Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Zhang Tie’s Foundation Establishment

Immortal Peach Mountain, in the cave residence of Artifact Refiner Wu Feng.

Li Ping was touring his artifact refining workshop, a building quite similar to his own Alchemy Room.

The spacious structure had a circular fire pit in its center. Wu Feng’s disciples periodically added spiritual charcoal to it, maintaining an extremely high temperature that heated the refining furnace above until it glowed bright red.

Wu Feng himself was levitating above the fire pit, controlling the massive refining furnace. He continuously added Spiritual Materials, supplementary ingredients, and other items. Judging by his grave expression, the Artifact Refining had clearly reached a critical stage.

Li Ping watched from a distance, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Wu Feng was an Artifact Refiner whose skills were somewhere between Tier Two Middle Grade and Tier Two Upper Grade. He could forge Tier Two Middle Grade Dharma Artifacts with ease, and with a bit of luck, he could even succeed in forging Tier Two Upper Grade ones.

’If I could get my hands on his refining furnace and gather enough nutrients for the Legacy Tree, I could directly inherit Wu Feng’s Artifact Refining techniques and become an Artifact Refining Master in one fell swoop.’

However, Li Ping had no such intention. Or rather, he wasn’t considering learning Artifact Refining for the time being.

After all, for him, becoming an Artifact Refiner was just another way to earn Spirit Stones.

He was already earning enough Spirit Stones through his talisman crafting and Alchemy skills. There was no need to master another trade.

This was especially true for skills like Artifact Refining and Array formations. He could just spend Spirit Stones to hire someone to forge Dharma Artifacts or set up custom Arrays for him.

’Why waste my own energy?’

Besides, Wu Feng was only a Tier Two Artifact Refiner. Li Ping didn’t think much of the Artifact Refining techniques he possessed.

’If I really wanted to learn, wouldn’t it be better to wait until after I reach Core Formation and directly inherit Tier Three Artifact Refining techniques?’

Li Ping had already made up his mind. Before reaching Core Formation, he wouldn’t inherit any new techniques besides Alchemy.

He either looked down on Tier One and Tier Two techniques or could solve the need for them with Spirit Stones.

As for inheriting Tier Three techniques, the nutrients required for the legacy were a huge problem. He was already vexed about the thousand-year-old Spirit Medicines and Tier Three Spiritual Fire needed for the Tier Three Pill Master legacy. How could he have the mind for anything else?

’In any case, everything can wait until after I reach Core Formation.’

...

While Li Ping was lost in thought, Wu Feng’s refining process reached its final moments.

He let out a sudden, explosive shout and threw open the lid of the refining furnace.

"VMMMM—"

The ring of a sword echoed in the air. Immediately after, a purple sword shadow flew out of the refining furnace, circling continuously inside the refining workshop and emitting sharp whistling sounds.

Finally, the sword shadow stopped in front of Li Ping. The phantom image dissipated, revealing a foot-long Flying Sword that pulsed with a purple glow!

Wu Feng walked over, a smile on his face. "Fellow Daoist Li, I’m glad I did not fail you. The quality of this Flying Sword has reached Tier Two Upper Grade."

Before this, he had already refined the tortoise shell into a small, Tier Two Upper Grade shield.

"Tier Two Upper Grade!" Li Ping was pleasantly surprised. He waved his hand, and the Flying Sword landed in his palm. He gently stroked the blade; its black body, tinged with a hint of purple, gave the Flying Sword a very noble appearance.

"I’ll call you Purple Shadow!" Li Ping named the Flying Sword, then looked at the small red shield in his Storage Bag. "And I’ll call you Red Armor Shield!"

After storing Purple Shadow in his Storage Bag, Li Ping took out the final payment for the refining fee and handed it to Wu Feng, saying with a smile, "Thank you for your trouble, fellow Daoist!"

With these two Dharma Artifacts in hand, he felt more confident about his return to the Jiang Kingdom.

