Foundation Establishment Late Stage

"How was this possible?!"

He Sheng had never imagined that the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage bottleneck Brother Piao had regarded as a roadblock, one that had dealt him a crushing blow and even drastically changed his temperament, would be pierced through by him so effortlessly!

"If that was the case, then didn't that mean..."

As the thought struck him, He Sheng immediately circulated his cultivation technique with the Subtle Ripple Intent Realm bolstering it!

Crack, crack, crack...

An endless series of shattering sounds exploded within He Sheng's sea of consciousness.

That solid bottleneck which had obstructed Brother Piao for three years began to collapse completely beneath the impact of the Subtle Ripple Intent Realm!

This bottleneck, which had originally seemed like an impregnable wall, had not been smashed apart by brute force. Instead, it was permeated and dismantled by countless tiny droplets transformed from his Intent Realm.

As the solid bottleneck shattered, an unprecedented sense of clarity instantly swept through his entire body.

In an instant,

He Sheng felt the spiritual power within his dantian surge wildly, like the waters of a burst celestial river pouring backward into his spiritual sea.

It looked as though it was about to overflow, yet under the reinforcement of the Subtle Ripple Intent Realm, his spiritual sea was forcibly expanded.

At the same time, the spiritual power itself changed as well. Each droplet of spiritual power became finer, more condensed, and purer...

Within the main hall of the Longevity Pool Water Palace,

The enormous body of the Star-Backed Black Turtle lay coiled atop a jade platform, the star-patterned markings on its shell emitting a gentle glow.

Before it stood a giant catfish demon over twenty feet long, its face covered in fleshy whiskers. It spoke in human tongue, its tone brimming with malice.

"Great King Black Tortoise, that human cultivator definitely harbors ill intent. You must not let him deceive you!"

The catfish demon's voice was like sandpaper scraping together, carrying a clammy quality that made one deeply uncomfortable.

The catfish demon was called Black Whisker. It was a notorious fence-sitter around Heaven Capital Mountain, and now it was fanning the flames with all its might.

"Senior, your bloodline is noble and your lifespan long. Why bother associating with human cultivators whose schemes are as tangled as a hornet's nest?

To speak frankly, it is still the several great kings of our mountain who are worth dealing with, especially the Thousand-Legged King. His sincerity is beyond question."

The Star-Backed Black Turtle narrowed its lantern-sized eyes slightly. Black Whisker's attempts to sow discord went in one ear and out the other.

It knew perfectly well that Black Whisker was an envoy sent by that second-rank centipede demon from Ten Thousand Reverence Ridge. They merely wanted it to cut off contact with the outside world, so they could drag it along to seize the things at Black Vine Ridge.

"However, now is not yet the time to tear all pretense aside with that centipede demon from Ten Thousand Reverence Ridge."

While Old Turtle endured the catfish demon's chatter, it focused its mind on a jade box stored within its shell.

With a thought, the lid opened, revealing a bright wash of starlight. Within lay the Star Swirl Sand He Sheng had gifted it.

"This boy really is willing to spend heavily."

Old Turtle was greatly pleased. This Star Swirl Sand was of tremendous use to it.

It immediately shook its shell, and the Star Swirl Sand turned into a streak of light that was directly absorbed into its back, gradually merging into the gaps of its thick shell.

Whoosh.

The dim star-patterned markings within the shell seemed to be infused with a source of life. They instantly became bright and resplendent, while an ancient, boundless aura slowly awakened from within Old Turtle's body.

"This Star Swirl Sand truly can further awaken my bloodline!"

Feeling the changes within its body, Old Turtle could not help but rejoice inwardly.

Demonic beasts and cultivators were different. For demonic beasts, cultivation placed bloodlines above all else. The grade of one's bloodline determined the upper limit of one's growth.

The degree to which that bloodline awakened determined a demonic beast's growth rate, as well as the innate talents it could acquire.

"My bloodline grade is merely Profound-grade. Without a heaven-defying opportunity, when my two-thousand-year lifespan runs out, I am destined to remain unable to break through to the third rank.

"However, if the Star Mystic Bloodline I bear can awaken the legendary innate talent, Respond to Stars, then perhaps I may have a sliver of hope to defy fate and change my destiny..."

The Star Mystic Bloodline Old Turtle spoke of was in truth the star chart contained within its shell, a manifestation of its bloodline seal and potential.

Each time it absorbed a rare spiritual material containing stellar attributes, the star chart brightened a little, and its bloodline awakened a little further.

Old Turtle quietly sensed the ancient aura awakening within it and gained much from it for a time. Its attitude toward He Sheng naturally became even gentler.

"It seems this boy has finally returned to normal. As long as his state of mind remains steady, he should be able to break through the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage bottleneck in the future."

He Sheng did not know that, through a fortunate accident, the Star Swirl Sand he had gifted had caused the Star-Backed Black Turtle to view him in a vastly different light.

One had to know that, to Old Turtle, a second-rank spiritual material capable of raising the degree of bloodline awakening was even more precious than some third-rank treasures.

"Having received this boy's assistance, I ought to properly return the favor with a generous gift."

Though the Star-Backed Black Turtle was a long-lived species and far wiser than ordinary demonic beasts, its disposition was still rather honest and kind.

As it pondered this, its lantern-sized eyes suddenly sharpened, and it abruptly turned toward Quiet Meditation Cave.

Boom!

A powerful spiritual power fluctuation, brimming with overwhelming pressure like a slumbering colossal beast awakening, spread outward in wave after wave from Quiet Meditation Cave.

That dense spiritual pressure was unmistakably the aura of a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator!

"This is... Ah Sheng broke through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage?!"

