Preparing for Foundation Establishment (Please Bookmark, Please Follow)

Wang Ping did not make things difficult for Jianghu Guest. He merely had Zhao Qing arrange for an Inner Sect disciple from the Martial Arts Academy to accompany him, then took Yang Ziping back to the Mountain Top Courtyard.

Through Yang Ziping's account, Wang Ping learned the full details of what had happened...

The several people consecutively murdered in Sanhe Prefecture shared one suspicious trait: three months earlier, during the nighttime curfew, they had broken into a private residence, beaten the male owner, and humiliated the female owner.

Before Yang Ziping and Cheng Ji had even arrived, the Prefectural Office had already captured the true culprit behind the string of cases. It was the male owner of that residence, and he had personally committed the crimes.

That was absurd, because according to the records, he had been nothing more than an Ordinary Person, yet he had infiltrated the homes of four prominent local clans and silently killed their heads!

Then, after only two days of investigation, Yang Ziping and Cheng Ji discovered that the culprit had met closely with Shen Dong twice.

Though there was no evidence, the answer was already as plain as day. The four murdered men must have known secrets of Shen Dong's that they should not have known.

Unfortunately, that very night, the two investigators were ambushed by a group of Jianghu Guests. Every inch of those Jianghu Guests was covered in Concealed Weapons, and rather than meeting force with force, they merely worked together to fire Poisoned Arrows.

Yang Ziping was the first to fall. A Poisoned Arrow pierced his flesh, and he fainted. Surrounded and attacked, Cheng Ji could only watch helplessly as they abducted Yang Ziping.

After hearing him out, Wang Ping offered Yang Ziping a few words of comfort, ordered someone to find Cheng Ji, and wrote a reply to Xia Yao.

More than ten days later, Cheng Ji sat beside the Stone Table in Wang Ping's courtyard with a gloomy face and recounted much the same sequence of events.

"Those Jianghu Guests were probably raised specifically to deal with Qi practitioners. No ordinary wanderer of the martial world would be armed from head to toe with Concealed Weapons that could poison people unconscious!"

Cheng Ji spoke through gritted teeth.

"I could tell." Wang Ping nodded lightly.

"He was clever—truly clever. No wonder someone had taken a liking to him... But he was pitiful too, spending his whole life as someone else's dog." Cheng Ji was mocking Shen Dong, the man who had left him in such a sorry state.

Wang Ping sighed with feeling. "That is why one must cultivate the Great Dao to break free from the mortal dust."

"The Great Dao is so misty and elusive. I'll just refine pills."

All the sharpness had drained from Cheng Ji.

The two drank together in the courtyard for an entire night. Early the next morning, Cheng Ji resumed his journey.

Wang Ping too had to continue preparing for Foundation Establishment...

And so three months passed. Wang Ping received Xia Yao's reply, in which she said that after achieving Foundation Establishment, she would personally come to Sanhe Prefecture for a look.

After reading the letter, Wang Ping could not understand Xia Yao's persistence.

Spring departed, and autumn came.

Wang Ping's Qi Gathering progress for Foundation Establishment finally reached its Natural Outcome, attaining completion at (100/100). Every meridian and Qi Sea in his body had been opened. At the same time, his garden had become a dense forest, its spiritual energy reaching (72/100). The panel's evaluation was excellent.

When his Qi Gathering progress reached completion, an additional Foundation Establishment Success Rate appeared afterward. His current Foundation Establishment Success Rate was (83/100).

Had he not encountered what happened to Cheng Ji, Wang Ping might have simply shut his eyes, clenched his teeth, and begun Foundation Establishment. After all, an eighty-three percent success rate was not low.

But now, he possessed a sense of awe.

At present, the only way to increase his Foundation Establishment Success Rate was to work on the spiritual energy concentration of the Spirit Gathering Array.

Thus, Wang Ping walked two laps through his lush forest garden, carefully observing the changes in spiritual energy, but found no problems whatsoever.

Afterward, he used the Cloud Soaring Technique and flew to the highest altitude he could withstand, observing the Spirit Gathering Array he had arranged from a broader perspective.

Within the World of Spiritual Energy, eight Spirit Gathering Towers served as anchor points, forming an energy vortex amid the dense garden and locking the garden's spiritual energy around the Huai Tree and courtyard.

