Rich Woman Xie Wanwan, Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment

Rich Woman Xie Wanwan, Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment

After Yu Ke had eaten and drunk his fill.

He again heard the beautiful woman's voice outside the house.

"Yingzhao, Mother is leaving."

Yu Ke paid it no mind.

He rose, put the pots, bowls, ladles, and basins in his hands that needed to be washed neatly back in place one by one, then stepped out the door and into the courtyard.

The courtyard was spacious.

Like a four-entry residence, its layout resembled a BJ siheyuan, forming a little world all its own.

It covered more than five hundred ping, its spatial arrangement ingenious, both spacious and elegant.

Several stone chairs had been placed there, where people could drink tea and chat in their leisure.

In the northeast corner of the courtyard, an ancient pear tree stood proudly, its branches gnarled and coiled, its flowers white as snow. It was lush through all four seasons and was in bloom at every moment of the year.

Yu Ke did not recognize the variety either. After all, he was in the cultivation world, where wondrous things were many.

There was also an open stretch of ground in the courtyard. That was the place provided for martial practice.

The ground paved with bluestone was level and hard.

When Yu Ke carried the bowls to the side of the pool, he had never expected that,

the northern room's door would, at this moment, quietly open.

A pretty female cultivator in a red silk skirt walked out.

She had an oval face, with dimples faintly showing.

At her waist hung a long flute of blue jade. Under the sunlight, that jade flute flickered with a warm luster, no ordinary mortal object.

"Oh, Senior Brother Yu, you've come out of seclusion... you're washing dishes?"

When the female cultivator saw Yu Ke, a trace of surprise appeared on her face. She greeted him with a bright smile, seeming rather familiar with him.

Her gaze fell on the bowls and chopsticks in Yu Ke's hands, and curiosity arose.

She remembered Senior Brother Yu as a cultivation madman renowned beyond all others, and children of noble clans never laid hands on this sort of thing.

A gentleman keeps far from the kitchen—this was what noble clans always said.

"It's Junior Sister Xie."

Yu Ke, however, openly set the bowls to one side and did not feel embarrassed.

What face was there to lose in being diligent and frugal!

After a brief moment of thought, he remembered this female cultivator.

Her surname was Xie, her name Wanwan.

She came from the Xie Clan of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Though she was not of the direct line, she was still descended from a famous house.

The Xie Clan controlled an enormous spirit mine, and the family possessed abundant wealth. In Great Zhou's cultivator world, its reputation was illustrious, its riches unmatched in its region.

Among the Great Zhou noble clan children Yu Ke knew, Xie Wanwan could be called a little rich woman.

She was also one of Yu Ke's shared-rent roommates.

Every inch of land in the Divine Firmament Sect's outer sect was worth gold, and even the best cave residences were merely small courtyards shared by four people.

Only after entering the inner court could one open up a cave residence alone.

Four people shared the rent and the sect's routine fees, and the price was quite expensive, yet demand still outstripped supply.

Every year, when outer sect disciples' five-year cultivation period expired, the residence rights to the small courtyards had to be auctioned off, and the final price often exceeded the original rent by no small amount.

For disciples from ordinary family backgrounds, these expenses were undoubtedly a heavy burden.

Therefore!

Many disciples from poorer families chose more economical living arrangements, such as cave residences in the city shared by a dozen or so people. Although the space was narrow and the cultivation environment was far from satisfactory, the cost of living was relatively low.

The small courtyard where Yu Ke and the others lived was located outside the city. The environment was quiet and secluded, and a good environment was also beneficial to cultivation.

Those who could live here were mostly disciples from outer sect noble clans. They possessed sufficient resources and background to support such a lifestyle.

Of course.

There were also those who pursued utmost luxury, renting all four rooms alone to enjoy an independent space.

Xie Wanwan, though born into the wealthy Xie Clan, was not someone who squandered without restraint.

In Yu Ke's memory, this small courtyard with four separate yards did have residents, but two of the households had long been empty.

Only Xie Wanwan and he remained as long-term residents.

Though those two households did not live here, their monthly routine fees and rent had never once been lacking.

This allowed the two of them to spend only the cost of one person and enjoy this spacious, tranquil courtyard for many years.

Until yesterday, when the eastern yard, whose door had never opened, received a white-clothed youth.

A few days ago, Xie Wanwan had gone home to visit her family and had not returned.

Yu Ke had not expected to run into her here today.

