Mortal: Starting with the Seven Mysterious Sects, I proved my Dao through sacrifice.

In just ten days, Murong Fan broke through from the early stage of Foundation Establishment to the peak of the early stage, and was only one step away from the middle stage. This cultivation speed was astonishing, but he was not satisfied. He knew that in order to successfully complete Foundation Establishment, he had to consolidate his cultivation and seek an opportunity.

Coincidentally, he had obtained a precious opportunity to enter the ruins of his ancestors' cultivation caves to search for treasures through the sacrificial altar last time. This made him determined to stabilize his realm as soon as possible and prepare for Foundation Establishment.

He recalled the ancient token and, following the divine imprint bestowed upon him by the altar, infused it with a wisp of special energy he had gathered at his fingertips after the sacrifice. Within the cracks on the token's surface, golden light flowed like water, and the dormant runes on it seemed to be awakened, lighting up one by one.

In a short while, a mysterious illusory gate of light slowly emerged in the center of the Tranquil Cave. Behind the gate, the outline of a cave entrance shrouded in mist could be vaguely seen, which was the location of the ancestral cave indicated by the altar.

Murong Fan took a deep breath, suppressing the surging excitement and anticipation in his heart, and resolutely stepped into the gate of light. The scene before him suddenly changed, and a spiritual energy so rich that it was almost tangible rushed towards him. Its concentration was several times purer than that of the spiritual veins of Huangfeng Valley, making every pore on his body open comfortably and greedily inhale and exhale.

At the entrance to the cave, there is a winding, ancient stone staircase leading downwards. The stone walls on both sides have stood for centuries and are covered with indistinct ancient runes, emanating a faint aura of restriction. This is clearly a measure set up by the cave's owner to prevent later visitors from easily intruding.

Murong Fan dared not be careless. He carefully descended the steps while quietly circulating his spiritual energy, concentrating his mind to prepare for any possible unknown dangers.

At the end of the stone steps, the space suddenly opens up to a rather spacious stone chamber. In the center of the chamber stands a half-person-high bluish-gray stone platform, on which a fist-sized, flawless bluish-green crystal is quietly enshrined.

The crystal's surface shone with an inner brilliance, flowing with a soft and warm halo. A pure and vibrant wood-elemental spiritual energy emanated from it, filling the entire stone chamber.

Murong Fan's pupils suddenly contracted, and a surge of overwhelming joy welled up in his heart: "This...this is a Wood Spirit Crystal!" He had seen related records in the books treasured by his master, Hong Fu. The Wood Spirit Crystal was a rare treasure formed by the condensation of wood-type spiritual energy in the world over a long period of time. For a wood-attribute cultivator like him, its value was simply immeasurable.

This item can not only greatly assist cultivation and rapidly improve one's cultivation level, but also nourish one's spiritual root and subtly enhance one's comprehension of wood-based cultivation techniques.

Just as he was suppressing his excitement and preparing to step forward to take the treasure he had been dreaming of, a sudden change occurred! The seemingly flat stone walls on both sides of the platform suddenly made a dull "crackling" sound, and two heavy stone doors slowly opened inward, from which emerged two tall stone puppets covered in ancient armor with rust marks.

The two puppets' eyes flashed with a cold red light, each holding a heavy giant axe. A powerful aura, no less than that of a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, emanated from them. Even more strangely, the puppets had dark blue crystals embedded in their chests, with runes faintly flowing within them. Clearly, they were placed there as protective barriers specifically to guard the Wood Spirit Crystal.

"Halt!" one of the stone golems uttered in a hoarse, mechanical voice, slamming its giant axe into the ground, sending stone chips flying everywhere.

Murong Fan's eyes narrowed, knowing there was no way to resolve this peacefully, and he immediately became extremely alert. He lightly touched the ground with his foot and shifted to the side, narrowly avoiding the fierce axe wind sweeping in from the stone golem on his left.

The giant axe grazed his shoulder, carving a crack about a foot deep into the stone wall. Amidst the flying debris, the axe blade still retained a faint yellowish-brown glow.

At the same time, he unhesitatingly summoned the Golden Light Brick Talisman he had obtained from Hong Fu, and shouted, "Go!" The Golden Light Brick transformed into a dazzling golden rainbow, carrying immense force, and crashed down on the stone puppet on the right.

With a deafening "bang," the golden brick was forcefully blocked by the stone golem's massive axe. The golem's body trembled slightly, its arm shook a little, and it regained its balance. The dark blue crystal on its chest suddenly lit up, and a semi-transparent, earthy-yellow protective shield appeared around its body.

