Chapter 116: The Orthodox Foundation Establishment
Since the assassination attempt on the true disciple of Qinglu Sect during the trial, which was carried out by an unknown killer organization, the sect had greatly increased its efforts in gathering intelligence, stationing many undercover agents within various assassination groups.
Not long ago, one of the sect's spies sent word of a bounty placed on Gu Mo's head, with a very high reward.
Upon hearing this, Qinglu Sect immediately became alert. Although Gu Mo had been temporarily removed from the sect by the sect leader, his status as a true disciple had not been revoked. If someone dared to assassinate a true disciple of Qinglu Sect, and the sect did nothing, others would think Qinglu Sect easy to bully.
Through further investigation, Qinglu Sect concluded that the assassination would likely occur when the Yulu Fruit ripened, as this would be the most chaotic time at the resource point, the perfect moment to fish in troubled waters.
Therefore, the sect sent Shi Tianlu, an elder in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, to handle matters at the resource point and protect Gu Mo from the assassination. Although the bounty was tempting, it would likely only attract assassins of the mid-Foundation Establishment level, so Shi Tianlu, being in the late stage, was more than capable of dealing with them.
However, on the way to the resource point, Shi Tianlu was ambushed by three assassins, all at the same level—late-stage Foundation Establishment. But, as a former prodigy, Shi Tianlu's combat strength was formidable, and he managed to fight his way through.
After escaping the ambush, the three late-stage Foundation Establishment assassins did not continue to pursue him and instead chose to leave. This made Shi Tianlu uneasy. Had their goal been accomplished?
With this thought, Shi Tianlu hastened his flight. Soon, he saw a distant low mountain peak, and as he neared the resource point, he saw that the protective formation had been broken. His heart sank.
"Tianlu Shixiong!"
When Shi Tianlu arrived at the resource point, Wei Yuancai, who had sensed someone approaching, hurriedly greeted him. However, upon seeing Shi Tianlu's condition, Wei Yuancai was startled. "Shixiong, you..."
"I'm fine. How is the true disciple?" Shi Tianlu waved his hand and quickly asked. But from the expression on Wei Yuancai's face, Shi Tianlu sensed that he would hear good news.
"He's fine!" Wei Yuancai quickly explained the events that had unfolded during the battle, and sure enough, as expected, Shi Tianlu's face showed visible shock. This made Wei Yuancai feel quite pleased.
After all, anyone who learned of Gu Mo's remarkable performance would be stunned. It wasn't that Wei Yuancai had little experience.
"Whew~~"
After the shock, Shi Tianlu let out a long breath. He had feared that something major would happen, but to his surprise, Gu Mo had handled the assassination on his own.
To think that Gu Mo, at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, had slain a Foundation Establishment cultivator—this level of power, this talent—currently, the top true disciple of Qinglu Sect, He Shaogang, had only managed to kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator with the help of a Foundation Establishment-level protector. The strength Gu Mo displayed now had already surpassed that of the top true disciple.
As for the mysterious attack Wei Yuancai mentioned from the spiritual field, Shi Tianlu guessed it was the protective method provided to Gu Mo by the sect's elder, the Spiritual Plant Master.
Now, the whole sect knew that Gu Mo would eventually become the direct disciple of the Spiritual Plant Master. This had caused dissatisfaction among many Golden Core elders. Gu Mo had defeated Ye Yuqi in the true disciple challenge and was now the third true disciple of Qinglu Sect. For such a talent to be taken away had left many elders feeling shortchanged.
However, Qi Chunde had long made a disciple agreement with Gu Mo, with Sect Leader Gao Yunrui as a witness. Additionally, Qi Chunde had promised to provide compensation to Qinglu Sect, which quieted the complaints from the elders.
But if those elders were to learn that Gu Mo had killed a Foundation Establishment cultivator while still at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, they would probably be in even greater despair.
"Greetings, Tianlu Shixiong!"
When news reached Gu Mo that the elder assigned to collect the Yulu Fruit had arrived, he sent his avatar to greet him. With his avatar, Gu Mo would not leave the protective circle of the plant defense line unless there was an urgent matter.
"Ahem, Gu Mo , I'm so glad you're safe," Shi Tianlu said, finally feeling relieved after seeing Gu Mo in one piece. The tension in his body relaxed, and his injuries flared up.
Having fought off the three late-stage Foundation Establishment assassins and then traveled quickly for a long distance, Shi Tianlu was in no condition to fight.
