Chapter 296: Heaven and Earth Forge the Dao Foundation

"Mmm"

As Lu Yang activated the Senior Butian Zhen Jing, Yun Miaoqing immediately sensed something amiss—a warmth, indescribable and profound, spread from her dantian.

The next instant, the bottleneck that had plagued her for months—between Qi Gathering Third Stage and Fourth Stage, early to mid-stage—shattered without warning. Yun Miaoqing stared at herself in stunned delight, then turned to her sister Yun Miaozhen, who, though already at Qi Gathering Sixth Stage, was still strictly mid-stage.

'Am I now at the same realm as my sister?'

Instantly, an indescribable sense of accomplishment surged through her heart, making Yun Miaoqing instinctively press her hand to her lower abdomen, while Yun Miaozhen's expression grew increasingly rigid.

'It must be the Spirit Sword Embryo!'

'To fuse with such an embryo and stimulate it with sword qi could shatter a bottleneck—if I had obtained it, I would already be at Qi Gathering Late Stage!'

Why wasn't it mine?

Yun Miaozhen lowered her eyelids, swiftly suppressing her negative emotions, and resumed her calm demeanor: 'Enough. Now that you've obtained the sword embryo, prepare to return.'

Yun Miaoqing blinked in surprise: 'Sister, didn't you still need to find a suitable sword embryo?'

'I've already found one.'

Yun Miaozhen shook her head calmly: 'There's no time to waste. Let's return first—this place isn't within the sect; a Mo Sect attack is possible.'

At the mention of Mo Sect, Yun Miaoqing's expression tightened instantly. For an ordinary disciple like her, the name of Jiangbei's giant, the Initial Saint Mo Sect, was terrifying. Moreover, the south and north had long been at odds—not exactly at peace, but certainly sworn enemies.

Lu Yang paid no attention to the external changes.

At this moment, he was examining himself: 'Interesting. This is the first time I've cultivated without using the absorption technique, but through mutual cultivation and complementation.'

Clearly, he had not absorbed Yun Miaoqing.

Though the Senior Butian Zhen Jing was a demonic art, he had exchanged insights many times with Lady Ruoxiang in his past life, so he knew this demonic art was not entirely about absorption.

Senior Butian means 'supplementing heaven'—to supplement heaven's deficiencies with one's own body, to gain heaven's favor, and thus also to mutually benefit and complement. He and Yun Miaoqing were now in such a relationship: he used his Foundation Establishment Immortal Spirit status to accelerate her cultivation, while nine-tenths of her cultivation gains belonged to him.

'Pity. Yun Miaoqing's cultivation is too weak.'

Lu Yang shook his head. To aid his own cultivation, Qi Gathering was like a drop in the ocean—he needed at least a Foundation Establishment True Person.

Even if it were a drop in the ocean, Yun Miaozhen was actually better than Yun Miaoqing.

But Lu Yang disliked her.

'I am a good person. A good person naturally associates with good people. As for minor differences in talent and cultivation, they mean nothing to me.'

Besides, in Lu Yang's view, the talent gap between the Yun sisters wasn't that great.

Not nearly to the extent of Ting You's ancestral master, where human effort could never bridge the gap. Yun Miaoqing still had some talent; her aptitude wasn't poor.

'More importantly, she has met me now!'

Lu Yang had full confidence that even if he progressed gradually and preserved her potential, he could confidently bring Yun Miaoqing to Qi Gathering Completion within ten years.

Then he resumed examining himself.

As an Immortal Spirit, he had not yet completed his nurturing—he was fundamentally a single thread of Cheng Tian Gang qi. A brief calculation revealed his origin.

'I am formed from Geng Metal qi!'

Geng Metal, also known as 【Shang Zhang】, governs heaven's withering power and human affairs of war and conflict. In heaven, it manifests as wind and frost; on earth, as metal and iron—it is yang metal.

'Truly wondrous.'

Lu Yang was intrigued. As an Immortal Spirit, his Dao foundation was naturally born of heaven and earth, intrinsically attuned to Geng Metal qi, and his divine abilities arose from it.

