Provocation

[You spent a year cultivating arduously. Your qi grew increasingly refined, but you were unable to condense Divine Sense, and your cultivation made no tangible breakthrough.]

[You spent a year cultivating arduously. Your qi grew increasingly refined, but you were unable to condense Divine Sense, and your cultivation made no tangible breakthrough.]

[You spent a year cultivating arduously. Your qi grew increasingly refined, and your mental power improved significantly, but you still lacked the opportunity to condense Divine Sense, and your cultivation made no tangible breakthrough.]

Three days passed.

Fang Yuan never left the estate. He stayed in the secluded courtyard and cultivated.

The qi generated within his body had grown extremely dense.

Qi was inherently formless and colorless. The form it took when unleashed depended on one's cultivation method and martial techniques.

At that moment, however, the qi gathered in Fang Yuan's Dantian and acupoints had taken the form of thick, white mist. It was a sign that his qi had been refined to the utmost.

Although the Heavenly Origin Earth Realm offered little enhancement to one's mental and physical strength, even a tiny morsel was still meat. Any improvement was a good thing.

After tempering his mind with the Spirit Gathering Pill, Fang Yuan had also begun trying to condense Divine Sense over the past two days.

He hadn't succeeded, but his mental power was growing stronger. He was still only missing the right opportunity.

"You're about to condense Divine Sense?"

In the patriarch's study, Fang Zhongwu stared at Fang Yuan in astonishment, stunned for quite some time.

He knew his son had already reached the Ninth Layer Houtian Realm, and that condensing Divine Sense and breaking through to Foundation Establishment were only a matter of time.

But this was far too fast.

A Foundation Establishment True Person not yet twenty years old was unprecedented in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Even in a great sect teeming with prodigies, such rapid progress would be enough to shock the world.

"Looks like you'll be taking over my position before long." Fang Zhongwu looked pleased.

Fang Yuan shook his head vigorously, like a rattle drum.

What he wanted was to reach the pinnacle, set foot on the path to immortality, and command an Aristocratic Clan. Taking over his father's responsibilities was asking a bit much.

"Condensing Divine Sense is different from improving your cultivation. You need not only sufficient mental strength, but also to pay attention to balance and the critical point."

Fang Yuan was not the only one facing this problem.

Countless experts were stuck at the Ninth Layer Houtian Realm, as numerous as fish crossing a river.

It was common for this step to trap someone for decades or even a century. Many never made it past it in their entire lives.

"Dream Soul Flowers and Divine Origin Fruits are both precious natural treasures that greatly benefit the strengthening of Divine Sense."

Fang Zhongwu spoke slowly. "Finding either one would be enough to help you condense Divine Sense, perhaps even take you a step further."

Mental-strengthening spiritual medicines had always been incredibly precious, with more demand than supply.

Even the Fang Family had no surplus in its stores. All they could do was have people gather information outside and search for such medicines.

"I sent some people deep into Falling Mist Mountain. We should hear something soon."

It seemed Fang Zhongwu had started making preparations long ago.

Fang Yuan was deeply moved.

"If you really want to do something for me, take this burden off my hands sooner. I still have to find your mother," Fang Zhongwu said with a smile.

How was one supposed to deal with a father who was desperate to retire?

"And another thing: don't worry too much about your mother. She's living better than we are now. Maybe... she just misses me a little..."

Looking at his son, who seemed to want to speak but hesitated, Fang Zhongwu took the initiative to explain. A rare trace of tenderness crossed his face.

Fang Yuan: ...

"I should at least have the right to know something about my mother, shouldn't I?"

Fang Zhongwu considered it. Keeping it from his son forever wasn't ideal, so he chose his words carefully.

"Your mother and I made an agreement. If you had ordinary talent and spent your whole life as a rich young master, you would live out your days in peace."

Fang Yuan watched his adoptive father, waiting for him to continue.

But the two of them simply stared at each other in silence.

"Father, forgive your son for asking, but when did you break through to Foundation Establishment?"

Fang Yuan broke the silence.

"When I was twenty-nine."

Fang Yuan was startled. He remembered that the record for the earliest Foundation Establishment breakthrough in the Great Zhou Dynasty was thirty-six!

