Accompanying the Golden Crow was a surge of fierce spiritual power. The two spiritual roots, which already had a tendency to merge, were drawn together by the Golden Crow, locking into one another until they were indistinguishable. The True Qi around Zhao Chun's body grew increasingly condensed.
The flames that had enveloped her surged wildly before instantly retracting into her body. With the source of light gone, this small world was instantly plunged into darkness. Atop the small hill, Zhao Chun shone like a single star in the pitch-black night, emitting a brilliant radiance.
The gentle breeze had stopped at some unknown point, and the verdant green covering the hill transformed into specks of fluorescent light, all gathering towards her. Inside Zhao Chun's body, the Metal and Fire Qi spiraled around each other.
As the emerald fluorescent light poured in, harmonized by the abundant Wood Qi, they merged to form a type of crimson-gold True Qi, possessing the ferocity of fire and the sharpness of metal.
Moreover, as she sat cross-legged in this world within the sea, the gentleness of water and the pure thickness of earth slowly nourished her Dantian, making it far more resilient. Even a True Qi as powerful as the crimson-gold one could now be contained within it. As the True Qi grew ever larger, Zhao Chun's Dantian also began to change.
At first, it was a single drop of crimson-gold liquid, which gradually grew into a puddle. By the time all the True Qi had melted into it, it had formed a crimson-gold spiritual pool. Above the spiritual pool, a lotus flower tremulously bloomed.
Its petals, the fist-sized seed pod in its center, and its smooth stem were all a pristine snow-white, looking both sacred and magnificent. Zhao Chun understood that she had successfully formed her Spiritual Foundation. The Spiritual Foundation was the gathering place for all the True Qi in the body.
The True Qi condensed to form a pool, from which a spiritual lotus was born. The early stage had three lotuses, the middle stage had six, and the late stage had nine. When the nine returned to one to form the Nascent Soul, that was Core Formation.
This was the path of Foundation Establishment. However, atop Zhao Chun's crimson-gold Spiritual Foundation, a cluster of flames of the same color leaped about joyfully. Sometimes it would bob in the pool, and other times it would dance around the spiritual lotus, just like a naive and curious child.
She could also sense that this cluster of flames held no malice. When she tried to perceive it, it would even shyly hide. After gradually becoming familiar with Zhao Chun, it floated out of her Dantian and leaped onto her fingertip.
By now, Zhao Chun had opened her eyes. The flame on her fingertip was no longer as brilliantly radiant as before, but it could still illuminate a small area around her body. It was like a vigorous youth returned to infancy, eagerly awaiting to grow.
The stable Spiritual Foundation and blooming spiritual lotus within her meant that Zhao Chun had officially stepped into the Foundation Establishment Stage. After nearly five long years, she had gone from being a young child to a youth, from a mortal to a true cultivator!
From now on, the sky was high and the earth vast, and the immortal path stretched long before her. She must press forward with unwavering determination! She curled her finger into her palm, and the flame, seeming to understand her intent, dissipated within it, instantly reappearing atop the Spiritual Foundation.
In the pitch darkness, Zhao Chun tossed out the Sea-Crossing Spirit Shell and shot upwards with all her might. In just a few breaths, she exited the crevice. That small world, having lost the protection of the spiritual object, was flooded with scorching seawater and vanished completely beneath the sea, as if it had never existed at all.
As Zhao Chun headed for the surface, she faintly sensed that after she had taken away the Golden Crow Grass and the flame, the seawater had cooled by a sliver.
The sensation was extremely subtle; it was only because her perception of hot things had become particularly sensitive after her Foundation Establishment that she was able to instantly notice this abnormality. Without needing to think deeply, she knew it must be related to the spiritual object.
She had a feeling that after losing the spiritual object, the Fiery Sea would gradually cool and become an ordinary ocean. But by then, a thousand years might have passed, and she might no longer be in this world. Even so, Zhao Chun sighed in immense awe at the power of this spiritual object.
A single cluster of flame had created a boundless miracle, and she had subdued it. A heroic spirit instantly swelled within Zhao Chun. Above the surface of the sea, she leaped from the spirit shell and brandished the slender sword in her hand.
