Supreme Realm Evergreen Art

Outside the Market, within a dark forest.

"Heh heh, how does Foundation Establishment feel?"

As a black shadow appeared, Old Ghost revealed a grateful expression.

"Thank you, my lord, for helping me achieve Foundation Establishment. But I have already lost everything. Now, I only want Huang Yuntian to suffer a fate worse than death!"

The black shadow shook his head and clicked his tongue with a smile. It was precisely this sort of person burdened by a blood-deep vendetta who was most satisfying to use, because such people truly fought with their lives on the line.

"My lord, this subordinate's life is worthless. In this life, I seek only to avenge my wife and children and watch Li Fire Palace fall apart!"

Old Ghost had once been a renowned great cultivator at Qi Refining Late Stage. He had plotted for more than ten years and narrowly escaped death several times before finally obtaining that core material—only for Huang Yuntian of Li Fire Palace to set his sights on it.

Under threats, temptations, and overwhelming pressure, he ground his teeth to dust. In the end, before the great mountain that was Li Fire Palace, he lowered his head. All he could do was nurse his hatred in silence and pray that the other party would fail at Foundation Establishment.

Who could have imagined that Heaven would not grant his wish? A petty man like Huang Yuntian actually succeeded in Foundation Establishment and even refused to let him go, destroying his family and leaving him without a home.

Whenever he thought of his once-happy family, now reduced to only him dragging out a miserable existence, Old Ghost could not help grinding his teeth in hatred.

"Good. Very good."

Seeing a cultivator like Old Ghost, completely consumed by vengeance, the black-robed Demonic Cultivator revealed a bloodthirsty smile.

"Swallow this Medicinal Pill. I will then teach you a Secret Technique that can devour cultivators' Essence Blood to restore magical power and heal injuries. Whether you can take revenge from here on will depend on your own ability."

Old Ghost knew that the other party was using him, and that this Medicinal Pill might even control his fate at any moment. But so what?

"Thank you, my lord."

Without the slightest hesitation, Old Ghost directly swallowed the Medicinal Pill.

Only after Old Ghost disappeared did the black-robed Demonic Cultivator reveal his pale face and laugh hoarsely.

"Heh heh, he is just a little too old. Otherwise, he truly would have made a fine dog. What a pity."

Within the Market.

"Huang Yuntian is quite something. Not only is he a Foundation Establishment Cultivator of Li Fire Palace, he is also a descendant of Ancestor Huang."

"Ancestor Huang! He is one of Li Fire Palace's Three Great Sects' Golden Core Elders. Why would he covet a Rogue Cultivator's Foundation Establishment resources?"

"What do you know? Who would ever complain about having too many Foundation Establishment Pills? Besides, there are so many people in the Huang Family, and Huang Yuntian is a lecherous man. Just use your brain and you will know how many Foundation Establishment Pills he has wasted."

"It truly is infuriating. Compared with disciples of great sects, we Rogue Cultivators really are dying of drought while others drown in excess."

"Hmph, hmph. Without those connections, how could Huang Yuntian have gotten the news? Wasn't that Alchemist also from Li Fire Palace? The people above were all colluding with one another."

Countless cultivators in the Market whispered among themselves, digging up everything that had happened to Old Ghost back then.

Especially after learning that Huang Yuntian had achieved Foundation Establishment, only to persecute Old Ghost's wife and children afterward—the direction of public opinion was obvious.

Amid the uproar throughout the Market stood True Treasure Pavilion, Li Fire Palace's base here.

"Father, that thief is utterly hateful. He actually dared threaten our Huang Family. He truly does not know whether he lives or dies."

Huang Shaohai, Huang Yuntian's son, spoke angrily.

However, Huang Yuntian, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator seated in the place of honor, merely let out a cold snort with gloomy eyes.

"Shut up. Things are so chaotic outside right now. What you should be doing is cultivating properly and striving to achieve Foundation Establishment within ten years, not meddling with that Chamber of Commerce."

Huang Shaohai was somewhat dissatisfied. "Father, am I not running this Chamber of Commerce to prepare for Foundation Establishment?"

"Foundation Establishment!? Do you think I do not know that you are using it to secretly practice harvesting and replenishing through Cultivation Cauldrons? Be careful that nothing goes wrong."

Toward this son of his, Huang Yuntian truly hated that iron had failed to become steel. What a sin.

Yet Huang Shaohai was not the least bit afraid before his father. Instead, a trace of greed appeared in his eyes as he tested the waters.

"Father, I believe that after harvesting and replenishing through a Foundation Establishment female cultivator, my cultivation will surely reach perfection. Then I can smoothly achieve Foundation Establishment."

As the saying went, no one knew a son better than his father. Seeing the lecherous gleam in his son's eyes, Huang Yuntian understood just how bold his son was, and could not help flying into a rage.

