https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-55-The-Wugui-s-Rebirth-the-True-Man-Reels-In/13504895/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-57-Cultivation-Oblivious-to-Years/13504897/
Chapter 56: Without Foundation Building, One Remains a Pawn
Chapter 56: Without Foundation Building, One Remains a Pawn
For Lv Yang, this was an experience unlike any before.
He was... ascending.
At some unfathomable cultivation stage, his position continuously rose toward a "higher plane", making the mundane world below seem increasingly insignificant.
'Is this the perspective of a Foundation Building cultivator?'
'Is this what transcendence feels like!?'
Lv Yang felt sudden clarity. No wonder Foundation Building experts were often elusive, existing beyond the mortal realm – this sheer elevation might be why.
At the same time, he recalled his earlier duel with Yun Miaozhen, particularly her final technique, the Supreme Taiyi Golden Radiance. That great ability had given him a similar sensation, though not this overwhelming "height." Now he understood – great techniques might simulate Foundation Building's essence.
No wonder it was said that mastering such techniques improved one's chances of successfully ascending. It was like the difference between climbing a mountain from its base versus starting halfway up – different starting lines meant vastly different difficulties in reaching the summit.
The next moment, Lv Yang's senses violently trembled.
Suddenly, he felt as though he'd landed in an expanse of pitch-black void, simultaneously boundless yet empty and desolate. His spiritual senses struggled to extend.
But soon, the scene shifted.
"Beasts! You damned beasts!"
With a furious roar, brilliant light erupted from the darkness. Around it, thick black qi surged skyward, sealing all directions.
Both the radiant light and the dark qi felt as heavy as mountains to Lv Yang. Clearly, the light was being pinned down by the surrounding darkness, its once-powerful roar growing weaker as the radiance itself gradually eroded.
'A Foundation Building battle?'
Lv Yang felt both shock and uncertainty. He realized he was merely hitching a ride on True Man Yinshan's spiritual tide, unable to truly witness the clash between these transcendent beings.
Yet drawing on past lifetimes' experience, he deduced:
'That light must be the Divine Martial Gate's expert. I see – this is another trap! Except this time, the bait is the entire Skull Mountain!'
Understanding crystallized in his mind.
The scene before him finally unraveled a mystery that had long eluded him.
Clearly, Yinshan had been luring fish to the Wugui Secret Realm at Skull Mountain, likely tied to his cultivation. But from beginning to end, Skull Mountain only hosted one Foundation Builder – Yinshan himself.
Where were the Divine Martial Gate's Foundation Builders?
Initially, Lv Yang had assumed Yinshan's superior cunning had let him set this trap undetected. Now, he realized the opposite.
'This expert probably didn't hide at all – he openly manipulated fate to draw out the Divine Martial Gate's Foundation Builders!'
Yinshan used himself as bait at Skull Mountain.
The Holy Sect, meanwhile, used Yinshan as bait across the Northern Borderlands. Now the fish had bitten – the Divine Martial Gate's Foundation Builders were already ensnared!
Boom!
The heavens and earth trembled. A Divine Martial Gate cultivator's voice rang out: "Heretic sects, do you truly intend to extinguish our lineage?"
"What else?"
A Holy Sect expert sneered: "Let me guess – you still cling to hope that the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion lunatics will come? Let me tell you, they won't!"
"Ten years ago at the Jiangnan Ten Thousand Corpses Pit, our Sect's Venerable Elder and the Sword Pavilion's master reached an agreement. The Northern Borderlands go to us, the Southern Frontier to them. Today we destroy you, tomorrow the Sword Pavilion crushes the Miao Tribe's Venomous Sect. Equal trades – no one loses."
"Impossible! Chongguang, you're lying!"
Facing the Divine Martial Gate's fury, True Man Chongguang chuckled coldly: "Call it deception if you like. After today, there won't be a Divine Martial Gate left to argue!"
"Attack!"
