Chapter 262: Chapter 250: Foundation Establishment and Returning to the True Self

Time drifted by.

Nearly a year passed in silence.

The courtyard house grew more dilapidated. The gate had rotted away, and the yard itself had lost all trace of its former neatness.

The passage of another year left its mark on the worldly residence.

Beneath the swirling snow, a guest room on one side of the house could no longer bear the weight of the accumulation. At some unknown point, a section of it had collapsed.

The sky was dim, and the blizzard raged on. For some unknown reason, this year’s snowstorm was far more persistent and violent than those of previous years.

As dawn approached, the blizzard continued to blanket the sky.

In the unseen world, a rumble seemed to sound. An invisible wave immediately spread out, but in the next instant, it receded.

But faintly, the Spiritual Qi around the house seemed to have abruptly grown a bit denser.

However, amidst the violent blizzard, this surging Spiritual Qi quickly dissipated into the world, vanishing into this vast, spiritually barren land.

It all came suddenly, and it vanished just as abruptly.

In this secular city, it caused not the slightest ripple, nor did it attract anyone’s attention.

The courtyard house remained derelict. The neighbors only knew that someone had bought it several years ago; beyond that, there were no other signs of life.

「One month later, early spring arrived, and the snows finally dispersed.」

It was as if the clouds had finally parted to reveal the blue sky; for the first time in a long while, a ray of sunlight shone down upon the city.

Within the courtyard, the tightly shut door slowly swung open.

It was the same figure in green robes.

After a year in seclusion, his worldly clothes were visibly old and wrinkled.

Chu Mu looked slightly weary, but his eyes were brighter than ever before.

At a glance, they seemed to glow with a brilliant light.

He closed his eyes slightly, and his Divine Sense swept out. An area with a radius of over 1,200 meters was completely within its range.

’As long as I wish it,’ he thought, ’every minute detail within this 1,200-meter radius is laid bare!’

His Divine Sense converged, focusing on himself.

That vast power... even though he had been experiencing it for over a month, feeling it again still stirred an excitement he could hardly contain.

’Over a decade on the Immortal Path... I’ve finally reached the Foundation Establishment Realm!’

Even though he had just entered the Foundation Establishment Realm, thanks to the Great Sun Scripture and the Divine Soul Blade, the range of his Divine Sense had already reached over 1,200 meters.

From what he knew, an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s range was typically around 800 meters upon their initial breakthrough.

His Divine Sense was already comparable to that of a cultivator in the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment.

His magical power and physical body were also constantly transforming and growing under this dual effect.

This adaptation to the leap into a new Grand Realm was, even now, not yet complete.

As he felt this immense power, beyond the excitement, all that remained was a sense of relief.

It was the relief of having an immense weight lifted from his shoulders.

After more than a decade of extreme caution, he had now reached Foundation Establishment and finally possessed some ability to protect himself.

At that moment, a streak of light flashed across the sky. Under the perception of his Foundation Establishment Realm Divine Sense, the Qi Cultivation Perfection cultivation level of the person was perfectly clear.

Chu Mu glanced at it, lost in thought.

’The Foundation Establishment Realm...’

’Now that my cultivation has entered the Foundation Establishment Realm, there’s no doubt that the methods I previously relied on—like the Giant Divine Arm and the magical power I channeled into the Minghong Saber—are basically meaningless for someone of my cultivation.’

’The only things I can still rely on are that Talisman Treasure and the intrinsic combat power granted by the Great Sun Scripture.’

’Even ignoring the power of my immense physique and my Supreme Yang and Firmness magical power, just that wisp of Great Sun True Flame—which has evolved from a True Flame Seed into something possessing a few slivers of a divine soul...’

’...poses a significant threat to Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators!’

He raised his hand, and a wisp of Great Sun True Flame appeared at his fingertip.

Compared to when it was just a seed in the Qi Cultivation Realm, this wisp of Great Sun True Flame was now far more restrained!

Under his Divine Sense Perception, he could barely detect any radiating heat or threat.

But as its master, he knew with perfect clarity what terrifying mighty power was contained within this seemingly inconspicuous flame!

’Great Sun True Flame...’

Chu Mu let out a soft breath. His gaze shifted, and the long-unseen Light Curtain Panel slowly materialized before him.

[Name: Chu Mu.]

[Skills: Basic Blade Technique (Peak of Perfection) 10000/10000.

Fireball Skill (Returning to the Essence) 8653/10000...]

[Great Sun Scripture: Tier Two, First Layer: 235/10000]

[Alchemy: Tier One Middle Grade (135/10000)...]

[Artifact Refining: Tier Two Lower Grade (532/10000)...]

[Spiritual Radiance Value: 10095.6%]

With Foundation Establishment achieved, the Light Curtain Panel had also undergone a world-shaking transformation.

The once-complex lists of Artifact Refining and Alchemy formulas had been replaced by the Immortal Dao Sect’s evaluation method.

Although he felt this evaluation system could hardly prove the true skill of an Artifact Refiner or Alchemist, the fact that it appeared on the Light Curtain Panel meant there had to be a calculation logic behind it.

He looked at the budding Skill Levels for Alchemy and Artifact Refining, his brow furrowing slightly in thought.

In terms of actual ability, with his current Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation, he was more than capable of refining a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact, even without having studied Tier Two Artifact Refining Skills.

And Alchemy Skill was even simpler than Artifact Refining Skill.

He was certain he could successfully refine even a Tier Two Elixir, as long as he was given a few portions of Spirit Medicine.