Of course, his true ace in the hole as the ’Thunderfire Daoist’ was the dozens of Giant Thunder Talismans and Blast Flame Talismans he had drawn over the past year and a half!

...

Under a vast, azure sky.

Dressed in white silk mourning clothes, Miaorou transformed into an Escape Light and flew toward the location Yan Liming had given her.

Not far above her, a cyan Flying Ship followed closely. Aboard it, Mr. Yan and Fenglan Master stood side by side, while the little cyan dragon rested coiled on Fenglan Master’s shoulder.

Seeing Miaorou’s attire, Mr. Yan looked somewhat puzzled. "City Lord Bai, why is this young friend wearing mourning clothes? Has someone in her family recently passed away?"

Hearing this, Fenglan Master shook her head and proceeded to explain the reason.

Mr. Yan shook his head repeatedly as he listened. "Such a fiend..."

He was a Confucian Cultivator. Even after stepping onto the Immortal Dao, he still placed great importance on self-cultivation, constantly examining his own words, actions, and conduct against the teachings of the ancient sages!

In his eyes, Yan Liming’s actions were simply a perversion of human decency, utterly preposterous!

"By the way, Mr. Yan, shouldn’t we stay a bit farther away to avoid being discovered by that demon?" Fenglan Master suggested.

But Mr. Yan disagreed with Fenglan Master’s suggestion. He explained, "This Flying Cloud Ship is a Treasure I borrowed from my Senior Brother Xiao before coming here. Not only is its Tunneling Speed astonishing, but its ability to conceal its tracks is exceptional. As long as we are inside and don’t get too close or activate it at full power, a Core Formation Cultivator would never be able to discover us."

As he spoke, his gaze fell back on the woman in mourning clothes not far away. "Besides, since this young friend has already decided to renounce the darkness for the light, she is using herself as bait to lure the demon. If we are too far away and something unexpected happens, I fear we won’t be able to save her in time."

Fenglan Master looked like she wanted to say something but held her tongue. In the end, she just nodded. "As you wish, Mr. Yan."

’In her opinion, Miaorou is just someone from the Demon Dao who turned traitor under my coercion. If she dies, she dies. The important thing is not to scare off Yan Liming!’

But she knew that saying this aloud would likely displease Mr. Yan, so she kept it to herself.

Although she didn’t quite agree with Mr. Yan’s principles, she deeply admired the moral character of these Confucian Cultivators.

After she notified him, he had set out immediately without a second thought, not even trying to leverage the situation for benefits, and had traveled thousands of miles to slay the demon.

’If I were in his shoes, I probably couldn’t have done the same.’

...

「In a secret chamber in the Immortal City.」

After adjusting his condition to its absolute peak, Zhang Tie let out a soft breath and opened his eyes.

Then, without hesitation, he picked up the Jade Bottle beside him, tipped out a Foundation Establishment Pill, and put it in his mouth. He began to assault the bottleneck of the Foundation Establishment Stage!

The medicinal power of the Foundation Establishment Pill quickly took effect. Within a few hours, Zhang Tie felt his entire body temperature begin to rise sharply, especially in his Dantian, which felt as if it had turned into a great furnace.

At that moment, the Magical Power inside his body instantly became violent, seeming to spin completely out of his control.

Any other Cultivator would probably have panicked in a situation where their Magical Power was out of control.

But whether you called him simple and honest or just thick-skinned, it wasn’t in Zhang Tie’s nature to be nervous.

On the contrary, he firmly remembered Li Ping’s instructions: "Guard your heart, restrain your Magical Power, and condense your Dao Foundation! ’All I have to do is what Big Brother told me...’"

...

In the Inner City, just outside Cyan Dragon Mountain, Old Man Lin squatted, waiting anxiously. He would periodically look up at the elegant Cyan Mountain inside the Array.

Zhang Tie had gone to Cyan Dragon Mountain for secluded cultivation to attempt his Foundation Establishment. Old Man Lin was naturally worried and anxious. At first, he tried to alleviate his anxiety through work.

