Chapter 115: The Reluctant Foundation Establishment

Chapter 115: The Reluctant Foundation Establishment

Upon entering the Foundation Establishment stage, Jiang Yan's control over spiritual energy elevated to a new level. Although the spirit energy flowing from the Celestial Green Wood into his body remained dense and profound, Jiang Yan’s mastery in guiding this energy was no longer influenced by its thickness.

Guiding his spiritual energy along the Celestial Green Wood’s force that had invaded Tang Wan’s body, Jiang Yan carefully examined the injuries within her.

Tang Wan had fainted, blood staining the corner of her mouth—undoubtedly a consequence of the shockwave from the recent spiritual explosion, which must have injured her meridians or internal abdomen. Without hesitation, Jiang Yan traced her meridians to assess the damage.

After inspecting all eight of Tang Wan’s meridians, a mixture of worry and joy filled Jiang Yan’s heart. Joy, because her body showed no serious injury and she had even advanced to the eighth layer of Qi Refining—a progression likely aided by the Celestial Green Wood’s spiritual energy. Worry, because the absence of injuries in her meridians left Jiang Yan perplexed about the true extent and location of her wounds.

There was no stagnated blood within Tang Wan, and aside from the spiritual energy in her eight meridians not being fully abundant, there were no signs of harm. This came as a surprise to Jiang Yan. Outside the Celestial Green Wood Barrier, the shockwave’s power was tremendous. The golden light radiating from the Golden Bell Shield worn by the young monk from Huasheng Temple flickered between brightness and dimness. Under the relentless assault, it was on the verge of collapse. How could Tang Wan’s slender back endure such a blow without injury?

Suddenly, a sharp sensation stirred Jiang Yan’s spirit as he observed the monks outside the barrier. His spiritual energy seemed to shift subtly.

As Jiang Yan channeled the surging spiritual energy from the Celestial Green Wood into Tang Wan’s body, flowing along her meridians, the energy gradually changed attributes due to Jiang Yan’s own spiritual nature. Bit by bit, it was assimilated and brought under his control.

But after completing a full cycle through Tang Wan’s meridians, Jiang Yan was stunned to discover that her spiritual energy had seemingly merged with his own.

Gazing at the peacefully sleeping Tang Wan, Jiang Yan felt helpless. Now that her spiritual energy was unified with his, how could he return it without harming her?

“Foundation Establishment?” Jiang Yan thought, looking at Tang Wan’s delicate face with a trace of reluctant resolve.

A soft whimper escaped Tang Wan as she stirred awake, likely because her spiritual energy was fully under Jiang Yan’s control. Seeing her senior brother holding her, a rosy blush painted her cheeks as she whispered, “Senior brother, please let go of Wan’er.”

Jiang Yan was momentarily taken aback but managed a wry smile. He pulled her closer and spoke with a hint of resignation, “Wan’er, when I was examining your injuries just now, a small accident occurred. Now, I must help you enter the Foundation Establishment stage. Are you willing?”

Tang Wan nestled closer, a mixture of helplessness and sweetness rising within her. Her cheeks deepened in color as she lowered her head, her voice soft as flowing water, “Wan’er will follow senior brother’s guidance.”

Confident, Jiang Yan patted his chest boldly. “Wan’er, rest assured, I’ll handle everything. You’ve been exhausted for so long—sleep well first. When you wake, you’ll have firmly established your foundation.”

Tang Wan’s lips curved into a gentle smile at Jiang Yan’s exaggerated assurance. She gazed deeply into his eyes before closing them slowly in his embrace.

Seeing her so serene, Jiang Yan’s brows furrowed tightly. Foundation Establishment was no trivial feat. Among tens of thousands of cultivators in the Linqing Prefecture Realm, only three had reached this stage, underscoring its difficulty. Jiang Yan’s own success was largely due to luck—if not for the sudden reversal of spiritual energy within the Celestial Green Wood at the last moment, who knew when he would have succeeded? Helping someone else establish their foundation was even more challenging.

