Chapter 307: Foundation Establishment Completion

Qin Ming put away the jade slip, then silently pondered his next plans.

'Now that the elixir formula is in hand, this 'Yu Changqing' alias can be discarded.'

'But I must proceed naturally—cannot let Xuanxi Valley sense anything amiss.'

'Liang State's cultivation resources are abundant; better to gather all materials needed for Core Formation elixir before returning to Wei State.'

'I already possess the spiritual seeds of the two hardest main ingredients—the Flame-Bathed Golden Lotus and the Still You True Yin Flower. According to the formula, I still lack thirty-four auxiliary materials, including over a dozen third-rank spiritual items.'

'Moreover, I can now investigate the hidden location of the Gouyu Golden Mirror's spirit, as recorded in the Bronze Mirror.'

'But the beast tide has begun again—better to hold position and observe for now.'

After careful thought, Qin Ming had already decided his next steps.

During this time, his cultivation had not lagged; under the enhancement of the Ancient Wood Evergreen Body, even with only a second-rank upper-grade spirit vein, he stood on the brink of breaking through to Foundation Establishment completion.

Time passed; spring gave way to winter.

It had been exactly one year since Qin Ming joined Xuanxi Valley.

The purple-crystal rice and second-rank spiritual herbs in the Jade Bamboo Grove had all fully matured.

Today was the day to submit the guest elder's task at the Small Spirit Mountain herb garden.

Qin Ming summoned Yan Ruyan and ordered her to harvest all the spiritual rice.

Under his guidance, this year's purple-crystal spiritual rice yield was remarkable—thirty-five shi in total.

Qin Ming himself collected the second-rank spiritual herbs planted before his wooden hut.

He also harvested several 【Ripen】 entries along the way.

'Elder Yu, if there's nothing else, I'll return to the Affairs Hall to submit my task.'

Having harvested the rice, Yan Ruyan felt a great weight lift—after a full year of labor, she could finally claim her reward.

'Hmm, wait.' Qin Ming called her to a stop, his tone indifferent.

Yan Ruyan froze in place, unsure what Elder Yu wanted—had he been dissatisfied with her performance this year? The thought made her tense again.

But the next moment—

Qin Ming took one shi of the purple-crystal rice from the pile and handed it to her. 'This is your due reward.'

Yan Ruyan stared, unable to believe it.

A faint warmth stirred in her heart. Though Elder Yu was often cold and distant, he had guided her generously.

Without his help, how could she have ever grown such a bountiful harvest of purple-crystal rice?

In this regard, she deeply respected Elder Yu.

Yan Ruyan respectfully accepted the purple-crystal rice, bit her red lip, and bowed deeply. 'Thank you, Elder Yu, for your generosity!'

'You earned it. That's all. Go now.' Qin Ming said coolly.

…

At the peak of Small Spirit Mountain.

Qin Ming, carrying the rice and herbs, headed for the herb garden's Affairs Hall to submit his task.

On the way, he saw the rotund Di Shan waddling toward him, belly bulging.

Di Shan's face was flushed—clearly, his harvest had been good. He grinned at Qin Ming. 'Elder Yu, your yield decent? Enough to meet the sect's quota?'

'Average.' Qin Ming replied flatly.

Di Shan smirked. 'Hmph! This year, I harvested thirty shi of spiritual rice, twelve second-rank low-grade herbs, and one high-quality second-rank mid-grade spiritual plant.'

'More than enough to fulfill the guest elder task, heh!'

Qin Ming ignored him. The two entered the herb garden's hall, one behind the other.

Several others were already waiting inside; Xu Elder sat at the head of the hall.

Once all were present, each guest elder stepped forward to submit their rice and herbs, while a dedicated clerk recorded each entry.

After submitting his task, Di Shan received over two thousand contribution points and raised his chin smugly toward Qin Ming.

After the other guest elders submitted their yields, it was finally Qin Ming's turn.

'Guest Elder Yu Changqing: thirty shi of purple-crystal spiritual rice, sixteen second-rank low-grade herbs, and one supreme-grade second-rank mid-grade spiritual plant.'

The clerk announced Qin Ming's harvest slowly, before all assembled.

That single plant alone surpassed every other herb submitted by everyone else.

Even Xu Elder at the head of the hall showed a rare look of satisfaction upon hearing 'supreme-grade second-rank mid-grade spiritual plant.'

'Impossible?!'

Di Shan, nearby, widened his eyes in disbelief.

He'd seen 'Yu Changqing' slacking off—three days fishing, two days sunbathing—how could this old man have grown a supreme-grade second-rank mid-grade herb? Was he trying to cheat by buying one? But that made no sense—supreme-grade second-rank mid-grade herbs were expensive, and no one could fake them under Xuanxi Valley's watch.

Di Shan seethed in frustration, watching helplessly as 'Yu Changqing' received over five thousand contribution points—more than double his own.

At that moment—

Yu Changqing turned and gave him a knowing smile. Di Shan's face turned as dark as spilled soy sauce, twisted with shock.

