Foundation Establishment Succeeded!

As an Immortal Venerable, Gu Huaiwei naturally had a cave abode unlike anyone else's. The moment Su Fuyun followed him into the Immortal Venerable Hall, she felt a wave of dense Spiritual Qi wash over her.

She marveled inwardly. The Immortal Venerable Hall truly lived up to its reputation, with its ten-thousand-year-old spiritual spring.

Before Su Fuyun could speak, Gu Huaiwei asked, "What swordsmanship did you use when you competed with Sang Ying today? I have never taught you any sword moves other than those of Flowing Light Swordsmanship."

Flowing Light Swordsmanship was the Flowing Light Sword Sect's elementary swordsmanship, a Cultivation Method that could be considered required study for a beginning sword cultivator. Because Su Fuyun's aptitude was so poor, she could not withstand higher-level swordsmanship at all, so Gu Huaiwei had personally modified Flowing Light Swordsmanship and taught it to her.

But today, Gu Huaiwei had clearly noticed that even he had never seen the swordsmanship Su Fuyun used.

Su Fuyun's expression tightened, and she quietly tugged on Gu Huaiwei's sleeve. "Master, please don't be angry. I wanted to win this match so badly that I asked Junior Brother Heng'an to find me a long-lost sword art to practice."

"I'm your disciple, but my aptitude is so poor that it took me all these years to reach the Tenth Level of Qi Refining. I don't want to disgrace you anymore, and I don't want people to criticize you because of me. Master, I was wrong. I won't dare do it again."

Su Fuyun's eyes were slightly red, and her lips were pale, as though a single harsh word from Gu Huaiwei would make her burst into tears.

Gu Huaiwei gently pulled his sleeve from his disciple's hand and sighed softly. "I don't know what sword art you practiced to make such great progress in so little time. But as long as it harms neither others nor yourself, do as you please."

Only then did Su Fuyun's worry turn to joy. "Thank you, Master," she said sweetly. "I knew you treated me best!"

Gu Huaiwei lowered his eyes and said nothing.

"Then, Master, may I make one more request? I did come in second this time, after all!" Seeing that Gu Huaiwei was not angry, Su Fuyun edged a little closer.

Gu Huaiwei paid no attention to her little movements and simply asked, "What do you want to request?"

Su Fuyun immediately smiled. "I'd like to visit the Qishan Secret Realm too!"

"Nonsense!" Gu Huaiwei frowned. "You have yet to reach Foundation Establishment, and the Qishan Secret Realm is fraught with danger. If you rush in, who knows how many dangers you'll encounter?"

"But Master, I really want to go! I have so many Law Treasures you bestowed on me. It's only the Qishan Secret Realm; I'll surely be fine. Besides, Junior Sister can go, and I'm a year older than her. Perhaps I'll even reach Foundation Establishment before the secret realm opens!"

Su Fuyun continued to press him. "Master, I can't stay under your protection all my life. Sooner or later, I'll have to go out and make my way in the world! Please, Master."

Su Fuyun was adamant, and after she pressed him several times, Gu Huaiwei finally relented. He promised to reserve a place for her, but also required her to stay close to Mu Xuan, the sect master's eldest disciple, who was leading the group this time.

Su Fuyun agreed to everything Gu Huaiwei said.

Only after leaving the Immortal Venerable Hall did Su Fuyun silently clutch the jade pendant around her neck and murmur, "I hope you didn't lie to me, and that there really is a thousand-year ice lotus in the Qishan Secret Realm that can improve my constitution..."

Sang Ying's Dantian was burning hot, and the spiritual power throughout her body constantly surged through her meridians.

She felt the flesh and skin all over her body tear apart and heal again, time after time, yet she still had not broken through the barrier to Foundation Establishment.

The Foundation Establishment Pill Su Fuyun had obtained earlier lay right before her. With Sang Ying's current strength, she could easily reach Foundation Establishment by taking it, without having to endure any of this pain.

But she would not!

