Inside a restaurant.
“Foundation Establishment – has that guy built a foundation?” Ma Rui said with a blue face, looking in the direction of the Ordinary general goods store, full of unhappiness.
In Tiangang Sect, the competition was very fierce. Ma Rui had a very poor reputation among the second generation disciples. The inner disciples looked down on Ma Rui, but because they were afraid of Ma Rui’s ancestor, they dared not offend him.
After Ma Yuanping was injured and went into seclusion, Ma Rui had a difficult life in the sect, so when Feng Susu offered a reward for the seven-striped golden thread fish, Ma Rui also came out.
After coming to Luosha Town, many female cultivators knew that he was from a large sect, and that there was a Golden Core ancestor above him, and they were very attentive to him.
Ma Rui was coaxed, and the depression he felt in the sect was swept away. In order to get the golden thread fish that Feng Susu needed, Ma Rui spent a lot of money to recruit a group of people to go out to sea, but when he went out, the thing wasn’t caught, but a huge amount of spirit stones were spent.
Seeing that the spirit stones were gone, Ma Rui couldn’t help but get angry. At this time, someone gave Ma Rui an idea to buy the detoxification pill’s pill recipe from the Ordinary general goods store and resell it to the sect.
Ma Rui immediately felt that it was feasible, but when he went to the door, he suffered a big loss. Bai Yunxi and Ye Fan did not give him any face at all.
After suffering a big loss, Ma Rui couldn’t help feeling that his face was dull, so he released such a declaration, saying that whoever bought things from that store again was against him.
For most loose cultivators, Golden Core cultivators were a great threat, and the things sold in the Ordinary general goods store were not irreplaceable. Therefore, after Ma Rui released such rumors, few people went to Ye Fan’s store, and business decreased a lot.
Seeing that the Ordinary general goods store was deserted, Ma Rui couldn’t help but feel a little proud. However, the vision produced when Bai Yunxi was promoted to Foundation Establishment was like a heavy slap on Ma Rui’s face.
“Creating a vision when building a foundation. Is the person who built the foundation a heavenly spiritual root?” Ma Rui murmured, and crazy jealousy flashed in his eyes.
Ma Rui’s spiritual roots were very poor, so many disciples in the sect respected him on the surface, but in fact they looked down on him. Ma Rui had also cultivated seriously, but cultivation was very boring, and Ma Rui’s aptitude was not good. Well, after concentrating on cultivation for a month, and not feeling any improvement in cultivation, Ma Rui simply broke the pot (gave up).
Heavenly spiritual root cultivators were geniuses that every sect competed for. Ma Rui thought that all geniuses in Dongyue Kingdom were captured by their Tiangang Sect, but he did not expect that in this small coastal town, he could casually meet a cultivator who could trigger a vision of heaven and earth when building their foundation.
…
Bai Yunxi opened his eyes and saw Ye Fan squatting on the side, looking at him like a puppy.
Bai Yunxi looked at Ye Fan and said with confusion, “What’s wrong with me?”
Ye Fan shook his head and said, “It’s nothing. You’ve built your foundation.”
“Foundation Establishment?” Bai Yunxi moved his body, and he found that his strength had undergone earth-shaking changes.
“Have you taken the Foundation Establishment Pill?”
Bai Yunxi shook his head and said, “No.”
Ye Fan nodded, sighed and said, “Heavenly spiritual root is worthy of being called heavenly spiritual root. You don’t even need a Foundation Establishment Pill to build a foundation. How did you build a foundation, Yunxi?”
Bai Yunxi frowned, and said with some confusion, “I seem to have had a dream. I dreamed that I was in a world of ice and snow, surrounded by glaciers. I was walking on the glacier alone, and the surroundings were very cold. It was a vast and lonely world, except for snow and ice, it seemed to have no end…”
Ye Fan looked at Bai Yunxi and said a little aggrieved, “You are leaving alone. You didn’t take me with you!”
Bai Yunxi shook his head and said, “I didn’t bring you.”
