Upon returning to the Green Cloud Sect's station in Middle Mountain, Ye Chen was met with a degree of reverence from the elders. Initially, everyone had thought it fortunate enough that Ye Chen, with his third-grade spiritual root, had managed to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. Although he had been fierce during the Qi Refining stage, it was assumed his combat effectiveness would be moderate after advancing.

Yet, Ye Chen had managed to defeat opponents above his level, specifically two mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. Despite relying on various strategies and sustaining severe injuries himself, requiring a month to recuperate, his proven combat prowess was undeniable.

When Yao Xi, informed of Ye Chen's return, hurried over. If it were not for the sect's rules against leaving assignments arbitrarily and her duties in pill refining, Yao Xi would have likely returned to the sect sooner to visit Ye Chen.

"I'm fine now, no need to worry!" Ye Chen reassured a concerned Yao Xi with a smile.

He invited Yao Xi into his room to thoroughly examine his injuries, after which he resumed his assigned duties at the station. Once the week-long cooldown had passed, Ye Chen decided to pass on the sword talisman his master had gifted him to Yao Xi.

Ye Chen felt no qualms about giving it away. Although it was a gift from his master intended to protect him, his interpretation was that making the talisman even more powerful through a gift would align with his master's original intention. Even if his master found out, she wouldn't blame him.

"Reward Blood Sword Talisman: Can be used once to unleash a bloodthirsty sword qi capable of slashing through early-stage Golden Core!"

Disappointed with the reward, Ye Chen had hoped that, with a 30x boost plus a critical hit, it might yield a talisman capable of cutting down a late-stage Golden Core or even a Nascent Soul cultivator. It appeared he had been overly optimistic.

However, this was to be expected. The higher one advanced in cultivation, the more significant the gaps between levels became. The difference between the later stages of Foundation Establishment and the powers of the Golden Core stage was more than just fiftyfold.

Under such circumstances, a talisman that could severely injure someone at the late Foundation Establishment stage, transforming into one that could potentially kill an early-stage Golden Core cultivator through a critical hit, was incredibly fortunate.

With this talisman, Ye Chen would stand a chance even against Golden Core cultivators, leaving little to be unsatisfied with.

In the days that followed, Ye Chen dedicated himself to cultivating at the station. Each day, in addition to his practice, he would also forge pills and occasionally tutor Yao Xi in the art of alchemy, sharing his knowledge and experience.

Whenever there was a need to send someone back to the sect, Ye Chen would volunteer, seizing the opportunity to visit his master and boost their rapport.

In the blink of an eye, another half-year passed.

...

The ruins of the Boundless Demon Sect were vast. Even after being open for over a year, new discoveries were made almost daily, attracting an increasing number of cultivators to Middle Mountain.

In the quiet room at the Green Cloud Sect's station, Ye Chen sat with his eyes tightly shut. His body was engulfed in the blazing Myriad Star Fire, his spiritual power vibrating intensely, producing thunderous sounds that resonated throughout. This bore testament to the formidable nature of Ye Chen's spiritual power.

After an indeterminate period, Ye Chen suddenly opened his eyes, which were deep and profound. His body shook violently as if breaking through some barrier, and at that moment, his spiritual power surged tremendously.

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With that breakthrough, Ye Chen advanced to the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment phase. The flames retracted into his pores, and feeling the immense increase in his spiritual power, he couldn't help but smile. Finally, he had reached the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

Calculating the time, it had been two years since his initial breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment phase. Advancing a minor realm in two years was, in fact, incredibly fast, enough to evoke envy among many cultivators. After all, it was common for most at the Foundation Establishment stage to take eight to ten years, or even longer, to make such progress.

However, Ye Chen still felt it was too slow! Not out of vanity, but because he genuinely believed so.

Other cultivators had to exhaust themselves gathering resources, which diverted their focus. They had scant access to helpful medicinal pills, while Ye Chen didn't need to worry about earning spirit stones at all.

He started with only the top-grade pills, never lacked any auxiliary medicinal aids, practiced the top-tier Western Empress Scripture, and utilized various treasures that accelerated his cultivation. This level of treatment was likely even beyond what disciples of the most Holy Lands received.

Any cultivator given such advantages would see their cultivation soar as if riding a rocket.

Even with all these advantages, Ye Chen had still taken two full years to advance. It was clear that his spiritual root was the limiting factor. With a third-grade spiritual root, cultivation was exceedingly difficult.

If it was this challenging at the Foundation Establishment phase, he dreaded to think how much more his inferior spiritual root would hinder him at the Golden Core or Nascent Soul stages. A solution was imperative.

Ye Chen planned to visit Divine Will City again soon to see if he could find any treasures that might enhance his spiritual root. Over time, with his accumulated spirit stones and various treasures awarded by the system, his assets had reached the value of at least fifty thousand high-grade spirit stones. Such a sum was unimaginable even for a Golden Core cultivator, highlighting Ye Chen's current wealth.

Thus, should any item capable of enhancing spiritual roots appear, no matter the cost, Ye Chen was confident he could secure it.

...

After stabilizing his cultivation level, Ye Chen left his seclusion. As the doors of the quiet room opened, he saw Yao Xi seated outside. Noticing the movement, Yao Xi opened her eyes and instantly sensed the change in Ye Chen's aura, her face lighting up with delight.

"Junior Brother, have you made a breakthrough?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Ye Chen smiled and nodded modestly, "Indeed, I have succeeded."

"Thank you for guarding me, Senior Sister," he added, acknowledging her support.

Although the station's protective arrays were not as comprehensive as those at the sect, it wasn't overly challenging for enemies to infiltrate. A disturbance during a critical phase of cultivation could have disastrous consequences, which is why Yao Xi had guarded him for half a month outside his chamber.

Now that Ye Chen had advanced beyond Yao Xi in cultivation level, the terms Senior Sister and Junior Brother still rolled off their tongues quite naturally. Ye Chen, in particular, enjoyed this formality.

Yao Xi was overjoyed at Ye Chen's breakthrough, even more so than if it were her own. She was about to offer her congratulations when she suddenly remembered something and furrowed her brows, "The head of the Magic Peak was looking for you three days ago. He said if you broke through, you should visit him."

Ye Chen was puzzled; he had minimal interaction with the head of the Magic Peak. The man was known not to get along with his master, but there hadn't been any overt animosity or trouble directed at Ye Chen from him. Business between them had always been conducted without incident.

Wondering about the sudden summons, Ye Chen felt curious about what it might entail.

Hearing Ye Chen's confusion, Yao Xi explained further, "Three days ago, three direct disciples from the Divine Will Sect arrived at our station. They intended to enter the ruins and mentioned that their team required an alchemist to accompany them. As you know, the Divine Will Sect is a superior sect, and we must assist them when they request help. Initially, the head of the Magic Peak planned for an elder from the Pill Peak to go with them.

"However, one of the Divine Will Sect's female disciples refused and specifically asked for you by name to accompany them. I feel their intentions might not be benign… Perhaps, Junior Brother, you should continue your cultivation in seclusion. After all, no one has seen you come out yet."

Ye Chen's brows furrowed slightly at this information. A female direct disciple from the Divine Will Sect who knew him personally? Who could it be?

It definitely wasn't Yun Qianyue. If she were a direct disciple, she wouldn't be working as a guide at the city gates for spirit stones.

That left only one possibility — the niece of An Miaoli, the 200x female cultivator he knew! Why had she come?

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