Chapter Fifty-Nine: Foundation Establishment

"Fellow cultivator, you are mistaken," Ziyu said with a lascivious grin. "You've never tried being with a man, so you can't possibly know the pleasure. Just one taste and you'll be longing for more."

This place was desolate and uninhabited. Ziyu no longer cared to conceal her intentions; as a cultivator at the Golden Core stage, dealing with a Foundation Establishment cultivator shouldn't require so many words.

Seeing Ziyu about to make a move, Zhou Qi was startled and quickly responded, "Oh? Your words are tempting, Ziyu. I'm almost convinced. But after you try, don't forget about the teleportation array." Suppressing his disgust, Zhou Qi stepped forward, raised a finger to Ziyu's chin, and gently scratched.

"Heh, don't worry. I, Ziyu, am good for my word," Ziyu replied, delighted that Zhou Qi was no longer resisting. Force and voluntary submission were worlds apart. She reached out, intending to pull Zhou Qi into her arms.

But Zhou Qi stepped nimbly, using the Five Elements Step to flash behind Ziyu. His finger reached for the back of her neck, lightly scratching as he chuckled, "Ziyu, why so rough? Is there no sense of romance? Close your eyes and leave it all to me." His fingers kept tracing back and forth across the nape of her neck.

Hearing there was more to come, Ziyu closed her eyes as instructed, relishing the sensation as Zhou Qi’s fingers teased her skin—her very soul seemed to flutter.

Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted. The world spun. Looking up, Ziyu saw Zhou Qi standing behind a headless corpse, hands drenched in blood, a cold smile on his lips.

Even after Ziyu's body had collapsed, Zhou Qi still felt no relief. With the Immortal-Slaying Sword, he stabbed the corpse repeatedly—how dare this pervert come after him? Zhou Qi felt he’d have a lifelong shadow from this.

“Leave now! You've killed the Young Master of the Ziyu Sect. Someone will be here to investigate soon!” Tianxuan True Lord urged, halting Zhou Qi’s vengeful assault.

Without a backward glance, Zhou Qi stripped the corpse of its ring, activated his movement technique, and fled.

Within the Ziyu Sect, Ziqing was resting when a sudden sense of dread washed over him—something had happened. His spiritual sense swept toward the soul jade slip, only to find Ziyu’s had shattered. Fury erupted within him. “Who killed my son?”

In a flash, Ziqing appeared in the Ziyu Pavilion. No one knew his son like he did; he knew Ziyu often idled here. The aura of a Nascent Soul cultivator descended upon the entire pavilion, terrifying many of the cultivators indulging in pleasure—they were so frightened they could barely stand.

“Where did Ziyu go?” Ziqing roared.

A trembling cultivator stepped forward, “Sect Master, the Young Master left with a woman and told us not to follow.”

“Who was this woman? Ziyu is dead,” Ziqing said coldly. Always consorting with women, never focusing on cultivation—he was bound to die by a woman’s hand.

The news startled the cultivator, who hurriedly recounted all he had seen of Zhou Qi’s behavior in the Ziyu Pavilion.

“Seal off all areas under Ziyu Sect’s control—do not let this person escape. At this crucial moment, someone might use the teleportation array. It could very well be this Zhou Qi,” Ziqing’s eyes gleamed. If it was Zhou Qi, this would be a major achievement. As for avenging Ziyu, there was no need to worry; once in the hands of the Heavenly Dao Sect, Zhou Qi would not survive.

Zhou Qi, using his movement technique, fled for thousands of miles. Now, two Young Masters from the sects under the Heavenly Dao Sect had died by his hand. Even if he handed over the legacy of the Medicine Immortal’s Palace, survival was uncertain.

Though he was now thousands of miles from the Ziyu Sect, a Nascent Soul cultivator could arrive here quickly. Zhou Qi halted; after using his movement technique so many times, his spiritual energy was depleted.

Finding a clearing, Zhou Qi began silently refining spirit stones to replenish his energy. The teleportation array was no longer an option, and he couldn’t rely on his movement technique for long distances. Although he could now teleport over a kilometer at a time, continuous use was unsustainable. He needed to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage as soon as possible. Then, he could travel upon his sword for long periods, making escape much easier. If breaking through attracted attention, so be it—he had no other choice.

Having decided, Zhou Qi wasted no more time. He began circulating the Profound Heaven True Art to recover. After five days, his spirit, energy, and mind were all at their peak—it was time to break through.

Zhou Qi entered the Medicine Immortal’s Palace, bathed, burned incense, and glanced at the three laborers, who were still diligently refining pills. Taking out the Perfect Foundation Establishment Pill, he returned to the outside world.

Sitting cross-legged, Zhou Qi stacked a great pile of spirit stones at his side. Spiritual energy surged, making the surrounding beasts restless and unwilling to leave.

Zhou Qi ignored everything, relaxing completely, feeling neither joy nor sorrow. He began to circulate the Profound Heaven True Art, ramming against the bottleneck to Foundation Establishment. His mind focused on his dantian, guiding the yuan force in his sea of energy to break through all his meridians.

Breaking through to Foundation Establishment involved two steps. The first was to open all the body’s meridians. The human body had 365 major acupoints, each with 9 meridians, totaling 3,285. Many cultivators were stuck at this step, unable to open all the meridians, and thus failed to establish their foundation. This was when the Foundation Establishment Pill’s value became apparent, and its quality determined how many meridians could be opened. Breaking through at least half was the minimum requirement, but the more meridians opened, the farther one could progress on the path of cultivation.

Zhou Qi did not immediately use the Perfect Foundation Establishment Pill. Most cultivators waited until they encountered a blockage to take the pill, increasing the number of meridians broken through. He meditated for a full day until he felt the barrier, then swallowed the Perfect Foundation Establishment Pill in one gulp. With pursuers behind him, now was not the time to test his talent and comprehension.

The pill melted instantly, and its immense medicinal power, together with Zhou Qi’s spiritual energy, surged through his meridians. As each meridian was opened, Zhou Qi felt his entire body become light and unburdened, as if some shackle had been broken, and he might ascend to immortality at any moment.

He sat in meditation for seven days. All 3,285 meridians in his body were opened; spiritual energy now flowed unimpeded. Next came the second step: transforming his spiritual energy into liquid, compressing the sea of energy in his dantian into a drop of liquid essence. The volume of this liquid determined the level of Foundation Establishment achieved.

Zhou Qi continued with the Profound Heaven True Art, refining spirit stones and, aided by the pill’s power, compressed the spiritual energy in his dantian. The sea of energy visibly shrank. Seven days later, a droplet the size of a thumb appeared in his dantian. Do not underestimate it—this was all the spiritual energy from ten levels of Qi Refinement. Most cultivators managed only a droplet the size of a fingernail at this stage.

A powerful sensation surged through him—Foundation Establishment was complete. Zhou Qi was filled with confidence. The strange phenomena he had expected did not occur. They say it takes a hundred days to establish a foundation, but he had accomplished it in just fourteen—truly a genius.

Suddenly, a fierce wind arose. In the clear sky, a dark red cloud appeared out of nowhere, instantly forming above Zhou Qi’s head. The cloud churned, and lightning began to brew within.

“This is a heavenly tribulation. You must face it carefully. Using the Perfect Foundation Establishment Pill to break through has drawn the jealousy of the heavens. If you cannot survive the lightning, all will be for naught,” Tianxuan True Lord warned.