.

 

“Damn! The Foundation Establishment Pill’s potency has faded considerably!”

 

With his consciousness clear, Zhou Chun inwardly examined himself, and his mood plummeted, sensing something amiss.

 

The Foundation Establishment Pill’s potency was already consumed substantially to eliminate the impurities within him.

 

And he didn’t know how long he had been trapped in the illusion, relying on the Foundation Establishment Pill’s potency to compensate for the spiritual deficit.

 

Now, the remaining potency was dwindling.

 

But even so, Zhou Chun could only grit his teeth and continue.

 

He saw his Divine Sense control wisps of hazy spiritual power flowing into his Dantian through the acupoints, forcibly fusing them into a larger wisp of spiritual power, and then attempting to form a cyclone.

 

Even after consuming the Heart Soul Fruit, his Divine Sense was far stronger than a typical Twelfth Layer of Qi Refining Stage cultivator, making this task difficult.

 

Each time the cyclone failed, the forcibly fused spiritual power would scatter and collide within the Dantian, causing considerable impact on the acupoint.

 

It was only because the Foundation Establishment Pill’s potency formed a protective membrane within the acupoints that he could continue.

 

In this way, once Zhou Chun truly formed the cyclone and used its rotation to draw spiritual power from the meridians and other acupoints, the cyclone would grow larger and larger.

 

At this point, a remarkably peculiar scene appeared.

 

Initially, the sensation within the Dantian felt like a tiny cavity, but as the air swirled, the space inside gradually expanded, as if something was being scattered.

 

Almost there!

 

Upon sensing this, Zhou Chun realized he needed to proceed to the final, and most dangerous, step.

 

He concentrated his Divine Sense on the air swirling within the Dantian and suddenly condensed it into an invisible pillar, reversing its direction.

 

As a result, the air swirled violently under his manipulation, showing signs of instability, and frightened him into slowing his movements.

 

Once the air swirl’s rotation stabilized, he continued to manipulate it in reverse.

 

However, after trying this a dozen times, a single mistake caused the swirl to suddenly explode outwards, transforming into countless gusts of air and rushing in all directions.

 

A surge of excruciating pain erupted from Zhou Chun’s abdomen, so intense he nearly fainted.

 

Once the pain subsided, he discovered with disappointment that his first attempt at Foundation Establishment had completely failed.

 

The protective membrane formed by the Foundation Establishment Pill had been utterly shattered in the surge of spiritual power earlier.

 

Fortunately, that protective membrane shielded him; otherwise, his Dantian would have shattered, his cultivation ruined.