Seven days later.
Ye Qingyi sat cross-legged in the courtyard, hands forming a seal.
Spiritual energy flowed slowly through her meridians.
Her cultivation base had recovered to the tenth layer of Qi Refining.
Only one step away from Foundation Establishment.
Ye Qingyi opened her eyes and let out a long breath.
She put her hands on her slender waist.
“I, Ye Qingyi, really am a genius too!”
“Show-off.”
Ye Chu’s voice rang in her sea of consciousness, carrying a hint of amusement.
“But still… these three years of suffering weren’t wasted.”
Ye Qingyi tilted her head.
“What do you mean?”
“The Scatter Powder kept making your spiritual energy drain away, tempering your meridians over and over.”
Ye Chu paused.
“You’re more solid than you were three years ago.”
Ye Qingyi’s eyes lit up.
“So I can break through to Foundation Establishment now?”
“What do you think?” Ye Chu countered.
“I…” Ye Qingyi hesitated.
“I only just recovered to the tenth layer of Qi Refining…”
“So little confidence?”
Ye Chu interrupted.
“Weren’t you just feeling so proud?”
Ye Qingyi bit her lip.
Ye Chu continued.
“You were already at the tenth layer of Qi Refining three years ago—you were just suppressed by the Scatter Powder. Now that the poison is gone, the spiritual energy will naturally come back. And this period of Body Cultivation training has made your body stronger than three years ago.”
He paused.
“Foundation Establishment won’t be a problem.”
Ye Qingyi took a deep breath.
“Then… tonight?”
“Tonight.”
…
That night.
Ye Qingyi sat cross-legged in the courtyard, closed her eyes, and guided spiritual energy through her body.
In her sea of consciousness, Ye Chu’s voice rang out, slow and steady: “Don’t rush. Take it slow. Foundation Establishment isn’t something you accomplish in one go. Compress the spiritual energy—compress, compress, compress again—until it condenses into liquid form.”
Ye Qingyi nodded and began compressing the spiritual energy.
It hurt.
A searing, burning pain.
Her entire network of meridians felt like it was being torn apart.
Every inch of them was on fire.
Truth be told, there wasn’t a single spot on her body that didn’t ache.
This pain lasted a full day.
Ye Qingyi was in so much pain she felt like she was about to collapse, and she couldn’t help cursing in her heart: ‘Is this what Ye Chu calls “not a problem”?
But she didn’t give up.
She gritted her teeth and compressed, bit by bit.
An hour later…
“Crack.”
A faint, crisp sound came from inside her body, like something breaking.
The spiritual energy began to gather, transforming from gaseous to liquid state, flowing slowly in her dantian.
Foundation Establishment—she had reached it.
Ye Qingyi opened her eyes, light shining in them.
“I… I broke through to Foundation Establishment?”
Her voice was filled with disbelief.
In her sea of consciousness, Ye Chu’s voice rang out with a hint of amusement:
“It’s only Foundation Establishment. What’s there to make a big fuss about? You can be happy when you reach Golden Core, Nascent Soul, or Spirit Transformation.”
Ye Qingyi’s lips curved upward.
“Can’t you just praise me for once?”
“Wait until you reach Golden Core.”
“…Stubborn.”
During the days Ye Qingyi spent in seclusion stabilizing her realm, the Ye Family began taking over the industries of the three great families.
Spiritual ore veins, herb shops, artifact pavilions—all were absorbed into the Ye Family’s holdings one by one.
Those middle and small families that once clung to the three great powers all sent visiting cards, expressing their willingness to submit.
The Ye Family became the sole hegemon of Qingyun City.
On this day, the sun shone brightly.
Inside the Ye Family’s meeting hall, Ye Zhenshan was handling clan affairs.
“Patriarch! There’s a senior outside who says he’s a wandering cultivator passing through. He’d like to ask for a drink of water.”
Ye Zhenshan put down the jade slip in his hand.
“Invite him in.”
A moment later, a middle-aged Daoist walked into the meeting hall.
He wore a moon-white Daoist robe, the fabric as thin as clouds, moving without wind.
His face was gaunt, his brows and eyes relaxed, with a few silver strands at his temples—not making him look old but instead lending him an air of transcendent immortality.
His eyes were gentle yet profound, as if they could see through a person’s heart, yet also as if nothing mattered.
This was Feng Xianyun, the sect master of the Taiyi Sacred Sect, who had wandered here.
