Transformation, Foundation Establishment Early Stage!

The child born to the lazy and gluttonous Qu Xiaoxiao was not as outstanding as Li Yunlin, possessing the same five-element mixed spiritual roots.

The strongest of these, the fire spiritual root, only reached a value of 48 points.

However, something in the game screen caught Li Xiang by surprise.

Just after Li Yunbing was born, Li Yaozu held the child in the room, yet he did not even glance at Qu Xiaoxiao, who had just finished giving birth. The other members of the Li Family were the same; whenever they occasionally glanced at Qu Xiaoxiao, their expressions were mocking, or even filled with disgust.

"Yaozu, the child, let me hold the child." Qu Xiaoxiao's eyes were bloodshot.

Li Yaozu pondered for a moment before handing the child to Qu Xiaoxiao, then said coldly, "Qu Xiaoxiao, I have treated you very well over the years. Yet, time and again, you have lined your own pockets at the expense of the Li Family, even stealing spiritual herbs from our treasury, and even the Beast Blood Fruit, to give to your brother and father."

"Now that Yunbing is born, we are no longer husband and wife, and you have no further connection to our Li Family."

"Out of consideration for our past as husband and wife, you may continue to live in Zhien Village from now on under my protection, and you may see Yunlin and Yunbing; I do not wish for them to grow up without a mother. But remember, sparing your lives is already a massive act of grace. I only hope that you Qu family members will conduct yourselves properly."

Qu Xiaoxiao wailed, "Yaozu, give me a chance. I will change, I won't dare do it again."

"Big brother has already given you many chances."

Li Yaowen rubbed the armrests of her wheelchair, her expression blank as she said, "Did you Qu family members really think you could hide these things from my eyes? You went too far. Our Li Family can accept mediocrity, but we cannot accept betrayal and deception."

As she spoke.

Li Yaowen looked at Li Yunlin, who was standing to the side with his head bowed, and said gently, "Nephew, you are grown up now; you should know the truth of the matter."

"Mm."

Li Yunlin murmured with a choked sob, still keeping his head down, his eyes bloodshot.

"Sigh."

Li Xiang also let out a long sigh. Li Yaozu had spoken of this matter before the Ancestral Tablet, lamenting his own poor judgment in marrying such a woman and repenting for his inability to see people clearly in his youth.

But every family has its own troubles; no one knows what the person they cherish will eventually become.

However, Li Yaozu had indeed handled this matter appropriately. Human ambition is boundless; if Li Yaozu had allowed the Qu family to act recklessly, it would likely have caused unbearable losses.

The only ones who suffered were the two children, Li Yunlin and Li Yunbing.

Late that night in the game interface.

Li Yunlin, who had been holding back his tears all day, cradled the swaddled Li Yunbing and wept before Li Xiang's Ancestral Tablet under the flickering candlelight.

"Old Ancestor, my mother... is a traitor!"

"From now on, everyone in the family, and our friends in Zhien Village, will know that my brother and I are the children of a traitor."

"I am the child... of a traitor..."

No one knows how much psychological trauma a failed mother can inflict upon her children. What Qu Xiaoxiao and the Qu family did would likely become a brand of humiliation, etched into the lives of Li Yunlin and Li Yunbing.

[Enduring immense internal pain, Li Yunlin gains the trait: Humiliating Self-Proof]

[He will become insecure, mental state -10%. To cast off this humiliation, he will work harder than anyone else and treat the shame in his heart as his bottom line, increasing his cultivation speed by 20%!]

Looking at the trait on Li Yunlin, Li Xiang shook his head; he did not know how to comfort the boy.

He could only use 'Love from the Ancestor', descending a warm light to soothe Li Yunlin.

The Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python seemed to sense Li Xiang's thoughts, extending its tongue from the darkness to lick Li Yunlin's face with a slobbery kiss.

"Thank you, Old Ancestor."

In the pitch-black night, the fragile soul curled up against the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python and drifted off to sleep.

In the days that followed, Li Xiang had the members of the Li Family take extra care of Li Yaozu's two children.

Soon, a year passed.

[Year 31 of the Li Family: The great drought ends. The heavens are kind, sending down a heavy rain that brings the entire land back to life!]

"Has this twenty-plus-year drought finally ended?"

Li Xiang let out a long breath of relief.

He did not understand why there had been a twenty-year drought; after all, he had lived on Earth his whole life and had never seen such a disaster, only hearing stories from the refugees of Zhien Village about corpses lining the roads and people trading children to eat.

In the game screen.

After the heavy rain, all the villagers ran out of their houses, bathing in the sweet dew after the long drought, as if thanking the heavens for finally forgiving their sins.

They seemed to be celebrating the downpour.

[After three years of seclusion, Li Dalong has a sudden epiphany, successfully reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, becoming a Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator!]

[Your descendant has broken through to Foundation Establishment, Incense +100!]

"Hahaha, it's done! Old Ancestor, your foolish descendant Li Dalong has finally done it!"

