Chapter 6: Advancing to Foundation Establishment!

After the Supreme Elder left, everyone finally let out a long breath.

The elder had simply exerted too much pressure on them.

Didn’t you hear what he just said? Even our Taiqingmen’s Sect Master was called “Little Cao” by her.

But now, what they cared about most was: who had reeled in the other two Ice Soul Scale Fish?

Everyone exchanged glances, each suspecting the others.

“Let’s go, let’s go now!” Yan Xiaohu wiped the sweat from his brow and turned to leave.

This incident had long been an indelible shadow in his heart—what if the other side suddenly turned back?

Zhou Qing naturally agreed.

He dared not stay any longer, for Lu Yaoyao was now holding the Ice Soul Scale Fish and staring at him.

Right here in front of so many people, what would happen if she gave the fish to you?

The two turned and walked away, then quickened their pace until they were finally running.

Watching the two abruptly depart, the core disciples all laughed in unison.

After all, the Supreme Elder just now was one of the two who had once spied on them bathing.

To be fair, aside from their Elder status, these two really had an unusual taste.

Under the night sky, when the two returned to the foot of Xiao Ling Peak, they finally gasped for air and collapsed onto the ground.

“I was terrified!” Yan Xiaohu patted his clothes, realizing they were soaked through.

Zhou Qing also felt parched, but at least he had escaped this ordeal.

Once he regained his composure, he sprang up, confirmed no one was around, and quickly pulled out the fishing basket in a furtive manner.

“Third Brother, one each!” Zhou Qing pointed at the fish.

Yan Xiaohu glanced casually, then immediately jumped up in shock, face filled with disbelief.

“Holy shit, how did you pull this off?”

By the moonlight, he quickly examined it closely.

Yes, yes—it was truly an Ice Soul Scale Fish, identical to the one Lu Yaoyao held in her arms.

Zhou Qing could only scratch his head. “Just had insane luck.”

Who could’ve imagined that the pit everyone looked down on would actually yield a fish for him?

But only he knew this likely had to do with his talent skill—after all, [Lowered Presence] made the Ice Soul Scale Fish ignore him on shore, then notice the delicious bait instead. Everything made sense now.

Yan Xiaohu stared at Zhou Qing, opened his mouth, then closed it, unsure what to say—finally he gave a thumbs-up.

“Incredible, truly incredible. Especially now, you still thought of your brother. I’ve never wasted my affection on you. But I don’t need the fish—you need it more than I do right now. Still, those two reverse scales on their bodies are vital to me. If you don’t mind…”

Yan Xiaohu rubbed his hands together excitedly.

Zhou Qing had no objections.

“Good, good, truly good. Here, take this!”

Yan Xiaohu carefully plucked off the scales, then pulled out a jar of fermented liquor.

“Boil the fish with this liquor—it’ll maximize the Ice Soul Scale Fish’s value. Good luck!”

After giving some additional detailed instructions, Yan Xiaohu left in high spirits.

Zhou Qing returned to his quarters and without delay began cooking the broth.

At midnight, gazing at the large bowl of snow-white fish meat, the rich aroma of wine filling his nose, he involuntarily swallowed hard.

He then devoured it greedily.

The moment the last sip went down his throat, he shuddered violently, cold energy radiating from his body, while vast spiritual energy surged and crashed through his meridians.

Eyes alight with joy, he immediately activated the Taiqing Xuanyi Jue, rapidly circulating the Heavenly Cycle.

By the time dawn began to break, Zhou Qing’s face had turned even redder, a mighty force expanding relentlessly within him.

“I truly underestimated this Ice Soul Scale Fish. Even after fortifying my foundation, so much spiritual power remains. Then let’s give it a try!”

Zhou Qing’s hands moved swiftly to form seals; the force within him surged like a raging flood, racing toward every limb and joint.

Enduring the excruciating pain, he guided it slowly toward his dantian. The mist-like spiritual vortex there began spinning at breakneck speed, absorbing the torrential influx.

“This might work!”

Seeing this, Zhou Qing rejoiced—perhaps this time he could truly step directly into Foundation Establishment.

The spiritual vortex spun faster and faster, gradually forming a stable, powerful spiritual storm.

As time passed, at the storm’s center, a brilliant spiritual core slowly coalesced.

