Mai stood frozen in place, as if her entire worldview had just taken a massive hit.
Ren Asakura patted her on the shoulder. "Alright, nanny, nothing for you to do now. Just watch."
Lu Mingfei found a flat patch of grass and sat down.
Ren Asakura waved his hand.
"Go for it! I'll watch your back."
Lu Mingfei nodded and immediately popped a Foundation Establishment Pill into his mouth.
A surge of powerful spiritual energy exploded within his body.
The spiritual energy he'd gathered during the Qi Refining stage began to compress steadily.
It coursed through his meridians, his dantian, and his sea of consciousness.
Once that energy compressed into a liquid state—it would mark the successful completion of Foundation Establishment.
A terrifying aura began to emanate from Lu Mingfei's body.
This was spiritual energy leaking out.
Ren Asakura raised one hand and set up a small semicircular formation that enveloped Lu Mingfei.
Mai stared at the dome-shaped formation, watching countless runes flow along its surface. The array lines on the ground corresponded perfectly with heaven, earth, and man.
Each movement was mesmerizing—so much so that she couldn't help but be drawn in, her mind beginning to sink into its mysterious rhythm.
She gradually spaced out, as if her very soul was being pulled in.
Suddenly, Ren Asakura flicked her on the forehead.
"You're not a cultivator. Without divine sense, forcing yourself to understand this stuff will damage your mind."
Mai snapped back to awareness, a wave of fear washing over her—an overwhelming sense of danger had just enveloped her.
"What… what is this? This is cultivation?"
Ren Asakura nodded.
"Actually, the end of science is theology. Cultivation is similar. These array runes are like mathematical formulas. But without the right foundation, you can't comprehend them. Force it, and your brain breaks."
---
---
Lu Mingfei felt like he was dreaming.
A strange dream.
He stood in a massive, empty cathedral. The tolling of bells echoed nonstop.
The emptiness gave the hall a somber, mournful feeling.
In the center, on a large cross, a boy was hanging.
Lu Mingfei raised his head slightly—his golden pupils locked with the boy's.
"Want to trade places, brother?"
The boy spoke.
Lu Mingfei opened his mouth and finally said something he'd always wanted to say. "Oh, my foolish little otouto… You want your brother's life, huh? Well, I'm not giving it."
The boy fell silent for a moment.
He didn't understand how his brother knew.
"You're still the same as always, brother. You made the right choice—you rejected me. But when the king returns, all who defy him must die. That is fate, brother."
Lu Mingfei dug into his ear impatiently. "Why make my dream so melodramatic? And that so-called fate of yours? Not worth a pile of dog crap. Anyway, I'm in the middle of breaking through to Foundation Establishment—stop bothering me."
The boy's eyes filled with unspoken sorrow. "We'll meet again, brother."
"Yeah, yeah. See you next time."
Lu Mingfei waved him off in total annoyance.
At that moment, Lu Mingfei had already succeeded in reaching Foundation Establishment.
It meant his body had completely stepped beyond mortal limits.
His lifespan had doubled—now reaching 200 years.
He could now fly on magical items for extended periods, refine his own spiritual tools, and learn advanced techniques.
Ren Asakura sat on a rock, playing on his PSP. "Damn, this boss fight is ridiculous!"
Mai looked over at Lu Mingfei with concern.
He'd been sitting cross-legged for over two hours.
The air around him grew thicker with a unique aura.
Mai had read enough cultivation novels to guess—if this really was cultivation, then that strange aura had to be spiritual energy.
Suddenly, a pillar of light shot into the sky.
Then, slowly, it dissipated.
As if some hidden power had just broken free.
Lu Mingfei had succeeded in Foundation Establishment—his spiritual energy had completely turned to liquid.
"Wuhu! That feels amazing—I feel light as a feather now!"
With his meridians cleared and his body transcending the mortal realm, his lifespan now extended to 200 years. Even though he was just at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, he could easily smash a building with a single strike.
"Alright, alright, it's just Foundation Establishment—no need to get that hyped."
Lu Mingfei stepped out of the dust cloud.
His swagger was off the charts.
Ren Asakura instantly felt annoyed.
"Daring to show off in front of your group leader? Let me teach you a little lesson."
Ren Asakura stashed his game console and rolled up his sleeves.
Lu Mingfei immediately deflated at the sight.
"I was wrong, group leader! I shouldn't have shown off!"
As long as I admit my mistake fast enough, no one can hit me.
Ren Asakura stopped in his tracks—this guy's shamelessness was seriously impressive.
"Come on, show a bit of pride! You just broke through Foundation Establishment. In a typical cultivation novel, you'd be a solid mid-tier powerhouse by now."
Lu Mingfei looked speechless.
"I may have just reached Foundation Establishment and broken away from mortal limits, but I'm not an idiot. You think I'm gonna go fight some immortal now? I'd be digging my own grave!"
Mai felt like her entire worldview was being reconstructed today.
"Alright, alright. Hey, you—nanny, tool person—get us a ride home!"
Mai pointed at herself.
"Me? Tool person?"
Ren Asakura nodded.
"That's right."
"Are you serious?! Even if I am a tool person, can't you at least be a little more subtle about it?!"
Mai felt completely numb.
But still, she obediently hailed a car.
An overworked employee crushed by a heartless boss, signed into a one-sided contract like a soul-seller.
Mai was starting to feel like her life had turned pitch black.
---
On the way back.
Ren Asakura suddenly spoke up.
"Now that you've reached Foundation Establishment, have you thought about getting a decent weapon? Your spiritual energy should be strong enough to bind one now."
Lu Mingfei sighed. "I spent all my points on cultivation lately. Can't afford anything from the shop."
He opened up his marketplace interface.
As fellow group members, Ren Asakura could see it.
But Mai couldn't—it just looked like the two of them were gesturing at thin air.
At the top of the group chat's marketplace screen, Lu Mingfei's remaining points were displayed.
Only 20 points left.
Meanwhile, the lowest-tier magic weapons for cultivation ranged from 100 to 1000 points.
These were weapons generally used by those in the Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment stages. They could withstand spiritual energy to a certain extent, but too much force would cause them to break.
Above magic weapons were spiritual tools.
Spiritual tools had awareness and could resonate with their owners—if well-matched, they could let a cultivator unleash power beyond their limits.
But those cost at least 500 points.
And above that were magical treasures, and beyond them, divine artifacts.
But weapons of that level weren't even something a small Foundation-stage cultivator like Lu Mingfei could dream of refining.
Azure Origin Sword – low-tier magic weapon, used by disciples of the Azure Origin Sect in the cultivation world. Can handle a small amount of spiritual energy. Price: 100 points.
Overlord Blade – mid-tier magic weapon, standard weapon of disciples from the Overlord Blade Sect. Price: 300 points.
Dragon Spirit Spear – high-tier magic weapon, used by dragon tribe soldiers. Price: 500 points.
Ice Spirit Sword – top-tier magic weapon. Boosts cultivators of ice-based techniques. Price: 800 points.
"Hetian Blade, Crescent Blade, Ghost Hero, Phoenix Call Blade, Emei Needle, Dragon Fang Needle, Spirit Fang, Chain Claws, Gauntlet Axe, Five Element Hook, Moon Gaze, Winter Plum, Golden Touch Spike…"
All completely unaffordable.
Lu Mingfei sadly closed the shop interface.
°°°
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