Chapter 164: Canglan Sword Embryo, Formed!

"The highest good is like water, benefiting all things without contention; ultimate strength turns to softness, breaking through a thousand fathoms without leaving a trace. As the Nine Tribulations revolve, each tribulation a deep abyss, cross tribulations with the sword·——"

In Ji Yuan’s mind, the general principles of the 《Canglan Nine Tribulations Sword Manual》 echoed, while the spiritual energy within his body continuously flowed along its described meridians.

He extended his Divine Sense and could clearly perceive threads of water fortune rising from the lake surface within the Yunyu Marshlands, eventually gathering beside him and being absorbed into his body by the circulating spiritual energy.

After coursing through his meridians, the fortune settled in his Dantian.

Condensing water fortune to form a flying sword.

According to the cultivation method, if one engages in battle near a water source, this flying sword could also draw on the world’s water fortune to suppress opponents.

The more sword embryos one has from the Nine Tribulations, the stronger the water fortune one could command.

This cultivation technique was truly profound; who exactly created it remained unknown.

Ji Yuan pondered in his mind while continuously absorbing the water fortune from Yunyu Marshlands.

He guided it to converge in his Dantian, condensing the flying sword embryo.

At first, the water fortune was imperceptible, but as more and more was drawn in, it gradually became visible as a water-blue hue.

The formation protected the island.

Ji Yuan remained motionless.

Thus passed an entire day until Ji Yuan could absorb no more of the water fortune. Only then did he cease the operation of the technique and looked inward to his Dantian.

A water-blue flying sword floated above his Dantian, radiating a divine water-blue glow, slowly rotating.

"Out!"

With a single thought, the sword embryo of his Life-Bound Flying Sword emerged from his Dantian, floating before him.

Even without activation, Ji Yuan could already sense the terrifying power emanating from this sword embryo—razor sharp and aggressive, just as the phrase describes!

He hesitated, ultimately reluctant to test it on his Purple Lightning Flying Sword.

Instead, he rummaged through his storage pouch and pulled out a shield at the level of an Upper-Grade Magical Artifact.

"Slash!"

Ji Yuan traced his hand, and the sword embryo slashed downward accordingly.

The blade struck the center of the shield—not as effortlessly as slicing tofu, but not far off.

The flying sword cut through without any resistance; in the blink of an eye, the Upper-Grade Magical Artifact was split in two, cleanly down the middle.

"If slashing an Upper-Grade Magical Artifact is this easy, then what about a Supreme-Grade Magical Artifact, or even—a Spiritual Artifact?"

Ji Yuan was unwilling to experiment further and decided to test it in actual combat later, hoping this sword embryo would not disappoint.

Moreover, compared to a heavily refined flying sword like the Purple Lightning Flying Sword—

This sword embryo, born from his Dantian and aligned with his cultivation technique, was obviously far more attuned to his control. The sword moved with his will.

Not only that, its power was also far greater.

Ji Yuan estimated that it at least reached the level of a Mid-Grade Spiritual Artifact, possibly even an Upper-Grade Spiritual Artifact!

Of course, the sword embryo of this Life-Bound Flying Sword naturally had its weaknesses—it was, after all, only an embryo and not a complete flying sword.

Thus, in terms of durability, it fell short by a significant margin.

It could be easily destroyed—once the sword embryo was shattered, reforming it would be immensely difficult, perhaps even impossible.

In this light, when it came time to refine one’s Life-Bound Magic Treasure during the Golden Core Stage—

Those who normally practiced this 《Sword Manual》 would have nine Life-Bound Flying Swords, but if you only had eight—then the sword formation you deployed would be incomplete.

Your strength would naturally fall a notch below others.

Therefore, in the 《Sword Manual Insights》 given by Li Gang, it was mentioned repeatedly—

Unless absolutely necessary during the Foundation Establishment Stage, one should not use the sword embryo in combat. Even if forced to do so, once the flying sword killed an enemy, it should immediately be recalled into the Dantian to prevent destruction.

If targeted and the opponent used some Talisman Treasure, the risk would be grave.

After carefully handling the sword embryo, Ji Yuan returned it to his Dantian to continue nurturing it.

According to the technique, during the early Foundation Establishment Stage, condensing just two sword embryos would suffice to break through to the mid-stage. Now that Ji Yuan had nurtured the first, it meant he was halfway along this early-stage path.