Ye Fan looked at Bai Yunxi and said, “You should take me with you next time.”
The Taotie ghost looked at Ye Fan speechlessly, and said, “What are you doing? Your wife had an epiphany, but you still want your wife to bring you in the epiphany. Why are you so clingy?!”
Ye Fan glared at the Taotie ghost and said with displeasure, “We have a good relationship. You don’t understand…”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
The Taotie ghost: “…”
…
The news of Bai Yunxi’s promotion to Foundation Establishment spread like wildfire, and the vision produced when he was promoted to Foundation Establishment that day became a topic that Luosha Town’s mercenaries talked about after dinner*.
After the news of Bai Yunxi’s promotion spread, business in Bai Yunxi’s shop picked up again.
Ma Rui was just the grandson of a Golden Core ancestor, not a Golden Core ancestor himself, and his deterrent power was limited. In addition, Ma Yuanping was in retreat. The sky was high and the emperor was far away*. Many cultivators felt that Ma Yuanping couldn’t manage things here for a while.
After a few days of silence, the business of the Ordinary general goods store suddenly exploded.
There were many cultivators going to and from the Ordinary general goods store every day. Many cultivators went to the Ordinary general goods store not to buy things, but to see Bai Yunxi’s face.
Ma Rui was very angry, and Hu Ming in Ten Thousand Pills Building was not feeling well either.
However, after seeing the vision of Bai Yunxi’s promotion to Foundation Establishment, Hu Ming also rested his thoughts on dealing with Bai Yunxi and Ye Fan, and shrank back quietly.
…
Ma Rui was staying in his room when the door was suddenly kicked open.
Seeing the person at the door, Ma Rui shrank his neck in fright. Feng Mo’er was the disciple of Feng Susu from Tiangang Sect, with a pure appearance and a hot temper.
Ma Rui had flirted with Feng Mo’er back then, and was chased and beaten by Feng Mo’er. He was injured for two months, and suddenly became a laughing stock in the sect. Since then, whenever Ma Rui saw Feng Mo’er, he took a detour.
“Senior sister, why are you here?” Ma Rui said with a smile.
Feng Mo’er snorted softly and said coldly, “If I didn’t come, I wouldn’t know that you are here to bully others and ruin the reputation of the sect.”
Ma Rui frowned and said with displeasure, “How am I bullying others?”
“I came this time with a mission. I heard that there is an antidote for black mamba snake venom in this place. Also, is it true that a heavenly spiritual root cultivator who triggered a vision when he built his foundation appeared here?” Feng Mo’er said.
Ma Rui frowned and said sullenly, “What kind of heavenly spiritual root cultivator? Not necessarily. Maybe, that guy was just in time for the snow when he was building his foundation, and as a result, everyone thinks this guy is talented. In fact, it’s all a misunderstanding.”
“In this kind of weather, without a special situation, can it snow? Are you an idiot?” Feng Mo’er said with displeasure.
Ma Rui’s face was not very good, “Senior sister, what are you doing here?”
“The sect sent me to recruit this heavenly spiritual root cultivator and bring him into the sect,” Feng Mo’er said.
Ma Rui said in disapproval, “Senior sister, hasn’t the time for the sect to recruit disciples already passed? Moreover, the sect only accepts disciples who are under the age of ten. Only in this way can you have a sense of belonging to the sect. That guy, although his face is tender, but maybe he has practiced some kind of beauty-preserving technique. Maybe he’s already decades old.”
Feng Mo’er glanced at Ma Rui, displeased, and said, “People have to be flexible. That’s a heavenly spiritual root, who is expected to become a great cultivator of Nascent Soul. It doesn’t matter if he is older.”
“How can Nascent Soul be so easy to achieve?” Ma Rui said in disapproval.
Feng Mo’er looked at Ma Rui, displeased, and said, “Where does all this nonsense come from? Come with me tomorrow.”
“Why are you going?” Ma Rui asked angrily.
