Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Ending Earthly Ties
 

“Foundation Establishment is within reach, it should be celebrated!”

Zhou Yi suppressed the joy in his heart, deciding that celebration could wait until after the breakthrough.

“With my aptitude, just two Foundation Establishment Pills are likely not enough to break through…”

With that thought, he glanced at the Spirit Ginseng baby next to him, sighing in distress.

The millennium-old Spirit Ginseng, which was originally more than two feet long, now had only one foot left. Seeing Zhou Yi looking over, it lay on the ground crying and wailing, throwing a tantrum.

“Mercy, Immortal! Mercy, Immortal! If you cut anymore, I will die!”

Zhou Yi said somberly, “Rest assured, another Spirit Ginseng is about to reach a millennium milestone, so we won’t need you after that.”

“Hm?”

The Spirit Ginseng glanced at the only plant in the medicinal field within the stone chamber, a nine-hundred-year-old specimen, and feeling a chill on one of its leaves, it rolled over to Zhou Yi’s feet from the ground. “I’ve bled for you, Immortal, I’ve contributed, you can’t abandon me!”

“That will depend on your performance.”

Zhou Yi no longer paid attention to the conflicted Spirit Ginseng, sitting down cross-legged and silently reciting the purification spell.

Several days later.

Mana reached its peak state, and Zhou Yi swallowed a Foundation Establishment Pill. As the Spirit Pill dissolved upon entering his mouth, an overwhelming surge of Spiritual Energy filled his meridians.

The Guiyuan Technique operated on its own, refining the Spiritual Energy while attempting to break through the Foundation Establishment boundary.

The mana in the Dantian, which had been stagnant for over a decade, began to grow again. Due to the limited capacity of the Dantian, the originally gaseous mana began to condense into a liquid state.

Just as a wisp of liquid mana formed, the collision between the two different states of mana caused violent agitation, like boiling water, and some fine cracks appeared in the Dantian.

At this moment, the Foundation Establishment Pill started to exert its medicinal effects, rapidly repairing the cracks in the Dantian.

Zhou Yi’s eyebrows slightly furrowed; he stopped the flow of mana and waited until the effects of the Foundation Establishment Pill had been fully realized.

“If the breakthrough fails and the medicinal effects of the Foundation Establishment Pill are exhausted without fully repairing the Dantian, will it leave behind cracks?”

This question was not recorded in any text; perhaps someone in the Alchemy Sect knew the answer. A normal Loose Cultivator would be lucky to get one Foundation Establishment Pill in a lifetime; how could they afford to spare any of its potency?

Besides, even if the Dantian was slightly damaged, one could still seek a way to repair it after eventually breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

“During the breakthrough, one must retain three… no, five parts of the Pill’s power. If it fails, just take another one!”

Having no knowledge in this area, Zhou Yi chose the safest method and continued to take Foundation Establishment Pills.

The mana in the Dantian began to condense again, faster than before, and the Dantian itself felt more robust. Five parts of the Pill’s power managed to condense a tenth of it into liquid.

“Continue the Alchemy!”

…

Three months passed.

Over the past twenty-odd years, even when Zhou Yi secluded himself for alchemy, he would emerge every half a month.

Sometimes he’d listen to Loose Cultivators tell tales of the Cultivation World, or seek advice from Li Yu on cultivation techniques, meticulous and discreet. Everyone in the spiritual land considered him patient with tedium, diligent, and studious, a model youth or middle-aged man.

What a pity that his talent was limited; spending two to three thousand Spirit Stones hadn’t helped him break through to the Innate level.

At the critical moment of his breakthrough, for the first time, he didn’t leave his chambers for three consecutive months.

The elderly Lord Li Yu, who was over a hundred years old, paused outside the cave dwelling but refrained from knocking.

“There shouldn’t be a problem.”

Before long, half a year had passed.

Li Yu finally couldn’t restrain himself. Even if there were food reserves in the dwelling, they should be nearly depleted. Over the years, his relationship with Zhou Yi had grown to be even closer than those fleeting ties with the members of the Imperial Clan.

The bonds of kinship thinned through five or six generations already felt distant.

Thump, thump, thump!

No response came, and Li Yu’s expression changed slightly, as he activated his flying sword to cut open the stone door.

Inside the cave dwelling, it was empty; no one was to be seen.