In the secret chamber, Li Dalong, who had broken through to Foundation Establishment, was already 51 years old. Before his seclusion, there had been strands of gray in his hair, but after the breakthrough, his hair turned black, the wrinkles on his face smoothed out, and he now looked like a resolute middle-aged man of thirty, his skin much fairer and more radiant than before.

Even standing next to Li Yaozu, one might mistake them for brothers!

[Li Dalong]

[Realm: Foundation Establishment Early Stage]

[Techniques: Naqi Technique, Basic Sword Technique, Dragon Wandering Footwork]

[Traits: Determined, Wild Boar Slayer, Forest Ranger]

Breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm is an absolute metamorphosis. The so-called "hundred-day foundation establishment" is a process of transformation where they cleanse the body of impurities, creating better conditions for future cultivation.

Every limb, bone, and internal organ is purged of all impurities. While Qi Refining stage spiritual energy circulates through the Ren and Du meridians, the Foundation Establishment Realm circulates it through the entire meridian system!

Even... their spiritual roots grow stronger because of it!

After three years of foundation establishment, Li Dalong's spiritual roots now consist only of metal, fire, and earth, with the quality of each element reaching over 60.

The power of the Foundation Establishment Realm also stems from these various factors, which break through the limitations of a mortal body.

They possess more spiritual energy and the ability of "Insight," allowing them to perceive the energy of others and roughly calculate the strength of their spiritual energy. They can condense "Divine Sense," which is far more than just perceiving the surrounding environment through the seven orifices; they can sense everything in a three-hundred-sixty-degree radius without blind spots.

They can even achieve "Micro-Perception," seeing minute details. Their dantian contains Dantian Fire, which is the key to condensing spiritual energy into a core to break through to the Golden Core Realm!

This is why the cultivators from the Hu and Wang families were so disdainful of the Qi Refining stage cultivators in the Li Family territory when they first arrived.

Because the two are simply existences from different dimensions.

It is also the reason why they fled without hesitation upon encountering the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python and the War Puppet; they could sense the immense power of both!

"Our Li Family finally has a true Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Li Xiang did not hesitate to bestow "Love from the Ancestor" upon Li Dalong.

The reason Li Dalong is considered the Li Family's first true Foundation Establishment cultivator is that Xu Cuihua doesn't count... after all, she is a Beast Tamer, and after contracting the Heavenly Moon Fox, she is considered a Demon Cultivator.

Following Li Dalong's breakthrough, the members of the Li Family gathered once again to celebrate!

However, their celebration was not open to the outside world; only they knew of it.

After all, hidden strength is the only true trump card.

"Thank you, Ancestor, for your constant help. Otherwise, a fool like me would never have been able to reach Foundation Establishment. The Ancestor's Bestowal has always been guiding me."

More thanks and kowtows followed.

Finally, after the offerings were made, Xu Cuihua looked at her husband with joy. As time passed, Xu Cuihua, having contracted the Heavenly Moon Fox, had grown increasingly beautiful, even possessing a certain nobility that made it hard to imagine she was once just an ordinary farm girl. "Husband, this is wonderful. With your breakthrough, our Li Family is even stronger now."

"Wife, you..."

Li Dalong stared at his wife in bewilderment. "Your strength..."

He knew Xu Cuihua had contracted the Heavenly Moon Fox, but only now did he truly sense his wife's power. It was overwhelming... Xu Cuihua's energy aura reached three zhang high, while his was only two chi!

"Beast Taming Technique..." Xu Cuihua slowly explained what had happened to her. During the years Li Dalong was in seclusion, she hadn't wanted him to follow her path to foundation establishment, as everyone's path is different.

Upon hearing of the wonders of the Beast Taming Technique, Li Dalong finally understood, filled with deep emotion. "So that's how it is. The Beast Taming Technique passed down by the Ancestor is truly extraordinary."

As he spoke.

He looked at his increasingly beautiful wife, unable to help but stand tall, his old face flushing slightly. "Wife, I have some things I'd like to discuss with you in our room."

"You old lecher!"

Xu Cuihua gave a rare, coquettish rebuke, pulling Li Dalong into the room.

"..."

Li Xiang, watching from behind the screen, turned black in the face. He quickly switched perspectives, gritting his teeth as he muttered, "If you two keep showing off your affection in front of me, I'll bury you separately—one at the South Pole and one at the North Pole!"

After composing himself for a long while.

Li Xiang continued to check the game screen, then looked at the values on the right.

[Incense: 5121]

"Finally, enough."

He grinned. During the time the Li Family had been developing, he had been keeping a close eye on the Incense value.

Reaching 5000 meant another condition had been met!

The scene shifted to the cellar behind the Li Family Ancestral Hall, where a massive mecha stood!

He clicked on the War Puppet.

A box he had been eagerly waiting for popped up on the screen.

[Activating the War Puppet's operating system requires 5000 Incense points.]

[Detected that you have sufficient Incense.]

[Would you like to establish a connection immediately? You will be able to pilot the mecha and enter combat mode!]

He had waited a long time.

He had been waiting for this very moment—to pilot the mecha, to see the game from a first-person perspective, and to fight alongside his clansmen!

He clicked excitedly—

[Yes!]