Yet what the Light Curtain Panel displayed was only a Tier One Middle Grade Alchemist.

This was, without a doubt, unreasonable.

’Unless... this evaluation is based on my own foundational knowledge.’

Chu Mu seemed to come to an understanding.

After all, compared to the painstaking effort he put into gathering knowledge about Artifact Refining, he had neglected Alchemy quite a bit.

He had only a handful of Pill Recipes, and he had yet to fully establish the system of knowledge surrounding them.

His alchemy relied on last-minute cramming on medicinal properties, bolstered by the forced enhancements of the "Spiritual Radiance Blessing." It wasn’t like his Artifact Refining, where he had internalized the entire system of knowledge and every refinement process was completely under his control.

’An evaluation based on my own foundational knowledge...’

Chu Mu pursed his lips. His gaze shifted, glancing at the huge amount of Spiritual Radiance Value he had accumulated, before finally turning to his Basic Blade Technique Skill, which was still at the Peak of Perfection.

He still clearly remembered that back when he was only at the Qi Cultivation First Layer, his Blade Technique had entered the Peak of Perfection, granting him the Divine Soul Saber that made him nearly invincible against those in the same realm.

Without that transformation of his Blade Technique to the Peak of Perfection, that Blood Killing Order back then would have likely been enough to kill him. He certainly wouldn’t be here today, having stepped into Foundation Establishment with a lifespan of three hundred years.

But after reaching the Peak of Perfection, his Blade Technique had gotten completely stuck before the Perfection level. It had been stuck like that from the Qi Cultivation First Layer all the way until now... the Foundation Establishment Realm!

It wasn’t until the trial in that Secret Realm that the stuck Skill Level had finally, just barely, entered the true meaning of Perfection.

And now, after breaking through to Foundation Establishment...

Chu Mu closed his eyes slightly, sensing the Divine Soul Saber. In the unseen world, a boundary had appeared once more.

’I can break through...’

As if struck by sudden inspiration, Chu Mu had a moment of clarity.

’Is it the strength of my Divine Soul... that’s been limiting this Divine Soul Blade?’

Chu Mu speculated silently, but then, a long-held doubt surfaced in his mind.

A common, secular Basic Blade Technique with just a few ordinary moves... at the mere Refined Skill level, it could already affect the Divine Soul. At the Peak of Perfection, it directly condensed into a Divine Soul Saber.

Condensing the Divine Soul, tempering Magical Power...

Such wondrous effects... not even the Great Sun Scripture, not even the Great Sun True Flame, could compare.

’But... why?’

He had trained a magic skill to the level of Returning to Truth, yet he’d seen no abnormalities appear.

’Why does this secular Basic Blade Technique have such a miraculous effect?’

’If it were that simple, it would have spread throughout the Cultivation Immortal Realm long ago, and everyone would be practicing it.’

’Is it my own unique talent, or... the effect of the Light Curtain Panel?’

Chu Mu speculated.

’This Divine Soul Saber must have appeared in the Cultivation Immortal Realm before.’

’This was clear from the Illusory World in that Secret Realm.’

’Without past data and experience to support it, the Illusory World in the Secret Realm couldn’t possibly have simulated my Divine Soul Saber.’

’Moreover, the primary condition for entering that Inheritance Land seemed to be the special quality brought by this Divine Soul Saber.’

After thinking for a long time, he couldn’t figure it out.

Chu Mu let out a soft breath. He watched Wangcai frolicking in the yard as the Minghong Saber suddenly appeared in his hand.

’Since I have a premonition, how can I not give it a try?’

He gripped the long saber tightly, feeling as if it were connected to his very blood.

The blade moved lightly, his control over his power precise down to the finest degree.

With each strike and every stance, what he experienced was not the blade he was practicing with now.

Instead, it was the blade he had wielded in past battles against his foes.

A Magical Artifact blade was typically controlled by Divine Sense, but ever since his Body Refining had shown results, he had developed a habitual preference for close-quarters combat.

This Minghong Saber had already been stained with the blood of many, many cultivators.

The strikes and stances of the past all appeared before his eyes.

As the blade flowed, the illusory long saber from his Divine Soul seemed to resonate with the physical blade.

Strike by strike...

The Divine Soul Saber also seemed to be slowly transforming.

The illusion evolved toward substance. The Divine Soul Blade Shadow enveloping the physical blade in his hand grew clearer, bit by bit.

Finally... accompanied by a clear cry from the saber.

An indescribable, bone-chilling sharpness suddenly spread out with his Divine Sense.

For a thousand meters around, countless common people seemed to feel a fatal terror in that instant, as if a blade were held to their necks.

But in the next second, as his Divine Sense withdrew, the terror vanished without a trace.

Chu Mu stood with his saber, his eyes slightly closed.

The Divine Soul Saber glowed brilliantly. Under his Divine Sense Perception, the sense of illusion was gone, replaced by the clear feeling of a somewhat solid, metallic condensation.

The fluctuations it constantly emitted had undergone an almost quantum leap compared to before.

His already extremely condensed Magical Power was being further tempered and solidified under these fluctuations.

The Divine Soul Saber acted like a Stabilizing Needle for his Divine Soul, which was still slightly unstable from his recent breakthrough to Foundation Establishment. It instantly firmed up and grew more solid.

After a very long time, he slowly opened his eyes. The shadow of a blade flickered within them, its sharpness on full display, before it slowly receded.

He looked at the Light Curtain Panel. In the Basic Blade Technique entry, the original Peak of Perfection had transformed into... Returning to the Essence!

...