Su Jiu forced herself to stay focused, sifting through fragmented memories about "Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment" in her mind. She steadied her thoughts and spoke slowly.
"The Heavenly Dao numbers fifty, yet mortals grasp but forty-nine."
"So-called Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment means..."
Su Ji's grip on her leg suddenly tightened, the pressure just enough to interrupt her words.
"Means what?"
Su Jiu stiffened again.
This guy...
Casually touching was one thing, but squeezing was pushing it.
She placed her small hand over Su Ji's, giving it a light push.
It didn’t budge.
Fine.
Su Jiu gave up for now, deciding to finish her explanation first.
"It requires mending the 'missing one.'"
"Unlike the conventional 'Five Elements Foundation Method,' which only needs forty-nine cycles of spiritual energy to forge the Dao Foundation..."
Su Ji's hand grew restless, creeping upward. "Then how does 'Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment' work? If I’m exceptionally powerful and enduring, could I push it to fifty-four cycles?"
Smack!
A crisp sound rang out as Su Jiu delivered a light but firm slap to the back of his hand.
Finally, she’d had enough.
Her cheeks slightly flushed, she shot him a glare, feigning composure. "Senior Brother, you should really work on your habit of letting your hands wander when you’re excited."
Then she continued, "Fifty is already the limit. That final cycle is ten times harder than the previous forty-nine combined! So don’t even think about fifty-four."
"First, you must achieve 'a lucid spirit, a mind sharp as a blade' at the peak of Qi Refinement."
"Along with 'spiritual energy liquefied, cycling on its own.'"
"Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment is an extremely perilous process."
"The former ensures you won’t lose yourself during the breakthrough."
"The latter is the key to success—liquefied spiritual energy, endlessly regenerating, can sustain the immense demands of Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment."
"Finally, the most critical step: you need a wisp of Heavenly Dao Fortune to fill that 'missing one.'"
"But for a Qi Refinement cultivator, obtaining even a trace of Heavenly Dao Fortune is nearly..."
Here, Su Jiu’s clear, beautiful eyes suddenly froze.
As if struck by a realization, she turned to Su Ji with a mix of shock and suspicion.
"Senior Brother... you happen to have one, don’t you?"
Su Ji’s smile stiffened.
This coincidental?
The Path of Heavenly Pride rewarded him with enlightenment.
Slaying a Nascent Soul against all odds granted him a wisp of Heavenly Dao Fortune.
The enlightenment was to help him comprehend techniques, achieving "lucid spirit" and "liquefied energy."
The Heavenly Dao Fortune was the final piece for Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.
It all felt... arranged.
So was the Heavenly Dao spoon-feeding him, or was he being set up?
Su Jiu’s eyes, now carrying a hint of fox-like allure, stared unblinkingly at him.
"Now that you mention it... Senior Brother really does have a chance at Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment..."
Su Ji seized the moment to ask, "What about you, Junior Sister? You must’ve done it too, right? Share some tips—help me avoid pitfalls."
Su Jiu didn’t answer, simply watching him in silence.
Su Ji clicked his tongue in understanding.
"I overstepped again, huh?"
Su Jiu gave a slow nod, acknowledging his self-awareness.
Then, she rose from the soft bedding and walked to the window.
"Finally, it requires the aid of the Four Directions' Waters and the Essence of the Five Elements, at a time when the heavens and earth align, under the radiance of both sun and moon..."
"But these minor details need not trouble Senior Brother for now."
"I’ll find a way to gather them for you, as repayment for saving my life this time."
In Su Jiu’s eyes, had it not been for Su Ji during their journey to Mysterious Yellow Mountain,
she would have almost certainly met her end.
Facing the soul of a former Nascent Soul grand cultivator, she saw no chance of victory—not even a sliver of hope.
As she spoke, Su Jiu walked to the cabinet in the corner and opened an exquisite wooden box.
"Logically speaking, these items are rather... sensitive. It’d be best to wait a year or two until the heat dies down before selling them."
"But I suspect Senior Brother won’t need that long to reach the peak of Qi Refinement."
"I’ll find a way to offload them in the black market—they don’t ask about origins there, though the prices will be much lower."