With the emergence of the Foundation Establishment core, a vast, indescribable surge of spiritual power exploded outward in that instant, its might shaking the surrounding air.

At that very moment, Zhou Qing’s eyes suddenly opened.

A green glow burst from his pupils; with a thought, everything within a hundred zhang instantly reflected in his mind.

The consciousness sea—the hallmark of Foundation Establishment.

The spiritual core—the power source of Foundation Establishment.

“Foundation Establishment, early stage…” Zhou Qing spoke slowly, feeling the power within him, his face glowing with excitement.

From today onward, his lifespan would extend to two hundred years, and he could now fly for extended periods on his sword.

He then opened his own interface.

【Name: Zhou Qing】

【Age: Nineteen】

【Cultivation Base: Foundation Establishment, Early Stage】

【Cultivation Technique: Taiqing Xuanyi Jue】

【Talent Skill: Lowered Presence】

【Level: LV1 (87/100)】

【Skill Fragments: 2/3 (Unobtainable)】

The talent skill [Lowered Presence] needs no explanation—without it, he never would’ve caught two Ice Soul Scale Fish in a row, let alone advanced to Foundation Establishment in a single night.

“According to previous hints, at 100%, Qi Refining disciples have a 90% chance of completely ignoring me. Though I haven’t reached max level yet, I’m close enough. Now that I’ve reached Foundation Establishment, I must level up to LV2 as soon as possible.”

Zhou Qing muttered to himself—once he reached LV2, depending on progress, he’d gain varying probabilities of being ignored by Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Zhou Qing then pulled out a handbook, checked the date, and his eyes lit up immediately.

“Today is exactly when Shi Zhen, Senior Sister of Jade Clear Peak, gives her lecture. Many will attend—perfect opportunity!”

Zhou Qing immediately rose and changed into a white robe of an outer disciple.

No choice—on Xiao Ling Peak, only four core disciples lived here; no matter what you wore, everyone knew you.

Only by going to other peaks could he blend in.

Sitting among outer disciples during the lecture, if no one noticed him for long enough, he could still generate ignore points—though not as many as in tense, exciting situations, and it took far longer.

Fortunately, he was nearly there, and the probability of being ignored by Qi Refining disciples had risen sharply—it was still very worthwhile.

After changing clothes, Zhou Qing headed straight for Jade Clear Peak.

…………

Jade Clear Peak was not far from Xiao Ling Peak; they were practically neighbors.

Especially now that Zhou Qing had broken through to Foundation Establishment and could fly on his sword, the distance meant nothing.

Yet despite this, when he arrived and registered at the [Lecture Hall], there were no seats left.

Remember, the [Lecture Hall] could hold at least a thousand people—and it was still early.

Naturally, as a core disciple and a stunning beauty, she had an inherent advantage.

“Don’t bother looking—slots are full. Come earlier next time!”

As Zhou Qing scanned the crowd, two inner disciples in yellow robes, originally guarding the entrance, approached him and directly urged him to leave.

Taiqingmen’s thirteen peaks divided disciples into four tiers: outer, inner, true transmission, and core.

Their robes were the primary identifier: outer disciples wore white, inner disciples yellow, true transmission purple, and core disciples could wear anything.

To lower his presence, Zhou Qing deliberately chose a white robe—and was immediately mistaken for an outer disciple.

He glanced back; many who had arrived too late stood behind him, faces filled with regret.

He quietly pulled out his identity token and flashed it.

The two inner disciples instantly paled, preparing to bow—but Zhou Qing quickly stopped them.

“No need, no need. I just came to see Senior Sister Shi Zhen. Carry on!”

After saying this, Zhou Qing cleared his throat and walked inside.

The two Jade Clear Peak inner disciples exchanged glances—who was this core disciple from which peak?

Even if you could wear whatever you liked, you couldn’t just put on an outer disciple’s robe and show up like this—aren’t you tempting us to offend you?

“Brothers, what’s going on? Aren’t the slots full? Why is he allowed in?”

“Yeah, yeah! I got here before him—this isn’t fair!”

“Everyone saw it! Please be fair, brothers!”

…………

Seeing Zhou Qing enter, the outer disciples outside erupted in protest.

One of the yellow-robed inner disciples, too lazy to explain, frowned and unleashed the pressure of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

“GET OUT!!!”

…………

(End of Chapter)