Chương 237: Chapter 126: Foundation Establishment! Foundation Establishment!

Foundation Establishment!

The colossal blade pierced the firmament, tearing through the air with a deafening screech as it surged onward. Once clear of the Wood Marquis Kingdom's territory, Reyn ordered the Little Divine Hall to restrain its overt aura and barrel ahead at maximum velocity. The artifact spirit was riding high on the thrill of displaying its overwhelming might and showed great reluctance to dampen its presence. Yet, a single chilling glare from Reyn struck fear deep into its core, forcing it into swift obedience.

This eccentric entity had a notoriously short memory; without regular reprimands, it would invariably forget its place.

"Little brother, we have traveled over seven thousand li from the borders of the Wood Marquis Kingdom. Even with the formidable reach of a Nascent Soul expert, Mu Daguang will not be able to catch up to us now." A flash of spiritual brilliance coalesced beside Reyn as Yu Meiren manifested her slender form, coming to rest atop the Little Divine Hall's broad surface.

"Awoo! Awoo! What a magnificent beauty—we meet again! Would you be willing to wait three thousand years for me? In another three thousand years, I should be able to assume human form, and by then, the two of us can—" Before it could finish its grandiose overture, Yu Meiren released a frigid huff. The cold acoustic shock struck the spirit's ears, sending a violent shudder across the Little Divine Hall's entire frame. Drooping its head and flattening its spiritual presence, it fell completely silent.

Inwardly, however, it grumbled with indignant fervor: What a peerless beauty, yet she wastes her gaze on common clods! Can she truly not see how dashing, magnificent, and unfathomably powerful this glorious deity is? What dreadful taste! Utterly blind! Hmph! It is not that this divine spirit is lacking in charm; it is her vision that is flawed! The moment this thought crossed its mind, the shameless artifact spirit instantly beamed with renewed self-satisfaction.

Reyn cast a faint, indifferent glance at the unruly spirit before turning to Yu Meiren with a slight nod and a calm smile.

"Sister, the invisible shackle that once bound my cultivation has shattered. I intend to locate a secluded sanctuary immediately to achieve Foundation Establishment before returning to my clan." Yu Meiren let out a soft sigh upon hearing his words. Although Reyn already wielded terrifying combat prowess, his path along the Grand Dao had been paved with agonizing hardships. To reach Foundation Establishment, he had stared death in the face on multiple occasions, clawing his way out of lethal perils.

"You have suffered through endless torment for this single breakthrough," she murmured gently.

"Fortunately, fortune favors the bold, and your foundation has continuously hardened through the trials. Perhaps the Heavenly Dao itself has taken pity on your plight, finally permitting you to shatter the bottleneck and take your next stride upon the Grand Dao of cultivation." A sharp light flickered in Reyn's eyes, and he muttered in a low tone, "Pity from the Heavenly Dao? Heh, perhaps."

Yu Meiren did not fully grasp the deeper meaning beneath his words, and Reyn had no intention of elaborating on the dark truth of his tribulation. Straightening his posture, he declared with steady resolve:"Regardless of fate, today shall mark the day I, Reyn, establish my foundation!"

"Once I take this step, no matter how many crises clutter this cultivation path, and no matter how many lethal slaughters I must trample underfoot, my heart shall never know fear!"

"The day will come when I ascend to the absolute summit. With a wave of my hand, I shall part the boundless clouds and see for myself what this universe truly is!" A boundless surge of towering ambition and unyielding dominance erupted from Reyn's figure. Deep within his pale golden Primordial Soul, the mysterious golden seal flashed with a subtle luminescence before returning to silent stillness. A look of genuine admiration surfaced on Yu Meiren's refined features.

A man bearing aspirations capable of shaking heaven and earth was a true paragon among mortals. Only one forged with such fearless, forward-charging resolve could swim against the crushing currents of the Grand Dao and scale the highest peaks of existence.

"Let us descend!" Reyn bellowed, releasing a resounding roar that vented every ounce of pent-up oppression lodged in his chest. With a sharp wave of his sleeve, the Little Divine Hall roared downward, diving toward the terrain below. Touching down at the foot of an unassuming hill, the Little Divine Hall detached on its own initiative. Sword-light flashed through the rock face with rolling thunderous rumbles. In mere moments, the flying blade carved out a clean, functional cave abode from the stone.

