55: Chapter 55 Reversal

Before dawn, Lu Chen made a decision—return to the Hehuan Sect.

Six days and nights. How much would the cracks spread? He couldn't calculate it. But the "Third Method" that Li Xuanyi had waited three hundred years for—if it lay on the third stone wall of the stone coffin—was worth spending six days to retrieve. Even if it wasn't, he still had to go. What Big Sister had guarded for three years was no idle gossip.

When he left the Xuantian Sect mountain gate, the sky was just barely light. Fang Jing stood on the steps of the front hall—he didn't stop him. He handed over a small pouch of Spirit Stones.

"No need to return them. Consider it research funding."

Lu Chen took them. He didn't count—he just weighed them in his hand. About ten or so. Not quite enough—but it would suffice. He didn't intend to Cultivate on the road. The spread of the cracks was directly proportional to the circulation of Spiritual Qi—if he didn't move his Spiritual Qi, it wouldn't accelerate.

But without moving his Spiritual Qi—he could only walk. No flying. No escaping. No accelerating. From the Xuantian Sect to the Hehuan Sect—he had to rely on his feet. Six days.

On the evening of the fifth day—he ran into Qin Wu on the official road.

It wasn't a coincidence. Qin Wu had been waiting at the intersection of the official road for three days. The white line told him—the line was shortening. The resonance distance was shrinking—it wasn't that Lu Chen had walked far away. It was that the cracks had weakened the Spiritual Qi output of the Grey Spirit Root—and the resonance of the white line had weakened along with it. Qin Wu noticed the line fading—so he moved forward to meet him.

"Where is He Xiaowan?"

"She settled down in a town. A medicinal herb shop took her in. She said there was no need to wait—she would plant the Angelica in the shop's backyard." Qin Wu glanced at the direction of Lu Chen's Dantian—not at the Dantian, but at his belt. The hem of his robe below the belt—was trembling. It wasn't the wind. It was the cracks spreading to the middle section of his Spiritual Root—the pulsation of Spiritual Qi was beginning to affect his body.

"How much further can you walk?"

"Far enough to walk back to the Cave of Ten Thousand Desires."

The two traveled through the night. On the sixth day—outside the mountain gate of the Hehuan Sect. Just like the previous six days—no one was guarding it. But this time, there was no one collapsed at the entrance. Someone had moved the empty shell of the old steward into the hall—leaning against the leg of the offering table. Its mouth was still moving. Opening and closing.

When Qin Wu passed by, he squatted down and watched for a moment. He stood up. He didn't speak.

The entrance to the Cave of Ten Thousand Desires. The Spirit Pattern wall was still open—the stone door that He Xiaowan had opened six days ago hadn't closed. The Seal was new—but the entrance wasn't locked. Because it didn't need a lock—the Shell Mother had been sealed to death. All the Sub-shells were dead. There was only one thing left in the bottom layer now—it was empty.

The stone coffin was still by the well. The lid was open—Big Sister's remains had already been moved. Three sides of the coffin wall—the front side read, "Tell Xiaowan, there is no need to plant the Angelica anymore." Lu Chen walked around to the tail end of the coffin.

There were characters.

They were also carved with fingernails—but more scribbled than the front. It wasn't something traced repeatedly over three years—it had been carved urgently one day after she entered the coffin. The depth of the carvings was uneven—the Shell Mother's roots were draining her Spiritual Qi while Big Sister was carving. She had stopped halfway—then was pushed by some belief to continue.

"The Shell Mother bites the Grey Spirit Root—the Spiritual Root will crack—the cracks are not wounds—they are channels. When the Grey Spirit Root is intact, Foundation Establishment occurs—the old root melts to cast the new root. When the Grey Spirit Root cracks and undergoes Foundation Establishment—the cracks become the extension of the Spiritual Root—the old root explodes and scatters—fragments exit the body along the direction of the cracks—the extension Meridians take over. If Foundation Establishment succeeds—the Spiritual Root is reshaped—the cracks disappear. If Foundation Establishment fails—the fragments go out of control—the Spiritual Root is completely shattered—death. Master Li did not crack back then—he chose not to undergo Foundation Establishment—and passed away. I cracked—but the Shell Mother kept draining me—there wasn't enough Spiritual Qi needed for Foundation Establishment—dragged on until death. The third method is not to reverse the Love-Refining Furnace—it is to use the cracks as the Foundation Establishment channel.—Tell the next Grey Spirit Root Cultivator."

Lu Chen read it twice. Then he stood up.

