"Great Sun Scripture."

A moment later, Chu Mu opened his eyes. For an instant, golden characters seemed to flash within his pupils.

Only after Chu Mu let out a soft breath did the flashing golden characters slowly fade, his eyes returning to their usual depth.

"The Foundation Establishment Realm..."

He murmured to himself, lost in thought.

After a moment, he rose and began to pace around the cave.

The Great Sun Scripture, this Ancient Technique, had already answered his questions.

According to the Great Sun Scripture, the so-called Foundation Establishment was a metamorphosis.

A metamorphosis of Magical Power, a metamorphosis of the Divine Soul, and a metamorphosis of the physical body.

Through the metamorphosis of one’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit, one truly transformed into a higher form of life.

Only after such a metamorphosis would one’s lifespan make a truly significant leap.

A saying widely circulated among Cultivators was... three hundred years at Foundation Establishment!

It meant that stepping into the Foundation Establishment Realm granted a lifespan of three hundred years.

Of course, this number wasn’t fixed. Different Cultivation Techniques, as well as various opportunities and injuries, could all have positive or negative effects on a Cultivator’s lifespan.

But whether it was two hundred and eighty or ninety years, or three hundred and ten or twenty, it was clear that this far exceeded normal limits.

However, this metamorphosis was not easy.

Given the interdependent relationship of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, the metamorphosis of any one of the three could be said to affect the entire body.

For example, the metamorphosis of Magical Power from a gaseous to a liquid state would inevitably place immense pressure on the Spirit Veins, Dantian, Divine Soul, and physical body.

Likewise, the rapid metamorphosis of the Divine Soul would also place immense pressure on the physical body...

Thus, the Foundation Establishment Pill was created. Its purpose was to use its Medicinal Power to protect the Dantian Meridians during the Foundation Establishment metamorphosis, thereby increasing the chances of success.

And according to the Great Sun Scripture, if one could bring their Essence, Qi, and Spirit all to Perfection during the Qi Cultivation Realm, their synergy would also greatly increase the chances of a successful Foundation Establishment.

Clearly, the saying in the Cultivation Immortal Realm that a Foundation Establishment Pill was necessary for Foundation Establishment was not false.

Looking at Foundation Establishment from this perspective, an ordinary Cultivator at Qi Cultivation Perfection, possessing only their Qi Cultivation, would have to face the dual metamorphosis of their Divine Soul and Magical Power. It would be nearly impossible for them to withstand the pressure of such a sudden transformation.

The Foundation Establishment Pill was, naturally, a necessity.

But for someone like him, who practiced Dharma and Body Cultivation and had reached Perfection in both, the chances of a successful Foundation Establishment were naturally much higher.

Furthermore, thanks to his Divine Soul Saber, his Divine Soul was also stronger than that of Cultivators at the same realm.

’So... my premonition wasn’t just a feeling?’

Chu Mu let out a long breath. He felt as if the path before him had suddenly widened, a smooth road stretching out right in front of him.

Although reaching Perfection in Essence, Qi, and Spirit didn’t guarantee a one-hundred-percent success rate for Foundation Establishment, his chances were at least far greater than those of ordinary Cultivators, even greater than those of disciples from Sect Clans.

And as for this Great Sun Scripture...

As Chu Mu recalled the Great Sun Scripture inheritance he had just perused, his expression couldn’t help but grow solemn.

He didn’t know exactly what realm one could cultivate to with this Great Sun Scripture.

When he accessed the inheritance just now, he had only received the Tier One to Tier Two parts of the Great Sun Scripture.

But the inheritance of the Great Sun Scripture was still within his Sea of Consciousness. Furthermore, there was a faint, yet distinct, barrier preventing him from peering into the subsequent parts of the inheritance.

He guessed that this Great Sun Scripture inheritance was clearly not as simple as just Tier One and Tier Two. He likely couldn’t see the subsequent parts of the Cultivation Technique because his Cultivation Realm was too low.

But just from the Tier One and Tier Two parts he could see, the Great Sun Scripture was undoubtedly a top-tier Fire Attribute Technique.

According to the description at the beginning of the technique, the Great Sun Scripture drew its meaning from the eternal Great Sun. One would cultivate the Supreme Yang and Firm Method, condense the True Flames of the Great Sun, be impervious to all techniques, and have All Evil Repelled.

The description in the preface was extremely exaggerated—so much so that it sounded like the cheap junk he had picked up at the Black Market.

But given the technique’s origin, it couldn’t possibly be fake.

Moreover... this Great Sun Scripture was an Ancient Cultivator’s Cultivation Technique.

It was true Dharma and Body Cultivation!

