Emerging from the euphoria of his breakthrough, Wei Zhong realized that over three months had passed since he achieved Foundation Establishment.
Time truly flies, he mused. It feels like no time at all.
Wei Zhong focused on reining in his overflowing spiritual energy. As a newly established Foundation Establishment cultivator, he had yet to fully master controlling his energy flow.
The people in Market City must have forgotten about this old farmer by now, he thought. And those few acres of Spirit Field—I've been gone for over three months. According to Azurewood Sect rules, they'll have been reclaimed.
There's no point in rushing back now. I might as well spend this time consolidating my cultivation base properly.
With that thought, Wei Zhong closed his eyes, activated his cultivation technique, and resumed his meditative practice.
A month passed in the blink of an eye. Wei Zhong rose from his cultivation chamber, stretched languidly, and let out a contented groan.
Cultivation is truly arduous, he thought. His gaze flickered to the status panel before him:
Name: Wei Zhong
Cultivation: Foundation Establishment, First Layer (5%)
Cultivation Techniques: Spring and Autumn Water Refinement Manual - Proficient (42%); Body Nourishing Art - Proficient (83%)
Lifespan: 115/240
In just one month of focused consolidation, Wei Zhong had advanced his Foundation Establishment First Layer progress by 5%—an astonishing rate of progress.
Wei Zhong knew that his past cultivation had never been so effortless or rapid. This was simply a temporary boost from capitalizing on the instability of his newly established Foundation Establishment realm, striking while the iron was hot.
Furthermore, the Foundation Establishment realm was now divided into nine distinct layers, a system described in Senior Bai He's jade slip as part of the new cultivation methods. Unlike the ancient techniques that only segmented the Qi Refining stage into precise levels, while subsequent stages were broadly categorized into Early, Mid, and Late periods, the new methods offered a consistent nine-layered division for Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and beyond. This makes Kryptonite-level progression much more convenient, doesn't it?
Despite this modern system, cultivators still commonly used the traditional broad stage classifications, referring to others as being at the early or mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, for example.
Wei Zhong straightened his magic robe and exhaled a long breath of stale air.
His mastery of the Spring and Autumn Water Refinement Manual had progressed remarkably quickly. A single Foundation Establishment breakthrough had catapulted his proficiency from 18% (Proficient) to 42% in just four months.
His cultivation of the Body Nourishing Art had been somewhat neglected due to his focus on Foundation Establishment, but it had still advanced to 83%, bringing him closer to Grandmaster-level mastery.
Most importantly, his lifespan had been dramatically extended.
Upon successfully establishing his Foundation Establishment, his lifespan immediately surged to 240 years. With a bone age of just over a hundred, Wei Zhong was now in his prime—young and vigorous, with plenty of time to squander... no, to cultivate diligently.
Having finally achieved Foundation Establishment, Wei Zhong could breathe a sigh of relief. He had always worried that powerful cultivators would discover his secret, and his sense of security had been severely lacking.
Now that he had unlocked the Dao of Time, casting a single spell would consume twelve years of his lifespan, propelling him to the Mid-Stage of Foundation Establishment. Two castings, costing twenty-four years, would advance him to the Late-Stage. In just forty-eight years, he could directly ascend to Core Formation, earning the title of True Person.
In the Cultivation World, this was the level required to establish his own sect.
Although his enhanced cultivation stage could only be maintained for an hour, it was still a trump card of immense power.
Ordinary cultivators could conceal only one or two minor techniques, but Wei Zhong could hide an entire major realm of cultivation. No one could rival his mastery of concealment.
"Time to return," he muttered.
He needed to check on his spirit field. While the spirit rice there wasn't worth much in spirit stones, he was, after all, a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He couldn't allow anyone to seize his property.
Stepping out of the Cultivation Chamber, Wei Zhong smiled at Big Gold, who greeted him with a series of contented gurgles. He tossed the spirit beast a bottle of Spirit Feeding Pills.
"Your master has successfully achieved Foundation Establishment. I'm feeling generous today—this is your reward."
Wei Zhong paused, as if he'd forgotten something.
Slapping his forehead, he retrieved a birdcage from his Spirit Beast Pouch. Inside sat Nine-Colored, looking listless.
Wei Zhong had been so engrossed in his Foundation Establishment that he'd completely forgotten to release Nine-Colored from its Spirit Beast Pouch. Keeping the celestial parrot cooped up for four long months must have been sheer torment for a creature accustomed to gazing at the stars and moon.
Fortunately, Nine-Colored sensed the abundant spiritual energy within the Grotto-Heaven, and its almost-human face relaxed momentarily. But then it startled at the sight of the large fish by the pond, squawked twice, and burst from its cage, flapping its wings to hover in the air.
Big Gold, thinking Wei Zhong had brought it a snack, was poking its snout into the birdcage.
Wei Zhong chuckled and scolded, "You lazy bird! I can tease you all day, and you won't make a peep. But now this dimwit scares you, and you suddenly decide to squawk?"