Both of them came from Great Zhou noble clans, and their birth and opportunities were more or less the same. Otherwise, they would not have met in the Divine Firmament Sect's outer sect. They got along rather harmoniously with each other.

At this moment, Yu Ke's expression was warm as he asked with concern:

"Junior Sister Xie, are you heading out, or going to do your cultivation assignments?"

He had no choice but to be so amiable. After all, Xie Wanwan before him was currently his biggest creditor.

Xie Wanwan smiled lightly and replied:

"Naturally, I am going to seek out a teacher and have my doubts on cultivation answered. Recently, I have felt somewhat slack, so I need to cultivate more diligently."

Of course, for outer sect disciples, finding a teacher to answer questions also cost money.

Changing the topic, she asked back with concern:

"Senior Brother Yu, has your Foundation Establishment already succeeded?"

She was quite attentive to this matter, her eyes fixed on Yu Ke.

Yet for a moment, she could not see anything!

Unless the disparity in cultivation was extremely large, several realms higher, it was impossible to spy out the other party's true state from appearance alone.

This was also the reason Yu Ke, after failing Foundation Establishment, dared to attend the banquet.

Her and Yu Ke's cultivation aptitude were more or less the same. Since childhood, they had tempered their muscles and bones under their clans' protection. At this time, she was already on the second heavenly ladder, and only needed to open all her meridians before she could establish her foundation.

At this time next year, Xie Wanwan would also have to face the same problem as Yu Ke.

With the help of external objects, successfully casting an upper-grade Dao foundation was a very good choice for noble clan disciples of their kind of talent.

Foundation Establishment was truly the real watershed on the path of cultivation.

It was divided into nine grades, each with its own mysteries.

However, above the nine grades there was also Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, which required one to comprehend by oneself an unprecedented cultivation method and temper forth true intent.

Only by gaining the Heavenly Dao's acknowledgment and being granted a Heavenly Dao seed could one build a supreme foundation.

The successive sect masters of the Divine Firmament Sect had all established their foundations through the Heavenly Dao, and only then did they become giants of their generations.

If Yu Ke succeeded with an upper-grade Dao foundation through external objects, he would certainly be able to provide Xie Wanwan with valuable experience for reference.

The two had long made an agreement. Whether his Foundation Establishment succeeded or failed, Yu Ke would empty his purse of knowledge and share his Foundation Establishment experience with her without holding anything back.

This was also the reason Xie Wanwan had so readily lent out spirit stones.

Hearing these words, Yu Ke's face turned bitter, and he gave a long sigh:

"I'm afraid I must disappoint Junior Sister. This time, in establishing my foundation, I was unable to succeed."

A trace of shock appeared on Xie Wanwan's face, but in the blink of an eye she returned to normal.

And so.

Yu Ke slowly related every detail of the Foundation Establishment process. Fortunately, the memories still remained, and only then could he recount them one by one.

After finishing his account, he solemnly reminded her:

"The path of Foundation Establishment through external objects is surrounded by peril at every step. If you do not have ample preparation and strength, do not attempt it lightly."

"The physical body must be cultivated to a certain realm, and in terms of the Primordial Spirit, you must also have corresponding methods to cultivate. Otherwise, once you fail, the consequences will be too dreadful to imagine."

"Otherwise, I'm afraid..."

Yu Ke thought inwardly, you'd kick the bucket.

"When establishing your foundation, it would be best to find a sect elder or family senior to protect you. You must not rush recklessly. Junior Sister, remember this well."

"Foundation Establishment through external objects is ultimately an unorthodox path. If Junior Sister can comprehend a strand of martial true intent, that would naturally be best."

There was more or less a hint of flattery in Yu Ke's words.

There was no helping it. When you owe someone, your hands are short, and so is your mouth...

"Martial true intent—how could it be easily obtained?" Xie Wanwan sighed softly, revealing endless feeling.

Without seeking Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, merely succeeding at Foundation Establishment with martial true intent was already the mark of a genius.

"Senior Brother Yu, I am deeply grateful."

Xie Wanwan gave a graceful bow.

Naturally, she could sense the sincerity within Yu Ke's reminder.

She had also learned of the hardships of Foundation Establishment through external objects. It seemed she would have to make several more preparations.

Yu Ke informed Xie Wanwan in detail of the various precautions in Foundation Establishment.

In this way, he could also be considered to have fulfilled the agreement between himself and Xie Wanwan's predecessor.