136: Second floor of foundation

He was surprised to find that the Spiritual Qi lake in his Dantian was expanding at a visible rate.

The originally calm surface of the lake rippled, and the shoreline continuously extended outwards. Golden specks of light shimmered in the lake water, which were the essence of the ling potatoes that had not yet been fully refined.

“It won't be long before I can Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment Second Layer.” As soon as this thought arose, the Spiritual Qi in his body suddenly boiled.

The originally calm lake surface churned with turbulent waves, and the Spiritual Qi uncontrollably rushed through his limbs and Acupoints.

Wu Guohua felt his Meridians stretch painfully, and his bones emitted faint “cracking” sounds, as if every inch of his flesh and blood was reorganizing.

Faint golden patterns appeared on the surface of his skin, shimmering faintly under the moonlight.

On the morning of the fifth day, the spiritual cloud above the Immortal Cave had expanded to about an acre in size. The cloud layers displayed a peculiar azure-gold color, with colorful auspicious glow radiating from the edges.

Cultivators from several nearby Immortal Caves came out to observe, and discussions rose and fell. A white-haired elder stroked his long beard, squinting at the sky: “Is this a successful Foundation Establishment?”

His voice trembled slightly with excitement.

“Looking at the scale of this spiritual cloud, it's at least a High Grade Dao Foundation!” A middle-aged Cultivator beside him exclaimed, his fingers unconsciously caressing the Magical Artifact at his waist.

Further away, several young Cultivators gathered together, whispering: “I wonder which Fellow Daoist it is…” One of them had a glimmer of envy in his eyes.

Suddenly, a dazzling azure light shot out from the center of the spiritual cloud, piercing straight into the sky. The light pillar penetrated the cloud layer, spreading ripples in the sky.

The Spiritual Qi within a hundred-mile radius was shaken by it, startled birds scattered in the mountains, and beasts in the forest all looked up to observe.

Wu Guohua stood at the edge of the cliff, his robes fluttering. He looked at the towering light pillar, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

Second Uncle had cultivated diligently for over ten years, and today he finally achieved the Foundation Establishment Dao Fruit.

He could imagine the scene inside the Immortal Cave at this moment: Second Uncle's body surrounded by Spiritual Qi, the liquid Spiritual Qi in his Dantian crystallizing, which was a sign of successful Foundation Establishment.

Just then, a strange fluctuation suddenly came from within his body, and the Spiritual Qi actually became restless!

Wu Guohua's expression changed, feeling the Spiritual Qi lake in his Dantian churning again. He hurriedly flew back to the temporarily rented courtyard, his figure moving up and down in the mountains and forests, startling a group of roosting night owls.

Inside the simple quiet room, Wu Guohua sat cross-legged on a futon, beads of sweat the size of soybeans seeping from his forehead.

The sweat rolled down his cheeks, gathered into a line at his chin, and dripped onto his clothes, quickly soaking a large area.

He gritted his teeth, took out hundreds of Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and crushed them with one palm.

The crisp sound of the Spirit Stones shattering echoed in the quiet room, and a rich Spiritual Qi instantly filled the entire room, condensing into fine water droplets on the surrounding walls.

These water droplets slowly slid down the walls, leaving winding water marks on the wooden floor.

“What's going on…” He looked inwards and found that the Spiritual Qi lake in his Dantian was undergoing a strange change.

A vortex formed in the center of the lake, frantically drawing in the surrounding Spiritual Qi. A powerful suction force was generated in the center of the vortex, even pulling the Spiritual Qi diffused in the quiet room into his body.

Even more astonishingly, faint azure crystals were forming at the bottom of the lake! These crystals, like coral at the bottom of the sea, shimmered with faint light in the spiritual liquid.

This was the “Spiritual Crystal Nucleation” phenomenon that Foundation Establishment Cultivators dreamed of, meaning he was advancing towards the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

But normally, it would take at least ten years of diligent cultivation to reach this level.

Wu Guohua could feel his bones emitting faint cracking sounds, his muscle fibers constantly reorganizing, and his internal organs being cleansed by Spiritual Qi.

“Could it be because of the second-tier Medium Grade ling potatoes…” Wu Guohua had no time to think carefully, as the Spiritual Qi in his body had already lost control.

