Lu Chang’sheng didn’t start consuming the Foundation Establishment Pill right away—Foundation Establishment demands an optimal state.

Zhang Yu didn’t choose to advance in the market for this very reason.

If you’re not in the right state, your chances of success drop significantly.

Fortunately, Lu Chang’sheng had been preparing for Foundation Establishment for years, so his mindset was in pretty good shape.

"This is thanks to the Golden Finger; otherwise, I wouldn’t be nearly as relaxed."

If your mind isn’t open, it’s easy for the heart demon to take root.

The closer you get to this step, the more nervous you become.

But Lu Chang’sheng was perfectly calm.

He used to worry about his family back in Great Yuan, and personally went over there earlier just for this moment.

Lu Chang’sheng figured that his biggest issue was his family; once that was settled, everything was solid.

Still, just to be safe, he paused and went outside to clear his mind.

Cultivation means refining skills, but it also means living freely.

If not for that, no one would bother cultivating immortality.

Lu Chang’sheng strolled down the street, listening to the shouts of low-level cultivators hawking talisman paper, jade scrolls of alchemy, even monster remains.

After walking around, he felt thirsty and headed for a tea house, which naturally offered premium teas—maybe even spirit tea.

However, this market was on the lower end; most people were broke cultivators, and a cup of mundane good tea was the best they could afford, let alone spirit tea.

Spirit tea might taste great, but it’s just for the palate. For the same price, you’d be better off buying a spirit pill.

So, spirit tea was pretty rare in the tea house.

Lu Chang’sheng ordered a pot of spirit tea, which made the owner overjoyed—he even sent over a plate of excellent side dishes.

Lu Chang’sheng sipped his wine at a leisurely pace; before long, he heard a few cultivators come in from outside. Their cultivation wasn’t high—maybe first or second layer of Qi Cultivation at best.

By now, his spiritual sense had reached Foundation Establishment level; with that, he could size up Qi Cultivators at a glance.

Halfway through his tea, he overheard those cultivators talking about Zhang Yu.

It seemed Zhang Yu had been aggressively recruiting allies lately, acting like she wanted to take Li Jun down to the bitter end.

There were also rumors floating around: supposedly, Li Jun hadn’t used the Foundation Establishment Pill he got from Alchemist Luo.

Clearly, this news was most likely leaked by Zhang Yu herself to win more support.

After finishing his spirit tea, Lu Chang’sheng felt completely refreshed. When he paid, he slipped the owner an extra spirit stone, leaving him thrilled.

Fearing interruptions, he paid a premium to rent a courtyard near Luo Mansion.

He spent a few days observing the area; once he confirmed there were no issues, he finally started consuming the Foundation Establishment Pill in the secret room.

The pill entered his belly and turned into a strange power, and Lu Chang’sheng felt a transformation happening throughout his body.

It was as if his consciousness stepped into a new dimension.

Fragments of past memories floated through his mind, slowly drifting away, until, as if breaking through a thin membrane, he entered a new level.

This was the crossing of the Heart Demon Barrier during Foundation Establishment.

The heart demon is a hurdle many cultivators can’t overcome—especially evil cultivators, whose heart demons are heavy. During Foundation Establishment, they’re prone to getting trapped in the barrier, and once the pill’s effects wear off, they inevitably fail.

The Foundation Establishment Pill is an aid—it elevates a cultivator’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit to their peak.

Once the pill’s help fades, you have to start from scratch.

It might even get harder each time.

Because taking the pill can damage your foundation, and without a solid foundation, your chances drop when you try again.

"Normally, a middle-rank D talent might break into Foundation Establishment. I’m upper-rank D, so my odds are decent."

C-rank means you’re destined for Foundation Establishment; upper-rank D also has a solid chance.

Now, he’s using a medium-quality Foundation Establishment Pill for support.

And his mental state is flawless.

It’s not guaranteed, but the odds are ninety percent—if this doesn’t work, then fate’s really against him.

Lu Chang’sheng was exceptionally calm.

Passing the Heart Demon Barrier, now only the cultivation barrier remained.

The two hurdles of Foundation Establishment—the cultivation barrier is actually the easier one.

Especially with the medium-grade pill fueling his Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

······

Nine days later, Lu Chang’sheng suddenly felt his entire body tense—then an endless emptiness washed over him, as if every pore was wildly breathing.

Thankfully, the Spirit Gathering Array Plates he’d set around the room kicked in, drawing the spirit power from the spirit stones into his body.

After half a day, tens of thousands of spirit stones had turned to dust. Lu Chang’sheng opened his eyes, a faint smile on his face.

"Decades of cultivating immortality—and I’ve finally reached Foundation Establishment."

Lu Chang’sheng felt elated; recalling his journey, from discovering the Dao of cultivation until now, it had been at least seventy years.

Seventy years to reach Foundation Establishment—neither long nor short.

Feeling grateful, Lu Chang’sheng calmed himself to get familiar with his new realm. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

After a while, he roughly summed up the changes since achieving Foundation Establishment.

First: spiritual sense.

Breaking through the Heart Demon Barrier during Foundation Establishment had greatly increased his spiritual sense—he’d reached the mid-stage level.

That means Foundation Establishment layer four.

Just as Qi Cultivation has nine layers, Foundation Establishment has nine as well: first three are early stage, middle three for mid stage, last three for late stage.

Now, his spiritual sense was on par with an average layer four Foundation Establishment!

Don’t underestimate a single small tier; in Guangnan Domain, mid-stage Foundation Establishment is already considered a top big shot.

People like Zhang Qing from the Supreme Profound Sect, or Yan Yu from Good Beast Sect, are both mid-stage Foundation Establishment.

Next, magical power:

His magical power surged and condensed further. Upon reaching Foundation Establishment, the Qi Cultivation unit of "ku" became meaningless.

Once "ku" is gone, second layer Foundation Establishment is definitely stronger than first layer.

With purer magical power, Lu Chang’sheng found his Qi Cultivation spells were more powerful and swift than ever.

Now, he could train Foundation Establishment magics and unleash the full power of second-tier magical artifacts.

That’s the second-tier level.

However, such magics are core techniques of the Immortal Sect; to learn them, he’d have to apply to the sect.

"I’m running low on spirit stones; when I get back, I’ll need to sell more pills."

Foundation Establishment cultivation burns through money like crazy—plus, there’s that Little Fire Cloud Beast in the sect.

The little guy is still too young for him to travel with, but once he’s back, he can keep it by his side and supervise its alchemy training.

Lu Chang’sheng stood and dealt with the aftermath of Foundation Establishment, then left the courtyard.

No one knew—a brand new Foundation Establishment cultivator had been born in that unassuming little courtyard.

Alchemist Luo at Luo Mansion nearby sensed something, but couldn’t be sure.

Foundation Establishment, unlike Golden Core, doesn’t cause a huge commotion when you break through.

There was still some time left on his rental, but Lu Chang’sheng had no intention of staying any longer.

Back at his old place, he tidied up and settled in to wait for a while.

That night, he headed out for tea again at the same tea house in the market.