White Cloud Immortal City,

Golden Spring Cave Mansion.

As the morning light was faint, Zhou Xun walked out of the training room, stretching lazily.

At this moment, he looked pale, appearing extremely depleted of vitality.

Since returning that day, Zhou Xun began studying the Blood Demon Scripture, specifically the "Blood Burning" secret technique.

As the only secret technique in the Blood Demon Scripture that can be practiced regardless of cultivation level.

Zhou Xun naturally wouldn't miss it.

He spent a full seven days and finally successfully cultivated it.

Zhou Xun believed that if he were to use the Blood Burning Secret Technique to control that Golden Wheel Spiritual Artifact, it would be enough to face off against a Peak of Early-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

The Foundation Establishment Stage, like the Qi Refining Stage, is divided into nine layers.

The first to third layers are the Early-Stage, the fourth to sixth layers are the Middle-Stage, and the seventh to ninth layers are the Late-Stage.

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator Zhou Xun killed from the Gao Family was a Second-Layer Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

He took out an elixir to replenish his vitality and consumed it, and his complexion improved significantly.

Now, less than a year has passed since he last absorbed the essence of a Spirit Medicine, so Zhou Xun cannot absorb it again.

He had to rely on himself to slowly recover his vitality.

Fortunately, the consumption from cultivating the secret technique wasn't extensive and didn't endanger his foundation.

He will recover as long as he rests for a while.

Arriving in the kitchen, he cooked a bowl of Spirit Rice Porridge, adding plenty of Spirit Goji and Red Spirit Dates, both excellent for replenishing vitality.

...

Time flies, and six months passed in the blink of an eye.

Liu Luoxiong and the middle-aged man in black robes haven't appeared for half a year, which didn't raise any attention.

After all, as cultivators, there are quite a few who exist by secluding themselves for years.

During this half-year, Zhou Xun used the identity of the elderly man to gradually sell off the spoils, gaining three thousand Spirit Stones.

Combined with the storage bags from the middle-aged man in black robes, he was close to ten thousand Spirit Stones.

This brought his total number of Spirit Stones directly to the twenty thousand level.

"Compared to ordinary Middle-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators, I can now rival some impoverished Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators!"

These Spirit Stones, considering their origin, all turned out to be spoils of war.

"A single ambush can earn the lifetime's wealth accumulated by other cultivators, it's no wonder so many people are tempted to become Tribulation Cultivators!" Zhou Xun mused.

Yet, Spirit Stones come and go quickly.

Especially Zhou Xun cultivated the Hundred Veins Body Refining Technique, a Gold-devouring Beast Technique.

In half a year, the special ointment that cost three thousand Spirit Stones was completely used up.

This forced Zhou Xun to spend another three thousand to reconfigure.

Fortunately, Zhou Xun estimated that after using this batch, his Hundred Veins Body Refining Technique would reach Third Layer Perfection.

In the days that followed, it was distinctly calm, and another two years passed.

On this day, Zhou Xun was cultivating in the training room.

Suddenly, he sensed a surge of spiritual power from the nearby beast cage.

"Is it that the Profound Armor Armadillo has broken through?"

Zhou Xun's expression shifted, and he immediately stopped cultivating.

He stepped out of the training room.

Arriving at the courtyard, he approached the beast cage.

At this moment, the Profound Armor Armadillo had grown to two-thirds the size of Zhou Xun, and the originally subtle golden strands on its scale armor had become thicker, transitioning from golden strands to golden lines.

Upon seeing Zhou Xun approach, the Profound Armor Armadillo crawled over, nuzzling affectionately at his feet.

"You little thing grew fast, huh? You're already not inferior to those with Earth-Grade Bloodlines!"

Now, even his spirit beast's cultivation progress was catching up to his own.

"You wouldn't happen to break through to Foundation Establishment before me, would you?"

Fortunately, the Profound Armor Armadillo was intensely loyal to him, raised from a young age, eliminating concerns about rebellion.

"Now that you've advanced to High-Grade, have you learned some new spells?" Zhou Xun inquired.

The Profound Armor Armadillo blinked and then opened its mouth, unleashing a golden blade that cleaved an artificial mountain by the pond in half.

"You spendthrift!" Zhou Xun laughed and scolded.