Once the stone dust and pulverized earth settled, flashes of escape light enveloped Reyn and Yu Meiren, carrying them straight inside.

"Though I have you and the Little Divine Hall to guard my breakthrough, nothing can be left to chance. I will set up protective restrictions inside the cave to prevent any aura from leaking into the outside world," Reyn said, his gaze analytical. He patted the storage bag at his waist and retrieved a complete set of array flags. With swift flicks of his fingers, he drove the flags deep into the surrounding stone walls, anchoring an isolating barrier.

Observing his meticulous preparations, Yu Meiren nodded silently in approval. In the brutal realm of cultivation, only the cautious survived to see tomorrow. Those who let arrogance cloud their judgment—no matter how overwhelming their cultivation or divine abilities—might reign supreme for an ephemeral instant, but they would inevitably fall before the end.

"Sister, I shall establish my foundation inside the inner stone chamber. Please remain here with the Little Divine Hall," Reyn said with a warm smile. Ordinary cultivators breaking through to Foundation Establishment typically invited their respected elders or trusted sworn brothers to safeguard the process, ensuring timely aid should their meridians backfire. Reyn, however, possessed an accumulation of spiritual foundation far beyond ordinary comprehension.

The mana coursing through his channels had already reached the boundary of the Foundation Establishment Great Circle. It was the quintessential manifestation of thick accumulation bursting forth into sudden ascension; with the physical bottleneck eradicated, establishing his foundation posed zero threat of failure. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Yu Meiren hesitated for a brief moment before nodding gently.

"I will guard the threshold. If any irregularity arises, I will step in at once."

"Oh, relax!" the Little Divine Hall piped up, having shrunk down to the size of a three-foot blade hovering lazily in midair.

"Our master possesses extraordinary fortune and a tough life. Even when trapped in that old ghost Mu's clutches, he walked away unscathed. What is a mere Foundation Establishment breakthrough? Mistress, there is no need for you to worry yourself sick!" At the word 'Mistress,' Yu Meiren's porcelain cheeks flushed crimson. She shot the artifact spirit a ferocious glare, yet found herself unable to utter a rebuke. Reyn's expression froze momentarily. An awkward smile formed on his lips as his eyes met hers.

Sensing the sudden, charged heat in the air, both looked away in flustered haste.

"Ahem! Well... I shall begin!" Reyn hastily turned and stepped into the inner stone chamber. With a sweep of his hand, the massive slab of the stone door dropped down with a heavy thud, sealing the room shut. Sitting cross-legged upon the meditation mat, Reyn drew several deep breaths, steadily suppressing the strange ripples in his heart. After a few silent breaths, once his sea of consciousness settled into the tranquil stillness of an ancient well, he slowly opened his eyes.

Though achieving Foundation Establishment was virtually guaranteed for him, he refused to let down his guard. Caution remained his absolute rule. Foundation Establishment begins today! With a silent roar echoing in his mind, the boundless mana inside Reyn's meridians surged into frenzied circulation! As the speed of the circulation escalated, the energy began to churn and boil violently like water over a roaring kiln! Reyn paid no heed to the rising heat or violent turbulence.

He channeled his intent, driving his inner mana through his pathways again and again with unyielding momentum. Whoosh... Crash... Surge... The mana roared like a raging river, crashing through his energy pathways with thunderous momentum, exuding terrifying power! Finally, when the boiling, surging mana reached an absolute critical threshold, a completely unprecedented sensation bloomed deep within his soul. Reyn snapped his eyes open, the lingering embers of profound introspection still flickering within his gaze.

The shackles that had long throttled his path of cultivation—the impenetrable barriers that had once seemed insurmountable—had been shattered with an ease that defied reason! He had finally ascended. He had achieved Foundation Establishment! In this fleeting, crystalline moment, a surge of raw, unbidden emotion welled within Reyn, a phantom sting of tears threatening to spill.

It was not born of mortal attachments or the fleeting sorrows of love and separation, but a cathartic release—a complex, bittersweet culmination of his arduous journey from the darkest depths of despair and confinement. Yet, even as his spirit soared, Reyn's expression shifted with sudden, jagged intensity. A peculiar, rhythmic fluctuation in the very fabric of the world descended upon him, an atmospheric ripple he recognized with chilling clarity.

