Chapter 26: The King of Volumes Unleashes His Power - Foundation Establishment Tribulation
Suddenly seeing a familiar person die silently, Cheng Xian was shocked and looked around to find the murderer.
How could Cheng Xian, who was only at the Qi Refining stage, possibly find Qi Zibo, who was at the Nascent Soul stage? Their cultivation levels were worlds apart.
Song Yin felt a chill run down her spine. She didn't find the killing itself terrifying; what she found terrifying was Qi Zibo's sudden move.
The three had already received their due punishment, yet Qi Zibo still pursued them and took their lives. What she feared was that the cultivation world seemed to disregard human life; low-level cultivators were like ants, and in the eyes of high-level cultivators, low-level cultivators were nothing.
And what about myself? I'm also at the Qi Refining stage. If I didn't have the protection of the Immortal Firmament Sect, and if I hadn't become Qi Zibo's disciple, would I have died an inexplicable death like the other three?
At this moment, Song Yin deeply realized that she was too weak and lacked strength.
When Qi Zibo brought Song Yin back to the Xianxiao Sect, Song Yin was still in a daze.
Qi Zibo: "Were you scared after seeing someone kill someone?"
Song Yin looked at Qi Zibo. He had just killed someone with cold indifference, but now he was speaking to her gently.
"Weren't they already punished? Besides, the sect rules forbid killing fellow disciples within the sect."
Qi Zibo smiled, "So that's what you're worried about. Although the three of them were punished, they are certain to die. Originally, we wanted them to point out Cheng Xian, but they didn't bring Cheng Xian down. Cheng Xian also denied it, insisting that he knew nothing. It's a pity, otherwise Cheng Xian would have died today too."
"As for the sect's rules? Although the rules state that one cannot kill fellow disciples within the sect, I did it outside the sect. Besides, I did it for the sake of the sect, so even if this matter is reported to the sect leader, the sect leader will not punish me."
Song Yin felt as if she was meeting Qi Zibo for the first time, as he was completely different from his usual self.
Are all cultivators like this?
Song Yin: "Aren't you afraid the Cheng family will come knocking on your door?"
"Of course we're not afraid. The Cheng family won't come knocking on our door; they'll just keep a low profile. We know what they're up to by wanting to send their child into the inner sect of the Immortal Firmament Sect. The sect's inheritance can only remain within the sect; the orthodox inheritance of the six peaks of the inner sect can only belong to the Immortal Firmament Sect. The Cheng family covets the inheritance of our Immortal Firmament Sect, wanting their descendants to learn it and then strengthen their family for generations to come. What kind of good thing is that? Do they really think all the major sects are fools?"
Song Yin realized that she was now inextricably linked to the Immortal Cloud Sect.
"As disciples of a sect, especially inner disciples, it is our duty to safeguard the interests of the sect!"
As expected, there is no such thing as a free lunch. If you enjoy the benefits brought by the sect, you must protect the interests of the sect.
Qi Zibo lowered his eyes. "Anyone who covets the sect's interests must die. Do you understand?"
Because you come from the mortal realm, seventy percent of the inner disciples also come from the mortal realm.
Song Yin recalled the words Senior Zhou had said that she didn't understand.
The disciples in Class A and Class B come from the cultivation world, and some of them have their own families behind them. It's inevitable that some of them will leak the sect's inheritance in the future after entering the inner sect. The disciples in Class C and Class D are different. They come from the mortal world. Even if they wanted to reveal the inheritance to their families, it would be useless because their relatives are all mortals without spiritual roots. In the cultivation world, the sect is their closest family.
Song Yin even recalled the senior she had met in the forbidden area. That senior only became truly kind and friendly after hearing that she came from the mortal realm and that her entire family had perished. In his eyes, an orphan girl with no roots in the mortal realm could only rely on a sect. This orphan girl was young and talented; if she was nurtured from a young age, she would naturally be close to the sect, regard it as her home, and be able to properly maintain the sect's legacy.
Song Yin couldn't hear what Qi Zibo said after that; she returned to her courtyard, feeling uneasy.
