Chapter 72: The Pinnacle of Foundation Establishment

After some time, Lin Yang’s physical transformation was finally complete, and his experience gauge had reached its limit. At this moment, he felt the spiritual energy in his dantian could no longer improve, and he knew he had achieved perfection in the Foundation Establishment stage. The next step would be to break through to the Golden Core.

He calmed his excitement and opened his status panel.

Name: Lin Yang
Age: 30/240
Cultivation: Late Foundation Establishment, Perfected (10,000,000/10,000,000)
Technique: Five Elements Formula (1/100,000) - Master
Primary Profession: Second-tier, Superior-grade Alchemist (Maxed out)
Secondary Professions: Second-tier, Superior-grade Talisman Master; Second-tier, Superior-grade Formation Master; Second-tier, Intermediate-grade Artifact Refiner; First-tier, Superior-grade Beast Tamer; Second-tier, Inferior-grade Puppet Master.
Skills: Sword Control (Peak Mastery - doubles flight speed, increases sword technique speed by 20%, experience maxed out)
Basic Swordsmanship (Peak Mastery 45,250/500,000, endless improvement) - increases learning speed for all sword techniques by 50%; allows refinement of sword intent, reaching the realm of responding to and creating moves instantaneously.
Tai Chi Fist (870,025/1,000,000) - integrates the principle of softness overcoming hardness into combat, infusing Tai Chi intent into life and battle.
Dragon Elephant Strength (8th level 64,838/200,000) - each level adds the strength of one elephant, a total of 13 levels equals the strength of one dragon. (Significantly increases physical strength; currently at mid Foundation Establishment.)
Heart-stabilizing Indestructible Art (4,206/5,000) - Expert (compresses divine sense three times, increases the chance of breaking through to Golden Core by 15%)
Spirit Oblivion Technique (358/1,000) - Proficient (can directly disrupt the spirits and souls of those nearby, with sufficient mental strength can interfere with late Foundation Establishment cultivators)
Available attribute points: 5,804
Items: Nascent Soul Talisman Treasure x1, 580 spirit stones, Second-grade Peak Sovereign Sword, 12 Peak Foundation Establishment puppets, 5 Golden Essence Pills, a Red Lotus Platform with 11 lotus seeds, 4 ten-thousand-year spiritual herbs, 13 thousand-year spiritual herbs, various herbs below a thousand years old...

Seeing the panel matched exactly with his own perception—he had indeed reached the peak of Foundation Establishment—he was elated, stood up, and walked outside.

He clenched his right fist, and blood-red flames enveloped it. With a punch toward the forest ahead, a pillar of crimson fire surged forward, fierce and unstoppable. Everything in its path was reduced to ashes, and the attack carved a trench a yard wide, the flames flowing within it a testament to the devastation just wrought.

He looked up to see the trench stretching endlessly toward the horizon, its length unfathomable. Gazing at the trench, he slapped his hands upon the earth, and soil grew to fill the channel, sprouting grass to restore the scene’s vitality as if nothing had happened.

Having tested his power, Lin Yang was about to return to Yue State when the communication talisman at his side flashed. Picking it up, he found it was from Demon Kill Pavilion.

He pressed it to his forehead, and the message appeared before him. It concerned the bounty on the Lu clan.

One detail caught Lin Yang by surprise: the Lu family had not just two Foundation Establishment cultivators, but also a younger one. When the assassins arrived at the Lu estate, a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Li family was also present, discussing unknown matters.

Demon Kill Pavilion sent four Foundation Establishment assassins to hunt down four cultivators. In the end, only the Li family’s cultivator and two from Lu family were captured; the youngest Lu cultivator escaped, and one assassin was lost.

Curiously, the Lu clan’s Foundation Establishment cultivators were either killed or fled, and upon learning this, the Lu family’s son-in-law wiped out the clan’s direct descendants and took his own family away.

Only a handful escaped, their whereabouts unknown. Demon Kill Pavilion’s report stated the bounty was fulfilled, but further pursuit would require additional payment.

Lin Yang decided to eradicate the Lu clan completely, returning to the Ghost Market and spending five thousand spirit stones to place a new bounty on the remaining Lu survivors, intent on their destruction.

...

Lin Yang returned to Yue State, first observing the Lu estate.

The valley was awash with blood, rivers of corpses—mortals and rogue cultivators alike had been slaughtered. The closer to the estate, the more bodies lay scattered. Ironically, most were not killed by assassins, but by the Lu clan themselves.

Now, even rogue cultivators scavenged for leftovers, the houses within growing more dilapidated toward the center. The grandest central mansion had collapsed, and the circular stone etched with formation runes lay broken on the ground.

Here, many rogue cultivators gathered, stripping the land bare. The once-glorious building materials now served as another means to destroy the Lu clan.

Occasionally, fierce fights broke out over precious items, like wolves devouring a fallen tiger.

Lin Yang searched from the sky with his divine sense, freezing the rogue cultivators in place with fear, hoping he would quickly depart.

After his inspection, he confirmed the Lu family was destroyed and left. With his departure, the rogue cultivators, terrified, fled the estate without daring to search for more treasures.

Lin Yang hurried home, issued several instructions, and announced his imminent breakthrough to the Golden Core stage.

“Ling’er, I am about to break through to Golden Core. I will activate the formation and, for three months to a year, no one may enter or leave. You should reside at the Mo Yang estate for now.” Lin Yang gathered everyone and first addressed Wang Ling’er.

The news astonished them.

“Is it true?” They were dumbfounded, unable to believe it. After all, he had just reached late Foundation Establishment; even for the most talented, it was unheard of to break through again in only a few months—and to Golden Core, no less.

“This time, I obtained a once-in-a-century opportunity at Jiaolong Mountain in Yuanwu State, which will allow me to break through the Golden Core stage,” Lin Yang explained.

“Then do as you wish. For the next year, focus on your secluded cultivation. I’ll manage the household,” Wang Ling’er replied solemnly.

“Good. If anyone asks about my whereabouts, say I am in seclusion. Do not let anyone disturb me. If someone insists, I’ll give you Ancestor Linghu’s communication talisman—notify him.” Lin Yang instructed again, handing her one of the jade pendants from his waist.

“I understand the importance,” Wang Ling’er said, accepting the pendant.

“Very well. I’ll begin my retreat. Carry on as usual and let no one see any flaws. As for staying at Mo Yang’s estate, make up any reason you like.” With these instructions, Lin Yang waited for everyone to finish packing and leave.