Chapter 79: 79. Hidden Currents (In Celebration of Isaka Kyōsan as Alliance Leader)

79. Chapter 79: Hidden Currents (In Celebration of Isaka Kyōsan as Alliance Leader)

Time flies.

Qinglin Market, Cave Dwelling.

“Still no luck!”

Fang Xing opened his eyes, a hint of worry darkening his face: “Summer break is nearly here—no, the Hundred Stars Exam is coming soon, and my Great Golden Vajra Prajna Power still hasn’t even begun to take root…”

The difficulty of this S-rank martial art exceeded his expectations; no wonder Xia Long took three years to master it!

“But my six viscera are already mostly refined… advancing to the Fourth Stage of Martial Cultivation before the Hundred Stars Exam is almost inevitable.”

He stood up, prepared himself a bowl of beef congee, sat down, and sipped slowly while reviewing the latest surveillance logs.

On the surveillance screen, a dilapidated cave dwelling was clearly visible.

Of course, Fang Xing knew this cave wasn’t truly dilapidated—it was even concealed beneath a mysterious array capable of fooling second-tier beasts and evading multiple attacks.

On the surface, it was occupied by a lone cultivator among the wanderers.

In truth, it belonged to Qingdan Market, serving as the foundation site for the alchemist Su Ye!

“I heard… when a cultivator attempts Foundation Establishment atop a second-tier spiritual vein, their success rate increases… if no second-tier vein is available, a top-grade first-tier vein can barely suffice, though they still need to draw power from Spirit Stones or a Spirit Gathering Array…”

Why had Fang Xing discovered Su Ye’s Foundation Establishment site?

Naturally, it was thanks to the surveillance equipment.

“Hmm? Finally starting?”

Su Ye had secluded herself for months; yesterday, the cave finally showed signs of change.

Now, spiritual energy was converging into a swirling vortex.

Though small in scale, nearby cultivators could still sense it.

“Here they come!”

Fang Xing murmured as he spotted Xiao Rui, along with several Qingdan Market cultivators, standing guard around the cave with wary expressions.

Among them, he even spotted Feiyue and Han Qingyun.

Yet Fang Xing had no intention of approaching them.

He had only helped Feiyue with about ten Spirit Stones per month; Su Ye could clearly offer far more and far better.

These two had clearly pledged allegiance to Qingdan Market—he needn’t add unnecessary entanglements.

Nearby, other wanderers had also been drawn in—some bowed directly to the cave, kneeling and pleading desperately; others looked eager to act…

“Grandpa, why are we here?”

Ding Hongxiu clutched a broken artifact tightly, her eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

She felt every cultivator around her resembled starving wolves.

“To guard the path!”

Ding Bushan raised his wine gourd, his expression grave: “You’ve seen it these past days—we’ll slowly die if we stay in the market… to survive, we must leave. But a Qi Condensation cultivator walking the Wildlands is dead meat! Only by trailing a Foundation Establishment elder can we hope for even a sliver of life…”

“No one’s coming to save us, then?” Ding Hongxiu’s eyes were filled with despair.

Her cheeks were sunken—she’d clearly suffered greatly.

“Perhaps a Golden Core sect might come—but only for the secret realm, not to rescue us… to a Nascent Soul cultivator, a few years of seclusion is nothing… to them, a brief moment; to us, an unbearable eternity.”

Ding Bushan, old and shrewd, had gathered a few like-minded cultivators and moved closer to Qingdan Market: “Little Rui, old man here comes to guard the elder’s Foundation Establishment—we won’t go near, just stand guard at the outermost perimeter!”

He glared fiercely at the other wanderers: “I’d like to see who dares cut off the market folk’s only chance at survival!”

As for whether the Foundation Establishment elder would take them along?

Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator crossing the Wildlands needs scouts or attendants!

In plain terms, they were begging to be cannon fodder.

As wanderers, they were long accustomed to risking their lives for even a sliver of hope.

The question now was simply: would the elder succeed?

“Sister…”

Among Qingdan Market’s guards, Han Qingyun quietly approached Feiyue: “What do you think?”

“Normally, those wanderers would’ve already rushed in… but now, with the Young Mistress establishing her Foundation, they’re hesitating—they clearly want to cling to us to escape this place…”

Feiyue’s expression was serious: “This is human harmony… establishing Foundation atop a spiritual vein is geographical advantage… that Golden Feather beast came three days ago; by its habits, it won’t return for ten to fifteen days—that’s celestial timing… Heaven’s timing, Earth’s advantage, human harmony—all aligned. Now we wait to see if the Young Mistress succeeds.”

BOOM!

Finally, the spiritual vortex surged entirely into the cave, and all fell still.

“Too late!”

Among the wanderers, a late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator felt regret but showed no sign: “We came only to offer our congratulations—congratulations, Elder, on your successful Foundation Establishment!”

Now that the phenomenon had ended, only two outcomes remained: success or failure.

He spoke his flattery first—if the elder failed, he could still strike.

Creak.

