Success

"The opportunity for Foundation Establishment has arrived! Heaven's timing, earthly advantage, and human harmony are all in place, this very day, this very hour!"

Du Xingyi wore black, with a slight rise and fall at her chest. Her billowing black robe only made her chest look flatter. She said solemnly, "Yuanyuanzi, I want you to help me cultivate!"

"I would gladly die in your service, Fairy!" Meng Yuan roared, looking ready to march to his death.

Huo Old Freak watched from the side. He had personally witnessed the changes in how Meng Yuan addressed Junior Sister Du.

When they first met years ago, this man had called her junior sister, without a shred of respect.

After receiving some benefits, he called her senior sister at every turn, as though he were a personal disciple.

Now that he saw she was about to reach Foundation Establishment, he affectionately called her Fairy.

Even the color-changing eight-legged lizards in the mountains didn't change their colors as often as you!

"Gladly die in your service, Fairy," my foot! Acting all righteous and heroic-don't take two steps and retreat again, leaving Junior Sister Du dangling halfway. You'll have it coming then! Huo Old Freak grumbled inwardly, but his face remained all smiles.

Soon, Huo Old Freak saw Yuanyuanzi step forward. He actually advanced one step at a time, his body trembling ever more violently, until he had to rest for three steps' worth of time after taking one.

Much later, Yuanyuanzi could no longer walk. He inched along bit by bit, stubbornly dragging himself up to the candlestick.

"This very day, this very hour, I have at last lived up to your trust, Fairy!" Yuanyuanzi snuffed out the candle, then collapsed to the ground and made no further sound.

"Only in dire straits does integrity reveal itself. This man's private conduct is flawed, but he does have loyalty and feeling, and finishes what he begins." Du Xingyi reflected briefly, then glanced at Huo Old Freak, signaling him to look after Meng Yuan.

If this brat had a little more aptitude, he'd definitely get further than me, Huo Old Freak muttered inwardly.

Du Xingyi steadied her breathing and waited several more breaths. Seeing that the candle did not reignite, she advanced step by step.

After passing the candlestick, Du Xingyi reached the Bronze Gate.

Taking a deep breath, Du Xingyi pushed open the Bronze Gate.

Meng Yuan also raised his head with difficulty. Beyond the Bronze Gate was pitch-black darkness. Nothing could be seen, save for faint stars.

Du Xingyi stepped inside and vanished in an instant. The Bronze Gate closed again.

Before his death in his previous life, Meng Yuan had tried pushing open the gate. His blue sea tidebirth talent had manifested, and he had actually seen a towering tide of blood.

Clearly, whatever lay inside the Bronze Gate was extremely dangerous.

Although he had been at the third Qi Refining layer then, and had now entered the late-stage realm of the seventh Qi Refining layer, this was still no place he could easily explore.

Sitting cross-legged, Meng Yuan eased his breathing and considered the road ahead.

His current cultivation realm had been forcibly pushed up with pills, but he had still walked through it step by step and experienced it bit by bit. All of that was invaluable experience.

It was like a frail man who needed medicine to get it up every time, damaging his body in the process, but had nonetheless seen all the variations and knew what to do when he met someone old, and what to do when he met someone tender;

He knew when to hurry and when to slow down, when to be gentle and when to be forceful; he knew how to hold firm, and which positions felt comfortable.

All of that was precious, invaluable experience!

When his next life came, he would be able to cultivate with greater composure.

More importantly, Meng Yuan had freed himself from the soul-tracking thread's predicament and learned the Gray-Robed Skeleton Guest's message. He no longer had to be troubled by the ten-year deadline, and could calmly lay plans for his next life.

Meng Yuan thought for a long while. There were too many things to do in the future, but the immediate priority was still to see whether Du Xingyi could succeed.

If she succeeded, he would have the merit of having helped a dragon rise. If she failed, he would still have to dust off his backside and part ways.

Birds followed phoenixes. If he could shelter beneath Du Xingyi's tattered banner, he would certainly have more room to maneuver.

