Chapter 46: Late Stage of Foundation Building

Inside the Cloud Chasing Tower,
Qu Yi stood calmly, while Huai Qing sat across from him, squinting at him as if trying to uncover something about him.
“Qu Yi, tell me now—how did you survive in the lair of the Blood-Sucking Mosquitoes? And how did you hide your presence so well that even I couldn’t detect you?” Huai Qing said calmly.
With tens of thousands of Blood-Sucking Mosquitoes and a spiritual consciousness at the Yuan Ying stage, it was hard to imagine how Qu Yi had managed to evade them. Anyone would want to figure it out.
Unperturbed, Qu Yi took out the four array discs—Wind Binding Array, Wild Fire Array, Golden Thorns Array, and Storm Sand Array—and also the Hidden Dust Array disc.
“Master, this is my secret. These four array discs are all equivalent to top-grade magic artifacts. When activated at full power, they grant strength comparable to that of someone in the late Jin Dan stage. Once the Hidden Dust Array is activated, it’s very difficult for someone at the Yuan Ying stage to detect me unless they’re extremely careful. Besides, I was inside the Blood Mosquito King’s palace at that time, so your spiritual consciousness couldn’t enter either,” Qu Yi explained calmly.
There were some secrets Qu Yi could reveal without worry. These four array discs were originally crafted at Fire Marvel Peak, so they weren’t really secrets. As for the Hidden Dust Array, it had no effect on cultivators above the Yuan Ying stage, so it could be handed over without any loss.
Huai Qing waved his hand, took the four array discs, then threw them back. He glanced at the Hidden Dust Array disc but showed no interest in delving further.
“There are still two questions. How did you defeat Liu Qingfeng? And how did you refine the true essence of Master Han Yue?” Huai Qing remained calm, but his eyes sparkled with curiosity.
These two questions were likely what everyone in the Abyss of Ten Thousand Monsters wanted to know—how could a disciple in the late Qi Guiding stage defeat one in the early Jin Dan stage? How could a disciple in the late Qi Guiding stage refine the true essence of a Yuan Ying stage cultivator? Such significant secrets were bound to attract attention.
After hearing this, Qu Yi no longer hid his strength. He immediately stopped activating the “Silent Art” and revealed his cultivation at the mid-stage of Foundation Building. Of course, only the fluctuations of the metal-type true energy were visible; the other four types showed no signs of movement.
“Mid-stage of Foundation Building!” Huai Qing was shocked once again, then smiled. “I see. You have the cultivation of mid-stage Foundation Building, but you’ve been pretending to be at the late Qi Guiding stage. By striking while Liu Qingfeng was unaware of your true strength, along with those four array discs, it’s no wonder you were able to defeat him.”
Without Qu Yi needing to explain further, Huai Qing figured it out on his own.

“Master, there’s a strange kind of true energy in my body that can merge all forms of energy, including the true essence of cultivators at the Yuan Ying stage like you.” Qu Yi casually brought up Huai Qing’s second doubt.
“Really! Let me try.” Huai Qing was shocked once again and immediately sent a bit of his true essence into Qu Yi’s body.
Qu Yi, as if taking an extraordinary elixir, effortlessly refined Huai Qing’s true essence without showing any sign of pain.
Huai Qing finally believed it, as a trace of his own spiritual awareness within that bit of true essence confirmed that it had been swallowed by Qu Yi’s true energy.
With all doubts resolved, Huai Qing calmed down and continued to gaze at Qu Yi.
After a while, Huai Qing said, “Qu Yi, if you want to keep these secrets, you don’t have to return to Xianyun Sect at all. That way, you won’t have to reveal your secrets or face potential dangers in the future. What are your thoughts?”
Qu Yi knew this was Huai Qing’s real doubt. After all, the previous doubts posed no obstacle to Huai Qing’s Yuan Ying cultivation level. But this one concerned Qu Yi’s true feelings, which was what Huai Qing really wanted to understand.
“Master, it’s all because of you that I was able to embark on the path of cultivation. Without your guidance, I might have died in the mundane world. So, I’m willing to entrust my life to you. If you truly want it, I won’t regret it. Besides, I promised my senior sister that I’d return to Xianyun Sect—I won’t disappoint her,” Qu Yi said firmly.
Huai Qing was moved to the point of tears, finally feeling the warmth of being protected.
……
Qu Yi’s return spread like a storm through entire Xianyun Sect in an instant.
How did he escape from the Blood-Sucking Mosquito Nest? How did he come out of the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons alone? These questions gave the sect’s disciples plenty of room for imagination, and various rumors arose, stirring up turmoil among them.

