Foundation Establishment Opportunity

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

Mo Yuan adjusted himself to peak condition.

The spiritual power of the ninth level of Qi Refinement was dense and refined, nearly liquefied. Nourished by the Soul Cleansing Banner and his many fortuitous encounters, his divine sense far surpassed that of cultivators at the same level, while his control over his own strength had reached the finest degree.

He could feel that the bottleneck to Foundation Establishment had already become clear. All he lacked was an opportunity to trigger the liquefaction of his spiritual power, open his Purple Mansion, and establish his Dao foundation.

On the night before departure, the moon shone bright beneath sparse stars. Mo Yuan sat quietly in the courtyard of Listening Thunder Abode. Rather than cultivating, he emptied his mind and reflected on everything that had happened since he transmigrated.

From an ignorant youth at the Ren Family Town funeral home, to gaining fame in the Three Sects Tournament, then fighting a bloody battle in Burial Demon Valley, and now becoming a candidate for the True Inheritor Sequence, preparing to take part in a great battle concerning all living beings under heaven.

It all felt like a dream, yet it was undeniably real.

His Dao heart had long since become as firm as stone through repeated trials of life and death and the growth of his strength.

What he sought was not merely power, but transcendence, immortality, the ability to protect those around him, and the determination to carve out a path to the heavens in this age of declining Dharma.

"Foundation Establishment is the first step in shedding the mortal body and forging a Dao foundation. Spiritual power becomes True Essence, divine sense gives rise to the Purple Mansion, and one's lifespan increases by two hundred years... I must pass this trial!" Mo Yuan's eyes gleamed brightly, and he no longer hesitated.

He did not choose to enter seclusion and force a breakthrough. Instead, he decided to use the unique environment of crossing the sea of clouds aboard the Azure Wood Boat, close to the thunder of the Nine Heavens, to draw in the aura of heavenly lightning and combine it with his accumulated strength to break through in one stroke on the way to the Ancient Demon Ruins!

The next morning, Stone Bamboo Shoot Mountain Plaza.

The lineup heading deep into Burial Demon Valley to stop the blood sacrifice this time could only be described as luxurious.

Three late-stage Foundation Establishment elders led the group: the Law Enforcement Elder Xuan Ji, the Transmission Elder Qing Ming, and a formation master Martial Grand-Uncle who had been in seclusion year-round, his aura as unfathomable as an abyss.

Below them were ten disciples of the True Inheritor Sequence or prospective sequence, including Mo Yuan. The weakest among them was at the ninth level of Qi Refinement. Chen Feng, Zhao Gan, and the others were all present, along with two senior brothers and sisters who had already reached early Foundation Establishment.

The teams from Dragon Tiger Mountain and Ge Zao Mountain had also arrived, and their lineups were no weaker. Nearly thirty elite disciples from the three sects had gathered together, their killing intent permeating the plaza.

Sect Master Shi Jian personally saw them off. His gaze swept over the crowd before lingering briefly on Mo Yuan. He said solemnly, "The Ancient Demon Ruins are of great importance. You must work together and stop the evil cult's atrocities! Return safely!"

"We obey the Sect Master's decree!" everyone answered in unison, their voices shaking the clouds.

Three standard flying boats—the Azure Wood Boat of Maoshan, the Yellow Turban Warrior Boat of Dragon Tiger Mountain, and the Flowing Cloud Boat of Ge Zao Mountain—shot into the sky, turning into three streaks of light as they once again sped toward that land shrouded in death and evil.

The flying boat tore through clouds and mist at tremendous speed. Mo Yuan sat cross-legged at the stern of the Azure Wood Boat, cast aside all distractions, immersed his consciousness within himself, and began guiding his surging spiritual power to strike at the invisible bottleneck of Foundation Establishment!

He did not take that precious mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. He wanted to rely on his own strength to lay the most solid foundation possible!

"Rumble..."

Spiritual power surged and roared through his meridians, continuously compressing as it gathered toward the core of his Dantian's sea of qi.

His originally gaseous spiritual power began to grow viscous, faintly showing signs of liquefaction. Yet it was always short of that final push, as if separated by a tough membrane that he could not completely break through.

Outside the flying boat, above the clouds, the sky gradually darkened, and faint thunder rolled in the distance. They were passing through a storm cloud.

Mo Yuan's heart stirred, and enlightenment struck! He abruptly activated the lightning-drawing secret art from the Nine Heavens Thunder Talisman Grand Codex while releasing, without reservation, his comprehension of the Dao of Thunder—especially the aura of that Fragment of the Law of Thunder!

"With my will, I summon the lightning of the Nine Heavens! Help me break through and forge my Dao foundation!"

As though answering his call, the clouds above the flying boat suddenly churned! Countless serpents of lightning darted through them, and the low rumble of thunder became an ear-splitting roar!

"What is happening?"

"Why has the lightning in the sky become so violent?"

The other disciples all looked up in shock.

The three elders leading the group narrowed their eyes and looked together toward Mo Yuan at the stern.

"This boy... is he planning to draw lightning and establish his foundation here?!" Elder Qing Ming's face showed astonishment.

"What courage! What an opportunity!" A trace of approval flashed through the formation master Martial Grand-Uncle's eyes.

Martial Uncle Xuan Ji's expression did not change, but the fingers hidden within his sleeve had already formed a hand seal, ready to protect the flying boat at any moment.

Just then!

Crack—!!!

A bolt of divine lightning from the Nine Heavens, as thick as a water bucket and deep violet in color, seeming to contain the might of heaven and earth, tore through the clouds. Ignoring the flying boat's protective barrier—Mo Yuan had deliberately guided it, so the barrier did not stop it—it struck down at the seated Mo Yuan like a sword of heavenly punishment!

"Perfect!"

