Chapter 130: Enduring Finality

Upon hearing Sect Master Yu's command, Qin Sang didn't dare to hesitate. He quickly opened his mouth wide, swallowed the Dragon Pearl, and immediately sat cross-legged to enter a meditative state.

As the Dragon Pearl entered his abdomen, a crimson glow erupted from Qin Sang's body. He resembled a cooked prawn, his entire being—flesh and blood—turning red and radiating intense heat, causing the air in the cave dwelling to become scorching.

As time passed, the red light intensified around him, and the air in the cave warped slightly from the extreme temperature.

Qin Sang's facial features gradually contorted, as if he were enduring unimaginable pain. Large beads of sweat streamed down his forehead like a river, soaking a circle on the ground beneath him.

Sect Master Yu watched dispassionately from the side, showing no intention of intervening.

The agony within Qin Sang's body grew increasingly severe. His body even began to shake violently, making it almost impossible to maintain his cross-legged posture, yet he kept his eyes tightly shut, clenched his teeth, and stubbornly persevered.

"Bang!"

With a muffled groan, a popping sound erupted from Qin Sang's arm, tearing his flesh. Upon closer inspection, a meridian had ruptured. A red light flashed, and the medicinal essence of the Dragon Ginseng, like a vibrant rainbow, sprayed forth.

Simultaneously, black impurities began to seep from Qin Sang's skin, but they were immediately scorched by the high temperature, hardening and sticking to his body.

At this moment, Sect Master Yu extended his hand, cupping the medicinal essence in his palm and purifying it of impurities. He then took out a bottle of spiritual liquid, dispensed a single drop onto Qin Sang's wound, and the injury healed at a visible pace.

For Qi Condensation stage disciples, the Dragon Ginseng's potency was still too intense. Normally, one would slowly consume green liquid, gradually refine their tendons and bones, remove impurities, and improve their aptitude until they adapted to the Dragon Ginseng's power. Only then could they take the Dragon Pearl and attempt to break through.

However, the Nascent Soul Grand Ancestor was pressing, and Sect Master Yu dared not be negligent. He simply refined the entire spiritual herb and administered it to Qin Sang in one go. If Qin Sang could even cultivate the *Mystic Cauldron Jade Scripture*, surely he could endure this minor pain?

Moreover, with his personal protection, nothing could possibly go wrong.

Immediately afterward, a series of "bang, bang, bang" sounds echoed.

Qin Sang's body became riddled with wounds, but Sect Master Yu intervened promptly each time, using almost half a bottle of healing spiritual liquid to help Qin Sang overcome this ordeal.

It was Qin Sang who suffered intensely. He felt as if he had been thrown into a furnace, his flesh and marrow scraped by sharp knives, then roasted with fierce flames. From head to toe, inside and out, he was scorched thoroughly.

Only the slight coolness whenever the spiritual liquid touched him allowed him to catch his breath.

"Persevere!"

This was his only chance in this life. If he gave up halfway because he couldn't bear the pain, he would never forgive himself!

Finally, no new impurities emerged from Qin Sang's body. The red light, once vibrant, began to wane, retracting into his body and gradually dimming. Just as it was about to disappear, Sect Master Yu poured the medicinal essence he had held in his palm back into Qin Sang's body, resuming the previous process.

Perhaps he had grown numb, but Qin Sang later managed to remain expressionless. His body only trembled slightly each time a meridian ruptured, and even these tremors became increasingly subtle.

At last, Qin Sang's internal state stabilized completely, his breathing gradually becoming light and steady, akin to his usual cultivation practice.

Sect Master Yu suddenly flashed to Qin Sang's side, sprinkled the remaining spiritual liquid, and used spiritual energy to push it into every part of Qin Sang's body, helping the medicinal properties spread and fully heal his hidden injuries.

Seeing Qin Sang's condition truly stabilize, Sect Master Yu nodded, silently pushed open the cave dwelling's door, and walked out.

