Mortal: I have a Spirit Gathering Cauldron

A few days later, the stone door of the cave slowly opened, and Lin Feng walked out.

The sunlight was a bit dazzling. He squinted and took a deep breath of the fresh air outside, which carried the scent of grass and trees.

The joy of successfully establishing his foundation was still lingering in his chest, like drinking a large bowl of hot wine, warming him from his stomach to his limbs. Standing at the entrance of his cave, he couldn't help but stretch lazily, his bones cracking and popping.

The disciple in charge of renting out the cave dwellings was sitting in a pavilion not far away. He was a young man in his early twenties, at the seventh level of Qi Refining, wearing a clean steward's robe, and idly flipping through a miscellaneous book. Hearing the sound of the stone door opening, he looked up and habitually glanced in this direction.

Upon seeing this, he almost dropped the notebook in his hand.

A young man emerged from the Class A No. 3 cave, his yellow robes fluttering, his face handsome, and his demeanor extraordinary.

These are not the main points. The main point is the aura emanating from that person, which is heavy, steady, and carries an invisible sense of oppression.

Foundation building period.

The guard disciple was stunned for a moment, then reacted and hurriedly ran out of the pavilion, bowed and saluted, his expression changing from surprise to respect, and then from respect to flattery.

"Congratulations, Martial Uncle! Congratulations on your successful Foundation Establishment! From now on, you will enjoy eternal bliss!"

Lin Feng glanced at him, nodded slightly, and said in a low voice, "Hmm, you're not bad. Give me a ride."

"Yes! This way, Martial Uncle!" The guarding disciple stepped aside to lead the way. "If you ever need to go into seclusion, just let me know! A Grade A cave dwelling will always be reserved for you!"

Lin Feng followed him slowly out, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding scenery. He had rushed in with his head down, but now he walked out with his head held high, his mood completely different.

Lin Feng stopped at the entrance to the closed-door training area.

"Alright, that's enough for now. Keep the extra spirit stones from renting the cave dwelling; consider it a gift from your senior uncle."

The disciple on guard's side had a bright look in his eyes and bowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you so much for your kindness, Uncle-Master! Thank you so much, Uncle-Master!"

Lin Feng waved his hand, took out the green leaf magic artifact he had been given when he entered the sect, stepped on it, and slowly rose into the air.

The guard disciple stood there, watching the yellow figure disappear into the sky, his smile gradually fading. He took out the register from his storage bag and checked the records.

Lin Feng, Grade A, Cave No. 3, seclusion period: one month and two days.

Rent: One mid-grade spirit stone per month.

This senior uncle only gave me one mid-grade spirit stone.

One mid-grade spirit stone is equal to one hundred low-grade spirit stones. The extra two days, converted into low-grade spirit stones, are approximately six and a half.

In other words, this senior uncle still owes six low-grade spirit stones.

The guard was stunned for a moment, then burst into tears.

He wouldn't dare go to his Foundation Establishment master for just six low-grade spirit stones, so he could only swallow his bitterness and suffer in silence.

He could only make up for the spirit stones he owed himself, and then went back to the pavilion to continue reading his notes.

Above Yellow Maple Valley, Lin Feng flew slowly, stepping on the Green Leaf Magic Artifact.

The Green Leaf Magic Tool is given to beginners; it's the lowest-level one, and its flight speed is as slow as a snail.

Lin Feng usually doesn't use this thing at all; he relies entirely on the Qingfeng Banner for traveling. But today is different; today he specially dug out this old antique that he's kept at the bottom of his chest.

Why?

Because it's slow.

Lin Feng unleashed his Foundation Establishment stage aura without reservation, swaying continuously in the air.

A commotion also arose in the disciples' area below.

"Look, look! That's flying in the sky!"

"Foundation Establishment stage? Which senior uncle is it?"

"I don't know him, but he looks quite young."

"He must be a junior uncle who just established his foundation!"

"It's Lin Feng! The one who blocked the entrance to the Crimson Forbidden Zone!"

"I heard that someone got dozens of century-old spiritual herbs in the forbidden area and exchanged them for several Foundation Establishment Pills. It would be strange if they didn't succeed in establishing their foundation."

"Tsk tsk tsk, comparing yourself to others will only make you miserable."

The murmurs drifted up from all directions, and Lin Feng heard them clearly. A slight smile appeared on his lips, and the green leaf magic artifact beneath his feet slowed down even further, almost as if it were strolling in the air.

Today, my thoughts wander freely, and in a single day I see all the flowers of Chang'an.