"Sang Ying" in the book had enjoyed such smooth sailing too. Protected by the names of the Flowing Light Sword Sect and Gu Huaiwei's disciple, she could obtain Foundation Establishment Pills or Mirror-Breaking Pills just by asking.

But even after cultivating to the Nascent Soul stage, "Sang Ying" in the book had still been so fragile that she could not withstand even a casual move from that beast god.

She refused to become that "Sang Ying." She would change her own fate!

All the spiritual power in her body converged at a single point. Sang Ying felt the world around her fall silent for an instant, and then the surrounding Spiritual Qi swarmed toward her, filling her parched meridians bit by bit.

She did not know how much time had passed, but when Sang Ying opened her eyes again, she was already a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator.

Ignoring the filth expelled from her body by yet another cleansing of her essence and marrow, Sang Ying felt that the Spiritual Qi within her was more abundant than before.

She clenched her fist. Was this the power of a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator?

Before she had time to rejoice, her senses, sharper than before, immediately alerted her that someone was approaching her cave abode.

Sang Ying casually formed a Dust-Removal Instruction, and all the filth on her body vanished.

She took a new set of robes from her Storage Bag, prepared for her long ago by Sang Ying's mother.

Clothes for her from the age of two or three through twenty, along with some jewelry, belts, and the like, nearly filled an entire second-tier Storage Bag.

Sang Ying gave her reflection, somewhat different from before, only a hurried glance before dispelling the restriction and leaving her cave abode.

Outside the cave abode, Zhou Heng'an, who had grown into a young teenager, had yet to call out through a voice transmission when Sang Ying's sudden appearance startled him.

Feeling he had lost face, he wanted to turn the tables and say a few things to Sang Ying, but when he looked up, he met that flawless, white-jade face. For some reason, Zhou Heng'an's mocking words caught in his throat.

"What are you doing here?" Seeing that Zhou Heng'an was only looking at her without speaking, Sang Ying had no choice but to speak first.

Only when she addressed him did Zhou Heng'an come back to his senses.

In an instant, his face turned red.

Zhou Heng'an turned his head away, not daring to look at that face again. His words were as unpleasant as ever, but his tone was unexpectedly much better than before. "You're asking me? Weren't you the one who asked Grandmaster-Uncle for a chance to visit the Qishan Secret Realm? The disciples are all ready now, and you're the only one who still hasn't shown up. That's why the sect master sent me to fetch you."

Sang Ying slapped her forehead. After the last sword competition, she had gone into secluded cultivation. Having finally reached Foundation Establishment today, she had been so happy that she had not yet thought to ask Gu Huaiwei when the training expedition would begin.

"Thanks for this," Sang Ying said casually, then immediately took to her sword and sped toward the mountain gate.

Zhou Heng'an never got to say "You're welcome." Furious, he kicked the large rock outside Sang Ying's cave abode twice.

Even her thanks are so perfunctory. No wonder Grandmaster-Uncle doesn't like you!

Sang Ying knew nothing of Zhou Heng'an's indignation, but she did learn that the other disciples had plenty of complaints about her.

For as soon as she landed, before she could speak, a grating voice rang out from the crowd:

"That Junior Sister Sang Ying really is a busy person, isn't she? Making so many of us wait for her alone!"

The speaker was a female cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm. In the cultivation world, rank was determined by cultivation, so there was nothing improper about her calling Sang Ying junior sister.

Soon someone else chimed in. "Isn't she just relying on being an elder's daughter and Immortal Venerable Yanchen's disciple? She hasn't even reached Foundation Establishment, but she just has to stick her foot into the Qishan Secret Realm. I heard that Immortal Venerable Yanchen took away the place of another inner disciple who had reached Foundation Establishment long ago, all for her... Isn't that right, Junior Sister Fuyun?"

"Huh? I'm not sure about that either." It was Su Fuyun's voice. "Perhaps Junior Sister has been stuck in the Qi Refining Realm for a long time and wants to look for a chance to break through in the Qishan Secret Realm!"