114. Return

“Two senior apprentices have arrived at the Yiqing City branch. May I ask if you are here to seek assistance, or are you on your return journey?” Qian Jiale cleared his throat lightly and raised his chin slightly. “Returning.”

Before he spoke, the young disciple stared intently at the two of them, trying to discern their genders. Hmm, the slightly shorter senior apprentice was female, that was obvious at a glance; men don’t have such delicate bone structures or refined features. Uh... but the next moment, he wanted to overturn his previous judgment. This senior apprentice’s features were not only delicate but also possessed a bewitching beauty—it was actually a man!

The Qi Refining disciple at the branch hesitated for a moment before replying, “Please show your identification tokens, so I can arrange a flying boat.”

Without hesitation, the two tossed their disciple tokens onto the table. These tokens needed updating; once one reached Foundation Establishment, their status and privileges changed.

The Qi Refining disciple took them with suspicion, thinking, “These are tokens for Qi Refining disciples, but these two are Foundation Establishment senior apprentices... could they have stolen them?”

He cautiously stepped back and nervously called out, “Senior Apprentice Zheng, Senior Apprentice Zheng, come quickly!” His voice faltered.

“What is it? What ghostly cries are those?” A middle-aged Foundation Establishment cultivator stepped out, scolding impatiently.

The young disciple’s fingers trembled as he handed the two tokens to this cultivator, pointing at Ling Yu and Qian Jiale. “Please verify the authenticity of these tokens, Senior Apprentice Zheng.” He added softly, “The tokens are still from the Qi Refining stage.”

Zheng’s expression grew serious. He glanced at Ling Yu and Qian Jiale, unfamiliar faces to him, then carefully examined the tokens.

The stored images matched perfectly, and the true essence imprints were intact. Zheng pondered briefly and asked, “Junior brothers, junior sisters, did you both establish your Foundation outside?”

“Exactly,” Qian Jiale bowed respectfully. “We encountered an unexpected opportunity outside and successfully established our Foundation. We are returning to register with the sect.”

“I see,” Zheng said. Since their identities were confirmed, there was nothing more to investigate. He returned the tokens kindly and said, “Please wait a moment; the branch will arrange transportation shortly.”

According to the tokens, both were just over twenty. At such an age, to achieve Foundation Establishment outside, what a great fortune that must have been! Zheng felt a twinge of envy. He patted the young disciple’s head. “Arrange a flying boat for these senior apprentices.”

Confirming that these two were Foundation Establishment seniors of the sect, the young disciple breathed a sigh of relief and bowed eagerly. “Please wait a moment, senior apprentices; I will arrange it immediately.”

Before long, the branch summoned a small flying boat.

There happened to be five or six Qi Refining disciples at the branch ready to return to the sect, but they lacked numbers, making costs high. Hearing that two Foundation Establishment cultivators were returning, they eagerly sought to hitch a ride.

Ling Yu and Qian Jiale claimed to be Foundation Establishment cultivators but had not even updated their tokens. Most of their belongings had been exchanged for Meridian Refining Pills, and they had few spirit stones left. They were eager to share the cost of renting the flying boat and readily agreed.

That day, the flying boat set off for the Taibai Sect.

“So the two senior apprentices just established Foundation recently? Such good luck!” A Qi Refining disciple of similar age admired Ling Yu and Qian Jiale.

He, too, had left to comprehend cultivation techniques and seek a Foundation Establishment opportunity but had been unlucky. After lingering nearby for a year, he returned empty-handed.

“By the way, have you two been near Yiqing City recently? Did you witness the Earth Rift disaster? I heard hundreds died, and later Mount Zhulong was sealed off, with no entry or exit allowed. Such a calamity hasn’t happened in the cultivation world for many years. Hundreds perished—it’s truly tragic...”

Ling Yu and Qian Jiale exchanged glances and asked in unison, “Earth Rift disaster?”

“You two don’t know about it?” The Qi Refining disciple was surprised.

“Uh...” Ling Yu said, “We’ve heard of it, but only in passing...”

“Oh, you just returned to the Yiqing branch, so you might not be fully informed.” The disciple gave them a ready explanation.

Jiale nodded quickly. He and Ling Yu had agreed that the secret of their Foundation Establishment could not be hidden from the sect elders, but among others, it was best not to say too much, lest it cause unrest. “Why don’t you tell us about it?”

The two Foundation Establishment senior apprentices urged him on, and the Qi Refining disciple grew proud, vividly recounting the story: “About half a year ago, Mount Zhulong held a grand assembly for Qi Refining disciples...”

After half a year of retellings, the origin of the event had been distorted, yet the main thread remained. As involved parties, they could discern the truth.

“...During this Earth Rift disaster, hundreds died. The major sects of Ling Cang were alarmed and sealed Mount Zhulong for more than three months. In the third month, for some unknown reason, the ever-burning flame on Mount Zhulong suddenly vanished, leaving only a stone mountain. The pre-Dan elders searched extensively but found nothing. The lockdown was then lifted, and the sects withdrew.”

So that was the case...

Ling Yu and Qian Jiale exchanged knowing looks and remained silent. Upon hearing the flame on Mount Zhulong had extinguished in the third month, they guessed the disappearance must be related to the feather. That was precisely when they began their Foundation Establishment, and the immortal book had absorbed the feather.

Ling Yu had not spoken much about the immortal book, and Qian Jiale had not seen it with his own eyes. They only knew Ling Yu possessed a treasure that consumed the feather and returned the spiritual energy to them. When it came to such precious opportunities, cultivators rarely asked questions, even among close friends. Qian Jiale fully understood this.