Undoubtedly, the most enraged by the news of Qu Yi’s return were Huai Jin and Liu Qingfeng.
“How is this possible? How could Qu Yi not be killed by the Blood-Sucking Mosquitoes? Good! I’ll cultivate—I’ll personally destroy Qu Yi’s cultivation level.” Upon hearing the news, Liu Qingfeng was furious yet greatly inspired, his determination to cultivate reignited.
Huai Jin was also furious, immediately devising several schemes to frame Qu Yi. Seeing his grandson Liu Qingfeng’s resolve to resume cultivation, Huai Jin finally shed his cold demeanor and rejoiced once again.
Within the Xianyun Sect, the one most excited by Qu Yi’s return was the Elder of Skill Transmission, Huai You—after all, it was Qu Yi who saved his life. If not for Qu Yi throwing him away, he would likely have become food for the Blood-Sucking Mosquitoes.
In no time, Qu Yi’s Tingfeng Residence was bustling with people who came to visit him and inquire about various matters.
Qu Yi was straightforward—he went straight to the Zuiyun Tower and rented a room to cultivate in seclusion.
The Zuiyun Tower was the place where Sect Leader Huai Qing cultivated alone, so even those who wanted to visit Qu Yi dared not enter.
…
A year later.
Qu Yi had spent a whole year in seclusion in the Zuiyun Tower, seeing no one except Huai Qing and Bai Man. During this year, he devoted most of his time to studying formations.
The vast knowledge of basic formations taught to him by the Artifact God, he had barely scratched the surface through scanning. Even the Artifact God himself said that his research on basic formations was just a small part of the various phenomena in the universe—there were still many more basic formations for Qu Yi to explore on his own.
The stronger the foundation, the greater his achievements in formations would be. Qu Yi also realized the difficulties ahead in this path.
However, difficulties could not stop Qu Yi. He was convinced that he would achieve something significant in the field of formations.
Apart from formations, Qu Yi focused on cultivating his own Yuan Shen.
Inside his liver, the Nine Nether Sunwood had been almost completely refined, greatly aiding in the refinement of his Yuan Shen. Meanwhile, Qu Yi devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivating the five techniques—“Golden Splendor,” “Revival of All Plants,” “Unity of Water and Sky,” “Spreading Stars,” and “Vast Imperial Land”—which accelerated the refinement of his Yuan Shen.
Once his Yuan Shen was fully formed, Qu Yi reached the later stage of the Foundation Establishment phase.
Naturally, to further enhance his strength, Qu Yi remained completely still for a year, cultivating diligently.
“Qu Yi, quickly channel all your vital energy into your head, circulate it to replenish the energy consumed by refining your Yuan Shen,” the Artifact God urgently guided him.

At this moment, it was the critical time for Qu Yi to cultivate his Yuan Shen. Qu Yi immediately followed the instructions, mixing true energy within his body and directing it through various meridians all toward his head. Bang! Bang! Bang! A faint, mysterious sound emanated from Qu Yi’s soul world, followed by intense turmoil within it. The soul world, already in a misty state, was now gathering together to refine his Yuan Shen. Inside his head, all the mixed true energy was suddenly drawn away, as if swallowed by his soul. Meanwhile, the entire soul world consisted of a liquid-like mass that gradually took shape, forming a strange appearance. The body was human-like but had six heads. The largest head was at the same level as the body, while the other five smaller heads formed a circle around it. This was the appearance of Qu Yi’s Yuan Shen! “Ghosts! Monsters!” The Artifact God inside theinch world ball suddenly screamed in horror. Qu Yi’s Yuan Shen indeed had an extremely bizarre appearance. With the Artifact God’s experience, it was beyond comprehension, leaving him nothing but to express his shock through screams. At that moment, Qu Yi also used his internal vision to examine his own Yuan Shen. “This… is my Yuan Shen? It’s so ugly! I think I’d better just commit suicide.” Qu Yi couldn’t even accept it. He had originally thought his Yuan Shen would resemble him, but instead, it was a six-headed monster. “Wait, don’t be hasty. I think your Yuan Shen is likely closely related to the cultivation method you use. The large head is your main Yuan Shen, while the five smaller heads are probably related to the five internal organs,” the Artifact God quickly advised. If one’s cultivation level is water and their realm is like a barrel, then since Qu Yi had mixed true energy in his body and the five elements’ true energy in his internal organs, his Yuan Shen, which controls this energy, would naturally correspond accordingly. The large head represented the mixed true energy, while the five smaller heads represented the five elements’ true energy. This explanation made sense. Qu Yi gritted his teeth, indicating he could accept it. Seeing Qu Yi calm down, the Artifact God spoke up, “Qu Yi, congratulations! You have reached the later stage of the Foundation Establishment phase.” The formation of the Yuan Shen was the sign of reaching the later stage of Foundation Establishment! Qu Yi seemed to remember something and immediately asked with a smile, “Artifact God, I think I heard you say that once my Yuan Shen is successfully refined, you can guarantee my safety. Now, can you tell me why you said that?”