Ancestor Jin

"Phone, calculate my chances of achieving Foundation Establishment?"

Lu Xuanji asked.

Host has rarely taken pills and carries little Pill Poison, increasing the success rate by thirty percent.

With the thousand-year Nethergrass, the chance increases by another twenty percent.

Total probability: fifty percent.

It is recommended that the host purchase a Foundation Establishment Pill. With one as a safeguard, even if the host fails, the host can preserve his life.

"Preserve my life?"

Lu Xuanji said calmly, "Children think about taking risks; adults think about buying insurance. I do not need insurance. Half a chance at life and half a chance at death is enough. If I cannot succeed, I am willing to pass away here."

In his previous life, he had drifted through obscurity, without even a chance to fight to the death.

Now, for the sake of immortality, he was willing to gamble everything.

In the Ancient Era, there had been no Foundation Establishment Pills, yet cultivators had still achieved the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Even now, many cultivators succeeded in Foundation Establishment without Foundation Establishment Pills.

Taking a deep breath, he swallowed the thousand-year Nethergrass directly.

At once, the Nethergrass's medicinal power was refined and entered his body, where it was stored within his flesh.

Then he circulated his True Qi and began charging toward the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Foundation Establishment had three tribulations, Purple Mansion had nine calamities, and Golden Core had twelve ordeals.

Charging into Foundation Establishment would bring three tribulations: the True Essence Tribulation, the Physical Body Tribulation, and the Divine Sense Tribulation.

They corresponded respectively to essence, qi, and spirit.

Lu Xuanji took a deep breath and circulated his divine sense, compressing the nine True Qi Vortices again and again, seeking to condense True Qi into True Essence.

Compressing True Qi into True Essence, changing it from a gaseous state to a liquid one, was no easy matter.

There was a qualitative transformation between the two. Once the compression succeeded, True Essence could nourish the body and elevate one's life level, doubling one's lifespan to more than two hundred years. At the same time, True Essence's attack power and explosive force far surpassed those of True Qi.

He continued compressing his True Qi. The vortices steadily shrank, and the True Qi was compressed without pause.

Yet as the True Qi compressed, the rebounding force also grew stronger.

As Passage of Time went by, the True Qi had been compressed to its absolute limit.

Lu Xuanji felt a trace of fatigue, but he could not relax in the slightest. He had reached the most critical moment.

If the compression failed, the True Qi compressed to its limit would explode, instantly blasting his dantian full of holes and causing him to pass away on the spot from grievous injuries.

"Now."

Lu Xuanji took a deep breath and compressed his True Qi.

The True Qi had reached its limit and began to liquefy.

The first thread of True Essence was born. Like a chain reaction, True Qi continuously liquefied, and True Essence settled into his dantian.

After the vast True Qi was compressed into True Essence, less than one percent remained.

He had succeeded.

The True Essence Tribulation had been overcome.

At that moment, as massive amounts of True Qi transformed into True Essence, the True Essence settled in his dantian like mercury.

His dantian bore the True Essence and gradually became unable to withstand the burden, finally shattering apart.

The Physical Body Tribulation had arrived.

Ziyang Mountain had welcomed a new master.

On Ziyang Mountain, Ye Family's Ancestor received her respectfully. Behind him stood a woman in white palace robes, her features delicate and beautiful, her figure graceful and alluring. A longsword was strapped to her back. As she walked, the heaven-and-earth essence qi resonated around her, as though an exiled immortal had descended.

The Ye Family cultivators unconsciously lowered their heads, not daring to steal a glance at the woman in palace robes.

Ye Liuyun said respectfully, "Ancestor Jin, this mountain is Ziyang Mountain, originally the Lu Clan's territory. Unfortunately, the Lu Clan once provoked an enemy. After that enemy grew into the Purple Mansion Stage, he sought revenge against the Lu Clan, while the Lu Clan's ancestor, Lu Fuming, happened to pass away."

"Ancestor Yan Yang took revenge on the Lu Clan and conquered it in one stroke. Most Lu Family cultivators were slaughtered, with only a few remnants escaping. Ziyang Mountain was then temporarily taken over by my Ye Family. The Lu Clan wanted to sell it to my Ye Family, but we had no need for it and no money to buy it, so the matter dragged on."

