44: Breakthrough in seclusion, successful foundation building

The midday sun, filtering through the ventilation window of the secluded cultivation chamber, cast fragmented golden light onto the stone cultivation mat, adding a touch of warmth to the quiet room. The inner walls of the chamber were carved with ancient spirit gathering runes, and a large spirit gathering array plate was placed in the center. Several High-Grade Spirit Stones were embedded in the array plate's grooves, slowly emitting pure spiritual power, which converged into a faint Spiritual Qi vortex within the chamber. Lu Chen sat cross-legged on the mat, dressed in loose, plain cultivation robes, his eyes closed. Spiritual Qi circulated continuously around his body, his aura steady and prolonged—it was the critical moment for his Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Previously, by resolution of the Elder Council, the Sect had provided Lu Chen with ample Cultivation resources. Not only did he receive a large number of High-Grade Spirit Stones and high-grade Qi Gathering Pills, but he was also permitted to use the Sect's treasured cultivation chamber. Elder Feng imparted all his experience in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, meticulously explaining the key essentials for condensing the Golden Core and stabilizing the Dantian, and reminding him to maintain his composure during the Breakthrough to avoid Spiritual Qi disorder and Qi Deviation. Yu Lan voluntarily offered to act as Protector outside the chamber. The myriad manifestations pendant around her neck continuously emitted a faint blue light, which could both conceal the chamber's aura and detect external movements, ensuring Lu Chen's seclusion remained undisturbed.

Lu Chen placed the supreme yang spirit crystal he brought back from the Crimson Flame Spirit Mine in his palm. The spirit crystal was smooth and crimson throughout, containing vast and pure supreme yang spiritual power. It felt warm to the touch, and wisps of spiritual power slowly flowed into his body along the Meridians in his palm. He circulated the incomplete Myriad Manifestations Art, following Elder Feng's Foundation Establishment method, guiding the Spiritual Qi at the Peak of his Qi Refining Fifth Layer, combined with the power of the supreme yang spirit crystal, to gradually Impact the Bottleneck of the Foundation Establishment Stage.

The Foundation Establishment Stage is a crucial threshold in a Cultivator's path. It requires condensing the scattered Spiritual Qi within the body into a Golden Core, stabilizing it within the Dantian, making the Spiritual Qi more refined and profound, thereby achieving a qualitative leap in strength. The process is extremely perilous, requiring not only sufficient Spiritual Qi support but also powerful mental control. A slight mistake could lead to Spiritual Qi rampage, severed Meridians, or even endanger one's life.

The Spiritual Qi in Lu Chen's body circulated rapidly along the Qi Circulation route of the Myriad Manifestations Art. With each cycle, the Spiritual Qi was compressed and refined a bit more. The Spiritual Qi from the supreme yang spirit crystal acted like fuel, continuously replenishing his energy, making the Spiritual Qi within him even more vast. He cautiously guided the Spiritual Qi to converge towards his Dantian, attempting to condense it into a Golden Core. However, the Spiritual Qi within his Dantian was extremely violent and difficult to control. As soon as a trace of the Golden Core's prototype formed, it instantly disintegrated, and the backlash of Spiritual Qi caused a sharp pain in his chest, with a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"Do not be impatient, maintain your composure, and guide the Spiritual Qi with the harmonious power of the Myriad Manifestations Art, rather than forcibly suppressing it." Elder Feng's instructions echoed in his mind. Lu Chen took a deep breath, circulated the Serene Heart Art to calm his emotions, wiped the blood from his mouth, and attempted to condense the Golden Core again.

This time, he no longer forcibly suppressed the Spiritual Qi. Instead, he followed the core principle of the Myriad Manifestations Art, "Embrace all manifestations, adapt to Spiritual Qi," allowing the Spiritual Qi to flow according to natural laws, while also using the power of the supreme yang spirit crystal to gradually neutralize the Spiritual Qi's violent nature. Time passed slowly, the Spiritual Qi vortex in the chamber grew denser, and the Spiritual Qi fluctuations around Lu Chen became more intense. His face alternated between flushed and pale, clearly enduring immense pain and pressure.

Outside the chamber, Yu Lan stood quietly, her eyes fixed on the chamber door, her expression solemn. She could clearly perceive the Spiritual Qi fluctuations inside the chamber, sometimes stable, sometimes violent, knowing that Lu Chen was in a critical stage of Breakthrough. Her heart was filled with worry, but she dared not disturb him in the slightest. She could only circulate her own Spiritual Qi and, through the myriad manifestations pendant, add a layer of defensive barrier to the chamber, isolating all external disturbances.