"Such a tough body! Such strong defense!" Murong Fan was secretly shocked; the puppet's sturdiness far exceeded his expectations. What was even more troublesome was that the runes flowing on the puppet's protective shield on the right side subtly echoed the patterns on the stone chamber floor, seemingly able to recover from damage by drawing upon the power of the earth's veins.

Murong Fan dared not hold back any longer. He rapidly formed hand seals, circulated the Crimson Sun Divine Light Technique within his body to its limit, and the Crimson Sun spiritual power in his dantian surged out, gathering at his fingertips and condensing into a inch-long, translucent and blazing sharp edge, just like a ruby—the Crimson Sun Finger, the secret offensive technique taught by Hong Fu.

"Crimson Sun Finger!" He pointed his fingers like a sword, aimed at the knee joint of the stone golem on the left, and pointed in mid-air, a blazing, condensed red beam of light shot out.

With a sizzling sound, the extreme high temperature contained in the Crimson Sun Finger instantly melted the rust and some of the stone at the puppet's joints, causing its movements to suddenly stop and revealing an obvious flaw.

But at that moment, the puppet on the left suddenly opened its mouth and spat out a beam of earthy yellow light, which went straight for Murong Fan's back!

Murong Fan was quite experienced in combat, so how could he let such a good opportunity pass by? He moved like lightning, closing in on the enemy, and at the same time, he poured the last bit of special energy he had obtained from the sacrifice into the ancient token he had been holding tightly in his hand.

The token was activated, suddenly radiating a brilliant golden light and exuding an ancient and majestic aura. A beam of earth-yellow light grazed his side, blasting a half-foot-deep crater in the stone wall.

Sure enough, the two originally menacing stone golems became noticeably slower and stiffer the moment they came into contact with the golden light, and the red light in their eyes quickly dimmed. But the dark blue crystal on the chest of the right golem suddenly burst out with a dazzling light, and the strength of the protective shield instantly increased several times!

"So the token bestowed by this altar actually has the effect of restraining the puppet restrictions here!" Murong Fan's spirits lifted and his confidence increased.

He held the token in one hand, using its golden light to interfere with and suppress the puppet, while using the Crimson Sun Finger in the other hand to target the puppet's relatively weak points such as its joints and head. At the same time, he manipulated the golden brick talisman to restrain and strike.

During the fierce battle, he discovered that the puppet on the left would pause for half a breath after every three axe strikes, while the protective shield of the puppet on the right would experience a momentary energy disorder after withstanding three attacks.

In an instant, the stone chamber was filled with the shadows of axes flying, golden light and crimson finger beams intertwining and colliding, and the sounds of booming and metal clashing together resounded.

Murong Fan was on the verge of collapse, having to dodge the sudden attacks of the yellowish-brown beams while also seizing the moment when the shield's energy became disordered to launch an attack. The battle was extremely dangerous.

The fierce battle lasted for about half an incense stick's time. Fine beads of sweat appeared on Murong Fan's forehead, his spiritual energy was being consumed quite severely, and his breathing was becoming slightly rapid.

His left arm was grazed by the yellowish-brown beam of light, leaving a charred patch on his clothes and a faint burning sensation. But his eyes grew even more determined and sharp as he rapidly calculated the puppet's attack patterns in his mind.

Finally, he seized the moment when the energy of the protective shield of the stone golem on the right became disordered, and at the same time, the golem on the left had just completed its third axe strike. He poured all the remaining spiritual power in his body into his right index finger without reservation. The Crimson Sun Finger shone brightly and struck the center of the golem's head.

"Pfft!" The ruby-like, blazing blade pierced the stone head. Then, with a "boom," the stone golem's head exploded, turning into countless fragments that scattered in all directions. The red light in its eyes went out completely, and its massive body crashed to the ground.

Having lost its companion, the remaining stone golem suddenly let out a piercing shriek, and the dark blue crystal on its chest lit up completely. At the same time, the runes on the entire stone chamber floor lit up, and countless earthen-yellow light spikes shot out from the ground! Murong Fan's pupils shrank sharply, and he quickly summoned the golden light brick to protect himself, while holding the token above his head.

The golden light collided with the earth and rocks, producing a series of crackling sounds. He used the force of the impact to fly backward, crashing heavily into the stone wall, a metallic taste rising in his throat.

With the formidable enemy eliminated, Murong Fan paused to catch his breath before slowly walking to the stone platform. He extended his slightly trembling hand, preparing to carefully remove the glowing Wood Spirit Crystal.

Just when he thought everything was going smoothly, the cave was suddenly deactivated. An aura far more terrifying than the previous puppet's pressure suddenly erupted from beneath the stone platform, causing the entire stone chamber to shake violently. The runes on the ground flowed wildly like living things, converging into a bottomless black vortex.

