Chapter 80: 【Cave Dwelling: lv2】, Star Swirl Cloud Obstruction Formation
Speaking of this most important matter, Luo Tian immediately pressed further, “Big Brother, Dong Qian said she’d gather information for us within the sect about Foundation Establishment for those with pseudo-spiritual roots. Is there any news?”
“There is. She sent word a couple of days ago. The reason I called you back this time, aside from meeting our fourth brother, is precisely to talk about this.”
Yao Jingfeng nodded as he spoke.
Ji Yuan could tell this was where things got serious, so he quickly asked, “What’s the situation exactly?”
Du Wanyi explained, “For those with heavenly spiritual roots, Foundation Establishment happens naturally, even without Foundation Establishment Pills. Earth spiritual roots and true spiritual roots, on the other hand, require the use of such pills.”
“Typically, a person with earth spiritual roots needs one pill. For those with true spiritual roots, sometimes one is enough, sometimes two are needed.”
“But for those of us with pseudo-spiritual roots, I’m sure Fourth Brother has heard how hard it is to establish a foundation.”
Ji Yuan nodded. “I’ve heard. Throughout the entire Water Dragon Sect, there are only a few cultivators who have achieved Foundation Establishment with pseudo-spiritual roots.”
“Exactly. That’s why we asked Dong Qian, who joined the Water Dragon Sect this year, to help us investigate how many Foundation Establishment Pills are needed for someone with pseudo-spiritual roots to succeed, so we can have an idea beforehand.”
“How many are needed specifically?” Luo Tian pressed further.
As the three of them turned their gaze toward Yao Jingfeng, he sighed, “More than we previously anticipated.”
“What?” Luo Tian exclaimed in shock.
“There are currently three seniors in the sect who have succeeded in Foundation Establishment with pseudo-spiritual roots. One was lucky and succeeded with five pills, another needed seven, and the last one required a staggering eleven.”
Yao Jingfeng looked over at Ji Yuan with a wry smile and continued, “We had previously estimated, based on earth and true spiritual roots, that five pills at most would be needed.”
“We didn’t expect five to be the minimum. It might take over a dozen in the worst case.”
Upon hearing this, the room fell silent.
Clearly, this data weighed heavily on them.
Luo Tian even leaned back into his chair in a resigned posture.
“How much would a Foundation Establishment Pill cost if bought?” Ji Yuan asked curiously.
“Fourth Brother, don’t even think about buying one. You know how many peak Qi Refining cultivators in the sect are waiting for those pills—none are leaking out into the market,” Du Wanyi replied with a bitter smile. “If you want one, you have to gather the ingredients yourself and find an alchemist to refine it. They’re simply not sold.”
“Then what about the pill formula? That must be available for sale, right?” Ji Yuan asked.
“That, of course, exists. In fact, the sect allows you to exchange contributions for it.”
Yao Jingfeng added, “The pill formula isn’t valuable. Once we join the Water Dragon Sect, we’ll basically all be able to get it. The hard part is collecting certain rare ingredients. A few of them are said to be extremely difficult to acquire.”
“No rush. None of us are at peak Qi Refining yet anyway,” Luo Tian said after calming down. “Let’s stick to the original plan—focus on improving our strength. We’ll worry about the Foundation Establishment Pills once we reach peak Qi Refining.”
“Exactly!” Du Wanyi nodded firmly. “That’s why we’ve been holding off on joining the sect—to quickly boost our strength. Clearly, those with strength and fortune aren’t in a hurry to join the Water Dragon Sect.”
It was the old saying: better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. Ji Yuan listened to them and silently agreed in his heart.
The four of them chatted a while longer, discussing recent events and ways to earn spirit stones.
It was during this time that Ji Yuan learned Du Wanyi and Yao Jingfeng managed Shop B-18.
They used a flying boat to travel between different marketplaces, doing business and making good profit.
Luo Tian, for the most part, stayed in—
“Well then, if that’s everything for now, let’s wrap it up here. Any other matters?” Yao Jingfeng glanced at them.
Ji Yuan shook his head, though he still felt something was missing.
Sure enough, Yao Jingfeng then looked at him and said, “Fourth Brother, you must understand by now, the most important thing between the four of us is open communication, followed by sharing resources. If there’s something you feel can be shared, do so. If you have extra after fulfilling your own needs, share a bit with the rest of us.”
“For instance, when one of us gets the pill formula after joining the sect, it’s as if all four of us have it. That saves a lot of unnecessary effort.”
“I understand, Big Brother. Don’t worry,” Ji Yuan replied with a smile.
“Fourth Brother’s a sharp one,” Du Wanyi added with a smile.
There wasn’t much to misunderstand.
Sharing resources whenever possible—it all depended on one’s willingness. If he stayed with the group but refused to contribute, they wouldn’t stick with him for long.
It was the same among them. If Luo Tian or Du Wanyi tried to freeload, Yao Jingfeng would surely start distancing himself from them.
The four then exchanged contact locations in case they needed to find each other later.
Du Wanyi and Yao Jingfeng gave addresses within the marketplace, but Luo Tian’s was on a small island inside the Yunyu Marshlands.
Ji Yuan left Shop B-18 and watched the three of them fly off on their boats before stretching comfortably.
Only now did he truly see what the world of cultivation looked like.
In contrast, Ji Yuan increasingly felt—
All his earlier struggles in Zengtou Market had been about survival, not cultivation or pursuing immortality.
Only after reaching the later stage of Qi Refining did he finally begin his true cultivation journey.
With this thought, Ji Yuan summoned his Thunder Falcon Boat and, gliding in a smooth arc, headed straight for his lakeside cottage.