No, there are no Chang'an flowers in Yellow Maple Valley, only yellow maple leaves covering the mountains and plains. But the meaning is similar.

Lin Feng flew in circles above Yellow Maple Valley three times before turning around and flying towards the council hall.

The council hall is located in the middle of the main peak and is where Huangfeng Valley handles its daily affairs. The hall is magnificent, with upturned eaves and corners. Two huge stone pillars stand in front of the door, engraved with the names of the Golden Core elders of Huangfeng Valley throughout the ages.

Lin Feng landed in front of the hall, put away the Azure Leaf magic weapon, straightened his clothes, and stepped into the hall.

Inside the hall, Sect Leader Zhong was sitting behind his desk reviewing documents.

The sect leader's name was Zhong Lingdao. He was over 150 years old, with a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation level. He had a refined appearance and a long beard. He was the sect leader of Huangfeng Valley. Although he wasn't the most powerful, he was very capable of handling sect affairs and enjoyed considerable prestige within the valley.

Sensing someone enter, Sect Leader Zhong raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Lin Feng. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, then he stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Junior Brother Lin, on successfully establishing your foundation!"

"You're too kind, Senior Brother Zhong," Lin Feng returned the greeting.

Zhong Lingdao stepped out from behind the desk, looked Lin Feng up and down, and praised, "Junior Brother Lin has successfully established his foundation at such a young age; his future is limitless. I heard that you single-handedly gathered more than thirty hundred-year-old spiritual herbs in the Crimson Forbidden Land, bringing honor to our Yellow Maple Valley."

Lin Feng smiled and said, "Senior Brother Zhong, you flatter me. It was just good luck."

"Luck is also a part of strength." Zhong Lingdao led him to sit down in the guest seat.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Sect Leader Zhong's gaze turned serious. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "Junior Brother Lin, I have a request, but I'm not sure if I should make it."

"Please speak, Senior Brother Zhong."

"Junior Brother Lin, do you have any extra Foundation Establishment Pills?" Zhong Lingdao carefully chose his words. "I have a junior in my family who has decent aptitude, but he lacks a Foundation Establishment Pill. If Junior Brother Lin has any extras, I am willing to pay a high price to buy them—spirit stones, magic tools, materials, anything is fine."

Lin Feng's heart stirred.

He did indeed have a high-quality Foundation Establishment Pill, but it had been upgraded using the Spirit Gathering Cauldron, so it wouldn't be easy to explain if he took it out.

"I'm sorry, Senior Brother Zhong." Lin Feng shook his head, looking apologetic. "I just ran out of them, not a single one left. As you know, with my four spiritual roots, I can't get past this stage without accumulating enough."

A hint of disappointment flashed in Zhong Lingdao's eyes, but he quickly regained his smile.

"It's alright, it's alright. I was just asking casually. You only succeeded in establishing your foundation after using all five Foundation Establishment Pills. Junior Brother Lin really went all out this time."

"There's no other way. The qualifications are what they are, so we can only rely on sheer numbers," Lin Feng sighed sincerely.

Zhong Lingdao nodded and did not ask any further questions.

He took out a white jade disc from his storage bag and, with a gold-lacquered pen, wrote Lin Feng's name at the bottom of the densely packed names on the jade disc, thus registering him.

"From today onwards, Junior Brother Lin is officially a high-level Foundation Establishment disciple of my Yellow Maple Valley." Sect Leader Zhong put away the jade disc and smiled. "Junior Brother can choose a place in the valley with abundant spiritual energy to open his cave dwelling."

Lin Feng was overjoyed.

Having one's own cave dwelling means greatly enhanced privacy and security. The Spirit Gathering Cauldron will also be much more convenient to use.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Zhong."

"No need to thank me, this is what you deserve." Sect Leader Zhong took out a few more items from his storage bag and placed them on the table.

Three mid-grade spirit stones.

Five small flags, their surfaces shrouded in a thin white mist, faintly shimmering with spiritual light.

"This is a reward from the sect to Foundation Establishment disciples," Sect Leader Zhong explained. "Three mid-grade spirit stones, considered a Foundation Establishment reward, and one more mid-grade spirit stone will be given out for free every year thereafter. These five small flags are a set of concealment arrays, placed around the cave to hide spiritual energy fluctuations and prevent outsiders from spying on us. Although they are not high-grade items, they are sufficient to deal with cultivators below Foundation Establishment."

Lin Feng put the spirit stones and array flags into his storage bag, but he was thinking about something else.