From here on, he just needed to absorb spiritual energy and fill his Dantian.

"So it seems—cultivating during the Foundation Establishment Stage isn’t all that difficult."

But on second thought, setting aside the 《Sword Manual Insights》 passed down from predecessors by Li Gang, even having a Golden Core Real Person personally instructing him was an unimaginable privilege for ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Another small breakthrough had been achieved on the road of cultivation.

Ji Yuan was in excellent spirits and leapt down from the cliff, then—slaughtered a pig and gutted a fish, thoroughly enjoying a hearty feast.

At the end, Ji Yuan gazed at the Tempering Aperture Pearl he had obtained.

Some ideas came to mind.

As an alchemist, he could simply grind the Tempering Aperture Pearl into powder and blend it into a pill. Of course, the effectiveness would be reduced somewhat—

But it would still have some use.

And it could conceal the true purpose, avoiding detection by the Island Lord of Iron Hammer Island.

After so many years of interaction, Ji Yuan naturally trusted Iron Hammer. His temperament was similar to that of Elder Xu—

Worthy of trust.

Frankly speaking, even if one gave him a “pill” that could assist in Foundation Establishment Physique, he would rather die than reveal it.

Now that things were idle, Ji Yuan decided to go ahead with this scheme. As for which pill to blend it into, he had already made up his mind.

Qi‑Blood Pill.

A healing pill—the primary ingredient of which was Blood Essence, already effective in enhancing Vital Energy. Now, by incorporating the Tempering Aperture Pearl—

No problem at all.

Ji Yuan spent half a day in the 【Enlightenment Room】 pondering and soon found the integration point.

The powder of the Tempering Aperture Pearl had to be added at the final condensation stage of the pill, minimizing loss and avoiding interference with the original properties of the Qi‑Blood Pill.

If added too early, the medicinal properties would conflict, and there would be no ingredient in the main formula to harmonize with the Pearl’s effects.

In that case, pill formation would fail entirely.

Ji Yuan even considered that after refining the Qi‑Blood Pill, he might coat its surface with an additional layer of Tempering Aperture Pearl powder.

But doing so would be far too obvious.

"I still have -78 Tempering Aperture Pearls left. Giving too many at once wouldn’t be wise. I’ll hand over just 10 for now and deliver the rest gradually. I’ll just say this pill is hard to refine and requires many rare medicinal materials."

"Hmm— the Island Lord of Iron Hammer Island will definitely insist on paying with Spirit Stones. So be it. If he offers them, I’ll accept. Otherwise, knowing Iron Hammer’s personality, he wouldn’t feel comfortable taking the pill for free. Besides, having cultivated for decades if not centuries, he surely has accumulated quite a stash of Spirit Stones."

Ji Yuan indulged in such pleasant fantasies while refining 10 improved versions of the Qi‑Blood Pill.

Over a month later, Ji Yuan made a detour to Iron Hammer Island on his way back to Wuyou Island.

To his surprise, the Island Lord of Iron Hammer Island was away. Another ten days passed before he finally returned.

Ji Yuan visited the island again and met him.

"Damn it, those junior clan brats keep stirring up trouble. Useless fools! Even in my old age, I still have to clean up their messes."

Upon seeing Ji Yuan, the Island Lord of Iron Hammer Island cursed aloud.

This sort of situation—indeed, Ji Yuan had witnessed many.

Establishing branches, expanding one’s clan, then leveraging the clan to aid in cultivation—Ji Yuan had considered it. But after understanding the circumstances of many cultivation families, he gave up the idea.

The next generation might be manageable with extra time and oversight.

They might become his strength. But once the lineage grew, quality would surely vary. Unless he spent significant resources and time to nurture them—

The effort would far outweigh the benefits.

Better to focus wholeheartedly on improving his own cultivation strength.

Of course, if he had been born in a mortal nation where resources were desperately scarce and spiritual energy was rare, then clan-based cultivation might have been a viable path.

But in his current situation, there was no need.

"If they can't resolve things, they can only rely on you—their venerable ancestor."

Ji Yuan said with a smile.

The Island Lord of Iron Hammer Island waved a big hand. "Forget it, let’s not talk about these irritating matters."

"Speak. You brat never comes without a reason. What brings you here?"

The Island Lord sat opposite Ji Yuan, glaring with eyes as large as copper bells.

Ji Yuan simply stared at him.

