Chapter 74

Chapter 74: Fragments of the Future

The last three strikes knocked Wei Yun Xi to the ground. Her robe was torn to shreds, barely covering the important parts of her body. Her consciousness was also a little blurred.

But Yun Xi knew this was a critical moment. She mobilized what was left of her divine sense, released a third-rank array plate from her storage bag to protect herself, then lay flat and began to fight the lightning power rampaging inside her.

The old man watching the whole time twitched at the corner of his mouth. He gained a new understanding of how stingy this little girl was. It was not that she had no defensive array plate—she just had not been willing to use it. Now she was using it because she was afraid of being attacked while she was down.

“Tsk. Judging a gentleman’s heart with a petty mind. If this Master can’t even protect a small cultivator renting a cave dwelling, then there’s no need for me to keep surviving in Bao Hua City,” the old man muttered.

After muttering that, he waved his sleeve and sent away the petty people who had gathered to watch Yun Xi’s Tribulation Transcendence. They dared cause trouble on his turf without even asking about his name.

After that, the old man leisurely returned to the shop and went back to dozing. He had already done his duty. That girl would not die anytime soon, and whether she could become a Foundation Establishment cultivator would depend on her own fate.

Yun Xi did her best to ignore the pain in her body. Gritting her teeth, she wrestled with the last three tribulation lightning strikes inside her, little by little smoothing them out, cycling them through her meridians, and guiding them back into her dantian. This sped up the liquefaction of the spiritual energy inside her dantian.

When spiritual liquid filled one-third of her dantian, she slowly opened her eyes. The pressure locking onto her had already vanished, and then a fine spiritual rain began to fall. This was a gift from the Heavenly Dao.

The spiritual rain fell on Yun Xi and burrowed through her charred surface into her body, quickly repairing her damaged meridians and internal organs. Some of that pure spiritual power also entered her sea of consciousness, bringing a sudden clarity, and her sea of consciousness slowly began to expand.

In the next instant, images suddenly flashed before Yun Xi’s eyes, so fast she could barely see them. Still, she etched the figure of a girl in a red robe into her heart. Her gaze was too sorrowful, her eyes filled with a thousand unspoken words, yet she could not say a single one.

In a haze, Wei Yun Xi’s divine sense settled back into place. The light returned to her eyes. She slowly sat up, and with her movement, the charred shell on her skin cracked and fell away, revealing smooth, fair, crystal-clear skin beneath.

Wei Yun Xi frowned. She spat out a mouthful of turbid breath and stood up, then shook off the shell. She quickly formed a Dust-Cleansing Spell to clean herself up, then took off her ruined robe and changed into a Hao Ran Sect robe. It was the only spare robe in her storage bag.

After doing all that, Yun Xi put away her third-rank array plate and turned back into the cave dwelling she had rented. She needed to stabilize her cultivation and also check the changes in her body.

The cave dwelling’s isolation array opened again, and the people watching in secret put away their thoughts. She had succeeded in Tribulation Transcendence and was already a Foundation Establishment cultivator. That was no longer something they could covet.

Yun Xi still stayed cautious and activated her third-rank array plate to block any possible spying. Only then did she bring out the Immortal Spirit Grass.

“Immortal Spirit, I’m a Foundation Establishment cultivator now!”

“Congratulations on officially stepping into the ranks of cultivators. The immortal path is long and full of thorns. I hope you always keep your original heart and press forward bravely.”

“Thank you!” Yun Xi said, then asked, “Immortal Spirit, after I finished the Thunder Tribulation, I saw some fragments of images. They flashed very fast. In the end, the only thing I remembered was the figure of a woman cultivator in red. Do you know what that was?”

The Immortal Spirit Grass shook its leaves, as if considering how to answer.

“Is it inconvenient to say?”

“It’s not that. I’m just thinking how to explain it to you. What you saw during Tribulation Transcendence should have been some fragments of future scenes.”

Yun Xi was startled. “The future? You’re saying I can see the future?”

“Your ancestors could. You are far from that. It was only because Tribulation Transcendence let you make brief contact with the consciousness of the Heavenly Dao, and that was why you saw some images about the future.”

Yun Xi felt a little deflated after hearing that, but she was good at adjusting herself. After thinking for a moment, she said, “Was it because the Witch Clan bloodline in me took effect?”

“Yes. In the age before cultivators, the Witch Clan was the bridge that connected heaven and earth. That is why you can see some fragments about the future. But since your cultivation is low, what you saw should have been a future related to you.”

“However, the reason it is called the future is because it is not decided. Do not try to use those images about the future to change anything.”

The Immortal Spirit Grass warned her again.

This time, Yun Xi did not deny it or agree. In her view, she herself was the biggest variable. As for whether she would meet the woman from those future scenes, it was hard to say right now. She would take it one step at a time.

“Do not treat my warning as nothing. The ancient Witch Clan went extinct because they interfered too much in the Heavenly Dao’s decisions. That is why they disappeared from the world,” the Immortal Spirit Grass said, feeling it had already spoken itself hoarse.

“I’ll remember. With my cultivation only at early Foundation Establishment, I truly do not have the ability to interfere with the future. Cultivating well is the right path,” Yun Xi said.

“Mm. It’s best if you can think like that.”

After that exchange ended, Yun Xi closed her eyes and began to meditate. With the Immortal Spirit Grass feeding her, she stabilized her early Foundation Establishment cultivation while also familiarizing herself with the power of the Foundation Establishment Stage. She began cultivating the Foundation Establishment chapter of the “Thousand Shadow Wind-Supporting Technique.”

She still had no leads on lightning or ice techniques, so she only got comfortable with basic spells and learned the formula for controlling objects with divine sense. Finally, she planned to learn sword flight, but because the rented cave dwelling was too small, it could not meet her practice needs. She could only put that plan aside for now.

When the five hundred spirit stones ran out, Yun Xi took the jade token to settle the bill.

The old man said with a smile, “Congratulations, little Daoist friend, on successfully establishing your foundation and officially stepping onto the great path of cultivation!”

Yun Xi immediately returned a respectful salute. “Junior thanks you for your watch over me. That was how junior could succeed in Tribulation Transcendence. Please accept junior’s bow!”

The old man did not dodge and accepted Yun Xi’s bow of thanks. He deserved it. He casually took the jade token that controlled the cave dwelling and said, “I see you’re a disciple of Hao Ran Sect. Next time, bring your fellow disciples here to rent cave dwellings.”

Yun Xi immediately smiled and agreed. “Of course. Senior’s cave dwellings are safe and affordable. I’m sure my fellow disciples won’t miss such a good place.”

Her Hao Ran Sect robe had already made her identity as a sect cultivator obvious, so she admitted it openly.

After saying goodbye to the old man, she went to the robe shop he recommended and spent two thousand low-grade spirit stones to buy two spare robes for herself, one black and one light gray, low-key and practical.

She changed into the light gray robe on the spot, then put on makeup again, the semi-permanent kind. Even if she got wet, it would not wash off. Only then did she head to Hao Ran Sect’s outpost in Bao Hua City.