It wasn't a reversal. It was Foundation Establishment. Big Sister had carved the third method on the tail of the coffin—she had deduced it while the Shell Mother's roots had been draining her Spiritual Qi for three years. Li Xuanyi hadn't cracked—he didn't have the opportunity for Foundation Establishment. Shen Xi hadn't cracked when he escaped either—but his soul had dissipated. Among the three Grey Spirit Root Cultivators—only Lu Chen happened to still be alive after cracking, still have enough Spiritual Qi, and still have time.

But this wasn't a method—it was a gamble. The cracks becoming the Foundation Establishment channel—was equivalent to pushing the fragments of an exploded Spiritual Root out through the cracks. If pushed correctly—the Spiritual Root would be reshaped outside the body and then retracted back into the Dantian. If pushed incorrectly—the fragments would scatter into the heavens and earth. Death.

When Big Sister carved the word "death" in "dragged on until death"—the carving was the deepest. It wasn't because of brute force. It was despair. She had deduced the method—but she couldn't use it herself. The Shell Mother's roots had been draining her for three years—the Spiritual Qi in her Dantian wasn't even one-tenth of what was needed for Foundation Establishment. Knowing the method—but being unable to use it. That was even more painful than not knowing.

Lu Chen stood up from the tail of the coffin. Qin Wu was leaning against the Spirit Pattern wall. The white line on his wrist was glowing faintly in the dark—there were two and a half grey marks left. One and a half fewer than his.

"What did she carve?"

"Foundation Establishment. The cracks are channels. Not a reversal."

"Do you believe her?"

"She has no reason to lie to a dead person. When she carved these words—she thought she was already dead. The dead don't need to lie to the dead."

Qin Wu didn't respond. He was touching his blade—the third one. The one that had been stained with the Shell Mother's black sap six days ago—a mark that couldn't be washed off remained on the steel edge. It wasn't rust. It was the residue of the Shell Mother—black and shiny.

"How long does Foundation Establishment take?"

"I don't know. Maybe an incense stick's time. Maybe a whole night."

"I will guard."

Lu Chen looked at Qin Wu's wrist. The grey marks on the white line had retracted a little from two and a half—it wasn't something he had ground away himself. It was the line changing on its own. When Qin Wu was sharpening his blade—the grey marks would shrink. Walking that stretch of road with He Xiaowan—the grey marks would also shrink. It wasn't a Cultivation Technique. It wasn't willpower. It was the person—the person was still there. Still doing human things. The line changed accordingly.

"Your grey marks are decreasing." Lu Chen said.

"Sharpening."

"Can rust on a blade be sharpened away—can the line be sharpened too?"

"I don't know. But I am trying."

Lu Chen looked down at his own wrist—four grey marks side by side. Thin. But steady. Unlike Qin Wu's, which would shrink—his were constantly widening. It wasn't because he was "greyer" than Qin Wu. It was because he wasn't "sharpening" anything. Every single thing he did—sealing the Shell Mother, heading north to the Xuantian Sect, getting the eighth Finger Bone, investigating the third method—was consuming. Not one thing was "sharpening." But now there was one.

Foundation Establishment was not consuming—it was recasting. When recasting—would the grey marks decrease? He didn't know. But he had to try.

When they came out of the Cave of Ten Thousand Desires, it was almost dark. Under the wisteria—the grave that He Xiaowan had piled up six days ago already had tender sprouts of grass seeds emerging. Not Angelica. It was an unknown grass. It had drilled out from under the roots of the wisteria—pushing open the thin soil. The leaves were very small. But the edges had a ring of purple—the color of the wisteria.

Qin Wu squatted beside the wisteria. He broke off a blade of grass—and smelled it at the tip of his nose.

"It's sweet."

Lu Chen didn't smell it. He was calculating the time.

The speed at which the cracks spread was accelerating—starting five days ago, every day the spread accelerated by one point. It wasn't linear—it was exponential. When the Shell Mother bit him, it injected a wisp of its residual power into the cracks—that wisp of power was chewing on the Spiritual Root from the inside. Now the cracks had already covered one-third of the Spiritual Root. Seven more days—and it would reach halfway. He must undergo Foundation Establishment before it reached halfway. One day late—and the probability of the fragments going out of control would increase by ten percent.

But this schedule had a loophole—Foundation Establishment would consume all the Spiritual Qi in the Dantian. If there wasn't enough Spiritual Qi midway through Foundation Establishment—it would be the same as Big Sister. Dragged on until death. Replenishing Spiritual Qi required Spirit Stones. Fang Jing had given him about ten—not enough. Foundation Establishment was a major Realm Breakthrough—it required thirty percent more Spiritual Qi than the entire reserve of a Peak Qi Refining Level 6 Cultivator.

Thirty percent more. Where could he find it?