In an instant, the radiant light blazed brighter, condensing into five brilliant auras. But instead of combining forces, they scattered in all directions, fleeing desperately.
"Break apart! Escape! Reach the sect if you can!"
"Escape? Fantasies!"
Chongguang struck again, his laughter booming: "Heaven and earth itself will block your path! There's nowhere left to run!"
Boom!
A final explosion severed all sensation. Lv Yang plunged into unconsciousness, only regaining awareness what felt like an eternity later, as if waking from a dream.
"Awake?"
A voice cut through his ears. Lv Yang's pupils constricted as he jolted fully alert, realizing he'd returned to Skull Mountain's forest.
Before him stood True Man Yinshan, hands clasped behind his back, watching with a half-smile.
"Greetings, Senior!"
Without hesitation, Lv Yang kowtowed deeply.
"Rise."
Yinshan lifted a hand, amusement in his tone: "You helped me secure the Wugui Secret Realm. Great merit deserves reward, so I'll offer you some guidance."
"Please, Senior, enlighten me." Lv Yang bowed again, respectful.
"First, though forcefully elevating your fortune and seizing others' blessings accelerated your progress, it left grave consequences."
Yinshan paused, observing Lv Yang's unchanged expression – calm and unshaken. He nodded approvingly before continuing: "My calculations show you'll suffer terrible luck for the next thirty years. Avoid cultivation and travel, or face deadly peril."
"I accept your wisdom."
Lv Yang concealed any discontent. Though he'd lost three decades of fortune, Yinshan gained an entire secret realm.
Without Foundation Building, one remains a pawn. Would a pawn dare resent its master?
Being used by a Foundation Builder was already his fortune.
Even Yinshan's warning was generosity – granted only because Lv Yang belonged to the Three Rivers Association, technically Yinshan's subordinate.
Seeing Lv Yang's "understanding", Yinshan felt satisfied: "Regardless, your aid earned great merit."
"As leader of the Three Rivers Association, I always reward contributions."
"You've already broken through to the tenth Refining Qi layer. Next comes Foundation Building. Thus, I shall grant you a Foundation Building Marvel. What say you?"
At this, Lv Yang's eyes widened.
A Foundation Building Marvel!?
'Ah. In his previous life, Zhao Xuhe likely obtained his first Marvel this way. But now I've taken his place.'
No wonder he'd spent so long in the Market Town, searching relentlessly yet never glimpsing a Marvel – those rumors must have been deliberate misinformation Zhao Xuhe seeded to confuse outsiders.
His mind raced with excitement and longing.
Yet finally, his expression stilled. After deep contemplation, he shook his head: "Senior, might I request another reward instead?"
"...Oh?"
This time, Yinshan truly seemed surprised: "You're certain? This 'Ascension Edict' increases Foundation Building success odds by at least ten percent."
"I'm certain."
Lv Yang nodded firmly. While invaluable, he knew his damaged fortune over the next thirty years meant he couldn't protect such a treasure.
For him now, a Foundation Building Marvel wouldn't be a boon, but a death sentence – as evidenced by Zhao Xuhe's fate in past lives. With iron resolve, he quelled his greed.
"No need to rush."
"I've just perfected Refining Qi. There's room to grow – like mastering great techniques. The Foundation Building Marvel can wait for future lifetimes."
Yinshan fell silent.
Truthfully, he'd initially planned to ignore Lv Yang – until the youth's rapid breakthroughs, sharp judgment, and Three Rivers Association membership sparked interest in grooming him.
After a pause, he asked: "Then what reward do you seek?"
Lv Yang answered without hesitation: "A treasure that enhances comprehension."
After all, his Supreme Yin Shedding Corpse Liberation True Art remained incomplete without the Imperial Edict Talisman Scripture, both requiring extraordinary insight. Without cultivation-boosting wisdom, perfecting this technique might take lifetimes.
(End of Chapter)
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