"Shut up! Yun Yao is the personal disciple Ancestor Huang accepted. You dare entertain such thoughts!"

When he recalled Yun Yao's peerlessly beautiful figure, Huang Yuntian felt a chill run through his heart. She was a Cauldron secretly nurtured by Ancestor Huang. Even he did not dare think of her, yet this brat truly dared to.

However, only a few people in the Huang Family knew of this matter.

"Father!"

Huang Shaohai was still unwilling to give up. His father was a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator—could he not help him seize a Foundation Establishment Early Stage female cultivator?

"Shut up. I do not care what nonsense you are doing with that Chamber of Commerce. I will only tell you this: if you dare set your sights on Yun Yao, be careful that Ancestor Huang will not spare you!"

After fiercely reprimanding him, Huang Yuntian felt somewhat helpless. It was not necessarily a good thing for this son to resemble him too much.

He actually wanted to harvest and replenish through a Foundation Establishment female cultivator. He truly dared to dream of it. Even Huang Yuntian had not been so bold back then.

Huang Shaohai felt aggrieved, but when he thought of his ancestor's cold eyes, he could not help shuddering.

The Huang Family was so large. They did not lack a descendant like him.

"Fine, fine. I will only look for Rogue Cultivators in the Qi Refining Realm."

After hearing this, although Huang Yuntian's expression remained unpleasant, he did not rebuke him. After all, provoking a few Rogue Cultivators in the Market was no great matter.

The situation outside grew ever more turbulent. Either another Foundation Establishment Cultivator had appeared, or some Cultivator Bandit had killed a sect disciple and hurriedly fled to trade for an opportunity at Foundation Establishment. In short, one word described it all: chaos!

Yet the war at the front lines instead caused Green Bamboo Mountain Market to grow increasingly prosperous.

Not only was this place located deep in the rear, it also bordered the Cloud Mist Mountain Range—a Treasure Mountain inexhaustible and ever-giving.

Countless cultivators hunted demon beasts and exchanged them for resources.

Yet no matter how turbulent the outside world became, it could not affect Lin Chang'an's daily life.

Time flew by, and half a year passed in the blink of an eye.

[Technique: Evergreen Art +1 (Supreme)]

At that moment, Lin Chang'an had fallen into a state of enlightenment. Only after the time it took half an incense stick to burn did he slowly open his eyes, revealing a look of sudden realization.

"So there is another level beyond the Perfect Realm."

If the Perfect Realm meant reaching the creator's level of insight, then the [Supreme] Realm was akin to the Taoist concept of the Great Dao returning to one, the state of becoming one with Heaven and Earth.

"To put it plainly, the Supreme Realm means that my understanding of the Evergreen Art has already surpassed its creator's."

As Lin Chang'an muttered to himself, he could clearly sense that the magical power of the Evergreen Art within him had become more harmonious, while his control over it had also grown stronger.

When circulating the technique, he could even clearly feel that it was thirty percent faster than before, and the speed at which he cast spells would likewise become faster.

More importantly, after those subtle adjustments, it gave him a feeling of perfectly fitting his body and harmonizing with the surrounding world.

"So this is the Supreme Realm!" Even his senses had become considerably sharper.

He had not expected that the first thing he cultivated to the highest realm would not be the [Wood Spirit Thorn], but rather his comprehension of the Evergreen Art.

"Though the Evergreen Art is merely a foundational Qi Refining technique, it is equally broad and profound."

With sudden understanding, Lin Chang'an slowly set down the Jade Slip in his hand. At that moment, more than a hundred Jade Slips sat on the bookshelf in his secluded chamber.

This was also why his comprehension of the Evergreen Art had progressed so quickly.

Twenty-seven of them contained annotations on the Evergreen Art, while the rest held annotations and insights regarding all sorts of techniques.

This was all thanks to the war. It had caused the Three Great Sects to open these foundational technique resources to the public, allowing cultivators to buy them with only a small amount of Spirit Stones.

"Although these foundational techniques are not as powerful as the techniques of great clans and sects in the early stages, as long as one's understanding becomes deep enough later on, they will not be inferior. More importantly, their foundations are solid."

Only after spending these years continually learning the traits of various techniques and verifying his insights against one another had Lin Chang'an achieved what he had today.

"A solid foundation, accumulated strength bursting forth in time. This Evergreen Art is also infinitely mysterious."

At that moment, Lin Chang'an felt as though he had unearthed a Treasure Mountain, and a smile could not help appearing on his face.

Perhaps this counted as another of his talents. After all, compared to the cultivators of this world, his attitude toward cultivation in this life held an extra touch of novelty.

This was also the main reason he could persist in continuously reading so many dull technique annotations and cultivation experiences without ever growing weary.

For most cultivators, learning a technique was enough. Most of their thoughts were devoted to cultivation itself, rather than laboring over comprehending the techniques.