She paused, then added,
"Altogether, they should fetch enough to cover the materials Senior Brother needs for Foundation Establishment... After all, hardly anyone attempts Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment these days, so these things aren’t exorbitantly expensive."
Hearing this, Su Ji was inwardly overjoyed.
Just look at this.
This is what you call a perfect match.
Hitching onto a wealthy young lady’s coattails shaves off a decade of hardship.
If he’d tried figuring this out on his own, even if he ransacked the Love-Longing Sect’s library, he might not have pieced together a single clue.
Let alone things like the Four Directions' Waters or the Essence of the Five Elements—he’d never even heard of them.
Clearing his throat, Su Ji adopted a solemn expression. "In that case, Junior Sister, I, Su Ji, shall gratefully accept your kindness."
"From now on, if you ever need anything, I’ll brave fire and water without hesitation!"
Su Jiu glanced at him but said nothing.
Had anyone else spouted such words,
she’d have rolled her eyes on the spot.
All talk, no action—just empty platitudes.
But Su Ji...
He was different.
He might seem unreliable, but when trouble came,
he’d actually step up.
"Kindness is too strong a word. I haven’t even repaid Senior Brother’s debt yet."
"To save me, Senior Brother’s weapon was lost in Mysterious Yellow Mountain."
"Though it’s somewhat shameful to admit, that artifact truly held terrifying dominance below the Golden Core realm."
What weapon?
The 'Gleaming Spear' he bought for two and a half spirit stones?
Was it really that impressive?
He could just swing by the market again and grab another one for the same price.
If needed, he could even ask Su Jiu for some funds and buy them in bulk.
Use one, toss one—no big deal.
Wait—
Did Su Jiu just say 'terrifying dominance below the Golden Core realm'?
Could he buy up all the Flash Stones, then stab a few fellow disciples to let them experience the 'Gleaming Spear’s' terror?
Then 'reluctantly' sell them for a hundred low-grade spirit stones each?
Now there’s an idea!
Noticing Su Ji lost in thought, silent for a long while,
Su Jiu softened her voice. "Senior Brother, what’s wrong? Are you mourning your artifact?"
Su Ji: ???
Too busy plotting how to get rich.
But since she asked, he had to respond.
Su Ji didn’t care if she believed him—the performance had to be flawless.
Thus,
with a tinge of nostalgia in his eyes, Su Ji sighed. "Yes."
"What a pity, that spear."
"It accompanied me through so many battles..."
"Though I knew its usefulness would wane as my cultivation advanced..."
"Even after I reach the Golden Core stage, I might end up hiding in some forgotten corner, left to gather dust..."
"Very few things in this world are eternal."
"Such is the fate of mortals, and such is the fate of weapons..."
"Everything in this world, except oneself, is but a fleeting guest of time..."
"I just never thought our parting would come so soon."
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
invincible power, Gu Changge transmigrates into a fantasy world, bound to a sign-in system that grants him cultivation rewards and various peerless treasures daily. While others struggle desperately to break through their cultivation realms, he has long since reached the pinnacle of the Great Dao, becoming a reclusive Emperor whose true strength even he himself cannot fathom. Originally planning to lie low and retire peacefully on Purple Bamboo Peak, the system suddenly issues a new task — take on disciples. With no other choice, Gu Changge casually picks up a few disciples: The eldest disciple, born with a War God Constitution, is thrown a copy of "War God Stratagems" by him, and ends up conquering the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, becoming a peerless War God who sweeps across the cosmos. The second disciple, possessing a Chaos Sword Body, can break all techniques with a single sword, his swordsmanship unmatched throughout history. He points his sword at the heavens: "My master said, the sword and the man stand together. If the sword perishes... my master will give me another one." The third disciple, a reborn Empress who returns to her throne, her elegance and grace overshadowing all beings. And without anyone noticing, his own sect, the Qingxuan Sect, has become the number one sect on the continent. Looking at these unbelievably formidable disciples, Gu Changge, holding the "Primordial Purple Qi" he just signed in for, falls into deep thought: — Wasn't this supposed to be a peaceful retirement? How did I become the ultimate master?!
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
