Chapter2:Supreme Foundation

Two Hours Later

Lin Che's dantian had been severely shattered, and his remaining cultivation had diminished further. Despite this, Lin Che felt no frustration, understanding that this state brought him a step closer to his goal. However, this method was excruciating and mentally draining; overdoing it could be harmful. Once he reached his limit, he decisively ended his training for the day and withdrew from the Shenyu space.

"Creak—"

Soon after, Lin Che's door was gently pushed open. A young and beautiful girl entered, carrying a food box.

"Young Master, it's time for dinner."

Seeing the girl, Lin Che shook his head and said, "Xiao Yao, I'm no longer the Lin family's young master. You don't need to serve me anymore."

Xiao Yao, however, shook her head firmly. As she set the food on the table, she said, "I've been serving Young Master since I was young. I remember that every time Young Master returned from outside, you would always be heavily injured. It was always Xiao Yao who helped you with your wounds… So, I know very well how much Young Master has sacrificed for the Lin family."

"In the entire Lin family, you are the person I admire the most. Therefore, no matter your current situation, I am willing to serve you forever."

Seeing the girl's determined expression, Lin Che could only shake his head helplessly. Yet, he felt a warm current in his heart. Since a year ago, he had only felt the coldness of the world from the Lin family. Only this girl brought him a sliver of warmth.

After placing the dishes on the table, Xiao Yao took out something from the food box and offered it to Lin Che with a smile, saying, "Young Master, this is for you…"

Lin Che looked down and saw that it was a spirit fruit.

Purple Spirit Fruit

Frowning slightly, Lin Che asked, "Where did you get this?"

A Purple Spirit Fruit was worth thirty gold coins, while Xiao Yao's monthly allowance was only ten gold coins.

"It's from Xiao Yao's savings…"

Lin Che directly said, "Return it. This thing is useless to me."

"No, I heard from the clan's physician that the Purple Spirit Fruit has nourishing effects on the dantian. Since Young Master's dantian is damaged, this might help."

Seeing the girl's earnest expression, Lin Che smiled and shook his head, reluctant to disappoint her.

"Alright, I'll accept it. But don't buy these things in the future."

"Okay." Xiao Yao nodded, a glint of mischief in her eyes, though her thoughts remained unknown.

After having dinner with Lin Che, Xiao Yao left his residence. Not long after, her figure appeared at a place.

Yun Embroidery Workshop

This was a place for tailoring, serving the prominent families in Canglan City. Only those with exceptional skills could become embroiderers here. Xiao Yao, having passed the examination a month ago, began working here with ease.

Soon, a middle-aged woman entered.

"There's an order from the City Lord's Mansion. We need to complete ten sets of clothing within a month, with a reward of ten gold coins. Anyone interested?"

The City Lord's Mansion. Upon hearing these words, the room fell silent. The City Lord's Mansion held significant power in Canglan City. Although the reward was substantial, their standards were very high. If there was even a minor flaw in the clothing, it would be returned.

Thus, everyone hesitated.

However, at this moment, a young girl's voice spoke up firmly, "I'll take it."

The middle-aged woman looked at Xiao Yao and nodded slightly, "Although you've only been at the Yun Embroidery Workshop for a month, your skills are excellent, and you've made no mistakes. I trust you with this order…"

Then she turned to the others, "Is there anyone else who wants to take this order?"

At this time, Xiao Yao stood up and said, "Well… Could I take all of it?"

"Hmm?"

The middle-aged woman looked deeply at Xiao Yao, "Are you sure? If you can't complete ten sets of clothing in a month, the City Lord's Mansion…"

"Don't worry. Even if I have to go hungry and stay up all night, I'll make sure to complete the order on time!" Xiao Yao assured firmly.

Hearing this, the middle-aged woman hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Alright, I'll give you the entire order."

Meanwhile, the surrounding women began to discuss Xiao Yao.

"This girl must be crazy. Completing ten sets of clothing in a month, she's not afraid of exhausting herself?"

"Hey, I heard she used to be the personal maid of the Lin family's young master. Although she wasn't rich, she lived better than most ladies. Now that the young master has been abolished, she's fallen to this state. How pitiful…"

"Alas, a fallen phoenix is no better than a chicken…"

However, Xiao Yao seemed to ignore these comments.

