[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-no-money-what-cultivation":3,"chapter-no-money-what-cultivation-no-money-what-cultivation-chapter-259":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","No Money, What Cultivation?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},164128,323,"Chapter 259: The Gap Between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment","no-money-what-cultivation-chapter-259",259,"\u003Cp>Just as Bai Zhenzhen was fiercely battling the many Qi Refinement experts, Zhang Yu also planted the Heavenly Spiritual Root he had obtained into his dantian, initiating the fusion of the spiritual root with his physical body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the Heavenly Spiritual Root Zhang Yu chose this time for Foundation Establishment was the Qi Sea Spiritual Root.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fu Ji said, \"Different spiritual roots produce vastly different effects after Foundation Establishment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you use a Battle Spiritual Root for Foundation Establishment, your combat power will improve more rapidly afterward, but in the long run, it is not as promising as a Cultivation Spiritual Root.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But once you complete Foundation Establishment, you will need to go into battle, so some purely cultivation-oriented spiritual roots... are not quite suitable for your current situation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After thinking it over, this Qi Sea Spiritual Root is the most suitable for you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yu agreed with Fu Ji's suggestion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qi Sea Spiritual Root, nicknamed the Wall-Piercing King, has the greatest advantage of having a large coverage area and being able to penetrate all kinds of walls, buildings, mud, sand, and rock to absorb spiritual energy over a wide range.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It can both enhance the efficiency of his future magical power cultivation and improve his magical power recovery rate during battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using the Qi Sea Spiritual Root for Foundation Establishment can be said to combine both cultivation potential and combat power improvement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as the Qi Sea Spiritual Root was drawn into Zhang Yu's dantian, the spiritual root seemed to take root and sprout, extending crystal-like tendrils that burrowed into the surrounding magical power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, the surrounding spiritual energy surged in, pouring into his dantian with Zhang Yu's inhalation and exhalation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, as Zhang Yu continuously infused his magical power into the Qi Sea Spiritual Root, the spiritual root, as if stimulated, continued to take root and sprout, spreading throughout the entire dantian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when Zhang Yu infused 60 units of his internal magical power into the spiritual root, the root underwent a qualitative change, with crystal-like tendrils extending and growing along his meridians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire Qi Sea Spiritual Root, starting from Zhang Yu's dantian as its source, gradually merged with his whole body's meridians, becoming a part of Zhang Yu's body and a new organ.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the spiritual root fused step by step, more and more spiritual energy surged in, and Zhang Yu could feel that the range of his spiritual energy absorption was also growing larger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the initial 50 meters, it gradually expanded to 60 meters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>80 meters...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Zhang Yu felt as if he had become a giant funnel in the world, madly devouring all the spiritual energy within a hundred meters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After becoming a part of my body... is this the true power of the Qi Sea Spiritual Root?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, as the Qi Sea Spiritual Root completely took root and sprouted in his dantian, and its tendrils merged with his body's meridians, Zhang Yu felt that with every breath, every pore of his body was absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The circulation speed of spiritual energy and magical power in his meridians also instantly surged several times over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the circulation of magical power in the meridians was originally like a car driving on a mountain path,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>then from this moment on, when Zhang Yu circulated his magical power through his meridians again, it was like a car driving on a highway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The efficiency of magical power absorption, circulation speed, mobilization scale, output scale... all surged at this moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And with this mad increase in magical power efficiency, Zhang Yu's immortal cultivation realm also underwent a qualitative change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flash of insight passed through Zhang Yu's mind: \"Magical power... is like the power source of immortal cultivation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As the efficiency of this power source dramatically increases, the operation of all my techniques and the effect bonuses they bring are all enhanced.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's like fitting an engine onto an originally ordinary bicycle...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the influx of spiritual energy, Zhang Yu's magical power, which had just begun to be consumed due to fusing with the spiritual root, began to recover rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after the magical power recovered to 100 units, the refinement of magical power did not stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, the original limit was broken, and Zhang Yu's magical power directly broke through to 100.1, then continued to surge upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, with the fusion of the spiritual root, Zhang Yu's magical power ceiling was also broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This mad increase in magical power only slowed down after reaching 180, finally stopping at 198.4.