Divine Transcendence

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Finally, as the last moments drew near, the Foundation Establishment incense slowly burned down to its end.

"With so much preparation, am I still destined to fail?" Yuan Ming slowly opened his eyes, murmuring with a hint of unwillingness.

As his words faded, he couldn’t help but take a deep breath. At that moment, as the flame on the Foundation Establishment incense extinguished, the Yin-Yang pattern on the Stealing Heaven Cauldron suddenly lit up. The thick white mist surrounding Yuan Ming split into two streams, swirling back and entering his nostrils.

Yuan Ming felt a burning sensation in his throat that spread downwards into his chest and abdomen, finally settling in his body. In the next instant, as if lightning had struck the earth’s core, the boiling mana within his body broke through its shackles, undergoing a qualitative change. The mana began to condense and shrink, as if completing some miraculous extraction, until it formed droplets of glistening transparent liquid that accumulated in his body.

"Drip, Drip." Yuan Ming first heard the sound of water droplets, then his ears were overwhelmed by the howling of a strong wind.

He felt his eardrums bulge as he was enveloped by powerful natural energies. Every pore on his body seemed to open up, greedily absorbing the spiritual energy that converged around him. "Is this what condensing the liquid for Foundation Establishment feels like?"

Yuan Ming felt utterly intoxicated, as if he had drunk a large jar of fine wine, basking in a blissful sensation. His body, at that moment, was like a self-operating puppet, almost without his control, automatically completing the absorption of spiritual energy from the world, channeling it into his body, refining and extracting it into liquid, and gathering it into a small pond.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Yuan Ming’s body finally felt full and saturated, and the automatic state of absorbing spiritual energy gradually ceased.

Yuan Ming’s consciousness returned to normal. Reluctantly awakening from that transcendent state, he eagerly checked his body, only to find that all the stored mana had condensed into a liquid state, resembling a shimmering lake. In terms of the total amount of mana, it had increased more than threefold compared to his Qi Refining stage, and as for the purity of the mana, it was incomparable to before.

In fact, having achieved Foundation Establishment at the thirteenth level of Qi Refining, Yuan Ming’s mana was not only purer than that of ordinary cultivators at the same realm, but also at least half more in quantity. This gave him a significant advantage when facing other cultivators at the initial stage of Foundation Establishment. At the same time, Yuan Ming felt that his spiritual consciousness, as Xiying had said, had nearly doubled. After completing his meditation and emerging from seclusion, it was already the morning of the third day.

***

Yuan Ming, feeling refreshed, pushed open the door of the meditation room and saw Master Xuanhua sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, his back to Yuan Ming, shoulders slightly slumped, seemingly disheartened. Yuan Ming had an inkling that Master Xuanhua had likely failed at Foundation Establishment. After all, Foundation Establishment was a major hurdle on the path of cultivation, and it was normal for most to fail. If it weren’t for the Stealing Heaven Body enhancing the effects of the Foundation Establishment incense, his own success would have been uncertain.

Hearing footsteps from behind, Master Xuanhua turned his head to look. Seeing Yuan Ming’s calm expression, which revealed neither joy nor sorrow, he instinctively thought Yuan Ming had also failed.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, Foundation Establishment is no easy feat. Although I managed to create the Foundation Establishment incense, I couldn’t guarantee its infallibility. Don’t take it too hard. We can find more materials in the future and continue to refine," Master Xuanhua comforted Yuan Ming first.

"Um... Fellow Daoist Xuanhua, I’ve succeeded in Foundation Establishment," Yuan Ming said with a light cough. Master Xuanhua was taken aback, staring at Yuan Ming incredulously, his eyes wide.

Seeing him silent, Yuan Ming spoke up: "I won’t lie to you; it was only after three attempts that I succeeded." He deliberately mentioned an extra attempt to emphasize the difficulty of his Foundation Establishment.

To his surprise, Master Xuanhua’s face fell as he said, "This was my third attempt as well." "The third time? What about the previous two?" Yuan Ming asked in astonishment.

"I spent all my wealth on Foundation Establishment pills, all ending in failure. My talent is simply too poor, and my luck... even worse," Master Xuanhua said helplessly. After a pause, he forced a smile and added, "No worries. With this skill, I won’t starve in the future."

"That’s the spirit," Yuan Ming replied, managing an awkward smile in agreement.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan... I should call you Senior Yuan now, what are your plans going forward?" Master Xuanhua asked.

"There’s no need for such formalities between us," Yuan Ming said with a chuckle.

"In the path of cultivation, the accomplished are revered. One level higher in cultivation means one level higher in seniority; that’s the norm." Master Xuanhua insisted earnestly.

"No, let’s continue as fellow Daoists. I plan to set off soon for a solitary journey." Yuan Ming said.

"That’s a good idea. I also plan to leave Xuanhua Observatory and wander in search of opportunities," Master Xuanhua nodded.

