Chapter 251: The Gap Between Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment
While Bai Zhenzhen battled the numerous Qi Refinement masters, Zhang Yu planted the acquired Heavenly Spiritual Root into his dantian, initiating the fusion of the root with his physical body.
The Heavenly Spiritual Root Zhang Yu had chosen for his Foundation Establishment was the Sea of Qi Spiritual Root.
Fu Ji had said, “Different spiritual roots produce vastly different effects after Foundation Establishment.”
“Using a combat spiritual root for the breakthrough leads to a more rapid increase in fighting power, but in the long run, it has less potential than a cultivation-type spiritual root.”
“However, you need to fight immediately after you complete your Foundation Establishment, so purely cultivation-focused spiritual roots… are not quite suitable for your current situation.”
“After thinking it over, this Sea of Qi Spiritual Root is the most suitable for you.”
Zhang Yu agreed with Fu Ji’s recommendation.
The Sea of Qi Spiritual Root, also known as the King of Phasing, had a primary advantage in its vast coverage area and its ability to penetrate various walls, buildings, sand, and stone to absorb spiritual energy over a wide range.
It would both enhance the efficiency of his future magic power cultivation and improve his magic power recovery during battle.
Using the Sea of Qi Spiritual Root for Foundation Establishment was a choice that balanced both cultivation potential and an increase in combat strength.
As Zhang Yu guided the Sea of Qi Spiritual Root into his dantian, the root appeared to sprout, extending crystal-like tendrils that took hold in the surrounding magic power.
In an instant, spiritual energy from the surroundings swarmed in, pouring into his dantian as he performed his breathing exercise.
Then, as Zhang Yu continuously infused magic power into the Sea of Qi Spiritual Root, the root seemed to be stimulated, continuing to sprout and spread throughout his entire dantian.
And when Zhang Yu had injected 60 units of his magic power into the root, it underwent a qualitative transformation, with crystal-like tendrils extending out along his meridians.
The entire Sea of Qi Spiritual Root, with his dantian as its origin, began to gradually merge with the meridians throughout his body, becoming a part of him—a new organ.
Boom!
As the spiritual root continued to integrate, more and more spiritual energy surged in, and Zhang Yu could feel the range of his spiritual energy absorption expanding ever wider.
From an initial 50 meters, it gradually grew to 60 meters.
80 meters…
100 meters!
At this moment, Zhang Yu felt as if he had become a great funnel between heaven and earth, frantically devouring the spiritual energy within a hundred-meter radius.
Is this the true power of the Sea of Qi Spiritual Root… after it becomes a part of my body?
At the same time, as the Sea of Qi Spiritual Root fully took root in his dantian and its tendrils fused with his body’s meridians, Zhang Yu felt that with every single breath, every pore on his skin was performing a breathing exercise with the spiritual energy of the world.
The speed at which spiritual energy and magic power circulated through his meridians instantly increased by several times.
If the previous circulation of magic power through his meridians was like a car driving on a winding mountain road…
Then from this moment on, when Zhang Yu circulated magic power again, it was like a car on an expressway.
The efficiency of magic power absorption, the speed of its circulation, the scale of its mobilization and output… all of it skyrocketed in that instant.
And with this frenzied increase in magic power efficiency, Zhang Yu’s Immortal Dao cultivation underwent a qualitative change.
A flash of understanding crossed Zhang Yu’s mind. Magic power… is like the engine of the Immortal Dao.
With the efficiency of this engine drastically increased, the operation of all my cultivation techniques, and the boons they provide, have all been enhanced.
It’s like mounting an engine on what was once a bicycle…
As spiritual energy poured in, the magic power that Zhang Yu had just consumed to fuse with the spiritual root began to recover at an incredible rate.
Even after his magic power was restored to 100 units, the refinement process did not cease.
Boom!
In an instant, the former limit was shattered. Zhang Yu’s magic power broke through to 100.1, and then continued to surge upwards.
Clearly, with the fusion of the spiritual root, his magic power limit had also been broken.
This frantic increase in magic power only began to slow after reaching 180, finally stopping at 198.4.
Following this surge of power beyond his former limits, driven by the magic power, Zhang Yu’s Dao heart began to stir.