Magic and Body were cultivated as one, not the so-called Dharma and Body Cultivation he was currently practicing.

However...

The parts of the technique he had been able to access were Tier One to Tier Two, which corresponded to the Qi Cultivation Realm and the Foundation Establishment Realm.

And his current Cultivation was Tier One Perfection... Qi Cultivation Perfection.

’So... if I want to cultivate this Great Sun Scripture, I’ll have to Transcend from my Flame Decision and Wild Bull Technique to this Great Sun Scripture.’

And transcending to a new Cultivation Technique was no easy matter!

At this thought, Chu Mu’s expression became uncertain.

With his current Cultivation at the Qi Cultivation Thirteen Layers and Body Refining Perfection, the difficulty of transcending was almost equivalent to walking the entire path he had already trodden all over again!

After just a moment, Chu Mu had already made his decision.

’With a copy of the Great Sun Scripture laid out before me,’ he thought, ’any Cultivator would find the choice easy to make.’

After all, not just anyone had the opportunity to obtain the inheritance of a top-tier Cultivation Technique from an Ancient Cultivator of a bygone era!

"A year should be enough."

Chu Mu silently calculated in his mind. The greatest difficulty in transcending was retracing his old path. Moreover, because the nature of the techniques was different, a considerable amount of Magical Power would inevitably be lost. This loss represented an enormous amount of resources.

But for him, resources for the Qi Cultivation Realm were something he did not lack!

’A year should be enough.’

Chu Mu took stock of the large pile of bottles and jars in his Storage Talisman. There were Elixirs he had refined himself, as well as various kinds of pills he had seized.

Even if he had to cripple his cultivation and start over, these Elixirs would be more than enough.

Lost in thought, Chu Mu walked out of the cave. Gazing toward the horizon, he could see massive cities rising from the plains.

Water Heaven Workshop was at the end of that plain, where the water and sky met as one.

He stared for a long time before slowly retracting his gaze.

The cruelty within the Secret Realm was a testament to many things.

The laws of the Cultivation Immortal Realm were extremely strict.

For example, the mandatory conscription during wartime, the distribution of Forced Labor...

If you lived in a Marketplace, it was basically impossible to escape once these things happened.

’It’s best for me to stay far away from that place where water meets sky.’

Once he successfully transcended and stepped into the Foundation Establishment Realm, then the sky would truly be the limit, and the ocean his to explore.

Whether he chose to stay or leave, any decision would be much easier to make.

He returned to the cave, sat cross-legged, and continued to study the Great Sun Scripture inheritance he had obtained, familiarizing himself with this Ancient Cultivator’s technique.

It wasn’t until the tenth day, when Wangcai woke from its slumber, that he led it out of the cave.

Upon reaching the communication range of the Sound Transmission Talismans, the ones in his possession began to vibrate one after another.

He sent out a message, and after a short while, a familiar figure came into view.

"Brother Mu!"

Xu Yuan looked the same as always, scurrying over excitedly.

Chu Mu smiled, but then he seemed to notice something, and his smile instantly stiffened.

"Why is your Cultivation still only at the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer?"

Chu Mu was a bit suspicious. His resources of Elixirs were plentiful, and he naturally had no reason to be stingy with Xu Yuan, who had followed him all this way. He had always supplied him with enough Elixirs and Spirit Stones.

Back in Jade Emperor Valley, to avoid attracting attention and to prevent the problem of Erysipelas, he had even asked Xu Yuan to restrain his use of Elixirs.

But even so, with ample Elixirs and Spirit Stones, Xu Yuan’s Cultivation had been rising at a rapid pace.

He remembered that half a year ago, when he was preparing to enter the Secret Realm, Xu Yuan’s Cultivation was already at the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer.

Now, half a year had passed, and he was still at the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer?

’A bottleneck?’

’But I gave him plenty of One-Patterned Vein Nourishing Pills. Is a bottleneck in the Qi Cultivation Realm even an issue?’

At the question, Xu Yuan’s expression seemed unnatural. He scratched his head. "I hit a bottleneck. I wanted to see if I could break through on my own..."

Chu Mu’s brow furrowed slightly. In a deep voice, he said, "Tell me the truth."

Xu Yuan fell silent. After a good while, he seemed to muster his courage. "Brother Mu, I found a Dao Companion."

"A Dao Companion?"

Chu Mu was slightly taken aback.

He looked at Xu Yuan, and only then did he seem to realize that the person before him was no longer the ten-something-year-old boy from before.