After all guest elders submitted their tasks, Xu Elder offered a few words of encouragement, then dismissed the gathering.

On his way back, Qin Ming was surprised—Xu Elder had been unusually generous, awarding him over five thousand contribution points at once.

'Five thousand contribution points—I'm leaving Xuanxi Valley soon. Might as well spend them.'

He flew toward Qianyuan Peak.

Inside the Affairs Hall, the same middle-aged cultivator greeted him. 'Elder Yu, have you come to post a task?'

'I'm here to exchange for cultivation resources. What's available?' Qin Ming asked.

The middle-aged cultivator immediately pulled out a jade slip and explained: 'Different amounts of contribution points yield different resources. Take a look.'

Qin Ming took the jade slip and examined it.

Xuanxi Valley, as Liang State's top sect, had extraordinary depth—so long as one had enough contribution points, even Core Formation materials and Jin Dan elixirs could be exchanged.

But such restricted resources required not only core disciple status or higher, but also a minimum of a hundred thousand contribution points.

Unless one had made monumental contributions to the sect and earned a place in its annals, it was unthinkable.

After scanning the jade slip, Qin Ming's gaze settled on the resources obtainable with five thousand contribution points.

After a moment, his eyes brightened—he had found what he wanted.

'I'll take this: one drop of Fiery Yang Spiritual Milk.'

The receptionist blinked, then offered a cautious warning: 'Elder Yu, Fiery Yang Spiritual Milk is meant to enhance Foundation Establishment completion cultivators' magic power. If your cultivation base is insufficient, it will burn your meridians—counterproductive.'

'No concern. I have other uses for it.' Qin Ming replied coolly.

'Ah… I see.'

'Elder Yu, wait a moment—I'll send someone to retrieve it from the vault.'

The middle-aged cultivator took Qin Ming's elder token and deducted five thousand contribution points.

Moments later, an attendant handed Qin Ming a pale green jade vial.

Qin Ming put away the vial and left the Affairs Hall.

'Elder Yu is truly generous—spending so many contribution points at once!' the middle-aged cultivator murmured, watching Qin Ming's retreating figure.

…

Qin Ming himself was surprised by this unexpected gain.

'With this drop of spiritual milk, perhaps I can attempt to break through to Foundation Establishment completion.'

Half a month later.

Qin Ming casually accepted a patrol task on the main peak and slipped out of Xuanxi Valley.

He mounted his Silver-Winged Frost Bee and flew straight to Moyuan Xiancheng. There, he used True Demon Illusion to disguise himself as a late-stage Foundation Establishment hermit, rented a third-rank low-grade spirit vein cave, and prepared to break through in secret.

He released his three spiritual pets to guard him.

Then he took out the drop of Fiery Yang Spiritual Milk and swallowed it in one gulp.

BOOM! A searing torrent exploded within his body.

Qin Ming's extraordinary physical strength meant the milk would not burn his meridians.

He immediately activated the Ancient Wood Evergreen Technique, guiding the milk's energy through his meridians in a full circuit.

Soon, the green liquid magic power in his dantian began circulating along its prescribed path.

The silver runes of the Ancient Wood Evergreen Body appeared on his forehead.

Above, a vast vortex of spiritual energy formed, rushing into Qin Ming's body.

These ambient spiritual energies, transformed by his body, became pure green liquid magic power, flowing into his sea of magic power.

This celestial phenomenon naturally drew the attention of nearby cultivators in the city.

'Look! Someone is breaking through!'

'The scale of spiritual energy—this is a Foundation Establishment completion breakthrough!'

'Gah! Is Moyuan Xiancheng about to gain another Foundation Establishment completion master?'

'Seems so. Wonder which elder it is.'

'Let's go pay a visit later.'

Moyuan Xiancheng's spirit vein environment was excellent; cultivators rented caves to break through every year. The locals weren't surprised.

Still, those who succeeded in reaching Foundation Establishment completion remained exceedingly rare.

They watched with envy, whispering among themselves—whose ancestral elder had gained the opportunity to break through?

Inside the cave.

BOOM! Qin Ming's sea of magic power reached its limit, then surged outward, expanding more than double its size.

A massive surge of magic power suddenly descended into the cave dwelling, resonating with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

"Finally, Foundation Establishment is complete!"

"This Fiery Sun Spirit Milk is truly a unique heavenly treasure of the Xu Xi Valley!"

Qin Ming opened his pitch-black eyes, and two emerald-green beams of light gradually retracted within them.

His breakthrough to Foundation Establishment completion came as naturally as water flowing downhill, with virtually no bottleneck whatsoever.

Qin Ming felt the immense magic power within him—equal to that of a Golden Core early-stage elder—and could hardly contain his joy.

His lifespan increased once more by fifty years.

His spiritual sense now extended to a hundred li, rivaling that of a Golden Core mid-stage elder.

Thus, Qin Ming stood but one step away from the Golden Core path.

"I've obtained the Core Formation Elixir formula; now I can begin preparing for Core Formation."

(End of Chapter)