A day passed.
{Idle completed, gained 2 points of Qi, 1 point of Physical Body strength, 1 point of Divine Sense strength}
{Foundation Establishment Stage idle completed for the first time, obtained Fiend Spirit Art}
Mu Fan accepted the rewards. The Qi, Physical Body, and Divine Sense gains now matched the Foundation Establishment Stage. Although the raw numbers were lower, once converted, they were still superior to the ten-plus points of Qi he used to gain during the Qi Refining Stage.
"Fiend Spirit Art…"
The new Cultivation Technique surfaced in his mind. As he quickly comprehended it, a sense of familiarity arose, it was about sixty percent similar to the Black Fiend Art he had cultivated before.
It could be said that the Fiend Spirit Art was an upgraded and refined version of the Black Fiend Art, enough to support his cultivation all the way to the Core Formation Stage.
"Good… good… good!"
Mu Fan couldn't hide his delight.
Switching to the Fiend Spirit Art posed no risk of exposure. Because of the similarities between the two techniques, others would not easily notice the change. At the same time, he no longer had to worry about any hidden dangers within the Black Fiend Art.
The Fiend Spirit Art retained the Qi Flicking Spell from the Qi Refining Stage and introduced three new techniques suitable for the Foundation Establishment Stage:
[ Body Refining Art — devours Demonic Qi to temper the Physical Body.]
[ Illusory Body — forms a clone using Demonic Qi and Qi.]
[ Baleful Spirit Burst — condenses black fiend beads and detonates them for massive damage.]
After fully understanding the technique, Mu Fan felt pleased, but also slightly uneasy.
This Cultivation Technique leaned even more toward the unorthodox. More precisely, it was not aligned with the Righteous Path. Once cultivated deeply, he would become inseparable from Demonic Qi.
He paused, then shook his head lightly.
"Forget it. In this Cultivation World, the line between righteous and demonic has never been clear. Which powerful Cultivator isn't ruthless?"
With that thought settled, he searched his Storage Pouch. There were still quite a few black fiend beads left over from cultivating the Qi Flicking Spell under the Black Fiend Art.
He took them out and began cultivating the Fiend Spirit Art version of the Qi Flicking Spell.
A few days passed.
The black fiend beads were completely used up, and still not enough.
After stepping into the Foundation Establishment Stage, the power of the Qi Flicking Spell had increased significantly, and the demand for Black Fiend Qi rose accordingly. The Fiend Spirit Art only amplified that demand further.
Mu Fan pondered for a moment, then made a decision.
He needed resources.
Heading to the Earth Fire Chamber, he prepared to refine a batch of spirit artifacts. Only after clearing his debts could he return to the Exotic Treasure Pavilion and obtain more materials on credit.
It would also give the System time to further enhance his Foundation Establishment state.
Inside the Earth Fire Chamber, he ignited the earth fire.
His Foundation Establishment true fire was limited and consumed a large amount of Qi, so he used earth fire as the main source and supplemented it with true fire. With this combination, the quality of the spirit artifacts would still improve significantly.
A year passed.
{ Name: Mu Fan
Aptitude: Gold, Water, Earth (Spiritual Root), Endless Vitality (Physical Body), Re-perception (Divine Sense)
Realm: Early Foundation Establishment Stage
Identity: Extreme Yin Island Formal Disciple
Qi: 3860
Physical Body: 1210
Divine Sense: 1480
Cultivation Technique: Fiend Spirit Art (Qi Flicking Spell), Spirit Condensing Art, Treasure Sacrificing Art
Techniques: Gold Rock Technique, Qi Concealment Technique, Earth Quake Technique
Spirit Artifacts: water-fire twin pendants, bright silver spear, wind-chasing boots…
Ancient Treasure: cold jade gourd}
Carrying the refined spirit artifacts, Mu Fan opened the Formation and headed once more to the Exotic Treasure Pavilion.
Inside, things had changed.