Yet he was extremely pleased internally, seeing that his spirit beast had awakened gold attribute magic, proving that the essence transformation from that dose of Spirit Medicine Essence indeed had significant impact.

Additionally, the power of this golden blade was quite formidable, equivalent to what an Eighth-Layer Qi Refining cultivator could produce, and the Profound Armor Armadillo had just broken through.

In human cultivator terms, it would be akin to Seventh-Layer Qi Refining.

"Let's test your physical strength now!"

Zhou Xun retrieved a stack of Spirit Iron used to test the power of spiritual artifacts, placing it on the ground, and signaled to the Profound Armor Armadillo to try using its claws.

The Profound Armor Armadillo swung its paw, and a flash of light passed, slicing through two-thirds of the Spirit Iron.

This level of power was comparable to Zhou Xun wielding the Golden Cicada Mother-Child Blade with Seventh-Layer Qi Refining cultivation.

No ordinary Middle-Grade Spiritual Artifact or magical skill could withstand its prowess.

Though his spirit beast had only recently broken through, in terms of strength, it did not fall short of the armadillo counterpart from the battle with the Demon Python - which was its mother.

"Continue with your cultivation!" With the tests completed, Zhou Xun was very satisfied.

He tossed a High-Grade Spirit Feeding Pill, precisely landing it in the armadillo's mouth.

Having observed the armadillo, Zhou Xun recalled his other spirit beast, the Cyan Ape.

Since the day they left the Ghost Realm, the Cyan Ape had been slumbering in an odd command flag.

It seemed to have absorbed too many ghost creatures and was in the midst of transformation.

He took out the bizarre command flag and immersed his Divine Sense within it.

A vast space appeared in Zhou Xun's vision, the entire area colored a dusky hue.

Zhou Xun had tried using it as a storage bag.

Strangely, nothing could be stored inside.

It seemed only the Cyan Ape could enter this space.

Within the space, a cyan monkey was lying asleep, its fur faintly glowing with a golden sheen.

"It's been ten years of slumber, who knows when it'll wake!"

Shaking his head, Zhou Xun withdrew his Divine Sense.

...

Time flew by, and before anyone realized it, another year had passed.

It has been three years since he killed the middle-aged man in the black robe.

In those three years, Zhou Xun used the Hundred Herbs Pavilion's connections to acquire a few more Tier Two Spirit Medicines.

Each year, he absorbed a Spirit Medicine Essence, including a Tier Two Middle-Grade one.

Within these three years, his Spirit Root Sensitivity increased by four points, reaching thirty-six points total.

It was extremely close to being High-Grade now.

Such talent would make him no small genius within the Cloud Light Sect.

"At the slowest, in three years; at the fastest, in a year, my Spirit Root will hit the peak of Middle-Grade, at which point Tier Two Spirit Medicines will no longer boost my Spirit Root!"

Aside from his Spirit Root, his skills in Arrays and Talisman Technique had seen substantial advancements.

He was now a bona fide Middle-Grade Array Master.

And two months ago, his Talisman Mastery reached High-Grade Peak, now advancing towards Tier Two Low-Grade.

According to his estimation, within a maximum of two months, he would successfully refine his first Tier Two Talisman, becoming a Tier Two Rune Master.

As for his endeavors in alchemy, he was nearing the end of his Alchemy Inheritance, but his search for the Tier Two Middle-Grade Alchemy Inheritance had been fruitless for years.

If he wanted, he could return to the Lin Family, where such inheritances would surely be possessed due to their foundation. But Zhou Xun was certainly not willing to sell himself for a mere Tier Two Middle-Grade inheritance.

At the very least, it has to be Quasi-Third Tier!

His greatest advancement had been in his Body Refining Cultivation, now reaching Third Layer Peak; Middle-Grade Spiritual Artifacts could no longer harm him, and against High-Grade Spiritual Artifacts, he could now hold his ground.

"Next comes the Fourth Layer. My Body Refining Cultivation is likely to surpass my Magic Cultivation and reach Foundation Establishment first!"

Reception Hall.

Zhou Xun held a letter in hand, sent by Lin Xueying. Along with it came a Jade Box.

This was the first letter from Lin Xueying after he arrived in White Cloud Immortal City.

He unfolded the letter and began to read slowly:

"To Zhou Lang, my dear, I have reached Foundation Establishment..."

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