A day and a night passed, and Lu Chen was still repeatedly trying to condense the Golden Core. His body was covered in fine beads of sweat, his clothes already soaked. The Meridians in his body throbbed with excruciating pain from repeated Spiritual Qi impacts, but he never gave up, his gaze growing even more resolute. Each disintegration of the Golden Core's prototype made his control over Spiritual Qi more proficient and deepened his understanding of the Myriad Manifestations Art.

On the morning of the second day, Lu Chen once again guided the Spiritual Qi to converge in his Dantian. This time, with the supreme yang power of the supreme yang spirit crystal, combined with the harmonious Spiritual Qi of the Myriad Manifestations Art, he finally succeeded in stabilizing the violent Spiritual Qi, gradually condensing it into a pea-sized golden Golden Core prototype. He dared not relax, continuing to inject Spiritual Qi, constantly reinforcing the Golden Core prototype, making it more refined and stable.

Just as the Golden Core was about to fully form, the Spiritual Qi within the chamber suddenly surged violently. The golden Spiritual Qi coursed wildly through his body like a tide, impacting his Meridians, causing faint pain. Lu Chen's heart jolted. He immediately circulated the Myriad Manifestations Art with all his might to suppress it, but the rampaging Spiritual Qi was too powerful and utterly uncontrollable, threatening to sever his Meridians. In this critical moment, the supreme yang spirit crystal in his palm suddenly erupted with dazzling red light, and a vast supreme yang spiritual power surged into his body, instantly neutralizing some of the violent Spiritual Qi. At the same time, the defensive jade pendant, given to him by Lin Xiaoya, that he wore around his neck also glowed faintly, blocking some of the Spiritual Qi backlash.

Lu Chen seized this rare Opportunity, gritted his teeth, and focused all his mental power to guide the remaining Spiritual Qi towards the Golden Core. The golden Golden Core slowly rotated within his Dantian, continuously absorbing the Spiritual Qi within his body and the power of the supreme yang spirit crystal. Its size gradually increased, its radiance grew brighter, and it finally condensed into a pigeon-egg-sized, lustrous golden Golden Core, stably suspended within his Dantian.

"Success!" Lu Chen was ecstatic. The moment the Golden Core condensed, a vast Spiritual Qi spread from his Dantian, flowing through his Meridians to all parts of his body. His previously damaged Meridians were nourished by the Spiritual Qi, the pain instantly vanished, his body felt light and comfortable, and his aura surged accordingly, completely breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage!

He slowly opened his eyes, a golden spiritual light flashing within them before quickly receding. He felt the refined and profound Spiritual Qi within his body, his heart filled with shock. The strength of the Foundation Establishment Stage was indeed far superior to the Qi Refinement Stage. Not only was the total amount of Spiritual Qi greatly increased, but his control was also more precise, and the power of the Myriad Manifestations Art and Rune Arts also increased accordingly.

Just then, a tattered booklet fell out of his Storage Pouch. The cover read "Foundation Establishment Stabilization Art," apparently a Cultivation Technique automatically unlocked after breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage. Lu Chen picked up the booklet and quickly flipped through it. He found that this Cultivation Technique mainly explained how to stabilize the newly condensed Golden Core to prevent instability from leading to a regression in cultivation, which would be of great help to him in consolidating his Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation later.

He put away the Foundation Establishment Stabilization Art, got up, and stretched his body. His bones made a slight crackling sound, and he felt full of strength. He walked to the center of the chamber, circulated Spiritual Qi, condensed a wisp of golden spiritual light on his fingertip, and with a casual wave, a sharp spiritual energy streak flew out, striking the chamber wall. With a "crack," a clear crack appeared on the hard stone wall, its power astonishing.

"Senior Brother Lu, you succeeded?" The chamber door was gently pushed open, and Yu Lan quickly walked in, her eyes filled with joy at seeing Lu Chen safe and sound. She could clearly perceive the Foundation Establishment Stage aura emanating from Lu Chen, steady and vast, indicating his successful Breakthrough.

Lu Chen nodded, a relieved smile on his face: "I succeeded. Thank you for protecting me outside."

