Chapter 125: Fifth Level of Foundation Establishment, A New Concept for Earning Spirit Stones!

Six months later.

On a silent, isolated island in the northern reaches of the Profound Corpse Sect's maritime territory.

Inside a secluded cave dwelling.

Shen Lian sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his blood surging as a deep crimson flush spread from his abdomen up to his forehead. He felt an intense, scorching heat radiating through his body, accompanied by the sensation of blood surging in reverse and his entire frame feeling unnaturally stiff and taut.

He felt an inexplicable, overwhelming urge to seek out a "fairy sister." He did not know why, but the desire was persistent.

The turbulent heat of his blood caused the air within the cave to vibrate violently. Fortunately, the Small Five Elements Prohibition Array guarded the perimeter, sealing his aura within the dwelling.

Since returning from the Sea Wind and Thunder Auction, he had traveled to Yuan Yan City to retrieve the Bone-Piercing Fruit and other medicinal herbs from the Wind and Thunder Pavilion. He had then set up his furnace to refine Bone-Piercing Pills.

Upon consuming the pills, Shen Lian suddenly grasped why the path of the body cultivator had vanished: the practice was essentially a form of self-torture. Once the pill was ingested, its medicinal power transformed into countless sharp needles that rampaged through his body, piercing flesh and striking bone, as if innumerable tiny beings were stabbing him from within. There was no need for an enemy to strike; he was mutilating himself.

The constant, piercing pain made it clear why the tradition of body cultivation had perished—it was not without reason. Yet, under this agony, Shen Lian’s flesh and bones absorbed the medicinal potency, converting it into fuel for his physical body.

With the herbs obtained from the Wind and Thunder Pavilion and his own reserves, he had gathered enough materials for two batches, resulting in twenty-six Bone-Piercing Pills: twenty superior grade, three medium, and three inferior.

Lacking an orthodox body cultivation manual, Shen Lian was forced to use this crude method, refining the medicinal power into his body and letting his physique passively absorb it. Bone-Piercing Pills were Tier 2 low-grade, but those of superior quality possessed potency rivaling Tier 2 mid-grade pills. Initially, he had been afraid to swallow them whole, starting with inferior ones, crushing them and consuming them in small doses until his body adapted. Overall, these pills were far more effective than his daily practice of circulating spiritual energy to slowly temper his flesh.

With the help of these pills, his physical durability steadily increased.

Three months later.

On the silent, desolate island, a roar echoed across the sky. A small hill nearly ten zhang high collapsed in an instant, rocks scattering into the air. The shattered stones flew in every direction, scaring the birds and beasts in the island’s jungle into a frantic retreat.

Shen Lian gazed at the jagged, uneven stone shards in the large crater. With a flicker of light, a crimson spirit sword appeared in his hand, and he swung it against his left forearm.

"Hiss..."

A gash immediately opened on his arm, and blood began to flow. Shen Lian frowned.

"It is truly no wonder the path of the body cultivator died out."

He cursed bitterly, then channeled his spiritual energy to heal the wound. This low-grade Fire Cloud Sword had been purchased back in the Thousand Leaf Island Alliance. By his current standards, it was the lowest of the low-grade artifacts, of very average quality. Yet, the fact that it had still managed to cut his arm meant his body cultivation had not yet reached the second tier.

He still had to consume the Bone-Piercing Pills.

However, it was much better than the previous month; the cut was only superficial, and most of the impact left only white marks. Lacking an orthodox manual or anyone to compare himself to, Shen Lian was essentially crossing the river by feeling for stones. Still, he could clearly feel that his body and internal organs were significantly improved compared to when he started. The Fire Cloud Sword in his hand, though capable of breaking his skin under his great strength, now showed jagged notches along its blade.

In his current state, he was ready to advance to the fifth level of Foundation Establishment.

"In the future, if I have the chance, I should see if I can dig up a proper body cultivation manual from some ruins."

...

On the vast ocean, giant waves surged toward the sky.

Above the swells, a pitch-black spirit ship, its prow shaped like the head of a terrifying whale, released a black spiritual light that shattered the gale-force winds. Despite the raging storm, and even with the protection of its arrays, the black ship swayed violently.

In one of the ship's cabins, Shen Lian stood by the window, watching the tempest. It was the first time he had encountered such a terrifying natural phenomenon since he began traveling by spirit ship. At the edge of the horizon, massive waves rose like pillars connecting heaven and earth; even from a great distance, the sight was staggering. In the face of nature's might, cultivators still appeared so minuscule.

This spirit ship was headed north to Cape Immortal City.

After spending nearly half a year on the nameless deserted island, he had successfully advanced to the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, and his physical cultivation had also reached the Foundation Establishment level. Lacking a precise benchmark, Shen Lian continued to use the Fire Cloud Sword as his measure; a Tier 2 low-grade artifact could no longer pierce his skin.