Zhang Yu visualized the Crippled Ox in his mind and began to circulate his heart art.
It was not the Qi Refinement stage Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art, but the Foundation Establishment version he had been granted this time by Deng Bingding.
Roar!
The Crippled Ox in his mind seemed to let out a roar to the heavens as the surrounding mud churned and surged, as if forming countless black hands trying to drag it down into the mire.
But the Crippled Ox’s form had grown a size larger, its body now covered in various new wounds from blades, swords, and fire, yet it was filled with a holy aura, emitting a faint white light.
The white Crippled Ox, amidst the roiling black mud, appeared ever more noble, ever more unyielding.
Dao heart level 10 (100.0%) → 11 (0.1%)
After his magic power and Dao heart broke through in succession, Zhang Yu felt his physical body begin to stir.
His muscles twisted as the surging magic power was converted into Longevity magic power, and he began to cultivate the Foundation Establishment stage of the Spring and Autumn Endless Zen.
His body, like long-parched earth, frantically absorbed the nourishment of the Longevity magic power, then it too broke its limits, raising his physical strength to level 10.01.
Dao heart level: 11 (0.1%)
Magic power: 198.4
Physical strength: 10.01
Feeling the torrential power surging within him, Zhang Yu knew in that moment that he had truly stepped into the Foundation Establishment realm.
And from this moment on, his Dao heart, magic power, and body could continue to improve.
The upper limit for his Dao heart level had reached 20, his magic power limit was now 1000, and the limit for his physical strength was 20.
But Zhang Yu did not continue to cultivate his Dao heart, magic power, or physical strength, as these would be difficult to improve significantly in a short amount of time.
And right now, he urgently needed to increase his combat power, so the best way to do that was…
Zhang Yu looked at the Nine Heavens Cloud-Sky Force on his phone.
This was the final Foundation Establishment stage technique Deng Bingding had given him, besides the Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art and the Spring and Autumn Endless Zen. It was also a so-called former military-grade technique.
Combat Technique—Nine Heavens Cloud-Sky Force: Level 0 (0/1)
After switching the Feather Book to the Nine Heavens Cloud-Sky Force, Zhang Yu began to cultivate this technique that could only be practiced at the Foundation Establishment stage.
Nine Heavens Cloud-Sky Force… the Foundation Establishment technique created by the originator of the Limitless Cloud Hand.
Just like the Limitless Cloud Hand, it doesn’t focus on forms. It only has three moves back and forth, which makes it convenient for me to practice.
As Zhang Yu completed his first practice of the Nine Heavens Cloud-Sky Force, countless images flashed through his mind, and his understanding of the technique reached the entry level.
Nine Heavens Cloud-Sky Force: Level 1 (0/10)
This technique and the Limitless Cloud Hand are completely of the same lineage…
It’s practically tailor-made for me. Deng Bingding must have done this on purpose, right?
By the time he had cultivated the Nine Heavens Cloud-Sky Force to the 5th level, Zhang Yu could feel that the power of this former military-grade technique had already surpassed any of his martial arts.
But Zhang Yu no longer had the heart to continue cultivating.
After all, for every moment he spent practicing, Bai Zhenzhen’s danger grew.
Thus, Zhang Yu’s figure flickered, and he rushed toward Bai Zhenzhen’s battlefield at full speed.
Zhang Yu arrived at the battlefield just in time to see Bai Zhenzhen being captured by Zhou Yang.
Although he didn’t recognize Zhou Yang through his altered appearance and form, that didn’t stop a potent killing intent from surging in his heart.
198.4 units of magic power roared wildly within him, transforming into billowing waves of milky-white Formless Cloud-Astral Qi.
He did not use the newly cultivated Nine Heavens Cloud-Sky Force, as it was now his hidden trump card; Zhang Yu merely executed the Limitless Cloud Hand.
Previously, when Zhang Yu used the Limitless Cloud Hand, his astral qi could only cover a radius of a few meters.
But now, having fused with the Sea of Qi Spiritual Root and stepped into the Foundation Establishment realm, Zhang Yu’s magic power limit, control efficiency, and output efficiency were all far beyond the peak of Qi Refinement.
In the blink of an eye, the Formless Cloud-Astral Qi had enveloped the surrounding dozens of meters of the battlefield, as if a dense fog had risen.
