Mortal: I, Zhang Tie, started by joining forces with Han Li to kill a strategist.

The Spirit Beast Mountain has sixteen main peaks, each with a spiritual vein of level three or higher. It is said that the highest peak, the Spirit Beast Peak, even has a level four spiritual vein!

Lingxian Peak, one of the main peaks, is the closest to Xiaohuan Peak where Zhang Tie is located, and it has a cultivation room specially provided for disciples.

Zhang Tie used his wind-riding technique and finally arrived at the foot of Lingxian Peak half an hour later.

"After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, I must acquire a flying magic artifact or raise a flying spirit beast!" Zhang Tie thought to himself.

Lingxian Peak is many times larger than Xiaohuan Peak, and Zhang Tie could feel the rich spiritual energy at the foot of the mountain.

The cultivation room was located in a relatively central area of ​​Lingxian Peak. After showing his identity token several times, Zhang Tie finally arrived at his destination.

On the mountainside of Lingxian Peak, a huge palace stands tall, with three large characters written on the plaque: "Lingyuan Pavilion".

Every now and then, cultivators with refined auras would come and go, and Zhang Tie couldn't even tell the cultivation level of a few of them; they were clearly Foundation Establishment cultivators!

Upon entering the hall, it appeared rather deserted with few people inside. Only one middle-aged cultivator sat behind a counter, his aura suggesting he had reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining. He was holding a booklet in his hand and dozing off.

"Senior brother!" Zhang Tie gently knocked on the counter.

The middle-aged cultivator opened his eyes, glanced at him, and then lazily asked, "Outer sect disciple! Renting a cultivation room?"

"yes!"

"A first-tier cultivation room costs ten spirit stones per month, and a second-tier cultivation room costs fifty spirit stones per month." As he spoke, the middle-aged cultivator glanced at Zhang Tie again.

"As an outer disciple, you only need to cultivate to the first level; you don't need the second level!"

"I'll rent a Tier 2 one!" Although Zhang Tie thought the man's tone was a bit old-fashioned, he didn't think much of it and took out fifty spirit stones from his storage bag and placed them on the counter.

The middle-aged cultivator's eyes lit up, he sat up straight, and glanced at Zhang Tie a few more times.

Fifty spirit stones is no small sum for a Qi Refining cultivator!

"Alright!" The middle-aged cultivator accepted the spirit stone, recorded his information, opened the restriction behind him, took out a jade token, and handed it to Zhang Tie.

"Cultivation Room No. 7 (Class B) is on the second floor. Use this jade token to open it. You cannot leave within one month. Once you leave, the cultivation is over, and the spirit stones will not be refunded!"

Zhang Tie took the jade token and continued to ask, "Can the lease be renewed?"

"Sure, you can pay the spirit stones after you finish cultivating!"

Zhang Tie nodded and turned to walk towards the second floor.

Looking at Zhang Tie's back, a blue light flashed in the middle-aged cultivator's eyes, and then he revealed a knowing look. Another kid trying to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Unfortunately, the Foundation Establishment stage has blocked countless Qi Refining cultivators!

...

On the second floor of Lingyuan Pavilion, a long corridor appeared before Zhang Tie, with stone doors on both sides, each engraved with a number. Some of the doors were gray, while others shone brightly, indicating that cultivators were practicing inside.

Zhang Tie quickly located No. 7 of the B-class and embedded the jade tablet into the groove on the stone door. The barrier light screen lit up, and the stone door slowly opened.

The cultivation room was small, about ten feet square, with stone walls of unknown material on all four sides, covered with mysterious runes. Zhang Tie guessed that they were the array patterns of some kind of spirit-gathering formation.

After Zhang Tie entered the cultivation room, the stone door slowly closed.

"Fifty spirit stones, that's really not cheap!" Zhang Tie muttered to himself as he sat cross-legged on the futon.

Now, take out the Foundation Establishment Pill and place it in your palm. The pill has flowing cloud patterns and a fragrant aroma.

However, Zhang Tie did not rush to take it. According to records in the cultivation world, Foundation Establishment Pills can generally increase the probability of successfully establishing a foundation by 30%.

Zhang Tie has three spiritual roots, so the probability of him not using a Foundation Establishment Pill is about 10%, and even with this Foundation Establishment Pill, it's only about 40%.

Forty percent, less than half the probability!

If Zhang Tie wants to successfully establish his foundation, he will need at least two or even three Foundation Establishment Pills to be considered safe!

In the original story, Han Li's aptitude for the four spiritual roots was even more touching. He took a full eight Foundation Establishment Pills to successfully break through, almost developing drug resistance!