Only then did he realize—the old senior had truly aged a lot. Over half of his hair had turned white. Ji Yuan retrieved an improved Qi‑Blood Pill from his storage pouch.

"Take this."

Ji Yuan gave no explanation, simply handed over the pill.

"Hmm?"

The Island Lord of Iron Hammer Island looked at the pill floating before him. Saying he wasn’t hesitant would be a lie—if someone suddenly gave you a pill and told you to eat it, what if it were poison?

But since the person was Ji Yuan—after a brief hesitation, the Island Lord chose to trust him.

He picked it up and swallowed it whole.

"What the—damn!"

The pill dissolved the instant it entered his belly, releasing pure Vital Energy.

Being a seasoned cultivator, the Island Lord of Iron Hammer Island didn’t need instruction. He immediately guided the Vital Energy into the unopened acupuncture aperture.

After half an incense stick of time—

With a muffled groan, the Vital Energy in his body surged, even visibly increasing.

He slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a turbid breath.

"Brat, where did you get this treasure?!"

He couldn’t hide the joy in his voice. "This stubborn aperture has hindered me for years. Today, thanks to your pill, I finally broke through. You’ve resolved a long-standing burden on my heart."

Ji Yuan just watched silently.

"You—"

The Island Lord wanted to ask more—

But Ji Yuan suddenly released his suppression on his Vital Energy. In an instant, a powerful surge erupted from his body, with visible streams of Vital Energy spiraling around him.

Seeing this, the Island Lord was so shocked he stood up from his seat, staring at Ji Yuan in disbelief.

"Senior Iron Hammer, I feel like I could crush you with one hand right now. What should I do?"

Ji Yuan grinned broadly, immensely satisfied with the Island Lord’s startled expression.

"You—you’ve achieved Foundation Establishment Physique?"

Even as he asked, the Island Lord lacked confidence in his own voice.

Foundation Establishment Physique.

Wasn’t that something only legendary figures possessed? How could one now appear before him?!

Ji Yuan retracted his Vital Energy and returned to his ordinary appearance. He then produced a jade bottle containing nine round pills.

"Nine remain. They should be enough to help you open nine more apertures. Later, I’ll find a way to refine more. One way or another, Senior must experience what Foundation Establishment Physique feels like."

"You—I—you—"

The Island Lord of Iron Hammer Island sat back down, staring at the pill bottle on the table.

Once upon a time, Foundation Establishment Physique was a dream he yearned for even in sleep. Now that the opportunity was before him, he found himself hesitating.

Seeing this, Ji Yuan sighed.

"Senior, this is my greatest secret. You absolutely must keep it safe."

"Where on earth did you get this thing? Pills that aid in Foundation Establishment Physique—that's essentially defying the heavens.—" The Island Lord truly couldn’t comprehend it.

Ji Yuan delivered a prepared explanation. "I’m an alchemist by trade. By sheer luck, I obtained the legacy of an ancient alchemist. Within that legacy was the recipe for this pill. Now that I’ve achieved Foundation Establishment Physique, I wanted to extend a hand to you, Senior."

"You’re a lucky one."

The Island Lord accepted the explanation without suspicion.

Receiving a senior’s legacy was entirely common. The only difference lay in how grand the legacy was.

"This pill can’t be cheap. The fact that you’re offering it to me already means I owe you a huge favor. That said—

I’ll at least cover the cost of the ingredients."

The Island Lord paused briefly in thought. "Fifty Middle-Grade Spirit Stones per pill—will that suffice?"

Fifty pieces of Middle-Grade Spirit Stones—Ji Yuan roughly calculated his costs. The Blood Essence was produced by the 【Pigsty】, essentially zero cost. The Tempering Aperture Pearl was also produced by the 【Pigsty】, but each Spiritual Pig could only produce one, so the cost at most could be considered 10 Spirit Stones, and that was for Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

And now the Island Lord of Iron Hammer Island directly offered 50 pieces of Middle-Grade Spirit Stones.

Wasn’t that equivalent to turning 1 coin into 500?

"Too much, Senior. Just give me 30 Spirit Stones and it’s enough."

Ji Yuan didn’t want to take too much from him—after all, the matter of tempering apertures wasn’t something one or two pills could settle.

He estimated that the Island Lord of Iron Hammer Island, even at his current pace, still had nearly two hundred acupuncture apertures left to temper.

"Really enough?"

"Really enough."

"Alright then. Here are the Spirit Stones for these pills."