But it was futile; he couldn’t calm his mind enough to focus on his tasks.

Before the Foundation Establishment attempt, he had constantly encouraged his disciple, even going so far as to offer up the shop he had saved his entire life to afford, just to help his disciple gather enough Spirit Stones to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill!

In front of his disciple, he had put on a carefree and unconcerned facade!

In reality, however, he was more nervous than anyone—and not because of his shop.

He was nervous that if Zhang Tie failed his Foundation Establishment, he would never have another chance to break through in this lifetime.

From then on, his disciple would be just like him, a stinking Tanner for the rest of his life!

He didn’t want his disciple to be like him, trapped forever in the world of a foot-long scraping knife.

He stared nervously in the direction of Cyan Dragon Mountain, muttering to himself, "My boy! The chances to change one’s fate in this life are pitifully few. You must seize this opportunity!"

Seeing that the sky was about to darken, Old Man Lin hesitated for a moment, then prepared to leave.

Once Nightfall arrived and the Immortal City’s curfew began, no one was allowed to remain on the streets. As a resident of the Outer City, he had to return there.

But in the very instant he turned to leave—

He was astonished to see that right in front of him, at a location near the foot of Cyan Dragon Mountain, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was rapidly converging. In the blink of an eye, it formed a Spiritual Qi vortex spanning tens of meters in diameter.

Seeing this, Old Man Lin couldn’t help but break into a joyful expression. He knew this was the infusion of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi triggered by Zhang Tie’s Foundation Establishment.

When a Cultivator undergoes Foundation Establishment, they need a massive amount of Spiritual Qi. To absorb enough in a short period, this rapid intake forms such a Spiritual Qi vortex.

Of course, reaching this step didn’t mean Zhang Tie’s Foundation Establishment was complete. He was still a long way from success!

「Over the next few days.」

Old Man Lin came to the outskirts of Cyan Dragon Mountain every day to observe the changes in the Spiritual Qi vortex. Under his watch, the vortex, still spanning tens of meters in diameter, remained perfectly stable.

During this time, there were no disturbances.

The Spiritual Qi vortex was almost motionless, just mechanically and continuously gathering the surrounding Spiritual Qi!

...

On this day, Old Man Lin came early to the Inner City to observe the Spiritual Qi vortex, just as he always did.

He thought that today, the Spiritual Qi vortex would show no change, but something unexpected happened.

A short while later, right before his very eyes...

In an instant, a massive amount of Spiritual Qi was sucked downward. The absorption speed was so fast that it even caused the Spiritual Qi vortex to contract violently!

After the vortex contracted, the ceaseless stream of Spiritual Qi that had been gathering around it completely dispersed. Within the scattered Spiritual Qi, a five-colored luminescence faintly shimmered, creating a magnificent sight.

At this moment, how could Old Man Lin not know what had happened? Tears of joy streamed down his aged face. "My disciple... he’s a Foundation Establishment Cultivator!"

...

「In the secret chamber at the foot of the mountain.」

Zhang Tie opened his eyes, a surging Spiritual Pressure emanating from his body. Joy filled his eyes. "I succeeded."

He stood up and eagerly walked out of the secret chamber, wanting to share the good news with his master and Big Brother.

An opening appeared in the Array. Just as Zhang Tie stepped out of the secret chamber, he saw the Senior Xiong who loved to tell stories about his adventures in the martial world standing outside, looking at him with a broad smile.

He hurriedly bowed. "Senior Xiong, I..."

Before he could finish, Senior Xiong had already burst out laughing. "HAHAHA... Junior Brother, congratulations on your successful Foundation Establishment."

The form of address made Zhang Tie freeze for a second.

But Senior Xiong had already clapped him on the shoulder. "Come, I’ll take you to meet Master right now!"

With that, he pulled Zhang Tie along without another word and flew up the mountain.

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