"Tianlu Shixiong, I know a bit of healing techniques. Would you like to try them?" Gu Mo asked, not immediately acting but first asking for permission. After all, their relationship had not yet reached a point where it would be appropriate for him to act without consent.
If it had been Yuan Niya or Chu Feifei, Gu Mo wouldn't have asked, as they would trust him and accept his healing, but with someone he wasn't as familiar with, it was better to ask to avoid any misunderstandings.
"That would be very helpful,
Shi Tianlu nodded. Most of the healing pills he had brought with him had already been consumed during his journey, and without any more healing pills, he could only meditate to slowly recover with spiritual energy.
Since Gu Mo had healing techniques, Shi Tianlu naturally would not refuse. The faster his injuries healed, the better. If delayed, it could cause hidden injuries, which might affect his future attempt to break through to the Golden Core stage.
As one of the sect's former prodigies, although Shi Tianlu's cultivation had progressed slowly in recent years, given his age, he still had a chance to attempt to break through to the Golden Core. Even if it was just a chance, it still surpassed 99% of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Seeing that Shi Tianlu agreed, Gu Mo cast a small version of the Little Revitalization Technique, and instantly, Shi Tianlu's chaotic aura visibly stabilized.
"This…"
Shi Tianlu was shocked by Gu Mo's healing technique. It seemed like the Little Revitalization Technique, but its effect was far stronger than he expected. Gu Mo was at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, and Shi Tianlu was at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, which was a huge cultivation gap.
Normally, a low-level cultivator's healing or supportive spells on a higher-level cultivator would be much less effective, but Gu Mo, with his liquid spiritual energy and the enhancement of the Qingmu Sutra, was not at such a disadvantage.
---
At Qinglu Sect's main peak, He Shaogang held the newly arrived intelligence in his hands, his expression grim. Another failure. If the previous failure could be blamed on the demonic beasts, this time it was a genuine, undeniable defeat.
A mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, with the help of three early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, still couldn't take down Gu Mo, who was only at the Qi Refining stage. While angry about the mission's failure, He Shaogang also found it hard to comprehend the incompetence of the Foundation Establishment cultivators who took on the task.
This time, He Shaogang had not sent any of his sect's cultivators to assassinate Gu Mo, hoping to avoid trouble with other sects. Instead, he had hired scattered Foundation Establishment cultivators, thinking that money could solve all the problems.
Of course, He Shaogang did not send out his subordinates for free; he also sent three late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators to intercept Shi Tianlu and prevent him from ruining the assassination plan.
Who could have known that the scattered cultivators were so weak, wasting an opportunity? Now that Gu Mo was on guard, it would be far harder to assassinate him next time.
Gu Mo is not in the sect for now. Let's put him aside. The refining of Qinglu Sect's Condensing Infant Pills is about to begin, and we must focus all our efforts on this. This is the priority," said Qian Qiyi in a deep voice.
They used many methods in an attempt to stop Qinglu Sect from gathering all the materials needed to refine it. However, Qinglu Sect had a 3rd-tier spiritual plant master. The spiritual materials that He Shaogang had worked hard to deplete were replenished by this elder using the method of rapid cultivation.
This allowed Qinglu Sect to successfully gather all the materials necessary for refining. During this time, Qinglu Sect's Pill Peak had suspended the production of other pills and was fully focused on preparing for the refining. Moreover, Pill Peak had become the most heavily guarded place in the entire sect.
Even He Shaogang, the acting sect master, had to undergo multiple layers of verification if he wanted to enter Pill Peak.
As Sect Master Gao Yunrui devoted all his energy to breaking through, he had completely relinquished the sect's affairs to He Shaogang, the sect's first true disciple, who was now in charge of the sect's daily operations in the capacity of acting sect master.
This essentially indicated that in the future, Gao Yunrui would pass the sect master position to He Shaogang. After all, the only two true disciples with notable abilities were He Shaogang and Yuan Niya, and Yuan Niya's temperament clearly made her unsuitable to become sect master.
Of course, for major sect matters, several Golden Core elders would still need to discuss things together. Unless the sect faced a threat of destruction, Gao Yunrui would not appear; his current focus was solely on preparing for his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm.
"I understand."
He Shaogang took a deep breath. He knew the urgency of the situation. He couldn't shake the feeling of discomfort without killing Gu Mo, but for now, he had to endure. Gu Mo had already left the sect, so the threat he posed had significantly diminished. Stopping Qinglu Sect from giving birth to a Nascent Soul cultivator was now the most pressing matter.