In an instant, that single point of sword radiance split from one to two, and in the space of a breath, it multiplied into hundreds, then thousands. Amidst the rising sea mist, they looked like reflections of the stars. By the time Zhao Chun withdrew her sword, the light still lingered in the mist for a moment longer!
Out at sea, on a fishing boat that had sailed far from shore, someone stared blankly into the distance. They watched as the brilliant light converged upon the tip of a slender sword, its wielder's figure indistinct in the mist, hovering gracefully above the water. The person couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "An immortal... an immortal has appeared!"
In truth, Zhao Chun had not yet reached Core Formation and could not fly. She was merely balancing on the tips of her toes atop the palm-sized spirit shell, making it seem as though she was treading on air across the sea.
Breaking through to Foundation Establishment and subduing a spiritual object of immense power had allowed Zhao Chun to enter a state of sudden enlightenment there by the coast. Her cultivation in the Way of the Sword soared, and she had even caught a glimpse of the Sword Qi Realm. She now needed only a slight opportunity to break through!
Even someone as composed as Zhao Chun couldn't help but show a look of joy. However, Foundation Establishment was only the beginning of the path of cultivation, the first step in shedding her mortal coil. Zhao Chun suppressed the joy in her heart, which transformed into firm resolve.
She knew that arrogance was the greatest harm one could do to oneself. The world was full of geniuses; not looking down on others, nor underestimating oneself, was the true and balanced path. After her emotions had calmed, Zhao Chun once again commanded the shell boat and headed back to land.
Back in the Qi Refining Stage, her True Qi had not been abundant, and since this Sea-Crossing Shell Boat consumed a great deal of it, she hadn't dared to use it much. Now that she had reached Foundation Establishment, her True Qi had increased several fold, and the amount consumed by the shell boat was no longer a concern.
It was, after all, a magic tool crafted by a great Core Formation cultivator, so it was immeasurably faster than any fishing boat. Zhao Chun felt the hot wind and sea mist rushing past behind her, and Haining City soon appeared in her vision. The people on the shore were crowded together, shoulder to shoulder.
They saw a sword-wielding female cultivator gracefully leap from a giant shell, then, with a light tap of her toes, put the shell away and vanish from sight in an instant. They couldn't help but blink, wondering if they were seeing things. Since shedding her mortal coil, Zhao Chun's body felt as light as the wind.
With a single leap, she could soar more than ten meters into the air and travel several tens of meters forward. Although she could not yet fly, her brief leaps already made her look like the immortals from old storybooks who trod upon the wind and clouds.
Seeing the large fishing boats returning to the docks, she realized this month's seafaring season must be coming to an end. She had actually spent a long time under the sea, though looking back, it felt like only a few moments had passed.
The journey from the True Spirit Sect to the Eastern Region's Fiery Sea had been long, taking a month and a half. She had then spent another month here. On her return journey, she still needed to make a trip to Pine Mountain to retrieve Master Duanyi's Return-Kill Sword.
Zhao Chun could only hope she would be able to make it back before the sect's five-year deadline. After all, once the five years were up, probationary disciples would either be relegated to menial laborers or have to find their own way. Zhou Pianran would certainly have to return to her Small World.
Given Cui Lan'e's affection for her, she would surely set the wedding date before Zhou Pianran had to leave. If Zhao Chun returned earlier, she could be there to congratulate her on this happy occasion. ... Upon arriving at Pine Mountain again, the person from the Tu Family who came out to greet her was now Tu Congwen.
Several years had passed, and he had matured considerably. He had not let down Tu Cenzhen's high hopes, having cultivated to Qi Refining Level Four, and was now capable of holding his own in this place.
Back when the Left Tu rebelled, although the True Spirit Sect forbade the Tu Family from withdrawing from Pine Mountain, they took their merits into account and bestowed upon them many spirit pills and treasures. They also sent cultivators to intimidate the old vassal families, which gave the Tu Family a chance to survive.
Tu Congwen was very surprised to see her and hurriedly stepped forward.
"Senior, what brings you here? This is a time of crisis for the sect. We have already received orders to evacuate Pine Mountain!"
(End of Chapter)