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this surge of magical power beyond the limit, driven by the magical power, Zhang Yu's Dao heart also began to stir restlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Zhang Yu visualized the remnant ox in his mind and began to circulate his heart technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was not the Qi Refinement stage's Residual Ox Body-Sacrificing Heart Sutra, but the Foundation Establishment stage's Residual Ox Body-Sacrificing Heart Sutra authorized this time by Deng Bingding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Roar!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The remnant ox in his mind seemed to let out a roar toward the sky, as the mud all around churned and surged, turning into pairs of black hands that tried to drag it deep into the mire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the remnant ox’s form had grown a size larger, covered in wounds from blades, swords, burns, and various other injuries, yet it was filled with a sense of sanctity, emitting a faint white light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white remnant ox, amidst the rolling black mud, grew ever more defiant and unyielding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Heart Level 10 (100.0%) → Level 11 (0.1%)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After breaking through in both Magic Power and Dao Heart one after another, Zhang Yu could already feel his physical body stirring restlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His muscles writhed all over, and the surging Magic Power was transformed into Longevity Magic Power, beginning to cultivate the Spring-Autumn Infinite Zen at the Foundation Establishment stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like land long parched, his body frantically absorbed the nourishment of Longevity Magic Power, then likewise broke its limits, raising his physical strength to Level 10.01.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Heart Level 11 (0.1%)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magic Power 198.4\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Physical Strength Level 10.01\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling the surging power within him, Zhang Yu understood at that moment that he had truly stepped into the Foundation Establishment realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And from this moment on, his Dao Heart, Magic Power, and physical body could all continue to improve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, the upper limit for Dao Heart Level reached Level 20, the Magic Power upper limit was 1000, and the physical strength upper limit was Level 20.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhang Yu did not continue cultivating his Dao Heart, Magic Power, or physical strength, because these would be hard to improve significantly in a short time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What he urgently needed now was to boost his combat power, and the best way was…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yu looked at the Nine-Sky Cloud Void Force on his phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the last Foundation Establishment stage technique Deng Bingding had given him, aside from the Remnant Ox Sacrificial Heart Technique and the Spring-Autumn Infinite Zen—the so-called former military-grade technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Combat Technique—Nine-Sky Cloud Void Force Level 0 (0\u002F1). After switching his Feather Script to Nine-Sky Cloud Void Force, Zhang Yu began cultivating this technique, which could only be practiced at the Foundation Establishment stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nine-Sky Cloud Void Force… the Foundation Establishment stage technique created by the creator of the Infinite Cloud Hand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Like the Infinite Cloud Hand, it doesn’t emphasize stances—just three moves back and forth, which makes it convenient for me to practice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Zhang Yu finished his first cycle of cultivating Nine-Sky Cloud Void Force, countless images flashed through his mind, and his understanding of this technique had fully entered the beginner level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nine-Sky Cloud Void Force Level 1 (0\u002F10)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This technique and the Infinite Cloud Hand are completely of the same lineage…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s practically a technique tailor-made for me. Did Deng Bingding purposely arrange it this way?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Zhang Yu had cultivated Nine-Sky Cloud Void Force to Level 5, he could sense that the power of this former military-grade technique had already surpassed any of his practical combat martial arts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhang Yu no longer had the heart to continue cultivating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, every moment he spent training, Bai Zhenzhen’s danger would increase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Zhang Yu’s figure flickered, and he raced at full speed toward the battlefield where Bai Zhenzhen was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Zhang Yu arrived at the battlefield, he saw Bai Zhenzhen being captured by Zhou Yang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he didn’t recognize who Zhou Yang was after his altered appearance and form, that didn’t stop an intense killing intent from surging in Zhang Yu’s heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>198.4 units of Magic Power roared wildly within his body, transforming into streams of milky-white Formless Cloud Force surging outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t use the newly cultivated Nine-Sky Cloud Void Force—after all, it was his hidden trump card now—so Zhang Yu only employed the Infinite Cloud Hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, when Zhang Yu used the Infinite Cloud Hand, his cloud force could only cover a range of a few meters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, having merged his Qi Sea Spirit Root and stepped into the Foundation Establishment realm, Zhang Yu’s Magic Power cap, Magic Power dispatch efficiency, and output efficiency all far exceeded the Qi Refining limit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the