Wei Yuan’s heart continued to pound inside his chest after leaving the battlefield. Before, he had only seen a foreigner in the books and the images summoned by his teachers. But this time, he was fighting one personally. His opponent belonged to the foreign race famed for exceptional individual combat capabilities, the Mountain Dwellers as well.

The Mountain Dwellers were also a big race that lived to the south and southwest of Great Tang. Beyond the border mountains of Yong Province lay their domain. There were two distinct types of Mountain Dwellers: one slightly shorter than humans, moving through the mountains with the swiftness of wind; and the other being the giant Wei Yuan just faced. Though vastly differing in stature, they shared the same origin and lineage. The wonders of creation were truly awe-inspiring.

The reason Wei Yuan paid extra attention to the Mountain Dwellers was because their homeland lay right next to Yong Province. Although Yong Province was not their main direction of attack, small bands of forces had frequently crossed the border and harassed the region. On top of that, the Mountain Dwellers were infamous for their brutality. In ancient times, humans were already on their menu. Even today, Mountain Dwellers still cooked and ate humans when they captured them.

A mountain giant’s starting combat power was equivalent to that of a Dao Foundation stage cultivator, and the one Wei Yuan had gone up against was among the weakest. For safety reasons, the Palace of Absolute Beginning had also employed drugs that destroyed their intelligence and left behind only animalistic instinct. A true Mountain Dweller wasn’t just cold-blooded and brutal, they were also cunning and vicious. They were also clad in armor and wielded exceptionally forged weapons. If that was the kind of mountain giant Wei Yuan had faced, it was unlikely he would have survived the battle.

Following Wei Yuan, the rest of the students took to the battlefield one after another. The valley was big enough to be divided into a dozen or so fighting grounds, and just as many battles were raging simultaneously. No restrictions were applied when facing down a foreigner, meaning that they could unleash every technique at their disposal.

Xiao Yu was wielding a top-tier mystic sword that was further empowered by his Dao Foundation, the immortal sword The Sun. He was able to cleave his mountain giant in two in one strike.

Bao Yun’s Dao Foundation wasn’t formed yet, but she was wearing a full set of top-tier mystic artifacts and carrying a jade bottle in one hand. When she activated it, it shone brightly and unleashed a storm of devastating Dao spells. The mountain giant was scorched black by the time it collapsed on the ground.

Yan Ming tossed out two mystic balls that manifested two whale shark warriors after exploding. A whale shark warrior was three zhang tall and significantly taller than even a Mountain Dweller. They were also on the level of a middle stage Dao Foundation stage cultivator, and it was two against one. Naturally, they slew the foreigner in the blink of an eye.

That said, the mystic ball was a one-time-use item with no cultivation level restrictions. A single one cost one hundred thousand immortal silver. In other words, Yan Ming had spent two hundred thousand immortal silver to buy himself a good placement on the exam rankings. The reward for this exam was only two thousand silver or so.

No one ridiculed Yan Ming for winning the way he did, however. On the contrary, everyone was praising him and cheering him for his success. Why? Because he had earned the two hundred thousand immortal silver in the past three years himself. Back then, Yan Ming had received a boon from the Founder’s jade bracelet, and the jade bracelet contained a portable space that was far bigger than what its size would suggest. To put it bluntly, the jade bracelet was the Founder’s purse.

It didn’t need to be said how terrifying the power of the Founder’s purse was.

Besides these four, a couple more disciples just barely overcame their respective Mountain Dwellers using various methods. That was it. Everyone else had lost their fights. A mountain giant’s skin, flesh, and bones were unbelievably sturdy. An ordinary Dao Foundation mystic artifact would only be able to inflict a minor injury. That was why those whose killing potency was lacking could not even severely injure their opponents up till the point they ran out of Dao energy, much less kill them. This was why over half of the disciples who had forged their Dao Foundation had lost to their respective opponents.

All in all, only thirteen students were able to defeat a half-crippled mountain giant. It didn’t even amount to ten percent of the student body. Before this, the disciples of the Palace of Absolute Beginning didn’t think much of the foreign races at all. It was only after they fought one for real that they realized that their infamy was no joke.

With this, the two-part exam had come to an end. Wei Yuan was ranked fourth among the five students who obtained a boon in the Reform Party. His performance was rated as perfectly average. His reward was three bottles of Vigor Nurturing Pills.

That said, Wei Yuan was the only disciple who clashed against a mountain giant head on without being outmatched. His success had unintentionally inspired every Bright King Hall disciple to clash against their mountain giants head on… and suffer horrible defeats, of course. Two genius disciples who could have beaten their opponents also lost because of this.

Speaking of which, one of the genius disciples decided to emulate Wei Yuan’s example and grab a spear himself. He had also circled behind the mountain giant before stabbing him in the groin. Unfortunately for the disciple, the mountain giant had toppled backward in pain and accidentally crushed him beneath his butt. As a result, he had lost the battle.