The materials for Level 2 【Cave Dwelling】 were complete.
It was time for the upgrade.
He didn’t dawdle.
Before long, he landed in his own courtyard.
Ever since reaching the late Qi Refining stage, he didn’t even need to open doors manually anymore.
Once inside, he locked the doors and windows, then took out the pre-prepared 10 pound of River-Stabilizing Sand and the six Pure Spirit Jades gifted by Du Wanyi.
He already had the required 50 spirit stones.
Not to mention Big Brother Yao Jingfeng had given him 30, and he’d earned 150 more from selling blood essence yesterday.
After arranging everything neatly, Ji Yuan looked at the (Completed) status on the panel.
With a thought, he selected “Upgrade.”
As the panel text shifted, the 【Cave Dwelling】 upgraded from Level 1 to Level 2.
【Spiritual Effect: +10% Spiritual Energy Concentration During the Day, +30% at Night, Basic Silence Barrier】
The Level 2 Cave Dwelling didn’t just boost nighttime spiritual energy—it also increased daytime concentration by 10%.
In addition to the original Dust-Repelling Barrier, it now included a Silence Barrier.
Now he didn’t need to worry about being overheard while doing anything at home, nor did he need to plaster silence talismans on the walls.
After seeing too many Level 3 building effects, Ji Yuan found the Level 2 【Cave Dwelling】 effects somewhat underwhelming.
What truly excited him was the Level 3 effect.
As his consciousness sank into the panel, the Level 3 【Cave Dwelling】 spiritual effects appeared before his eyes:
【Cave Dwelling lv3】
【Effect 1: Calm Mind and Gather Qi – +20% Spiritual Energy Concentration During the Day, +30% at Night】
【Effect 2 (Star Swirl Cloud Obstruction): Automatically generates a Tier-2 Defensive Array “Star Swirl Cloud Obstruction Formation”】
【Upgrade Requirements: Cultivation at Foundation Establishment Stage, 50 Medium-Grade Spirit Stones, 10 pound of Starshine Stone】
Two effects again?!
Both daytime and nighttime spiritual energy concentrations increased by another 10%, especially at night—now a whopping 30% boost.
With such an environment, cultivation would surely be faster than others.
But what truly thrilled Ji Yuan was Effect 2—the Cave Dwelling’s defensive formation.
Finally, it appeared!
A residence without a defensive formation always left him feeling uneasy.
Though the Level 1 and 2 Cave Dwellings had dust-repelling and silence effects, those were still far inferior to actual defense arrays.
Now, he only needed to upgrade to Level 3 to gain one.
Clearly, once he reached Foundation Establishment, the first thing to do was upgrade the 【Cave Dwelling】 to Level 3 and secure that formation.
The name “Star Swirl Cloud Obstruction Formation” alone sounded formidable—surely among the stronger Tier-2 arrays.
With the gathering concluded and the upgrade done, Ji Yuan could finally cultivate in peace.
That evening, Lin Hu and his wife came by to see him, awkwardly offering congratulations.
Ji Yuan assured them there was no need to be formal—everything should proceed as usual.
Two nights later—
Zengtou Market, Qin Residence.
Qin Long and He Laosan stood silently outside a secret room, waiting.
Time passed, and finally, with a soft click, the stone door opened.
A raspy voice called from within.
“Come in and speak.”
The two exchanged glances and quickly stepped inside.
The large room was lit by a single candle, casting dim shadows.
In the center sat an extremely aged man. His face was wrinkled, with only a few wisps of white hair hanging loose behind his head.
“What is it?” the old man asked slowly, lifting his head. His eyes were completely white and sightless, eerie to behold.
“It’s about Ji Yuan again,” Qin Long quickly said.
“Him again?”
Old Blind Qin’s brows furrowed as he spoke in a low voice, “Didn’t I say? From now on, our Qin family has nothing to do with him. What now?”
“No, Father, Ji Yuan has somehow gained the favor of Yao Jingfeng and his group. The four of them—Yao Jingfeng, Luo Tian, Du Wanyi, and Ji Yuan—just held a meeting. I fear this might affect our Qin family,” Qin Long explained.
He Laosan chimed in, cupping his hands. “Second Brother speaks true. I’m worried about this as well.”
Ji Yuan alone wasn’t a concern. But add those three in—Qin family wouldn’t be able to withstand them.
“Yao Jingfeng and the others actually took a liking to Ji Yuan?”
This information truly surprised Old Blind Qin.
He knew how discerning those three were. Many tried to befriend them, only to be ignored. Now they had approached Ji Yuan on their own.
But thinking further, it made sense.
Someone Ji Yuan’s age breaking through to late-stage Qi Refining—he was bound to be noticed.
“Indeed,” Qin Long confirmed with a bow.
The room fell into silence.
Old Blind Qin seemed to weigh his options, tapping his fingers on the table—thump thump—echoing through the dim chamber.
A whole cup of tea’s time passed before he spoke again in his hoarse voice.
“Where is Qiu Qianhai now?”
“After separating from Ji Yuan, he disappeared. No word from the Zhu family either. I suspect he’s still hiding in Qingbo Market or fled to another market.”
“I’ll go personally.”
Old Blind Qin rose slowly.
“What?! Father, you’re going to kill Qiu Qianhai yourself?!”
Qin Long was shocked.
They had previously sent three Qi Refining sixth-layer cultivators to hunt Qiu Qianhai.
Now Old Blind Qin himself planned to act—clearly something major was at stake.
“Yes. There are some things I must get my hands on!”
With that, Old Blind Qin headed for the door.
“Remember—tell no one that I’ve left.”