Qi Zibo assumed his apprentice was frightened by witnessing the killing, unaware that Song Yin was pondering other matters.
Song Yin rarely didn't cultivate. At night, she lay in bed, gazing at the moonlight outside the window.
She came into this world and lived for six years in the remote Xiaosong Village in the mortal realm, and then for four years in the Xianxiao Sect in the cultivation world. The four years of happiness in the Xianxiao Sect were unimaginable compared to the six years in Xiaosong Village. If she had to choose between Xiaosong Village and the Xianxiao Sect, she would definitely choose the Xianxiao Sect without hesitation.
Her dilemma seemed to have found an answer.
When I first arrived at the courtyard, it was overgrown with weeds and looked desolate. Now, the courtyard is full of color, with trees laden with fruit and flowers exuding fragrance.
...
After Song Yin got up and washed up, she was teleported to Danque Peak, the inner sect, early in the morning.
Upon arriving at Danque Peak, she wondered if she had forgotten something, but alchemy was more important, so she didn't dwell on it.
The alchemy room also contained spiritual herbs that Song Yin had picked from Spirit Herb Peak. She skillfully sorted and processed the spiritual herbs before starting the furnace to refine pills.
Refining first-grade pills doesn't take much time, and a batch was quickly completed. Song Yin carefully filled the pills into the appropriate pill bottles.
"Oh no! I forgot that today is the day the contestants leave the sect. Xia Xining is still waiting for me in the square by the sect's main hall!" I only realized what I had forgotten after finishing my work.
Song Yin ran to the teleportation array without stopping, teleported to the square, and ran to the agreed place.
At this moment, the square was crowded with people again. During the Foundation Establishment Competition, most of them were Qi Refining stage disciples, but those who were sent to participate in the Xuan Tian Tournament came from all levels of cultivation.
After finally squeezing through, I saw that Shi Heming and Xia Xining were both there.
Xia Xining: "Why are you so late? Luckily, the seniors haven't left yet. Quickly stand next to me."
Song Yin: "Sorry, sorry, I forgot about that. I went to refine pills early this morning."
Xia Xining gasped, "You're terrifying. You'd better stand next to Shi Heming."
Shi Heming had no objections. He went to call Song Yin in the morning, but she didn't show up. He assumed Song Yin had left early and was sullen on the way. When he saw that only Xia Xining was there, he wondered where Song Yin had gone. Now that he saw her, he felt relieved.
A magnificent and ornate large flying boat was parked in the center of the square, and the crowd in front of it suddenly parted to make way for it.
The participants were not dressed in ordinary disciple robes, but they all wore sect identification badges. The participants, both men and women, followed solemnly behind the leading elder.
They stopped some distance from the airship, and several streaks of light descended from the sky.
"Greetings, Sect Master." The crowd began to bow.
Song Yin bowed in greeting; it was the first time she had ever met the sect leader.
"No need for such formalities."
The sect leader was aloof and dignified, followed by several elders. It would be a lie to say that everyone was not excited to see so many high-ranking members of the sect at once. After bowing, the disciples all looked at the sect leader and elders with burning eyes.
"As representatives of your sects participating in the Xuan Tian Tournament, please remember not to be obsessed with rankings. The competition is a minor matter; developing inner demons is a major one. Your talents and achievements are not determined by the Xuan Tian Tournament. Just do your best in everything."
"We will heed your teachings," the contestants replied in unison.
Song Yin observed that the sect leader and elders had all spoken encouraging words. It was clear that the Xuan Tian Tournament was not, as the sect leader had initially stated, something that didn't require obsessing over rankings; on the contrary, they greatly hoped that the participants would achieve good results for the sect.
"They're all so amazing! Song Yin, do you think we might be able to participate in the Xuan Tian Tournament in the future?" Xia Xining's eyes were full of longing and desire.
Others nearby wanted to laugh at the child, but when they saw it was just a kid, they changed their tune and started offering words of encouragement.
"Participating in the Xuan Tian Assembly is an extraordinary achievement, good luck!"