Li Yu saw a jade slip lying on the central stone table and hurriedly picked it up to check. Inside, it detailed the procedures for concocting the Primordial Pill.

At the end of the piece, there is a message left.

“I borrowed this place and returned a volume of scriptures. From this moment on, our predestined relationship is severed!”

Li Yu looked at the meditation cushion inside the cave dwelling—it still held a bit of warmth—and felt a sense of loss, as if he had just missed a great opportunity.

…

At this moment,

Zhou Yi was flying in the sky.

Without the need to control any magic artifact, his body wrapped in an escaping light as he crossed the firmament, leaving behind a trail of rainbow light.

“At the early stages of Foundation Establishment, traveling three thousand miles a day is but a trivial matter. Roaming towards the North Sea at dawn and to the Cangwu in the evening, now I somewhat resemble a carefree immortal!”

More than a month ago,

Zhou Yi had taken a total of twelve Foundation Establishment Pills and finally made a breakthrough in his realm, turning the mana in his Dantian completely liquid.

“The power of my spells has increased three to four times compared to the Qi Refinement Realm. The step between Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment seems like a small one, but the difference in strength is as vast as the heavens and the earth! The Five Thunder Technique can almost be cast instantly, with several bolts of thunder being released with a wave of the hand, their power surpassing that of common magic artifacts.”

“The dozen or so protective magic artifacts that I had are now useless in the duels of the Foundation Establishment Stage. It seems they have scarcely been used twice?”

Zhou Yi did not grieve over the spirit stones; unused protective artifacts meant that he had never encountered danger. Among the various spells, what truly amazed Zhou Yi was the Divine Bull Transformation, which, after advancing to the Foundation Establishment realm, had caused yet another surge in his physical strength.

By using his innate spell, he could transform into a golden-horned green bull three to four zhang tall, with a hide that even the Five Thunder Technique couldn’t penetrate.

“What a pity, the latter part is missing.”

The Guiyuan Technique, which Zhou Yi primarily practiced, also lacked subsequent chapters after the breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

The spiritual energy in the cold pond cave was slightly scarce and could no longer supply Zhou Yi to continue his cultivation. Even if he set up a Spirit Gathering Array, it would only prevent his mana from scattering.

After experiencing the exhilaration of unrestrained flight, Zhou Yi reigned in his pride, landed on the ground, and concealed his aura, appearing as ordinary as any mortal.

“It is only the Foundation Establishment Stage, the second realm on the path of immortality. Compared to the Zhen Yang Demon Venerate’s mountain-shattering blow, I’m still tens of thousands of miles away.”

“Low-key, cautious!”

…

Midnight.

Qianjing City was ensconced in silence.

More than twenty years had passed, and except for a change of emperor, nothing else had changed.

The sons of officials became officials, and the sons of the wealthy remained rich, while the poor commoners still prayed for blessings in the next life.

The Bai family estate.

In the backyard shrine,

the candles burned bright, and the incense was plentiful.

The guards on duty suddenly felt dizzy and all fell into a deep sleep.

Zhou Yi entered the shrine and his gaze swept over each spirit tablet—some he had heard of, and some he had not. He paused at the name of the elder Bai, then turned his attention to an item offered on the altar.

A jade pendant stained with blood.

In a moment of remembrance, he recalled the bustling wedding of old Bai, with guests filling the house, full of cheer and splendor.

“Two hundred years of cultivation flash by in a moment; in the mortal world, eight or nine generations have passed. Perhaps they have already forgotten the promise made back then, merely regarding it as an heirloom of the ancestors.”

Zhou Yi picked up the jade pendant and caressed it for a moment, murmuring,

“Old Bai, I met an interesting fellow a few years ago, with a temperament like yours, just not as handsome. I thought of making friends with him, but in a blink of an eye, more than twenty years have passed. I’ve heard from his kin that he’s married and has children now.”

“Given the circumstances, I shouldn’t bother him with a visit!”

The divide between immortals and mortals is not just one of strength.

One period of seclusion amounts to a lifetime for a mortal; even the most amiable cultivator does not wish to affiliate with mortals, to avoid the pain of inevitable loss.

Zhou Yi dropped his blood essence into the jade, with the intention that should the Bai family face disaster, a sense of it would emerge if he reached advancement in Divination and Deduction Techniques in the future.

After standing quietly for a moment, he drifted away.