Chapter 39 Part 1

Outside Yangchun Terrace.

Ever since “Imaginary Village” was sold to the He Clan, more people harboring subtle, calculating thoughts had gathered outside.

However, the Chongyuan Sect’s focus was, after all, not here. Aside from the occasional person arriving to replenish nearly depleted pill stocks, no shadow of anyone could be seen.

The Daoists who had been hoping to establish ties with the Chongyuan Sect saw their expectations fall flat again. They simply could only wait, fueled by a faint, uncertain hope, patiently holding on for the mysterious Chongyuan Sect to appear.

Within the Chongyuan Sect.

Wei Mingyi had firmly resolved to reach Foundation Establishment before the Heavenly Dao’s Paragon Debate began.

Participating wasn’t just her own affair. When she informed the Sect Leader and the Assistant Master, it initially drew opposition. But after she displayed her unshakeable resolve, neither the Sect Leader nor the Assistant Master continued to object.

The path of cultivation required pressing forward without hesitation. If, for various reasons, one’s own spirit and will remained pent up and unexpressed, it could easily give rise to a Heart Devil that would impact one’s Dao cultivation.

After learning Wei Mingyi was determined to participate, Su Xuanjing made a trip out to gather more detailed information. The Heavenly Dao Alliance’s forces no longer operated within the three cities, so she had to travel quite far. Fortunately, Su Xuanjing’s Sword Escape was incredibly swift; she returned within two days. She reported, “This year’s Paragon Debate is no different from the past. It will be held at Supreme Peak. There, an ancient Grotto-Heaven great power used the Taiyi Ruins to create the ‘Eternal Cosmos Heavenly Realm,’ where the cultivators will begin their competition.”

“Registration officially starts in March and lasts for three months. In June, the Eternal Cosmos Heavenly Realm officially opens for a three-month competition among the Nine Provinces’ chosen talents. During the competition, if a Daoist feels outmatched, they can voluntarily activate their Reception Talisman to withdraw, but that signifies defeat. If they remain inside, then it’s life or death at their own risk.”

“Participants are only permitted to carry their bonded magical artifacts. Cultivation is restricted to Foundation Establishment, encompassing the 1st Layer all the way to the 3rd Layer. While there are gaps between the layers, after all, no one has formed a Golden Core yet, so even the 1st Layer has a chance to compete. If you go, be careful in all matters. If you can’t seize the championship, so be it. Survival is the most important thing.” Su Xuanjing earnestly exhorted.

Within the sect, Meng Bujue and Mo Xuanxiao had also reached Foundation Establishment, but Su Xuanjing had no intention of having them uniformly join the Paragon Debate. As for Li Ciyun, the entire Hidden Moon Sect still needed her to manage things. And regarding the Spirit Heart Sect, they didn’t wish for them to come into contact with the aristocratic families’ power again. In short, if she truly went to participate, Wei Mingyi would be utterly alone, without even a single companion for mutual support.

Wei Mingyi acknowledged each point.

March was only registration, and that phase lasted three months, meaning her time was slightly more generous. It was already her third year in the Nine Provinces, soon rushing toward the fourth. Her cultivation remained at Meridian Opening—it seemed those rapid breakthroughs seen in novels weren’t all that reliable. Even if that was the protagonist’s privilege, she possessed a cheat item, didn’t she? Did she not count as a protagonist?

Outside Yangchun Terrace, the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the rogue cultivators awaited the appearance of the godlike Daoist Wuwang of the Chongyuan Sect. Meanwhile, within the Chongyuan Sect, the entire sect—imagined by outsiders to possess a Grotto-Heaven master—was fully immersed in diligent cultivation. They all understood clearly: the great renown they had stirred up in the Wild Domain, if not matched by corresponding strength, would ultimately lead to a miserable end. Right now, they were racing against time, exploiting an information gap with the Heavenly Dao Alliance. The Alliance, following its habitual understanding, hadn’t yet fixed its gaze on their small sect. But could they remain anonymous forever?