Han Yuan.

The Ten Thousand Sword Sect's two hundred years of Grey Spirit Root research—had a repository. Not a Spirit Stone repository—it was a Spiritual Qi pool specifically for Grey Spirit Root Cultivation. Shen Xi's notes had mentioned one sentence—the Ten Thousand Sword Sect had poured two hundred years of resources into Jian Wushuang. Among them was a "pool"—specifically for Grey Spirit Root Cultivators to use during a Breakthrough. Not Spirit Stones. It was liquefied Spiritual Qi. One pool was enough for Foundation Establishment.

A transaction. Han Yuan wanted the Grey Spirit Root fragments—he wanted the pool. But if Lu Chen succeeded in Foundation Establishment—the Spiritual Root would be reshaped—the fragments would be gone. Han Yuan wouldn't be able to get the fragments—why would he give him the pool? Unless—he gave him a portion of the fragments first.

After the Grey Spirit Root cracked—tiny fragments were constantly peeling off from the edges of the cracks. The fragments were too small—if they scattered into the Meridians, they would be absorbed by the body. But if he used the Gray Line Meridians to intercept the fragments—and collect them—he could gather a tiny bit. It wasn't enough for all of Han Yuan's research—but it was enough to serve as a deposit.

Lu Chen sat under the wisteria. He closed his eyes. The Gray Line Meridians reached out from his Dantian—a thin line extended into the edge of the cracks. As soon as the line touched the cracks—the cracks widened by a hair's breadth. But he didn't stop. The gray line wove a net between the cracks and the Meridians—not to block, but to intercept. When the fragments fell off from the cracks, they would be caught by the net.

After a dozen breaths—there was a pinch of grey-white powder in his palm. Extremely fine—finer than flour. Fragments of the Grey Spirit Root. Holding it in his palm—it was cold. Not temperature. It was living Qi—the living Qi of the fragments was seeping into his palm. It wasn't nourishment—it was taking. The fragments were also taking. The essence of the Grey Spirit Root—taking—was carved into every single fragment.

He took a piece of cloth and wrapped it up.

On the seventh day—Han Yuan was waiting outside the mountain gate of the Hehuan Sect. Not tracking—it was because he knew Lu Chen would return. The spreading pattern of Grey Spirit Root cracks—the Ten Thousand Sword Sect had seen it when researching Jian Wushuang. When the cracks spread to about one-third—the Cultivator would start looking for a pool or medicine. Not out of greed—but because there wasn't enough time.

"I went to see the stone coffin." Lu Chen said. "The third method—Foundation Establishment. The cracks are channels."

Han Yuan was silent for a moment. Not digesting—he was verifying. Comparing Big Sister's deduction with the Ten Thousand Sword Sect's research—Jian Wushuang's Grey Spirit Root had also cracked. But it wasn't from being bitten by the Shell Mother—it was from the backlash of his own Sword Intent. The Ten Thousand Sword Sect's method of handling it was suppression—not utilization. Big Sister's method was the reverse—not suppressing the cracks. It was using the cracks as a tool.

"She was able to deduce this." Han Yuan said. "If she had enough Spiritual Qi—she should have been able to succeed in Foundation Establishment."

"Not enough Spiritual Qi. The Shell Mother kept draining her. Dragged on until death."

"She knew the method before she died."

"She knew."

Neither of them spoke again. A woman. Qi Refining Level 8. Grey Spirit Root. She had deduced the Foundation Establishment method for Grey Spirit Root cracks—and then, because she didn't have enough Spiritual Qi. She lay in the stone coffin waiting for death. Three years. Waiting for the next Grey Spirit Root Cultivator to come—hoping the next one would have enough Spiritual Qi. She didn't know if the next one would come. After Li Xuanyi three hundred years ago, it took one hundred years for her to appear. After her, it took another three hundred years for Lu Chen to appear. There was no pattern to the appearance of Grey Spirit Roots. Perhaps the next one would have to wait another three hundred years—the words she carved might only be read by someone three hundred years later. But she carved them anyway. Carved in a place that only the dead could see.

"The pool." Lu Chen placed the cloth package in Han Yuan's hand. "The fragments—consider it a deposit. If the Foundation Establishment fails—all the fragments are yours. If the Foundation Establishment succeeds—the Spiritual Root is reshaped. The fragments will be gone. But—I will repay the debt of the pool in another way."

Han Yuan opened the cloth package. The grey-white powder was spread out in his palm. He probed it with his Spiritual Qi—it was real. Fragments of the Grey Spirit Root that had fallen off the edges of the cracks. The activity was still there—it could be used to research Jian Wushuang.

