「On the third day.」

Southwest of Shuiyun Workshop.

Courtyard C-36 by the lake also welcomed its new master.

One man, one Demon Beast.

Such a combination wasn’t too conspicuous in Shuiyun Workshop.

While Demon Beasts were rare, the various clan factions and even the Longevity Sect bred and trained Spirit Beasts, and no small number were even sold to the public.

And Wangcai, merely a Demon Beast that had evolved from a common mortal dog, was even less noticeable.

The courtyard wasn’t large, but it was exquisite. It had front and back yards, with one side facing the lake and the other the street. Between them stood a refined and rustic house.

The lake view was magnificent; the street was bustling.

"I’ll be living here from now on," Chu Mu murmured to himself, letting out a long breath.

WHIMPER WHIMPER...

Wangcai lifted its head and whimpered twice, as if trying to say something.

Chu Mu chuckled and tapped the pup’s head.

"You’re a clever one. Xu Yuan isn’t coming, so it’s just the two of us."

As he spoke, his Divine Sense swept out, completely covering the small courtyard inside and out. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

After confirming there were no anomalies, he stepped into one of the rooms.

Wangcai obediently followed, but the doorframe, only a man’s height, blocked its massive body.

Wangcai stuck its head in, peeking into the room. It wasn’t until Chu Mu gave it a light smack that Wangcai seemed to realize. Its huge body shrank, and it scurried over to Chu Mu, wagging its tail.

"Find a place to stay and cultivate properly."

Chu Mu tossed out a bottle of Body Tempering Elixir. As the Jade Bottle neared Wangcai, it strangely didn’t fall to the ground but hovered in front of it.

Then, with a flick of its tongue, Wangcai caught the Jade Bottle in its mouth.

"One pill every three days. Don’t eat more than that," Chu Mu instructed.

Wangcai whimpered twice, as if it understood.

Holding the Jade Bottle, Wangcai wagged its tail and walked to a corner of the room, curling up. It spat out the bottle, and a pill floated into its mouth. Wangcai narrowed its eyes, seemingly feigning sleep as it rested.

Chu Mu wasn’t surprised. Dogs were naturally intelligent, and after becoming an Extraordinary Demon Beast that had shed its mortal coil, its Spiritual Wisdom, while not quite at a human level, had clearly improved significantly.

It could understand his simple commands and even grasp the meaning behind a look or a gesture.

Aside from being unable to speak, its Spiritual Wisdom was already on par with that of a normal child.

Chu Mu pondered for a moment, and the Light Curtain Panel appeared before him.

’Without a doubt, my focus on studying Alchemy Skill and Artifact Refining Skill has slowed down my Cultivation progress.’

’My Qi Cultivation has just reached the tenth layer, and my Body Refining Cultivation has also just recently entered the Third Layer.’

’And the Vein Nourishing Pills I’ve been relying on have become almost ineffective now that my Cultivation is approaching the Qi Cultivation Perfection realm.’

’Of course, this only applies to ordinary Vein Nourishing Pills.’

’The One-Patterned Vein Nourishing Pills are still potent.’

’As for advancing my Body Refining Cultivation, I have far more options.’

’The most common Body Refining Elixir is the Body Tempering Pill. Its effects are similar to the Vein Nourishing Pill, and it remains effective until one reaches Body Refining Perfection.’

’Furthermore, the Vajra Pill recipe I obtained from Zhao Tang can be used all the way until I completely perfect my Body Refining.’

’However, I haven’t had the chance to gather the Spiritual Materials for the Vajra Pill. I only refined a few batches of Body Tempering Pills while I was recovering from my injuries.’

"This should be enough for now."

Chu Mu took stock of the pills he had to support his Qi and Body Refining Cultivation, thinking to himself, ’I’m not in a hurry right now. The few battles I’ve fought yielded enormous spoils. I have several thousand Spirit Stones alone, not to mention a good number of various elixirs.’

’Besides, in my Storage Talisman, apart from a great surplus of Vein Nourishing Pills, there’s also a large pile of various Magical Artifacts I refined while recovering.’

’For the short term, I don’t lack Spirit Stones, Magical Artifacts, or pills to support my Cultivation.’

’Right now, as a newcomer, the most important thing is to lie low for a while, cultivate in peace, familiarize myself with my surroundings, and raise my Cultivation level.’

His thoughts were a whirlwind, but they gradually quieted. A pill entered his stomach, and Chu Mu settled his mind into Cultivation.

Body Refining, Qi Cultivation.

In the time that followed, Chu Mu didn’t let himself be distracted. Aside from occasionally going out to gather information, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to Cultivation.