Zhou Yang was slightly stunned by the voice coming from within the fog. The next moment, he saw his opponent approaching, walking upon a sea of clouds.
At the same time, the surrounding Formless Cloud-Astral Qi had crept up on him unnoticed, like deep-sea currents, twining around his hands and feet, sealing his movements.
Boom!
Zhang Yu lightly struck out with his palm toward Zhou Yang.
Zhou Yang instinctively met the palm, activating his family’s Frost Heaven Freezing Qi Field, and a wave of palm force carrying resentment and corpse-like coldness blasted toward Zhang Yu.
The two palms collided. With a soft peng, Zhou Yang’s expression changed dramatically. He felt that his opponent’s palm strike, which seemed so unassuming, contained a ferocity in its Formless Cloud-Astral Qi that he only felt upon contact.
If the freezing qi he had blasted out was a trickling stream, then the astral qi from his opponent’s palm was like the torrential, surging waters of a great river.
The Formless Cloud-Astral Qi tore through the freezing qi as if it were nothing, poured into Zhou Yang’s body, burst his meridians, and shattered his bones…
With a series of popping sounds, Zhou Yang’s right arm exploded into a mist of blood.
Severely wounded by a single palm strike, Zhou Yang collapsed to the ground, his heart shaking violently. “Foun… Foundation Establishment! This level of magic power output is only achievable at the Foundation Establishment realm!”
But Zhang Yu acted as if he were thin air, silently walking to Bai Zhenzhen’s side and pulling her into his embrace.
Looking at Bai Zhenzhen’s pale face and her injuries, Zhang Yu said, “Sorry, I’m late.”
Bai Zhenzhen managed a faint smile. “Isn’t the timing just right?”
From Zhang Yu’s arrival to him grievously wounding Zhou Yang and taking Bai Zhenzhen in his arms, only a few seconds had passed.
In those few seconds, the surrounding Qi Refinement masters had not been idle. They had already charged into the dense fog, rushing toward the location where they remembered Bai Zhenzhen being.
Facing the siege of more than a dozen peak Qi Refinement masters, Zhang Yu held Bai Zhenzhen with one arm while slightly channeling power into his other palm, then struck out into the air.
If his strike against Zhou Yang had been a simple attack for the sake of speed to save Bai Zhenzhen…
Then this time, within a single palm strike, Zhang Yu had also layered the force-channeling techniques of the Dragonback Mountain Toppler Hand and the Dragon-Elephant Mountain-Shattering Palm.
Although both were only Qi Refinement stage martial arts, empowered by Zhang Yu’s Foundation Establishment magic power and his Martial Dao Holy Embryo, they unleashed an unprecedentedly ferocious palm force.
The crowd first heard a series of crackling explosions in the air, followed by what sounded like the roar of a dragon-elephant.
Roar!
Ye Mantian felt as if a great dragon were roaring and charging toward him from within the sea of clouds. He unleashed his full power, raising both palms to meet it, but he was instantly overwhelmed. With a boom, he was sent flying into a small building.
Ye Mantian struggled to his feet, only to violently cough up a large mouthful of blood. He felt his internal organs had been ruptured, his sinews and bones shattered. With a thud, he fell to his knees.
When he looked up, he saw that the once-dense fog had been scattered by the gale from the explosion, revealing a scene that looked like the aftermath of a massive blast.
Of the many masters who had been fighting so valiantly just moments before, not a single one was left standing.
Some were embedded in shattered walls, with only parts of their bodies visible.
Some lay unconscious on the ground, covered in blood.
Others were nothing more than severed limbs, their bodies no longer whole.
Ye Mantian looked at Zhang Yu, who stood at the center of the battlefield with one arm around Bai Zhenzhen, and a bitter thought crossed his mind. Foundation Establishment…
At the same time, beams of divine power descended from the heavens as Wang Yin’s remotely activated surgical talismans began to heal Chi He, Ye Mantian, and the others.
But even as they felt their injuries rapidly healing, a chill seeped into the hearts of Chi He, Ye Mantian, and every other master present. They dared not move a muscle, much less show the slightest hint of fighting spirit or hostility.
Because from Zhang Yu’s icy gaze, they all read the same message.
Whoever moves, dies.