Lan Xin, dressed in a flowing blue palace gown, no longer stood at the entrance. Instead, she was behind the counter in the VIP section on the first floor. Her status had clearly risen.
Mu Fan also noticed that her cultivation had reached the sixth stage of Qi Refining. Compared to the island's Disciples, it was nothing special, but among servants, it was considered fast.
"Senior Brother Mu~"
Lan Xin approached gracefully. Her eyes were brighter than before, lively and expressive, clearly curious about his result.
Mu Fan simply smiled.
She immediately understood. Her expression shifted into one of respect as she bowed slightly.
"Congratulations to Junior Martial Uncle Mu on successfully reaching Foundation Establishment."
At once, the surrounding guests glanced over, surprised and envious, but quickly looked away, not daring to offend him.
Lan Xin stepped closer, gently guiding him upstairs.
As they reached the second floor, a familiar figure emerged from a private room.
Wang Yang.
"Mu…" He hesitated, clearly unsure how to address him.
By realm, Mu Fan should now be called Junior Martial Uncle. But by seniority under Jiang Yi, he was still Senior Brother.
Mu Fan smiled, easing the tension.
"We share the same Master. Just like before, you can still call me Senior Brother."
Wang Yang visibly relaxed.
"Senior Brother Mu. Congratulations on your breakthrough."
"Mm. You've reached the peak of Qi Refining. Preparing for Foundation Establishment?"
"Yes. I came to purchase a few Foundation Establishment pills."
Mu Fan nodded slightly.
"Then I'll wish you success in advance."
"I'll take those words to heart. I won't disturb you further, Senior Brother."
Wang Yang cupped his hands and left.
Mu Fan continued to the Heaven Character Number Five room.
Before long, Steward Li hurried in, his face full of smiles.
"Congratulations, Junior Martial Uncle Mu! Congratulations!"
He bowed deeply, not even daring to sit.
"This junior is lacking in means, so I could only request the Pavilion's Chief Steward to waive your previous debts as a congratulatory gift. I hope you will not take offense."
Mu Fan was genuinely surprised.
This was the difference in realm
He accepted with a nod.
Then he handed over his Storage Pouch containing the newly refined spirit artifacts.
Steward Li received it respectfully, scanning it quickly with his Divine Sense.
"When Junior Martial Uncle acts, the results are naturally exceptional."
He spoke carefully, choosing his words.
"According to Pavilion rules, each spirit artifact will be valued at fifteen Spirit Stones. This is due to the quality of the materials used previously, not your skill, of course."
He quickly added:
"With better materials in the future, you will receive thirty percent of their value per piece."
Mu Fan was satisfied.
The Pavilion ultimately belonged to Jiang Yi, so pushing too far was unwise.
He still needed time, to grow, to stabilize, and eventually…
…to kill Jiang Yi.
But that was still far way.
Soon, Steward Li returned with the payment.
"This batch totals 354 spirit artifacts, 5400 Spirit Stones. Is Junior Martial Uncle satisfied?"
"It's fine."
Steward Li signaled to Lan Xin, then withdrew respectfully.
The room grew quiet.
Mu Fan and Lan Xin sat together, drinking tea.
He remained mostly silent. His life had been spent in seclusion, cultivating and refining. There wasn't much he could share.
Lan Xin, sensing his unchanged temperament, relaxed and began speaking softly about recent events in the Pavilion.
Business had improved significantly.
This was because of the approaching Arena Trials
Disciples were scrambling to strengthen themselves. Taking missions, earning Spirit Stones, competing for opportunities. Demand for spirit artifacts, Medicinal Pills, and Talismans had surged.
Only then did Mu Fan recall that indeed Jiang Yi had said that Five years after becoming Formal Disciples, there would be an Arena Trial.
Now, however, things were different.
He was already in the Foundation Establishment Stage.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"This Arena Trial… shouldn't pose much of a threat to me anymore."