I and countless versions of myself simultaneously travel through time.

Chapter 82, Section 81: Ha, Men

Back in the high-rise of the Little Soul Palace, Ye Yan leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to review the game.

The invasion by the Divine Martial Sect came fiercely but ended quickly. It was nothing more than the work of Foundation Establishment cultivators behind the scenes, pushing a group of Qi Refining disciples as cannon fodder, testing and weakening each other.

None of the truly important figures showed up; those who died were merely pawns discarded on the chessboard.

Some people want to calculate his karma.

Ye Yan opened his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He was protected by the "Primordial Chaos Divine Talisman," which was a talisman of the Primordial Ten Thousand Spirit Banner. It could confuse the secrets of heaven and disrupt cause and effect. In addition, he had set up a cause and effect severance array himself. With the two layers of protection superimposed, the calculations on the cause and effect network were either distorted or rendered useless when they reached him.

Want to get him?

I'm afraid I won't even be able to catch a glimpse of him.

Master Yinshan, I'll remember this grudge. After I break through to the Foundation Establishment stage in the battle for Dao, wait for me, and there will be great fortune too—

But Ye Yan still felt something was wrong.

The Shenwu Sect sent more than one group of disciples to invade the four array eyes, but three of them, all at the Qi Refining level, specifically targeted his location.

Is it a coincidence?

Ye Yan didn't believe it.

In this wretched place, there are no coincidences, only calculations.

He bet it was Yinshan Zhenren.

That old man needs to break through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and urgently needs the Heavenly Corpse Fiend to consolidate his cultivation. The fact that the Divine Martial Sect acted ahead of schedule is most likely his doing.

And I, this chess piece, was probably just casually placed on the chessboard.

Ye Yan opened the three storage bags one by one, leaving them on the table.

There were a whole bunch of pills, spirit stones, and magical artifacts, all of which were of high quality.

The most valuable item was the Taixiao Mirror, a traditional treasure of the Ouyang family, a low-grade spiritual treasure. It was originally intended to be used to break the formation and overcome obstacles, but now it has been given to him for free.

Ye Yan held the Taixiao Mirror in his palm, probed it with his divine sense, and frowned slightly.

The restrictions inside are layered upon each other, numbering at least a hundred, each one ingenious and complex, clearly meticulously arranged by the ancestors of the Ouyang family over generations.

For anyone else, it would take months just to break through these restrictions, and a slight mistake could trigger a backlash, resulting in serious injury or even damage to their soul.

But for Ye Yan, it was simply a matter of solving a problem.

He broke countless ancient restrictions in the mortal world, and even the Void Heaven Palace of the Ice Soul Fairy could not stop him. What are the restrictions of the Ouyang family compared to that?

Ye Yan closed his eyes, his divine sense probing deep into the Tai Xiao Mirror like a thread, peeling away layer by layer and dismantling each step, as if solving a complex math problem.

In less than half an hour, the last barrier shattered.

Suddenly, the Taixiao Mirror shone brightly, its surface vibrating and humming, like a small beast released from its cage, jumping and leaping excitedly in Ye Yan's palm.

Immediately afterwards, the mirror sank and landed steadily on the table, its surface tilting slightly towards Ye Yan, as if it were kneeling in worship.

A youthful, innocent spiritual energy emanated from the mirror: "Master!"

Ye Yan smiled and flicked his hand lightly on the mirror: "Alright, get up."

He then summoned Ouyang Haoze's soul from the Myriad Spirits Banner and casually sent it deep into the Taixiao Mirror, making him work as a laborer for the mirror spirit.

Ouyang Haoze's soul let out a mournful cry before being swallowed whole by the mirror spirit, becoming part of the nourishment for the Taixiao Mirror.

After the Taixiao Mirror recognized its master, the true energy stored within it surged out without reservation—the Taixiao Wind and Thunder Qi.

This energy was nurtured by the Taixiao Mirror for decades, possessing the power of wind and thunder. It can temper the physical body and strengthen the soul, making it a treasure that Ye Yan urgently needs to break through from the Great Perfection of Qi Refining to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Ye Yan took a deep breath and channeled the true energy into his dantian. He felt as if his entire body was enveloped by a cool and gentle power, which was indescribably comfortable.

"Alright, come in." Ye Yan patted the Tai Xiao Mirror, and the mirror transformed into a stream of light, disappearing into his storage bag.

The Sword of Severing Thoughts still needs to be strengthened, but with the assistance of the Tai Xiao Mirror, it should be able to reach another level.

He dumped all the pills from his three storage bags into the table, piling them up completely.

Ye Yan didn't pick and choose; he opened his mouth and inhaled, and dozens of pills transformed into a torrent of medicinal power that surged into his body.

He opened up a temporary cave dwelling above the market and secluded himself for three days to refine all the medicinal power.

Three days later, he opened his eyes, sensed the surging magical power within his body, and nodded in satisfaction.

The foundation building is already 80% complete.

If one obtains the Ascension Token from the Yinshan Immortal, one can go even higher.

He also received the message released by Shenwumen.

A kill order was issued, with a bounty on his head, the reward being ridiculously high.

Ye Yan smiled and dismissed it. There were plenty of people who wanted to kill him; the Shenwu Sect wouldn't make a difference.

