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"Rejected the Azure Cloud Academy's invitation again?"

The Flowing Cloud Prefecture Lord was desperate to learn everything that had happened after He Yunsong arrived at the Fang Family. He had mobilized every resource to investigate.

When the confirmed news was laid before him, his face registered utter disbelief. It was an outcome he had never imagined.

"He really does have extraordinary nerve."

Ye Lingkong was also greatly surprised. He had developed a keen interest in this peerless genius who would go down in the history books.

At the same time, he was secretly glad that he hadn't gotten into a conflict with the Fang Family over a single stalk of Yinshe Grass.

It wasn't that the Guardian Manor feared the Fang Family. Rather, at a critical moment like this, it was best not to drag the family into the maelstrom and make enemies for no reason.

The next day.

The news that Fang Yuan had rejected the invitation from He Yunsong, Vice Palace Master of the Azure Cloud Academy, spread through every street and alley in the Prefecture City.

At first, everyone was skeptical and assumed it was a rumor.

An invitation from a standing Vice Palace Master wasn't like one from some elder. The esteem it implied was self-evident, and the Academy would surely cultivate him as a priority.

That he would soar to the heavens and transform into a dragon in the future was all but certain.

But the news spread like cancer cells multiplying madly, and the Fang Family made no move to refute it!

It was probably true, then.

The previous night, the powerful figures who controlled the shops and forces of the various families in the Prefecture City had received word that a major figure from the Azure Cloud Academy had come to visit.

Without exception, they had convened meetings of their family elders overnight. There was only one topic on the agenda: how to deal with the Fang Family from now on.

The Three Great Families stood high above the rest. Most forces in the city wouldn't pick a serious fight with them; they couldn't afford to offend them.

But some relationships were always closer than others, and minor grievances and clashes were commonplace.

So, after news of He Yunsong's visit to the Fang Family came out, most of the forces in the Prefecture City wanted to cultivate ties with the Fang Family and prepared lavish gifts. Those who already had a cordial relationship hoped to deepen it, while those with ordinary relations wanted to show that they were ready to draw closer.

Who would have thought?

Early that morning.

The important figures who had prepared lavish gifts and were just about to cross the Fang Family's threshold learned that Fang Yuan had once again rejected the Azure Cloud Academy—and froze.

For a time, many powerful figures couldn't make heads or tails of the situation and didn't dare go there rashly.

"Fighting a Foundation Establishment True Person while in the Xiantian Realm is indeed unprecedented, but he still hasn't reached Foundation Establishment. Fang Yuan is a little too full of himself."

A family head in the Prefecture City shook his head, voicing his doubts about Fang Yuan's future.

The Ancestral Shrine Baptism concerned the Fang Family's secrets, so very few people knew about it. Besides, Fang Zhongwu had guarded Fang Yuan during the baptism, making it difficult for petty outsiders to spy on him. The only information that had leaked out was that a tremendous disturbance had appeared above the Fang Family's Ancestral Land.

Even the native villagers of Fang Family Village had only judged from the Light Pillar that Fang Yuan's talent was exceptional. They knew nothing of the specifics.

Of those present, only the Ten Elders and Fang Zhongwu—the core of the family—knew just how terrifying Fang Yuan's talent was.

"Until he reaches Foundation Establishment, his talent is hard to gauge. Who knows what he'll be like in the future?"

A gang chieftain set down his lavish gift, turned around, and went back to secluded cultivation.

"Fang Yuan's talent is excellent. The people of the Ancestral Land hailed him as the greatest genius in a thousand years!"

One family head had excellent sources, but he couldn't be sure whether the claim was exaggerated. He hesitated over whether to send a gift.

Meanwhile, Wang Jingtang of the Wang Clan, one of the Three Great Families, was beaming when he heard the news. He felt more and more certain that his decision had been the right one.

Even though many powerful figures had stopped in their tracks,

the forces that had always been on good terms with the Fang Family still resolutely came to visit and presented lavish gifts.

They had always valued the Fang Family's potential. Now that the Fang Family had produced another true dragon, they needed to maintain the relationship even more carefully.

"Patriarch Shi, your good intentions are more than enough. You didn't need to bring such a lavish gift."

Of all the visitors to the Fang Family, the most influential was this man: Shi Yunsong, head of the Shi Family.