"Old brother, what are your plans for the future?" Seeing Huo Old Freak circling the candlestick, Meng Yuan asked.

"Me?" Huo Old Freak sat down beside Meng Yuan and said, "I have no hope of attaining the Great Dao. I only want to stand guard here for a few more years, teach my disciple well, then find somewhere peaceful to spend my old age."

"I already know about the Bright Garment Art," Meng Yuan said with a smile.

"You know? The Fairy really doesn't treat you as an outsider." Huo Old Freak sighed and stopped concealing it. "I'm only one step away from Qi Refining perfection. I plan to nurture it for another two years. Once I change into new clothes, I'll be able to reach perfection. Then I'll make an attempt at Foundation Establishment!"

"Old brother, your blessings run deep. You're sure to succeed!" Meng Yuan naturally offered pleasant words.

"What about you, little brother?" Huo Old Freak asked.

"Me?" Meng Yuan gave a bitter laugh. "This late-stage realm of mine was forcibly piled up. Pill toxins have seeped into me, and my body's frail. In a fight, I'm afraid I wouldn't even match a mid-stage cultivator. Advancing even half a step in the future will be fraught with countless difficulties..."

"Alas. You've suffered." Huo Old Freak knew Meng Yuan's circumstances best, and could see it for himself.

"But if I can serve the Fairy, what does it matter if my path to the Great Dao is cut off? I don't regret it in the slightest," Meng Yuan declared loudly and firmly.

"Same here!" Huo Old Freak immediately chimed in, then looked up and around. Only after seeing no one did he breathe a sigh of relief. Why are you shouting so loudly? I thought Du Xingyi had come back! No one's here. Even if you're declaring your loyalty, do you have to be so loud?

"You're rotten to the core, you brat!" Seeing Meng Yuan chuckle, Huo Old Freak bristled with anger.

The two waited there for ten days. Just as they were growing increasingly anxious, the Bronze Gate finally opened again, and Du Xingyi walked out.

Her hair hung loose, her black clothes were in tatters, blood covered her, and her face was paler still, showing how difficult this journey had been.

However, her presence showed signs of instability. The Foundation Establishment presence that inadvertently leaked out made Meng Yuan and Huo Old Freak afraid to approach.

She had done it! Meng Yuan and Huo Old Freak exchanged a glance, both breathing a sigh of relief.

Foundation Establishment was like a great battle. Now that victory had been won, rewards would presumably follow.

Even if there were no rewards, they had gained a backer for nothing.

After all, the vast Starsea Alliance had only five Golden Core elders and just over a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators. Ninety-nine percent of its members were Qi Refining cultivators.

Of a hundred people advancing from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, not even one might succeed. Advancing from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core was harder still.

Now, at only twenty-seven, Du Xingyi had already entered Foundation Establishment. Her prospects could be called limitless!

"Congratulations on your success, Fairy!" Huo Old Freak and Meng Yuan offered their congratulations in unison, the former streaming aged tears, the latter looking openly envious.

Du Xingyi smiled faintly, then waved a hand to close the Bronze Gate and sat cross-legged on the spot. "Go stand guard outside."

Another month passed, and pear blossoms bloomed on Chaolong Mountain.

That night, Meng Yuan was bent over his desk writing a letter to Li Nineteen when he suddenly sensed the stars outside brighten slightly, then return to normal.

He rose and left the small hut, only to see a figure standing still in black, her presence concealed. It was Du Xingyi.

"What are your plans?"

Late at night, beneath dim stars, amid the faint fragrance of pear blossoms, Du Xingyi slowly spoke.

According to their earlier agreement, the two had been obliged to help each other before opening the Bronze Gate.

Afterward, Du Xingyi also owed Meng Yuan a favor. Now, that was a favor owed by a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

That favor was not enough to make Du Xingyi risk her life, but it was more than enough to arrange a position or introduce him to someone.

Whatever the case, the postwar rewards were finally coming.