Courtyard Check-in: Starting with a Small World of Cultivation

August 20th, 6 PM.

Basement of Kwok On Trading Company, 128 Boundary Street, Kowloon Tong.

Chen Yu stood in the center of a secret room of less than ten square meters. The environment around him had been modified overnight by Li Guoan's men—lead plates were installed on the walls, bluestone was laid on the floor to isolate spiritual energy, and four specially made oil lamps hung from the ceiling. The lamp oil was mixed with obsidian powder, which could provide a stable fire element spiritual energy when burning.

In the center of the secret chamber stood the bronze alchemy furnace brought back from Hong Kong. The furnace was 1.2 meters tall, with three legs and two handles. Its body was engraved with intricate cloud and flame patterns. It was a Ming Dynasty alchemy furnace that Gu Wenyuan had borrowed from an old collector. Although it could not compare to a real magic weapon, it was much better than the small cauldron that Chen Yu had used before.

"Mr. Chen, is there anything else you need?" Li Guoan stood at the door, his expression solemn. He knew what Chen Yu was going to do—refine the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. In the cultivation world, this was a matter of life and death, with a success rate of less than 30%.

"No need," Chen Yu shook his head. "Director Li, for the next three days, don't let anyone disturb me. No matter what happens inside, don't come in."

"Understood." Li Guoan nodded and closed the heavy iron door.

Chen Yu was the only one left in the secret room. He sat down cross-legged, took out the jade box from his bosom, opened it, and inside were forty-nine kinds of medicinal herbs—the three main herbs: thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum, Earth Core Fire Lotus, and Dragon Blood Grass, as well as thirty auxiliary herbs picked from the Cave Heaven Herb Garden, and six more herbs that Gu Wenyuan had collected from all over the country through his connections.

Each ingredient is priceless, and each one is hard-won.

Chen Yu took a deep breath and began processing the medicinal materials according to the recipe recorded in the Five Elements Spirit Pearl.

The thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum needs to be ground into powder and mixed with spiritual spring water; the petals and lotus heart of the Earth Core Lotus need to be taken and processed separately; the Dragon Blood Grass needs to be dried over a low flame to retain its active essence... Every process requires precise control, and the slightest carelessness will ruin all previous efforts.

Time passed slowly. Three hours later, all the medicinal herbs were processed and placed into twelve jade dishes, which were then arranged in order around the alchemy furnace.

Chen Yu took a Qi-Nourishing Pill, closed his eyes, and regulated his breathing for half an hour to bring himself to peak condition.

At midnight, he began refining elixirs.

He placed his hands on either side of the alchemy furnace and slowly poured in spiritual energy. The runes at the bottom of the furnace lit up, and the temperature inside began to rise. Chen Yu added the medicinal herbs one by one according to the recipe—first the three main herbs, then the thirty-six auxiliary herbs, and finally the ten herbs that required special processing, which were added at specific times.

Inside the alchemy furnace, the medicinal liquid churned, and the properties of the various herbs began to blend. Chen Yu activated his spiritual sense to its fullest extent, closely monitoring every change within the furnace—if the temperature was too high, he needed to reduce the output of spiritual energy; if the temperature was too low, he needed to increase the heat; if the liquid was too thick, he needed to add spiritual spring water; if it was too thin, he needed to accelerate the blending process…

This is the ultimate test of one's spiritual awareness and control over spiritual power.

An hour later, the medicinal liquid began to condense, changing from liquid to semi-solid, and then from semi-solid to tiny pill-like rudiments.

Two hours later, the pills gradually took shape, condensing from dozens into nine, and slowly rotated inside the furnace.

Three hours later, the nine pills began to emit a faint light—a mixture of cyan, crimson, and gold, a sign that the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir was about to be completed!

Just then, something unexpected happened!

Suddenly, a violent tremor came from inside the alchemy furnace, and three of the nine pills exploded and dissipated into spiritual energy!

Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat—the timing of adding the three auxiliary herbs was a bit too late!

He gritted his teeth and unleashed his full spiritual power to stabilize the remaining six pills. But the tremors grew more and more intense, and two more pills cracked, their spiritual energy beginning to dissipate.

"No!" Chen Yu's eyes were bloodshot as he tried his best to stabilize the alchemy furnace. But human strength has its limits; his spiritual power was already mostly depleted, veins bulged on his forehead, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Just then, the Azure Dragon Cauldron in his arms suddenly flew out automatically, hovering above the alchemy furnace. Its azure light enveloped the furnace, stabilizing the vibrating medicinal liquid. Immediately afterward, the Vermilion Bird Lamp Mirror also flew out, its crimson light flowing into the bottom of the furnace, stabilizing the flame temperature. The White Tiger Cong and the Black Tortoise Armor followed closely behind, their white and black lights intertwining to form a stable Four Symbols Barrier!

The Four Symbols Ritual Vessels protect their master in crucial moments!

Chen Yu's spirits lifted, and taking advantage of the power of the Four Symbols to stabilize the alchemy furnace, he quickly adjusted the output of spiritual energy to repair the two cracked pills.

