Chapter 72: Charging Toward Foundation Establishment!

The next day, Lu Yang left the Dharma Refining Secret Realm.

As for what had happened inside the Secret Realm, naturally, everyone kept their mouths tightly shut; even Luo Wuya remained silent, acting as though Lu Yang had never visited the place at all.

As for Lu Yang, since Daoist Yinshan had already cleansed the soul of the Yun family patriarch, he was only too happy to keep quiet and reap great profits; to put Daoist Yinshan at ease, he did not leave after exiting the Secret Realm but instead opened a cave dwelling directly within Mount Yinshan to reside there.

Cultivating in the mountains makes one lose track of time; in the blink of an eye, another ten years passed.

On this day, Lu Yang jolted awake from his secluded meditation, opening his eyes to look at the Mingdao Jade Slip he had not let go of for ten years, only to discover several distinct cracks had appeared upon it.

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

Over the past decade, he had been activating this secret treasure almost constantly; thanks to its aid, his attainments in various fields had made tremendous progress.

Arrays, talisman arts, and cultivation base.

Most importantly, he had finally deduced the secret method to cultivate the "Great Yin Metamorphosis Corpse-Release True Art" without triggering the Book of Hundred Lives.

Lu Yang named it the "Yin Spirit Ghost Immortal Art."

Simply put, it was a method of feigning death, whereby the soul guarded the interior and the will remained undispersed; upon the body's death, a Yin Spirit would emerge, allowing the soul to remain in the world.

By utilizing this secret method, Lu Yang could adjust his own soul to a state approximating that of a Foundation Establishment True Person's soul, thereby avoiding reincarnation after his physical body died; this allowed him to meet the conditions for cultivating the "Great Yin Metamorphosis Corpse-Release True Art" and undergo 'death followed by metamorphosis,' all without triggering the Book of Hundred Lives.

"In the next life, this shall be my goal."

After all, just the single technique of Saint's Theft had consumed several decades of his time.

Compared to it, the "Great Yin Metamorphosis Corpse-Release True Art" was only stronger, not weaker, and the time required would likely exceed it, making success in this lifetime impossible.

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

It recorded a secret method called 'Stealing Heavenly Secrets,' which Zhao Xuhe had traded to him years ago, having placed a confidentiality restriction upon it.

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

Lu Yang lightly tapped it with his finger; as expected, after eighty years, the restriction on the jade slip had dissipated, allowing him to easily view its contents.

"Senior Brother Zhao is an honest man; there are no omissions, and he even included annotations."

While firmly committing the art of Stealing Heavenly Secrets to memory, Lu Yang sighed with emotion: "Oh right, Senior Brother Zhao still owes me money in this life; I must not forget that in the next one..."

Another month passed before Lu Yang finally left his cave dwelling.

However, this time he heard news that greatly surprised him: at the Sanhe Society, his Second Senior Brother, Luo Wuya, had attempted to break through to Foundation Establishment, failed, and perished.

"How could this be?"

Inside Daoist Yinshan's cave dwelling, Lu Yang let out a long sigh: "Senior Brother Luo and I shared a bond of sworn friendship; I thought that upon exiting seclusion this time, we could share wine and joyful conversation..."

Hearing this, Daoist Yinshan also shook his head: "It is a pity for the second one; his cultivation method was the Holy Sect's true transmission, the 'Heavenly Craft True Scripture'; upon perfection, it refines the 'Heavenly Craft Precious Qi,' ranked Third Grade; besides that, he had cultivated a major divine ability and possessed a Foundation Establishment Elixir, giving him a thirty percent chance of breaking through."

Breaking through to Foundation Establishment is difficult, more difficult than ascending to the blue heavens.

Lu Yang was already over a hundred years old in this life, and Luo Wuya was no younger than him; a thirty percent chance of breaking through to Foundation Establishment was worth risking his life for.

Unfortunately, he had lost his gamble.

After sighing for a while, Daoist Yinshan looked at Lu Yang: "Observing your demeanor upon exiting seclusion, it seems you have made your decision and intend to attempt breaking through to Foundation Establishment?"

"Senior Brother sees clearly."

Lu Yang cupped his hands, took out the soul of the Yun family patriarch, and returned it to Daoist Yinshan, saying in a heavy voice: "After paying my respects to Senior Brother, I intend to enter secluded cultivation."