However, Han Li had spiritual herbs cultivated in the small green bottle, which allowed him to obtain a massive amount of Foundation Establishment Pills.

He also has a book of cause and effect in his mind.

[Estimation of causal values ​​required to break through the foundation-building bottleneck is underway...]

[Without Foundation Establishment Pill: Three spiritual roots aptitude +2800 karma points]

[With Foundation Establishment Pill (Low Grade): Three Spiritual Root Aptitude + Foundation Establishment Pill + 1800 Karma Value]

Current causality value: 1810 points

It requires 1800 causality points, which he has!

Zhang Tie took a deep breath, cleared his mind, and began to adjust his state.

At this moment, the inscriptions on the stone wall of the cultivation room began to shimmer with light, and the concentration of spiritual energy in the cultivation room rapidly increased. Zhang Tie felt that the spiritual energy was two or three times higher than that in his cave on Xiaohuan Peak. He took a deep breath and felt comfortable all over, and the speed of spiritual energy circulation was even faster!

This is only a second-tier training room. Fifty spirit stones is a good price!

An hour later, Zhang Tie took a deep breath and silently recited in his mind, causing the Book of Cause and Effect to flash.

[Breaking through the Foundation Establishment bottleneck, Causality value -1800!]

[Increasing the probability of Foundation Establishment... Current success rate of Foundation Establishment: 60%!]

Current causality value: 10

Sixty percent! Add to that the thirty percent from the Foundation Establishment Pill, and the probability is a full ninety percent!

Without hesitation, Zhang Tie put the Foundation Establishment Pill in his hand into his mouth. As soon as the pill entered his stomach, a warm medicinal power spread instantly, surging into his limbs and bones.

At the same time, the Book of Cause and Effect in his mind continued to flash, and an invisible force enveloped his entire body, guiding the medicinal power and spiritual power to converge in his dantian.

Zhang Tie closed his eyes and officially began his attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage!

...

Meanwhile, Xiao Huanfeng.

Xie Wen returned after leaving, but this time with one more person by his side.

The man looked to be in his forties or fifties, thin, with a somewhat sinister expression. He was Xie Duanfeng, one of the two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Xie family.

When the two arrived at Zhang Tie's cave, they were met with a scene of utter chaos!

The two Xie family cultivators were still lying on the ground. One was face down in the soil, and the other was sprawled out with his head tilted to the side, with a noticeable bump on his head.

Xie Wenyuan's expression changed drastically. He rushed forward to check on them and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the two had only been knocked unconscious and were not in any danger.

Xie Duanfeng frowned slightly, waved his hand, and two beams of green light entered the faces of the two men, who then slowly woke up.

"What happened? Where's that kid surnamed Zhang?" Xie Wenyuan asked through gritted teeth.

The first Xie family cultivator to be knocked unconscious clutched the back of his head, looking utterly bewildered and unable to explain himself. At this moment, another Xie family cultivator, clutching a large bump on his head, spoke up: "Brother Yuan, not long after you left, that kid ran out of the cave. Qing and I tried to stop him, but that guy knocked Qing unconscious with a single move, and then punched me!"

"After that... I don't know anything!"

Xie Wenyuan turned to Xie Duanfeng: "Uncle, is that kid trying to escape?!"

Xie Duanfeng didn't answer. Instead, he squatted down to examine the traces and glared at the three of them with exasperation.

He was knocked unconscious in just a few moves, which was an utter disgrace. With both old and new grudges, the Xie family had now made an enemy of that kid. Regardless of whether they could get the Foundation Establishment Pill or not, they had to get rid of him!

"What's the rush? Where could a newly joined disciple like him possibly go?"

Xie Duanfeng glanced at the three again, his eyes flashing coldly: "Useless. But it's a fact that you two were knocked unconscious by that Zhang brat. Here's what you'll do: go to the Enforcement Hall!"

Xie Wenyuan was taken aback. Shouldn't they be chasing after that kid right now? But Xie Wenyuan quickly understood what Xie Duanfeng meant.

"Does your uncle mean to accuse him of a private fight?"

"A private duel? You two have lost two top-tier magical artifacts, understand?" Xie Duanfeng's lips curled into a sinister smile.

"A newly recruited disciple of Spirit Beast Mountain attacked a fellow disciple without provocation and stole a magical artifact. His actions are extremely heinous. The Enforcement Hall will naturally send people to arrest him. I will also give them a heads-up. A mere rogue cultivator dares to turn the world upside down!"

Xie Wenyuan's eyes lit up immediately: "Uncle, you're brilliant!"

Xie Duanfeng waved his hand: "Take both of them with you, and head to Enforcement Peak!"