Chapter 38: Foundation Establishment (Part 3) (Seeking Collections!)

The Cave Abode felt somewhat stifling in the afternoon; Lin Fan was lying lazily on his chair as usual, savoring the fine wine in his gourd.

This bit of stuffiness meant nothing to him; one must know he was a Golden Core Middle Stage existence, and even if he wore only a single layer of clothing in freezing, snowy weather, he would not feel cold.

Suddenly, at this very moment, a burst of intense Spiritual Qi fluctuations caused Lin Fan to sit up from his chair. He frowned slightly, his gaze directed toward one of the rooms. At the same time, Gao Dakuan and Qu Yuan, who were in seclusion, also walked out of their rooms.

They looked at Lin Fan with bewildered expressions, as if waiting for him to provide an answer! Lin Fan remained silent, walking slowly toward the entrance of Ye Ling'er's room, with Gao Dakuan and Qu Yuan following closely behind their master. Watching their master's expression, the two of them guessed that what they were thinking in their hearts might be true.

Lin Fan tilted his head to listen to the sound behind the stone door, then immediately spoke:

"Linger! Linger!"

After calling out twice in succession and seeing there was no echo from within, Lin Fan simply waved one arm, and the stone door opened rapidly. Gao Dakuan and Qu Yuan immediately stretched their necks to look inside.

Faint Spiritual Qi was radiating from Ye Ling'er's room, and at the same time, a scent of blood wafted over. The eyes of the three master and disciples shifted to the stone bed; there was a large pool of blood under the bed. Ye Ling'er was sitting on the bed with her hair disheveled and her face deathly pale, a trace of blood hanging from the corner of her mouth, and the hand seal formed by her jade hands had not yet been released.

"Junior Sister!"

Upon seeing this scene, Gao Dakuan became anxious immediately. He knew Ye Ling'er was attempting the Foundation Establishment, and seeing her current state, he did not know if she had succeeded or failed.

Lin Fan reached out and blocked Gao Dakuan, who wanted to rush forward. He understood that a cultivator who had just attempted Foundation Establishment was at their most vulnerable; even if a small child were to poke her with a finger now, it would cause Ye Ling'er unbearable pain.

The three walked slowly to Ye Ling'er's side. Lin Fan swept his Divine Sense over her body, and his expression instantly turned grim, for he could not sense any Spirit Power fluctuations on Ye Ling'er! He hurriedly leaned down and asked with concern:

"Linger, how are you?"

"Mas... ter! I... I succeeded!"

Hearing the voice, Ye Ling'er struggled to open her eyes, her beautiful eyes filled with pain. When she discovered that the first person to appear before her was Lin Fan, she could not help but smile, though in this situation, that smile made one feel pity.

"Succeeded! Junior Sister, you succeeded!"

"That's great! Junior Sister, you are truly amazing!"

Gao Dakuan and Qu Yuan were so happy they almost jumped up. Ye Ling'er had entered the sect slightly earlier than Zhang Nuo, but she was the fastest among Lin Fan's disciples to reach Foundation Establishment, a full four or five years faster than Gao Dakuan and Qu Yuan.

Lin Fan nodded slightly at this moment, but he was not as happy as Gao Dakuan and Qu Yuan, as if he had something on his mind.

A wave of Spirit Power slowly emanated from Ye Ling'er's body. Lin Fan raised his eyebrows slightly and then said:

"You only opened one 'Divine Sea'?"

Ye Ling'er nodded slightly; it was this one Divine Sea that she had spent great effort to open. If it had been any later, she might not have been able to hold on.

However, Gao Dakuan and Qu Yuan both understood the implication in their master's words; it seemed that Ye Ling'er opening only one "Divine Sea" was not normal.

"Master, generally when cultivators are at the Foundation Establishment Stage, they only open one 'Divine Sea'!"

Lin Fan acted as if he had not heard Gao Dakuan's words. He rested his chin on one hand and paced back and forth in the room. At this, all three disciples were confused; what was wrong with their master? Why did Ye Ling'er opening one "Divine Sea" cause him such distress?

"Master..."

Ye Ling'er had just started to speak when Lin Fan suddenly reached out a hand, stopping her next words.

"Dakuan, Qu Yuan, how many Spirit Power fluctuations did you feel just now?"

Turning back, Lin Fan said solemnly. After being asked by Lin Fan, the two of them dared not be certain. Finally, Qu Yuan said vaguely:

"Just now, I seemed to feel two Spirit Power fluctuations, but it also felt like three!"

"I feel the same as you! When opening a 'Divine Sea' during Foundation Establishment, it produces relatively large Spirit Power fluctuations. Every time a 'Divine Sea' is opened, there is a Spirit Power fluctuation, but Linger only opened one Divine Sea; whose were the remaining two fluctuations?"

As soon as Lin Fan said this, even Ye Ling'er, who had just completed her Foundation Establishment, raised her head. The four of them looked simultaneously toward Zhang Nuo's room. Within the Cave Abode, there were only the four master and disciples. Gao Dakuan and Qu Yuan were already Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators, so they naturally would not emit Spirit Power fluctuations like those from opening a "Divine Sea," and Ye Ling'er had just succeeded in Foundation Establishment and only opened one "Divine Sea." Thus, the final possibility fell upon Zhang Nuo.

"Master, that's impossible! When Junior Brother went into seclusion, he was only at Qi Refining Stage Level 6!"

"That's right, Master, Junior Brother's aptitude isn't even as good as Junior Sister Linger's!"

Qu Yuan was the first to raise a doubt, and Gao Dakuan also did not believe Lin Fan's judgment. Even Ye Ling'er, sitting on the stone bed, said with effort:

"Master, you haven't given the 'Foundation Establishment Pill' to Junior Brother yet, have you! Without the help of the 'Foundation Establishment Pill', how could he possibly reach Foundation Establishment? Unless his aptitude is above ours!"

"No! Let's go check on him. Linger, you rest here and regulate your breathing to recover your energy!"

Lin Fan shook his head incessantly; he trusted his senses. There were clearly three Spirit Power fluctuations at that time; that could not be false! Stepping out of Ye Ling'er's room, Lin Fan walked toward Zhang Nuo's room. At this time, Gao Dakuan and Qu Yuan also curiously followed.

The three stood at the entrance of Zhang Nuo's room, the massive stone door still tightly shut. All three pairs of eyes fell upon the stone door; whether Lin Fan's judgment was correct would be clear once the stone door in front of them was opened!