Window Period, Opportunity for Foundation Establishment!

As dusk deepened, the evening breeze carried a faint scent of grass and foliage through the window, blowing away some of the sour, rotten stench that filled the hut.

On the sleeping platform.

Lu He sat with his eyes half-closed. Deep within his mind, a complex and unfathomable visualization diagram of a Red Horned Dragon winding through the clouds was slowly taking shape.

Who knew how much time passed.

As the final line was completed, divine radiance abruptly surged from the visualization diagram. It began to turn slowly, like a leaping spark, its firelight illuminating every corner of his body.

Threads of heat slowly rose from his stomach, spreading through his limbs and bones along with his surging blood.

Lu He's body suddenly began to tremble in a steady rhythm, and a nearly imperceptible aura of ancient wildness radiated from him.

In his daze, he seemed to become the Red Horned Dragon from the visualization diagram once more, hunting, growing, and transforming at will across a vast primordial wilderness...

Deep within his consciousness.

The half crimson true-intent rune that had originally rested quietly beneath the [White Ape Child Cave-Evolution Diagram] seemed to sense something. It suddenly appeared before the visualization diagram Lu He had just formed and slowly sank into it.

A dragon's cry rang out—

In an instant, the divine radiance of the visualization diagram blazed forth. It was as though a crimson sun were slowly rising within his body.

A large flatbread entered his stomach and was fully digested in a mere few dozen breaths, turning into a gentle, warm current flowing through his blood and nourishing his body.

During this process.

He could clearly sense it.

A subtle yet unmistakable transformation was slowly taking place within him.

"Phew—"

Lu He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, and the aura of ancient wildness surrounding him dissipated.

He clenched his right fist and exerted a little force. His knuckles let out a crisp series of cracks, and a sense of power far surpassing anything before surged into his heart.

Bang! He tentatively threw a light punch, and the air immediately exploded with a muffled boom like thunder.

Of course, that was all Lu He's imagination.

In reality, there was no sound at all.

This was his first time cultivating a Foundation Establishment visualization diagram. Even with the true-intent rune unexpectedly joining in midway and increasing his cultivation speed severalfold, it could not possibly produce such obvious changes.

Even so, the gains from this cultivation session were immense.

Lu He rose from the sleeping platform. With every movement, the muscles all over his body rose and fell in steady rhythms, displaying an indescribable beauty of coordination.

"Though my strength has only increased by the tiniest fraction, I can now call upon the strength of my entire body with a casual blow, unleashing power I would never have dared imagine before."

"If this were my previous life, I could probably shatter all kinds of athletic records with ease."

Lu He clicked his tongue inwardly.

And this was merely the result of cultivating the <Scarlet Horned-Dragon True-Origin Visualization Diagram> once...

His joy lasted only a moment.

Then intense hunger swept over him like a tide from every corner of his body, even stronger than when he had activated the White Ape Dao Diagram.

"Scholarship impoverishes, martial arts enrich. Even martial arts are like this, let alone immortal cultivation."

A trace of helplessness rose in Lu He's heart.

In truth, he had already realized during his cultivation that coarse flatbread alone could barely sustain even normal practice of the Red Horned Dragon visualization diagram.

That was also why the transformation in his body had not been very obvious during his first cultivation session.

As for the cultivation pace with the true-intent rune's enhancement...

Lu He even suspected that he could not eat as fast as his body digested.

"The first realm is called Body Transformation. In this realm, one need only eat, use the visualization diagram to command the body, until the body becomes as indestructible as vajra."

Fairy Liu's guidance resurfaced in his mind.

"I still need meat!"

Determination flashed in Lu He's eyes.

"Old Wang, two liang of braised meat, and three bowls of coarse rice."

Inside an eatery half a li from the hut, Lu He stood before the serving window and called out to the busy middle-aged man inside.

The sky had not yet darkened, but the eatery was already bustling with voices.

Most of those eating were old tenant farmers with nimble hands who had finished work early. Their bowls held nothing but coarse rice and pickled vegetables. An occasional flatbread was already considered an excellent meal.

Upon hearing him.

"You miserly brat, what a rare guest. Wait there, I'll get you your flatbread."

Old Wang tossed a massive spatula as tall as a man into the wok, wiped both hands on his apron, and grumbled as he casually picked up a plate and headed straight for the table piled with flatbreads.

Yet after only a few steps, he seemed to realize something. He turned back and looked at Lu He with a strange expression.

"Two liang of braised meat? Did the sun rise in the west?"

"What, I can't eat meat? Just serve the food. It's not as if I'll short you a single copper coin."

Lu He curled his lip.

"You brat, you've got some nerve." Old Wang laughed and cursed. "Do you not know that the owner behind our eatery is a mighty steward?"

As they spoke.

Lu He suddenly seemed to catch a scent. He inhaled sharply, then stared fixedly toward a large pot in the kitchen.

The lid of the pot sat half-open. Strands of spiritual radiance rose amid the steam, and within the pot was a thick, blood-red broth. Fist-sized chunks of meat rolled in the soup, their strange fragrance flooding the air.

Lu He's gaze shifted. Merely smelling that scent made the visualization diagram inside him stir.