The Island Lord of Iron Hammer Island tossed over a storage pouch, then casually swept the pill bottle from the table into his own storage.

"Alright, brat, you better head back now."

"Hmm?"

"Why are you looking at me? Hurry back and refine pills for me, damn it. Once I achieve Foundation Establishment Physique, we’ll have a proper fight. Then you’ll see what it means for the old to rise again in power."

"Hehe, then I’ll hold onto the last pill and only give it after I beat you into submission."

Island Lord of Iron Hammer Island: "...—"

"You’re ruthless. Fine, you win. I, Iron Hammer, submit only to you."

Ji Yuan pocketed the Spirit Stones and laughed heartily as he left.

But as soon as he exited Iron Hammer Island, he reverted to his cautious and low-profile demeanor, even bowing his head while piloting his flying boat.

This trip back took barely over a month.

He then received a message from Du Wanyi.

Han Feiyu had successfully achieved Foundation Establishment!

In the now barely-existent Mutual Aid Association of the Water Dragon Sect, he became the second person after Ji Yuan to achieve Foundation Establishment.

Mentioning the Mutual Aid Association of the Water Dragon Sect reminded Ji Yuan of something he had heard recently.

When Han Feiyu first took over as the association leader, many treated him with cold indifference—some even skipped every agreed gathering.

But after he returned from the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven and acknowledged Real Person Xuan Shui of the Golden Core Stage as his master—

Everything changed.

Those Mutual Aid members started holding gatherings every three days and large ones every five, each time personally inviting Han Feiyu, calling him “Association Leader” at every turn.

Han Feiyu initially attended a few gatherings, but once he realized everyone just wanted to exploit him for benefits, he never went again.

Upon learning of the news, Ji Yuan immediately sent Han Feiyu a message to congratulate him.

It seemed Han Feiyu had already chosen the location of his island. Real Person Xuan Shui had even helped prepare the island in advance.

All that remained was the Island Inauguration Celebration.

Ji Yuan hadn’t held one, but Han Feiyu intended to.

Not only that, he planned to do it grandly.

One major reason was that he had become the Sect Master’s disciple, and Real Person Xuan Shui apparently intended to turn this Island Inauguration Celebration into a “Social Grand Event.”

It was said many Golden Core Real Persons would attend.

As such, the Island Inauguration Celebration was no longer something Han Feiyu could decide alone. The celebration date had even been postponed by several months.

There was no rush for the celebration.

Han Feiyu came to see Ji Yuan.

After sending a message in advance, Ji Yuan had arrived early at Wuyou Island to wait for him.

A day later, when the newly ascended Foundation Establishment cultivator Han Feiyu arrived at Wuyou Island, he was met with much praise.

"When Brother Han inaugurates his Luohun Island, it will surely be more grand than my Wuyou Island."

"Don’t mention it, sigh."

Han Feiyu waved his hand and shook his head. "In the Jianghu, one cannot act freely. I’d rather be like Brother Ji, living a carefree life like drifting clouds and wild cranes—cultivating all day, free from worldly concerns."

Ji Yuan just listened.

From the time they were still in Zengtou Market, Han Feiyu was never the idle type.

"Little does anyone know, Brother Han’s current lifestyle is also the envy of many."

"That’s true."

Han Feiyu didn’t pretend and admitted it openly.

After a round of polite greetings, Ji Yuan curiously asked, "May I ask what brings Brother Han here this time?"

Several days earlier, Han Feiyu had already sent Ji Yuan a message, inquiring if he was within the sect.

Ji Yuan didn’t know what business Han Feiyu had.

But considering he had just achieved Foundation Establishment, it likely wasn’t anything serious—probably just wanted to share the joy—so he agreed.

Han Feiyu had said he would visit today, so Ji Yuan returned from Misty Island early to wait on Wuyou Island.

"It’s actually nothing serious. I just wanted to ask if Brother Ji is free for the next two days?"

Han Feiyu asked cheerfully.

"Oh?"

Ji Yuan didn’t answer immediately, as Han Feiyu hadn’t said what it was about.

This was like someone messaging “are you there?”—yes or no, both were hard to answer.

Fortunately, Han Feiyu quickly got to the point.

"We both hail from Yunyu Marshlands, and we’re both from Zengtou Market. Now that we’ve both achieved Foundation Establishment, I was wondering if you’d have time for the two of us to return to Zengtou Market for a visit."

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