If Qinglu Sect produced a new Nascent Soul cultivator, their plans would be completely ruined.
Resource Point.
Shi Tianlu carefully put away the nine Yuluo Fruits, having completed the task of collecting spiritual materials from the resource point. Originally, Shi Tianlu planned to leave two fruits for Gu Mo, as the latter's true disciple status meant he could easily draw from the sect's resource points. He would only need to report back later.
Yuluo Fruits, which were the main ingredient for refining Foundation Establishment Pills, were incredibly tempting to a Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivator.
However, since the sect's Pill Peak had halted pill production, Gu Mo would need to request an external alchemist to refine any Foundation Establishment Pills. But Gu Mo didn't actually need Foundation Establishment Pills to break through. Naturally, he had no use for the Yuluo Fruits and let Shi Tianlu take all of them. Each Yuluo Fruit would eventually contribute to Gu Mo's efforts at the resource point.
Next, Gu Mo planned to officially break through to the Foundation Establishment stage and accumulate contributions, preparing to exchange them for valuable magical artifacts and offensive techniques.
When Shi Tianlu saw that Gu Mo didn't want the Yuluo Fruits, he was slightly surprised but also understood. With Gu Mo's talent, it seemed unnecessary for him to rely on Foundation Establishment Pills.
With the task completed, Shi Tianlu left the resource point. Originally, he had another task to help Gu Mo with, regarding the assassination attempt, but Gu Mo had already dealt with it himself.
Moreover, recent news indicated that the assassination organization's bounty on Gu Mo had been removed. With the danger lifted, Shi Tianlu was now returning to report back.
"He Shaogang has given up?"
Learning that his bounty had been removed, Gu Mo was somewhat curious. Or perhaps, He Shaogang was now occupied with more important matters.
Whatever the reason, this was good news for Gu Mo. It essentially gave him plenty of time to develop.
The Yuluo Fruit ripens once every five years, meaning that for the next five years, this resource point would remain peaceful. Gu Mo planned to seize this rare opportunity to develop to the fullest.
Gu Mo knew that once He Shaogang finished his important tasks, he would definitely come looking for trouble again.
After Shi Tianlu left, Gu Mo entered the spiritual field formation and began adjusting his state, preparing to officially enter the Foundation Establishment stage. At this point, his true body cultivation had already reached the peak of Qi Refining.
When Gu Mo was at the seventh level of Qi Refining, his foundation was comparable to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. Now, having reached Qi Refining Great Perfection, his foundation had further improved and truly reached the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.
What remained uncertain was whether there would be a breakthrough reward this time for using the orthodox method to enter Foundation Establishment. Last time, with the non-mainstream approach, he only received half of the reward, but it still gave him six drops of liquid spiritual power containing the initial force.
This time, with his Great Perfection of Qi Refining and his body's Great Cycle now fully connected, any potential reward should not be interrupted halfway.
Shifting all his focus inward, Gu Mo began to operate the Foundation Establishment method from the Qingmu Sutra. In an instant, the liquid spiritual power in his body rapidly gathered toward his dantian and began to compress.
For Qi Refining cultivators breaking through to Foundation Establishment, the process involved compressing their mist-like spiritual power into liquid form. However, the spiritual power within Gu Mo's body was already in liquid form.
If he continued to compress it, it would become solid, and solidified spiritual power was more commonly referred to as the Golden Core.
For a cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment, the next step was to continue compressing their liquid spiritual power until it formed a Golden Core.
Of course, with the limited amount of liquid spiritual power in Gu Mo's body, compressing it into a Golden Core was impossible. But the Qingmu Sutra's Foundation Establishment method was like a rigid program—you couldn't move to the next step unless you completed this one.
Since his spiritual power was already in liquid form, it could not be further compressed. Without completing this compression step, Gu Mo could not progress, and skipping it was impossible.
As a result, Gu Mo's Foundation Establishment path was blocked.
Gu Mo couldn't help but feel a bit speechless. He had already met all the conditions for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and logically, his breakthrough should have been a mere formality. Who could have expected that this method would be so rigid and block his progress? If the method had consciousness, it would probably feel very wronged, because cultivators like Gu Mo, who had met all the conditions for Foundation Establishment while still in the Qi Refining stage, were truly rare.
The rigidity of the Foundation Establishment method was clearly intended to ensure a high success rate for the breakthrough. If the method could be altered freely, it might cause unforeseen issues, leading to a failed breakthrough.
(Show your support and read more chapters on my Patreon: [email protected]/psychopet. Thank you for your support!)