Chapter 72: Charging Toward Foundation Establishment!
Chapter 72: Impacting Foundation Establishment!
The next day, Lü Yang left the Refinement Secret Realm.
As for the events within the secret realm, he naturally kept them strictly confidential. Even Luo Wuya maintained silence, as if Lü Yang had never entered the realm at all.
As for Lü Yang himself, the Yun Family Patriarch's soul had already been cleansed by True Person Yinshan. He was content to quietly reap the benefits and certainly wouldn't go around spreading the news. To reassure True Person Yinshan, after leaving the secret realm, he decided not to depart at all. Instead, he directly carved out a cave dwelling within Mount Yinshan and settled there.
Time passed unnoticed in mountain cultivation. In the blink of an eye, another ten years went by.
On this day, Lü Yang abruptly awoke from seclusion. Opening his eyes, he looked at the Bright Dao Jade Slip that had never left his hand for ten years, only to discover several cracks had appeared on its surface.
"It seems even this secret treasure has its limits..."
For ten years, he had been activating this treasure almost constantly. Thanks to it, his attainments in various fields had made significant progress.
Formations, talisman techniques, cultivation.
And most importantly, he had finally deduced the secret method to cultivate the 《Corpse Dissolution True Method》 without triggering the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes.
Lü Yang named it the 《Yin Spirit Ghost Immortal Method》.
To put it simply, it was a method of feigning death—guarding the soul internally, maintaining unwavering will, allowing the yin spirit to emerge upon bodily death, thereby preserving the soul in the mortal world.
Using this secret method, Lü Yang could adjust his soul to a state similar to that of a Foundation Establishment True Person's soul. Thus, after his physical body died, he wouldn't enter the cycle of reincarnation. This way, he could meet the conditions for cultivating the 《Corpse Dissolution True Method》, achieving "death before transformation," without triggering the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes.
"In my next life, this shall be my goal."
After all, just mastering the Saint's Theft had taken him several decades.
The 《Corpse Dissolution True Method》 was even more formidable than that, and the time required could only be greater. There was no hope of achieving it in this lifetime.
Thinking this, Lü Yang took out another jade slip.
It recorded a secret method called 'Stealing Heavenly Secrets,' which Zhao Xuhe had traded to him years ago, complete with a confidentiality restriction.
Mastering it could increase his chances of Foundation Establishment by another ten percent!
Lü Yang lightly tapped the slip. As expected, after eighty years, the restriction had dissipated, allowing him to easily access its contents.
"Senior Brother Zhao is an honest man. There are no omissions—he even added annotations."
Lü Yang committed the Stealing Heavenly Secrets technique to memory while musing, "Oh right, Senior Brother Zhao still owes me money in this life. Mustn't forget that next time..."
..........
Another month passed before Lü Yang left his cave dwelling.
This time, however, he heard news that greatly surprised him: Luo Wuya, the second senior brother of the Three Rivers Association, had attempted Foundation Establishment—and failed, resulting in his death.
"How could this be?"
In True Person Yinshan's cave dwelling, Lü Yang sighed deeply: "Senior Brother Luo and I were close friends. I had hoped to share drinks and laughter with him upon leaving seclusion..."
True Person Yinshan also shook his head: "A pity about the second disciple. His cultivation method was the Saint Sect's true inheritance, the 《Heavenly Craft True Scripture》. Upon perfection, the 'Heavenly Craft Treasure Qi' he refined ranked third-grade. Beyond that, he had mastered a great divine ability and possessed a Foundation Establishment Pill. He should have had a thirty percent chance of breaking through."
Foundation Establishment is difficult—harder than ascending to heaven.
Lü Yang was already a hundred years old in this life, and Luo Wuya was even older. A thirty percent chance was worth risking his life for.
Unfortunately, he lost the gamble.
After lamenting for a while, True Person Yinshan turned to Lü Yang: "I observe that your emergence from seclusion indicates you've made a decision—you intend to attempt Foundation Establishment?"
"Senior Brother sees clearly."
