A Mortal's Supporting Character's Different Kind of Cultivation

Eleven months passed in the blink of an eye. The heavy stone door of the Earth Fire House where Lu Yunfeng was located remained tightly closed, without even a crack, as if it had been completely silenced in this place of weapon forging and pill refining.

That day, the ugly man remained outside, his gaze fixed on the stone door of the No. 18 Earth Fire Chamber. His face was clouded with worry, and his eyes were filled with anxiety and fear. By now, he was certain that something had happened to Lu Yunfeng inside. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator, in seclusion, would not stay in the Earth Fire Chamber for nearly a year. His prolonged absence could only mean one thing: something had gone wrong.

He wasn't genuinely worried about Lu Yunfeng's safety, but rather deeply fearful of Grandmaster Huiming. If any of Grandmaster Huiming's disciples were to cause trouble in the Earth Fire Chamber he was in charge of, the Grandmaster would surely hold him accountable. Although he had secured the job of guarding the Earth Fire Chamber only because he was a distant relative of Sect Leader Zhong, he knew perfectly well that if he truly angered Grandmaster Huiming, even with Sect Leader Zhong as his backer, there was absolutely no way he would defy a fellow disciple for his sake.

Just as the ugly man was feeling uneasy, the tightly closed stone door in front of him suddenly emitted a soft white light, and then slowly opened to both sides. A figure walked out slowly, his face beaming with pride. It was Lu Yunfeng, who had been in seclusion in this Fire Chamber for nearly a year.

The ugly man stood there stunned for a long time before he reacted. He was first startled, then overjoyed, and quickly stepped forward, complaining, "Senior brother, you've finally come out! If you hadn't returned soon, I would have..."

He had only spoken halfway when his gaze suddenly fell on Lu Yunfeng. His eyes widened in shock, and his expression changed drastically, as if he had encountered a ghost. He pointed at Lu Yunfeng, speechless, the rest of his sentence stuck in his throat, unable to utter a single word.

Seeing his flustered state, Lu Yunfeng smiled faintly, a subtle glow of spiritual energy swirling around him, and asked, "What's wrong? Is there something amiss with me?"

"You...your cultivation aura! I clearly sensed it...you...you could it be that you have already successfully established your foundation?" The ugly man froze, and it took him a long time to recover. His face was full of disbelief, confusion, and deep surprise as he stammered.

"Hmm." Lu Yunfeng responded casually, stretching his muscles from sitting in seclusion for so long, and said in a grand manner, "After refining the pills here, I felt that the spiritual energy and earth fire complemented each other, and the cultivation environment was acceptable, so I simply took a Foundation Establishment Pill and went into seclusion to cultivate. I successfully broke through the barrier and am now a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

"To... to establish a Foundation Establishment in this Earth Fire Chamber?" The ugly man subconsciously looked at the Earth Fire Chamber behind Lu Yunfeng, then repeatedly examined the person in front of him, his shock undiminished. This Earth Fire Chamber was originally a place for disciples to refine pills and forge weapons; he had never heard of anyone attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm here. Such a practice was truly unheard of!

He moved his lips several times, but ultimately swallowed back the question that was on the tip of his tongue. The person in front of him was not only a disciple of Grandmaster Huiming, but also a true Foundation Establishment cultivator. Their status and position were worlds apart, and he, a mere Qi Refining disciple, could not question or provoke him at will.

The ugly man, always well aware of the principle of strength above all else in the cultivation world, was extremely pragmatic. He immediately rubbed his hands together, instantly switching to a fawning smile, and bowed, saying, "Congratulations, Martial Uncle! Congratulations on achieving Foundation Establishment! Your cultivation has advanced another level!"

Now that Lu Yunfeng has reached the Foundation Establishment stage, his seniority within the sect is naturally higher than his. Therefore, it's only natural for him to respectfully bow and address him as "Uncle-Master." The ugly man understood this perfectly, showing no resentment whatsoever, demonstrating a thorough grasp of the sect's hierarchical rules.

Lu Yunfeng observed his reaction and inwardly shook his head, thinking to himself that this man was indeed flexible and extremely tactful. He himself was probably younger than him, yet the man could address him as "Uncle-Master" without any reservations or awkwardness; he was truly a clever man.

With a thought, Lu Yunfeng casually tossed out two jade bottles. The ugly man hurriedly reached out and caught them, holding the bottles and looking at Lu Yunfeng with a blank expression.

"This bottle contains pills to assist cultivators in the Qi Refining stage, and the other bottle contains hemostatic powder, which will also be of some benefit to your Qi Refining cultivation. I am now in the Foundation Establishment stage, so these pills are no longer useful to me, and I will give them to you," Lu Yunfeng said casually.

Upon hearing this, the ugly man immediately knelt down, his face full of genuine gratitude, and kowtowed repeatedly: "Thank you for your reward, Uncle! If you ever need my help in the future, I will go through fire and water to serve you like a dog or a horse!" He said these words with utmost solemnity, without the slightest bit of pretense.

Lu Yunfeng nodded slightly, thinking to himself that this person was indeed shrewd and resourceful, someone who could be somewhat used. He immediately asked, "In that case, do you know where near the sect I can buy the refining materials I need?"

After saying that, he took out a list of materials that he had already prepared and handed it over.

The ugly man quickly stood up, took the list with both hands, and carefully examined it. After a moment, he hesitated before speaking, "Most of the materials on this list are rather obscure, and ordinary shops probably won't be able to find them. I remember there's a Maple Leaf Pavilion in Tianxing Market, which is owned by my family. Perhaps they can find these supplies there."

As soon as he finished speaking, he took out a bronze token from his robes. The token was engraved with an ancient character "顺" (Zhong). He presented it to Lu Yunfeng with both hands, smiling obsequiously, and said, "Uncle-Master, this Zhong family token can be used to enter the Maple Leaf Pavilion's secret workshop. However, I currently have important duties to attend to regarding the Earth Fire House, so it is inconvenient for me to accompany you personally. Fortunately, the secret workshop will open in another month. Uncle-Master may wish to take the token then, and I am sure you will be able to find what you need."

Lu Yunfeng's gaze narrowed slightly as he took the token. It felt heavy in his hand, and his heart leaped with joy. He had only casually given away some useless pills, hoping to use the opportunity to inquire about the whereabouts of the materials. He hadn't held out much hope, but he hadn't expected such an unexpected surprise. He had directly found a way to obtain uncommon materials and even gained entry to the Dark Market. It was truly a brilliant move.

He calmly put away the token and turned to walk outside. The ugly man was extremely efficient, respectfully leading Lu Yunfeng out of the Earth Fire House area. Only when Lu Yunfeng's figure completely disappeared from sight did he eagerly open the jade bottle in his hand. A rich fragrance of elixir wafted out, and he immediately showed an expression of intoxication.

This scene was witnessed by Lu Yunfeng's divine sense, and he couldn't help but smile knowingly. Although this ugly man was greedy, he was indeed clever and useful, and his efforts had not been in vain.

Without lingering any longer, Lu Yunfeng activated his spiritual energy, summoned the Desolate Bronze Bell, and flew straight towards the Yellow Maple Valley Council Hall. He planned to find Sect Leader Zhong, report the news of his successful Foundation Establishment, and have his name officially registered in the sect's list of Foundation Establishment cultivators.