If I can really refine a guardian god that feigns Foundation Establishment, it will be of immense help to my true body's breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm. At the very least, it would add a thirty percent chance of success! Lu Yang sat cross-legged, pondering in his heart.
Not only that, but more importantly, the guardian god would be karmically complete. When necessary, I can sever ties with it and throw all the karma of the Witch Ghost Sect onto it.
Although in that case, the fortune and cultivation level gained from Stealing Heaven's Secrets cannot be used for my own Foundation Establishment and must be used on the guardian god instead, with a guardian god, combined with my third-grade True Qi, the Corpse-Shedding Immortal, The Sage's Theft, and the Secret of the Heavenly Silkworm by Severing Thoughts to See the Self, my breakthrough to Foundation Establishment will still have a seventy percent chance of success.
If he obtained the Ascension Token, it would be eighty percent! Moreover, according to the Listening Nether Patriarch, the more preparations made before Foundation Establishment, the higher the chances of success, and the greater the benefits after breaking through. This involves the cultivation of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
The so-called Foundation Establishment is actually a gamble with one's life. It's not uncommon for Daoist Masters to attempt the breakthrough with only a thirty or forty percent chance of success, ultimately succeeding through sheer luck. However, these breakthroughs achieved by betting one's life are not without a price.
The fewer preparations you make beforehand and the lower your chances of success, the greater the Dao injuries you will suffer during Foundation Establishment. These Dao injuries become deeply rooted after the breakthrough, and until they are healed, you will never be able to break through to a higher realm.
The entire initial stage of Foundation Establishment cultivation is, in fact, a process of healing. Conversely, if you are fully prepared and only attempt the breakthrough with a seventy or eighty percent chance of success, the corresponding healing time after succeeding will be greatly reduced.
If you break through with a one hundred percent chance of success, you will reach the Perfection stage of the early Foundation Establishment Realm right after breaking through, and you can then look forward to the mid-stage. In the cultivation world, this method of breakthrough is also known as 'Perfect Foundation Establishment'.
Generally, only the direct disciples of a True Monarch have any hope of attempting it. This was also normal. After all, for Lu Yang to have come this far, after several lifetimes of arduous cultivation, the best-case scenario was an eighty percent chance of breaking through to Foundation Establishment.
The final twenty percent was still out of reach. This wasn't a gap in talent, but purely an issue of background. After all, 'Perfect Foundation Establishment' required a terrifying amount of resources, something ordinary people simply couldn't achieve.
Perhaps only the direct disciples of a Golden Core True Monarch could mobilize so many resources. But despite this, Lu Yang had no intention of pursuing the so-called 'Perfect Foundation Establishment'. Although 'Perfect Foundation Establishment' sounds impressive, it really only saves cultivation time.
There's no need for me to be obsessed with it. An eighty percent chance is enough to take the gamble! I'll break through first and worry about the rest later!
As the saying goes, "only by standing tall can one see far." Many things could only be discussed at the table after becoming a Foundation Establishment Daoist Master. The benefits of breaking through first were beyond doubt.
Having made up his mind, Lu Yang no longer dwelled on it. Counting the days, Yu Suzhen should be about ready. If that old fellow, the Heaven Mending Peak Master, was truly willing to act, she has likely already succeeded.
Lu Yang formed a hand seal with one hand and once again began to divine Yu Suzhen's recent situation. Primordial Saint Sect, Heaven-Linking Cloud Sea. Within a secret realm, inside an ancient bronze grand hall, Yu Suzhen was seen sitting cross-legged in mid-air.
The skin that her thin robes could not conceal was currently flushing crimson. On the other side, Xiao Shiye's eyes were blood-red, his face contorted in a struggle as if he were enduring something. His robust, ox-like body was currently radiating intense yang qi, a stark contrast to Yu Suzhen's vast yin qi.
"Shameless scoundrel!"
In the next second, Yu Suzhen's voice turned icy as she struck and shattered the bronze coffin at the center of the secret realm, her face showing a palpable, intense fury. Seeing this, Xiao Shiye was even more terrified.
Yet, amidst his fear, a strange feeling quietly emerged in his heart along with Yu Suzhen's resistance, making his self-control increasingly difficult. The matter began with just a treasure hunt in a secret realm.
Relying on his overwhelming fortune, he was the first to enter the heart of the secret realm, but he hadn't expected Yu Suzhen to be only a step behind him, forcefully seizing his opportunity. As it turned out, the opportunity left by the master of the secret realm concealed a trap.