"Such ambition at such a young age, I admire you!"
Song Yin didn't care about what they were saying; she cared about the contestants who went to participate in the competition.
Just participating in the competition is enough to be called a genius among geniuses; imagine what it would be like to win a place! So many people have sent their best wishes for just one competition, even the sect leader and elders have personally come to encourage her. Song Yin couldn't even imagine how sunny, cheerful, and happy she would be if she were one of the participants!
Song Yin's gaze gradually hardened.
She's made up her mind! She's going to work hard and participate in the Xuan Tian Assembly in the future!
The contestants boarded the flying boats and left the sect. The sect leader and elders departed, and everyone gradually dispersed.
Song Yin said to the two people beside her, "I'm going to cultivate. Let's set a small goal first and simply build a foundation."
"What?" Shi Heming and Xia Xining looked at Song Yin in shock.
Did I hear that right? Song Yin said she's going to Foundation Establishment? Didn't she just break through to the late Qi Refining stage not long ago?
She actually described Foundation Establishment as as simple as drinking water!
"You're ambitious, so how many years do you plan to spend building your foundation?" Qi Zibo heard his disciple boasting as soon as he arrived.
Song Yin didn't feel embarrassed at all. Instead, she thought about it seriously and gave an answer, "Five years? No, no, that's still too long. Three years, please."
Listen to this, is this even human language?
Everyone thought Song Yin was just talking, but who knew that in the days that followed she would keep refining pills, practicing swordsmanship, and cultivating.
She created a schedule for herself and tried her best to complete it every day.
Seeing her determined and ambitious demeanor, Qi Zibo didn't offer much comment. Instead, he wondered how long she would persevere.
Song Yin's behavior of rolling up her sleeves has influenced many people around her.
The person who had the deepest influence was Shi Heming, who was often with Song Yin.
At first, Shi Heming maintained his own cultivation pace, but gradually he unconsciously caught up with Song Yin's. After cultivating for a while, Shi Heming realized something was wrong. Why was he also following Song Yin's schedule? They practiced swordsmanship and cultivation together, and when Song Yin refined pills, he would draw talismans.
Qi Refining stage cultivators can only refine first-grade pills or first-tier magic artifacts and talismans.
Most cultivators begin doing these things themselves during the Foundation Establishment stage, so those who can refine first-grade pills and draw first-order talismans during the Qi Refining stage are considered geniuses.
When Song Yin was able to skillfully refine first-grade pills and rarely caused any explosions in the furnace, Qi Zibo questioned his life for many days.
Is his disciple really that talented in alchemy? Is this the true value of a gifted disciple? The more Qi Zibo thought about it, the more he felt that it might be the blessing of the ancestral master. Their Danque Peak would definitely be the strongest in alchemy in the Immortal Firmament Sect in the future, no, the strongest in the entire cultivation world!
Qi Zibo flew back to Danque Peak and kowtowed repeatedly before the portrait of the patriarch, offering incense.
Song Yin, who was not initially favored, persisted in high-intensity training year after year!
Xia Xining is lazy, and her master is worried about what will happen to this child in the future.
To everyone's surprise, the child soon came to him forging artifacts, much to his delight! After inquiring around, he learned that the child had been influenced by a friend. Overjoyed, Master Xia Xining personally forged some small trinkets and gave them to Qi Zibo, asking him to pass them on to Song Yin.
Finally, when Song Yinjuan turned twelve, she achieved Foundation Establishment.
Song Yin was busy refining pills on Danque Peak as usual. She had no idea that dark clouds were gathering in the sky above her.
Little did she know, she was about to face her first tribulation of lightning—the Foundation Establishment Tribulation!
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Author's Note: Song Yin: In order to survive and avoid being killed, I have no choice but to work hard at cultivating [glasses]
Qi Zibo burns incense before the portrait of the ancestral master every day: "Ancestral master, please bless me!" (Relieved) [Please][Please]
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He then held up a small bowl, begging to have it saved [facepalm peeking][empty bowl]
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