Wu Tian was in an exceptionally good mood. This journey had given him more than good fortune—it was a jackpot. Aside from the lotus residing within his sea of consciousness, he now possessed a sword that grew stronger by devouring souls, and a dragon that would serve as his guardian.
Even though the dragon claimed it was merely observing the sword, the simple fact that it lived within Wu Tian meant that should anything happen, it would inevitably protect him.
"Perhaps Senior wouldn't be angry if I fed this sword with the souls of demonic cultivators…"Wu Tian shook his head, brushing the idea aside."Forget it. For now, I should focus on breaking through to Qi Condensation."
With that goal in mind, he headed toward the nearest city to buy pills and rent an expensive inn equipped with protective arrays for his breakthrough.
At the city gate, Wu Tian donned a bamboo hat and applied a slight illusion to mask his appearance. After a brief inspection, he walked straight toward the Medicine Cloud Pavilion to acquire the pills he needed to advance from the early Foundation stage to Qi Condensation.
The moment Wu Tian stepped inside, a woman in green robes greeted him. The thin, flowing fabric traced her graceful figure like the movement of an emerald river—never vulgar, but naturally captivating. Her long green hair cascaded to her waist, shimmering like dew-lit leaves at dawn. Her clear green eyes held both calmness and insight, as if she could evaluate a person with a single glance. Every step she took carried a faint herbal fragrance, a sign of her long life amidst pills and spiritual herbs.
"Matcha…" Wu Tian murmured as he looked at the attendant before him.
"Sir, is there something we can help you with?" she asked with a gentle smile that made Wu Tian's heart tremble for a moment.
'Damn it, everyone in this world is prettier than the women in mine.' By comparison, if the women here were Elsa, then the women of his previous world were worse than Shrek.
"Young miss…" Wu Tian spoke with curiosity.
"Lu Qingyao," she introduced herself gracefully, then added softly:
"If there's anything you require, feel free to tell me. Our pavilion provides pills from the lowest grade up to Earth-tier."
Pill quality was divided into several levels:
🟢 1. Mortal Grade – 10% purity🔵 2. Profound Grade – 20% purity🟣 3. Spirit Grade – 50% purity🟠 4. Earth Grade – 70% purity🔴 5. Heaven Grade – 80% purity🟡 6. Immortal Grade – 100% purity + special effects
Earth-tier pills were rare and expensive due to their excellent purity. Heaven-tier pills were even purer, but only master alchemists with access to exclusive materials and connections could refine them. Immortal-tier pills, boasting perfect purity and unique effects, could only be obtained through sheer luck.
"Miss Lu, I'd like to purchase Spirit-grade pills to advance from the early Foundation stage to Qi Condensation, as well as several pills to strengthen my body."
Lu Qingyao listened attentively. After considering his request, she closed the price scroll and spoke gently:
"For the two minor steps within the Foundation Realm, ordinary Ascension Pills are enough. However…"She paused, her clear green eyes resting on him."…to break through to Qi Condensation, you'll need a different pill— the Condensation Core Pill. It carries far higher purity and far stronger effects. Without it, such a major breakthrough could be dangerous."
She slid the scroll toward him, pointing to a line.
"The Condensation Core Pill costs two hundred and ten Spirit Stones. Including the others, the total is six hundred and eighty low-grade Spirit Stones."
Wu Tian immediately drew out ten mid-grade Spirit Stones from his storage ring. Each tier of Spirit Stone possessed ten times the purity of the tier below it.
"Keep the change… for all of you."He emphasized all of you to avoid seeming overly attentive to Lu Qingyao.
The attendant behind her hurried off to prepare the pills, returning with a small pouch which she handed to Wu Tian.
"Sir, I advise you not to rush your breakthrough. Doing so may affect your foundation for higher realms in the future," Lu Qingyao reminded him gently.
"Miss Lu, there's no need to worry," Wu Tian replied calmly. "I've tempered my foundation for years. I believe the time is right."