After receiving the inheritance, one had to harmonize it with the power of yin and yang, or they would immediately die from an imbalance. And at that moment, only Xiao Shiye and Yu Suzhen were in the heart of the secret realm. Thinking of this, Xiao Shiye subconsciously stood up.
"Don't you come over here!"
On the other side, Yu Suzhen cried out almost immediately, yet neither her hazy eyes nor her flushed skin held any conviction. The two drew closer and closer, the forces of yin and yang completely intertwining. In an instant, a fragrant scent assailed the nostrils.
Yu Suzhen's weak voice, mingled with a sigh, still echoed in Xiao Shiye's ears: "Little thief, if you dare touch me, I will take your life one day!" This sentence instantly ignited Xiao Shiye's rebellious spirit. He had heard of Yu Suzhen, the renowned Fairy Suzhen.
Her talent was exceptional, and at a young age, she had surpassed many disciples to break through to the late Qi Refining Realm. In comparison, he was just an unknown figure in the mid Qi Refining Realm.
And from the moment they entered the secret realm, Yu Suzhen had maintained this cold demeanor, never once paying him any mind, and had even forcibly stolen his opportunity. This was intolerable!
"I'm going to touch you, so what can you do."
Xiao Shiye's eyes were blood-red. In a fit of anger, he instantly cast aside the many insecurities and inhibitions that had instinctively arisen in his heart. It was not until several days later that Yu Suzhen awoke.
In the end, however, she chose to let him go, and even saved his life. From then on, an unbreakable bond was forged between the two. Since that incident, Xiao Shiye could not forget Yu Suzhen.
Especially when he occasionally saw that cold fairy appear before the crowd, he couldn't help but recall the passion hidden beneath her chilly exterior. Xiao Shiye's choice was self-evident: he had to become stronger! Strong enough to stand before Yu Suzhen once again and openly become Dao companions with her!
Driven by this thought, Xiao Shiye came to the Saint Sect's Merit Pool. He was already at rock bottom anyway, so any direction he went was up. He would gamble!
In a place unseen by mortals, Xiao Shiye's immense fortune, which soared to the clouds, burned fiercely at this moment, but in exchange, it received a response from the Merit Pool.
"I'll definitely win this time!"
"I've thrown in all my contribution points for the year. It should at least be gold, right?"
"If not gold, then at least a guaranteed purple..."
Under the bloodshot and extremely nervous gazes of a crowd of Saint Sect disciples, the Merit Pool announced its prize, and a seven-colored light erupted forth!
"Grand Prize! Grand Prize!"
In an instant, the crowd was in an uproar. Almost everyone's gaze instantly focused on Xiao Shiye, who was enveloped in the rainbow light. The jealousy, anger, and killing intent in their eyes were barely concealed.
Damn it, who is this guy!? Xiao Shiye, however, paid them no mind. He just excitedly took the Rainbow Merit Fish that landed in his hand and affectionately nuzzled his palm.
With this, he could turn his life around! That cold and proud Fairy Suzhen would surely see him in a different light from now on! Noticing the envious and greedy stares around him, Xiao Shiye didn't hesitate.
He swallowed it whole, slaughtering the Merit Fish on the spot and beginning to consume and refine it. The next second, all was silent.
"..."
Every angry, jealous, and greedy Saint Sect disciple, including Xiao Shiye, stopped thinking. Time seemed to have stood still. A figure that gathered all the colors of heaven and earth quietly appeared.
It was none other than Daoist Hongyun.
"It seems the bait I cast this time has yielded a good catch."
Daoist Hongyun looked at Xiao Shiye and nodded in satisfaction. With the fortune from the Rainbow Merit Fish to replenish his own, it should alleviate his urgent problem. Thinking of this, he was about to reclaim Xiao Shiye and extract his fortune.
However, he was quickly stunned. Because when he probed his spiritual sense into Xiao Shiye's body, he found it to be completely empty. His True Qi and even his life force had vanished into thin air.
He was dead. Where's the fish I caught? It was such a big one!
The smile on Daoist Hongyun's face froze, and his complexion turned ashen at a speed visible to the naked eye as he stared at Xiao Shiye's corpse with a mixture of shock and anger. The next second, Daoist Hongyun pinched his fingers to make a calculation, and then he laughed in extreme anger.
"What audacity!!!"