*Mini flashback*
Within a burning abode, a teenage boy could be seen desperately blocking an advancing wave of pure heat, his golden swords defending him with all their might.
"Breath of the Verdant Lotus," I muttered, shifting my Qi, controlling my breath to synchronize with the flow of energy around me. A jade-green light erupted from my dantian, a protective barrier that formed around me, but it wasn't enough. I knew I couldn't just defend. I needed to take the poison, embrace it . I had to open my meridians wide and let her poison flood through me.
I inhaled sharply and opened my body to the storm of fire and poison she was unleashing. The moment I did, the pain hit. The Fire Qi coursed through my veins like molten lava, burning everything in its path, while the poison spread with terrifying efficiency, seeping deep into my flesh, infecting my meridians, my very cells. The two forces mingled within me, and I could feel my Qi fraying, struggling to keep hold.
But I refused to let go. I clenched my teeth, forcing my Qi deeper into my dantian, into the heart of the storm that raged inside me. It was a brutal battle—my Qi and hers, fighting for dominance, but there was something more. The poison, the fire, began to merge with my own essence, and I could feel something strange happening—something dangerous. My dantian cracked under the pressure, fracturing as the two conflicting forces collided.
The fire was so pure, so refined, that I could feel it breaking down the very fabric of my Qi, turning it into something more destructive, more volatile. Meanwhile, the poison—sickly, vile—twisted, corroding everything it touched. But instead of rejecting it, instead of letting my dantian collapse, I forced my Qi to work with it. I merged my essence with hers, binding myself to the fire and poison in a way that even my cultivation couldn't have predicted.
My dantian cracked. My Qi twisted with her red flames, and the two powers began to spiral into one another. The emerald-green energy that had once defined me blended with the crimson poison, forming a new, unstable force. My body screamed in agony as the two powers merged—one the light of life and nature, the other of destruction—and my body tore itself apart. But I refused to stop. I wouldn't let her destroy me.
The fusion of fire and poison was painful, beyond anything I had ever experienced. But within it, I felt something shifting. The flames of fire grew sharper, more dangerous, while the poison began to pulse with a cold, sickly rhythm. I could feel the power inside me shifting into something completely new. My Qi was no longer just a simple tool—it was becoming a weapon. A weapon of both creation and destruction.
I focused on the violent, mixed Qi inside me and directed it toward Lian Xue's body. My Qi roared to life, becoming something beyond even her comprehension. It took on two distinct properties: a green light that could purify, change, and reshape, and her original Qi—now a sinister dark red—that could destroy and burn. But this wasn't all. As these two energies merged, a dark jade light was born and shot toward her, transforming the very essence of her being into something new.
The light surged outward, engulfing and wrapping around her body in a cocoon. The red poison Qi inside her began to distort, to warp, as the green light burned it away, twisting it into something new. Slowly, the light refined her. The energy inside me poured into her, reshaping her into something else—a vessel of power, an object of strength. Her body, once filled with lethal poison and fire Qi, began to glow with jade light.
My Qi twisted, turning brighter as it slowly encased her in a jade-like sheen, transforming her into a perfect, unyielding statue. The poison, once a deadly force, now began to reflect my own Qi. The green light within me had reshaped her into something I could use—something I could wield. But it wasn't just her body that had changed. Her very essence was now bound to my Qi.
I could feel it—her poison and fire Qi had now fused into a dual purpose. Her flames, once wild and untamed, now bore two distinct natures. The newest flame, a vibrant green, held the power to refine and purify anything it touched, transforming objects into jade, making them resilient, unyielding, and eternal. But when the red flame flared, it became something far more sinister. Destruction and decay followed in its wake—illness, death—corruption seeping into everything it touched, unraveling life itself.
I had forged a new ability. An ability that merged both life and death into a single force. One flame could heal and protect. The other could destroy and devour. Together, they made a balanced, powerful force—one that I now controlled.
But the process had been difficult, excruciating. The agony of merging these two opposing forces, of forcing them to coexist had nearly shattered my dantian. Yet, as my Qi settled, as the last remnants of Lian Xue's presence fused with my own, I realized something—she was no longer just an opponent. She had become—
"My foundation treasure"
Her body, now a jade statue, floated above me. I had absorbed her essence, turning her into something more than just a weapon. She was now my foundation treasure—an object of immense power, imbued with the ability to refine and destroy, to heal and cause illness, to bring about life or death.
Her presence lingered in the statue. But now, it was my power. My victory.
And in the heart of that victory, I felt a new force stir within me. I had completed the transformation. Breakthrough into the Foundation Realm was not merely the act of cultivating further—it was the creation of something new. A new form of Qi. A new way to use power.
At this moment I had finally stepped on the road to Immortality.
Now, with the statue of Lian Xue in my grasp, I stood at the peak of my power. I was no longer just a cultivator.
I was a force of nature...