The Shi Family was second only to the Three Great Families. It had deep roots, and most of its businesses involved mining. It had worked with the Fang Family on many occasions.

The Fang Family and the Shi Family had always enjoyed a decent relationship, but their ties were mostly limited to business dealings. They had never formed a deeper bond.

The main reason was that the Shi Family hadn't dared to appear too close to the Fang Family, lest it invite attacks from the other two families.

But now, the Shi Family's patriarch had come in person. His intentions were plain to see.

"I've wanted to come for a long time. Last time, the bandits of Green Ridge Stronghold nearly robbed our family's shipment. Fortunately, your son stepped in!"

Fang Zhongwu and Shi Yunsong exchanged warm greetings like old friends who hadn't seen each other in years, chatting amiably.

After seeing off all the guests who came and went,

Fang Zhongwu headed to Fang Yuan's courtyard and found his son lounging in a chair, sunbathing and eating grapes.

He looked utterly carefree.

Fang Zhongwu felt a strange tightness in his chest.

He suddenly realized that Fang Yuan wasn't cultivating as diligently as before, yet his cultivation was progressing far faster than it had in the past.

This must be a smokescreen. He's probably working hard on his cultivation at night.

Convinced he'd seen through everything, Fang Zhongwu calmed himself.

"Greetings, Patriarch!"

Fang Zhongwu's arrival prompted the maids and servants to bow in greeting. He waved them away.

"Come to my study tonight. You're going to attempt Foundation Establishment again and solidify the Nine Tribulation Azure Lotus!"

Fang Zhongwu thought it over, mentioned a few precautions, then brought out a large number of precious pills—some for healing, others for restoring True Essence.

"Although the Foundation Building Realm doesn't trigger heavenly tribulations, your situation is unusual. Better to be prepared."

Cultivation was a defiance of heaven.

All those with profound cultivation had surely weathered the cleansing of heavenly tribulations.

At noon.

As usual, Fang Yuan instructed the servants, then sat cross-legged inside his room. His cultivation, which had been "stalled" for a long time, could finally advance again.

"Even if the Nine Tribulation Azure Lotus hasn't solidified yet, what does that have to do with my cultivation?"

Add points!

[You cultivated arduously for a year, comprehended the heavens and earth, and absorbed spiritual energy from all directions. The height of your Qi Spring increased by one-tenth of a layer. Your cultivation reached Foundation Establishment Level One!]

In an instant,

Fang Yuan felt True Essence bubbling up from the bottom of the Qi Spring within him. The amount of True Essence he could command had grown even more powerful.

"Cultivating in the Foundation Building Realm really is much harder than in the Xiantian Realm."

Fang Yuan had expected as much, but he still couldn't help sighing.

Back when he was in the Xiantian Realm, adding cultivation points with the Heavenly Origin Earth Realm could raise his cultivation by one level in a year, or even several.

But now, a year of arduous cultivation had only increased the height of the True Essence in his Qi Spring by one-tenth of a layer.

The Qi Spring in his Dantian was shaped like an inverted pyramid, like a small lake, and was divided into ten equal layers.

One-tenth of a layer meant one-tenth of a single layer.

In simple terms, under the most ideal conditions, Fang Yuan would need to cultivate arduously for ten years to break through to Foundation Establishment Level Two!

Of course, in reality, it would take even longer. The pyramid was inverted, so the higher he went, the harder it became to advance.

"No wonder some cultivators in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment are several hundred years old," Fang Yuan sighed.

Some Foundation Establishment True Persons even remained in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment until their lifespans ran out, unable to break through.

Most of them were Rogue Cultivators, lacking cultivation resources and having no renowned masters to guide them.

"The lifespan limit of a Foundation Establishment True Person is a thousand years, far beyond that of someone in the Xiantian Realm. They can be figures like the founding ancestors of a family."

A thousand years was a long time for an ordinary person, but cultivators might spend ten days, half a month, or even longer in a single secluded cultivation session.

"With a thousand years, even without astonishing talent, I should be able to cultivate beyond Foundation Establishment, right?" Fang Yuan said with a smile.

With the Heavenly Origin Earth Realm's boost, he could gain a year's worth of arduous cultivation every day.

A thousand years—how many days would that be?

That much accumulated cultivation would probably amount to tens of thousands of years at the very least...