"Where do you intend to go, Fellow Daoist Xuanhua?" Yuan Ming inquired.

"I’m thinking of heading to the Southern Borderlands to take a look, and perhaps even visit the islands in the South Sea. It’s said that there are many overseas cultivators there, and they have special spiritual materials not found in the Southern Borderlands or the Central Plains. Many of the ores there are useful for refining incense," Master Xuanhua said, his eyes gleaming with longing.

"Take care on your journey. My success in Foundation Establishment wouldn’t have been possible without your help, Fellow Daoist Xuanhua. I’ve succeeded in establishing the Four Spirits Foundation; don’t lose heart," Yuan Ming encouraged.

If it weren’t for Yuan Ming obtaining the materials, Master Xuanhua wouldn’t have been able to create the Foundation Establishment incense, nor would he have been helped out of trouble. In truth, Yuan Ming owed him a greater debt of gratitude. Master Xuanhua appeared contemplative, and after a long moment, he took out a blue book and handed it to Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming looked closely and realized it was the treasured incense-making manual of Master Xuanhua, which surprised him greatly.

"Fellow Daoist Xuanhua, what are you doing?" Yuan Ming blurted out.

"Senior Yuan, you have better talent than I do, and you also possess sufficient aptitude for making spiritual incense. Now that you’ve succeeded in Foundation Establishment, you have a longer lifespan and more time to delve into this craft. I don’t want this secret technique to be lost after my death. I hope you can make good use of this manual and truly elevate the art of incense-making," Master Xuanhua said earnestly.

Yuan Ming was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Take it, and don’t let my intentions go to waste," Master Xuanhua insisted, pressing the manual into Yuan Ming’s hands.

"I will not let you down," Yuan Ming promised solemnly, bowing with his fists clasped.

Afterward, Master Xuanhua seemed to have resolved some inner turmoil and clamored for Yuan Ming to treat him to a good meal, insisting on not returning until they were both drunk. Thus, Yuan Ming summoned a Qingyun Crane, carrying Master Xuanhua to a nearby state city, where they found an ordinary restaurant and reserved a private room.

***

Two days later, Yuan Ming bid farewell and continued on his journey northward. As Master Xuanhua had said, he left Xuanhua Observatory and headed south. Seven or eight days later, Yuan Ming soared through the sky on his crane, his mindset completely different from when he first arrived in the Yue Kingdom.

Leisurely holding the manual gifted by Master Xuanhua, he flipped through it. The various incenses recorded within, each with different effects, dazzled him, and he couldn’t help but itch to try making some.

Along the way, passing through a small market town, Yuan Ming also bought a batch of materials. He then proceeded on his journey, stopping now and then to refine some special incenses.

Whenever he passed through places with beautiful scenery, he would land and stay for a few days. In addition to the Mist Incense, Beast Attracting Incense, and other incenses he had accidentally made before, he also refined some that aided in meditation and calming the mind, such as Qingxuan Incense and Anshen Incense, as well as the health-enhancing Yangshen Incense.

The manual also contained incenses like the Foundation Establishment Incense with special effects, but the requirements for materials and craftsmanship were much stricter, beyond Yuan Ming’s current ability to produce.

***

Two months later, in the central part of Yue Kingdom, outside a small city built at the intersection of two rivers.

Yuan Ming, dressed in a blue robe, held the brim of his hat and looked up at the not-so-tall city gate tower in front of him, reading the name on the plaque: "Hekou Town."

"It seems the source of the epidemic is here," Yuan Ming sighed lightly, looking towards the city gate. There, the two large vermilion doors stood ajar, unguarded by soldiers, with only a dirty, emaciated old man leaning half-dead against the city wall.

Yuan Ming approached and bent down to check on him, finding the old man’s breath weak, his life hanging by a thread.

Shaking his head, Yuan Ming took out a medicinal pill, intending to feed it to the old man to prolong his life, but the man lacked even the strength to open his mouth. Even if Yuan Ming forced it open, he feared the man wouldn’t have the strength to chew.

The old man’s eyes were lifeless, his expression indifferent, clearly devoid of the will to live. Helpless, Yuan Ming put away the pill and walked past the old man into the city. He had arrived near Hekou Town three days prior. Several nearby market towns and villages had experienced a widespread outbreak of plague.

Yuan Ming didn’t ignore the situation; with a slight effort, he helped clear the surrounding epidemic. After inquiring, he learned that the epidemic had first broken out in this now-abandoned "Hekou Town," where it had started earliest and was most severe. Other market towns had initially offered assistance, but finding it impossible to contain, they had no choice but to give up.

With no external aid, Hekou Town was left to deteriorate, resulting in the death of most of its population. Those who remained were simply waiting to die, with no hope in sight.

The local government was unable to intervene, and no cultivation sects had stepped in. Yuan Ming, unable to bear it, came to the town. If he hadn’t seen the situation, he might have let it be, but having witnessed it, he wanted to save these mortals. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself.

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