The cave door burst open, and a woman in green robes, her face veiled, stepped out calmly—her aura profound, radiating the pressure of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

At a single glance, nearby wanderers were stunned, bowing deeply: “Congratulations, Elder, on your successful Foundation Establishment! May your immortal blessings endure forever, and may you attain eternal life!”

“Su has succeeded in Foundation Establishment—thank you all for coming to witness… hmm?” Su Ye’s eyes behind her veil flickered; suddenly, a surge of powerful spiritual energy erupted around her, startling everyone—some thought she meant to attack.

But in the next instant, her slender hand swept out, summoning several spiritual energy hands that plucked from the ceiling, wall cracks, and corners: beetles, birds—all captured: “Such exquisite puppetry—no spiritual energy fluctuation at all. Had I not already cultivated my spiritual sense, I’d never have noticed…”

Qi Condensation cultivators’ spiritual sense could only perceive their own bodies, at most inspecting jade slips and storage bags.

But a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s spiritual sense was a refinement of that—capable of observing their entire body and everything within dozens of zhang, every detail clear.

Under Su Ye’s current spiritual sense, these birds and lizards appeared lifelike, yet inside were intricate mechanical devices—clearly not living beings.

What intrigued her more was that these puppets emitted zero spiritual energy fluctuations—only a Foundation Establishment cultivator could detect them.

BOOM!

BOOM!

The next moment, the drones trapped in her spiritual hands exploded into bursts of flame.

“Hmm? Self-destructed?”

Su Ye was slightly surprised.

“Elder, shall we hunt down this cowardly, hidden foe?”

Having succeeded in his gamble, Ding Bushan stood tall, his voice louder:

“No need. I already have a rough idea of who it is. Thank you all for guarding me—there’s a modest banquet set at my villa; I humbly invite you all to attend…”

Su Ye’s tone was warm, almost joyful.

Even the hostile wanderers at the perimeter were invited.

“Since the Elder invites us, we naturally cannot refuse.”

The late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator exchanged glances with the others, then finally agreed.

Soon, the news of Qingdan Market’s young master’s successful Foundation Establishment spread like a storm through the market and beyond…

After everyone departed, ten zhang from the cave, the ground suddenly split open—a black beetle crawled out…

“Foundation Establishment Stage One—spiritual sense range is ten zhang, roughly thirty-three meters?”

In the cave’s basement, Fang Xing finished his congee, lost in thought.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator’s spiritual sense range depends on their realm, cultivation technique, and even individual physique.

Moreover, there are rare substances and pills that can artificially open the Purple Mansion and enhance spiritual sense.

Today, he risked exposure to monitor precisely to obtain firsthand data.

‘From Su Ye’s actions, all puppets within thirty-three meters were detected and destroyed… only those beyond that range remained undetected—this supports the theory.’

‘But I must be cautious—she might be pretending. Perhaps she already spotted my beetle puppets and is feigning ignorance…’

‘This is what a Foundation Establishment cultivator is like? They say their spiritual energy has transformed into liquid true essence—one drop equals the total spiritual energy of a late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator…’

Fang Xing assumed the Tiger Subduing Stance, practicing his fists while thinking.

‘After succeeding, Su Ye will surely leave—this may be the final wave of refugees… should I follow her into the Familiar Wilds?’

Quickly, he made his decision: ‘No.’

The wanderers wanted to flee because they faced certain death.

But Fang Xing, if careful, could hide in the Chuying Star whenever danger arose—his safety was assured, and he wouldn’t face starvation or supply shortages.

Then he could simply wait for the major sects to clear the routes themselves…

Even in the worst case—if everyone abandoned Qinglin Market—Fang Xing could quietly cultivate until he reached Courage, External Perception, or even Golden Core, then leave on his own!

‘Relying on others is weakness and folly—I trust only myself!’

‘This… is my Martial Dao!’

ROAR! ROAR!

The next instant, Fang Xing seemed to hear the roar of a tiger beside his ear.

Tiger Intention—Achieved!

He touched his forehead, feeling another surge of mental energy coalesce in his Dantian.

“Dragon Intention, Tiger Intention—both acquired. Each Intention’s purification greatly benefits the Dantian, solidifying the foundation for my future.”

Fang Xing carefully felt the Tiger Intention; under the influence of both Intention, his internal breath surged again!

“The progress on my six viscera has accelerated…”

【Tiger Subduing Stance: 1/400 (Master）】

Glancing at his status bar, Fang Xing nodded silently.

After reaching the Master tier, proficiency becomes increasingly hard to increase... but for the sake of future Golden Core foundations and the Dragon-Tiger realm, I must practice daily.

Fang Xing automatically checked the progress of other martial arts and found that Dragon-Elephant Art had reached 89/100 (proficient); he smiled slightly.

“Once Dragon-Elephant Art becomes expert-level, I could ask Su Ye to instruct me…”

“But it probably won’t help—I’ll likely get crushed anyway… because as soon as she flies into the sky with her physical body, I can only stare helplessly.”

What about using a ‘Flight Talisman’ or something similar? What’s the difference between that and a human attaching wings to fly like a bird?

According to Fang Xing’s current experience, to kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator, you must strike unexpectedly, close in for a surprise attack, and decide victory in a single blow!