Mortal: Fairy Song Yu has issued you a task.

Chapter 32 Moving into the New Residence, Secluded Cultivation for Foundation Building

"Congratulations, Senior Brother, on moving to Dingfu! You now possess a blessed land, and your cultivation will surely advance by leaps and bounds!"

"Thank you for your kind words, Junior Brother."

Amidst the respectful congratulations from the disciples of the Tianquan Peak Affairs Hall, Lin Jingchu urged the Azure Wing Boat to take flight.

He had already met with the sect leader and received his personal disciple identity token before returning to Tianquan Peak to select a cave dwelling and complete the registration.

Before the flying boat even spread its wings, its speed was already close to that of the old cloud-piercing leaf.

In just a few breaths, he arrived at a corner of the foot of Tianquan Peak.

Although Tianquan Peak is not as majestic as the main peak, which is three or four thousand feet high, it is still nearly two thousand feet high.

Within the sect, those qualified to open their own cave dwellings either possess cultivation at the Foundation Establishment stage or are individuals of considerable status like Lin Jingchu.

Therefore, finding a secluded place to build a cave dwelling is an easy task.

In the valley where bamboo groves cover the slopes, a mountain stream about half a meter wide flows through the forest, and where the stream meanders, it gathers into a clear pool.

Lin Jingchu chose this place not only because of its tranquil scenery, but also because there was a ready-made abandoned cave in the valley.

This cave was created hundreds of years ago by a Foundation Establishment disciple of the sect. Later, due to the approaching end of his lifespan, he failed to break through to the Core Formation stage several times and could only pass away in regret.

Lin Jingchu only needed to prepare his living quarters and he could move in directly, saving a lot of trouble.

After setting up the Water Tide Cloud Miasma Array outside the cave, Lin Jingchu stepped inside.

Although the cave was carved inside the mountain, the dome cleverly utilized a natural crack, allowing sunlight to shine in obliquely and illuminate the interior.

The entire cave is about seventy zhang in area and is divided into several stone chambers of different sizes.

"After two lifetimes combined, I finally have a house that is completely my own." Lin Jingchu looked at the messy cave dwelling and couldn't help but feel a lot of emotions.

After the senior passed away, the cave was taken back and cleaned by the sect. Valuable items had already been taken away, leaving only a pile of "garbage".

But Lin Jingchu's favorite activity is "picking up trash".

"This wooden frame has two broken legs; it looks like we'll have to throw it away."

"This table is quite nice, intact, and made of Phoebe zhennan wood."

"Where did the lid of this gold incense burner go? Who's so heartless?"

"Miscellaneous Records of Weapon Forging? Travelogue? And even cultivation techniques for mortals?"

Lin Jingchu made a surprising discovery in a dusty wooden box hidden in a corner.

He quickly flipped through the book and discovered that the Refining Miscellany even contained records and insights on the crafting of top-tier magical artifacts.

The travelogue records the other party's experiences and observations while traveling to neighboring countries.

The mortal cultivation technique, "Blood Soul Blade Technique," was obtained by him during his travels in the Kingdom of Shayun after successfully establishing his foundation.

Ordinary people can use this skill to strengthen their internal energy by consuming their blood and qi. The blade energy they unleash is extremely powerful, and once, a single strike cracked one of his mid-level defensive magic weapons.

But that was all. The Life-Burning Technique also bridged the gap between ordinary people and cultivators. He easily killed the hapless swordsman. Because the technique was quite interesting, he kept it.

After a cursory glance, Lin Jingchu put the book back in the wooden box, as he had no time to delve into these other things at the moment.

After cleaning and dusting, and then going to the market to buy some furniture and furnishings, the entire cave was completely renewed after half an hour.

Just as Lin Jingchu was looking around, pondering where there was still room for improvement, a sound transmission talisman passed through the cave's array and hovered in front of him.

The communication talisman ignited, carrying Zhou Qinghe's voice: "Junior Brother Lin, I've arrived."

Lin Jingchu immediately released the barrier and led Zhou Qinghe into the tea room to sit down.

"Junior Brother Lin, I never expected that you would become Feng Feng's personal disciple in the blink of an eye, living in an independent cave and not having to do any sect chores, yet you still receive a decent monthly salary." Zhou Qinghe looked you over, his tone filled with envy and a hint of bitterness.