blink of an eye, the Formless Cloud Force had already enveloped the surrounding tens of meters of battlefield, like a thick mist rising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yang, hearing the sound coming from the thick mist, was stunned for a moment, and then saw the other party walking toward him atop a sea of clouds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, the Formless Cloud Force all around had already crept in unnoticed, like undercurrents beneath the sea, coiling around Zhou Yang’s hands and feet, sealing his movements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yu casually struck out with a palm toward Zhou Yang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yang instinctively received the palm, channeling the Zhou family's Frost Heaven Freezing Qi Field, and a stream of palm force laced with resentment and corpse-cold blasted toward Zhang Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two palms collided with a soft thud, but Zhou Yang's expression suddenly changed drastically. He felt that the opponent's palm seemed unremarkable on the surface, but only upon actual contact did he realize how fierce and violent the Formless Cloud Qi within it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the freezing qi from his own palm was like a babbling brook, then the qi from the opponent's palm was as surging and mighty as a great river.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Formless Cloud Qi tore through the freezing qi like a whirlwind, flooding into Zhou Yang's body, exploding his meridians, shattering his bones and sinews…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid a series of bangs and explosions, Zhou Yang's right arm shattered completely, bursting into a mist of blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After being severely injured by a single palm strike, Zhou Yang collapsed to the ground, his heart shaking violently: \"Fo… Foundation Establishment! This is the level of mana output that only a Foundation Establishment cultivator can achieve!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhang Yu, as if treating him like air, silently walked over to Bai Zhenzhen and pulled her into his arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at Bai Zhenzhen's pale face and her injuries, Zhang Yu said, \"Sorry, I'm late.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zhenzhen smiled faintly and said, \"Isn't this just in time?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Zhang Yu's entrance to his single move that severely injured Zhou Yang and then picking up Bai Zhenzhen, it all happened in just a few seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During those few seconds, the many Qi Refining experts around them did not stop moving either; they had already charged howling into the thick fog, heading toward the direction where they remembered Bai Zhenzhen was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing the encirclement of over a dozen peak Qi Refining cultivators, Zhang Yu held Bai Zhenzhen with one arm while channeling a bit of force into his other palm, then blasted out a palm strike from a distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If earlier, in order to save Bai Zhenzhen quickly, Zhang Yu had only given Zhou Yang a basic attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then at this moment, Zhang Yu's palm strike was layered with the force application techniques of the Back-Dragon Reversing Mountains Hand and the Dragon-Elephant Crushing Mountain Palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although these two techniques were only at the Qi Refining stage, under the enhancement of Zhang Yu's Foundation Establishment mana and his Martial Dao Saint Embryo, they erupted with unprecedented fierce palm force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone felt a crackling explosion in the air first, followed by what seemed like the roar of dragons and elephants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Roar!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Mantian felt as if a giant dragon in the sea of clouds was roaring and charging at him. He exploded with all his strength and raised both palms, but still crumbled upon contact. With a bang, he was sent flying, crashing into a small building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Mantian barely stood up but suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood. He felt his internal organs were shattered, his bones and sinews broken, and with a thud, he collapsed to his knees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he looked up, he saw that the thick fog from moments ago had already dispersed with the wind from the explosion, revealing a scene that looked like a massive bomb had gone off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the many experts who had been fighting so fiercely just now, not a single one was still standing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some had crashed into broken walls, with only parts of their bodies visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some lay on the ground covered in blood, already unconscious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others were left with only broken limbs and severed arms, without a complete corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Mantian looked at Zhang Yu standing at the center of the battlefield, holding Bai Zhenzhen in one arm, and said bitterly in his heart: \"Foundation Establishment…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, beams of divine power descended from the sky. Wang Yin, using remote surgical talismans, had already begun to heal Chi He, Ye Mantian, and the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even as they felt their injuries rapidly healing, whether it was Chi He or Ye Mantian, all the experts present felt a chill in their hearts. They dared not move at all, nor show the slightest sign of battle intent or hostility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because from Zhang Yu's icy gaze, they all read the same message.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Move, and you die.\u003C\u002Fp>",2358,"2026-05-29T04:54:42.391Z","2026-06-01T04:29:12.818Z",1,"deepseek-v4-flash","2619f3fb7993fba4c006094c592f4ff821999c92d9028d38c002525bd744d6e9","no-money-what-cultivation-chapter-260","no-money-what-cultivation-chapter-258",711,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fno-money-what-cultivation-cover.jpg"]