Chapter 177
Chapter 177
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 177
Chapter Title: Foundation Establishment at Eighty
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First day of the first month.
Before Chen Jianghe's courtyard gate stood dozens of cultivators, among them the three Foundation Establishment cultivators: Gao Peiyao, Luo Xiyue, and Yun Bufan.
Yun Xiaoniu was nowhere to be seen, but with Gao Peiyao and Luo Xiyue present, he wasn't worried about any fools coming to cause trouble.
Even Duan Tiande, the mid-stage Foundation Establishment Grand Chieftain of Qingfeng Stronghold, was no match for the ice beauty Luo Xiyue.
"Brother Jianghe, just focus on breaking through to Foundation Establishment."
Gao Peiyao's pretty eyes held a smile. This seemingly simple sentence was a great reassurance to Chen Jianghe.
"Mm."
Chen Jianghe nodded at Gao Peiyao, then his gaze swept around, finally landing on Alchemist Zhuang.
His gaze then became firm, signaling for Alchemist Zhuang not to worry.
"Big Brother, I've already set up the high-grade second-tier Spirit Gathering Array Plate. We can activate the high-grade second-tier Spirit Gathering Array at any time," said Yu Daniu.
"Good!"
Chen Jianghe bowed once more to the crowd, then turned and entered the courtyard to begin his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.
Seeing Chen Jianghe go inside, Yu Daniu didn't hesitate. He ordered the activation of the high-grade second-tier Spirit Gathering Array Plate, gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into Chen Jianghe's courtyard.
In an instant.
Above Qiyun Mountain, five pillars of light shot into the sky, gathering the spiritual energy from a hundred-mile radius and condensing it into five hundred-zhang vortices.
Just as when Yun Bufan had broken through to Foundation Establishment, these spiritual energy vortices converged in the sky before descending upon Chen Jianghe's courtyard.
At this moment, the cultivation town halfway up Qiyun Mountain was packed with cultivators.
The news of Chen Jianghe's attempt at Foundation Establishment was no secret. He had borrowed the Spirit Gathering Array Plate from the Yun Clan and even required the assistance of their late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.
Even Yun Bufan had personally come to Qiyun Mountain to act as a guardian.
This news was impossible to hide.
Regarding a cultivator attempting Foundation Establishment at the age of eighty, all the cultivators came to Qiyun Mountain to watch out of curiosity.
South of the Sky-Reaching River, it wasn't that there were no elderly cultivators who attempted Foundation Establishment; some succeeded, and some failed.
But attempting Foundation Establishment at the age of eighty was, relatively speaking, extremely rare.
"This fellow Daoist is attempting Foundation Establishment at the grand old age of eighty. I'm afraid it will be difficult to succeed. Even with a success rate of over fifty percent, the decline in his vitality due to his advanced age will likely drop it to twenty or thirty percent."
"I heard this fellow Daoist is the older brother of the Yun Clan's Great Elder, Yu Daniu. To dare attempt Foundation Establishment at such an age, he must have a Foundation Establishment Pill!"
"Yu Daniu's older brother? I know who that is. Do you all remember ten years ago when three Foundation Establishment seniors took Fellow Daoist Yu's family from the Yun Clan? Those three seniors were rumored to have been invited by Fellow Daoist Yu's brother, Talisman Master Chen."
"Hiss... This Fellow Daoist Chen has such connections. It seems he must have a Foundation Establishment Pill."
"Even with a Foundation Establishment Pill, success isn't guaranteed. This Fellow Daoist Chen is too old. If he had attempted it twenty years earlier, he might have succeeded, but now..."
Seeing the pillars of light suddenly shoot up from the peak of Qiyun Mountain, followed by the convergence into hundred-zhang spiritual energy vortices.
These cultivators knew that Chen Jianghe had begun his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.
"Grandfather, can Uncle Jianghe succeed in his Foundation Establishment?"
A tall and beautiful woman gazed at the five hundred-zhang spiritual energy vortices above Qiyun Mountain and asked the old man beside her.
"Difficult~"
The old man shook his head. "Fellow Daoist Chen is too old. If it were twenty years earlier, he might have had a chance to succeed."
"Of course, there is still a sliver of a possibility, but it's just too slim."
"If he truly succeeds, his achievement will surpass Yu Daniu's, and he will become a true legend of Mirror Moon Lake."
Yu Daniu started as a low-level Fishery Farmer, gained the favor of the Yun Clan, and became a live-in son-in-law.
He then cultivated all the way to the ninth level of Qi Refining, became an elder of the Yun Clan with a different surname, and is now the Great Elder of the Yun Clan.