"It was just good luck that I saved Fairy Song in the secret realm, which is why Elder Feng made an exception and accepted me." Lin Jingchu said with a serious face, but he was secretly overjoyed.

However, he now understood that Song Yu had most likely been behind this. He had no way to repay her, so he could only offer himself in marriage.

Upon hearing the words "secret realm," Zhou Qinghe's face darkened: "The sect suffered heavy losses from the collapse of this secret realm, and even the prices of spiritual herbs and medicines sold in the market have risen significantly."

After sighing, he took out a bottle of pills. "By the way, Junior Brother, I successfully refined fourteen 'Primordial Essence Pills' from the spirit lotus root you gave me before. I used one as an auxiliary material, and the remaining thirteen are here."

Lin Jingchu took the jade bottle, uncorked it, and scanned it briefly with his divine sense; the quality was excellent.

His senior brother Zhou had been involved in alchemy since his days as a rogue cultivator, and during the seven years he joined the Luoyun Sect, he was in charge of alchemy, so his alchemy skills were guaranteed.

"Senior Brother Zhou, I have some spirit lotus roots on hand, and I'd like to trouble you to refine them into pills. After they're made, I'll give you 20% as payment, how about that?"

Previously, with only one spirit lotus root, Zhou Qinghe only symbolically received one pill to offset the cost. Now, if it were to be refined in batches, it would require a lot of his time and energy, so the reward would naturally be substantial.

"Junior brother, what are you saying! Given our friendship, there's no need to talk about payment for helping you refine pills."

Lin Jingchu smiled, raised his hand and took out ten spirit lotus roots as thick as an arm from his storage bag, and stacked them on the table.

Zhou Qinghe's eyes widened: "Junior brother, did you take advantage of the chaos in the secret realm to rob one of the sect's herb gardens?"

Lin Jingchu rolled his eyes: "I don't have the guts, but I have another opportunity. I'll trouble you with these ten, Senior Brother. The reward will be as I said. I still have some in stock, and I'll need to trouble you again after I finish refining this batch."

He had more than just "some" in his hands; he turned over the silt in the lotus pond in front of the hall and dug out more than fifty roots!

Although I am familiar with Zhou Qinghe, I should still be wary of him and it would be safer to entrust him in batches.

Zhou Qinghe accepted the spirit lotus root, and the two chatted and drank tea for a while before Lin Jingchu saw him out of the cave.

For some time afterward, apart from Zhou Qinghe occasionally coming to deliver elixirs and retrieve spirit lotus roots, no one else visited the valley.

Autumn has passed and winter has arrived; the cold wind sweeps away the withered leaves and brings a vast expanse of white snow.

……

Inside the secret chamber of the cave.

Lin Jingchu sat upright on the futon with his eyes closed. After a long while, he suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in them.

After more than three months of arduous training, he finally mastered the twelfth level of Qi Refining.

He flipped his palm, and a shimmering blue Foundation Establishment Pill appeared, the sect's reward for the Earth Fire Pool incident.

Even though he doesn't need this pill to break through the Foundation Establishment bottleneck now, the cleansing and marrow-refining effects of the Foundation Establishment Pill itself cannot be wasted.

He tilted his head back and swallowed the pill, circulating his internal energy to refine its medicinal power. With the blessing of his Heavenly Spiritual Root aptitude, his dantian absorbed the medicinal power in a short while, transforming it into a furnace, with a scorching torrent surging through his body along his meridians.

Impurities in the body begin to seep out from the pores, condensing into a layer of dark, sticky grime on the skin's surface.

The burning pain in his meridians and bone marrow made Lin Jingchu clench his teeth, and the veins on his forehead bulged. At the same time, the gaseous true essence in his dantian, which was already on the verge of breaking through, began to rapidly condense under the stimulation of the foundation-building medicine.

Just as he collapsed to the ground, unable to bear the excruciating burning pain, the dense gaseous true essence suddenly turned into liquid!

Almost at the same instant, the dantian, like a whale sucking in water, drew in the surrounding water and spiritual energy from heaven and earth.

The spiritual energy was refined into a gentle spiritual power that flowed throughout the body, instantly soothing the burning pain.

After twenty years in this world, he finally succeeded in establishing his foundation!