The Spiritual Materials for Vein Nourishing Pills and Body Tempering Pills weren’t hard to find. Even in the Marketplace, with a little effort, it wasn’t difficult to gather a complete set.

The Vajra Pill, however, was another story. Its main ingredient needed to be a hundred years old, making it extremely hard to find.

Nevertheless, the One-Patterned Body Tempering Pill was clearly quite potent.

His Qi Cultivation entered the Perfection stage, with the One-Patterned Vein Nourishing Pills continuing to take effect.

During this period of seclusion, his Body Refining Cultivation also reached the Perfection realm, supported by the One-Patterned Body Tempering Pills.

Only one or two Pill Pattern Elixirs from each batch!

This secluded Cultivation session was built on a mountain of Spirit Stones!

As for the pills that were useless to him, whether Vein Nourishing Pills or Body Tempering Pills, aside from occasionally giving some to Xu Yuan, the rest provided a plentiful supply for Wangcai’s Cultivation.

A Demon Beast’s bloodline Cultivation was far more domineering than he had imagined.

The Vein Nourishing Pills and Body Tempering Pills that he hadn’t dared let it try before, it could now consume them all, though their effects were much weaker than elixirs made specifically for Spirit Beasts.

But an ample quantity was clearly enough to make up for the lack of quality.

Wangcai’s growth was also unprecedentedly rapid.

「And so, another year passed quietly...」

...

East Lake was vast, its waters shimmering.

Between the turquoise water and the blue sky, a streak of sword light shot across the heavens and plunged into the lake. A moment later, water splashed, and a figure in green robes stood upon its surface.

’A year ago, the great fog appeared at Longevity Island, then vanished after three days without a trace...’

’Three months ago, the great fog appeared on the south shore of East Lake, at Lianyun Port. It vanished after half a day, leaving no trace...’

’A month ago, the great fog appeared three hundred li southwest of Water Heaven Workshop. It vanished after a day, leaving no trace...’

Chu Mu reviewed the information on the East Lake fog he had compiled from the Imperial Gazette, his gaze flickering as he fell into thought.

The East Lake fog had persisted for many years. It was likely no secret even across the entire Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World.

The mysterious fog he had once encountered still seemed to follow no pattern, appearing almost randomly all over the East Lake Waters.

There was no fixed time, no fixed location, and even the duration of its appearance was erratic.

Sometimes it would last for several days; other times it would vanish again after just a few hours. There was no rhyme or reason to it.

Such a phenomenon was the subject of rampant rumors in the Cultivation Immortal Realm.

He had heard plenty back in Jade Emperor Valley, and since coming to Shuiyun Workshop, he had heard no shortage of various theories and speculations.

The one he found most plausible was the theory of a Secret Realm manifesting.

The so-called theory of a Secret Realm manifesting was based on the premise that behind the mysterious fog lay a true Secret Realm.

When a Secret Realm manifests, it naturally collides and merges with the Cultivation Immortal World.

This process would naturally involve many uncertainties.

This was because Secret Realms were not formed by nature, but were created by ancient Great Divine Power Cultivators using various methods.

No one knew what kind of rules the Great Divine Power User who created the Secret Realm had left behind.

However, since the Secret Realm was not hidden in the void but was frequently revealing strange phenomena, it undoubtedly proved that the Secret Realm was bound to appear in this world.

The only uncertainties were how it would manifest, whether it would be a fleeting appearance, or if it would remain permanently.

No one could be sure.

Given the vastness of East Lake, it seemed one could only try their luck before the Secret Realm truly manifested.

During his year of secluded Cultivation, he had often rushed out upon hearing news, but in the end, he always came up empty-handed.

This time, it seemed, was no different.

He had come in a hurry and searched for several days, but to no avail.

Chu Mu gazed at the horizon. With his naked eye, he could still see many Cultivators moving about.

Clearly, they were all here for the mysterious fog.

He raised a hand, and several Jade Scrolls materialized in his palm.

Even though he had delved deep into the Artifact Refining Skill for a long time, he still couldn’t glimpse the slightest mystery within these Jade Scrolls.

When the fog wasn’t present, the Jade Scrolls showed no abnormalities.

After a moment of contemplation, his gaze shifted and settled on the Light Curtain Panel in his vision.

[Name: Chu Mu.]

[Skill: Basic Blade Technique (Peak of Perfection) 9999/10000.Fireball Skill (Returning to the Essence) 5896/10000...]

