Chapter 17: Ancient and Modern Foundation Establishment

Xu Xing spotted Zhang Yunlu; she had also seen him standing at the counter upon entering.

Huh? Did I missee?

Already ran into him? Zhang Yunlu was stunned—last night she’d been tormented again by that vision, and this morning she’d inexplicably advanced to Qi Refining ninth layer.

So after breakfast, she came straight to the mall, hoping to check on the spiritual herbs for Foundation Establishment elixir, to prepare for the upcoming Foundation Establishment.

After hesitating for a few seconds, she walked up to Xu Xing.

“We meet again, little girl. Though I thought we’d cross paths again, I didn’t expect fate to bring us together so soon.”

“...I didn’t expect it either.” Zhang Yunlu paused. “Was that vision I see every night... your doing?”

“In a sense, yes. But witnessing a Great Dao-Union cultivator’s battle is also a rare opportunity for your current realm.” Xu Xing smiled. “So, any insights these past two days?”

“Insights? Does advancing to Qi Refining ninth layer count?”

“Hmm...”

Zhang Yunlu: “...”

Alright, no need to say anything further.

At that moment, the sales clerk emerged and handed Xu Xing the empty storage ring: “Sir, the spirit stones have been verified. Here is your storage ring.”

“Thank you.”

Xu Xing took the storage ring and casually tossed it over; Zhang Yunlu quickly caught it.

“You probably don’t have a space item yet—this one’s a gift.”

Zhang Yunlu froze. Was this the “fairly decent gift” he’d mentioned before?

The sales clerk watched, filled with envy—storage rings weren’t cheap, and the spirit stones inside had barely covered a fraction of the cost.

“Let’s go outside. Since I promised you a fairly decent gift, I won’t break my word.”

Huh? Wasn’t this the gift he meant?

Zhang Yunlu slipped on the storage ring and hurried after Xu Xing.

At the entrance, the two hostesses bowed slightly.

“Welcome back next time.”

Zhang Yunlu paid no attention to them; she followed Xu Xing, heart pounding with nervousness—and a flicker of excitement.

Not far from the mall, Xu Xing slowed his pace, walking beside her.

“To be honest, running into you here today caught me off guard.”

Off guard? “Don’t high-level cultivators usually divine fate?”

“Even they don’t divine constantly. And if you meet only because of divination, is that really ‘fate’?” Xu Xing chuckled lightly. “Back to the matter at hand: at your current realm, powerful magic treasures are useless—you can’t wield them. Let me explain how you should proceed in your cultivation.”

Zhang Yunlu listened intently.

“Since you’ve reached Qi Refining ninth layer, the next step is Foundation Establishment. Has your school told you about the tiers of Foundation Establishment?”

Tiers of Foundation Establishment... Zhang Yunlu thought briefly. “My teachers haven’t covered it yet, but I’ve heard there are three tiers.”

“The lowest tier: after Qi Refining seventh layer, you take a Barrier-Breaking Elixir. This foundation is shallow—some can’t even defeat a strong Qi Refining cultivator, and have no hope of advancing further. Hence, it’s called False Foundation Establishment.”

“The middle tier: after reaching Qi Refining ninth layer, you take Foundation Establishment Elixir or Foundation Establishment Pill. This is the current orthodox method.”

“The highest tier requires not only full spiritual power, but also swallowing a Spirit Storage Capsule before advancement, while using a Spiritual Energy Chamber to atomize and accelerate absorption of purified Foundation Establishment Elixir. Only when all three conditions are met is there a chance to forge a Superior Foundation.”

That was all she knew.

Xu Xing pondered.

False Foundation Establishment, Barrier-Breaking Elixir, Spirit Storage Capsule, Spiritual Energy Chamber, atomized purified Foundation Establishment Elixir?

Has Foundation Establishment evolved into such ‘scientific’ methods now? And Qi Refining seventh layer can already attempt Foundation Establishment? He’d never even heard of that before his seclusion.

“One seclusion, and the mortal world has changed drastically—many things now baffle me.” If Foundation Establishment has changed so much, what about the realms beyond? Have they also developed more scientific advancement methods?

“Let me tell you about the three types of Foundation Establishment I know—they differ from what you’ve heard.”

“The first type relies on external aids—like the Foundation Establishment Pill you mentioned.”

In ancient times, some sought celestial treasures, refined them into their foundation, or used a divine technique’s essence to forge Foundation Establishment—all counted as this type.

Their combat power was decent, but their methods were too limited, so they were abandoned long ago.

“The second type: gather solar essence, condense lunar radiance, refine starlight, purify bones and spiritual power, extract the divine essence from rare treasures of heaven and earth. When completed, the foundation is flawless—the Heavenly Formed Foundation.”

The Heavenly Formed Foundation, also called the Perfect Foundation, demands specific cultivation arts and an extremely perilous process.

Solar essence and lunar radiance are violently destructive to Qi Refining cultivators—mistake one step, and you die, your Dao extinguished.

“The third type: cultivate the Supreme Marvelous Art, grasp the rudiments of Principle, Law, and Intent, seize the creative power of heaven and earth. Upon completion, it grants unimaginable abilities—the Creation Foundation.”

Principle, Law, Intent.

These are realms only accessible after Dao-Union—how many great realms lie between Dao-Union and Foundation Establishment?

The difficulty goes without saying.

Thus, in the entire Tai Xuan Realm, few cultivators have ever forged the third type of foundation.

Seizing heaven and earth’s creation, invading the mysteries of sun and moon.

In legend, this was the Immortality Art passed by Patriarch Bodhi to the Great Sage Equaling Heaven.

When its method was first created, it drew some inspiration from that—but its profundity was certainly inferior.

Zhang Yunlu sat frozen after hearing Xu Xing.

Both were three tiers of Foundation Establishment, yet the gap between ancient and modern was staggering! Why was her knowledge so different? “Don’t overthink it. If I’m right, your school fears you’ll reach too high—not deliberately hiding anything.”

Even the divine techniques of the Seven Immortal Sects are in high school libraries—how could they deliberately conceal a Foundation Establishment method?

Though the human race in today’s Tai Xuan Realm has many cultivators, high-level cultivators are still far too few.

“The cultivation system improves with each generation—it will only get better. The methods I described may already be outdated. I suggest you report your realm to your school.”

Xu Xing was confident, but never arrogant—he never underestimated the wisdom of cultivators everywhere.

The two had now reached the mall’s entrance.

A young man in black sportswear and sunglasses entered the mall, followed by two bald, muscular men in suits.

They passed each other; Xu Xing and Zhang Yunlu left the mall.

The young man removed his sunglasses upon entering and turned to give orders: “Split up. Buy everything quickly.”

“Yes!”

One man headed left; the young man ascended to the second floor.

“Sigh~ I’m so unlucky.”

He was deeply frustrated.

He’d only come to forge a sword, yet kept stumbling into one headache after another.

First, a cultivator emerged from seclusion; then he encountered a demonic elder forging the Ten Thousand Souls Banner—yet the banner failed, the elder vanished, and even a later-appearing Dao-Union demon lord lost an arm.

The tiny Xuan Sword City had inexplicably become a focal point for powerful figures.

When those two brothers warned him, he’d wanted to flee this hellhole too!

But he couldn’t escape—the Dao-Union demon lord who lost his arm was watching him, and now he had to gather spiritual herbs and beast essences to heal the demon’s wound.

Damn it!

What kind of mess is this?! (End of Chapter)