Xu Xing spotted Zhang Yunlu, and she had also seen him standing at the counter as soon as she walked in.
Huh?
Was she seeing things?
They'd run into each other already?
Zhang Yunlu was a little dazed. That scene had tormented her all night again, and when she got up today, she'd somehow advanced to the ninth level of Qi Refining.
So after breakfast, she'd headed to the mall to check out the spirit herbs needed to prepare Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, so she could get ready for the Foundation Establishment ahead.
After hesitating for a few seconds, she still walked over to Xu Xing.
"We meet again, young lady. Although I was sure we'd see each other again, I didn't expect fate to bring us together so soon."
"...I didn't expect it either." Zhang Yunlu paused. "Was that scene that appears in my mind every night something you did?"
"To a certain extent, I suppose it was. But witnessing a Dao Integration expert fight with your own eyes is a pretty good opportunity for someone at your current level of cultivation." Xu Xing smiled. "So, have you gained any insights over the past couple of days?"
"Insights? Does reaching the ninth level of Qi Refining count?"
"Erm..."
Zhang Yunlu: "..."
Well, that settled that. There was nothing more to say.
Just then, the sales clerk came out and handed Xu Xing the now-empty Storage Ring. "Hello, sir. We've finished verifying the number of Spirit Stones. Here's your Storage Ring."
"Thank you."
Xu Xing took the Storage Ring and casually tossed it over. Zhang Yunlu hurriedly caught it.
"You probably don't have any spatial equipment yet, so you can have this."
Zhang Yunlu froze. Could this be the pretty decent little gift he'd mentioned last time?
The sales clerk, who had witnessed everything, was full of envy. Storage Rings weren't cheap, and all the Spirit Stones inside it just now would barely have covered the cost.
"Come on, let's talk outside. I said I'd give you a pretty decent little gift, and I won't go back on my word."
Huh?
So he wasn't talking about the Storage Ring?
Zhang Yunlu put on the Storage Ring and hurried after Xu Xing.
At the entrance, the greeters on either side bowed slightly.
"Thank you for visiting. We hope to see you again."
Zhang Yunlu didn't pay them any attention. Following behind Xu Xing, she felt nervous, but also a little excited.
They hadn't gone far when Xu Xing slowed down, letting Zhang Yunlu walk beside him.
"To be honest, I was pretty surprised to run into you here today."
Surprised?
"Shouldn't cultivators at a high level of cultivation all be able to divine the future?"
"They don't divine things every waking moment. Besides, if we met because of divination, could you still call it 'fate'?" Xu Xing chuckled. "Back to the point. With your current level of cultivation, you wouldn't be able to wield powerful magic treasures even if I gave you one. So first, I'll tell you how to proceed with your cultivation."
Zhang Yunlu listened intently.
"Since you've already reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, the next thing to consider is Foundation Establishment. Have your teachers at school told you about its grades?"
The grades of Foundation Establishment... Zhang Yunlu thought for a moment, then answered, "The teachers at school haven't taught us about them yet, but I've heard there are three grades."
"The lowest grade is when someone takes Barrier-Breaking Spirit Liquid and establishes their foundation after reaching the seventh level of Qi Refining. This kind of foundation is unstable. Some can't even beat stronger Qi Refining cultivators, and they have no hope of advancing further, so it's also called Pseudo Foundation Establishment."
"Middle-grade Foundation Establishment is when a cultivator reaches the ninth level of Qi Refining and establishes their foundation by taking Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid or a Foundation Establishment Pill. This is also the most orthodox method of Foundation Establishment today."
"As for the highest grade, the cultivator must first reach a state of abundant spiritual energy. When advancing, they must swallow a Spiritual Energy Storage Capsule, then use a Spirit Energy Chamber to turn purified Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid into mist and speed up its absorption. Only when all three conditions are met is there a chance of forming a high-grade Dao Foundation."
That was all she knew.
Xu Xing pondered.
Pseudo Foundation Establishment, Barrier-Breaking Spirit Liquid, Spiritual Energy Storage Capsules, Spirit Energy Chambers, purifying and vaporizing Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid?
Had Foundation Establishment really become this "scientific"?