Mo Yuan rose to his full height. Not only did he not dodge, he spread his arms as though he wished to embrace that destructive lightning!

All the power in his body erupted at that instant! Geng Metal Thunderous Evil, Ancient Thunder Essence, Chaotic Thunder Source Dao Rhythm, Dragon Essence, Innate Spiritual Energy... countless higher-order powers merged under the unification of the Fragment of the Law of Thunder, forming an invisible vortex that met the thunderbolt of the Nine Heavens!

Boom—!!!

The lightning pierced through his body!

Mo Yuan was instantly swallowed by blinding lightning! Violent thunder power flooded wildly into his limbs and bones, tearing apart his meridians and searing his flesh, bringing incomparable agony!

Yet his will was as immovable as stone. He guarded the last trace of clarity in his mind, enduring the damage through the Divine Dragon Body Refining Art while frantically guiding and refining this supremely yang and unyielding power with the Nine Heavens Thunder Talisman Grand Codex!

Break for me!!

"Hum—!"

It was as though a Dao chime from the birth of the universe rang out from within him!

That tough membrane shattered in response!

Within his Dantian, the vast gaseous spiritual power instantly collapsed and condensed, becoming a crystalline purple-gold droplet containing immense vitality and destructive thunder intent—True Essence!

Then came the second drop, the third... a rain of True Essence fell in torrents, gathering into streams before finally forming a miniature lake of purple-gold True Essence at the center of his Dantian!

Mist swirled above the lake. It was highly condensed divine sense, opening and nurturing the embryonic form of the Purple Mansion!

At the same time, his sea of consciousness expanded violently, becoming more stable and clear. The Soul Cleansing Banner floated within it, its clear radiance growing even more condensed.

An aura far more majestic and pure than that of the Qi Refinement realm, carrying a trace of the majesty of heaven and earth, soared from Mo Yuan into the sky!

Lightning coiled around his body, and behind him, a vague phantom formed, exuding endless thunderous pressure! That phantom seemed to have existed since ancient times, commanding lightning as it looked down upon all living beings!

Foundation Establishment, complete!

And it was no ordinary Foundation Establishment, but a Thunder Dao foundation forged through the baptism of divine lightning from the Nine Heavens and the fusion of many supreme powers, its foundation unimaginably solid!

The quality of his True Essence far surpassed that of others at the same level, nearly matching that of the middle Foundation Establishment stage!

A dead silence fell over the flying boat.

Everyone stared dumbfounded at the young man as the lightning around him gradually faded, his aura becoming as deep as the sea while the phenomenon behind him slowly dispersed.

He had established his foundation... just like that? And in such a shocking manner?

What was that lightning phantom...? Why did it make them feel the urge to kneel in worship?

"A... a phantom of the Thunder Emperor?"

The formation master Martial Grand-Uncle, the most knowledgeable among them, spoke with an incredulous tremor in his voice. "When this boy established his foundation, he actually drew the blessing of a trace of the ancient Thunder Emperor's Dao Rhythm?!"

The three elders exchanged glances, each seeing shock and wild joy in the others' eyes. Maoshan had produced a true dragon!

Mo Yuan slowly opened his eyes. Within them, a world of lightning seemed to be born and destroyed.

Feeling the True Essence rushing through his body like rivers and the broader, tougher sea of consciousness within him, an unprecedented sense of power filled his heart.

He had successfully established his foundation! And it seemed even more perfect than he had expected.

"System, sign in!"

[ Ding! Sign-in successful! Congratulations, Host, for obtaining: Top-Grade Spirit Stone x10, Great Dao Treasure Bottle (Fragment) x1, Five Thunder Righteous Method - Heavenly Heart Scroll introductory mastery x1, residual aura of the Primordial World: a wisp of indestructible Thunder Emperor's Will (weak)!]

[Great Dao Treasure Bottle (Fragment)]: A fragment of the innate spirit treasure "Great Dao Treasure Bottle." It contains an incomplete space that can slowly condense and purify Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, nurturing spiritual potential. (Requires vast resources and time to repair.)

[Five Thunder Righteous Method - Heavenly Heart Scroll introductory mastery]: The introductory chapter of a supreme method that points directly to the origin of the Dao of Thunder, an orthodox inheritance of the ancient Thunder Ministry.

[A wisp of indestructible Thunder Emperor's Will (weak)]: A wisp of indestructible will left behind after the ancient Thunder Emperor dissipated between heaven and earth. It can merge into the Dao foundation, greatly enhancing the authority and power of thunder arts, intimidating all lightning, and absolutely suppressing yin, evil, and demonic creatures. (Requires gradual fusion.)

"Thunder Emperor's Will! The Five Thunder Divine Method!" Mo Yuan's mind shook violently! These rewards had already exceeded the realm of magical artifacts and objects, directly involving supreme inheritances and primordial will! Just what kind of origin did this system possess?!

He forcefully suppressed the urge to immediately study the rewards. Cupping his hands toward the three elders and the many stunned fellow disciples, he said, "This disciple was fortunate enough to break through and has disturbed all of you, elders."

Elder Qing Ming clapped his hands and laughed heartily. "How is this a disturbance? This is Maoshan's blessing! Heaven has blessed Maoshan with such a gifted child!"

Martial Uncle Xuan Ji also revealed a rare smile. "Now that you have established your foundation, this journey has gained a few more chances of success. Mo Yuan, quickly stabilize your realm. Burial Demon Valley lies ahead!"

Mo Yuan nodded heavily, then sat cross-legged and began familiarizing himself with the power of the Foundation Establishment realm. At the same time, he carefully guided that wisp of indestructible Thunder Emperor's Will into his newly formed Thunder Dao foundation.

The flying boat did not slow, speeding toward that even darker and more dangerous region.