He paused, looking at her with a composed yet earnest gaze.
"If I succeed… and prove that my foundation is stable, would Miss Lu be willing to join me for dinner?"
"In that case… Qingyao would humbly accompany you. May Sir truly achieve a breakthrough and solidify your foundation."Her gaze lifted slightly—her green eyes shimmering softly. Not too familiar, her brows faintly tightened, and her smile felt somewhat forced.
Wu Tian left without minding her reaction.
After choosing the most luxurious inn, he paid one hundred and twenty mid-grade Spirit Stones for a full month's stay.
Once inside the room, he prepared for his breakthrough.
Although the previous owner of the body had often been labeled "trash," his talent was actually above average. However, his younger brother was so monstrously gifted that everyone subconsciously used him as the standard. Compared to such a blinding light, the previous owner's talent seemed dim—leaving him behind, crushed, and eventually sinking into depression.
Furthermore, he had chosen to temper his Dao Heart to build his foundation.
There were two main methods to cultivate during the Foundation Establishment stage.The first was to strengthen the Dao Heart—those who walked this path needed deep comprehension and unshakeable will. The firmer their Dao Heart, the faster and stronger their foundation, sometimes even awakening special abilities that made them far stronger than most cultivators in Foundation Establishment or Qi Condensation.
Though this method sounded impressive, it was realistically only feasible for stubborn fools or protagonists blessed by heaven. And even if it offered temporary advantages at those stages, Wu Tian didn't care. What need was there for temporary boosts when he possessed two treasures that granted permanent power?
The second method was to expand the sea of consciousness and refine spiritual power. With the Thousand-World Lotus constantly generating spiritual energy and widening his inner sea, Wu Tian was confident he could easily break through to Qi Condensation.
Inside the Sun-Essence Chamber, the Qi-absorption array slowly activated.A thin mist of spiritual energy filled the room.
Wu Tian sat cross-legged on his cultivation mat.The first Ascension Pill dissolved in his body, releasing warm and potent energy into his meridians.
The Thousand-World Lotus rotated gently within his sea of consciousness, radiating light that calmed his mind like a tranquil lake.
Qi began to gather.
This time, the flow was wilder—denser, more difficult to control.
With the lotus' help, his spiritual power soothed the raging Qi storm.
The first Ascension Pill surged like sacred magma.
The outside world faded—sound, sight, sensation—everything vanished.
Only meridians and purified Qi remained.
CRACK—
A boundary shattered.
Foundation Middle was achieved.
The inn trembled faintly, but the isolation array contained the fluctuations.
The second Ascension Pill entered his body—far fiercer than the previous.
His meridians heated, pulsed, trembled.
If not for the lotus releasing calming waves of spiritual energy, he might have collapsed.
But this time…The lotus resonated, purifying the incoming Qi.
BOOM— BOOM— BOOM
Three key meridian points burst open simultaneously.
Golden light wrapped around him.
Foundation Peak.
Yet Wu Tian did not stop.
The Condensation Core Pill—The pill for true breakthroughs.
He swallowed it slowly.The pill's essence transformed into Qi as sharp as heavenly blades.
Qi in his dantian compressed, compressed—until it became a heavy mist.
Then the mist thickened, condensing into droplets of spiritual liquid.
The sign of true Qi Condensation.
His body trembled violently.A weaker mind would have lost consciousness.
But the Thousand-World Lotus fully bloomed.
Its petals shone brilliantly, swallowing the pressure as though whispering:
"Advance."
And Wu Tian advanced.
WUUUSH—
Spiritual light pierced the sky of his inner realm.The first drop of Qi liquid formed.
A surge of newfound power exploded outward.
Qi Condensation — Early Stage.
—
When he opened his eyes, the room was silent once more.
His gaze had changed—deeper, sharper, as though able to pierce through illusions of the world itself.