In fact, Lu He was not the only one. Every tenant farmer eating in the establishment would occasionally glance toward the kitchen, clearly drawn in by that powerful aroma.

But however much they wanted it, no one dared make a move.

"Old Wang, what's in that pot?" Lu He licked his lips and could not help asking.

"That?"

Following Lu He's gaze, Old Wang looked at the large pot.

"Recently, a whole bunch of demon birds with awakened intelligence appeared from who knows where in the Medicine Garden. One of them even ran into the owner's fields. It pecked more than a dozen people to death and ruined half a mu of spirit grain."

"The owner was furious and personally killed it, then had us stew it and send it over."

As he spoke, Old Wang could not help baring his teeth.

"Damn it, no wonder it was a demon beast that had become a spirit. Its body is like forged iron. I stewed it over raging flames for seven days and seven nights, and it still isn't cooked."

"A demon beast?"

Gulp—

Lu He's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

"Don't get any ideas, brat. The owner specifically told me that mortals can't eat this thing, or they'll be nourished to death alive. Since he said so, he must be guarding against slippery fellows like you."

Old Wang shot Lu He a sidelong glance and grinned.

"Could it be that the steward was guarding against you stealing some?"

Lu He said faintly.

Old Wang's face reddened. He immediately tossed the sliced braised meat and rice onto the counter. "The braised meat is eighty wen, and the coarse rice is nine wen."

"Eighty-nine wen?"

Looking at the braised meat, which did not even add up to the size of a fist, Lu He's heart twitched.

One meal had cost him three days' wages. It truly was extravagant.

He found a corner to sit in, picked up his chopsticks, and placed a piece of meat into his mouth. He barely chewed before swallowing it down with the coarse rice.

Boom—

As though it had received some great tonic, the Scarlet Horned-Dragon True-Origin Visualization Diagram suddenly shook. In an instant, his stomach churned wildly, and an unprecedentedly vast warm current rose up!

In just a few breaths, the effect had already far surpassed his previous cultivation.

Lu He's eyes lit up, and he ate even faster.

After finishing his meal.

When he returned to the hut and pushed open the door, a chaotic aura rushed at him.

Lu He froze for a moment, then his face darkened.

Before his eyes, his sleeping platform had been turned upside down. Copper coins and spare clothes lay scattered everywhere. Someone had clearly gone through his belongings.

His cold gaze swept over the several figures on the communal sleeping platform.

Just as Lu He was about to say something.

A sharp whistle suddenly sliced through the air beside his ear.

Lu He shifted slightly to the side.

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a familiar, towering figure emerging from behind the door. The man seized a wooden club as thick as a forearm, whipping up a vicious wind as he smashed it brutally toward Lu He.

It was Li Zhuang.

The strike was powerful and heavy. Though it was not aimed at his head, if it landed, Lu He would be bedridden for at least ten days to half a month.

Lu He's eyes narrowed.

Dodge!

Horse stance!

Iron Mountain Lean surged forward at close range!

The entire sequence flowed in one breath.

Bang! A dull impact abruptly rang out.

The next moment, Li Zhuang's eyes bulged. The delight on his face had yet to fade when his body flew straight back as if struck by a savage bull, soaring more than two zhang before crashing heavily to the ground.

The hut fell abruptly silent.

On the sleeping platform, the few people who had been waiting to watch the show now stared blankly at that slender figure, their faces as though they had seen a ghost.

Cough, cough—

Li Zhuang struggled to climb up from the ground, his face white as paper as he stared at Lu He in utter disbelief.

"You... successfully comprehended an immortal art?"

"What do you think, Master Zhuang?" Lu He smiled without confirming or denying it.

Li Zhuang did not answer.

He knew full well that aside from an immortal art, there was no other possibility for the brat before him to suddenly possess such terrifying strength.

But... to comprehend the true meaning of a visualization diagram in one attempt?

Such talent was rare even among immortal masters, yet he had so easily run into and offended one?

All over a mere four taels of loose silver...

An overwhelming sense of absurdity rose in Li Zhuang's heart.

His gaze involuntarily swept over Lu He's exceedingly young face. Beyond envy, only reverence remained.

At such an age, he was certain to become a steward in the future.

And even among stewards, he would surely be a major figure.

After thinking it over.

Li Zhuang gritted his teeth. Ignoring the pain in his body, he decisively pulled out a cloth pouch from his robes and held it out before Lu He, speaking in a low voice.

"Brother Lu... Master He, I was in the wrong before. I had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. There are seven taels and three qian of silver in here as compensation. I hope you will be magnanimous and not hold it against me."

"Just this much silver?"

Lu He took the pouch, weighed it in his hand, and spoke with a trace of suspicion in his voice.

He remembered that the "Master Zhuang" before him was a ruthless man who had entered the Enlightenment Pavilion seven times. The leaf talismans alone had cost a fortune!

Seeing that Lu He did not believe him, Li Zhuang immediately pulled a long face and explained.

"Before Master He, I wouldn't dare conceal even the slightest thing. I spent all my savings trying to comprehend immortal arts over the past few months. I had hoped to enter the path of cultivation before this year's Medicine Garden window period erupted, but who would have thought..."

