Chapter 104: Attempting Foundation Establishment

He owed his current achievements largely to his inherently cautious mindset.

If not for his caution, he might have died several times over.

If not for his caution, he might not even have a trace of his remains left by now.

If not for his caution, breaking through to the late Qi Refining stage in twenty-two years would have been impossible.

Merely surviving those twenty-two years would have been an accomplishment.

At this thought, a figure suddenly appeared in He Song's mind.

Su Yan.

Since their reunion five years ago, Su Yan had occasionally invited He Song to meet and chat.

Now, five years had passed in the blink of an eye, and the relationship between Su Yan and He Song had remained amicable.

Although He Song did not consider her a close friend.

Thanks to the affection Su Yan had shown him in their childhood, He Song did not push her away when they occasionally met.

She was just a young girl without any family in the world. While He Song wouldn't go out of his way to give her special treatment, he was willing to chat with her as a friend.

The reason Su Yan came to mind now was because He Song remembered her grandfather, Su Jin.

How many twenty-two-year spans does a person have in their lifetime?

Over a decade ago, He Song still remembered how Su Jin had allowed Su Yan to pester him for candy.

But now.

The old acquaintance was no longer in this world.

All that remained was Su Yan, who had grown into an adult.

When a person dies, it's like a lamp being extinguished. Everything in the world no longer has any connection to them.

As the image of Su Jin flashed through his mind, He Song shook his head and sighed inwardly. Soon, however, he regained his composure.

People are bound to die.

But he was an exception.

Therefore, he needed to get used to such partings.

Continuing to circulate the Earth Essence Technique, He Song steadily consolidated his cultivation, ensuring that it wouldn't fall back to the sixth level of Qi Refining.

Soon.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

He Song had completely consolidated his cultivation, stabilizing it at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

At the same time, this also meant that He Song had truly entered the upper echelons of the Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market.

The first thing he did after leaving seclusion was to seek out Wei Fan.

At the Spirit Construction Pavilion.

When He Song quietly appeared on the second floor of the Spirit Construction Pavilion, Wei Fan was frowning at a thin piece of paper, lost in thought.

Even as He Song sat down beside him, Wei Fan's expression remained unchanged.

Seeing this, He Song was slightly puzzled and couldn't help but wonder what information was on that piece of paper.

However, despite his curiosity, He Song refrained from peeking and simply sat quietly, waiting.

It was worth noting.

Wei Fan's cultivation had already broken through from the eighth level of Qi Refining to the ninth level three years ago.

Now, Wei Fan was also a powerful expert at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Among those below the Foundation Establishment stage, Wei Fan was one of the top-tier cultivators.

However, his breakthrough speed was somewhat slow.

After all, Wei Fan had broken through from the seventh level of Qi Refining to the eighth level when He Song was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining. (From Chapter 69.)

Calculating the time, Wei Fan had broken through from the seventh level to the eighth level in the ninth year since He Song's transmigration.

Then, after another ten years, three years ago, he had finally broken through from the eighth level to the ninth level.

In such a long time, He Song's cultivation had risen from the first level of Qi Refining to the current seventh level.

Meanwhile, Wei Fan's cultivation had only increased by two minor realms.

It was clear.

Wei Fan's breakthrough speed was quite slow.

However, this might also be due to He Song's rapid cultivation speed after setting up the Spirit Gathering Formation and subsequently obtaining a large number of spirit stones.

Additionally, after reaching the late Qi Refining stage, a cultivator's breakthrough speed naturally slowed down.

He Song had just broken through to the seventh level of Qi Refining and didn't yet know how fast cultivation would progress in the late Qi Refining stage.

But with his current financial resources, he could choose to purchase the Jade Shattering Powder from the Earth Essence Sect to accelerate his cultivation speed in the late Qi Refining stage.

Beside him, Wei Fan was still engrossed in reading.

Just as He Song was growing bored, a flash of light streaked across the sky, and a message paper crane instantly appeared before He Song.

Seeing this, He Song was slightly surprised. He released a trace of his aura, allowing the paper crane to transform into a sheet of paper and land in his hand.

Picking up the paper, He Song's entire body suddenly stiffened.

"Fellow Daoist He, after fourteen years in the Green Wall Immortal City, I am now fifty-nine years old, with less than a month left before my sixtieth birthday."

"Today, I have finally achieved the Great Perfection of Qi Refining. It seems that I will soon attempt Foundation Establishment."

"In my life, I have only two close friends: Fellow Daoist He and Brother Wei. On this day of breaking through, I naturally wish to have both of you by my side."

"I await your esteemed presence in the Green Wall Immortal City."

"If I succeed, I will never forget my two friends."

"If I fail, I hope my two friends can handle my affairs after my passing."

"Meng Guan."

Reading the lines of text on the paper, He Song felt as though the air around him had grown still.

The surroundings became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. He felt as though he had gone deaf, surrounded by an endless sense of isolation.

In just fourteen years, Meng Guan, with his five-element spiritual root, had forcefully cultivated to the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining.

This peak referred to the state where one's spiritual energy was fully accumulated, ready to attempt Foundation Establishment at any time. This was the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.

Fourteen years!

With a five-element spiritual root!

Glancing at Wei Fan, who was also lost in thought, He Song felt a mix of emotions.

To think that Meng Guan, with a five-element spiritual root, had broken through from the seventh level of Qi Refining to the peak of the ninth level in just fourteen years—the sheer difficulty of this feat made He Song shudder just thinking about it.

After all, Wei Fan, with a four-element spiritual root, had taken nineteen years to go from the seventh level of Qi Refining to the ninth level, not even reaching the peak.

Wei Fan's talent was a four-element spiritual root, which was faster than Meng Guan's five-element spiritual root.

Yet, despite this.

Meng Guan had achieved his goal, reaching the Great Perfection of Qi Refining just one month before his sixtieth birthday.

Such speed.

Such determination.

Such fortune.

It made He Song wonder if his friend Meng Guan had awakened some past-life memories or encountered some incredible opportunity during those fourteen years.

Otherwise, Meng Guan's cultivation speed would never have been so fast!

After some quick calculations, He Song confirmed that Meng Guan's words were not exaggerated.

When He Song was at the third level of Qi Refining, Meng Guan had already left the immortal market to become a small overseer at the Red Spirit Gold Mine.

Three years later, Meng Guan returned and asked Wei Fan to take him to the Green Wall Immortal City to purchase a Breakthrough Pill.

During the purchase of the Breakthrough Pill, He Song remembered Meng Guan mentioning his age.

When Meng Guan left the immortal market for the Red Spirit Gold Mine, he was already forty-three.

Three years later, he was forty-six.

Now, adding the fourteen years that had passed, Meng Guan was just one month shy of sixty.

(End of Chapter)

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