Mountain Venerable and Sea Immortal

Deep within Mingxia Pass, clouds and mist swirl.

The gate to Xuanshui Cave slowly opened.

This secluded place bestowed upon Lin Yan was indeed a blessed land—backed by the Mingxia Mountains and facing the main vein of the Lingxi River, the Lingxi Spring, which had never dried up for thousands of years, gushed out from the rock crevices at the top of the cave, like broken jade and scattered pearls, flowing along the walls and gathering into a clear, mirror-like pool of green water in front of the cave.

This place gathers water and forms vapor, with extremely rich water-based spiritual energy, making it a perfect cultivation holy land tailor-made for his pure water spiritual root.

Holding the Ink Jade Abyss Inkstone, with the awakened spirit tortoise resting on his lap, Lin Yan stepped into the ancient and simple Xuan Shui Cave. The cave walls were covered with translucent water droplets, shimmering with a faint light, and the air was filled with the fragrance of spiritual spring water and pure water vapor. The central pool of spiritual spring water was deep and secluded, its bottom shimmering with spiritual light; it was the core of the spring, constantly absorbing the purest essence of water spirit.

Having experienced the chaos at the Guixu Sea Mouth and faced the crushing force of the Shadow Demon Clan, Lin Yan deeply felt his own insignificance, like an ant. Now, in this secret realm, he felt no restlessness whatsoever, but instead transformed this sense of awe into the motivation for his diligent cultivation day and night.

The spiritual spring cleanses the marrow, and the mysterious water tempers the body.

Lin Yan sat cross-legged beside the spiritual spring, his spiritual energy resonating with the surrounding water. He circulated his pure water spiritual root, drawing the essence of the spring into his body, and with the ultimate purification of the spirit turtle, cleansed the remaining demonic impurities from his meridians. The spirit turtle nestled in the crook of his legs, its blue-green shell pressed against his arm, releasing warm divine beast spiritual energy with each breath, not only stabilizing his eighth level of Qi Refining cultivation but also further enhancing the purity of his spiritual power.

Inside the Xuan Shui Cave, Lin Yan began to systematically review all the knowledge he had acquired.

He closed his eyes and focused his mind, repeatedly practicing the *Canglan Sword Manual* and the Laoshan Qingyun Sword Technique, comprehending the essence of the sword manuals through his own understanding and patching up the flaws in his moves. The spiritual spring water flowed around him, forming an invisible sword domain. He used his fingers as a sword, practicing in the misty water.

At times, a cascade of waves would surge forth, and the spiritual spring would suddenly burst into a water curtain several feet high. The sword moves advanced like a tide, layer upon layer, unstoppable.

Sometimes the sword strikes through the water, its sharp energy piercing the pool and splitting the surface in two, only to recombine in an instant, allowing one to experience the wonder of overcoming strength with softness.

After mastering swordsmanship, he honed his skills in water control, water manipulation, and purification, patching up every flaw exposed in battle. From the circulation of spiritual energy to the connection of moves, and then to the gathering of sword intent, he repeatedly refined every detail until he reached perfection.

With each breath, the spiritual spring rippled slightly, and the spiritual energy within the cave was continuously drawn into the dantian. Under the guidance of the inkstone, the water gathered into clouds and the energy condensed into mist.

At this moment, the spirit turtle was also quietly undergoing a transformation.

It was no longer merely dormant; the bright golden patterns on its shell gradually seeped into the bottom of the pool, merging with the spiritual light of the spring. Whenever Lin Yan circulated his spiritual energy, the spirit turtle would exhale a breath of ancient water spirit essence, which would fall into the spring, making the water clearer and nourishing Lin Yan's physical body and foundation. It had assimilated with the spiritual veins of the Xuan Shui Cave, becoming the spiritual master of this place, its aura growing increasingly profound, its blue-gold spiritual light condensed, and its purifying power far surpassing what it had been before.

Through diligent cultivation day after day, Lin Yan's spiritual power accumulated layer by layer, and his Qi Refining Level 8 was nearing perfection. His sword intent and spiritual power were perfectly integrated, and he not only touched the barrier of Qi Refining Level 9, but also faintly knocked on the door of Foundation Establishment.

Inside the Xuan Shui Cave, Lin Yan meditated silently, accompanied by a spirit turtle and the murmuring of a spirit spring.

"break!"

A clear shout caused the water droplets inside the cave to tremble slightly, and Lin Yan's spiritual energy suddenly erupted.

The knee-mounted spirit turtles simultaneously raised their heads, their ancient golden water patterns illuminating the cave ceiling with a dazzling blue-gold radiance. This radiance intertwined with the dense, pale blue water elemental energy within the Xuan Shui Cave, forming a violent yet pure torrent of spiritual power. The Mo Yu Ming Yuan Inkstone rose into the air on its own, hovering above Lin Yan's head and spinning rapidly. It frantically absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surging from the main vein of the Lin Ling Stream, transforming it into the Azure Water Elemental Power most suited to him, which then poured down.

