Far away from Cloud Mist Market, a lone figure moved silently along a narrow mountain trail.
The path wound through the outer regions of the Cloud Mist Forest and extended toward another mountain range deeper within Dragon Yuan Province.
His name was Su Yang.
Years ago, during the first beast tide, he had been the leader of a hunting team. Unfortunately, the disaster had wiped out every member under his command. Only he had survived.
At first, he thought survival itself was his greatest fortune.
Later—
He realized the true opportunity had been something else entirely.
A jade runic script.
A mysterious jade fragment engraved with a single ancient character.
Yang 陽
After coming into contact with the script, subtle changes had begun occurring within his body. At first they were barely noticeable, but as time passed, the transformations became increasingly obvious.
His spiritual sense had been tempered repeatedly by the jade script through the medium of his Lightning Spiritual Root. Even his physique had undergone changes.
Currently, his physical body alone was comparable to a Rank-2 yao beast.
All of it came from the residual lightning hidden within the jade.
Naturally, Su Yang had investigated its origins.
He searched through records.
Ancient texts.
Inheritance manuals.
Even black market information.
Unfortunately, very little matched his situation.
The closest explanations involved certain Heaven and Earth Spiritual Lightnings capable of tempering both body and soul simultaneously.
According to his speculation, some type of Spiritual Lightning was sealed within the jade script.
Over time, that lightning continuously flowed through his spiritual root and nourished his entire body.
The benefits were astonishing.
His Medium Grade Spiritual Root had gradually transformed into a High Grade Spiritual Root.
A change countless cultivators would kill for.
A change that elevated him from a talented cultivator into the ranks of true geniuses.
At this moment, Su Yang moved rapidly through the forest using a Light Body Talisman attached to his robes.
His destination was simple.
A spiritual vein.
A Rank-2 spiritual vein.
Only with such a location could he safely attempt Foundation Establishment.
Fortunately, the recent beast tide had changed the balance of power throughout the region.
Most Rank-2 yao beasts had either died during the conflict or been severely injured.
Even the Beast Lord had fallen.
Thinking about that battle, Su Yang's eyes flashed with admiration.
He still remembered the lightning divine ability that descended from the sky.
The terrifying power.
The overwhelming might.
That scene had been deeply engraved into his heart.
Perhaps one day...
He too would possess such strength.
The thought strengthened his resolve.
Passing through one beast territory after another, Su Yang remained extremely cautious.
A Rank-2 Concealment Talisman hid his presence completely.
Not only that, but his spiritual sense had long ago evolved into Divine Sense after years of tempering by the jade script.
This allowed him to detect dangers far earlier than ordinary Qi Refining cultivators.
More importantly—
It had allowed him to become a Rank-2 Talisman Master.
Over the past few years, he had quietly sold numerous talismans through underground channels.
The profits were substantial.
Using those profits, he had obtained many resources.
Among them was a Fine Grade Foundation Establishment Pill.
Even though his Spiritual Root had already advanced to High Grade, he still wasn't arrogant enough to rely entirely on natural talent.
The cultivation world was filled with examples of geniuses failing breakthroughs.
Preparation was always worthwhile.
After several hours of searching, Su Yang finally stopped.
His eyes brightened.
Ahead of him stood a narrow cave hidden beneath a cliff face.
At first glance it appeared ordinary.
However, under Divine Sense observation, a deep crevice could be seen extending toward the territory of a Rank-2 yao beast.
More importantly—
Dense spiritual qi continuously leaked from that crack.
A Rank-2 Spiritual Vein.
Although he wasn't directly entering the vein itself, the leaking spiritual qi alone was enough for his purposes.
Without hesitation, Su Yang began making preparations.
Several formation flags flew outward.
A Rank-2 Visual Obstruction Formation was established around the cave entrance.
Shortly afterward, another defensive formation appeared deeper inside.
One concealed the area.
The other prevented intruders from entering.
After verifying everything repeatedly, Su Yang finally relaxed.
Only then did he enter the cave.
Cross-legged.
Eyes closed.
Mind calm.
He slowly began circulating his cultivation method.
The Nine Profound Lightning Method.
A Rank-2 High Grade cultivation method obtained through a black market transaction years ago.
It possessed the potential to support cultivation all the way to the peak of Foundation Establishment.
As the method circulated, lightning-attributed spiritual qi flowed through his meridians.
His Great Perfection Qi Refining cultivation immediately began showing signs of instability.
Not weakness.
Transformation.
The breakthrough had begun.
A powerful wave surged through his body.
The first barrier arrived.
Essence.
The power swept through his flesh.
His blood.
His organs.
His bones.
Every aspect of his physical body was examined.
Fortunately, years of tempering by Spiritual Lightning had granted him an extraordinarily powerful physique.
The barrier passed smoothly with little impurities being ejected from his pores making him look like he's glowing
The second wave followed immediately.
Qi.
His Great Perfection Qi Refining cultivation began compressing violently.
Spiritual qi condensed.
Compressed.
Refined.
Again and again.
The pressure caused his meridians to ache intensely.
Yet he endured.
Gradually, gaseous spiritual qi transformed into liquid magic power.
The second barrier collapsed.
Then—
The final barrier appeared.
