’That’s odd. What did Elder Qi an by that?’
Xiao Chen returned to his courtyard, still mulling over what had just happened, his heart filled with uncertainty.
Logically, it wasn’t unusual for her to give him a Spirit Flower. After all, sothing too cheap wouldn’t be a suitable gift.
But she *only* gave him a Spirit Flower and didn’t offer anything else afterward.
It wasn’t that Xiao Chen was fixated on her gift, but he just couldn’t understand the logic behind her actions.
"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!"
The sound of knocking was followed by Steward Chen’s voice. "Junior Brother Xiao! You’re back! Why didn’t you say anything?"
Xiao Chen opened the door. "Zhi’an, what brings you here?"
Chen Zhi’an shot back, "You’re asking ? If I hadn’t seen so disciples hauling timber into Cuiwei Valley, I would’ve never known you reached Foundation Establishnt."
"Such a montous occasion, and you weren’t even planning to tell ?"
Xiao Chen explained, "Zhi’an, you’ve got all wrong. I just got back and was about to co find you."
Chen Zhi’an grabbed his arm. "Perfect! Let’s go. We’ll go find Third Uncle and share the good news with him."
"It’s been fifteen years since I reached Foundation Establishnt. The Chen Family hasn’t had another person achieve it in so long."
"We have to celebrate properly this ti. It would be best if we could hold a Foundation Establishnt Ceremony."
Xiao Chen had been in the sect for five years but had never heard of a Foundation Establishnt Ceremony. "No one else has had a Foundation Establishnt Ceremony. Wouldn’t that be too ostentatious?"
Chen Zhi’an looked at him, astonished. "Ostentatious? Do you think they didn’t want to hold one? They just weren’t qualified."
"But you, Junior Brother, are different."
"Not only did you break through to Foundation Establishnt before the age of twenty-five, but you also succeeded on your first try. That’s absolutely worth celebrating."
Xiao Chen was a little curious. "Is there sothing special about the age of twenty-five?"
Chen Zhi’an shook his head. "That, I don’t know. It’s a custom established by the Founding Master when he established the sect."
"Over the years, very, very few people have t this condition."
"The last Foundation Establishnt Ceremony was... almost fifty years ago, I think."
At this, Chen Zhi’an offered his congratulations. "So, congratulations, Junior Brother, on becoming the fastest person to break through to Foundation Establishnt in fifty years."
The two of them went to see Elder Chen together.
They arrived just in ti to see Elder Chen, a happy expression on his face, preparing to go out.
Seeing them arrive together, he smiled. "Xiao Chen, you’ve co at the perfect ti. I have so good news to tell you."
As soon as he stepped through the door, Chen Zhi’an rushed to say, "Third Uncle, I have so good news to tell you."
After they both spoke, they glanced at each other, a little surprised.
Chen Zhi’an suppressed a laugh. "Third Uncle, you go first. I’ll tell you my good news afterward."
Elder Chen took out a storage box and opened it, revealing a Golden Lotus interwoven with five colors. "Six days ago, I went to a trade fair at the Thousand Bamboo Workshop and managed to buy a Five-Colored Golden Lotus."
For the Chen Family, having the main ingredient in hand was basically equivalent to having a Foundation Establishnt Pill.
"Huh? Why don’t you two seem very happy?"
Elder Chen looked at them curiously. "Zhi’an, what’s with that expression on your face?"
Chen Zhi’an looked at Xiao Chen, then at the Five-Colored Golden Lotus. "Third Uncle, Xiao Chen... he’s already reached Foundation Establishnt."
"What?"
Elder Chen felt as if he had misheard. "What did you say?"
Xiao Chen took a step forward. "Master, this disciple reached Foundation Establishnt two days ago."
Normally, after a Cultivator’s Cultivation advanced, their seniority within the sect would rise accordingly.
However, the master-disciple relationship was an exception. Xiao Chen still had to refer to himself as ’this disciple’ when addressing Elder Chen.
Sensing the faint aura of Cultivation emanating from Xiao Chen,
Elder Chen’s expression grew complicated. He felt relief, but also worry, and a hint of apprehension.
Seeing his own disciple reach Foundation Establishnt proved his initial judgnt correct, which naturally made him very happy.
But Xiao Chen’s act of breaking through outside the sect also made him very worried.