"If I complete this order, I can earn ten gold coins. Along with my ten gold coins monthly salary from the Lin family, and the two hours of work daily at the Drunken Immortal Tavern… This way, the Young Master can have a Purple Spirit Fruit every month." Xiao Yao thought, a look of anticipation spreading across her face.

For the next month, Xiao Yao's delicate figure was constantly busy. Despite this, she still delivered meals to Lin Che at every meal time.

During this period, Lin Che noticed that Xiao Yao always looked particularly tired whenever he saw her. However, whenever he asked, she just smiled and shook her head. Lin Che didn't press further, as he felt his cultivation seemed to be at a critical juncture.

One day.

Lin Che entered the Ghost Tower, and the countless sword energies at the bottom of the tower suddenly erupted violently.

Swish, swish, swish!

The violent sword energies at the bottom of the Ghost Tower pierced through his body. Lin Che's eyes widened, and the intense pain twisted his face, causing his body to convulse.

But he understood that he had to persevere through this critical moment, or else the efforts of the past year would be wasted.

Boom, boom, boom!

Finally, after two hours, a loud roar erupted from Lin Che's body. His dantian had completely shattered, but with its destruction came rebirth.

"I did it! Is this the Qi Sea?"

Lin Che examined inwardly and found that his dantian had disappeared, replaced by a vast Qi Sea. As the Qi Sea operated, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth continuously surged towards him.

If the spiritual energy in his dantian before was like a small stream, now it was a vast river, incomparable.

Feeling all this, Lin Che's face was filled with joy. After more than a year of effort, he had finally achieved rebirth, taking this step!

He then sat cross-legged and began to madly absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. After a whole night, Lin Che had absorbed all the spiritual energy, causing a drastic change in his body.

Qi Gathering Stage, Fifth Layer!

Lin Che's eyes snapped open, excitedly feeling the elevated realm he had reached.

A martial artist's realms were divided into Qi Gathering, Spirit Martial, Profound Martial, Dao Martial, and Heaven Martial… A year ago, Lin Che had been at the peak of the eighth layer of the Qi Gathering Stage. But after his dantian was shattered, he fell to the first layer of the Qi Gathering Stage.

Now, with the emergence of the Qi Sea, his realm had been restored to the fifth layer of the Qi Gathering Stage, filling him with immense excitement.

"Disappointing…"

A purple-clad woman rolled her eyes and said, "This is just the beginning."

"Although your realm dropped significantly over the past year, it was all due to the shattering of your dantian. Now that the foundation is rebuilt, your realm has naturally recovered somewhat."

"But to make further progress, you need to rely on the Qi Sea within you."

"Qi Sea?" Lin Che asked, puzzled.

"Devour, seek out everything you can devour, including spiritual herbs, spirit veins, and various treasures. In short, you will understand the power of the Qi Sea in the future… Alright, I'm tired today, let's leave it here." The purple-clad woman showed a hint of fatigue, shaking her head slightly.

"Alright."

Although Lin Che had many questions, seeing the woman unwilling to elaborate further, he could only withdraw his mind from the Shenyu space.

...

Meanwhile, at the Lin family's spirit item exchange office.

Xiao Yao arrived there, respectfully greeting the old man behind the counter, "Hello, Grandpa."

The old man glanced at her, "Little girl, here to exchange for a Purple Spirit Fruit again?"

"Yes," Xiao Yao smiled, placing thirty gold coins on the counter.

"Sigh, Lin Che's dantian is shattered, and the city's physicians have declared he'll never have a chance to cultivate martial arts again. Why do you work so hard?"

"That's not true. I believe the Young Master's talent will return…" Xiao Yao resolutely retorted.

"Haha, alright then…" The old man helplessly shook his head, knowing the girl was very stubborn. He took out a Purple Spirit Fruit and handed it to her.

"Thank you, Grandpa."

Successfully receiving the spirit fruit, Xiao Yao carefully cradled it as she left.

As she exited the exchange hall, her heart was filled with excitement. However, halfway through, several figures appeared in her path.

"Manager Zhao…" Xiao Yao saw the middle-aged man leading them and showed a trace