It sounds good, but the demonic invasion is imminent, and even the best cave dwelling won't be able to protect it. In the original story, Yellow Maple Valley was utterly destroyed by the demonic forces, and the entire sect fled. All the effort put into decorating the cave dwelling will only benefit the demonic cultivators.

"Oh well, I'll just have to make do for now," Lin Feng muttered to himself. "Anyway, I don't plan to stay in Huangfeng Valley for long. Once I get the Great Evolution Technique, I'll make my way on the battlefield, earn some contribution points to exchange for some pills and resources, and then I'll find a chance to run away."

He put these things away and then asked the question that concerned him most.

"Senior Brother Zhong, how do I exchange for the main cultivation technique after Foundation Establishment?"

Sect Leader Zhong smiled slightly, as if he had expected him to ask this question.

"Each Foundation Establishment disciple has one free opportunity to choose their main cultivation technique. They can go to the sect's scripture pavilion to make their own choice. Junior Brother Lin can go anytime."

"However—" Sect Leader Zhong changed the subject, "Before you go, let me first introduce you to the classification of cultivation techniques, so you won't be overwhelmed by the choices."

Lin Feng sat up straight, adopting an attitude of listening attentively.

Sect Leader Zhong picked up the spiritual tea, took a sip, and slowly spoke.

"The cultivation techniques in our cultivation world can be roughly divided into three categories."

"The first type, after cultivation, has a moderate speed of improvement in magical power, but the supernatural powers and methods of defeating enemies that come with them are often powerful and extraordinary, making them very effective in actual combat."

"Most cultivators who know they have no hope of forming their core in this lifetime choose to cultivate this kind of technique. Since there is no hope of advancing, they might as well pursue stronger combat power and dominate among those of the same level, so that their cultivation journey will not have been in vain."

Lin Feng nodded. This kind of cultivation method, to put it bluntly, is about giving up on treatment and pursuing immediate gratification. If there's no hope of forming a Core, then maximize your Foundation Establishment stage combat power to bully those of the same or even higher levels.

"The second type is exactly the opposite." Sect Leader Zhong held up two fingers. "These techniques are incredibly effective at improving magical power, easy to learn and practice, and the chances of encountering bottlenecks are far less than with the first type of techniques."

"But every gain has its loss." He changed the subject. "The advantage of the first type of cultivation technique is precisely its fatal flaw. These techniques basically lack powerful self-defense methods. Choosing to cultivate this type of technique basically means that you will only become a weakling among cultivators of the same level in your future cultivation career."

"However, there are also quite a few people who want to pursue higher levels of cultivation and aspire to advance further, and they choose to practice this kind of cultivation method. After all, it is the easiest way for cultivators to approach the Core Formation stage."

Lin Feng nodded again. This kind of cultivation method is a pure cultivation method, which does not pursue combat power, but only pursues the improvement of realm. It is suitable for cultivators who have background and backing and do not need to fight themselves, or those who simply want to break through realm and gamble on forming the Core Formation.

"There is a third type." Sect Leader Zhong raised his third finger, his tone becoming solemn. "This type of cultivation method is extremely rare and is a top-tier cultivation method sought after by many cultivators. It almost combines the strengths of the first two types of cultivation methods, possessing both great power and astonishing improvement in magical power."

"However, cultivating these techniques is not only subject to numerous restrictions and difficulties, but the process is also extremely dangerous. At best, one may suffer from qi deviation; at worst, one's meridians may be severed and one's cultivation completely destroyed. Over the past few hundred years, many Foundation Establishment disciples in our Yellow Maple Valley have chosen to cultivate the third type of techniques, but those who have truly succeeded can be counted on one hand."

After finishing speaking, Sect Leader Zhong looked at Lin Feng with a half-smile.

"Junior Brother Lin, which category do you want to choose?"

Lin Feng pondered for a moment, then clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Zhong. I'll go to the Scripture Pavilion first and then make a decision."

"Of course," Headmaster Zhong nodded. "The matter of cultivation techniques is a matter of life and death, and cannot be taken lightly. Junior Brother Lin, take your time choosing, there's no rush."

Lin Feng got up to take his leave.

Stepping out of the council hall, he flew towards the Scripture Pavilion on his green leaf magic artifact.

The green leaf magic artifact flew slowly, its Foundation Establishment stage aura continuing to linger above Yellow Maple Valley.

Another gasp of surprise came from below.

Lin Feng's lips curled up, and he flew even slower.