Chapter One Hundred and One: Successful Foundation Establishment

When Ji Mo regained consciousness, she found herself back in the Crystal Palace. She first checked her own body and discovered that all her injuries had already healed. More than that, the barrier between the second and third levels of the Demon-Blooded Body Tempering Art had loosened; it seemed she could break through at any moment. This was clearly the result of her desperate gamble on the arena against Mo Fan, when she had burned her life force to fight with everything she had.

Every breakthrough demanded a price in burned life force. I wonder whether that is my good fortune or my misfortune, Ji Mo thought bitterly. She opened her eyes and rose from the ground. Looking around, she still could see no trace of life, so she had no choice but to call out at the top of her lungs, “Senior Ao Feng, are you there? Have I already passed the fifth trial?”

“Correct. You have indeed passed the fifth trial,” Ao Feng’s voice answered.

“Since I’ve successfully cleared the fifth trial, shouldn’t you show yourself and let me meet you?” Ji Mo’s eyes darted, and she spoke at once. To be honest, she had been intensely curious about this divine beast that called itself Ao Feng.

“The time is not yet ripe. If you wish to see me, you must first pass all nine trials. Once you complete the nine assessments, I will naturally appear before you,” Ao Feng refused without the slightest hesitation.

Hmph, so mysterious. Fine if you won’t show yourself. It’s just a demon beast anyway—well, in this girl’s mind, a divine beast was merely one kind of demon beast. She cursed inwardly, but said, “Oh. Then there are four trials left. When will you send me to the sixth?”

“For the time being, you need not challenge the later trials, because those are not something your current cultivation can withstand. Having passed the fourth and fifth trials, I can grant you two wishes. Consider that the reward for clearing those two levels,” Ao Feng said.

“Any wish will do?” Ji Mo’s spirits lifted.

“Yes, so long as it does not exceed the limits of my authority,” Ao Feng replied.

“I want to leave here first and return to Moonview Sect to see my master and my senior sisters. Is that possible?” Ji Mo asked with clear hope.

“Yes.”

The answer came crisp and immediate.

“Really?” Ji Mo was overjoyed. This request had only been a faint hope in her heart; she had never imagined Ao Feng would give her such a tremendous surprise, far beyond anything she had expected.

“Of course it is true. I, Ao Feng, have never spoken a single false word in my life. However, there is one condition: if you wish to return to Moonview Sect, you must first break through to the Foundation Establishment realm here.”

“Break through to Foundation Establishment? I’m only at the sixth level of Qi Refinement right now, and I have a Five-Element Body. How long would it take to cultivate all the way to Foundation Establishment?” Ji Mo exclaimed. It felt as though a basin of cold water had been poured over all her ardor, instantly dousing it. The face that had been full of expectation and excitement also fell.

“Heh. Little girl, you have walked the immortal path for nearly ten years now. Have you still not learned that the one thing least tolerated on the road of cultivation is impatience? Those who have reached a certain level of attainment can sit in seclusion or meditate casually for hundreds or thousands of years. If you cannot even settle your heart enough to break through to Foundation Establishment, then there is no need for you to struggle on the immortal path,” Ao Feng said, half-amused and half-scolding her.

Ji Mo very much wanted to say: I never wanted to cultivate immortality in the first place. Wasn’t I forced into this by one of you after another? But she was no longer the little girl she had once been. As the years passed, she had come to understand that some responsibilities could not be escaped by running away. So after a moment of silence, she said, “All right, I accept your suggestion. Senior, you said just now that I may make two requests to you, which means that apart from those, I can still make one more request, correct?”

“That is correct,” Ao Feng said.

“I want to complete the incomplete manual of the Mystic Thunder Divine Art. I wonder whether Senior Ao Feng has a way,” Ji Mo said.

“Heh. You have benefited from Moonview Sect, and now to complete their technique for them can be counted as settling a karmic debt. I agree. Once you successfully establish your foundation, I will complete the remaining part of the Mystic Thunder Divine Art for you,” Ao Feng said.

“Thank you, Senior!” Ji Mo was overjoyed. She bowed deeply toward the direction of the voice. This bow was the most sincere gesture she had made since entering this place.

Ji Mo had a somewhat lazy nature, but she was deeply sentimental. When others treated her well, she remembered it bit by bit and never forgot. In the fourteen years before she fell into Blue Moon Lake, the people most deeply etched in her memory were, apart from her parents, the three members of the Zhao family, then her master from Thunder Peak and her senior brothers and sisters. All of them had left an indelible impression on her. Beyond that were Mu Baiyun, Wei Qiu, with whom she had fought side by side, and that mischievous lightning beast, Little Gold.

In the blink of an eye, she had been away from Moonview Sect for nearly four years. During these four years, she had missed those people immensely. Just thinking that once she broke through to the Foundation Establishment realm she could return to her sect and reunite with them, as well as descend the mountain to gain experience and go back to Zhao Village to visit Uncle Changfeng and Aunt Jiang, made Ji Mo smile so broadly that her eyes and brows curved like a flower in full bloom.

This girl’s heart for the mortal world is so heavy, and she has so many ties of fate binding her. Tsk, tsk... Watching from the sidelines, Ao Feng shook its head repeatedly at Ji Mo’s radiant, delighted expression, finding her path of cultivation full of thorns and utterly miserable.