The area around the Huai Tree was the densest. All eight Spirit Gathering Towers served to gather spiritual energy in that region, but through the gaps between the towers, a small amount of spiritual energy flowed outward, forming tiny currents that tugged the spiritual energy atop the mountain outward and allowed it to leak away.

He had found the problem, but Wang Ping could not think of a solution right away.

This was damned frustrating...

Just as he was feeling vexed, a voice reached his ears:

"The eight Spirit Gathering Towers lack spiritual objects to suppress them, allowing too much spiritual energy to spill out..."

As the voice rang out, Daoist Yucheng appeared beside Wang Ping and continued, "The best method is to place a Hundred Year Spirit Wood Root inside each of the eight Spirit Gathering Towers. Last month, I already ordered Zhao Qing to purchase them. Given his efficiency... there should be results in another month!"

"Thank you, Master!" Wang Ping gave a deep bow, but because he was using the Cloud Soaring Technique, the bow nearly caused him to fall.

Daoist Yucheng gently brushed the fingers of his Left Hand, and an invisible force supported Wang Ping's body. "Spring is about to begin. The best time to establish your foundation while cultivating Wood Spirit Qi is spring. Adjust your condition and prepare to welcome your Foundation Establishment."

"Yes!"

It did not take a month. Half a month later, Zhao Qing led more than twenty disciples up the mountain steps, carrying eight large wooden chests.

From far away, Wang Ping could hear their synchronized shouts.

"These things are extremely heavy—and extremely expensive!"

After the chests were set down, Zhao Qing patted one of them and said, "Even the lightest one weighs three hundred jin. The starting price is one hundred thousand taels of silver, and all eight cost one million taels!"

"How was this price calculated?"

"The more of these you buy, the more expensive they become. They say it is to prevent anyone from purchasing vast quantities to conduct forbidden spell experiments." Zhao Qing explained, "In a few days, people from the Daoist Scripture Hall will come inspect how we are using them."

Wang Ping nodded thoughtfully, then said, "I'll pay half of it from my private treasury. That business deal with Junior Brother Su earned me quite a lot last time."

Zhao Qing grinned broadly upon hearing this. "Where exactly do they need to be placed?"

"Just leave them here. I'll handle the rest myself!"

Wang Ping stopped Zhao Qing from helping. He stepped forward and tested the weight. They were indeed quite heavy.

Once Zhao Qing left with the disciples, Wang Ping directly used the Transport Art and easily placed the Eight Spirit Wood Roots inside the Eight Directional Spirit Gathering Towers.

The spiritual energy concentration immediately rose by two points.

Three days later.

People from the Daoist Scripture Hall really did come. They carefully checked the markings on every Spirit Wood Root and only departed after confirming that everything was correct.

Wang Ping asked for the reason, and because of his status as the Sixth Seat of the Daoist Scripture Hall, they did not hide it from him...

It turned out that Hundred Year Spirit Wood Roots could absorb and suppress spiritual energy. Evil Cultivators most loved using them to suppress the yin energy of a Corpse Mountain Sea of Blood, helping them cultivate with the spiritual energy of flesh and blood; or to suppress the Earth Vein Spiritual Energy of important Feng Shui sites, refining the corpses and souls of Qi practitioners.

Half a month later, the spiritual energy concentration of the Mountain Top Dense Forest had stabilized at (91/100), while Wang Ping's Foundation Establishment Success Rate had risen to (99/100)!

That was already enough.

If he could still fail with this, he might as well find a small pond and drown himself.

Eighth Day of the Second Month.

Wang Ping quietly spent his Forty-eighth Birthday alone. Early the next morning, he carefully bathed and burned incense, then went to the Front Hall to offer incense to the Ancestor Master before visiting Daoist Yucheng to discuss his Foundation Establishment.

When Wang Ping returned to the Mountain Top Garden, he ordered the Young Disciple guarding the gate to shut the Main Gate tightly and forbid anyone from entering to disturb him.

End of Chen Hour.

Wang Ping sat cross-legged before the Huai Tree. Yulian returned to her original length, and in an instant, the spiritual energy around them merged.

"Clang!"

He cast a divination...

It granted its assent!

"Good!"