Ten years later.
At the summit of Mount Kongtong.
A tall, powerfully built young man sat cross-legged on a bluestone.
His eyes were closed as he faced the morning Sun, breathing in a mouthful of purple qi from the east!
As the purple qi entered his body, a purple light flashed across his skin, then fell still.
The Sun rose in the east.
The young man's breathing continued, the purple light cycling again and again.
Beneath a pine tree a short distance behind him.
A white-haired young man with a youthful face sat on a stone stool, a stone table before him.
He held a book, reading slowly and occasionally looking toward the figure on the bluestone.
"Hmm?"
Normally.
At this time each day, the Sun would already have risen fully into the sky, filling it with golden clouds.
And Jiang Shennong's daily morning practice should have ended at this point, but today, he remained motionless.
"Is he about to break through?"
Delighted, Yuhua put down his book and began paying close attention, lest any ox demons or snake spirits interfere with his precious disciple's cultivation.
As time passed, the purple light on Jiang Shennong's body flashed ever more frequently.
Only at noon.
Did Jiang Shennong awaken in high spirits.
The first thing he said upon opening his eyes was.
"Teacher, I've reached Foundation Establishment!"
Foundation Establishment in the Yuhua Qi Refining Method was roughly equivalent to A-Rank in the Divine Clan's system.
On Earth as it was now, reaching this level in ten years of cultivation counted as very fast.
"Mm, well done, Nong'er. For these ten years, you've practiced morning and evening without fail, working hard and diligently. I've seen it all."
Yuhua praised him.
"Hahahaha, it's all thanks to your teaching, Teacher!"
Jiang Shennong was overjoyed. His