Turning to glance back at the cave, a hint of envy suddenly appeared on Sect Master Yu's face—not for Qin Sang, but for True Person Ma Wu.

After all, having a powerful backer was truly beneficial. Even for a cultivation cauldron breaking through, a Nascent Soul Grand Ancestor would bestow Dragon Ginseng and have him, the Sect Master, act as a protector.

Sect Master Yu's spirits dampened, and he departed on his sword.

One month later.

In the cave dwelling, which had been silent for an entire month, a chilling chuckle suddenly echoed. It sounded rather eerie, especially within the dark confines of the cave.

The laughter grew louder, escalating into hearty guffaws and then wild, unrestrained mirth.

The person in the cave seemed to have gone mad, laughing until they were breathless, tears and snot flying, their body bent over unable to straighten up. Finally, they stopped amid fits of coughing.

A rustling sound followed.

A night-shining pearl illuminated the cave. Qin Sang rose from the ground, changed into a brand-new Taoist robe, his eyes exceptionally bright.

Finally.

He had successfully established his foundation!

Qin Sang performed an internal inspection. The changes in his Qi Sea were the most apparent: the spiritual energy, which had previously been gaseous, began to turn viscous during the breakthrough process, and completely liquefied at the moment of successful breakthrough.

Qin Sang then became like a black hole, spiritual energy from the cave dwelling pouring wildly into his body. In this top-grade cave dwelling on Mount Shaohua, the spiritual energy flowed continuously until his Qi Sea was completely refilled; only then did Qin Sang cease.

At this point, the spiritual energy within him, both in quantity and quality, was far superior to what it had been during the Qi Condensation stage—a truly vast difference.

Another change was that his primordial spirit was more solidified, and his spiritual sense was stronger. Not only was its range several times greater than during the Qi Condensation stage, but his spiritual sense could now leave his body without relying on external objects. He could even forcibly break weaker restrictions using his spiritual sense.

He no longer needed to clumsily use the Qi-Gazing Art as he did in the Qi Condensation stage; a simple sweep of his spiritual sense was enough to detect another person's spiritual energy fluctuations and discern their cultivation level.

In short, its uses were limitless.

"Come out!"

Qin Sang uttered a low cry. A dark light flashed, and the Ebony Sword hovered before him, trembling gently, as if congratulating its master on his successful breakthrough.

Qin Sang's spirits were uplifted. He activated the *Profound Finger Sword Art*, and a green light flashed. The Ebony Sword danced in mid-air, finally transforming into a verdant lotus flower, which lingered for a long time before dissipating.

This sequence of movements only consumed a small fraction of the spiritual energy in his Qi Sea, which remained abundant. From now on, he wouldn't need to be so cautious about expending sword qi.

However, his mastery of the sword path was not yet high enough; he still couldn't manifest sword qi into a rainbow or fly on his sword.

After indulging himself thoroughly, Qin Sang finally calmed his inner excitement.

Having regained his composure, Qin Sang had to return to reality. The smile on his face and the excitement in his eyes receded; everything he had gained was in exchange for his agreement to become a cultivation cauldron.

Having received benefits from the sect's high-level cultivators, there was no possibility of reneging. He not only had to fulfill his promise but also had to do it well, to their satisfaction.

Qin Sang wasn't in a hurry to report his Foundation Establishment to the Sect Master. After a brief rest, he began cultivating the *Mystic Cauldron Jade Scripture*. Only the final step remained: for the jade cauldron to form and the jade liquid to fill it, then the cultivation method would be complete.

He had long prepared himself mentally to become a cultivation cauldron.

The Grand Hall of Sect Master Peak.

Sect Master Yu was discussing sect affairs with several Foundation Establishment stage stewards when a transmission talisman suddenly flew into the hall. After reading it, Sect Master Yu's face lit up with joy. He ordered everyone to proceed as they saw fit, then flew out of the hall on his sword, heading straight for Mount Shaohua.