Spirit.
His Divine Sense trembled slightly.
An invisible pressure descended upon his consciousness.
The test was brief.
Yet dangerous.
Fortunately, years of tempering by the jade script once again proved their worth.
His Divine Sense remained stable.
The third barrier shattered.
Boom!
A subtle vibration echoed through his entire being.
His origin transformed.
His life level ascended.
The surrounding spiritual qi immediately rushed toward him.
Fortunately, the formations successfully concealed the fluctuations.
No beast.
No cultivator.
No outsider noticed anything.
Within his Niwan Palace, a spiritual platform gradually began forming.
The foundation of Foundation Establishment.
The higher its quality—
The greater the cultivator's future potential.
The platform solidified continuously.
Low Grade.
Then beyond Low Grade.
Mid Grade.
Su Yang's expression remained serious.
Mid Grade Foundation Establishment was already enough to reach the limits of Foundation Establishment.
Many cultivators spent their entire lives unable to achieve such a result.
Yet he wasn't satisfied.
Not anymore.
Not after obtaining the jade script.
Not after becoming a High Grade Spiritual Root genius.
His ambitions had long since changed.
He wanted High Grade Foundation Establishment.
Only then could he maximize his future potential.
Unfortunately—
The platform began slowing.
Its growth weakened.
The signs were obvious.
Mid Grade was approaching its limit.
Despair nearly appeared within his heart.
Then—
The jade script moved.
A surge of mysterious energy erupted from the ancient rune.
Golden lightning flowed directly into his Niwan Palace as it also spread across his body unknowingly cleansing his aura.
Boom!
The spiritual platform trembled.
Then expanded once more.
Cracks disappeared.
Imperfections vanished.
The entire foundation underwent another transformation.
Mid Grade.
Peak Mid Grade.
Half-step High Grade.
Then finally—
High Grade Foundation Establishment.
The moment the transformation completed, Su Yang nearly laughed aloud.
Success.
True success.
Not merely Foundation Establishment.
High Grade Foundation Establishment.
The foundation of future experts.
The foundation of true geniuses.
The easiest part came afterward.
Absorption.
Massive amounts of spiritual qi flooded into his body.
Liquid magic power rapidly accumulated within his Middle Dantian.
One drop.
Five drops.
Ten drops.
Twenty drops.
Thirty drops.
Only after reaching thirty drops of liquid magic power did the influx finally slow.
At that moment, Su Yang slowly opened his eyes.
A faint lightning arc flickered within them.
His aura had become vastly stronger than before.
Foundation Establishment.
And not merely the realm itself.
He had directly reached the middle of Early Foundation Establishment.
Feeling the power flowing through his body, Su Yang clenched his fist.
Lightning crackled softly around his fingers.
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
From this day onward—
He was no longer a mere Qi Refining cultivator struggling to survive.
He had finally stepped onto the stage of true cultivators.
Within the Jia Region, Lin Sheng suddenly opened his eyes.
His cultivation room remained silent.
Yet his expression changed slightly.
One of his Mental Marks had disappeared.
Not weakened.
Not moved out of range.
Removed.
That immediately caught his attention.
The Mental Marks were something he had developed using his Mental Power after entering the Xuan Gang Realm. They were extremely subtle and attached themselves to a person's aura signature.
Normally, unless he personally withdrew them, they would remain for years.
Even Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't easily detect them.
At least according to the Chip's calculations.
Yet one had just vanished.
Immediately, streams of data flashed across his vision.
•[Mental Mark Lost]•
•[Target: Su Yang]•
•[Cause: Unknown]•
•[Possibility Of Natural Dissipation: 0.03%]•
•[Possibility Of External Interference: 99.97%]•
Lin Sheng's eyes narrowed.
External interference.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
He had originally placed the mark on Su Yang merely out of habit.
After all, the man had survived the beast tide and possessed unusually strong Spiritual Sense for a Qi Refining cultivator.
At the time, Lin Sheng found him slightly interesting.
Nothing more.
But now—
Something capable of removing his Mental Mark had appeared.
Whether it was a treasure.
A cultivation technique.
A bloodline.
Or some other unknown variable.
All of them possessed research value.
More importantly—
Understanding unknown phenomena was one of the Chip's primary objectives.
Unknown variables often led to breakthroughs.
Standing up, Lin Sheng looked toward the distant Cloud Mist Forest.
His Mental Field spread outward instinctively.
Unfortunately, the connection had already vanished completely.
There was nothing left to track.
Not even residual traces.
This only increased his curiosity.
"Interesting."
The word escaped softly from his mouth.
Anything capable of removing his mark without triggering a backlash was worth investigating.
After all—
Knowledge itself was power.
And unknown knowledge was the most valuable kind.
Without hesitation, Gang Qi circulated through his body.
A faint wind gathered beneath his feet.
The gravity around him seemed to weaken slightly.
The next moment—
Whoosh!
Lin Sheng transformed into a blur and shot toward the Cloud Mist Forest.
Far away, deep within the mountains, Su Yang was still stabilizing his Foundation Establishment cultivation.
Completely unaware that someone was already heading in his direction.
And equally unaware that the jade script had just attracted the attention of the most troublesome researcher in Cloud Mist Market..