For the next several months, Wei Mingyi immersed herself in cultivation, pushing to wring out every last drop of her potential. Opening Qi Meridians grew harder the further one progressed. The aristocratic families had grand resources and could use various precious materials to build their Dao Foundation, pushing their cultivators further. In the Chongyuan Sect, despite only having a single Meridian Opening Pool, Wei Mingyi had upgraded it to Heaven-Tier; its enhancement was no less than such treasures. If she still couldn’t advance, it could only mean her innate talent had reached its limit.

After accepting repeated “hammerings” from Wu Chongyun, Wei Mingyi plunged into the Meridian Opening Pool once more. Even while soaking, she hadn’t been idle, starting to delve into her Dao techniques. Daoist True Words had entered the stage of superficial understanding; to elevate it, she either needed to add points or grind proficiency through battle. But the Six Classics Unrolled remained stuck at the “comprehending” stage.

This scripture had been collected by the Founding Ancestor, yet no one in the sect practiced it, not even Wu Chongyun knew the essentials for cultivating this text, let alone the others. Without annotations, Wei Mingyi could only grope her way toward comprehension. Perhaps it was due to reaching Meridian Opening 3rd Layer, but Wei Mingyi’s mind had sharpened. One day, while utilizing the pool, a sudden flash of understanding struck her.

Yin, Yang, Wind, Rain, Light, and Darkness were the six qi of heaven, the pivotal movements of the world’s mechanism. Ride the correctness of heaven and earth, command the six qi to wander through infinity… Its deeper mysteries didn’t need to be explored at this moment. Wind was simply wind; rain was simply rain… As her thoughts shifted, the originally blurred characters of the Six Classics Unrolled gradually became clear, eventually revealing the Wind Scripture and the Rain Scripture.

Wei Mingyi saw that the Six Classics Unrolled had been illuminated, currently at the stage of superficial understanding. To advance quickly, she could only add points—sixteen Talent Points could push it to the second stage, “Integration.” However, the power of a Dao technique was constrained by her cultivation; adding points now would be pointless. Talent Points, unlike Achievement Points, only grew scarcer; better to save them for emergencies. How infuriating that when dealing with the Zheng and Wang clans earlier, neither the faction’s Hatred nor its Renown had been achieved, yielding no Achievement Points or Talent Points. Perhaps it was because the target hadn’t first interacted with the Chongyuan Sect, causing a deviation in the Hatred target.

From autumn to winter, snow fell in flurries.

Wei Mingyi didn’t slack off, devoting every moment to cultivation. Assisted by the Meridian Opening Pool and guided by Wu Chongyun, her cultivation grew with each passing day. Yet, even so, by February, she had only pushed her Qi Meridians to thirty-three. This achievement, if placed among the aristocratic families, would be considered exceptionally outstanding. However, Wei Mingyi absolutely did not want to Establish her Foundation before reaching the maximum number. Her future couldn’t be limited by an insufficient foundation.

Perhaps given a little more time, relying on the pool to slowly grind, she could rely on herself to open all thirty-six meridians. But time waits for no one; the Heavenly Dao’s Paragon Debate was imminent. Missing this chance, she didn’t know when she might encounter someone from the Cloud Realm’s Yun family, or when she could gather the antidote to neutralize the “Wither and Flourish.”

After opening all thirty-six Qi Meridians, she wouldn’t naturally and automatically step into the higher realm. She still needed to refine both external and internal medicines, connecting the Qi Meridians through the Upper, Middle, and Lower Dantians. The time left for Wei Mingyi was short; she dared not delay. Steeling her heart, she assigned her Talent Points to her Qi Meridians.

Three Talent Points effortlessly pushed open the final three meridians. Wei Mingyi held her breath; it all happened in the blink of an eye.

Her arduous, years-long cultivation was bypassed by the cheat item as though it were a mere game—painlessly leveling up.

The sensation of adding points was simply too blissful. Wei Mingyi indulged in it for a moment before forcibly banishing those stray thoughts.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to enjoy it… her Talent Points simply didn’t support true slacking off.

In such circumstances, indulging too much might lead to being corroded by a love of ease and sloth.

“Detestable! Disrupting my Dao Heart!”

With a snap, Wei Mingyi closed the cheat item’s panel, choosing “out of sight, out of mind.”