Lü Yang cupped his hands and presented the Yun Family Patriarch's soul to True Person Yinshan, speaking solemnly: "After paying my respects to you, I plan to enter seclusion again."
"You... truly are a talent, meant for cultivation in the Saint Sect." True Person Yinshan stroked his beard with a smile. "Looking back now, I somewhat regret siphoning your Fate's Breath at Skeleton Mountain, causing you to waste thirty years. Had you been thirty years younger, your chances of Foundation Establishment would have been greater."
Lü Yang shook his head: "Senior Brother flatters me."
"I never speak empty words." True Person Yinshan shook his head, then waved his hand. A jade token landed before Lü Yang, inscribed with two large characters:
Ascension!
"The Ascension Token I didn't give you at Skeleton Mountain—you exchanged it for the Bright Dao Jade Slip. The second disciple had no use for it, and the third died early on the righteous-demonic battlefield."
"It's yours now."
Lü Yang was stunned, then hurriedly waved his hands: "Senior Brother's kindness is too great—this is inappropriate..."
"Enough nonsense." True Person Yinshan looked impatient. "If I tell you to take it, take it. If you truly achieve Foundation Establishment, consider it a bond of goodwill."
Seeing no alternative, Lü Yang accepted the Ascension Token, feeling a sudden surge of anticipation. Originally, his attempt at Foundation Establishment was merely to accumulate experience for his next life. But now, with third-grade true qi, the Saint's Theft, and this Ascension Token, he actually had a thirty percent chance?
Could there be some scheme at play?
The thought almost made him laugh. There was no helping it—the Saint Sect had too many cunning individuals. Unexplained kindness always made him uneasy.
'But even if there is a scheme, I'll accept it.'
'In this life, I've resolved to die attempting Foundation Establishment—success or glorious failure. Whether there's a scheme or not doesn't matter.'
'If there really is a scheme, I'll just guard against it next time...'
With this thought, Lü Yang stopped hesitating. He stood up, bowed respectfully to True Person Yinshan, then turned and left.
Unbeknownst to him, after his departure, another figure appeared beside True Person Yinshan.
The newcomer was a middle-aged man with an imposing demeanor, his brows radiating an indomitable spirit as if nothing in the world could daunt him.
True Person Yinshan spoke first: "Well?"
"...No good."
The man shook his head: "The optimal age for attempting Foundation Establishment is around seventy or eighty. He's already over a hundred—his chances are vanishingly slim."
"Pity. Though he cultivated the Corpse Dissolution True Method, he didn't complete the final transformation to attain the status of a 'Corpse Dissolution Immortal.' Otherwise, his odds would increase by another ten percent... Without the assistance of a Foundation Establishment True Person, the two of us alone may not be able to breach that place."
"Let's hope he succeeds."
"If not, we'll have no choice but to risk inviting an outsider to help."
True Person Yinshan sighed helplessly: "Senior Brother Chongguang, you've already reached Foundation Establishment Perfection. Combined with the reincarnation of the 'Overturned Lamp Flame' master, this opportunity won't come again."
"Indeed. At this point, we must gamble."
True Person Chongguang's expression was resolute: "Success would be my fortune; failure, my fate. Besides, the millennium calamity approaches. Without becoming a True Lord, how can one hope to be a player in the game?"
"It's merely the difference between dying early or dying late!"
"At least dying in pursuit of a breakthrough is better than having one's will clouded by calamity when it arrives, becoming another's pawn, and perishing in ignorance."
"Having attempted Foundation Establishment ourselves, we understand this truth."
"Senior Brother speaks wisely."
True Person Yinshan nodded, seemingly recalling past events, then sighed: "Qi Refining cannot transcend; even Foundation Establishment struggles to attain true freedom."
"Such is the way of the world."
True Person Chongguang's tone was cold: "Otherwise, why would there be distinctions like True Persons and True Lords?"
"Qi Refining cultivators, no matter how exceptional, are merely 'material'—expendable at any time."
"Only by breaking through to Foundation Establishment does one become regarded as human. And only by achieving Golden Core can one stand high above, ruling over tens of thousands as a sovereign!"