"The pool is in the back mountain of the Ten Thousand Sword Sect. I will take you in."

"The Foundation Establishment will be at the Xuantian Sect. Fang Jing wants the data—let him watch the Foundation Establishment. You also want the data—the pool is in your hands. All three parties get what they need."

Han Yuan tucked the cloth package into his robes. He didn't bargain. Because he knew what Lu Chen meant—the data during the Foundation Establishment process was more valuable than the pool. It was the first time someone had used cracks as a channel for Foundation Establishment—every step of the data could potentially save the next Grey Spirit Root Cultivator who had cracked. The next one—might be Jian Wushuang.

"The pool will be moved to the Xuantian Sect within three days. When you are ready—go in."

Han Yuan left. Qin Wu emerged from behind the wisteria. He sheathed the third blade back behind his back—the one that had been stained with the Shell Mother's black sap. The blade had gained a scar—not a scratch. It was the mark left by the black sap on the steel edge—like a black ice crack pattern. It couldn't be washed off—but the blade wasn't broken. On the contrary, it was sharper—it had been quenched by the black sap.

"After the pool arrives. You undergo Foundation Establishment. I will guard the gate." Qin Wu said.

"Aren't you afraid I'll die—and the line will break."

Qin Wu touched his wrist. He didn't answer immediately. He looked at the grey marks on the white line—two left. Very thin. But clear—the line was still there.

"If the line breaks—I can still forge iron. If you don't undergo Foundation Establishment—the cracks will spread to the top of the Spiritual Root—and you'll die anyway. Then it's better to undergo Foundation Establishment now. If the line breaks—at least it will be after the gamble is finished."

At night. Under the wisteria. The unknown grass seeds planted by He Xiaowan—had two new sprouts emerging. Qin Wu was sharpening his fourth blade—an old kitchen knife he had dug out from the abandoned warehouse of the Hehuan Sect. It wasn't for fighting. It was just for fun. When sharpening the blade, the grey marks on the white line would shrink—he had discovered the pattern. It wasn't the sharpening itself. It was focus. When focusing on doing one thing—the line turned white. The grey marks retreated.

Lu Chen sat on the other side of the wisteria. He laid out the eight Finger Bones in a row. The first one was shattered at Qingniu Ridge—only the residue of bone powder remained. The fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth—five complete ones. The third one—Big Sister's—was shattered the moment the Shell Mother was sealed. The seventh one—Shen Xi's empty shell. Shattered, empty, complete—mixed together.

There were still two more that hadn't been found. The ninth. The tenth. Ten Fingers Clasped could reverse the Love-Refining Furnace—returning the emotions that had been refined away. But reversal = Grey Spirit Root shattered = becoming a Mortal. He now wanted Foundation Establishment—Foundation Establishment = Grey Spirit Root reshaped = cracks disappeared = no need for reversal.

The two directions were opposite. One led to the Dao. One led to being human. He chose Foundation Establishment—the direction towards the Dao. Reversal—was not a matter for now. It was not something he could choose now. He had cracked but hadn't shattered yet. There were still things left unfinished. After Foundation Establishment was completed—there would still be the ninth and tenth Finger Bones left. He would talk about it after collecting them all. The debt of reversal—he would settle it then.

He put away the Finger Bones. He looked at the white line on his wrist—four grey marks side by side. Qin Wu's grey marks were decreasing—his were steady. It wasn't that he didn't want to reduce them. It was that his method of subtraction was different from Qin Wu's. Qin Wu relied on sharpening blades, accompanying people—things a person could do. Lu Chen's subtraction—was Foundation Establishment. Not something a person did. It was a gamble.

The sky brightened. The new wisteria leaves shone half a point brighter in the morning light. The empty shells of the Hehuan Sect were still there—breathing. Heartbeats. Opening eyes. Closing mouths. Alive—but there was no one inside. He Xiaowan's stone was still on the grave—embedded with half a Spirit Pattern. The new Angelica hadn't grown out yet. The old seeds were on Big Sister's chest—in the soil.

Lu Chen stood up. The ink-gold Spiritual Qi in his Dantian was pressed to the lowest level—not exhaustion. It was storage. The cracks had spread to one-third of the Spiritual Root—and were still moving. But the net of Gray Line Meridians was intercepting the fragments at the edge of the cracks—every bit intercepted was a bit gained.

Three days later—the pool would arrive. When the pool arrived, he would undergo Foundation Establishment. Foundation Establishment could reshape the Spiritual Root—the cracks would become channels—the fragments would be pushed out through the channels—new bone would grow outside the old bone. Just like sealing the Shell Mother—new bone and old bone. Not repair. It was recasting.