*Flashback over*
Within the blazing heart of the pine forest, jade flames surged forth, overtaking the crimson inferno that had laid the groundwork for devastation. The fire twisted and coiled like living serpents, consuming all in its path. Above, the heavens churned—swirling storm clouds pulsed with an oppressive majesty, pregnant with divine judgment.
BOOM!!
The first strike fell. A pillar of silver Qi crashed into the earth, its impact sending arcs of destruction screaming through the battlefield. The sheer force of the blow left molten scars where pine and soil had once stood.
Yet, amidst the chaos, the jade statue remained unscathed. Its surface convulsed beneath the weight of heavenly wrath, rippling like disturbed water. Above it, a man stood—naked, half-burnt, his body bathed in both green and red auras. Fang Lee's wounds mended at an accelerated rate, leaving behind faint scars upon his once-pristine flesh.
His gaze snapped skyward.
"Block it!"
Qi surged from his core, golden and fierce, as the floating jade statue above him trembled and began to grow. In mere moments, the construct expanded sixfold, its once-delicate frame transforming into a towering jade colossus.
A green light erupted from its abdomen—an inferno of jade flames roared outward, devouring all in their wake. Everything they touched—wood, stone, and earth—was not merely burned but petrified, transmuted into an eerie forest of jade sculptures. The battlefield became a twisted masterpiece of destruction, frozen in time.
RUMBLE. FLASH!
The storm howled in response. Bolts of lightning crackled within the churning tempest before a single streak of divine fury descended.
BOOM!!!
The second strike was not mere lightning. It was judgment. Raw, unfiltered Thunder Qi, condensed into a divine decree—submit or perish.
But Fang Lee did not kneel.
Instead, he breathed deep, inhaling the blazing Qi of his jade inferno. His cultivation surged, the flames refining his already vast Qi pool, amplifying his very existence.
"TEN SACRED SWORDS!"
With a roar, ten golden swords of Qi materialized behind him, their edges honed to perfection. Yet they did not remain golden for long. The green flames licking at their forms began to refine them, transforming them into jade spears, imbued with an eerie, destructive radiance.
And then—
They launched.
BOOM!!!
Ten sacred swords met the divine tribulation in mid-air. The collision detonated across the battlefield, sending thunderous shockwaves spiraling outward. The storm itself fractured, its divine decree interrupted, redirected into wild arcs of scattered destruction.
—
At the forest's edge, beyond the jade-burning inferno…
A lone woman in a pristine white hanfu stood upon a storm cloud, her presence exuding an aura of controlled power. The dark storm beneath her feet crackled with restrained Thunder Qi, an imitation of the heavenly tribulation above, though one that only paled slightly in comparison.
Watching the destruction unfold, the woman's lips curled into an amused smile.
"It seems my little cousin doesn't need my help after all~"
Fang Mei's voice was elegant, lilting with an air of amusement as she turned her gaze toward the trembling maid beside her.
Meng, the young servant girl, looked utterly disheveled—her hair a tangled mess, her attire hastily thrown on. The white pants she wore bore a smudge of red between her thighs, a stark reminder of what she had endured before escaping into the forest.
"Y-Yes… Young Mistress Fang Xiu," Meng stammered, her gaze flickering toward the jade-burning battlefield. At its heart stood her master, Fang Lee—naked, unscathed, his cultivation surging wildly. Above him, a jade effigy of his fiancée hovered, fueling the raging inferno with its own boundless Qi.
Fang Xiu tapped a delicate finger to her chin. "You said he was fighting his fiancée, yes? Lian Xue, was it?"
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze drifting toward the storm-ridden sky.
"Tell me, little Meng—how long ago did you run for help?"
Meng's expression shifted. Panic. Confusion.
"Tw—no, five? I—" Her words faltered, a deep unease gripping her. The memories were… muddled. She had fled the battlefield mere moments ago—or had it been hours? She had stumbled through the forest, lost and desperate—but hadn't she found Fang Mei almost instantly?
That couldn't be right.
Fang Xiu smile didn't falter. "Ah~ it's fine if you don't remember. Just enjoy the show. Who knows? Perhaps this will be enlightening for when you reach Foundation Establishment and have to face your own tribulation."
As she spoke, the storm cloud beneath them shifted. It expanded outward, its presence dark and consuming, wrapping itself around them like a cocoon. Thunder Qi danced along its surface, shifting from pitch-black into a vibrant, electric blue, sealing them within yet leaving their view of the battlefield unobstructed.
Slowly, it advanced, gliding through the jade-flame-covered forest.
Meng swallowed, her unease still lingering, but she lowered her gaze in understanding. "I will take this opportunity to gain insight. Thank you for your guidance, Mistress Fang Xiu."
She forced herself to focus on the battle before her.
Yet, in the back of her mind, the unsettling truth gnawed at her.
The forest was clearly under a distortion formation—one specifically designed to warp people's perception of time. No, it wasn't just that. The formation seemed crafted to distort the perceptions of those not part of the main Fang family, perhaps even to prevent mortals from fleeing if they ever stumbled into the vast, seclusion forest.