The violent Spiritual Qi surged wildly through his Meridians, bringing a tearing pain. Spiderweb-like golden patterns appeared on the surface of his skin, which was a manifestation of overflowing Spiritual Qi.

Wu Guohua could only fully circulate the “Hun Yuan Art” to guide the violent Spiritual Qi to flow through his Meridians.

As the Cultivation Technique circulated, the Acupoints all over his body lit up in sequence, like stars in the night sky.

Gradually, azure mist appeared around his body, and these mists rotated slowly around him as if alive.

His hair moved without wind, his robes billowed like sails, and the air in the quiet room vibrated with it.

Two hours later, a clear, prolonged howl came from the quiet room, the sound waves shaking the window frames with a buzzing sound.

The spiritual birds roosting on the old tree in the courtyard flew up in panic, drawing chaotic trajectories in the sky.

Wu Guohua slowly opened his eyes, azure light flowing in them, and then instantly returned to normal.

He felt the surging Spiritual Qi within his body, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up. Foundation Establishment Second Layer! Even he himself found it incredible.

He spread out his palm, and a cluster of azure spiritual flame appeared in his palm. Compared to before, this spiritual flame was more solid, with faint golden light flickering in its core.

With a gentle wave of his hand, the spiritual flame transformed into an azure bird and flew out the window, circling the courtyard once before dissipating into the air.

This was Spiritual Qi transformation that only Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivators could achieve, yet he had mastered it immediately after Breakthrough.

Name: Wu Guohua

Talent: Farming

Talent Space: Four acres of second-tier spiritual fields

Level 6 Talent (648680 / 100W): Crop survival rate increased by 600%, growth speed increased by 100%, mutation evolution chance 80%, quality improved by 60%, soil fertility increased by 40%, chance of cultivating high-tier crops 20%

Realm: Foundation Establishment Second Layer

Cultivation Technique: Hun Yuan Art Foundation Establishment Chapter (Second Layer 1 / 1000)

What surprised Wu Guohua the most was that after his cultivation Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment Second Layer, the spiritual fields in his talent space actually increased by one acre, allowing him to plant more second-tier spiritual plants.

Half a month later, at the most renowned “Drunken Immortal Restaurant” in Qingyun Immortal City, Wu Zhang had long since booked the “Listening to Rain Pavilion” private room on the third floor.

This street-facing private room was partitioned by a red sandalwood screen, and light azure mermaid silk curtains hung by the window. When the breeze blew, the curtains gently swayed like water waves.

On the table was a set of fine celadon tea ware, with a wisp of white mist curling up from the spout of the teapot, emitting the mellow aroma of a hundred-year-old tea tree.

Wu Zhang had changed into a brand new azure scholar's robe, with intricate cloud patterns embroidered in silver thread on the lapels and cuffs, radiating a soft luster under the sunlight.

His hair was secured with a mutton-fat white jade hairpin, and the newly grown white hairs at his temples had been carefully dyed black, making him look at least ten years younger.

At this moment, he stood by the window, his fingers gently tapping the window frame, his gaze occasionally sweeping across the bustling street downstairs.

“Second Uncle.” Wu Guohua pushed the door open, followed by the waiter serving tea.

Today, he wore a simple long gown, with only an ancient ink jade tied at his waist, making him appear unadorned yet dignified.

The sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting mottled shadows on his face, outlining his well-defined features even more deeply.

Wu Zhang was about to greet him when his pupils suddenly contracted.

Although this nephew had deliberately restrained his aura, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator's keen perception made him notice the difference—Guohua's strength had advanced again!

That restrained Spiritual Qi fluctuation was like an undercurrent in the deep sea, seemingly calm but containing astonishing power.

As soon as the waiter put down the teapot, the stream of water flowing from the spout suddenly condensed in the air into a lifelike azure snake, its scales shimmering with ripples under the sunlight.

This water snake slithered and moved for three breaths before falling into the cup, the splashed water forming a perfect ripple at the rim of the cup.

Such a meticulous control over Spiritual Qi made even Wu Zhang, a newly advanced Foundation Establishment Cultivator, feel inferior.