“To apologize,” Feng Mo’er said coldly.
Ma Rui said gloomily, “I’m not going.” He was already embarrassed enough. If he went to apologize, it would be even more embarrassing.
Feng Mo’er glanced at Ma Rui coldly and said, “You have to go even if you don’t want to go.”
Ma Rui: “…”
…
Bai Yunxi was in the shop studying talismans when Feng Mo’er walked in with Ma Rui.
Seeing Ma Rui, Bai Yunxi couldn’t help frowning.
“Greetings, Fellow Daoist Bai.” Feng Mo’er said politely.
Bai Yunxi nodded towards Feng Mo’er, suspicious of Feng Mo’er’s purpose.
“Is something wrong, Fellow Daoist?”
“I am here on behalf of the Sect Master. The Sect Master of my sect intends to accept you into my Tiangang Sect. If you are interested, you can immediately become an elite disciple of our sect. My sect will do its best to assist you in forming a Golden Core.” Feng Mo’er said.
Bai Yunxi shook his head and said apologetically, “Sorry, I’m afraid I can’t agree.”
“Why?” Feng Mo’er asked in confusion.
“Ye Fan and I have a master. We came with him. Master was chasing a sea beast at sea. He disliked me and Ye Fan for getting in the way, and left us here. When Master finishes his business, he will come to pick us up.” Bai Yunxi said.
Feng Mo’er was stunned for a moment, and then she suddenly realized, “I said, I said, Fellow Daoist Bai, how could a person with outstanding aptitude like you end up in such a place.” It turned out he was only left here temporarily.
“Your master must be an expert, right? I don’t know what kind of sea beast he went after.”
Bai Yunxi frowned and said nothing.
“Six-horned dragon fish.” Ye Fan interrupted.
“Six-horned dragon fish? Can he catch it?” Feng Mo’er asked.
Feng Mo’er had seen sea beasts like horned dragon fish in the classics. When the horned dragon fish was born, its head had two horns, and its strength increased with the number of horns on its head. A two horned dragon fish was equivalent to a Qi Refining cultivator, a four horned dragon fish was equivalent to a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and a six horned dragon fish was equivalent to a Golden Core cultivator.
“My brother killed one before.” Ye Fan said with some flaunting.
Feng Mo’er looked at Ye Fan in shock, “Has your brother killed one before?”
Ye Fan nodded and said, “Yes, my brother said that the attack power of that thing is not very strong, but the speed is very fast. When killing, it is better to kill with sword intent, but it is too slippery. If you are careless, it will disappear, and it will be very troublesome to catch up.”
“Your brother comprehended sword intent?” Feng Mo’er asked.
Ye Fan nodded and said, “Yes, he comprehended sword intent when he built his foundation. When he advanced to Golden Core, his Sword Qi transformed to take on shape (sword essence manifestation). I heard that some sword cultivators can condense a sword spirit, but I don’t think he has reached that stage yet.”
Feng Mo’er’s eyes widened and she looked at Ye Fan with astonishment in her heart. Ma Rui was scared and didn’t dare to say a word.
Feng Mo’er frowned, thought for a while, and tentatively asked Ye Fan two questions about her cultivation that had been bothering her, and Ye Fan gave some advice casually.
As a result, Feng Mo’er was even more amazed.
“It turns out that the two of you have a long-standing relationship with a master, so I have come in vain.” Feng Mo’er said apologetically.
Ye Fan waved his hand and said generously, “It doesn’t matter.”
Feng Mo’er originally wanted to talk to Bai Yunxi about buying the pill recipe, but she was startled by Ye Fan’s ability and immediately decided not to mention it. She pulled Ma Rui to apologize, and left after making amends.
…
The Taotie ghost jumped out and said, “Oh, those two idiots seem to have been frightened by the idiot Ye Fan. After all, they are little cultivators in the remote mountains, without any knowledge. They were frightened so easily.”
Bai Yunxi glanced at the Taotie ghost, and asked, “Will they discover something?”