’This boy... I showed him those cases of failed Foundation Establishnt attempts the other day. How could he not understand the importance of having people watch over him?’
’A Cultivator is at their most vulnerable when breaking through. If you do it in the wilderness, the surrounding Spiritual Qi fluctuations are bound to be obvious. What if it attracts Tribulation Cultivators?’
In this, he was actually overthinking it.
Elder Chen never would have imagined that Xiao Chen would be willing to spend a full six hundred and forty Spirit Stones plus a bottle of Cyan Wood Spirit Liquid to artificially create an environnt overflowing with Spiritual Qi.
When he broke through, the Spiritual Qi outside the cave didn’t fluctuate at all, because the Spiritual Qi inside was more than he could ever use.
Finally, there was the apprehension that ca with it.
’Where did Xiao Chen get his Foundation Establishnt Pill?’
Elder Chen quickly realized the problem. ’Could it be that another family secretly contacted Xiao Chen and gave him a Foundation Establishnt Pill?’
Chen Zhi’an also slowly put the pieces together.
’Since Third Uncle just obtained the Five-Colored Golden Lotus, how did Xiao Chen already reach Foundation Establishnt?’
He looked at Xiao Chen in shock. "Don’t tell you forced your way through using your own Qi Blood!"
"Not even one in a hundred who attempt Human Dao Foundation Establishnt succeeds! That was far too reckless."
"If you had just waited a couple more days, the family would have arranged for a Foundation Establishnt Pill. It’s not like we can’t afford it. Why would you take such a risk?"
Xiao Chen waved his hand. "Zhi’an, you’ve misunderstood. I didn’t undergo Human Dao Foundation Establishnt."
Chen Zhi’an froze for a mont.
At first, just like during the Outer Sect trial last ti, he had assud Xiao Chen had been taking risks on his own again, so his admonishnt was instinctual.
Only then did it hit him that the Chen Family wasn’t the only one with Foundation Establishnt Pills.
At this thought, Chen Zhi’an’s heart sank.
’It’s over. I shouldn’t have asked that question.’
However, Xiao Chen paused for a mont before saying, "Well, I happened to have gathered the Five Elents Spiritual Objects, so I opted for Celestial Dao Foundation Establishnt."
"I guess... I was just pretty lucky."
’Oh, so it was Celestial Dao Foundation Establishnt.’
Both Elder Chen and Steward Chen let out a sigh of relief.
Then it registered, and they both asked in unison, "What did you say?"
Elder Chen’s lips were pressed tight, his beard trembling slightly.
A mont later, he exclaid in amazent, "Celestial Dao Foundation Establishnt... I’ve only heard about it in my childhood. I can’t even rember how many years it’s been since soone last achieved it."
Now it was Xiao Chen’s turn to be surprised. "Uh, Master... I know the Five Elents Spiritual Objects are hard to collect, but it shouldn’t be that difficult for the major families, right?"
Although there had been rumors that no one in Li State had achieved Celestial Dao Foundation Establishnt for over a century,
he had originally assud that was just what the outside Loose Cultivators, who had no access to high-level secret information, believed.
But there was no reason for Elder Chen to be this astonished.
"Not difficult?"
Elder Chen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Li State itself lacks Blessed Land Grotto Heavens, and we don’t even have many decent Secret Realms."
"Aside from venturing deep into the volcanic ranges to perhaps find a Fire Elent Foundation Establishnt Spirit Object, the other four types of Spiritual Objects must all be obtained from outside the state."
"But even before the trade routes were cut off, only Sword Bamboo from the Central Domain would occasionally circulate here."
"As for the other Spiritual Objects, even if soone managed to get their hands on one, they’d hide it away securely. Who would be willing to bring it out for trade?"
His eyes were fixed on Xiao Chen, his gaze seemingly piercing through him, trying to see the unseen destiny that lay beyond.
"For over a hundred years, you are the only person to have achieved Celestial Dao Foundation Establishnt."
Elder Chen’s tone was a mixture of wonder and shock.
Beside him, Chen Zhi’an took a step back, looking Xiao Chen up and down.
He suddenly recalled what Elder Chen had once said about a Heaven’s Chosen One.
’What is a Chosen One? The person standing right before is a Chosen One!’
’The ’Heaven’ in Heaven’s Chosen One is the sa ’Heaven’ in Celestial Dao Foundation Establishnt!’
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