Murong Fan felt a powerful suction force coming from the vortex, as if it were trying to pull his soul in. He was terrified and quickly circulated his spiritual power to resist, while holding the ancient token in front of him as a shield.

The golden light on the token shone again, resisting the suction of the vortex and emitting a "sizzling" sound, its light flickering. Just as they were locked in this stalemate, the Wood Spirit Crystal in the center of the stone platform suddenly shone brightly, and a beam of emerald green light shot into the sky, directly towards the top of the stone chamber.

The stone wall at the top opened with a sound, revealing a dome shaped like a star map, with countless star symbols flashing and exuding a vast and ancient aura. Immediately afterwards, the emerald beam of light and the star map complemented each other, and the spiritual energy in the entire cave instantly became violent, forming visible vortexes of spiritual energy that surged wildly into the Wood Spirit Crystal.

Murong Fan then realized that the Wood Spirit Crystal was not a simple treasure, but the core hub of the entire cave's restrictions! His touch just now had completely activated a deeper level of restrictions.

Murong Fan's spiritual consciousness was almost completely drained. "I suddenly realized that my preparations for this treasure hunt in the ancestral cave were insufficient. This damned place can actually absorb spiritual consciousness and cultivation, almost costing me my life. I will come back to explore again after I have made full preparations!"

"Know when to quit while you're ahead, grab the Wood Spirit Crystal first, then study it in detail!" Murong Fan thought to himself.

Murong Fan desperately snatched the Wood Spirit Crystal. The crystal felt warm and smooth to the touch, and the pure and abundant wood-type spiritual energy immediately flowed into his body like a gentle stream, calming his restless and turbulent spiritual power caused by the intense battle, and even slightly increasing it.

Without further hesitation, he immediately sat cross-legged on the floor of the stone chamber, gently placed the Wood Spirit Crystal in his dantian, closed his eyes, concentrated, and fully circulated his spiritual power.

The energy contained within the Wood Spirit Crystal was far more vast and pure than he had imagined. Guided and refined by the Crimson Sun Divine Light Technique, this incomparably pure wood-elemental spiritual power transformed into warm and resilient torrents, rapidly flowing through his limbs, bones, meridians, and acupoints.

Murong Fan could clearly perceive through his inner vision that the seemingly solid spiritual energy barrier between the peak and middle stages of the Foundation Establishment stage was being continuously eroded and impacted by this gentle, inexhaustible force. Fine cracks began to appear on the surface of the barrier, and it gradually dissolved.

The opportunity to establish the foundation has arrived! The seemingly solid barrier between the initial peak and the middle stage has become precarious and shaky under the continuous infusion of pure energy from the Wood Spirit Crystal.

Time passed quietly in the silent cultivation. After an unknown amount of time, when he had completely absorbed and refined the last trace of warm and mellow Wood Spirit Crystal energy for his own use, a very faint but extremely clear "pop" sound suddenly rang out from deep within Murong Fan's body, as if an invisible shackle had shattered in response.

Immediately afterwards, a torrent of spiritual energy, far more powerful, condensed, and pure than before, erupted from his dantian, instantly surging and sweeping across his entire body. His meridians were widened once again under this impact, the flow of spiritual energy became smoother and more powerful, and even his sea of ​​consciousness seemed to be cleansed and strengthened, becoming more stable and clear.

He slowly exhaled a long, drawn-out breath, his eyes opening with a fleeting, piercing glint. Almost simultaneously, that familiar purplish-blue light silently appeared before him:

[Host: Murong Fan]

[Spiritual Root: Heavenly Spiritual Root (Wood Attribute)]

[Strength: Mid-Foundation Establishment Stage]

"Mid-Foundation Establishment!" Murong Fan muttered to himself, his hands involuntarily clenching into fists as he clearly felt the unprecedented surge of power within his body, a surge of heroic ambition filling his heart.

This trip to the ancestral cave was far more fruitful than expected. Not only did it allow them to break through their cultivation bottleneck with the help of the Wood Spirit Crystal, but they also unexpectedly obtained a token whose purpose was unknown yet exuded an ancient and mysterious aura. It was truly a worthwhile trip.

His heart pounded with excitement. He rose and surveyed the stone chamber, protected by a forbidden barrier, carefully scanning every corner to ensure nothing was missed. Sure enough, in an inconspicuous corner, he discovered two sets of dusty, tattered jade slips. Unfortunately, they were forbidden to be activated today; danger lurked everywhere. He would have to explore them another day…