The world beyond the borders of the Crimson Cloud Sect felt like stepping into another reality
altogether. Jianyu's steps carried him across towering ridges and endless valleys, where the qi in the
air was not only denser but purer, almost liquid in its richness. Every breath filled his meridians with
energy, and every meditation drew in more than he had once gathered in days. He walked with calm
purpose, his robes plain and unassuming, his aura suppressed until it seemed he was little more than a
wandering mortal.
Yet within his chest, his cultivation simmered at the Peak of Qi Refining, pressing against a barrier that
whispered of breakthrough. He had lingered at this level deliberately, polishing his foundation,
condensing his qi, tempering his body until he stood unshakable. The Heaven Devouring Art gave him
no need to rush, but the heavens themselves would soon demand his advance.
The forest ahead was ancient, trees so massive they blotted out the sky, roots rising like the walls of
fortresses. Spirit beasts roamed freely here; their roars echoed across valleys, announcing territory and
dominance. Jianyu moved like a shadow through the undergrowth, cautious but unafraid. He knew
danger awaited him, yet he also knew that danger meant opportunity.
The opportunity came sooner than expected.
The ground trembled beneath his feet. Leaves scattered, birds shrieked into the sky, and the stench of
blood and spirit energy filled the air. Jianyu halted, his senses sharpening. From between the trees, a
hulking figure emerged—a beast easily three times the height of a man, scales black as obsidian, eyes
glowing with a predatory crimson light. Its claws carved gouges into the stone as it walked, and the air
warped faintly around its body.
A Foundation Building Realm spirit beast.
Its aura dwarfed Elder Zhang's presence, heavier, wilder, more primal. Jianyu's body instinctively
tensed, his blood screaming that this opponent could tear him apart. But his eyes narrowed with
something fiercer than fear: resolve. This was exactly what he sought.
The beast roared, the sound shaking the canopy, and lunged. Jianyu's feet barely shifted, his body
flowing backward with the ghostlike movements of the Heaven Devouring Art. Its claws slammed into
the ground, cracking earth and stone, but Jianyu was already gone, sliding past like a phantom. His
palm lashed out, qi surging in a vortex, slamming against its scales.
The beast staggered, but its defenses were monstrous. Its tail whipped around like a mountain falling.
Jianyu crossed his arms, qi condensing into a devouring shield. The impact threw him against a tree,
bark splintering, blood rushing to his lips. But his shield absorbed more than it deflected, swallowing
threads of the beast's qi into his body. He coughed, then smiled faintly through the blood.
"Yes… this is it."
Again and again, the battle raged. Jianyu ducked, slid, countered, every exchange sharpening his
instincts. He was battered, bloodied, yet every strike he endured he devoured, and every core of
energy he drew upon reinforced his foundation. His qi swirled thicker, darker, purer. The beast, sensing
danger, unleashed its full power, a storm of spiritual energy shaking the entire forest.
And Jianyu devoured it.
The Heaven Devouring Art howled within him, pulling the raging qi into his meridians, refining,
condensing, purifying until his dantian expanded to its limit. His body screamed, every tendon tearing
and reforging, bones cracking then hardening stronger than steel. He roared with the beast, his voice
cutting through the chaos.
At last, with a final surge, he launched himself forward, fist wrapped in a swirling vortex that seemed to
swallow light itself. The punch smashed through the beast's scaled head, tearing through bone and
spirit. The monster shrieked once, then collapsed with a crash that shook the forest floor.
Its spirit core gleamed within its chest, pulsing with power. Jianyu staggered forward, body trembling
with exhaustion, and placed his hand upon it. The Heaven Devouring Art stirred hungrily, threads of
energy pulling into his palm. The moment the core dissolved into his body, agony unlike any he had
ever known consumed him.
His veins boiled. His dantian tore and remade itself, expanding beyond mortal limits. His qi, once a
surging river, became a boundless sea, every drop denser than before. His meridians stretched,
hardened, and snapped open into new channels. His bones rang like divine metal, his marrow suffused
with golden light.
He screamed as the breakthrough devoured him, then gasped as his consciousness stabilized. When
at last the pain subsided, Jianyu sat cross-legged amid the shattered forest, his aura erupting outward
like a newborn sun before he forced it down, smothering it into silence.
He had ascended.
Foundation Building Realm, Stage One.
The beast's corpse turned to ash as his Heaven Devouring Art consumed even the remnants. Jianyu
rose slowly, his eyes gleaming with a power he had never known. His entire being felt transformed—his
steps lighter, his qi infinite, his body indestructible. Yet he smiled faintly, for he knew: this was only the
beginning.
---
Two days later, Jianyu's journey carried him to the gates of a grand sect, towering mountain peaks
rising into the clouds behind it, waterfalls spilling down like rivers of jade. Disciples in pristine robes
patrolled the gates, their auras sharp and confident, most of them already stronger than the elders of
his former sect. Above the gate, the characters blazed with spiritual power: Azure Sky Sect.
Jianyu stepped forward quietly, his presence carefully muted, yet it did not go unnoticed. The gate
disciples looked him over, their expressions flickering. A youth no older than seventeen, yet his qi
revealed itself faintly as freshly advanced Foundation Building. At such an age, that alone was
extraordinary.
"State your name and purpose," one demanded.
"Jianyu," he said calmly, bowing. "A wandering cultivator seeking admittance to the sect."
Whispers spread quickly, as news of his cultivation reached the ears of higher-ranked disciples. Soon,
an elder arrived—robes deep blue, his aura vast and crushing, the power of Core Formation Realm
radiating like the sun. Jianyu bowed deeply, suppressing every thread of arrogance, hiding the truth of
his devouring foundation.
The elder's gaze lingered on him, sharp as a blade yet tinged with curiosity. "Such young age… already
Foundation Building. Your roots are deep, your qi unusually steady. Not a flower blooming overnight,
but a mountain rising from the earth." He studied Jianyu longer, then nodded once. "I am Elder Shen,
outer elder of the Azure Sky Sect. From this moment forward, you are my disciple."
Gasps rose from the gathered disciples, envy and awe alike flickering in their eyes. To be accepted
directly under a Core Formation elder was an honor even geniuses of noble blood often failed to earn.
For a nameless wanderer, it was unheard of.
Jianyu bowed again, concealing the fire burning within. "Disciple greets Master."
And with that, the gates opened for him. The Azure Sky Sect loomed ahead, vast and unfathomable,
filled with countless opportunities and dangers. Jianyu's path stretched further than ever before, yet he
reminded himself of one truth: treasures drew envy, and envy drew death. His Heaven Devouring Art
would remain hidden, his true foundation locked away in silence, until the day the heavens themselves
bowed before him.
The boy who had once been mocked as talentless trash now walked among giants. And he vowed that
no matter how high the heavens reached, his path would not end until he stood above them all