Lin Yan's mind was as firm as a mountain. He first broke through the nine layers of Qi Refining barrier with the force of thunder, his aura soaring all the way, but he did not stop there. He used this unstoppable momentum to draw upon all his spiritual power, Jianghai Sword Intent, and the original energy of the Spirit Turtle Divine Beast. The three combined into one, like a tidal wave crashing against the shore, and smashed fiercely into the insurmountable barrier between the Qi Refining Realm and the Foundation Establishment Realm.

"Click—"

A subtle yet clear cracking sound rang out within the dantian.

The barrier that blocked the path of cultivation shattered instantly under the triple support of pure water spiritual root, ancient spiritual vein, and divine beast.

In an instant, the spiritual spring of Xuan Shui Cave surged back, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth poured into Lin Yan's body like a whale sucking water. His meridians were widened and reshaped again, and his dantian spiritual palace expanded rapidly. The originally scattered liquid spiritual power was continuously compressed and condensed, and finally condensed into a lustrous blue, ever-flowing water spirit foundation pill in the center of his dantian.

The foundation has been laid.

Lin Yan's aura gradually calmed down, no longer the outward, turbulent energy of a Qi Refining Realm cultivator, but rather as still and serene as a deep ocean. Every inch of his skin and every meridian was thoroughly cleansed by spiritual energy, shedding his mortal form and beginning to resemble an immortal. With every gesture, he exuded the unique, weighty pressure of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. The Jianghai Sword Intent was hidden within his spiritual power; when still, it remained motionless, but when it moved, it was like a raging storm.

He slowly opened his eyes, a flash of blue light appearing in them, clear as a spring, deep as the ocean.

Just then, his fingertips felt a slight warmth, and the Golden Finger Technique he had cultivated in his early years was activated on its own, with a wisp of pale golden spiritual light gently dancing at his fingertips.

Lin Yan was slightly taken aback.

He had never been exposed to alchemy, nor did he know anything about alchemy furnaces, formulas, or fire control. Yet, the golden fire at his fingertips possessed an almost instinctive precision and gentleness—unlike the sharp and explosive fire of an attack, it was delicate and enduring, capable of gathering, dispersing, warming, and refining. It was the very innate alchemical fire that cultivators dreamed of.

He hesitated for a moment, then gently flicked a wisp of spiritual herb mist from the cave edge with the golden fire at his fingertips.

The impurities automatically detached, and the essence was steadily condensed into a single point, incredibly docile.

Lin Yan understood:

As he progressed through foundation building, the Golden Finger Technique awakened innate inner fire and an extremely refined talent for controlling fire.

Although he doesn't yet understand alchemy, he already possesses the most essential and rarest foundation for it. In the future, whenever he encounters a formula or method for alchemy, he will learn it much faster than ordinary people.

The knee-shaped spirit tortoise let out a clear, silent cry, and its body grew larger again, now nearly three feet long. Its shell gleamed with golden patterns, and the symbiotic bond between it and Lin Yan was completely solidified. The power of purification and the power of shared divine consciousness both increased several times as their master broke through to the next realm.

Meanwhile, Yunxi, Yeqing, Chen Dagang, and Yi Azhu, who were far away on the main peak of Laoshan, also went into hiding after the chaos of Guixu and quietly transformed themselves.

After returning to the mountain, Yunxi's swordsmanship became even stronger. She practiced swordsmanship by the stream day and night, abandoning gentleness and focusing on killing. Her cultivation steadily advanced to the eighth level of Qi Refining, and her swordsmanship became fierce. Every day she looked towards Mingxia'ao, waiting quietly for Lin Yan to return.

Ye Qing was meticulous and thoughtful. On one hand, he improved his skills to the peak of the eighth level of Qi Refining, mastering all three methods of offense, defense, and healing. On the other hand, he secretly collected evidence of Elder Hailan's crimes, contacted upright fellow disciples, and quietly laid out his plans.

Chen Dagang honed his physical body day and night, fusing brute force with spiritual power, constantly forging his body into the most reliable human shield.

Yi Azhu devoted herself to the water spirit auxiliary technique. With the careful guidance of her master Yu Lan and the power of the Linling Creek, she improved her cultivation to the peak of the fifth level of Qi Refining. Her water shield was stable and her healing was rapid, and she was already able to stand on her own.

Inside the Xuan Shui Cave, a spiritual spring murmurs.

Lin Yan flicked his finger, the flame at his fingertip disappeared, and his mind became clear.