However, because he lacked an orthodox cultivation method, his tempered body possessed no corresponding offensive divine abilities; he had simply layered on a Tier 2 low-grade defense.

Because his physical strength had increased, his divine sense had surged by a full four hundred and twenty zhang upon reaching the fifth level of Foundation Establishment. Currently, Shen Lian’s divine sense had reached a terrifying two thousand one hundred zhang.

This caught him by surprise; his innate talent for divine sense was simply too formidable. At the fourth level of Foundation Establishment, he was already comparable to a False Core cultivator, and now he had taken another step forward.

He had only refined four Tier 2 demonic beasts since entering the Foundation Establishment stage using the Blood Refining and Soul Derivation secret technique he had previously acquired. All of them were low-grade, and the soul power gained through the secret technique totaled only three or four hundred zhang. Even subtracting that, he still possessed one thousand seven hundred zhang, surpassing even the late Daoist Qian Shi.

Once his cultivation breakthrough was complete, Shen Lian had boarded this spirit ship, the *Black Fish*, to head toward Cape Immortal City.

Cape Immortal City was the northernmost immortal city, a hub through which cultivators from the Ten Thousand Star Sea and the Southern Sea region passed. Although located on the edge of the Ten Thousand Star Sea, it was a transit point connecting the two regions, and its prosperity far exceeded that of the Inner Sea.

While there was an uninhabited sea region between the Southern Sea and the Ten Thousand Star Sea, some families were willing to take the risk to transport spiritual materials that were scarce in either region. This resulted in Cape Immortal City frequently stocking spiritual items not found elsewhere in the Ten Thousand Star Sea.

Furthermore, Cape Immortal City held a unique status in the cultivation world of the Ten Thousand Star Sea; it did not belong to the most powerful Golden Core sect, the Profound Sea Sect. Its master, Daoist Black Profound, was an outer sect elder of the Southern Sea’s Cloud Peak Sect. Even the Venerable Fu Hai, the treasure of the Profound Sea Sect, had to show some respect to an outer sect elder of a Nascent Soul sect.

This was why Shen Lian was heading there—to reside for a period and see if he could continue collecting spiritual supplies. At the very least, as the primary transit point between the Ten Thousand Star Sea and the Southern Sea, the probability of finding Tier 2 spiritual items was much higher.

"Rumble."

The *Black Fish* rode the wind and waves, shattering the incoming gusts. The turbulent energy caused the cultivators on board to wake from their meditation and gaze out at the stormy sea. Some began to exchange words.

"The Ten Thousand Star Sea is entering a troubled autumn."

"The Heaven-Supporting Alliance has challenged the dignity of the Profound Sea Sect, and the fact that the Profound Sea Sect has not yet crushed them in one go is simply inconceivable."

"The Heaven-Supporting Alliance has also announced that they are recruiting cultivators from all over the Ten Thousand Star Sea and opening up their cultivation manuals. Any cultivator who joins them has a chance to obtain these techniques."

"I heard that the Sea Clans, hearing that the Profound Sea Sect has been severely weakened, are also harboring thoughts of taking advantage of the situation."

...

Shen Lian, sitting in his cabin, did not need to intentionally eavesdrop to capture much of this information. During his retreat, the war between the Profound Sea Sect and the Heaven-Supporting Alliance had escalated, and the Sea Clan tribes to the east had caught wind of an opportunity to attack the eastern maritime territory of the Profound Sea Sect.

To put it plainly, it was all for the sake of cultivation resources.

After years of running, Shen Lian had a clear path for his cultivation: steady development with a focus on improving his realm. Traveling to Cape Immortal City to buy herbs for alchemy, trading pills for spiritual items, and acquiring spirit stones to enrich his reserves—these were his priorities. Naturally, he could not guarantee safety if he did these things in person; in the world of cultivation, one could not walk by the river without getting one's shoes wet. Not everywhere had the peaceful atmosphere of Qian Dai's territory.

However, if he let his spirit puppets or puppet talismans do these things, it would be a different story.

The core essence of cultivation was wealth, technique, companionship, and land. Without spirit stones, one might as well return to the mortal world to be an "Immortal Master," enjoying the life of a newlywed every night.

The more he thought about it, the more promising it seemed. Currently, his divine sense had reached two thousand zhang, doubling the range at which he could control his spirit puppets to four thousand zhang, or twenty-four miles.

"Spirit puppets are fine; they are controlled by the main body's divine sense. But the puppet talismans... what if I applied the control method of the spirit puppets to the puppet talismans?"

"Hmm... the puppet talismans would need some modifications. If I could integrate a portion of my main body's divine sense, they would function like simplified spirit puppets, making them even more flexible."

"I should add escape skills and self-destruction mechanisms. If I encounter a crisis I cannot escape, they can self-destruct, leaving not even a speck of ash for the enemy."

"That way, in times of danger, as long as I sever the connection quickly enough, it will not implicate my main body."