As the two conversed, Elder Feng also entered the chamber. He scrutinized Lu Chen, feeling the Foundation Establishment Stage aura emanating from him, his eyes filled with amazement and approval: "Lu Chen, you successfully broke through to the Foundation Establishment Stage in just three days and three nights. Such speed and talent are truly rare in a century! It took me a full half-month to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage back then. You are much stronger than I was."

Lu Chen quickly cupped his hands and said, "It's all thanks to Elder Feng's guidance on Foundation Establishment, as well as the Cultivation resources provided by the Sect and the assistance of the supreme yang spirit crystal. Otherwise, this Disciple would not have been able to break through so quickly."

Elder Feng smiled and waved his hand, his gaze inadvertently falling on the supreme yang spirit crystal in Lu Chen's palm. He noticed that the spirit crystal's glow was much dimmer than before, clearly indicating that most of its spiritual power had been absorbed by Lu Chen. At this moment, the myriad manifestations pendant around Yu Lan's neck suddenly emitted a faint blue light, resonating subtly with the supreme yang spirit crystal in Lu Chen's palm. The two echoed each other, emitting a soft glow that intertwined into a faint light net within the chamber.

"What's going on?" Both Lu Chen and Yu Lan were startled, looking at the scene before them in confusion.

Elder Feng's eyes flashed with a hint of doubt. He carefully observed the resonance between the jade pendant and the spirit crystal, pondering for a moment before saying, "Perhaps there is some connection between the myriad manifestations pendant and the supreme yang spirit crystal. Their spiritual powers are compatible, which is why they resonate. The myriad manifestations pendant is a heirloom of the Yu Family, containing ancient spiritual power, and the supreme yang spirit crystal is formed from the condensation of the supreme yang Qi of heaven and earth. Their combination might unleash even greater power."

A moment later, the resonance gradually disappeared, and the glow of the jade pendant and spirit crystal returned to normal. Lu Chen put away the supreme yang spirit crystal, secretly thinking that he might try to combine their powers in the future, perhaps unlocking more mysteries. He circulated the Foundation Establishment Stabilization Art, guiding the Golden Core in his Dantian to slowly rotate, consolidating his newly achieved cultivation. Under the nourishment of Spiritual Qi, the Golden Core's radiance grew brighter, becoming even more stable.

Elder Feng looked at Lu Chen as he consolidated his cultivation, his eyes full of expectation: "Lu Chen, after breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, your strength already far surpasses that of ordinary Inner Sect Disciples, and you can even contend with regular Elders. Next, you should properly consolidate your cultivation, familiarize yourself with Foundation Establishment Stage Spiritual Qi control. Once your cultivation is stable, you can go to the Sacred Spirit Forbidden Land to seek Opportunity. There might be a Legacy that can further enhance your strength."

Lu Chen nodded in agreement: "This Disciple understands. I will consolidate my cultivation as quickly as possible to prepare for going to the Sacred Spirit Forbidden Land."

Yu Lan also said, "Senior Brother Lu, I will accompany you to the Sacred Spirit Forbidden Land so we can look out for each other. These days, I will also Cultivate diligently to improve my own strength and ensure I can handle the dangers in the Forbidden Ground."

Elder Feng nodded in satisfaction: "Good, with the two of you looking out for each other, there will be an extra layer of assurance when going to the Sacred Spirit Forbidden Land. The Sacred Spirit Forbidden Land contains ancient Legacies and Opportunities, not only treasures to enhance cultivation but perhaps also clues to complete the Myriad Manifestations Art. You must seize this Opportunity."

The three walked out of the secluded cultivation chamber together, the sunlight falling on them, warm and comfortable. Lu Chen felt the refined and profound Spiritual Qi within his body, his heart filled with determination. Breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage was a new beginning for him. Not only had his strength greatly increased, but he also had more confidence to deal with crises. Next, he needed to consolidate his cultivation, familiarize himself with Foundation Establishment Stage combat methods, and then go to the Sacred Spirit Forbidden Land to seek Opportunity and improve his strength, making full preparations to confront the Blood Shadow Sect and Zhao Kun, and protect Tianling Academy and Yu Lan. And in the center of the slowly rotating golden Golden Core in his Dantian, a faint myriad manifestations phantom faintly appeared. Although extremely dim, it indicated that the potential of the Myriad Manifestations Art was far from exhausted, with infinite possibilities in the future.