Gently brushing aside the soft strands of Tang Wan’s hair, Jiang Yan’s fingers traced her amber-like, exquisite face, filling his heart with tranquility. If life could always be this peaceful, quietly watching the woman before him sleep, how wonderful that would be.

His finger paused at the blood staining the corner of her mouth. He wiped it away, a sudden sharp pain stirring deep within his heart.

Outside the Celestial Green Wood Barrier, the shockwave’s momentum intensified. The golden radiance of the Golden Bell Shield worn by the Huasheng Temple’s Monk Wukong had completely dimmed. It seemed only a matter of time before another spiritual treasure was destroyed in Linqing Prefecture.

If the Golden Bell Shield could barely withstand such a wave, how much damage had Wan’er sustained shielding him with her frail body?

Watching Tang Wan sink into a deep sleep, Jiang Yan’s heart ached silently.

Gratefully, she was unharmed now. He resolved to find a way to help her establish her foundation. Once established, even if he withdrew the spiritual energy source from her body, her strength would not diminish thanks to the foundation’s support.

“How can I help Wan’er quickly reach the Great Perfection stage of Qi Refining?” Jiang Yan pondered, driving his spiritual energy to circulate gently within Tang Wan. To build the foundation, a Qi Sea must be formed—a milestone requiring the cultivator to reach the Great Perfection stage. But Tang Wan was only at the eighth layer of Qi Refining.

Suddenly, a familiar sound of breakthrough echoed by his ear, startling Jiang Yan. Could it be that he had advanced again so quickly? That seemed unlikely.

As the spiritual energy coursed through Tang Wan’s body, a new meridian appeared along its path. Jiang Yan realized with a start that Tang Wan had advanced, opening a ninth meridian and officially entering the ninth layer of Qi Refining.

His brows relaxed. Ninth layer—how far could Great Perfection be? Given Tang Wan’s sudden advancement, Jiang Yan’s own spiritual energy—or rather the Celestial Green Wood’s energy—must have promoted her progression. Under their joint influence, her speed toward Great Perfection would surely quicken.

Without hesitation, Jiang Yan accelerated the flow of spiritual energy through Tang Wan’s newly opened ninth meridian. The Celestial Green Wood acted as a natural reservoir, perfectly aiding her transition to Great Perfection and the formation of a Qi Sea.

A white mist rose overhead. With the rapid circulation of spiritual energy, the temperature around Jiang Yan and Tang Wan surged sharply, enveloping them in steam. In no time, the Celestial Green Wood area was shrouded in a white haze.

Jiang Yan strained to drive his spiritual energy swiftly through Tang Wan’s nine meridians…

Where his palm met the Celestial Green Wood, the once-bright azure glow gradually dimmed under the excessive outflow of spiritual energy…

…

“Boom!”

At last, the long-awaited sound of breakthrough resonated in Jiang Yan’s ear. At the terminus of the ninth meridian, a Qi Sea had formed—Tang Wan’s Qi Sea.

The Qi Sea’s appearance caused the relentless spiritual energy within the nine meridians to surge inward like rivers converging into an ocean. Jiang Yan carefully guided the energy toward the Qi Sea, aware that the cultivator’s lifeline was at stake. Foreign spiritual energy invading the Qi Sea could cause injury or even rupture, leading to death. He proceeded cautiously.

As for Jiang Yan’s own spiritual energy within his Qi Sea, it was the residue of the Nine Meridian Collapse technique. Since all nine meridians within his body had been shattered, his spiritual energy had nowhere else to flow and thus gathered in his Qi Sea. Its pure and gentle nature was ideal for nurturing meridians and healing wounds, which explained why Jiang Yan’s Qi Sea had remained intact.

