Am I… Building Foundation?

Qin Ximo had already been gone for several days.

During these days, every day felt like a year to Cao Xueyan, afraid that something might happen to her during this time.

Starting today, Xiao Menglan began feeding Cao Xueyan the remaining innate spiritual materials.

According to the Cold Jade Dao Foundation method, the cultivator must take each spiritual material one by one in sequence before the actual Foundation Establishing step, allowing the body to slowly refine and absorb each one.

This is a gradual process.

It cannot be rushed.

If one step goes wrong, every step after will go wrong.

Today, the spiritual item Cao Xueyan took was called Water Fairy Lotus Seed, a water-aligned innate treasure.

It grows only in rivers and lakes where spiritual energy is extremely abundant.

It is a treasure countless water-type demons dream of.

For them, consuming even one or two seeds can grant spiritual wisdom and a chance to become a great demon one day.

A fully grown Water Fairy Lotus produces ten seeds.

Cao Xueyan needed nine to build her foundation.

Xiao Menglan did not know where she got this lotus, but when she brought it back, it was an untouched lotus pod with eleven crystal-like seeds embedded inside, glittering like eleven identical gemstones.

Xiao Menglan pinched each seed free with her slender white fingers.

This was delicate work, for if the seed is rubbed too hard, its medicinal essence will quietly leak away.

But to Xiao Menglan, whose hands could draw talisman patterns in the air, peeling lotus seeds was nothing difficult at all.

She held one seed and brought it to Cao Xueyan’s lips.

The moment Cao Xueyan touched the seed, she felt a cool sensation like spring water.

She lightly bit down, and the lotus seed melted like chilled sugar water, flowing into her throat.

“What does it feel like?” Xiao Menglan asked.

Cao Xueyan thought carefully and said softly, “It’s like a spoon of cold, sweet water… with a little bitterness afterward.”

Xiao Menglan nodded. “Then it is working as it should.”

“Master… have you eaten this lotus seed before?” Cao Xueyan asked in surprise.

“I may have… stolen them once.”

Cao Xueyan froze.

Her master—her master—stealing spiritual treasures?

Xiao Menglan smiled, eyes showing a hint of nostalgia.

“Your Qin Shishu is a Water Spiritual Root cultivator. When she was preparing for Foundation Establishment, our master gathered many water-type innate treasures for her. Among them was this lotus.”

“The seeds looked like skinned grapes—round and translucent. I was young then, and I thought our master brought her delicious fruit and didn’t share with me. So one night, I snuck into her cave residence and ate several.”

Cao Xueyan sat up straighter, listening intently.

“And then? Did Master find out?”

“Of course I was caught.”

Xiao Menglan smiled helplessly.

“I was punished and nearly locked in Lingyun Cave.”

Cao Xueyan gasped softly.

That punishment was extremely severe.

“Yes. It was frightening. My senior sister told me to just kneel and accept punishment. I knelt outside our master’s door for seven days. I hadn’t learned fasting back then. I nearly fainted.”

“But at the end, Master still didn’t come out.”

“Instead, my senior sister carried me home and made porridge for me.”

“Only later did I learn the truth.”

“Master did not come out because she had left the sect to find new lotus seeds for Qin Ximo.”

“Because of my foolishness, my senior sister missed the perfect time to establish her foundation and suffered backlash from the method those days.”

“I used to think my senior sister only knew how to drink and wield her sword. I didn’t know… she cherished her junior sister in her heart.”

Xiao Menglan gently rubbed Cao Xueyan’s hair.

“You said the lotus tastes like cold sweet water with a bitter aftertaste. I have remembered that flavor for a very long time.”

“There are eleven seeds. You use nine. I will save the last two… and when Qin Shishu returns, I will give them to her. I want to see whether she still remembers.”

“She acts like nothing matters, that everything is just ‘so-so’. But… sometimes, she remembers more than she says.”

While speaking, Xiao Menglan continued placing the seeds into Cao Xueyan’s mouth, one by one.

When all nine seeds entered her body, Cao Xueyan circulated the Foundation method.

The spiritual energy from the lotus gathered in her dantian like gentle, icy water.

A soft chill spread through her abdomen.

“This lotus needs time to digest,” Xiao Menglan said. “Do not rush. Follow the steps I taught you. Only when this is fully refined can you take the next spiritual item.”

Cao Xueyan blinked innocently and said, “Master… why does my dantian feel so full? It’s swelling…”

Xiao Menglan froze.

“That should not be happening.”

“It’s really swelling!” Cao Xueyan said, panicked. “My spiritual power just surged! It’s going to overflow—Master, my dantian is going to burst—!”

Xiao Menglan paled.

That should be impossible.

Her expression changed sharply.

She immediately tore open Cao Xueyan’s belt and lifted her robes, pressing her hand against her lower abdomen.

Just a breath later, Xiao Menglan’s brows tightened completely.

“No. This is wrong. The medicinal power should not have refined this fast.”

“If it continues, your dantian will burst.”

“What do we do then?!” Cao Xueyan nearly cried.

Xiao Menglan acted quickly.

“Then you must Build Foundation now.”

“But—”

“No time.”

“If we delay even one breath—your body will collapse.”

Cao Xueyan shut her eyes and began the Foundation Establishment circulation.

But the spiritual power was too violent.

Her breathing shook.

Her face was pale.

She was in pain.

Seeing this, Xiao Menglan gritted her teeth and pressed her palm to Cao Xueyan’s back.

She poured her own spiritual power into her.

This was extremely dangerous—mixing spiritual power could damage or even destroy their cultivation—but she had no other choice.

Under Xiao Menglan’s guidance, the wild spiritual power finally began flowing into Cao Xueyan’s dantian.

Slowly.

Carefully.

Like guiding a raging river into a lake.

A lotus bud formed.

A Cold Jade Dao Foundation—in the shape of an unopened lotus blossom.

A first petal quietly began to open.