Chapter 72: Striking for Foundation Establishment!

The next day, Lu Yang left the Cultivation Secret Realm.

As for what happened inside the secret realm, he strictly kept silent, and so did Luo Wuya, as if Lu Yang had never entered the realm.

As for Lu Yang, the soul of the Yun family's ancestor had already been purged by True Person Yinshan; he was perfectly content to quietly reap great benefits and would never spread the news. To put True Person Yinshan at ease, after leaving the secret realm, he simply did not leave at all, instead establishing a cave dwelling deep within Yinshan Mountain.

In the mountains, cultivation knows no years; before long, another ten springs and autumns had passed.

One day, Lu Yang awoke abruptly from his meditation, opened his eyes, and gazed at the Mingdao Jade Slip he had never parted with for ten years—only to find several cracks suddenly appearing on its surface.

"It seems even this secret treasure has its limits."

Over the past decade, he had almost constantly activated this secret treasure, and thanks to it, his mastery in every field had made tremendous progress.

Array techniques, talisman arts, cultivation base.

Most importantly, he had finally deduced the secret method to cultivate the Great Yin Transformation and Corpse Liberation True Art without triggering the Book of a Hundred Lives.

Lu Yang named it the Yin Spirit Ghost Immortal Art.

In plain terms, it was a feigned-death technique: by inwardly guarding the soul, maintaining unwavering focus, and allowing the Yin Spirit to exit upon bodily death, the soul could remain in the world.

Using this secret art, Lu Yang could adjust his soul to resemble that of a Foundation Establishment True Person, so that after his body died, he would not enter reincarnation—thus fulfilling the condition of the Great Yin Transformation and Corpse Liberation True Art for "death followed by transformation," while avoiding the triggering of the Book of a Hundred Lives.

"Next life, this shall be my goal."

After all, merely the Saint's Theft technique had already consumed him decades.

Compared to it, the Great Yin Transformation and Corpse Liberation True Art was only stronger, not weaker, and the time required could only be greater—this lifetime was certainly hopeless.

Thinking of this, Lu Yang took out another jade slip.

It recorded a secret art named "Steal the Heavenly Mechanism," which Zhao Xuhe had traded to him long ago, sealed with a confidentiality restriction.

If he could cultivate it, his chance of breaking through to Foundation Establishment would increase by another ten percent!

Lu Yang lightly tapped his finger—and as expected, after eighty years, the restriction on the jade slip had vanished; he easily accessed its contents.

"Brother Zhao is an honest man—he left no gaps, even added annotations."

As Lu Yang memorized the Steal the Heavenly Mechanism art, he sighed: "Oh right, Brother Zhao still owes me money—can't forget that next life."

Another month passed before Lu Yang left his cave.

Yet this time, he heard a message that shocked him deeply: the Sanhe Assembly's Second Brother, Luo Wuya, had attempted to break through to Foundation Establishment—and failed, dying in the process.

"How could this happen?"

Inside True Person Yinshan's cave, Lu Yang let out a long sigh: "I had a deep bond with Brother Luo—I thought upon my emergence from seclusion, we could raise our cups and share laughter."

True Person Yinshan also shook his head: "Poor second brother. His cultivation base was the Sacred Sect's true transmission, the Heavenly Craft True Scripture; upon completion, he forged the Heavenly Craft Treasure Qi, ranked Zheng San Pin. He also mastered a great divine art and possessed a Foundation Establishment Pill—he should have had a thirty percent chance of breakthrough."

Breaking through to Foundation Establishment is harder than climbing to heaven.

Lu Yang was already a hundred years old this lifetime; Luo Wuya was no younger. A thirty percent chance was more than enough for him to risk his life.

Unfortunately, he lost the gamble.

After a moment of lament, True Person Yinshan turned to Lu Yang: "I sense your emergence from seclusion means you've made up your mind—you plan to attempt Foundation Establishment?"

"Brother's insight is sharp."