Jiang Yan’s guided energy reached the Qi Sea’s apex. With a steadying breath, he slowed the flow, nervously observing how the Qi Sea responded to the incoming spiritual energy…

A hum arose—the Qi Sea suddenly blossomed with a faint azure radiance. Before Jiang Yan could react, he found his senses drawn into the Qi Sea along with the spiritual energy.

Within Tang Wan’s Qi Sea, tranquility reigned. At its base lay a newly infused layer of azure energy. Jiang Yan’s senses tracked the Qi Sea’s breadth—smaller than his own.

At the Qi Sea’s summit, nine streams of azure spiritual energy cascaded like waterfalls from high cliffs to the bottom.

The energy surged swiftly. In no time, Tang Wan’s body had accumulated enough spiritual energy to form a Foundation Establishment base. Jiang Yan wasted no time, channeling his energy to rotate along the same path he had used during his own foundation establishment.

…

The crescent moon-shaped base flickered within Tang Wan’s Qi Sea. As Jiang Yan consciously manipulated the energy to flow precisely in the shape of the crescent moon, and with the Celestial Green Wood’s energy being assimilated through the Nine Meridian Collapse technique, the spiritual energy within Tang Wan’s Qi Sea grew steadily.

The crescent moon base gradually materialized, its azure light pulsing faintly. According to Jiang Yan’s experience, the next moment would be crucial—the moment the crescent moon solidified. With sufficient spiritual energy, the crescent moon could take form, signifying a successful foundation establishment. Without enough energy, the process could fail at this critical point.

“Buzz…”

A bright azure glow sparkled within Jiang Yan’s Qi Sea. Concerned that Tang Wan might falter, he began to channel the full strength of his Foundation Establishment stage power to assist her. As the light flared, spiritual energy surged rapidly through Tang Wan’s arm and into her meridians, nearly doubling the already abundant energy. Under Jiang Yan’s drive, this dense spiritual energy flooded her body.

Fortunately, almost all of Tang Wan’s spiritual energy had been assimilated by Jiang Yan, preventing any backlash and sparing him the effort of converting her energy.

“Buzz…”

The faint azure light flickered sporadically within Jiang Yan’s Qi Sea, continuously driving energy into Tang Wan to support her foundation establishment.

The crescent moon flickered on and off, but compared to before, it had solidified considerably and appeared more steadily.

Jiang Yan pushed the spiritual energy to spin rapidly along the crescent’s shape, directing more energy from his body into Tang Wan’s Qi Sea, increasing its spiritual energy content to stabilize her foundation base.

“Crack!”

Suddenly, a sharp sound like an eggshell breaking echoed in Jiang Yan’s focused ears.

A brilliant azure light ignited within the Qi Sea. Suspended at its center was the fully solidified crescent moon base.

“It’s done!” Jiang Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Tang Wan had finally established her foundation.

“Phew…”

As Jiang Yan rejoiced, an overwhelming spiritual pressure erupted from Tang Wan’s newly formed foundation base. The force was immense. Before he could react, the pressure expelled him from her body.

“Ah…”

Jiang Yan steadied himself, placing his hands on his head as he inhaled deeply. His spirit sense had been injured—when Tang Wan’s spiritual energy had forcibly ejected him, his consciousness suffered damage. Spirit sense injuries were difficult to heal and painfully sharp. Though this wasn’t Jiang Yan’s first spiritual injury, the pain was intense, causing him to grip his head tightly and gasp for breath.

The Celestial Green Wood collapsed to the ground, shattering into two halves. Its lower section was almost pulverized into fragments.

Holding up his left hand before his eyes, Jiang Yan stared in disbelief, then suddenly burst out in excitement—his left hand could move again!

“Ding! The sect now has two Foundation Establishment cultivators…”

The familiar voice of the Sect Leader System sounded by Jiang Yan’s ear as he shouted with joy.

P.S.: This chapter took quite a while to write and revise—apologies to everyone. It’s about 700 words longer than usual, and it’s late, so I’m posting it as is for you all to enjoy…