“A little too fast,” Wu Chongyun, who knew Wei Mingyi’s cultivation progress best, remarked. Upon seeing Wei Mingyi, the languor in her eyes vanished, replaced by solemn gravity.

Wei Mingyi also knew her cultivation speed defied common logic. Stuck for a while, then suddenly opening another? How could one just suddenly charge straight to the maximum limit? Meeting Wu Chongyun’s gaze, she said seriously, “Shizun, rest assured, it’s nothing heretical or evil.”

Wu Chongyun studied Wei Mingyi, aware that she was blessed with great fortune. A moment later, she retrieved the necessary herbs and pills for Foundation Establishment, handing them to Wei Mingyi, and explained the essentials of the process. Breaking through a realm required both external substances and internal refinement, originally all controlled by the Heavenly Dao Alliance. But now, with the three cities free and Yangchun Terrace actively trading, and with the Alliance’s control over the lower realms not as strict as over the higher, finding sufficient Foundation Establishment materials was a simple matter.

Wei Mingyi listened intently. She lacked sufficient Talent Points for painless Foundation Establishment; she had to rely entirely on herself. Foundation Establishment was also the process of streamlining one’s Qi Meridians. Naturally, having fewer meridians made Foundation Establishment easier, but momentary ease came at the cost of a lowered ceiling—no cultivator worth their salt would choose that path.

“If you wish to achieve anything, you must reach Great Perfection in every realm. After Foundation Establishment, you must prepare for Core Formation. Dan Seeds also have quality tiers; only a Heaven-Tier Seed allows one to directly ascend to Grotto-Heaven.” Wu Chongyun focused her instruction on the essentials of Foundation Establishment. She only briefly touched upon matters beyond it, not wanting to disturb Wei Mingyi’s focus.

After the heavy snow stopped, it was already February.

Having received the external medicines, Wei Mingyi entered secluded cultivation, needing to concentrate her spirit and calm her mind. In this phase, no one else could assist her. The Dantian was divided into Upper, Middle, and Lower. The Upper Dantian, where the spirit resided, was the Niwan Palace; the Middle Dantian was the Crimson Palace; the Lower Dantian was the Qi Sea. More Qi Meridians meant a broader Dantian, which in turn meant a stronger Dan Seed formed in the future. If, during Foundation Establishment, “qi” leaked from the body, that would also damage one’s Dao cultivation. Therefore, external medicine had to be ingested beforehand.

The experiences of predecessors were just that—experiences. During cultivation, all sorts of unforeseen changes might occur, requiring her to overcome them herself. Wei Mingyi sat for two whole months, patiently yet urgently pushing her cultivation forward. One day, she suddenly heard a crisp, resonant cry in her ears. Ahead, it seemed as if a very thin curtain separated her from something. Without thinking, Wei Mingyi pushed her entire magical power upward, smashing through that fragile veil. A current of breath swirled in her chest, forcing her to exhale.

It was a mouthful of turbid qi, which coiled in the room like a mist for several breaths before dissipating. After expelling it, Wei Mingyi felt her entire body become much lighter, as if a pile of stones pressing on her had been lifted. She abruptly opened her eyes, a sharp, keen light flashing in them for several breaths before returning to calmness. Foundation Establishment brought no heaven-shaking, earth-moving phenomena, but Wei Mingyi clearly felt herself become freer and more unimpeded.

She had finally reached Foundation Establishment 1st Layer!

Thirty-six Qi Meridians had broadened her Qi Sea, and no essence had leaked during the process. This meant she possessed a greater “breadth” than ordinary cultivators. If she encountered a 2nd Layer opponent, perhaps she could even fight!

Wei Mingyi’s spirit soared like the wind. She quickly rose and stepped out of the quiet chamber she had been using for secluded cultivation.

Pushing open the door, heavenly light bathed her, making her cheeks gleam like lustrous jade.

Raising her eyes, Wei Mingyi saw Wu Chongyun sitting on a meditation cushion outside, reading. She joyfully called out “Shizun,” then bustled over to kneel before Wu Chongyun, looking utterly obedient, waiting for praise.