I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

The entrance to the Cave of White Bones resembles the mouth of a giant beast, gaping darkly against the mountain wall.

A cold wind rushed out of the cave, carrying the smell of rotting earth and a deeper, subtle sound, like bones rubbing against stone.

Qin Yuan stood three zhang away from the cave entrance, his iron sword already drawn.

The divine sense probed into the cave, but was blocked by the dense yin energy after only ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) – the yin energy was as sticky as a substance and carried a chilling aura that corroded the divine sense.

A faint howl came from deep within the cave, neither human nor beast, but something twisting and struggling in pain.

Ordinary Qi Refining stage disciples would probably be scared away by this Yin energy before even entering the cave.

Qin Yuan merely frowned, took out a protective talisman from his robes, and affixed it to his chest. The talisman emitted a faint warm light, dispelling the encroaching yin energy. He drew his sword and stepped into the cave.

Darkness instantly engulfed him.

The cave was more spacious than I had imagined, with a dome about three zhang high. The stone walls on both sides were covered with some kind of dark green moss that emitted a faint phosphorescence.

By this light, one could see scattered bones on the ground—some human, some wild animal, most of them broken and incomplete.

The further you go in, the heavier the yin energy becomes.

The talisman's light was compressed to a radius of three feet around its body, with black energy constantly churning at the edges of the light, emitting a "sizzling" corrosive sound.

Qin Yuan's breathing was exceptionally clear in the silent cave, each step he took landing on broken bones, producing a teeth-grinding "crack" sound.

After walking about half a mile, a fork in the road appeared ahead.

A strong smell of blood wafted from the left passage, while a faint dripping sound could be heard from the right.

Qin Yuan sensed it briefly and chose the left side where the smell of blood was stronger—Yin Sha Crystals usually grow where Yin Qi and blood Qi meet.

This passage was even narrower, allowing only one person to pass at a time. The stone walls were slippery, and a viscous liquid dripped down them; it was unclear whether it was water or something else.

The stench of blood was so strong it was almost tangible, seeping into the nasal cavity and triggering an instinctive fear.

Qin Yuan did not stop walking.

After walking another hundred steps, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a natural cave.

In the center of the cave was a pool of blood. The water was dark red and viscous, with bubbles rising to the surface from time to time. The stench emitted when the bubbles burst made Qin Yuan frown.

At the edge of the blood pool, several fresh corpses lay scattered—judging from their clothing, they were all disciples of the Xuan Yuan Sect, the most recent of whom had died no more than three days ago.

Their faces were frozen in extreme fear, their eyes wide open as if about to burst.

Above the blood pool, three fist-sized black crystals floated, their surfaces swirling with dark red patterns—Yin Sha Crystals.

The mission objective is right in front of us.

But Qin Yuan didn't step forward immediately. His gaze fell on the depths of the blood pool, where something was slowly wriggling. His divine sense couldn't penetrate the blood pool, but he could feel a chilling aura far exceeding that of the Qi Refining stage awakening within him.

"We need to break through first."

Qin Yuan retreated to the edge of the cave and found a relatively dry stone platform to sit cross-legged. He took out three mid-grade spirit crystals from his storage bag and held them in his hand—not for cultivation, but to set up a simple warning array.

Then, he closed his eyes and let his consciousness sink into his body.

[Shall we extract the cultivation accumulated over the past twenty years?]

"extract."

boom--!!!

This impact was more violent than any before!

If the influx of cultivation over the past ten years was like a rushing river, then this moment is like a tsunami crashing down!

Twenty years of refined cultivation transformed into a blazing torrent, bursting forth from the deepest part of his dantian and instantly shattering the barrier of the thirteenth level of Qi Refining, the "Extreme Realm"!

Qin Yuan trembled violently, and fine beads of blood seeped from his skin, a sign that his meridians had been ruptured by the violent spiritual energy. But he did not panic. Instead, he focused all his energy on circulating the Qi-guiding technique—no, at this moment, the path of the spiritual energy surging within his body had spontaneously changed, moving towards a deeper and more profound trajectory.

