Chapter 073

Chapter 73: Foundation Establishment Heavenly Lightning Tribulation

Yun Xi handed two spirit stones to Dumpling and sent him away. Afterward, she stepped forward and called out clearly, “Senior, I’d like to rent a cave abode.”

The old man opened his eyes slowly. Seeing Yun Xi standing there, he yawned and asked lazily, “Our establishment has cave abodes ranked in upper, middle, and lower tiers, according to spiritual qi density and the strength of their spirit-gathering formations. Naturally, the fees differ. Which tier do you want?”

Yun Xi gave a sheepish laugh, replying, “Senior, this girl’s purse is embarrassingly thin. I’ll take the lowest-grade cave abode, please—just ensure it’s safe.”

The old man glanced at Yun Xi, noticing immediately that the young lady was on the verge of a breakthrough. Lazily, he passed her a jade token and said, “Lower-grade cave abode, Bing Si. Charged daily, twenty lower-grade spirit stones a day. Deposit five hundred first; any excess will be refunded or shortage covered upon leaving. But I’ll warn you now—the spiritual qi in the lowest caves is thin and not helpful for breakthroughs.”

Yun Xi cheerfully paid the stones, accepted the token, and smiled politely, saying, “Thank you for the reminder, Senior. I know my own situation best; this is all I can afford for now. Once I reunite with my companions, perhaps I can freeload off their higher-grade cave abodes.”

Her words were ambiguous enough to suggest she was not traveling alone, hinting at companions who were financially well-off. She explained her early arrival by indicating she had needed a secluded place to break through first.

Hearing this, the old man said nothing more. He collected the stones and led her to the entrance of lower cave abode Bing Si, reminding her once more, “That jade token is your key. It controls both the isolation and spirit-gathering formations inside. Never lose it—if lost, anyone holding it can claim the cave. The formation recognizes only the token, not its owner.”

“Yes, Junior understands,” Yun Xi replied with respectful sincerity.

She inserted the jade token, and the cave door opened smoothly.

It was genuinely a cave, with obvious marks of excavation along the walls and an area of merely ten square meters. In the center was a solitary meditation cushion, making the place feel extremely cramped.

Yun Xi sighed silently, regretting the loss of her five hundred spirit stones. [What a waste.] But traveling meant adapting to simplicity, and she had no choice but to make do. She placed the jade token into a special slot inside, causing the door to close again and activating both isolation and spirit-gathering formations.

Seeing glowing formation patterns radiating outward from the cushion, Yun Xi felt slightly better about her spending.

Just to be safe, she pulled out her third-tier formation disc and embedded nine medium-grade spirit stones inside before carefully taking Immortal Spirit Herb out of her space.

Immortal Spirit Herb stretched its leaves, gently feeling the spiritual qi in the air before asking, “Little Yun Xi, you left the sect already?”

“Mhm,” Yun Xi admitted honestly. “I’m now at Treasure Blossom City beneath Treasure Blossom Range. But my cultivation is about to break through; I can barely suppress it.”

Immortal Spirit Herb trembled slightly, nodding its leaves. “Then you’d better establish your foundation first. After that, you’ll be able to travel deeper into Treasure Blossom Range.”

“That’s exactly my plan,” Yun Xi replied earnestly. “That’s why I rented this cave abode—to prepare for Foundation Establishment.”

Immortal Spirit Herb clicked its leaves disdainfully. “Tsk, given how thin the qi is here, you must have chosen the cheapest cave.”

Embarrassed, Yun Xi rubbed her nose. “You’re right. I’m broke. My savings mostly went into teleportation arrays. If I hadn’t sold some goods earlier, I couldn’t even afford this place.”

“You’re a mere Qi Refining cultivator yet had the guts to take a teleportation array? Were you not afraid of being targeted?”

Avoiding deeper explanation, Yun Xi shrugged lightly. “I planned to take a normal flying ship to Treasure Blossom City at first. But something felt off—my sixth sense warned me to leave quickly. When a spot opened last minute for the teleportation array, I took it.”

Immortal Spirit Herb shook gently, understanding immediately. Such intuition was common for cultivators when sensing impending danger.

“Fine. I’ll help you establish your foundation first. I’ve stored enough spiritual qi for this,” Immortal Spirit Herb declared decisively.

“Alright, let’s begin!” Yun Xi agreed immediately. Settling cross-legged on the cushion, she placed Immortal Spirit Herb by her side. Quickly closing her eyes, she began circulating her cultivation method. [The sooner I break through, the fewer spirit stones I’ll waste.]

As soon as Yun Xi started the Qi Refining technique, Immortal Spirit Herb began feeding pure, refined spiritual qi into its young master’s body. Secretly, it also extended its roots underground, stealing additional spiritual qi from the small vein beneath the cave.

Inside Yun Xi’s body, spiritual qi started battering at the barrier to Foundation Establishment—once, twice, thrice. Only after the ninth fierce strike did the barrier finally crack. Instantly, a surge of pure spiritual qi flooded her dantian.

The spiritual qi forcefully expanded and compressed the space inside her dantian repeatedly, condensing it into liquid droplets at the bottom. This marked Yun Xi’s official entry into the Foundation Establishment stage.

Above the cave abode, storm clouds rapidly gathered, forming tribulation clouds that locked onto Yun Xi’s location.

The old man, napping behind the counter, suddenly snapped awake. Seeing the tribulation clouds gathering, he realized immediately the young girl who arrived three days ago was undergoing her Foundation Establishment heavenly lightning tribulation. With a flash, he appeared outside cave Bing Si just as the first bolt descended.

At the moment she sensed the heavenly lightning targeting her, Yun Xi quickly swept Immortal Spirit Herb into her spatial storage. This treasure couldn’t be exposed. Then she swiftly exited the cave abode, standing resolutely on open ground outside.

She refused to risk damage to the rented cave abode—repairs would cost spirit stones, and she could barely afford necessities. Every single stone mattered; she couldn’t afford needless losses.

These fleeting thoughts distracted her momentarily, ironically calming her nerves just before her first-ever lightning tribulation. In the next instant, the first bolt crashed down from above, piercing straight through her head.

Watching from a distance, the old man was astonished. The girl hadn’t even attempted a defensive formation disc. Stroking his chin thoughtfully, he concluded this young lady must be terribly poor, resorting to facing lightning tribulation head-on.

His guess was partly correct. The other half was Yun Xi’s deliberate choice—her lightning spiritual root meant this tribulation could strengthen her physique.

The first heavenly lightning surged into her body and started wreaking havoc. Thankfully, Yun Xi’s divine sense far surpassed her cultivation level. Within two breaths, she guided the lightning smoothly through her meridians, refining it into a gentle energy.

This refined lightning qi finally settled into the bottom of her dantian, merging with her lightning spiritual root. A vivid purple brilliance flashed briefly, growing brighter and more dazzling.

After successfully absorbing the first lightning, Yun Xi’s confidence soared. Soon after, the second bolt descended. She calmly repeated the process.

Yet as more bolts arrived, the interval between them shortened drastically. Once the tribulation determined her limit, it became ruthless. The final three bolts struck simultaneously.

Yun Xi gritted her teeth, enduring the torment. Her thoughts momentarily overflowed with expletives—each strike was harsher than the last, beginning with tingling numbness and ending in excruciating agony, like gripping a live electrical wire.