[Entering the [Treasure Pavilion], special [spellcraft], an anomaly?]

[After leaving your family, you proceeded cautiously the whole way and finally reached a branch of the [Treasure Pavilion] in a bustling cultivator city.]

[The pavilion was imposing, resplendent in gold and jade. A [Nascent Soul True Lord] was said to stand behind it, and even its relationship with the local overlord, the Blazing Fire Sect, was merely one of cooperation. Its standing was above the fray.]

[As you stepped inside, an invisible fluctuation swept over you, evidently from some kind of detection device.]

[Your heart tightened slightly, but your expression remained unchanged.]

[Sure enough, the device accurately identified your [Heaven-grade Qi Refining] foundation.]

[Yet the people coming and going around you seemed accustomed to such things and paid you little attention.]

[A steward wearing Treasure Pavilion robes approached to guide you.]

[His aura was deep and unfathomable. He was actually a [Foundation Establishment] True Person.]

[He gave you a long look, his gaze seemingly able to pierce beneath appearances, but ultimately said nothing and simply escorted you dutifully toward the second floor.]

[Only after you turned away did the steward watch your retreating figure and murmur almost inaudibly to himself:]

["How strange... his fate pattern is clearly shallow, its end visible at a glance, with neither much fortune nor any backing. How did he achieve [Heaven-grade Qi Refining]?"]

[He looked thoughtful, then shook his head with a self-mocking smile.]

["Why am I dwelling on this? He might be a chess piece placed by some [Golden Core Powerhouse], or even a higher existence. A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like me had best not dig too deeply."]

[You did not hear those murmured words. By now, your attention had been drawn to the Treasure Pavilion's second floor.]

[The Treasure Pavilion had four floors, corresponding to [Embryonic Breath], [Qi Refining], [Foundation Establishment], and [Golden Core]—perhaps.]

[The second floor, where you stood, catered specifically to Qi Refining cultivators.]

[Because you possessed a [Heaven-grade Qi Refining] foundation, the attendant guiding you took you straight to a separate section marked "Heaven-grade Spellcraft."]

[A dazzling array of jade slips lay before you, known as [Spellcraft Blueprints], each representing a powerful Heaven-grade spell.]

[However, when your eyes swept over the prices below, you could not help inwardly clicking your tongue—they generally cost around a hundred million low-grade Spirit Stones!]

[The attendant explained at just the right moment that, unlike the [divine abilities] exclusive to Foundation Establishment cultivators, spellcraft was not unique.]

[Any Qi Refining cultivator who met the requirements could practice it, and the cost of copying it was relatively low. Otherwise, the prices would have been far more terrifying.]

[Even so, these were still astronomical sums to you.]

[You began browsing and selecting carefully. For the moment, powerful offensive and defensive combat Spellcraft was not your priority.]

[What you wanted more was Spellcraft with unusual functions, like Chen Qingyan's [Mind-Reading], which could often produce extraordinary results at crucial moments.]

[Yet after a long search, you found very few such special spells.]

[The closest match was called [Know Fortune and Misfortune]. Its effect was to roughly predict the course of your own luck over the coming Future day.]

[Just as you began to feel tempted, you glanced at the price—five hundred million low-grade Spirit Stones!]

["How is this any different from robbery?!" you could not help grumbling inwardly. The price had jumped straight to five times as much!]

["This Spellcraft was derived from the rudimentary form of a [Foundation Establishment Divine Ability Seed]. Naturally, it is precious." A gentle voice sounded behind you.]

[Startled, you turned around and discovered that the Foundation Establishment steward had appeared behind you at some point.]

["A [Foundation Establishment Divine Ability Seed] can be developed into [Spellcraft]?" Suppressing your alarm, you hurriedly bowed respectfully. "Please enlighten me, Senior."]

[The steward had initially seemed unwilling to become too involved with you, but for some reason, as he looked into your puzzled eyes, he began explaining as though compelled by unseen spirits:]

["In the Foundation Establishment Realm, one must condense one's own Divine Ability. These are divided into [Minor Divine Ability] and [Major Divine Ability]."]