He didn't doubt his father's words, but he was confused.

"Are you wondering why it doesn't match the record?"

Fang Zhongwu smiled as he explained, "Because I went out adventuring when I was very young. Outsiders had no way of knowing."

"Besides, I'm a rather low-key person. I don't care much for empty worldly fame, so why would I make a big fuss about it?"

With his hands behind his back, Fang Zhongwu gazed into the distance. His tone was calm, but he could not conceal the pride on his face.

"Then my talent should be a little better than yours, Father."

Fang Yuan hadn't forgotten the point of the conversation. He "deliberately" reminded him.

"We'll see when you reach the Foundation Building Realm. That's the first hurdle in immortal cultivation, where one's talent first begins to show." Fang Zhongwu refused without mercy.

Seeing that his father didn't want to say more, Fang Yuan could only let it go. He bowed and left.

"You're growing far faster than I imagined. I'm curious to see just how far your talent will take you."

What Fang Zhongwu said about the Foundation Building Realm being the true beginning of the path to immortality was no idle talk.

Once one reached the Foundation Building Realm, their talents would be revealed in full.

They might awaken a special constitution or bloodline, or reveal a spiritual root.

A very small number of prodigies could even trigger celestial phenomena when they broke through to Foundation Establishment. Their futures were destined to be extraordinary.

Talent was crucial to going further on the path to immortality.

How many geniuses had shone brilliantly before Foundation Establishment, only to become ordinary once they reached it?

"Seventh Elder, please go to Falling Mist Mountain soon to gather herbs, and keep an eye out for these spiritual medicines."

"The patriarch is too polite."

Back in the secluded courtyard, Fang Yuan continued cultivating diligently, hoping to master the Myriad Star Fist as soon as possible.

Xiao Zi arrived in the courtyard, worry written across her face. Seeing Fang Yuan still cultivating, she stood quietly to one side, not daring to disturb him.

A quarter of an hour later,

Fang Yuan stopped punching. A maid wiped away his sweat, and he changed into a fresh set of clothes before reclining in a chair and glancing at Xiao Zi.

"Is something the matter?"

"Reporting to the Young Master, something has happened at the Rain Listening Pavilion," Xiao Zi replied respectfully.

After hearing Xiao Zi's account, Fang Yuan's expression darkened.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? And what kind of family is this Lin Clan?"

Recently, a young master surnamed Lin had been harassing a female disciple from the Rain Listening Pavilion who was in charge of making purchases outside.

At first, the female disciple silently endured it. But his behavior grew increasingly outrageous, and he even tried to abduct her and take her back to his residence by force.

As one of the three great pleasure quarters in the Prefecture City, the Drunken Dream Pavilion had very high standards for selecting its women.

Every female disciple Fang Yuan had rescued had a graceful figure and striking looks.

But any young master in the Inner City who dared to run wild like this must have a family with some clout behind him.

"The Lin Clan is a third-rate family. It has only one Foundation Establishment True Person to guard it, along with more than twenty Houtian experts."

"A third-rate family?" Fang Yuan sneered. "With one Foundation Establishment expert to guard it, he probably only just broke through. They're not even worth ranking."

Fang Yuan's guess wasn't wrong. The Lin Clan hadn't had a Foundation Establishment True Person before; their old ancestor had only broken through recently.

To celebrate the old ancestor's breakthrough, the Lin Clan had even sent invitations to all the great clans.

Generally, for a family to become an established power in the Prefecture City, it needed at least four or five Foundation Establishment True Persons and more than fifty Houtian experts.

At best, the Lin Clan was just a weaker version of the Green Ridge Stronghold.

"Did the Rain Listening Pavilion reveal the Fang Family's name while handling this?" Fang Yuan asked.

"Following the Young Master's instructions, the Rain Listening Pavilion operates independently of the Fang Family, and its disciples all abide by the rules."

"Xiao Zi, come with me to the Rain Listening Pavilion in a little while."

"Young Master, don't you have to attend the evening banquet at the Imperial Fragrance Tower?" Xiao Zi reminded him.

"There's still plenty of time. It won't be a problem."