"Ancestor Jin wishes to settle in our Chu Kingdom. We may as well give this Ziyang Mountain to you."

After Ziyang Mountain had been plundered by cultivation bandits, many valuables had been swept clean. Yet much of its basic infrastructure remained intact. With only a year or two of management, it could become stable and prosperous, transformed into a supreme blessed land.

"Ziyang Mountain is not bad. The Spirit Vein grade here has already reached the peak of Grade Three. As long as a Grade Four formation is laid down to construct the spirit vein, it can evolve into a Grade Four spirit vein within ten years at most. It seems I have had some luck and gained a little advantage." Ancestor Jin observed the surroundings as she spoke.

"But how much is this Spirit Mountain worth?"

"Of course, it is a free gift to Ancestor Jin."

Ye Liuyun replied respectfully.

Ancestor Jin appeared to be no more than a girl of sixteen, but in terms of cultivation, she was a Golden Core cultivator. Not only within the Danyang Sect, but throughout the Chu Kingdom, she was a renowned figure.

If this ancestor remained in the Chu Kingdom and guarded one region, then when demonic disasters and demon beast tribulations descended, she could also ease some of the pressure on the Ye Family.

The Ye Family, from top to bottom, welcomed this ancestor's arrival.

"Forget giving it away for free. The weak fear consequences; the strong fear causes." Ancestor Jin said, "I do not wish to owe karmic ties. What price should Ziyang Mountain be assessed at?"

Ye Liuyun pondered before saying, "When Ziyang Mountain was first built, the Lu Clan spent generations nurturing the underground spirit veins and setting up formations. They spent more than a million spirit stones, and together with the Spirit Fields, Cave Mansions, medicinal gardens, and so on, its value should be 1.2 million. The Lu Family descendants still remain, so Ancestor Jin may give it to them."

"However, the Lu Clan is in poor condition now. Only three Foundation Establishment Elders remain to hold the fort. If they were given a million spirit stones directly, it would only harm the Lu Clan. As it happens, two Lu Clan juniors have recently reached Qi Refining Layer 9 and are nearing Foundation Establishment. Ancestor Jin may gift the Lu Clan two Foundation Establishment Pills and offer them some protection."

"As for the one million spirit stones for purchasing Ziyang Mountain, they can repay them after the Lu Clan produces a Purple Mansion cultivator."

"That will do."

Ancestor Jin nodded. Taking out a bottle containing two Foundation Establishment Pills, she said, "Give these to the Lu Clan."

"Many thanks, Ancestor."

Ye Liuyun said gratefully as he accepted the bottle.

He felt somewhat happy for the Lu Clan.

The Lu Clan had once been an ally, and the two families had even intermarried. But as the Lu Clan declined, the relationship between the two families had deteriorated.

Not long ago, the Lu Clan had come to purchase Foundation Establishment Pills, but the Ye Family Patriarch had refused.

Ye Liuyun had been helpless as well.

The Lu Clan had shown him kindness. On certain matters, he ought to speak for the Lu Clan.

But he was also Ye Family's Ancestor. When it came to matters of interest, he had to stand with the Ye Family, and could only choose silence.

The only thing he could do was put in a few good words for the Lu Clan here.

Sure enough, Ancestor Jin had acted on a whim, and the Lu Clan had gained a great benefit.

After the handover was complete, Ye Liuyun went straight to Changyuan Mountain and met the Lu Family's Great Elder, telling him about Ancestor Jin.

"Ancestor Jin is merciful."

Lu Tianyi, the Great Elder, said respectfully.

"These are two Foundation Establishment Pills. Inspect them."

As he spoke, he handed over the pill bottle.

The Great Elder accepted the bottle and inspected it carefully, delight blooming in his heart.

He had originally believed that Foundation Establishment Pills were beyond hope, but after the willow trees darkened, flowers bloomed in another village, and they had gained more Foundation Establishment Pills.

Overjoyed, the Great Elder went to Lu Xuanji's Cave Mansion to share the good news.

Yet at the entrance to the Cave Mansion, he sensed a Terrifying Aura leaking out. Lu Xuanji was already in seclusion, charging toward Foundation Establishment.

The Foundation Establishment Pills were already useless.