...

"If only I could become a disciple of the Cloud Peak Sect."

Squinting at the wind and waves outside, Shen Lian’s thoughts grew increasingly active. The name of the Cloud Peak Sect was highly prestigious in the Ten Thousand Star Sea. As long as one was in a public, crowded city, declaring oneself a disciple of the Cloud Peak Sect meant surely no one would dare attack.

Of course, in the dark corners, it might be a bit risky. One could not be too arrogant in the world of cultivation.

He could maintain a high-status identity publicly, live in the city, and quietly use his puppets to earn spirit stones. Perhaps this wouldn't work at the Cloud Peak Sect's headquarters, but here in the Ten Thousand Star Sea, across the vast ocean, there were loopholes.

He hesitated for a moment. If he used the sect's name, would he be expected to take on sect missions? Would he incur karma by borrowing their name? Karma was a strange thing; those who didn't believe in it didn't care, but those who did were everywhere.

After much deliberation, Shen Lian decided to give it a try. Of course, he wasn't going to usurp the Cloud Peak Sect. He simply wanted to use his puppet avatars or talisman puppets to earn spirit stones. If the experiment was successful, he could sit securely in the city to cultivate while his avatars earned resources for him.

Rumble!

A thunderclap in the distance shook Shen Lian from his deep thoughts. The weather at sea grew increasingly violent; lightning fell from the high sky, and the storm descended like a waterfall. The entire spirit ship was like a small boat swaying in the vast ocean. The black protective array hummed continuously, its light shattering the incoming winds.

"Fellow Daoists, the weather is terrifying. There is a large deserted island one thousand miles ahead. The spirit ship will head there to anchor and will resume its journey once the weather clears."

A cold, feminine voice sounded from the ship. It sounded like a notification, but the tone was beyond questioning.

"Fellow Daoists, do not panic. Such storms are common on the endless ocean and usually do not last very long."

Soon after, an elderly voice followed, its tone much softer than the previous one.

Before long, the outline of an island appeared in front of the ship. The *Black Fish* rode the gale, swaying toward the island, and finally landed in a valley. With the surrounding mountains blocking the wind, the turbulence on the ship finally subsided. The great array, previously at maximum intensity, dimmed, and rain began to pelt the ship with a rhythmic clatter.

"It has been a long time since we encountered such a strong storm in the Inner Star Sea."

"Does the Daoist travel to the Outer Sea often?"

Some cultivators began to chat through their windows.

"No, but the elders in my family have been to the Outer Sea. They told me that the winds and waves there are endless. Often, within ten thousand miles, the sky is clear without a cloud, while ten thousand miles away, a thunderstorm is raging."

The so-called Inner Star Sea referred to the various island territories governed by the Golden Core sects led by the Profound Sea Sect. The corresponding Outer Sea referred to the desolate, uninhabited waters between the Inner Sea and the Southern Sea region.

If the distance were the only issue, it would be manageable—if it took a year to sail, it would take two; it would just cost more time. However, there were reasons why the uninhabited sea region formed. With the human race's ability to thrive, if the Outer Star Sea were livable, they would have long since migrated there, claimed territory, and developed enough sect forces to border the Southern Sea. It remained uninhabited precisely because the Outer Star Sea was prone to frequent, violent weather. If a cultivator were unlucky enough to run headfirst into a thunderstorm, not even their ashes would remain.

...

"A bunch of hillbillies..."

"The only thing worth seeing in the Ten Thousand Star Sea is the beauties."

"What's wrong with being a local lord in a remote sea region? Staying in the sect, working oneself to death, doesn't guarantee a chance at Golden Core anyway."

"If you can't reach Golden Core, sooner or later you'll be assigned to some sea region to work for the sect. I'm just skipping that step and becoming a beast of burden for the sect fifty years early."

With a wave of his hand, the middle-aged cultivator brought out a pile of spirit stones. The woman beamed with joy. "Senior is truly a noble person."

As she spoke, she tucked the spirit stones into the collar of her dress.

"Hum..."

At this moment, the middle-aged cultivator's expression tightened. "Alright, you may go."

The woman stood up nimbly and walked out of the cabin. Once the door was closed, the middle-aged cultivator took out a sound-transmission jade talisman from his storage artifact.

"When are you coming back?" An impatient voice rang out from the talisman.

"Senior Brother Lin, we encountered a storm on the road, and the ship has stopped at an island mid-journey. Once the storm passes, I will be back soon."

"How did the matter go?"

"It’s done. The batch of... 'pills' we sent over sold out quickly."

"I heard on the way that the Sea Clans want to take advantage of this to invade the Inner Star Sea. As long as this war is big enough, there’s no need to worry about the pills not selling. Senior Brother Lin, this is a great opportunity for us to earn spirit stones."

"I was thinking, those junior brothers in the sect, they don't just do alchemy; they also forge weapons and craft talismans..."

(End of chapter)