The night was as clear as water.
Ji Haoyuan sat alone outside a stone house, lost in thought.
After midnight tonight, it would be his hundredth birthday.
The time really flies by so quickly.
A trace of bitterness, helplessness, and melancholy appeared on his face.
A hundred years had passed since he traversed into this world.
Ever since he was discovered to possess Two Spirit Roots, he had been regarded as the hope of the family, with all cultivation resources prioritized for him.
And at that time, he didn't disappoint the family.
At the age of ten, he successfully introduced energy into his body, becoming a Qi Refining level one Cultivator.
By the age of around thirty, he had reached the peak of Qi Refining.
At forty, carrying the hopes of all his clan members, he attempted Foundation Establishment with a Foundation Establishment Pill that the family had spent massive resources to acquire for him.
Yet, it was from this moment that his progress halted.
Two years later, he failed to establish his foundation.
Luckily, due to his solid foundation, even though he failed, with the help of the Foundation Establishment Pill, he didn't damage his foundation and still had a chance to try again with significant success probability.
Thus, after ten years.
After a comprehensive evaluation by the Ji Family and at the decision of Patriarch Ji Bochang, the second Foundation Establishment Pill, acquired at great expense, once again fell into Ji Haoyuan's hands.
At this point, the entire Ji Family's situation had become quite difficult.
Especially since their Patriarch Ji Bochang, after being critically injured on an outing, severely shortened his lifespan.
Initially in his prime and expected to live for another hundred years, his life was now limited to only fifty or sixty years.
This resulted in the invisible reduction of some of the Ji Family's industries and influence.
Along with this, the clan's income and resources provided to clan members were also reduced.
Unless the Ji Family produced a second Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Only then could everything improve again.
It could be said that Ji Haoyuan's attempt at Foundation Establishment was already tied to the survival and demise of the entire Ji Family.
After this attempt, the Ji Family no longer had the means to pursue a third Foundation Establishment Pill.
Once he failed, the only outcome for the Ji Family was that soon, they would be kicked out of Nanning County's three Foundation Establishment Clans.
Anyone with foresight could predict what would happen then.
Those who had a vendetta or even those neutral towards the Ji Family would swarm towards them like sharks smelling blood, consuming the Ji Family completely.
However, whether it was due to the overwhelming pressure Ji Haoyuan was bearing or some other reason, despite the hopeful expectations of all the clan members, Ji Haoyuan's second attempt at Foundation Establishment failed again.
Ji Haoyuan still remembered the painful, despairing gazes of the elders and clan members after he came out of seclusion, and the helpless, disappointed sigh of Patriarch Ji Bochang.
Now, exactly fifty years had passed since that day.
For fifty years.
Ji Haoyuan had been working for the family, to repay the debts he owed to the clan.
During this time, he increasingly felt how their family's position in Nanning County was becoming more difficult, especially as Patriarch Ji Bochang's lifespan approached its end.
The family's assets and influence had undoubtedly shrunk by half compared to fifty years ago.
Currently, they were left with just a market and some scattered industries.
Even their Ji Family's first-tier upper-grade Fire Element Spirit Vein on Taiping Mountain was bought at a low price by the Zhang Family, one of Nanning County's three major Foundation Establishment families.
It's essential to know that a Fire Element Spirit Vein is a perfect place for Alchemy, Artifact Refining, and cultivating Fire Attribute Techniques.
Even if its grade was only first-tier upper grade, its value could rival half of the most ordinary second-tier lower-grade Spirit Vein.
Ji Haoyuan's lips curled in a bitter smile again.
He knew that the time left for the Ji Family was running out.
From what he knew, the clan had already started secretly sending out some people in waves many years ago.
The purpose was naturally to leave a seed of hope for the Ji Family.
But as someone who had mingled in the Cultivation Realm for nearly a hundred years, Ji Haoyuan knew well that those who went down the mountain, once part of a Cultivation Clan, instantly fell into becoming Loose Cultivators.
And being a Loose Cultivator, trying to survive in this world where the strong prey on the weak, struggling to live every step of the way, was a tremendously difficult thing.
The hope and probability of rising again were infinitely more challenging than winning a five-million lottery in his previous life.
But there was no alternative.
No matter how low the probability was, having even a slight hope was better than having none at all.
Remembering these, an expression of resolution gradually emerged on the old face of Ji Haoyuan.
Rather than continuing to struggle in the remaining time, he'd rather clasp the opportunity now and fight one last time.
Yes, he planned to attempt Foundation Establishment one last time.
Even though he knew well that at his current age, with declining vitality, fighting for that slim chance for Foundation Establishment was tantamount to courting death.
But what does it matter?
At this age, having experienced such ups and downs, and seen the cold and heat of human relationships, what else could he not let go of?
Perhaps ending his remaining life in such a way would be a kind of release.
With these thoughts, Ji Haoyuan slowly stood up.
At this time, the moonlight hid among the clouds.
Midnight quietly arrived.
And at this very moment, Ji Haoyuan seemed to hear a voice.
"Century mark achievement unlocked; drawing your unique talent.
Extracting talent…
Congratulations, you have gained max level comprehension."
In an instant, Ji Haoyuan felt his consciousness infinitely elevated.
All former insights, whether past or unknown, surged into his mind.
Especially the reason for his two previous Foundation Establishment failures; in his current state, it became as clear as day.
It turns out that within this Fire Attribute Technique from the Ji Family, named "Fire Separation Technique," so many parts were cut out.
Especially the essential step in condensing Liquid Magical Power; it was missing the critical part of using a spiritual object named Water Crystal Stone to neutralize the most violent and blazing parts of the technique.
Without it, true control over the fierce and scorching power is challenging, leading to Liquid Power Condensation failure.
No wonder the Ji Family, to this day, hadn't a single person succeed in Foundation Establishment using the Fire Separation Technique.
Of course.
This could also relate to the Fire Separation Technique not being our clan's foundational technique, the Cyan Wood Longevity Technique.
Not many people practiced it to begin with.
And those who did, mostly used it for pursuing the path of Alchemy Master or Artifact Refiner.
The technique was actually acquired by the previous Clan Leader during an unexpected outing.
It hasn't been in the family for long.
No wonder its flaws went unnoticed.
Understanding the situation now, Ji Haoyuan couldn't help but develop another thought.
Could I alter this technique now and adapt it to be the most suitable technique for me to achieve Foundation Establishment?