"But who would have thought what?"

"But who would have thought that my comprehension was insufficient."

Li Zhuang felt somewhat aggrieved. His mind instinctively recalled how Lu He had forcibly interrupted his insight during the day, but he no longer dared say it aloud.

"By the way, you just mentioned the window period?"

Lu He abruptly changed the subject, curiosity appearing on his face.

"This..."

Li Zhuang hesitated for a moment but ultimately did not dare hide anything.

"Since Master He has cultivated before, you should know how crucial resources are.

"In the Medicine Garden, even those who have stepped onto the path of cultivation remain tenant farmers as long as they have not condensed mana. I heard that relying on ordinary food in normal times, even meat, makes progress extremely slow."

He paused, his eyes burning.

"The window period is when the Medicine Garden's spirit grain ripens and draws in large numbers of spirit creatures."

"Those spirit creatures are deadly dangers to ordinary tenant farmers, but for people like you, Master He, who have comprehended immortal arts and begun cultivation, they are tremendous opportunities."

"At this time every year, the immortal masters of the Medicine Garden's Pill Institute purchase large quantities of spirit creature corpses. You can even exchange them for the legendary immortal dao treasure pills!"

"I've heard that some lucky people cultivate mana in just one or two months and leap straight into becoming stewards."

"However, I've heard that, to save themselves the trouble, each steward picks the strongest tenant farmer to help hunt the spirit creatures in their fields. That's why the competition is so fierce."

"So that's how it is?"

Lu He fell into thought. He involuntarily recalled what Steward Liu had done on the day Old Huang died, and understanding immediately dawned on him.

"If spirit creature corpses are valuable, why don't the stewards do it themselves?"

He suddenly thought of the key point and pressed the question.

"Think about it, Master He. What sort of people are stewards? Spirit creature corpses may be valuable, but they aren't worth having the stewards guard the spirit fields day after day. Yet if they let the spirit creatures devour the Blackleaf Spirit Wheat in the fields and the harvest falls short, I heard they'll be punished. That is why this so-called window period exists."

Li Zhuang did not dare be negligent in the slightest and patiently explained.

"I understand now."

Lu He nodded in realization, then said meaningfully, "I didn't expect Master Zhuang to know so much."

This fellow had definitely concealed something.

After all, he had just said it himself: comprehending a visualization-based Foundation Establishment method was not the same as ascending to heaven in a single step. Resources were still needed for cultivation.

"What exactly gave Li Zhuang such confidence that, once he grasped a visualization method, he could compete with those veteran cultivator tenant farmers?"

Lu He had vaguely formed a guess.

Opposite him.

"Master He, you're joking. How could I deserve that title? I only know a little more because I've spent longer in the Medicine Garden."

Li Zhuang gave a dry laugh and waved his hands repeatedly, then looked toward the remaining people in the quarters.

"You were all involved that day. What are you standing around for? Do you have to wait for Master He to speak before you know to apologize?"

Night.

Unable to bear the smell of the quarters any longer, Lu He climbed directly into an old locust tree nearby and sat cross-legged on a branch.

Time slowly passed.

The once lively cluster of quarters had, without notice, become exceptionally quiet.

At a certain moment.

Lu He slowly opened his eyes.

Deep within his vision, the White Ape Dao Diagram revolved slowly, spraying forth spiritual light.

Bolstered by the second-tier [Immaculate Heart Ape], every subtle change in his body was clearly reflected in his mind.

Lu He's capacity for thought and comprehension abruptly rose by more than eighty percent, and his thoughts began to race wildly.

"Using true intent as the key and the mind as the guide, gradually adjusting the body until it transforms bit by bit toward the creature within the visualization diagram? A visualization diagram—wasn't that a blueprint for immortal-path genes, or perhaps an immortal-path life blueprint?"

"Was Foundation Establishment the establishment of this foundation?"

At that moment, Lu He was suddenly enlightened.

By that reasoning, the nine stages of the Scarlet Horned-Dragon True-Origin Visualization Diagram essentially contained the same life-blueprint information. The only differences lay in how much true intent they contained and how complete it was, which in turn affected the speed of bodily transformation.

In other words, cultivation speed.

Moreover, according to that immortal master at the Enlightenment Pavilion, the half true-intent rune condensed by the first-stage visualization diagram was already enough to meet the basic requirements for completing Foundation Establishment.

Thinking of this.

Feeling the presence of that half true-intent rune within his consciousness.

A flicker of excitement appeared in Lu He's eyes.

That meant that once he completed bodily transformation, if he wished, he could directly attempt to condense spiritual power, complete Foundation Establishment in one stroke, and step into the true Longevity Qi-Feeding Realm!

"The window period, immortal-path treasure pills—perhaps they're the opportunity to complete bodily transformation! So this is the competition among the tenant farmers who have entered the path of cultivation?"

A sharp gleam burst from his eyes.

Wait!

Then, as though he had realized something, Lu He hurriedly looked toward his own [White Ape Child Cave-Evolution Diagram]—

Could this thing also be some kind of immortal-path life blueprint?