He also fathered five sons, all of whom possess spiritual roots.
His eldest son, Yun Xiaoniu, has already succeeded in Foundation Establishment, established the Yu Clan, and now controls a territory of a thousand miles around Qiyun Mountain.
Yu Daniu has practically become a legend in Mirror Moon Lake.
However, the cultivators who came to Qiyun Mountain to watch Chen Jianghe's Foundation Establishment attempt at the age of eighty all more or less hoped he would succeed.
It seemed that if Chen Jianghe succeeded in his old age, they too might have a chance in the future.
Moreover, if Chen Jianghe succeeded, it would be an excellent opportunity for Mirror Moon Lake and Qiyun Mountain to make a name for themselves throughout the entire Tiannan Domain.
A successful Foundation Establishment at the age of eighty—it was unknown if it had ever happened north of the Sky-Reaching River, but it had never occurred south of it.
An hour passed.
The people waiting outside Chen Jianghe's courtyard saw that there was no movement inside; Chen Jianghe had not yet begun to absorb the external spiritual energy.
This made many of them start to murmur with doubt.
They couldn't help but worry.
"Father, why hasn't Uncle made a move yet? What do you think his chances of success are?"
Yun Siniu secretly sent a voice transmission to Yu Daniu.
"Your uncle told me he has a forty-five percent chance of success."
Yu Daniu was anxious, but his expression was as calm as still water. He replied via voice transmission, "Your uncle will definitely succeed."
Yun Siniu nodded heavily. He desperately hoped that Chen Jianghe would succeed.
Given the relationship between Chen Jianghe and Yu Daniu.
Once Chen Jianghe succeeded, it would become an important connection for the Yu Clan's future.
Moreover, the low-quality Foundation Establishment Pill he possessed had come from Chen Jianghe.
No matter the reason, Yun Siniu firmly believed that Chen Jianghe would succeed.
He was already fifty-two this year. In five years at most, he too would have to attempt Foundation Establishment.
Another hour passed.
The five hundred-zhang spiritual energy vortices hovered over Qiyun Mountain without any movement, as if Chen Jianghe didn't need to absorb this spiritual energy for his breakthrough.
This made the cultivators in Qiyun Mountain's cultivation town shake their heads in resignation, all believing that Chen Jianghe would find it difficult to succeed.
After all, he was too old.
Just then.
In the front hall of the courtyard, Chen Jianghe sat cross-legged with three high-grade Spirit Gathering Talismans floating around him.
These were high-grade special spiritual talismans he had drawn himself.
The spiritual energy gathered by the Spirit Gathering Talismans was relatively gentle and was entirely water-attribute spiritual energy.
He didn't rush to break through the three gates of Foundation Establishment. Instead, he used this gentle water-attribute spiritual energy to circulate through the various meridians in his body.
Clearing out the spiritual energy impurities in his meridians.
Although these impurities had little impact on the breakthrough, he carefully cleaned them all out for safety's sake.
Finally, he directed the spiritual energy up to his Baihui acupoint, then into the ancestral cavity between his eyebrows, replenishing the surging soul power in his sea of consciousness and bringing his spiritual soul to its peak state.
After all this was done.
He took out two jade vials. One contained a supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, and the other held a standard-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.
He swallowed the two Foundation Establishment Pills and began the final adjustments of his essence, qi, and spirit...
At this moment, his thoughts raced, replaying scenes from his sixty-six years of cultivation: surviving as a fish farmer at the bottom, teaching himself talisman drawing for spirit stones, the joy of obtaining the Myriad Waters True Scripture, the panic of being chased by rogue cultivators...
Those past events in his cultivation journey, those vivid figures, the bonds of brotherhood, the friendships, and the hatreds... all were clear in his mind.
Even the various memories from before his transmigration surfaced at this moment, flooding his thoughts...
As Chen Jianghe's thoughts spun, a cool sensation flowed into his sea of consciousness, stirring his spiritual soul.
Within a hundred breaths.
He had reviewed two lifetimes.
The past was the past. Now, he had only one thing to do: Foundation Establishment.
Foundation Establishment, the first major hurdle on the path of immortality.
Once this gate was passed, he would shed his mortal coil and become an immortal, truly stepping onto the path of cultivation.
"The first gate of Foundation Establishment, let's begin!"
A glint of determination flashed in Chen Jianghe's eyes, and a powerful conviction surged in his heart.
"If I cannot succeed, then there is no justice in this world!"
There are four gates to breaking through to Foundation Establishment.