The Taotie ghost shrugged and said, “I don’t know! If the two of you are afraid, you can set up a teleportation formation in the house. If it’s really not good, you can run!”
Bai Yunxi blinked and secretly thought, this was a good suggestion. They could attack, retreat or defend.
Bai Yunxi looked at Ye Fan. Ye Fan nodded and said, “Yes, but setting up the teleportation formation requires a lot of spirit stones. I think we’d better save some spirit stones first and buy a storage ring. How shabby is it to always use a storage bag! Besides, the storage bag can’t carry big things.”
Bai Yunxi rolled his eyes and said, “Set up the teleportation formation first.” Storage ring or whatever was too extravagant. There was no need for it!
…
Feng Mo’er walked on the road, sighed, and said, “I said, how can wild heavenly spiritual root cultivators be so easy to meet! It turns out that he already has a master.”
“I see that Ye Fan’s mouth is full of lies. Maybe they are spies of Xuanming Sect.” Ma Rui said disapprovingly.
Feng Mo’er glared at Ma Rui, and said with contempt, “That’s a heavenly spiritual root cultivator. If he was really a member of Xuanming Sect, Xuanming Sect would only hide him as a treasure. At least, he must have cultivated to Golden Core before leaving the sect. Plus, it would be overkill to use a disciple with such outstanding qualifications as a spy.”
Ma Rui frowned and said, “Even if we assume what they said is true, it’s unknown when the master they mentioned will come. Maybe he died at sea.”
“That person went to chase the six horned dragon fish. He must at least be a Golden Core cultivator. How can he die so easily?!” Feng Mo’er said disapprovingly.
Ma Rui curled his lips and said, “That guy doesn’t seem like he’s telling the truth…”
Feng Mo’er said with disapproval, “It shouldn’t be! He solved the problem of my cultivation casually. Maybe this guy comes from a place with a higher level of cultivation.”
Feng Mo’er was in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. Feng Mo’er originally wanted to ask Feng Susu about these two questions. However, Feng Susu had been busy recently, and Feng Mo’er had not gone to ask for advice. So she took these questions out to test Ye Fan’s ability.
Ye Fan solved the problems at once, and the explanation was straightforward and easy to understand. Feng Mo’er’s vigilance against Ye Fan suddenly increased to the highest level.
…
Feng Mo’er sent a letter back to the sect, reporting on the situation of Ye Fan and Bai Yunxi. The sect immediately sent a message back, dispelling the idea of accepting Bai Yunxi into the sect, and asking Feng Mo’er to befriend Ye Fan and Bai Yunxi. Feng Mo’er was also asked to spy on them and determine whether what they said was true or false.
Feng Susu also sent a message to Feng Mo’er, asking her to get the seven-striped golden thread fish as soon as possible.
Feng Mo’er received the message and couldn’t help feeling a little stressed.
“You’ve been here for so long. Is there any news about the seven-striped golden thread fish?” Feng Mo’er asked.
Ma Rui shook his head and said, “There are few of these things, and they are slippery and can’t be caught. There was a guy before, who caught a five-striped golden thread fish, and used some liquid to draw two additional golden stripes to deceive me out of spirit stones. As a result, I kept the golden thread fish for a few days, and the golden stripes faded. I went to find that bastard, but I couldn’t find him.”
Feng Mo’er said with a dark face, “Can’t you be a little more careful? You’re so easy to deceive. In the future, people will think everyone in our sect is an idiot.”
Feng Mo’er secretly thought: Their sect disciples, their strength and spiritual weapons were generally better than those of the same level of loose cultivators, but in terms of experience in the world, they were not as good as these people.
***
T/N: *Things discussed after dinner – slang for casual gossip. Being used here to indicate it’s a hot topic in town.
*The sky was high and the emperor was far away – Chinese idiom that means the world is vast and no matter how powerful someone is, they cannot control all parts of the world. Here, it means Ma Rui’s grandfather is far away and cannot control what happens in this town.