An hour later, the tremors stopped. Inside the alchemy furnace, six pills floated silently, each radiating a dazzling golden light, with nine faint patterns on its surface—the Nine-Turn Golden Pill was complete!

But it wasn't over yet. According to the prescription, the Golden Core needed to be "nurtured" for three hours after it was formed to allow the medicinal properties to fully integrate. Chen Yu dared not relax and continued to maintain his spiritual energy output until dawn.

At noon the next day, a clear and melodious sound suddenly rang out in the secret chamber—the six golden pills vibrated simultaneously, and their fragrance filled the entire chamber.

[The Nine-Turn Golden Elixir has been successfully refined!]

[Quality: Good (6 pieces)]

[Effects: Increases the success rate of Foundation Establishment by 50%, significantly improves aptitude, and extends lifespan by 60 years]

A system notification sounded in his mind. Looking at the six golden pills, Chen Yu felt a surge of immense joy—he had succeeded! He had truly succeeded!

But an even greater test lies ahead—taking the elixir to build a foundation.

Without hesitation, Chen Yu took out a golden pill and put it in his mouth. The golden pill melted instantly upon entering his mouth, transforming into a powerful current of heat that surged into his limbs and bones.

Instantly, excruciating pain struck!

The pain was more than ten times stronger than that of the Marrow Cleansing Pill—it felt as if every bone in his body was being shattered, his meridians were being torn apart inch by inch, and his flesh was being burned in clumps. Chen Yu gritted his teeth, his nails digging deep into his palms, drawing blood, but he remained silent, desperately guarding the last vestige of clarity in his mind.

The foundation-building techniques of the "Tai Xuan Zhen Jing" automatically activated, guiding the heat current to wash over the entire body. With each wash, a large amount of impurities were expelled from the pores; with each wash, new meridians were opened; with each wash, purer spiritual energy was condensed.

Time passed slowly amidst the pain. One hour, two hours, three hours…

After an unknown amount of time, the excruciating pain finally subsided. In its place came an unprecedented sense of comfort—as if a tremendous burden had been lifted, as if I had been reborn, as if I had been given a new lease on life.

Chen Yu opened his eyes and found himself covered in a layer of black filth, emitting a foul stench. But the feeling in his body was completely different—light as a feather; his five senses were extremely sharp, he could hear the breathing outside the secret room, "see" the steel structure behind the wall, and sense the flow of spiritual energy throughout Kowloon Tong.

Looking inward at the dantian, the original vortex of qi had disappeared, replaced by a pool of golden spiritual liquid—a sign of successful foundation building!

Foundation Establishment Successful! Entered the first level of Foundation Establishment!

[Lifespan extended by two hundred years]

[The range of spiritual awareness has expanded to a hundred feet]

[Unlock Supernatural Abilities: Sword Control Technique (Beginner), Five Elements Escape Technique (Beginner), Spiritual Eye (Intermediate)]

System notifications sounded one after another. Chen Yu took a deep breath, feeling the surging spiritual energy within his body—more than ten times stronger than that of the Qi Refining stage!

He stood up, gave a slight shake, and all the grime on his body came off. He took out spare clothes, changed into them, and pushed open the door to the secret room.

Outside the door, Li Guoan, Su Zhiqing, and Gu Wenyuan were all there, their faces filled with anxiety and worry. Seeing Chen Yu emerge, Su Zhiqing was the first to rush forward: "Mr. Chen! You...you succeeded?"

Chen Yu nodded and smiled slightly: "It's a success."

The three of them breathed a sigh of relief. Gu Wenyuan laughed and said, "Good! Good! Mr. Chen is indeed the chosen one!"

Li Guoan's expression turned grave: "Mr. Chen, there's something I need to tell you. Yesterday, the scarred man showed up again. They somehow got wind of you refining pills here, and last night they sent people to investigate, but our men turned them away. But they won't give up so easily."

Chen Yu's eyes turned cold: "Where are they?"

"Kowloon Walled City. Liu Zhenbang and that scarred man are both there, along with more than twenty of his men," Li Guoan said. "They've spread the word that they want you to hand over the Four Symbols Ritual Artifacts and the secrets of the grotto-heaven, or else... they'll target your people in Beijing."

People from Beijing! Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat—Qin Huairu! And all those people in the courtyard!

"They dare!" Chen Yu's eyes flashed with killing intent. After successfully establishing his foundation, his temperament had become even more profound. At this moment, his killing intent surged, causing even someone like Li Guoan, who was used to life and death, to feel a chill.

"Mr. Chen, calm down," Gu Wenyuan said. "They're just making threats; they might not actually dare to take action. But just in case, I've already sent someone to Beijing to secretly protect Qin Huairu and the others."

Chen Yu took a deep breath, suppressing his killing intent: "Thank you, Elder Gu. But this matter must be resolved completely."

He looked at Li Guoan: "Director Li, are you allowed into Kowloon Walled City?"

Li Guoan shook his head: "That's a no-man's-land, even the Hong Kong government can't control it. If we go in, it will cause a diplomatic dispute."

"Then I'll do it," Chen Yu said calmly. "Tonight, I'll go to Kowloon Walled City."

Su Zhiqing's expression changed: "You're alone? That's too dangerous!"