The body, magical power, spirit, and Dao heart.
Suddenly, as Chen Jianghe cleared his Shenque acupoint, a vast amount of spiritual energy surged into his meridians, instantly spreading throughout his body.
And at that very moment, the five hundred-zhang spiritual energy vortices above Qiyun Mountain instantly poured into Chen Jianghe's small courtyard.
Absorbed by Chen Jianghe's body.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth infused his body.
A massive amount of spiritual energy cascaded down like a waterfall, entering through his Baihui acupoint and battering his physical body.
Pain!
A heart-wrenching, piercing pain swept through his entire body as his meridians were mercilessly scoured by the spiritual energy.
Widening, tearing, healing, then widening again...
This was the first gate of Foundation Establishment, the gate of the body.
With a massive influx of spiritual energy, if the body could not withstand it, the meridians would rupture, leading to failure.
Therefore, those of advanced age with declining vitality or with physical disabilities would almost always fall at this gate.
The probability of failure was very high.
An hour later, Chen Jianghe slowly opened his eyes, the bloodshot veins within them receding.
The infusion of spiritual energy had caught him somewhat off guard.
After all, it was his first time attempting Foundation Establishment; he had no experience. As the spiritual energy continued to wash over his meridians, the piercing pain lessened, and he became composed.
"My body is perfect, my vitality is as vigorous as an eighteen-year-old's, and my physique is flawless. If I cannot pass this gate, then no one can!"
At this moment, Chen Jianghe's usual humility and caution were gone, replaced by a heart full of conviction that he would succeed.
In the end, the massive amount of spiritual energy was refined by him and poured into his Dantian's sea of qi.
Next was the second gate of Foundation Establishment, the gate of magical power.
Chen Jianghe was even more confident about this gate. He cultivated the Myriad Waters True Scripture, so his magical power was not only more abundant than cultivators of the same level but also purer.
Even after the massive influx of spiritual energy was hastily refined and poured into his Dantian, the purity of his magical power still surpassed that of ordinary cultivators.
In addition, the two Foundation Establishment Pills were at work, continuously helping him purify his magical power and protect his meridians.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~
At this moment, as a massive amount of magical power poured into his Dantian's sea of qi, it formed a magical power tide.
Looking inward with his divine sense, he could clearly see a black tornado forming in his Dantian.
At this time, the pressure in his Dantian increased sharply, and the magical power cultivated from the Myriad Waters True Scripture began to compress rapidly.
Mist of magical power began to drift from Chen Jianghe's seven orifices.
The black tornado gradually became a ball of magical power and was still being compressed. The black magical power mist from the Myriad Waters True Scripture billowed out from his seven orifices like thick smoke signals.
An hour passed.
Chen Jianghe heavily exhaled a turbid breath, expelling the last wisp of black magical power mist.
At this point, his body felt refreshed, and the pressure in his Dantian eased, bringing an indescribably pleasant sensation.
Looking inward with his divine sense.
In his Dantian's sea of qi, the suddenly formed tornado had become two drops of completely liquefied magical power.
The third gate, the gate of spirit.
Also known as the gate of divine sense.
This was his greatest strength. Whether it was because he was a transmigrator or because of his contract with Xiao Hei, his spiritual soul was stronger than other cultivators'.
When others reached spiritual perfection, their divine sense could only extend fifty zhang, but his could extend sixty-eight zhang and nine chi.
With such divine sense strength, if he couldn't pass, it would be an injustice.
The stronger the divine sense, the easier it is to control magical power, guide spiritual energy to purify it, and continuously compress it.
An hour passed.
The two drops of liquefied magical power in Chen Jianghe's Dantian had been completely purged of the impurities brought in during the spiritual energy infusion. They had fully merged into a single drop.
"All three gates passed, as a matter of course."
The fourth gate, the gate of the Dao heart.
Chen Jianghe didn't believe his Dao heart was weak. His will for the immortal path was firm, and he feared no illusions.
Nor would he be led astray by any inner demons.
However, the gate of the Dao heart was synchronized with the realm breakthrough. In other words, while breaking through this gate, he could not forget about breaking through his own cultivation realm.
This undoubtedly increased the difficulty.
But he wasn't worried.
A realm breakthrough required a cultivation site with a high-grade second-tier spiritual vein. He had a high-grade second-tier Spirit Gathering Array Plate, which could simulate one.
This ensured the place of his breakthrough had abundant spiritual energy, which could continuously support his absorption and refinement.
Furthermore, he had taken two Foundation Establishment Pills.