Even with Old Turtle's composure, forged over several centuries, it could not help but lose its bearing. Its massive body leaned slightly forward, its divine sense locking tightly onto that water cave as stormy waves rose in its heart.

It had just thought He Sheng had finally returned to normal and might someday break through his bottleneck, yet in the blink of an eye, He Sheng had directly entered the Foundation Establishment Late Stage?

This was the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, not some cabbage growing by the roadside!

In terms of spiritual power alone, He Sheng had already far surpassed it.

After all, although Old Turtle had entered the second rank decades ago, its spiritual power had grown extremely slowly. In terms of spiritual power alone, it was only equivalent to a Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator.

However, a demonic beast's strength did not depend solely on spiritual power. The way their battle prowess was measured differed vastly from that of human cultivators.

"This Brother Sheng... Could he truly possess outstanding talent?

"Just by listening to Wu Old Ghost of the Golden Cloud Sect casually spout a few perfunctory words, he gained an insight, shattered a bottleneck that had plagued him for years in one stroke, and advanced to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage?"

Old Turtle calculated rapidly. It knew all too well what the Foundation Establishment Late Stage represented.

"With Brother Sheng's talent and ability, so long as he does not remain so willful and eccentric in the future, it should be difficult for him to provoke any truly formidable figure.

"If he prepares properly for several decades or even a century, then with the He Family's ability to amass cultivation resources, achieving a False Core will be as certain as a nail driven into a board!

"If he gains a few more opportunities, he may even become a Core Formation True Person!"

A Core Formation True Person...

Old Turtle felt that for He Sheng, who was not yet forty but had already reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, this was not some unreachable goal.

At that thought, Old Turtle's heart, usually as still as an ancient well, began to beat faster.

"Perhaps... it is time to consider whether I should return to the He Family."

The Star-Backed Black Turtle's thoughts churned endlessly. Naturally, it did not wish to have a Foundation Establishment Realm master above it.

But if that master became a False Core cultivator, or even a Core Formation True Person, then everything would be different.

One had to know that the ability of a False Core cultivator or a Core Formation True Person to obtain high-rank rare cultivation resources was far beyond that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Old Turtle could once again become a spirit pet and rely on its master's strength and channels to obtain rare cultivation resources sufficient to defy fate and change its destiny.

A False Core cultivator lived only five hundred years, while a Core Formation True Person lived at most eight hundred. Neither could outlive Old Turtle.

"As long as I endure for a few centuries, perhaps by then I'll become a demon king ruling one side!"

Old Turtle once again began entertaining the idea of lying low in the He Family and waiting out the old man.

While the Star-Backed Black Turtle was making its calculations, the catfish demon at its side also sensed the disturbance from Quiet Meditation Cave and immediately cried out.

"Great King Black Tortoise, look! Didn't I say that human cultivator harbored ill intent?

"He had only just entered the Water Palace, and already he has caused such a—"

"Silence."

Old Turtle had already found it tiresome and could not be bothered to listen to this fool's nonsense any longer.

Its enormous turtle head shifted slightly, and an irresistible suction force arose from its mouth.

"Great King Black Tortoise... Great King, what are you doing? I was sent by the Thousand-Legged King..."

Before Black Whisker could finish speaking, its enormous body flew uncontrollably toward Old Turtle's gaping mouth.

Crack.

Accompanied by a crisp sound of breaking bones, the endlessly chattering envoy became a snack in Old Turtle's belly.

Old Turtle chewed slowly a few times and found that the catfish demon's bellyful of foul schemes had added a few unusual layers of freshness to its meat.

"Very well, then. I'll place a heavy wager first!"

Old Turtle had already made up its mind.

It shook its shell, and a fist-sized crystal, snow-white and translucent throughout, fell beside its claw.

The moment this object appeared, the temperature throughout the Water Palace dropped sharply. Fine ice crystals even formed within the rippling water.

Cold Soul Mystic Crystal Stone, a low-grade third-rank treasure material!

This was one of only two third-rank treasure materials Old Turtle had acquired from that opportunity it encountered long ago. It was a precious treasure sufficient to serve as a primary material for refining a magic treasure.

"Greenie!"

Old Turtle called over the green water snake. After placing the Cold Soul Mystic Crystal Stone into a stone box and sealing away the cold power leaking from it, it pushed the box over.

"Take this to Quiet Meditation Cave and give it to Brother Sheng. Tell him it is my congratulatory gift for breaking through his bottleneck and advancing to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage."

The Green Snake immediately nodded, carried the stone box atop its head, and burrowed into the waterway toward Quiet Meditation Cave.

"After Brother Sheng obtains this Cold Soul Mystic Crystal Stone, he will most likely use it to refine the rudiment of a magic treasure.

"Should he later attain a False Core, or even become a Core Formation True Person, this rudiment will surely become his bonded magic treasure!

"Then, whenever he sees this magic treasure, he will naturally think of me, Old Turtle. With this bond of sentiment, I will be able to advance or retreat with ease."

Old Turtle was feeling pleased with its calculations when the shell upon its back abruptly lit up. A warning of danger immediately crawled into its heart.

Boom!

A deafening blast, accompanied by tremors that shook heaven and earth, suddenly swept across the entire Longevity Pool!

The whole Water Palace was like a structure struck viciously by a giant hammer. Rubble rained down from the dome, while the surrounding waters instantly became violent and chaotic.

The second-rank grand formation protecting the Water Palace actually let out a groan of unbearable strain beneath that single blow!

What was happening?

Old Turtle was greatly alarmed. It immediately extended its senses and discovered that outside the Water Palace, a youth carrying a longsword on his back was wielding a crystal-clear jade ruler to bombard the Water Palace gates!