Ji Mo had no idea what Ao Feng was thinking. Right now, all her heart and mind were focused on breaking through as soon as possible so she could go home. Her fervor for cultivation had risen to unprecedented heights, as though she were hanging beams above her head and pricking her bones with an awl. Moreover, she possessed a strand of Five-Element Spirit Life, which caused her cultivation speed to advance by leaps and bounds. One year later, her Demon-Blooded Body Tempering Art successfully broke through to the third level.

Four years later, Ji Mo broke through to the tenth level of Qi Refinement. After reaching that stage, she no longer sat in bitter seclusion for long periods. Instead, she entered a stretch of Netherworld Forest simulated by Ao Feng. Roaming within were the forsaken souls of the Seven Realms, each one fierce and savage. The first time Ji Mo went in, she was torn to pieces countless times. Only after experiencing eighty-one deaths did she finally adapt to the rhythm there.

After six months of bloody slaughter within, Ji Mo returned once more to the Crystal Palace with a body steeped in killing intent and continued her seclusion. In the blink of an eye, another three years passed. On one day, the Five-Element spiritual veins surrounding Ji Mo went into a frenzied upheaval. Five strands of unwavering spiritual power surged toward her like a colossal whale sucking up water, pouring into her body.

Boom!

A terrifying aura burst from Ji Mo’s body. She only felt some hidden barrier within her being violently shattered open. Spiritual power that had flowed through her meridians like thin streams converged inside her body into surging currents. Her entire being became full and vibrant, alive with renewed vigor. The three times she had previously burned through her bodily functions had drained more than sixty years of life from her; now, at last, it had all been restored. She had finally broken through to the Foundation Establishment realm.

Ah!

Ji Mo sprang to her feet. A long, unrestrained cry escaped her lips, shaking the surrounding crystal palace so that even it seemed to tremble faintly. Yet Ao Feng’s voice sounded at that moment.

“Tsk, tsk. At your rate and volume of absorbing spiritual power, even this Five-Element spiritual vein, which would be enough for an ordinary Five-Element cultivator to ascend to the Nascent Soul stage, has a hard time supporting you all the way to form a core.”

“No way, right? Back then, the one guarding this spiritual vein was a Five-Element Beast at the peak of the Soul Transformation stage. Although this is only a miniature high-grade Five-Element spiritual vein, it should not have much trouble supplying a Five-Element cultivator up to the Nascent Soul stage,” Ji Mo blurted out unconsciously.

“Ah, that was for ordinary people. But you—just look for yourself at how much of that Five-Element spiritual vein remains,” Ao Feng replied somewhat speechlessly.

Ji Mo looked suspiciously toward the place where she had been cultivating, and sure enough, that Five-Element spiritual vein had been reduced by more than half. Right now, it looked extremely withered.

“How could this happen?” Ji Mo stared blankly.

“You have to ask yourself that. The amount of spiritual power you require for each breakthrough, even compared with other Five-Element cultivators, is several times greater than theirs. If you do not have sufficient resources in the future, breaking through will truly not be easy for you,” Ao Feng said with a shake of its head.

“It doesn’t matter. Cultivation cannot be rushed. We can take it slowly. When resources are lacking, I’ll make up for them with time. If others can accomplish something in ten years, then I’ll spend a hundred years if I have to. Senior Ao Feng, shouldn’t you now fulfill the second thing you promised me?” Ji Mo saw it quite openly. She did not worry over this issue at all. Her gaze shifted lightly, and she immediately changed to a topic she had been looking forward to.

“I knew you were waiting for this. Take it,” Ao Feng said somewhat helplessly. As its words fell, Ji Mo felt a buzzing in her mind, and a cultivation method appeared in her consciousness. It was precisely the latter half of the Mystic Thunder Divine Art. She closed her eyes and read it carefully once, then was overjoyed. With this half of the Mystic Thunder Divine Art, it would likely not take many years before Moonview Sect could advance by two more tiers. Her master and senior sisters might even have hope of ascending.

“Senior Ao Feng, thank you for fulfilling this for me. Now please send me back to Moonview Sect,” Ji Mo said repeatedly in thanks.

“I cannot send you. If you wish to leave this place, you can only awaken the dragon soul within your whip and have it carry you out,” Ao Feng said.

“You mean Little White? But it has fallen into a deep sleep. It can’t wake up anytime soon,” Ji Mo said, startled.

“Place it in the sixth room on the left, in the pool filled with golden liquid. Soak it there for three days, and its soul consciousness will recover by twenty percent, enough to carry you out,” Ao Feng said.

“There are rooms here? Why do I see this crystal palace as one complete whole?” Ji Mo was astonished. She had lived here for years, yet had never known there were many rooms within.

“Heh. Just follow my instructions. When the time comes for you to know these secrets, you will naturally know them,” Ao Feng said without further explanation.

Ji Mo did not press the matter. According to Ao Feng’s instructions, she walked to the so-called sixth room. She placed her hand on the crystal wall, and with a dull thud, the wall opened at once. A room appeared before her eyes.

Ji Mo walked in and found that there truly was a small square crystal pool inside, half-filled with golden liquid. She summoned the White Jade Flood-Dragon Whip. The moment it appeared, before Ji Mo could do anything, it whooshed out of her hand on its own and leaped into the pool.