"You are truly a talent; you ought to be cultivating within the Holy Sect." Daoist Yinshan stroked his beard and smiled: "Thinking back now, I somewhat regret manipulating your fate at Skeleton Mountain back then, causing you to waste thirty years for nothing; otherwise, if you were thirty years younger, your hopes of breaking through to Foundation Establishment would be greater."

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

"I never speak falsely." Daoist Yinshan shook his head, then waved his hand, causing a jade token to land before Lu Yang, bearing two large characters:

Ascension!

"The Ascension Token I did not give you back at Skeleton Mountain, which you exchanged for the Mingdao Jade Slip; the second one has no use for it, and the third one died early on the battlefield between the Righteous and Demonic paths."

"Take it."

Hearing this, Lu Yang was stunned, then hastily waved his hands: "Senior Brother's deep affection is too much; I cannot accept this..."

"Enough nonsense." Daoist Yinshan looked impatient: "If I tell you to take it, then take it; if you truly succeed in reaching Foundation Establishment, it will count as establishing a good karmic tie."

Hearing this, Lu Yang had no choice but to accept the Ascension Token, and suddenly a few expectations arose in his heart: his original intention in attempting Foundation Establishment this time was merely to accumulate experience for the next life, but now, with his True Qi at Third Grade, possessing Saint's Theft, and adding this Ascension Token, did he actually have a thirty percent chance of success?

Could there be some conspiracy?

Thinking of this, Lu Yang found it somewhat amusing; there was no helping it, the Holy Sect had too many talented individuals, and unprovoked assistance always made him uneasy.

'However, even if there is a conspiracy, I will accept it.'

'In any case, even if I die in this life, I intend to die on the path of breaking through to Foundation Establishment; succeed or die for righteousness, whether there is a conspiracy or not makes no difference.'

'If there truly is some conspiracy, I can simply be more cautious in my next life...'

Thinking thus, Lu Yang stopped hesitating, stood up, and bowed respectfully to Daoist Yinshan, then immediately turned and departed.

Little did he know that after he left, another figure appeared beside Daoist Yinshan.

The newcomer was a middle-aged man of imposing presence, with a soaring sharpness between his brows, as if nothing under heaven could stump him.

Daoist Yinshan spoke first: "How is it?"

"... ot feasible."

The newcomer shook his head: "The optimal age for breaking through to Foundation Establishment should be between seventy and eighty; this person is already over a hundred, so his hopes of breaking through are slim to none."

"It is a pity that although he cultivated the Great Yin Metamorphosis Corpse-Release True Art, he did not complete the final step of metamorphosis to refine the status of a 'Corpse-Release Immortal'; otherwise, his odds of success could have increased by another ten percent... It is just that with one fewer Foundation Establishment True Person to assist, that region might be impossible for the two of us to breach."

"Let us hope he succeeds."

"If not, we will have to take the risk of inviting an outsider to help."

Daoist Yinshan looked helpless: "Senior Brother Master Chongguang, you have already reached the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, and combined with being the reincarnation of the master of 'Covering Lamp Fire,' this is an opportunity that must not be lost, for it will not come again."

"Indeed, at this point, we have no choice but to make a gamble."

True Person Master Chongguang's expression was resolute as he said: "If successful, it is my fortune; if failed, it is my fate; moreover, the great calamity of a thousand years is approaching; if one does not become a True Monarch, how can one become a chess player?"

"It is merely the difference between dying early and dying late!"

"At least dying while striving for a breakthrough is far better than having one's mind obscured by calamitous fate when the great disaster arrives, becoming someone else's pawn, and finally dying in confusion."

"We have both attempted to break through to Foundation Establishment; we should understand this principle."

"What Senior Brother says is most true."

Daoist Yinshan nodded, seemingly recalling past events, then let out a sigh: "Qi Refining cannot achieve transcendence, and even Foundation Establishment struggles to seek freedom."

"Such is the way of the world."

True Person Master Chongguang's tone was cold: "Otherwise, why would there be talk of True Persons and True Monarchs?"

"Qi Refining cultivators, no matter how brilliant, are merely 'materials' that can be expended at any time."

"Only by breaking through to Foundation Establishment does one begin to be treated as a person, and only by achieving Golden Core does one truly become a sovereign ruling over ten thousand people, standing high above all!"

(End of Chapter)