The pills' ability to stabilize the Dao heart, combined with his own willpower, meant he had nothing to worry about.
Although his spiritual root talent was not high, just a five-element miscellaneous root, under the effect of one supreme-grade and one standard-grade Foundation Establishment Pill...
...he could completely harmonize the five-element spiritual meridians in his body, repair the impurities in his spiritual roots, and make the spiritual energy flow like a great river.
It could also supplement his innate qi, strengthen his organs, and help him withstand the pain of "shedding one's mortal body and being reborn" at the moment of breakthrough.
The pill patterns on the supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pill could connect with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, forming a rudimentary "Spirit Gathering Array" in his Dantian to accelerate spiritual energy absorption.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~~~
Suddenly, above Qiyun Mountain, five hundred-zhang spiritual energy vortices gathered once more and were sucked into the courtyard.
A massive amount of spiritual energy once again poured into his body through his Baihui acupoint.
However, there was none of the piercing pain from the first time, but rather a satisfying feeling of his meridians being instantly filled.
A black tornado formed a cloud of mist above his Dantian's sea of qi.
Under the control of his powerful divine sense, impurities were removed, and the mist liquefied into droplets, creating a light drizzle over his Dantian.
As the medicinal power of the Foundation Establishment Pills in his Shenque acupoint was completely used up, these magical power raindrops began to gather, finally condensing into a single, crystal-clear drop of black liquid.
...
"A second infusion of spiritual energy from heaven and earth! This is the final stage of the breakthrough. Is this eighty-year-old fellow Daoist—no, senior—about to succeed?"
"For elderly cultivators, the most difficult part of Foundation Establishment is the first gate. Since this senior has passed the first gate, he might actually succeed."
"Establishing his foundation at eighty, this senior's Dao heart must be firm. He will surely break through this final gate."
"Hiss~ Foundation Establishment at eighty, that's rare in the entire Tiannan Domain!"
"South of the Sky-Reaching River, there have been a few cultivators over eighty who attempted Foundation Establishment, but none succeeded."
"If this Senior Chen succeeds, Mirror Moon Lake and Qiyun Mountain will probably become famous throughout the Tiannan Domain."
"I hope this senior succeeds. If he does, I might dare to gamble on attempting Foundation Establishment at seventy..."
In front of a shop in this cultivation town, Yun Huixiang stared intently at the peak of Qiyun Mountain.
Watching the second infusion of spiritual energy, a trace of nostalgia flashed in her eyes.
A scene appeared in her mind.
It was from when she first met Chen Jianghe. Her older sister, Yun Huizhen, and brother-in-law, Yu Daniu, had intended to introduce her to him.
"Will you succeed in Foundation Establishment?"
Yun Huixiang murmured to herself.
If Chen Jianghe succeeded, she would have been just one step away from becoming the wife of a Foundation Establishment senior.
"Impossible. You're already in your eighties. How could you possibly succeed?"
"Are you forcing this breakthrough just to make me regret looking down on you back then?"
"..."
The expression in Yun Huixiang's eyes shifted, showing joy, anger, regret, jealousy, and resentment.
At this moment.
Before the courtyard gate.
Seeing the second infusion of spiritual energy, Yu Daniu grew excited. He knew this was the final step.
As long as he passed this final gate.
Chen Jianghe would become a Foundation Establishment cultivator, a lofty Foundation Establishment Ancestor.
But after the excitement, Yu Daniu's heart began to pound with anxiety.
The closer it got to the end, the more nervous he became.
Alchemist Zhuang's aura grew restless, his eyes filled with worry. He hoped Chen Jianghe would succeed.
It wasn't just because he wanted Chen Jianghe to protect his granddaughter and disciple.
He genuinely hoped that Chen Jianghe could become a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"Sister, it looks like Brother Jianghe is about to succeed."
Gao Peiyao's phoenix eyes held a smile as she spoke softly.
"Foundation Establishment at eighty... even with the secrets of Foundation Establishment from the Ji Clan's descendant, the success rate is at most fifty percent."
Luo Xiyue glanced at Gao Peiyao and sent a voice transmission, "It seems his luck is indeed quite good."
Gao Peiyao nodded.
In her opinion, even if Chen Jianghe had a perfect method for Foundation Establishment, attempting it at eighty would still only have a fifty percent chance of success.
Now, having reached the final step, his luck was indeed good.
"If he succeeds, he'll be qualified for me to give him a few more opportunities," Gao Peiyao thought to herself.
Yun Bufan stared at the courtyard with a surprised expression, then turned to Yu Daniu and said, "Your big brother's luck is good. It seems he's about to succeed."