[[Major Divine Ability] aside for now, a [Minor Divine Ability] is formed when a Foundation Establishment cultivator gathers a lifetime of learning and gains insight into heaven and earth.]

[However, the condensation process is not always smooth sailing. Failure is possible as well."]

[He paused, then continued:]

["After a failure, that unfinished, half-formed [Minor Divine Ability Seed],]

[once refined anew and put in order through secret methods by great figures within the sect whose cultivation reaches the heavens, can be developed into [Spellcraft] suitable for Qi Refining cultivators.]

[Precisely because its origin is the rudimentary form of a Divine Ability, Spellcraft of this kind often carries special powers far beyond those of ordinary spells."]

[Understanding suddenly dawned on you!]

[So that was it! No wonder [Know Fortune and Misfortune] was so expensive. In Essence, it was a half-finished Divine Ability!]

[It also explained why Chen Qingyan's [Mind-Reading] was so miraculous. Its origins were probably similar, or perhaps even more extraordinary.]

[Seeing the change in your eyes, and your evident keen interest in [Know Fortune and Misfortune], the steward added another perfectly timed remark, his voice carrying a hint of patient persuasion:]

["Indeed. Because of [Know Fortune and Misfortune]'s unusual origins, the fragments of laws contained within it mean that, in terms of '[Rank],"]

[it is inherently a cut above ordinary [Heaven-grade Spellcraft].]

[If a cultivator successfully learns this spell, their own Rank, and even the depth of their Dao Foundation, will subtly improve along with it. Though slight, the improvement bears upon their long-term pursuit of the Great Dao."]

["It raises your Rank?!"]

[Those words were like a massive stone cast into your heart, stirring a thousand layers of waves!]

[You understood the importance of "Rank" all too well.]

[Starting from the lowest "Rank" obtained upon breaking through into the [Qi Refining Realm], the subsequent path of cultivation was essentially a process of continually raising one's own Rank!]

[If you could raise your Rank ahead of time, it would mean not only greater combat strength among your peers, but also looser bottlenecks and deeper potential when you attempted to break through major realms in the Future!]

[This went beyond the Spellcraft's own utility. It nourished and brought about the Ascension of the very foundation of cultivation!]

[The hesitation its exorbitant price had caused you vanished like smoke and scattered clouds, and your gaze became utterly resolute.]

["I must buy this [Know Fortune and Misfortune]!" You had already set your goal.]

[Of course, your purse was thin at present, but that did not matter. Now that you knew your goal, with your Talent and abilities, you would find a way to gather those five hundred million Spirit Stones!]

[You exchanged a few more polite words with the steward, thanking him for clearing up your confusion.]

[Then, carrying your plans for the Future and an urgent desire to earn Spirit Stones, you turned and left the Treasure Pavilion.]

[However, you did not see—]

[At the instant you turned away and your figure vanished completely beyond the Treasure Pavilion's Gate.]

[The smile on the face of the Foundation Establishment steward, who had patiently answered your questions with a gentle smile throughout, melted away in an instant like ice and snow.]

[In its place was sheer terror!]

[His pupils contracted violently, his face turned deathly pale in an instant, and fine beads of cold sweat even seeped from his temples.]

[He seemed to have witnessed some great horror beyond his comprehension or endurance, and his body began trembling slightly beyond his control.]

[His terrified gaze was not directed toward the Gate through which you had left, but instead... wandered blankly into the void.]

[It was as though he had seen through the Treasure Pavilion's vaulted roof and glimpsed some gaze or upheaval descending from the unseen, one that made even his soul as a Foundation Establishment True Person tremble.]

[He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but no sound emerged.]

[In the end, he merely slumped helplessly against the counter behind him, gasping for breath, his eyes filled with disbelief and profound fear.]

[With your back to the Treasure Pavilion, already setting out on the road to earning spirit stones, you remained completely unaware of all this.]