"The Foundation Establishment stage cannot compensate for the Qi Refining stage with sheer numbers," Chen Yu said. "Besides, I have a fake human."

With a thought, he conjured up three fake humans—Number One, Number Two, and Number Three—from the void. Having cultivated in the small world for many days, their strength had reached approximately the fifth level of the Qi Refining stage. Three Qi Refining Stage Five cultivators, plus one Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, were enough to sweep through Kowloon Walled City.

Li Guoan pondered for a moment and nodded: "Okay. But there's one condition—our people will be waiting outside. If things escalate, we'll evacuate immediately."

"make a deal."

At 10 p.m. that night, Kowloon Walled City.

This lawless, crime-ridden city is even more outrageous at night than during the day. Neon lights flash, casinos, brothels, and opium dens stand side by side, and drunkards, thugs, and drug addicts are everywhere. The air is thick with the stench of tobacco, alcohol, blood, and decay.

Dressed in black, Chen Yu used his concealment technique to its maximum, silently infiltrating the depths of the stronghold. The fake humans, number one, two, and three, infiltrated from different directions, forming an encirclement.

He spread his spiritual sense, covering a radius of a hundred feet. Soon, he locked onto his target—a three-story building in the northeast corner of the stronghold, surrounded by more than a dozen sentries, with at least thirty people inside. Among them, five people showed signs of spiritual energy fluctuations, the strongest being a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator—presumably Scarface himself.

Without alerting the sentries, Chen Yu scaled the wall and entered. In the lobby on the first floor, more than twenty men in black were drinking and playing cards, the air thick with smoke and filled with noise. Chen Yu slipped past the stairwell unnoticed.

The second floor was a warehouse, piled high with various cultural relics and raw obsidian ore. Chen Yu glanced at it but didn't linger.

On the third floor, in a spacious room, Scarface sat in the center, Liu Zhenbang stood to one side, and three other cultivators sat around, discussing something.

Chen Yu pushed open the door and entered.

"Who!" Scarface jumped to his feet, but Chen Yu had already moved—

He flashed and instantly appeared in front of the nearest cultivator, striking him in the chest with a palm. The man collapsed to the ground without even uttering a sound.

The second cultivator was about to resist when Chen Yu kicked him away, sending him crashing into the wall and rendering him unconscious.

The third cultivator was so frightened that he turned and ran away. Chen Yu casually waved his hand and released a burst of spiritual energy, causing the man to fall to the ground.

In less than three seconds, all three cultivators at the third or fourth level of the Qi Refining stage were dealt with.

Scarface's expression changed drastically, and he reached for his gun. But before he could draw it halfway, Chen Yu was already in front of him, gripping his wrist and gently twisting it—

"Snap!" The wrist broke.

"Ah!" Scarface screamed in agony.

Liu Zhenbang was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, trembling all over.

Chen Yu released the scarred man and said calmly, "You're Scarface? I've been looking for you for so long, we've finally met today."

Scarface clutched his severed hand, his eyes filled with venom: "You...you're a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"

"I just broke through." Chen Yu pulled up a chair and sat down. "Now, we can have a proper talk."

He looked at Liu Zhenbang: "You tell me first, who is behind you? Why are you collecting the Four Symbols ritual artifacts?"

Liu Zhenbang stammered, "It's...it's an organization...called 'Vulcan Temple,' headquartered in Southeast Asia...they specialize in collecting ancient magical artifacts. Legend has it that if you collect all four of the Four Symbols ritual artifacts, you can unlock Qin Shi Huang's treasure..."

"The Temple of Vulcan?" Chen Yu frowned. "How large is the organization? How many cultivators does it have?"

"It's...very big...there are over a hundred people, and I heard the highest cultivation level is already in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage..."

Mid-Foundation Establishment! Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat. He had just established his foundation and had no chance of winning against a mid-Foundation Establishment opponent.

How many of you are still in Hong Kong?

"No...it's all gone, it's all here..."

Chen Yu looked at the scarred man. The scarred man gave a bitter laugh: "Chen, you can kill me now. But the Fire God Temple won't let you go. You took the Four Symbols Ritual Artifacts, making you their mortal enemy."

"Then let them come." Chen Yu stood up. "I won't kill you. Go back and tell your master that the Four Symbols Ritual Artifacts are in my hands. If you want them, come and take them yourself."

He turned to leave. But as he reached the door, he suddenly stopped: "Oh, and don't touch any of my people in Beijing. Otherwise—"

With a casual wave of his hand, he unleashed a burst of spiritual energy, and the iron lamppost three meters away snapped in two.

"Next time, it'll be the neck that gets broken."

After saying that, Chen Yu disappeared into the night.

Three days later, Chen Yu received news that Scarface, Liu Zhenbang, and others had left Hong Kong overnight and their whereabouts were unknown. The Vulcan Temple made no further moves for the time being.

Chen Yu, standing in Gu Wenyuan's warehouse, looked at the six Nine-Turn Golden Pills in front of him and had a new plan in mind.

Foundation building is complete, and the Golden Elixir is in hand.

Next, it's time to go back to Beijing.

There, is the person he is waiting for.