However, he dared not enter the Witchcraft and Ghost Realm for the time being. There was a sword aura left behind by "Zhengde" there, which was extremely sharp and incomparable. Even Chen Taihe in the original story was half-killed. As a Qi Refining Realm cultivator, going in now would be suicide.

He didn't want to give up the opportunity of hearing the sound of the wind. That thing would greatly benefit Lü Yang's cultivation and accelerate his progress. Moreover, after establishing his foundation, Lü Yang would be the best person to help him create his own lineage.

Ye Yan sighed when Lü Yang was mentioned.

In the original story, Lü Yang cultivated for at least several decades, and only dared to go out after the Arhat Fulong had completely passed away.

He managed to survive by repeatedly reopening the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes until the very end. But Ye Yan couldn't wait that long.

He took out the "Stealing Heavenly Secrets" that Chen Taihe had given him. This item was said to have been created by a high-ranking master of a holy sect. As the name suggests, it could plant Qi into another person's body and turn it into a "furnace" to provide the planter with a continuous source of cultivation resources.

It is similar to Ye Yan's self-created Soul-Devouring Seed, except that the Soul-Devouring Seed is used for exploding, while the Heavenly Secret Stealer is used for nurturing.

Ye Yan decided to test his skills on Fairy Feixia first.

When Feixia was called into the secret room, she keenly sensed that Ye Yan's aura had improved even further.

That faint, yet palpable pressure was already incredibly close to that of a true Foundation Establishment cultivator—no, it should be said that he already possessed the bearing of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Feixia's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly bowed and clasped her hands, saying, "Greetings, Master."

Ye Yan leaned back in his chair, smiling at her. His tone was gentle but carried an undeniable air of authority: "Junior Sister Feixia, there's now a thick barrier between us. I'm not happy about it."

Feixia's cheeks flushed slightly.

She certainly understood the meaning behind those words.

A thick barrier, a difference in cultivation level, a difference in status, and—she bit her lip, saying nothing more, and silently untied her skirt sash.

Three days later, Ye Yan emerged from the secret room, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

The experiment to steal the secrets of heaven was a great success. A seed of qi has been planted in Feixia's body, and he himself has benefited greatly from it, increasing his confidence in building a foundation.

Feixia followed behind him, her legs weak and her face flushed. Her gaze towards Ye Yan was complex and difficult to describe.

There was reverence, attachment, and a touch of bitterness that was hard to explain.

Ye Yan went to find Lü Yang.

Upon entering, one sees Lü Yang staring blankly at the jade slip, the pills on the table untouched, his cultivation still at the peak of the fifth level of Qi Refining, that thin layer of paper is impossible to break through.

Ye Yan shook his head, his tone tinged with impatience: "Junior brother, you're too slow."

Lu Yang shuddered, his back drenched in cold sweat.

He recalled the scene when Ye Yan detonated those fellow disciples last time; the bloody and mangled images were still vivid in his mind.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but his throat felt blocked, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Ye Yan saw his fear and shook his head, saying, "What are you thinking? If I wanted to plant a poison seed in you, you would be dead already."

He took out a few pills and tossed them over, "Eat them and start cultivating."

Lu Yang silently accepted the pill, swallowed it, and began to circulate his internal energy.

Whether it was the potent medicinal power of the pills or the intense pressure from Ye Yan, the bottleneck that had been holding him back for so long finally loosened. A few days later, Lü Yang successfully broke through to the sixth level of Qi Refining, and his aura steadily climbed to a new level.

Ye Yan was calculating the causal network in his cave when he sensed several unfamiliar causal lines extending toward him. It seemed that another Foundation Establishment cultivator was plotting against him.

Ye Yan snorted coldly and withdrew his spiritual sense.

He didn't go out, and neither did Lü Yang.

Some people tried to lure Lü Yang out, sending several disciples to try and get close to him and offer him opportunities, but Lü Yang refused them all, not even opening the door to his cave.

"Damn it, it must have been a Foundation Establishment cultivator who ambushed me."

Lu Yang cursed inwardly, then huddled in a corner of the cave and continued cultivating.

A month later, Ye Yan opened his eyes.

I've achieved a 90% success rate in foundation building.

Fairy Feixia nestled beside him, clinging to his arm, her voice as soft as honey: "Senior brother, won't you really come for a walk with me?"

Ye Yan pushed her away, his tone indifferent: "I'm already engaged; our relationship is purely physical."

Feixia remained silent.

He calls her Xiaxia when he gets into bed, but says he's already engaged when he gets out of bed. This man changes his mind faster than turning the pages of a book.

Looking at Ye Yan's handsome face and his increasingly imposing figure resembling a Foundation Establishment cultivator, she felt a surge of indescribable sorrow.

She knew that she and Ye Yan were not on the same path.

His path leads to higher places, while she is nothing more than a flower by the roadside that can be picked or discarded at will.

Feixia is gone.

On a cliff outside Skull Mountain Market, Yinshan Zhenren stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering in the mountain wind.

He closed his eyes, his fingers calculating the cause and effect lines, his brows sometimes relaxing and sometimes furrowing.

After a long while, he opened his eyes and praised, "Not bad. This person is indeed the one Senior Brother Chongguang has taken a liking to. The path of cultivation is the true way."

Luo Wuyai, standing behind him, shook his head and chuckled upon hearing this: "This disciple is no match for Senior Brother Ye. I'm afraid I'll have to relinquish the second-place position."