'The cultivation of Immortal Spirits is the exact opposite of humans."

'Humans first condense their primordial essence, then gather Cheng Tian Gang and Di Sha, collect four divine talents, and only then challenge the Golden Core trial.'

'But Immortal Spirits are different. They begin with divine talents—they must first gather four divine talents before they can condense their primordial divine ability. Yet most Immortal Spirits never survive long enough to reach that stage—either they emerge prematurely or perish midway.'

This imagery was profoundly mysterious.

'If I must compare it, it's like a ten-month pregnancy. The Immortal Spirit is nourished by heaven and earth, gathers four divine talents, then awakens its primordial essence and departs from its maternal form.'

In this process, the four divine talents are granted by heaven and earth.

If the four granted talents perfectly align with a single throne, and the primordial divine ability awakens, one can immediately begin seeking the throne and attempt to claim it.

In other words—

'An Immortal Spirit is essentially something heaven and earth breed specifically to occupy a throne. Could there be something wrong with this?'

Lu Yang's thoughts turned chilling. He suddenly shuddered.

Never mind. Better not probe further.

Thinking this, Lu Yang quickly stilled his thoughts and turned his attention to the divine ability forming within him.

This was the innate divine ability of his Geng Metal Immortal Spirit—【Bing Ge Zhu】—which Lu Yang had once seen Ye Guyue wield.

'【Bing Ge Zhu】, formed from Cheng Tian Gang 【Geng Metal】 and Di Sha 【Shen Metal】, both yang metals. When united, they push metal's ferocity to its extreme, giving rise to 【Bing Ge Zhu】. This divine talent has two applications—internal and external—corresponding to heaven and earth's transformations of metal.'

'Internally, in 【Bing】, it enhances the power of weapons.'

'Externally, in 【Ge】, where Ge means change—it can alter form, transform the tangible into the intangible, a supreme method for dissolving divine abilities and treasures.'

Lu Yang was carefully perceiving the marvels within himself.

But at that moment—

'. Hm?'

Suddenly, Lu Yang opened his eyes. He felt a divine sense sweep over Yun Miaoqing, plunging straight into her dantian and landing upon him.

Fortunately, he had already protected himself with 【Li Jie Bo】. Under the mysterious enhancement of 【Dong Ming】, his karmic traces were hidden, his heavenly fate concealed—unless a Jin Dan True Person stood before him, no one could uncover his origin. To all appearances, he was merely a slightly peculiar sword embryo.

'Which Foundation Establishment is this?'

Lu Yang was initially startled, but upon sensing the divine sense was weak—only Foundation Establishment early stage—he quickly calmed.

'Newbie zone, easy pickings!'

'Let me see who's spying on me.'

Lu Yang was quite pleased. With a thought, 【Wan Xiang Fa Shen】 materialized and swiftly followed the divine sense back.

Meanwhile, within the Sword Storage Manor.

Yun Miaozhen casually dismissed Yun Miaoqing, sending her to prepare the flying boat for the return to Yushu Jiange, then proceeded to a secluded pavilion within the manor.

Inside the pavilion, a woman in magnificent robes sat leaning by the window.

"Disciple greets her Master."

Yun Miaozhen stepped forward respectfully to bow; this was the greatest fortune of her life, the karmic result of her past life's roots—a Foundation Establishment Master!

Thanks to this, she became the favored daughter of the Yun family, with high hopes placed upon her by the family ancestor; once she broke through to the late stage of Qi Condensation, she would immediately receive the great divine arts of Yushu Jiange, and thereafter advancing to True Disciple and striving for Foundation Establishment were both highly promising prospects, meaning her future was bright.

"Rise."

The woman in magnificent robes raised her delicate hand slightly; her soft voice carried a hint of laziness. Her name was 【Xiu Xin】, an outside-family guest elder from the Ye family, a great clan within Yushu Jiange.

"Have you decided?"

"Replying to Master, the disciple has decided."

Yun Miaozhen said in a deep voice: "Please, Master, use your magic to link Miaoqing's fate with the disciple's, so that the disciple may send her into the Mo Sect to aid her cultivation success."

(End of this chapter)