“It seems Senior Brother Qian’s guess was correct. Those feathers were the source of Mount Zhulong’s flame.” Finished with his story, the Qi Refining disciple returned to the cabin.

Ling Yu remained alert, communicating with Qian Jiale through secret sound transmission.

Qian Jiale nodded and patted his chest in relief. “I told you, our luck is extraordinary. For both of us to establish Foundation at the same time under these circumstances is astonishing. It turns out the treasure’s power was the key.”

A treasure capable of producing the heavenly fire of Mount Zhulong must be at least of Nascent Soul level. Absorbing it naturally made Foundation Establishment easy.

...

Xu Jibo rose happily from the Spirit Eye Pool, feeling the familiar energy coursing through her body.

She had finally established Foundation, and this time, didn’t waste much time. At just twenty years old, to succeed was no small feat, even in Ling Cang, where talent was abundant. She recalled that the two direct disciples of the Taibai Sect’s Nascent Soul stage had also established Foundation this year. Maybe she could ride their coattails...

She cleaned the dirt from her body and put on a pristine white disciple robe, her face radiant with joy and her mind filled with dreams. She had once envied those prodigies—why wasn’t she born with such talent or fortune? Now, she had finally made up for her regrets.

Risking her life to obtain a treasure from Mount Zhulong and exchanging it for a Foundation Establishment pill from the sect, she had surpassed the sect sister who had once shaken the vast ocean. A faint guilt stirred within her.

At first, she hadn’t intended this. When she moved into Lanyue Peak and discovered that the sect sister had joined the sect at the same time as her, she only wanted to maintain a good relationship, hoping to lean on a stronger ally. But as her cultivation advanced, surpassing that sister slightly, her thoughts changed.

Now, she was no longer a small fish unnoticed; why couldn’t she compete with those prodigies? She was unwilling—unwilling to be ordinary, to fade away silently without anyone’s regrets or tears. Living was like that; dying would be the same.

When she learned they were heading to Mount Zhulong, she suddenly recalled the disaster that had shaken Ling Cang, and how one person had survived unscathed and even gained great fortune, beginning a legendary journey.

Her heart burned with passion as she pondered where the key lay.

Back then, she didn’t know that sister or the habits of her spirit beast. This time, she had enough clues to piece together the truth.

...

Abi liked sparkling things, and that treasure was exactly that. Abi was a wood-attribute vine demon who disliked fire and only appeared near the Earth Rift Spring... Her guess was right. Because of her delay, Abi failed to find the treasure and others discovered it instead. She was prepared and smoothly picked out the truly valuable treasure from a pile of fire crystals. Moreover, she survived the Earth Rift disaster.

She succeeded, presenting the treasure and receiving the Foundation Establishment pill.

If she recalled correctly, Foundation Establishment carried great advantages then.

The Taibai Sect had a rule: after establishing Foundation, a disciple could seek apprenticeship with a Nascent Soul cultivator. If the elder liked them, they could be accepted. But not all Nascent Soul cultivators wished to take disciples, nor were all Foundation Establishment disciples favored. Only a third succeeded in becoming disciples of Nascent Soul cultivators, let alone being noticed by Nascent Soul masters.

However, starting that year, every disciple who established Foundation would be accepted by a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Becoming a direct disciple of a Nascent Soul cultivator was still beyond her dreams; her talent was average, unlikely to attract their attention. But she could apprentice under those about to become Nascent Soul cultivators...

As she pondered, she stepped out of the Spirit Eye Pool.

The disciple guarding the pool saw her emerge and astutely noticed she had established Foundation. He hurried forward to congratulate her: “Congratulations, Senior Apprentice, on establishing Foundation and setting foot on the Immortal Path. The Great Way awaits.”

Foundation Establishment was only the first step on the path, so the praise was exaggerated. Xu Jibo shook her head with a smile, in high spirits, and tossed a mid-grade spirit stone to the disciple. “Thank you for your kind words.”

The disciple’s eyes widened in surprise. Although a mid-grade spirit stone was worth a hundred common low-grade stones, its actual value was much higher, and Qi Refining disciples rarely saw one. Moreover, a hundred spirit stones was a generous reward; he earned only a dozen or so guarding the pool for a month. Ecstatic, he exclaimed, “Thank you, Senior Apprentice!”

Xu Jibo waved her hand, fully comfortable with her new status as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and asked cheerfully, “How long was I in seclusion?”

Receiving her reward, the disciple answered respectfully, “Three months, Senior Apprentice.”

“Three months, just right.” She asked again, “Has anything major happened at the sect in the past three months?”

“Major events?” The disciple thought for a moment. “A month ago, Senior Apprentices Lu and Duanmu successfully established Foundation.”

Lu Yingfeng and Duanmu Cheng? Xu Jibo nodded; that matched her memory.

“Anything else?”

“After Lu and Duanmu established Foundation, the sect leader issued a decree: from now on, all senior apprentices and elders who establish Foundation must be accepted as disciples by a Nascent Soul cultivator.” The disciple said happily, “You’ve come at a good time! Besides you, only two others have established Foundation this month. By the way, it’s quite marvelous—those two were established outside, and are said to be survivors of the Mount Zhulong disaster.”

Xu Jibo’s smile stiffened, and a strong premonition arose. She asked solemnly, “What are their names?”

“Hmm... I don’t quite remember. I only recall one surname Cheng, and one surname Qian.”

Xu Jibo’s legs wobbled, nearly causing her to stumble.

...