Meng wasn't a fool. She understood this instinctively.
And Fang Xiu knowing smile confirmed it—she was right.
—
Lightning cracked across the sky, shattering the jade landscape, as a furious storm howled, its winds uprooting the jade-covered trees, sending them tumbling into the depths of chaos. The thunder was deafening, and the lightning strikes—blinding bolts of energy—burned everything they touched, turning the very air into a searing furnace. Yet, each strike was met with a defiant flash of jade swords, shimmering with gold and infused with jade and fire Qi. Each deflection sent the storm surging forward, but with each redirect, the fury of the storm intensified, as if the heavens themselves were angered by his resistance.
The lightning grew fiercer, and the winds carried a malicious, predatory edge, the rain now imbued with an overwhelming purification effect, causing the blazing jade landscape beneath to weaken. The green flames that had once raged with power were smothered by the celestial deluge, and the landscape, once turned to jade, now began to crumble back into its charred, ruined form.
"How many tribulations are there?" Fang Lee thought, his irritation mounting as his eyes narrowed at the storm that raged above him. His fiancée, now his Foundation Establishment treasure, collided with a terrifying bolt of lightning, her flaming palm meeting the storm's fury with a mighty crash of energy.
"In this world, I Fang Lee have no equal!! Lian Xue!!!" Fang Lee roared, his voice filled with fierce determination as his inner wuxia spirit surged, and he focused entirely on manipulating the mixed Qi that had formed the foundation of his cultivation. He reached deep into the heart of his Qi, reshaping it, forcing it to evolve.
The change was immediate. The once prominent green Qi that swirled around him, a symbol of his newfound power, was overtaken by a ferocious crimson. The red fire and poison Qi—a deadly force—pushed against the calm green, suppressing it and distorting the balance. The shift triggered a corresponding reaction in Lian Xue's jade body. The jade that had once been pristine and cool turned a deep, fiery red, burning with intense heat. Cracks spread along her jade skin, releasing a wave of scorching heat, distorting the space around her, while the green inferno she had once controlled morphed into a deep crimson. The rain, now falling heavily, vaporized on contact with the searing heat, turning into steam that clouded the air.
Lian Xue, caught between the realms of sentience and non-sentience due to Fang Lee's transformation of her, instinctively reacted. She was still half herself, half the creation of his power—a Foundation Establishment treasure, her memories fragmented, her skills half-formed. But the power in her surged through her jade body, familiar yet foreign, as the Qi within her roared to life. Her palm curled into a fist, igniting with otherworldly light. She gathered her strength and punched the sky, where the thunderous Qi of the tribulation raged against her.
"Shine~" Lian Xue's voice resonated as her fist, blazing with incredible energy, tore through the air. Her power was unstable, caught between destruction and creation, but it was potent enough to contend with the wrath of the tribulation.
"Ten Sacred Swords!!!" Fang Lee bellowed as he thrust his hands forward, and what appeared to be ten golden swords shot into the sky, trailing streams of fire behind them. But the true surprise lay in the fact that the swords kept multiplying—fifty, then sixty, then a hundred, all shimmering with the might of his Foundation Qi. His Qi flowed effortlessly, no longer draining him with each creation. His Foundation Establishment gave him power beyond his former limits—he could summon far more, and they didn't drain him nearly as much.
As the tribulation lightning continued to fall from the heavens, Fang Lee's Qi swords formed an impenetrable shield around him. The deafening crashes of thunder reverberated through the air, and the storm turned savage. Stray bolts of lightning spiraled toward him, but with each attack, the Qi swords repelled the energy, sending it scattering harmlessly into the atmosphere. One bolt, however, slipped through, charging straight toward him.
Boom!
The lightning struck his makeshift shield, and with a deafening crack, it dissipated into the air, a shower of raw lighting Qi exploding in all directions. Fang Lee absorbed the energy, letting it flow into him, solidifying his cultivation further. He needed every last bit of it to face the next tribulation.
RUMBLE!! FLASH! FLASH! RUMBLE!! FLASH!
The sky trembled once more as the next wave of tribulations fell upon him. Fang Lee's aura flared, an overwhelming burst of energy rising as he gritted his teeth, preparing for the onslaught. His Qi surged, ready to redirect the power of the storm.
"Lian Xue!!! Go all out!!! White Crane's Counter!!!" Fang Lee shouted, his voice filled with iron will. The storm in the sky responded as five new tribulation bolts fell, faster and more furious than before. But Fang Lee had prepared for this moment. He used up half his Qi to summon more then one hundred golden swords, bringing the total number of his blades to a staggering two hundred and forty-six.
As the swords rose into the air, each one surrounded by a white Qi aura, they glowed with an intense, purifying light. Flames swirled around the blades, adding even more might to the already dangerous storm. The inferno around him reached new heights, growing more uncontrollable as the tribulation surged forward.
Each sword was a radiant beacon of power, and Fang Lee grinned through the chaos. This was the true power of Foundation Establishment— the ability to shape the battlefield itself