And people could establish their foundation at the seventh level of Qi Refining? He hadn't even heard of that before he went into seclusion.
"One retreat, and the world changed completely. There are all sorts of things now that I can't understand."
Foundation Establishment had changed this much. Had they come up with more scientific methods of advancing through the later realms too?
"Let me tell you about the three kinds of Foundation Establishment I know. They're a little different from what you've described."
"The first kind uses external objects as an aid. Taking a Foundation Establishment Pill, like you just mentioned, probably falls into this category."
In ancient times, some people sought out spiritual treasures of heaven and earth and refined them into their foundations. Others built their foundations on the root of a divine ability. Those methods also counted as the first kind.
Their combat power wasn't low, but their methods were too limited, so they'd been abandoned long ago.
"The second kind of Foundation Establishment requires one to gather the sun's essence, condense the moon's radiance, refine the starlight, and temper one's Root Bone and spiritual energy. One must also take the divine essence from rare treasures of heaven and earth. Once achieved, the Dao Foundation is perfect. This is called a Heaven-Forged Dao Foundation."
A Heaven-Forged Dao Foundation was also known as a Perfect Dao Foundation. It placed demands not only on the cultivation method, but also involved an extremely perilous process.
After all, the sun's essence and the moon's radiance were violently potent for Qi Refining cultivators. One careless mistake, and they'd die, their Dao destroyed.
"As for the third kind, one cultivates an unsurpassed wondrous art and must also grasp the rudiments of principle, law, and intent. It seizes the creation of heaven and earth, and after it is formed, it possesses all kinds of incredible abilities. This is called a Creation Dao Foundation."
Principle, law, and intent.
Those were domains cultivators could only touch after Dao Integration. How many major realms lay between Dao Integration and Foundation Establishment?
The difficulty went without saying.
That was why there were hardly any cultivators in the entire Great Profound Realm who could form this third kind of Dao Foundation.
It seized the creation of heaven and earth and stole the secrets of the sun and moon.
In mythology, this was the wondrous art of longevity that the Founder Ancestor of Bodhi had passed down to the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
When they'd created this kind of Foundation Establishment method, they'd used it as a reference to a certain extent, but its wonders certainly couldn't compare.
After hearing Xu Xing out, Zhang Yunlu stared at him blankly.
They were both called the three kinds of Foundation Establishment, but the difference between the ancient and modern versions was far too great!
But why was what she knew so different?
"Don't overthink it. If I'm not mistaken, the school is worried you'll reach beyond your grasp. They weren't deliberately keeping it from you."
The Seven Great Immortal Sects had even put their divine abilities in the high school library. There was no way they'd deliberately hide a method of Foundation Establishment.
Although there were many cultivators among the Human Race in the Great Profound Realm now, high-level cultivators were still far too scarce.
"As each generation improves the cultivation system, it can only get better. What I've told you may already be outdated. I suggest you go back to school and report your current level of cultivation."
Xu Xing was confident, but never arrogant. He would never underestimate the wisdom of cultivators throughout the world.
The two had reached a spot near the mall entrance.
A young man dressed in black sportswear and wearing sunglasses walked into the mall. Two bald, broad-shouldered men in suits followed behind him.
The two groups brushed past each other. Xu Xing and Zhang Yunlu left the mall.
After entering, the young man took off his sunglasses and turned to give an order. "Split up and buy everything as quickly as possible."
"Yes!"
The two men headed in opposite directions, while the young man went up to the second floor.
Man, this is rotten luck.
He was in a foul mood.
He'd only come to forge a sword, but he'd run into one damned thing after another.
First, a cultivator came out of seclusion. Then he'd run into a demonic cultivator senior refining a Ten Thousand Soul Banner. The banner hadn't even been completed, and the man himself was already dead. Even the Dao Integration Old Devil who'd appeared later had had one of his arms cut off.
The little city of Mystic Sword had somehow become the focus of all sorts of big shots.
When those two brothers had warned him, he'd really wanted to get the hell out of this place too!
But there was no escaping. The Dao Integration Old Devil who'd lost an arm had his eye on him. He even had to help the old devil gather spirit herbs and the blood essence of demonic beasts to heal his injuries.
Damn it!
What kind of mess was this?!
Before you continue