It was identical to the sensation he had experienced when he first reached the legendary limit of Qi Condensation. To the naked eye, it remained invisible; to the average cultivator, it was entirely imperceptible. But as Reyn's eyes bled with a faint, regal golden luster, he pierced the veil of reality. There, hovering silently above his crown, a seed—speckled with flecks of brilliant, divine gold—was coalescing, hungrily seeking entry into his physical vessel.

"Hmph! I know not what vile essence you possess, but you lack the mandate to inhabit my body!" Reyn spat, his voice laced with icy disdain. In a heartbeat, his aura underwent a violent metamorphosis. A majestic, supreme majesty erupted from the core of his being, a pillar of unyielding power that pierced the firmament itself. At the mere touch of this surging aura, the coalescing seed shivered, as if a predator had finally locked eyes with its prey.

It trembled violently, and before it could react, it shattered into a fine, ethereal dust.

"Since you have deigned to reveal yourself, you shall remain here!" Reyn's gaze flickered with predatory intent. He locked onto the point of spatial distortion, his Divine Sense detonating outward like a swarm of golden needles, crashing down with the force of a falling mountain. A singular, infinitesimally thin line of golden light was jolted from the void, forced into his presence. Though the filament was microscopic in size, its color was impossibly deep.

Trapped within the binding coils of Reyn's pale-golden Divine Sense, it lashed out, thrashing against his mental barriers with such ferocious, kinetic force that it fractured his mental threads one by one. As the object threatened to slip through his grasp, Reyn's face darkened, his brow furrowing into a mask of grim determination. Yet, at that critical juncture, the golden seal nestled within his Primordial Soul pulsed.

In a flash, it materialized above his head, unleashing an overwhelming, crushing weight that pinned the golden filament into total submission. Reyn's eyes narrowed. His Divine Sense swarmed forward, cocooning the golden filament in layers of suffocating pressure. Only when he was certain it could not escape did he slowly draw it back into the sanctuary of his Primordial Soul.

"I shall dissect your nature, whatever you may be. Submit to my refinement!" A cold, ruthless light flared in Reyn's eyes. He closed them, his Primordial Soul parting its lips to swallow the filament, initiating a frenzied cycle of refinement. Though the filament possessed an extraordinary, ancient quality, its volume was meager. Under the relentless assault of Reyn's refining power, it offered only a fleeting resistance before it was assimilated into his very foundation.

"Hmm?" As the integration reached its peak, Reyn clearly felt a series of soft, golden light-points bleeding from the filament, instantly absorbed by his Primordial Soul. While his cultivation level remained stagnant, the golden hue of his spirit deepened, and a sensation of pure, transcendent bliss radiated from the deepest chambers of his consciousness. He opened his eyes, his gaze flickering with restless, calculating intensity. Far from finding joy in this, his expression grew increasingly somber.

After a brief moment, he shook his head. Though the entire affair dripped with occult mystery, he knew that with his current cultivation, attempting to unravel such secrets would only be a path to self-inflicted torment. He calmed his spirit, sensing the breadth of his newfound power, and a look of genuine satisfaction settled upon his face.

Ancient legends claimed that once a cultivator reached the limit of Qi Condensation, their foundation upon breakthrough would surge directly to the Late Foundation Establishment stage. Yet, Reyn's mana had already reached the Pseudo-Core realm long ago. Now, with this breakthrough, his mana had erupted, surging so violently that it hovered on the threshold of the Early Golden Core stage! Even more exhilarating was the state of his Primordial Soul.

It had transcended its previous limits, climbing to a height where it felt poised to breach the Great Circle!

"Early Golden Core cultivation, a Primordial Soul at the Great Circle... though I have yet to condense my core, if I were to engage in battle, even a Mid-Golden Core cultivator would be no match for me! Should I fight with my life on the line, I could even contend with those in the late stages!" He, who had once been a mere Registered Disciple of the Xuanxiao Sect, had risen to become a powerhouse capable of rivaling Late-stage Golden Core experts.

Within the borders of the Zhao Kingdom, save for the Mu Family Ancestor, Reyn no longer needed to fear any existence! A trace of a smile flickered across his lips, expanding rapidly until it transformed into a boisterous, sky-shaking peal of laughter! Outside the stone chamber, hearing the triumphant roar, Yu Meiren's eyes brimmed with joy. Her slender, tightly clenched hands slowly uncurled, and a radiant, breathtaking smile blossomed upon her lips.