Lu Yang bowed, returned the Yun family ancestor's soul to True Person Yinshan, and said solemnly: "After seeing you, I intend to enter seclusion."

"You, truly, are a genius—you should have trained in the Sacred Sect," True Person Yinshan smiled, stroking his beard. "Now I regret that day on Skull Mountain when I interfered with your fate—you wasted thirty years unnecessarily. Had you been thirty years younger, your chance of breakthrough would have been far greater."

Lu Yang shook his head: "Brother overpraises me."

"I never flatter," True Person Yinshan said, then waved his hand—a jade tablet landed before Lu Yang, inscribed with two large characters:

Ascension!

"I never gave you the Ascension Token on Skull Mountain—you traded it for the Mingdao Jade Slip. Second brother never needed it. Third brother died long ago on the orthodox-martial battlefield."

"Take it."

Lu Yang froze, then hurriedly waved his hands: "Brother, your kindness is too great—I cannot accept this."

"Enough nonsense," True Person Yinshan snapped. "Just take it. If you truly succeed in Foundation Establishment, you'll have forged a good connection."

Lu Yang reluctantly accepted the Ascension Token, and a spark of anticipation flared in his heart: his original intent in attempting Foundation Establishment was merely to gather experience for his next life—but now, with his True Qi at Zheng San Pin, the Saint's Theft, and this Ascension Token… could he really have a thirty percent chance?

Could this be a trap?

The thought made him almost laugh—he couldn't help it. The Sacred Sect had too many talents; unprovoked kindness made him deeply suspicious.

'But even if it is a trap, I accept it.'

'After all, even if I die this lifetime, I intend to die on the path to Foundation Establishment—success or death, whether there's a trap or not, it doesn't matter.'

'If there truly is a trap, I'll just be more careful next life.'

With that, Lu Yang stopped dwelling on it. He rose, bowed deeply to True Person Yinshan, then turned and left without another word.

Unbeknownst to him, after his departure, another figure appeared beside True Person Yinshan.

The newcomer was a middle-aged man, dignified and imposing, his brow radiating an unyielding, piercing aura—as if nothing in the world could ever defeat him.

True Person Yinshan spoke first: "Well?"

". No."

The newcomer shook his head: "The optimal age for breaking through to Foundation Establishment is between seventy and eighty. This man is past a hundred—his chance is negligible."

"It's a pity—he has cultivated the Great Yin Transformation and Corpse Liberation True Art, but hasn't completed the final transformation to attain the status of a Corpse Liberation Immortal; otherwise, his odds would have increased by another ten percent. But without one more Foundation Establishment True Person to assist, that realm is beyond even our combined strength."

"Let's hope he succeeds."

"If not, we'll have to risk summoning an outsider."

True Person Yinshan sighed helplessly: "Master Chongguang, you've already fully completed Foundation Establishment, and with the reincarnation of the Master of the Extinguished Lamp, this opportunity is irreplaceable."

"Indeed. At this point, we have no choice but to gamble."

Master Chongguang's expression was resolute: "Success is my fortune; failure is my fate. And the great calamity of a thousand years approaches—if I don't become a True Sovereign, how can I be the one holding the pieces?"

"It's merely a difference between dying early or dying late!"

"At least dying in pursuit of breakthrough is better than being consumed by the calamity's influence, becoming someone else's pawn, and dying in ignorant oblivion when the calamity arrives."

"Both you and I have attempted to break through to Foundation Establishment; you should understand this principle."

"Senior brother speaks truly."

True Person Yinshan nodded, as if recalling days long past, then sighed: "Qi Condensation cannot transcend; even Foundation Establishment is hard to attain true freedom."

"The world has always been this way."

Master Chongguang's tone was cold: "Otherwise, how could there be such things as True Person and True Sovereign?"

"Qi Condensation cultivators, no matter how brilliant, are merely 'materials'—easily expendable."

"Only by breaking through to Foundation Establishment are you regarded as a person; only by achieving Jin Dan are you considered supreme, a sovereign ruling over ten thousand!"

(End of Chapter)