[Blazing Fire Technique Layer 13 (3999/4000)]

[Wild Bull Technique Layer 4 (3999/4000)]

[Alchemy: Grain Avoidance Pill: Peak of Perfection (8953/10000)Vein Nourishing Pill: Returning to the Essence (6325/10000)Soul Cleansing Pill: Initial Glimpse (899/1000)Body Tempering Pill: Peak of Perfection (8635/10000)Vajra Pill: Beginner’s Practice (99/100)]

[Artifact Refining: Long Rainbow Sword: Refined Skill (2358/5000)...]

[Spiritual Radiance Value: 7532.6%]

A year of seclusion, a mountain of resources bought with a sea of Spirit Stones.

His Cultivation had already reached the final hurdle of the Qi Cultivation Realm.

Both his Qi Cultivation and Body Refining were at complete Perfection.

The unseen opportunity had become incomparably clear.

It felt as if following this opportunity would lead him to a brand new realm he had never before entered.

He closed his eyes slightly. He could feel his dense and refined Magical Power, and his Divine Sense that could cover a radius of several hundred meters...

He had achieved Ice Skin and Jade Bone; his body was as clear and translucent as crystal!

Beneath the heavy beat of his heart, scalding, viscous blood surged. A single punch held the terrifying power to shatter anything.

His physical body was strong enough to withstand Magical Artifacts. The concept of "overcoming all magic with pure strength" was already beginning to show signs at this Perfection Stage.

"Foundation Establishment..." Chu Mu murmured.

The opportunity was obvious, yet he felt hesitant.

After all, his understanding of Foundation Establishment was limited to the name itself.

’How do I establish my Foundation? What will I face during the process, what will I experience, what dangers are there...’

He knew nothing!

Moreover, he was completely in the dark about the Cultivation Techniques, Secret Skills, Elixirs, and everything else needed after the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Being so ignorant, how could he dare take that step forward, no matter how obvious the opportunity was?

It was like attempting Alchemy without knowing anything or preparing at all...

That wasn’t Alchemy; it was foolishness.

Not to mention, this was a leap to a new Grand Realm.

The Qi Cultivation Realm was merely the bottom rung in the Cultivation Immortal Realm.

But once one entered the Foundation Establishment Realm, they could be considered a pillar of the Cultivation Immortal Realm, an existence countless Loose Cultivators looked up to.

Even in the Longevity Sect, every Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator was a lofty figure.

Whether it was Jade Emperor Valley back then, Jade Emperor City, or the Water Heaven Workshop where he now resided, they were all built upon Tier Three Spirit Veins.

Although a legendary Golden Core True Master was said to oversee it, a Golden Core True Master would obviously not concern themselves with the trivial affairs of the Marketplace.

Essentially, everything was controlled by those in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

The Foundation Establishment Realm was basically the ceiling that the vast majority of Cultivators in the Cultivation Immortal Realm could ever hope to touch.

Any higher... if you weren’t at that level and had no vested interests, it was like they existed in two different worlds.

Of course, even for a Foundation Establishment Realm existence, it was basically impossible to have any vested interests with a Golden Core True Master.

After all, a venerable Golden Core True Master would hardly be short on Spirit Stones, and the things they lacked were not something a low-level Cultivator could provide.

It was even more unlikely that they would get jealous seeing a low-cultivation Cultivator earn a few Spirit Stones...

’Clearly, for me, once I step into the Foundation Establishment Realm, almost all of my current difficulties will vanish into thin air.’

’An Alchemist and an Artifact Refiner in the Qi Cultivation Realm is like a child carrying gold in the streets—a treasure that invites disaster!’

’But an Alchemist and an Artifact Refiner in the Foundation Establishment Realm is someone people would want to befriend.’

’As for the Longevity Sect’s wanted notice...’

’That would be even less of a concern. Zhao Tang’s father is only in the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment. Once I enter the Foundation Establishment Realm, would I still need to fear a Cultivator of the same realm?’

His thoughts drifted. His Divine Sense probed his Storage Talisman, where the Magical Artifacts he had refined were still piled up.

A year of seclusion and the massive consumption of Spirit Stones had nearly depleted all his savings.

Now, aside from the few remaining Vein Nourishing Pills, some Spiritual Materials, and the Magical Artifacts he had refined before...

...he was only left with the Magical Artifacts he used himself.

After more than two years, he was once again down to a mere hundred or so Spirit Stones.

Chu Mu glanced one last time at the turquoise water and blue sky. In the end, he didn’t dwell on it any longer. He mounted his sword and soared into the air. With a flash of sword light, he made little effort to conceal himself as he streaked across the sky, eventually disappearing into the clouds...

...