After the minor exam, the Hallmaster of the Bright King Hall sought out True Lord Xuan Yue and tried to recruit Wei Yuan. He had failed. Later, it was rumored that the Hallmaster knew from the beginning that there was no way the Skyblue Hall would let the boy go. The real reason he sought him out was because the Bright King Hall had recently made a killing, and the Hallmaster absolutely needed to show off his wealth in front of True Lord Xuan Yue.

Wei Yuan thought that his foundation refinement woes were over now that the minor exam was over. But to his dismay, he was wrong.

By now, he had gone through all of the secret texts of yin and yang. He had learned what he should and shouldn’t. Thus, he tried to argue with his Big Senior Sister using logic and reason.

Alas, Big Senior Sister Liuli never obeyed logic and reason. This was her response: “I don’t care if your little bird has grown into a hawk. It could be spitting blood right now, and you are still gonna sit in that barrel until I’m satisfied!”

Wei Yuan mounted a desperate resistance, only to be brutally suppressed. It was a shameful process that could have filled up a whole piece of jade paper. Since then, he couldn’t muster any will to resist. He was lucky he hadn’t forged his Dao Foundation, or his Big Senior Sister Liuli could have shown off her unmatched hand technique. She would have taught him exactly what it meant to endure sensation beyond his wildest imaginations, to long for life yet still dying, to long for death yet still living, to flail like a fish in the limbo between life and death.

The tempering of his blood was little different from the tempering of his flesh, except that the Vigor Nurturing Pill had been switched out for the Blood Essence Pill. A single Blood Essence Pill cost two hundred taels, and he was required to eat three pills per day. The taste of the pill was indescribable and surpassed even that of the Vigor Nurturing Pill. Just three days later, Wei Yuan thought that the toad life wasn’t worth it.

He ate it for three years straight.

After Wei Yuan had fully tempered his blood, his blood turned light pink in color and became as thick as mercury. He was physically stronger, way faster, and way more long-lasting as well. If he were to participate in a minor exam right now, he would be able to beat up four of his old self, plus two other Traditional Party disciples.

The bones were up next, and his existing pills were switched out for something called the Bone Tempering Pills. Each pill cost four hundred taels, and he was required to eat three per day. The very first pill had Wei Yuan doubting whether the toad life was worth it. He ate it for two years straight.

The refinement process didn’t end even after he started tempering his bones.

After Wei Yuan had fully tempered his bones, every part of his skeleton turned crystalline like red jade and nigh transparent like glass. His speed had improved further, allowing him to advance or retreat as swiftly as lightning. His strength had also experienced an explosive increase as well. His toughness was the only attribute that hadn’t improved much. If he were to participate in a minor exam now, only three, maybe five people, would be able to last three exchanges against him. Even if his opponents had already forged their Dao Foundation, Wei Yuan would still be able to defeat most of them with just his limbs. If he were to go up against an armored mountain giant, he would be able to defeat him for sure.

Finally, it was time to temper his spirit. His existing pills were switched out for the Spirit Nurturing Pills, and it cost seven hundred taels per pill. He was expected to attain completion in two years.

The moment he consumed his first pill, the toad wished he was dead.

Time passed quickly. Wei Yuan finally finished tempering his spirit and completed his body-tempering journey. Now, he was only waiting for an opportunity to form his Dao Foundation.

Coincidentally, exactly a decade had passed since he embarked on the path to immortality. He was sixteen this year, and the toad ten.

One day, dawn had just broken when Zhang Sheng sat in front of Wei Yuan. He was ready to give him his final test.

Inside Wei Yuan’s sea of consciousness, his image looked vibrant, lifelike, and full of spirit. The jade toad even blinked naughtily when Zhang Sheng scanned him with his perception. It was the sign that he had attained mastery of the Body-tempering stage.

According to the standards of the Palace of Absolute Beginning, this image was as ordinary as it came. There were no auspicious beasts or immortal birds, no gods and devils, no immortals or Buddhas, not even immortal weapons or divine soldiers. The one and only thing that was slightly out of the ordinary was the shadow on the moon.

However, both Wei Yuan and Zhang Sheng knew exactly how thorny the journey was to fill up this image.

In the past couple years, starting from True Lord Xuan Yue, everyone pretended as if the shadow that had reappeared on the moon did not exist. They refused to talk about it either. So long as the shadow did not continue to expand the image, they treated it as if it did not exist.

Zhang Sheng let out a sigh after inspecting the image carefully. It was a lamentation on Wei Yuan and his own behalf. Some time later, he finally jolted out of his thoughts and said, “Come. It’s time we meet the founder.”