Foundation Building is the first real insurmountable barrier on the path to immortality.

The Qi Refining stage simply involves drawing spiritual energy into the body, circulating it through the meridians, and strengthening the physical body.

Foundation Building involves compressing gaseous spiritual energy into a liquid state and opening the "Sea of ​​Qi" in the dantian. From then on, the total amount of spiritual energy increases dramatically, and one can cast real spells, increasing lifespan to two hundred years.

For ordinary cultivators to establish their foundation, they need to find a quiet room for seclusion, prepare foundation-establishing pills, and carefully attempt the breakthrough under the protection of their masters. The success rate is less than 30%.

Qin Yuan, however, alone in the gloomy and bloody White Bone Cave, used the twenty years of cultivation infused by the system as fuel to recklessly crash into that insurmountable chasm!

"Click—"

It felt like something inside my body had shattered.

It wasn't the sound of a barrier breaking, but rather a deeper, soft sound, like an eggshell cracking.

Immediately afterwards, a violent expansion sensation came from the dantian—the "air chamber" that could only hold a stream was being violently stretched open, expanding into the rudimentary form of a lake!

Liquid spiritual energy began to condense.

The first drop, the second drop, the third drop… spiritual energy was forcibly compressed from its gaseous state, transforming into crystalline droplets that fell into the newly formed sea of ​​qi. With each drop, Qin Yuan's aura grew stronger, and his physical body was enhanced by one layer.

This process lasted for a full hour.

When the last wisp of gaseous spiritual energy was completely transformed, the Qi Sea in Qin Yuan's dantian had taken shape—although it was only in its initial stage, less than three feet in diameter, the spiritual energy within it was already more than ten times that of when he was at the thirteenth level of Qi Refining!

Foundation layer complete!

However, the torrent of twenty years of cultivation has not yet been exhausted.

The Qi Sea continued to expand, and liquid spiritual energy dripped down like rain. Foundation Establishment Level Two!

The torrent only subsided completely when his cultivation level stabilized at the peak of the second level of Foundation Establishment.

Qin Yuan opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them before disappearing, then returning to its deep, still state.

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, which condensed into a white arrow of energy that shot out three zhang (approximately 10 meters) before dissipating.

This is foundation building.

His five senses were heightened, and his spiritual awareness surged. At this moment, he did not need to deliberately investigate; he could clearly "see" every crack in the stone inside the cave, every drop of blood flowing in the blood pool, and even sense that three hundred feet away in the depths of the cave, two Yin rats were gnawing on a rotting corpse.

The difference in strength was like heaven and earth. He clenched his fist, his knuckles making a popping sound, feeling as if he could smash the cavern apart with a single punch.

Qin Yuan stood up, removed the warning array, and walked towards the blood pool.

This time, he no longer concealed his aura. The oppressive aura of a third-level Foundation Establishment cultivator naturally emanated outwards, and the Yin energy three feet around him melted instantly as if encountering boiling snow. The bubbling bubbles on the surface of the blood pool also suddenly subsided, as if sensing a threat.

He reached out and grasped, his spiritual power transforming into an invisible hand that pulled the three Yin Sha Crystals from above the blood pool.

The moment the Yin Sha Crystal left the pool—

"roar--!!!"

The blood pool exploded with a deafening roar! A pale tentacle, as thick as a bucket and covered in suckers, shot out from the bottom of the pool, heading straight for Qin Yuan's neck! The countless eyes on the tentacle opened simultaneously, shooting out a soul-devouring, evil light!

Qin Yuan didn't even look at it, and with his left hand, fingers together like a sword, he casually made a slash.

laugh--

A pale golden sword light flashed, and the tentacle snapped in two, spurting foul-smelling black blood from the severed end. A piercing shriek echoed from the depths of the blood pool, and the entire pool of blood began to boil, with even more tentacles surging forth!

"trouble."