Wei Zhong tossed a bottle of Spirit Feeding Pills into the air, which Nine-Colored deftly snatched mid-flight. He then patted Big Gold's plump fish head and whispered, "Try to get along."
With a flicker of his robes, Wei Zhong vanished from the Grotto-Heaven.
Inside, Big Gold seemed to realize that the bird overhead wasn't food, but rather a companion. It waddled ponderously to the pond, plucked a lotus seedpod from the water, and chewed it with two indecipherable gulps, its goofy eyes fixed on the scruffy parrot above.
Flying through the sky on his magic sword, Wei Zhong passed Qi Refining cultivators who dared not meet his gaze, fearing this Foundation Establishment Senior might have a volatile temper.
Watching the escape light streak across the sky, its speed far surpassing anything a Qi Refining cultivator could achieve, Wei Zhong felt a mixture of awe and envy.
As expected of a Foundation Establishment cultivator—they're on a different level.
Wei Zhong stood atop his Flying Sword, sighing inwardly.
The sheer abundance of spiritual energy in a Foundation Establishment cultivator granted them extraordinary speed when maneuvering magical artifacts. The only problem was the low grade of his own sword.
It was still the Mid-Grade First-Tier magic sword he had purchased decades ago, making it seem somewhat beneath him now that he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Come to think of it, he hadn't yet searched Liu Di and the others' Storage Pouches. He could check them later for a suitable replacement.
Wei Zhong flew into Bright Moon Market. The disciples guarding the entrance immediately stopped the unfamiliar cultivator.
Rather than make trouble for the two Qi Refining youths, Wei Zhong simply flashed his spirit field token and entered without incident.
"I can't believe a newly advanced Foundation Establishment cultivator is here. Even a Spirit Farmer can reach Foundation Establishment these days—what incredible luck!"
"Shush! Senior hasn't gone far yet. Be careful he doesn't overhear you, or you'll be in deep trouble."
The second disciple quickly clamped his hand over his mouth.
Meanwhile, the Azurewood Sect disciple across from them thought to himself that he should report this to the sect as soon as possible. Perhaps he could earn some merit points. Without thinking, he blurted out:
"A new Foundation Establishment cultivator has entered Bright Moon Market! I need to report this to Elder Xu. You stay here and keep watch..."
Wei Zhong didn't return to his spirit field cottage. Instead, he headed straight to find Ning Cankun.
"Brother Chu!" Ning Cankun exclaimed joyfully upon seeing Wei Zhong, hastily rising from his rattan chair to greet him warmly. "I heard you left the sect immediately after obtaining the Medicinal Pill and hadn't returned for four months. I feared something had happened to you! Now that you're finally back, how did the Foundation Establishment go?"
Wei Zhong chuckled casually, spreading his arms slightly to reveal his undeniable Foundation Establishment cultivation base. "Naturally, it was a success."
"Excellent! Then I suppose I should address you as 'Senior' from now on," Ning Cankun said with a smile.
Wei Zhong chuckled. "Brother Ning, you jest! Between us old brothers, there's no need for such formalities. We promised to share a drink—come, try my improved version of Azure Vine Intoxication."
The mere mention of spirit wine made Ning Cankun's eyes gleam, his mouth practically watering at the corner. "I must savor every drop!"
The two settled into a quiet corner, sipping spirit wine and catching up on recent events.
Ning Cankun took a sip. "Brother Chu, you needn't worry about those Spirit Fields. While regulations dictate reclaiming abandoned fields after three months, I used my authority to stall the process. I even hired laborers to tend the crops, and we harvested a batch recently. After deducting their wages, these spirit stones remain." He placed several dozen spirit stones on the table.
Though the spirit stones meant little to Wei Zhong, Ning Cankun's thoughtfulness was deeply appreciated.
Wei Zhong smiled, taking the majority of the stones and pushing the rest back towards Ning Cankun, who accepted them without hesitation.
"Thank you again, Brother Ning," Wei Zhong said sincerely.
Ning Cankun waved dismissively. "Don't mention it, Brother Chu. You've been away for some time. About four months ago, an Inner Sect Disciple from the Pill Hall suddenly vanished. It would have been a minor matter, but the missing disciple was a First-Tier Pill Refiner, which drew significant attention from the sect."
Wei Zhong understood the subtle warning. Feigning surprise, he asked, "A First-Tier Pill Refiner? That's no small figure. How could someone like that just disappear?"
Ning Cankun nodded. "Who knows? Perhaps he had the misfortune of encountering a Robber Cultivator and met his demise."
Wei Zhong sighed. "The Cultivation World truly is brutal. Even joining a Golden Core Sect like the Azurewood Sect offers no guarantee of safety."
Ning Cankun rubbed his slightly flushed face. "Now that you've reached Foundation Establishment, Brother Chu, what are your plans? Will you remain a Loose Cultivator, or would you consider joining the Azurewood Sect? I might be able to put in a word..."
Before he could finish, an attendant announced from outside the door, "Elder Xu from the Azurewood Sect's Technique Hall is here to see you!"