Foundation Establishment Stage

"Ding, congratulations on successfully taking a disciple."

Bai Yuan shook out his hand and looked at the disciple before him, once handsome but now barely human. "Wouldn't it have been better if you'd done this earlier? Your master's hand is practically numb."

The man nodded, seeming somewhat out of his mind.

"Th... this is all this disciple's fault. All my fault," the man said unclearly.

Bai Yuan nodded, casually dispelled the ice from his limbs, and draped a Magic Tool robe over him.

"To recognize your mistakes and correct them is the greatest virtue. Rest assured, so long as you sincerely follow your master, I will never let you suffer a loss. You will surely achieve something in the future."

The man dropped to both knees. "This disciple will sincerely follow Master. Should I harbor any disloyalty, may heaven strike me with thunder."

Bai Yuan satisfactorily patted his disciple's head, then sent a blood-red pill floating before him.

Bai Yuan said, "This is a Blood Dissolving Pill. It can help you quickly recover from your internal injuries and disperse congealed blood."

"Thank you, Master." The man took the pill and, without another word, endured the numbness in his face and swallowed it in one gulp.

Bai Yuan turned and continued walking through the forest.

The man lowered his head and silently followed without saying a word, though the glances he stole at Bai Yuan held a trace of fear.

The two moved swiftly through the forest when Bai Yuan suddenly sensed an astonishing transformation taking place within his body.

Bai Yuan was startled at first, then delighted. He knew Bai Yu had successfully broken through, and he was about to break through along with her.

Without further thought, Bai Yuan hurriedly closed his eyes and sat cross-legged. He had no cultivation technique at present, so he could only quietly sense the changes in his body.

The Foundation Establishment Stage might only be the beginning of the Great Dao, but compared to the Qi Refining Stage, it was a qualitative leap.

Most noticeably, one's appearance would no longer age, one's Lifespan began at roughly two hundred years, and one no longer needed the mundane bodily functions of ordinary people.

At the same time, Bai Yuan could sense everything within thirty meters. It was more direct than seeing with the naked eye, allowing for a full three hundred and sixty degrees without blind spots.

"So this is the Spiritual Sense of a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator?" Bai Yuan stretched lazily, marveling inwardly.

However, having only just acquired this sense, Bai Yuan was still somewhat unaccustomed to it. After sensing his surroundings for a while, he withdrew it.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage. Reward: Bound Disciple Limit +2, 10,000 Master Virtue Points."

Hearing the system's voice, Bai Yuan could not suppress his delight, even though he had long believed Bai Yu's breakthrough was certain.

He had just taken in a disciple here, and Bai Yu had immediately broken through on the other side. It truly was a double blessing.

Slowly opening his eyes, Bai Yuan turned and saw the man pinching his nose. He then realized that his body had expelled far too many impurities.

With a wave of his hand, spiritual power surged from within him, instantly clearing away all impurities from his skin and clothes.

The man released his nose and stared at his Master in astonishment.

He could sense that his Master had become stronger.

If Bai Yuan had felt dangerous before, then now he could not sense even a trace of danger from him. Bai Yuan merely seemed like an ordinary person.

But how could that be possible?

Bai Yuan slowly rose to his feet. He circulated the far more powerful spiritual power within him, then subconsciously looked up toward the horizon.

A thousand-meter-long dark golden claw mark suddenly appeared, tearing through space. A mountain was shattered beneath that terrifying claw mark and collapsed with a deafening roar.

Vaguely, Bai Yuan seemed to see five figures frantically dodging, while shattered human limbs fell from the sky.

The man beside Bai Yuan swallowed hard.

He knew those people were at least Titled Douluo-level powerhouses. Yet five or six of them had surrounded a Soul Beast, only to be driven back by a single claw strike.

Bai Yuan withdrew his gaze. He had no interest in continuing to watch the battle between those Fierce Beasts and Titled Douluo. All he could think about now was finding one more disciple.

That would bring Bai Yuan's number of disciples to six. Then, when he returned and took Ning Rongrong as a disciple, he would have exactly seven.

Without further thought, Bai Yuan continued onward through the forest.

However, because subduing the man earlier had taken a great deal of time, the Soul Beasts had all fled deeper into the forest. Thus, Bai Yuan did not encounter a single Soul Beast along the way.

"Looks like I can only look for plants again." Bai Yuan glanced around. The trees here had at least several hundred years of cultivation, yet they had not developed the slightest Spiritual Intelligence and did not even possess the ability to protect themselves.

"Master, do you still want to take in disciples?"

The man suddenly spoke.

Bai Yuan turned back. "Do you have a way to help me?"

The man hesitated before lowering his head. "Master, I have a wife and a newborn daughter. If you do not mind, you may take them as disciples."

Bai Yuan gave the man a surprised look and smiled. "Weren't you stubborn before? Why are you now thinking of bringing your wife and daughter along?"

Lowering his head, the man smiled bitterly. "Master, please do not tease this disciple. I did not know what was good for me before. Master can allow weak Soul Beasts like us to develop Spiritual Intelligence. With such an opportunity, this disciple naturally wishes to benefit his family as well."

Bai Yuan smiled. "Then lead me there."

"Thank you, Master." The man dropped to one knee.

Bai Yuan waved his hand. "Lead the way."

Beaming, the man darted through the forest. He did not head deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest.

He had only come out to hunt for his wife and daughter, only to be caught up in the battle between a Titled Douluo and a Fierce Beast. He had fled on animal instinct.

The cave where his wife and daughter lived was very safe.

The Silver Moon Fox lived in a cave.

Now that Bai Yuan's cultivation had improved, his speed had increased as well, so it did not take them long.

Seeing the cave entrance ahead, the man's face lit up, and he immediately rushed inside.

After all, he had survived a great calamity and successfully gained Spiritual Intelligence. He truly wanted to see his wife and daughter.

Bai Yuan grabbed the man's tail from behind.

"Wait. Something's wrong inside."

Bai Yuan stared at the cave, his brows slightly furrowed.

Since reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage and gaining Spiritual Sense, his five senses had become extraordinarily sharp. At that moment, he could smell a faint scent of blood coming from the cave.

The man froze, then closed his eyes and sniffed carefully.

In an instant, his expression twisted viciously. "You bastard! You actually dared sneak into my home while I was gone!"

The man tried to rush inside again.

Bai Yuan pulled him back. "What's going on?"

This was a disciple he had finally obtained after spending 10,000 Master Virtue Points. How could he let him risk his life inside?

The man said furiously, "Master, this disciple had a rival in love before. I smelled that beast's scent. I can't be wrong."

Bai Yuan decisively released him.

The man shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Watching his disciple's back, Bai Yuan's mouth twitched.

He truly had not expected that his disciple had gone out hunting and been caught up in a Fierce Beast's attack, only to return home and smell his rival in love's scent.