Wei Yuan now possessed Dao power, so he was able to stand on his master’s sword as steady as a rock. The sword moved like lightning and took the master and disciple to the main hall of the Skyblue Hall in the blink of an eye. The last time Wei Yuan was here was nine years ago.

A kind old Daoist with white hair, a long beard, and a complexion that looked as reddened as a baby’s was sitting at the center of the hall. Zhang Sheng made the introductions, and Wei Yuan hurriedly went over to the old man to pay his respects. He was none other than the Hallmaster of the Skyblue Hall and the Water Moon Hall, True Lord Xuan Yue.

Three Trueman stood on the left and right side of the True Lord each. Trueman Fen Hai was standing on his left side in the middle of two Truemen. All six Truemen of the Skyblue Hall and the Water Moon Hall had shown up today. It was a ceremonious occasion to say the least.

After receiving Wei Yuan’s salute, True Lord Xuan Yue ordered him to stand. Then, he opened his eyes slightly and scanned the boy from head to toe. Today, Wei Yuan was a little over seven chi tall and a full head taller than your average person. His skin was glittering from the inside out and perfectly flawless.

As for his countenance, Trueman Fen Hai had praised him for being better-looking than Zhang Sheng when he was younger. The scholar had been grumpy for three months straight because of this remark. Now that he had matured, the gap between the duo had grown a little more.

That said, Wei Yuan’s attractiveness was completely different from Hsu Henshui’s. The beautiful man was the model of a singularly pure and gentle beauty. On the other hand, Wei Yuan had boasted a composed and dignified countenance since childhood. Today, he possessed a sharply-defined brow that seemed to conceal a sharper blade underneath.

True Lord Xuan Yue watched him for a long time before letting out a sigh. He sounded old as he said, “This image is naturally vast and boundless, and forms a seamless whole like heaven and earth. It did not require any refinement whatsoever. It would appear that we were too fixated on appearances before.”

The Truemen’s faces grew a little ugly when they heard this. The cultivation pills made up the majority of the cost, but the money spent on refining his foundation was no joke either. Now, the True Lord was telling them it had been a meaningless endeavor. Naturally, they did not feel good about it.

It couldn’t possibly be meaningless! Two Truemen immediately straightened their expressions and readied themselves for a serious debate. Just because True Lord Xuan Yue was a True Lord didn’t mean that he had never erred.

A Trueman spoke in an assertive tone, “Forgive me for saying this, Founder Xuan Yue, but I simply cannot agree with your statement! Since time immemorial, it is an immutable truth that purity is the foremost priority of the cultivation of immortality! Purity is never wasted; one may even say that there is no such thing as a Dao Foundation that is too pure. After all, is it okay to have a single black dot on a sheet of pure white paper? Nay, I say! Thus—”

Everyone who became an Avatar Trueman was a person of immense talent, fortitude, and fortune. They were also more or less obsessed with purity. For them, finding a speck of impurity in anything was like finding a single mustard seed on a sheet of white paper. They had to remove it, or it would gnaw at them day and night.

When they were forming their Dao Foundations, they only wished they could have refined their immortal embryo a hundred, no, a thousand times over. Even after their immortal embryo was spotless, they still could not rest easy until they had tempered it at least a couple more times.

A Trueman’s eyes were as bright as torches. As a result, they found impurities in Wei Yuan’s image no matter where they looked. The more impurities they found, they more restless they grew. It wasn’t long before they got to the point where they wished that they could become Wei Yuan and dig out the impurities with their own two hands.

Besides, if the image really didn’t need refinement, then why the hell was he only mentioning it now? The pills used for refinement only increased with the cultivation stages. If he had mentioned this even a couple years sooner, they would not be as penniless as they were now.

True Lord Xuan Yue gave Wei Yuan a few words of encouragement before saying, “You have cultivated hard for ten years, and you are currently seeking the timing and opportunity to form your Dao Foundation. The decennial major exam is right around the corner, and it is every Dao Foundation stage cultivator’s responsibility to attend it. Although you are not a Dao Foundation stage cultivator, you are treated as one as you have completed the Body-tempering stage. Now is the time you serve the Palace. Zhang Sheng!” 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

“I’m here.”

“You will accompany Wei Yuan for this major exam. I will give you my token so you may procure the necessary mystic artifacts and other necessities later.”

Zhang Sheng accepted the order. True Lord Xuan Yue would hand Wei Yuan some pills and mystic artifacts before sending him away to prepare. From the beginning until the end, one of his hands was permanently hidden within his sleeve.

After the master and disciple were gone, True Lord Xuan Yue’s voice rang again, “You all have misconceptions regarding purity. The Dao is natural, so impurities are sometimes a part of the Great Dao…”

“... Forgive this disciple for agreeing to disagree!”

“Come on then. Two fingers is all I need to teach you a lesson about respecting your betters!”

Author’s Note: One cannot poke at sore spots all the time. The occasional gentleness is fine.