Ye Zhenshan quickly stood to welcome him.
As shrewd as he was, he could naturally tell that Feng Xianyun was no ordinary man.
“Senior graces us with your presence. I failed to welcome you from afar. May I ask how I should address you?”
Feng Xianyun smiled faintly and returned the greeting with cupped hands.
“This poor Daoist is Feng Xianyun. I was wandering here and sensed the abundant spiritual energy at your residence, so I took the liberty of visiting.”
Feng Xianyun?
Ye Zhenshan’s pupils contracted slightly.
The Taiyi Sacred Sect was one of the foremost cultivation sects in the Great Xia Kingdom.
The sect master, Feng Xianyun, was said to have reached the Spirit Transformation realm, making him one of the top powerhouses within a million miles.
“So it’s Sect Master Feng!”
Ye Zhenshan quickly bowed.
“This junior, Ye Zhenshan, had no idea you were coming. Please forgive my neglect.”
Feng Xianyun waved his hand.
“Patriarch Ye need not be so polite. I’m only passing through and wanted a drink of water.”
Ye Zhenshan ordered someone to serve spirit tea.
The two conversed in the meeting hall.
Feng Xianyun’s speech was gentle, with none of a grand sect master’s arrogance.
He asked about Qingyun City’s situation, then about the Ye Family’s recent affairs, his tone as casual as if chatting about everyday life.
Ye Zhenshan answered each question.
But in his heart, he was speculating about this great figure’s intentions.
After a while, Feng Xianyun set down his teacup.
His gaze swept across the others in the meeting hall, and suddenly he asked: “Patriarch Ye, are there any other members of your household?”
Ye Zhenshan was taken aback.
“What does the sect master mean…”
Feng Xianyun smiled slightly.
“Just now, outside the city, I sensed a pure fluctuation of spiritual energy. The source of that energy seems to be within your residence.”
Ye Zhenshan’s heart stirred.
A pure spiritual energy fluctuation… Could he mean Qingyi?
“Go and invite the young lady here,” Ye Zhenshan instructed the attendant beside him.
Before long, Ye Qingyi entered the meeting hall.
She wore a simple dress today, her long hair casually tied up, with no makeup on her face.
Feng Xianyun’s gaze fell on her.
At first it was just a casual glance…
Then his eyes widened slightly.
Early Foundation Establishment.
In such a barren place as Qingyun City, not only had she broken through to Foundation Establishment, but her foundation was solid, her spiritual energy pure, with no impurities around her body.
What’s more… his spiritual sense swept over Ye Qingyi’s soul and found it clean, without a trace of killing karma.
A cultivator like this was rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns in today’s cultivation world.
“A fine seedling,” Feng Xianyun couldn’t help murmuring in admiration.
Ye Qingyi felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze.
She walked to Ye Zhenshan’s side and gave a slight bow.
“Father, you called for me?”
Ye Zhenshan nodded, then turned to Feng Xianyun.
“Sect Master, this is my daughter, Qingyi.”
Feng Xianyun rose to his feet and walked before Ye Qingyi.
His gaze was gentle yet serious.
“Miss Ye, this poor Daoist is Feng Xianyun, sect master of the Taiyi Sacred Sect.”
Ye Qingyi’s heart skipped a beat.
Taiyi Sacred Sect?
That’s one of the top sects in the Great Xia Kingdom!
Why would its sect master come to a little place like Qingyun City?
“Greetings, Sect Master Feng,” she said quickly, bowing.
Feng Xianyun didn’t beat around the bush.
He said directly: “Miss Ye, I see that your foundation is solid, your spiritual energy pure, your character simple, your eyes clear, yet they conceal a hint of a sharp edge honed through trials. You are a rare and excellent seedling.”
He paused, his tone sincere: “Staying in Qingyun City is truly a waste of your talent. I would like to take you in as my final personal disciple. What do you think?”
Ye Qingyi was stunned.
Final personal disciple?
The personal disciple of the Taiyi Sacred Sect’s master?
This was an opportunity countless people would beg for.
But she didn’t hesitate.
She immediately shook her head:
“Thank you for your kind offer, Senior. But my father’s injuries have not yet healed, and the family has just been settled. Qingyi cannot leave so soon.”
It wasn’t that she wasn’t tempted.
The Ye Family had just become the hegemon of Qingyun City; so much was waiting to be rebuilt.
How could she leave at a time like this?
Besides, when it came to cultivation matters, she already had Ye Chu.