His life as an Inspector in Nanshan Town, a Shopkeeper of a pharmacy in Jingmen, years of struggling in Jade Emperor Valley, and then crossing thousands of miles alone from Jade Emperor Valley to this Water Heaven Workshop...

Chu Mu himself had been extremely busy. Aside from providing some resources, he hadn’t paid much attention to him.

The boy from the past was now a Cultivator who had struggled for many years at the bottom of the Cultivation Immortal Realm.

"Is this why you were unwilling to live in the Marketplace with me before?"

Xu Yuan looked a little fearful and didn’t dare to say more.

"So you found a Dao Companion. What’s with all the secrecy? What, were you afraid I’d find out?"

Only when Chu Mu broke into a smile did Xu Yuan seem to let go of his fear. He scratched his head, then cheerfully grabbed Chu Mu and started to pull him toward the city.

"Brother Mu, I’ll take you to see her. Yu’Er is wonderful..."

"By the way, Brother Mu, don’t worry. I already had Yu’Er swear a Dao Heart Oath, and I even bought a Divine Soul Contract and had her sign it. Our identities won’t be exposed..."

Chu Mu didn’t say much more, making small talk as they walked. The courtyard where he had briefly stayed before soon appeared before them.

"Brother Yuan, where did you rush off to just now...?"

The courtyard gate was pushed open, and a woman’s voice followed. However, upon seeing Chu Mu, the voice came to an abrupt halt.

"Yu’Er, this is my Brother Mu. Come here, quickly."

Xu Yuan waved her over eagerly.

"Brother Chu."

The woman stepped forward, seemingly a bit shy, and offered a soft greeting.

Only then did Chu Mu get a clear look at the woman.

She was petite with a delicate face that still had a hint of baby fat, suggesting she wasn’t very old.

She stood before them with her head lowered, clearly shy. Under his Divine Sense Perception, her Cultivation was only at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer.

"Brother Mu, this is Yu’Er. Her name is Xia Yu."

"Yu’Er lost her parents when she was little and grew up with the help of her neighbors. She lives in the courtyard right next door..."

"You brat. I bet you had your eyes on Miss Yu’Er for a long time."

"You became Dao Companions and didn’t even bother to let me know."

Chu Mu shot Xu Yuan an exasperated glance and shook his head speechlessly. With a wave of his hand, two Tier Two Divine Wind Talismans appeared, hovering in his palm.

"Take these two Tier Two Divine Wind Talismans as a congratulatory gift from me, your big brother, for you two becoming Dao Companions."

As he spoke, the two Talismans floated in front of them.

Xia Yu seemed flustered, waving her hands in refusal. "Brother Chu, this... this is too valuable, too..."

"Brother Mu, these Talismans are too valuable."

"Just take them."

Chu Mu took out another Storage Talisman, stuffed a few hundred Lower Spirit Stones and some Elixirs into it, and tossed it directly to Xu Yuan.

"I’ll be leaving for a while."

Without waiting for them to refuse, Chu Mu continued, "It will probably be for a long time. The situation in the Cultivation Immortal Realm has been a bit off lately. You two should try to go to the Marketplace as little as possible. Don’t get conscripted..."

Xu Yuan was a little anxious. "Brother Mu, are you going to break through to Foundation Establishment?"

Chu Mu nodded. "Yes, if nothing unexpected happens."

At these words, Xu Yuan was filled with excitement. Even the ever-shy Xia Yu couldn’t help but raise her head to glance at Chu Mu.

"HAHAHA, Brother Mu, once you reach Foundation Establishment..."

Xu Yuan chattered on endlessly, imagining the scenes after Chu Mu reached Foundation Establishment.

"This Body Refining Technique is compatible with your Attribute. You should study it."

"If you practice Dharma and Body Cultivation, it can increase your chances of a successful Foundation Establishment."

"It can increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment?"

"Yes."

Chu Mu nodded. He glanced at Xia Yu, who also couldn’t hide her curiosity, and didn’t hold back, slowly explaining, "The so-called Foundation Establishment is a metamorphosis of one’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit..."

Chu Mu spoke at a measured pace. The couple before him listened as if to a holy decree, stopping just short of taking out a Jade Scroll to record his every word.

Such a solemn attitude was, of course, completely normal.

If they had been dismissive, that would have been the most abnormal thing in the world.

After all, every word Chu Mu spoke was a secret that was never passed down.

Even for disciples of Sect Clans, obtaining information about Foundation Establishment was likely not easy.

To say nothing of Loose Cultivators. Chu Mu himself, despite having built his wealth for so long, wandering through various Black Markets and spending countless Spirit Stones, had never come across any information regarding Foundation Establishment.

Every sentence was a stroke of fortune.

...