"I must thank Cousin Bufan for coming to guard my big brother," Yu Daniu said with a cupped-fist salute.
"Hehe..."
Yun Bufan glanced at Gao Peiyao and Luo Xiyue, then quickly looked away and gave an awkward laugh.
His presence as a guardian was merely adding flowers to a brocade—a nice but unnecessary addition.
Others might not see how powerful Gao Peiyao and Luo Xiyue were, but he could sense it.
With these two present, who would dare cause trouble on Qiyun Mountain?
An hour later.
The spiritual energy vortices above the courtyard dispersed, followed by a powerful Foundation Establishment stage pressure that swept out.
The Foundation Establishment magical power cultivated from the Myriad Waters True Scripture emanated a powerful and heavy aura.
"Sixty-six years of cultivation, and now Foundation Establishment at eighty is at hand!"
Chen Jianghe's hearty laughter echoed from within the courtyard.
A joyful expression appeared on Yu Daniu's face, and he also burst into laughter.
Alchemist Zhuang, meanwhile, showed a satisfied expression, nodded in gratification, and then quietly returned to his own courtyard.
Whoosh~
The courtyard gate was opened by a gust of spiritual wind.
Yu Daniu, Gao Peiyao, Luo Xiyue, and Yun Bufan walked in, while the others remained outside.
When they reached the front hall, they saw Chen Jianghe walking towards them with a broad smile.
His aura was now restrained. Unless he willed it, Qi Refining cultivators wouldn't be able to detect the fluctuations of his magical power.
"Big Brother, congratulations on your successful Foundation Establishment."
Yu Daniu offered his congratulations.
"Brother Jianghe, congratulations," Gao Peiyao also said with a light laugh.
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Chen, on your success. From now on, you will enjoy a lifespan of two hundred and twenty years and can roam the world freely," Yun Bufan congratulated him.
But his eyes were filled with emotion.
That low-level Fishery Farmer from back then had actually succeeded.
Yu Daniu had gotten this far entirely because of the Yun Clan's support, but Chen Jianghe was different.
He was just a Fishery Farmer.
After leaving Mirror Moon Lake, he was a low-level rogue cultivator.
But thinking about how Chen Jianghe was a high-grade Talisman Master who had accumulated resources for so many years, it was indeed possible for him to attempt Foundation Establishment.
But that he actually succeeded was truly unbelievable.
"Congratulations."
Luo Xiyue, cold as ice, faintly uttered the two words.
Chen Jianghe had spent some time with Luo Xiyue and understood her personality. For her to say "congratulations"...
...was only because Gao Peiyao was standing beside them. Otherwise, he might not have heard those two words from her.
"Daniu."
Chen Jianghe gave Yu Daniu a firm nod.
Then, he looked at Gao Peiyao and Luo Xiyue and smiled. "Thank you, Peiyao and Fellow Daoist Luo, for your protection."
"And thank you, Fellow Daoist Yun, for coming."
Chen Jianghe added, cupping his fist towards Yun Bufan.
After a brief exchange, Yu Daniu and the others left.
Chen Jianghe had just broken through and needed to enter seclusion to consolidate his cultivation. Gao Peiyao and the others naturally wouldn't disturb him for long.
Even if they had matters to discuss, they would wait until he came out of seclusion.
After seeing the four of them off, Chen Jianghe began to cultivate the Myriad Waters True Scripture, refining the single drop of bright black magical power in his Dantian.
The Myriad Waters True Scripture he had only contained the Qi Refining section. To continue raising his cultivation, he needed the subsequent parts of the technique.
After breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, it was possible to switch to a different Foundation Establishment stage technique of the same element.
However, Chen Jianghe still hoped to obtain the subsequent parts of the Myriad Waters True Scripture. He was very fond of its ability to increase the power of his spells by twenty percent.
Of course, even without the subsequent parts, the Qi Refining section of the Myriad Waters True Scripture was still sufficient to consolidate his newly broken-through Foundation Establishment realm.
A month later.
After stabilizing his cultivation realm, Chen Jianghe didn't rush to see how much his magical power and divine sense had improved since breaking through.
There was no hurry for that; he would have plenty of time to study it later.
The most urgent matter at hand was to communicate with Xiao Hei. He needed to give Xiao Hei hope and a reason to cultivate and work hard.
Immediately, Chen Jianghe released Xiao Hei from the spirit beast space.
He asked urgently, "Xiao Hei, I've succeeded in Foundation Establishment, and my lifespan has soared. Quick, check if your lifespan has increased too!"