The Foundation Establishment Breakthrough and a Grand Heist

Bai Qiuyuan sighed as he felt the True Qi circulating from his dantian.

‘It seems I’m the only one who can see the modifier.’

‘So this is what they call True Qi?’

Bai Qiuyuan’s eyes immediately lost their luster, and he sat in his original spot, appearing to be in a daze.

Upon witnessing Bai Qiuyuan enter what seemed to be a state of enlightenment, Lin Ziya quietly retreated to the side, careful not to disturb him further.

“Senior Sister, didn’t you say he had no spiritual root?”

Sun Ning approached Lin Ziya, asking in a hushed tone.

After a moment of silence, Lin Ziya replied.

“Since it’s a mutated spiritual root, it’s understandable that it would differ somewhat from an ordinary one.”

Having said this, all three fell into a thoughtful silence, tacitly accepting her explanation.

After all, a mutated spiritual root was a rarity, appearing perhaps in one out of every hundred thousand individuals; even in the Upper Realm, few had ever witnessed such a phenomenon.

Let alone the three of them.

Consequently, none of them had ever truly seen a mutated spiritual root, making it impossible to ascertain if Bai Qiuyuan’s current state was a normal occurrence.

“Senior Sister, do you know of any families in the Upper Realm with the surname Bai?”

“This child’s talent and financial resources suggest he could never be from an ordinary family.”

Zhou Meng inquired.

Lin Ziya replied, “No, I’ve never heard of a family named Bai in the Upper Realm.”

A quarter of an hour later.

Once Bai Qiuyuan felt his comprehension of True Qi was complete, he emerged from his state of enlightenment.

‘I never expected breaking through to Foundation Establishment to cause such a commotion.’

‘During the Qi Condensation stage, there was hardly any disturbance at all.’

Bai Qiuyuan glanced at Lin Ziya and the other two, only to find they had finished their meal and were now seated cross-legged on meditation cushions, seemingly pulled from thin air, cultivating diligently.

Perhaps spurred on by Bai Qiuyuan’s breakthrough, the three cultivated with exceptional earnestness, not even noticing his awakening immediately.

‘In the future, I should try to break through in secluded places, away from others.’

Bai Qiuyuan raised his hand, forming a sword-finger gesture.

Immediately, a tangible, dark purple strand of True Qi, like a transparent silken ribbon, coiled and danced around Bai Qiuyuan’s fingertip, appearing incredibly supple.

As Bai Qiuyuan playfully manipulated the True Qi at his fingertip, he mused with curiosity.

‘With careful control, True Qi can transform from the intangible to the tangible.’

‘Does that mean I could use True Qi to envelop objects, allowing me to retrieve them from a distance, or even control a sword with it?’

Bai Qiuyuan’s gaze then fell upon his cup on the table, intending to experiment.

Dispelling the True Qi from his fingertip, Bai Qiuyuan formed a grasping motion with his hand, aiming it at his tea cup on the nearby table.

“Come.”

Bai Qiuyuan uttered softly.

The next second, several ribbon-like strands of True Qi shot forth from Bai Qiuyuan’s palm!

They firmly enveloped the teacup, drawing it steadily into Bai Qiuyuan’s hand!

As the True Qi covered the cup, it also sealed the rim, ensuring not a single drop of tea spilled.

Bai Qiuyuan grasped the teacup, took a small sip, and mused.

‘It seems feasible, but there’s considerable room for improvement.’

“Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Bai, on breaking through to Foundation Establishment!”

Lin Ziya was the first to notice Bai Qiuyuan’s awakening; opening her eyes to see him calmly sipping tea, she rose and bowed with cupped hands, offering her congratulations.

While Lin Ziya herself was somewhat spirited, she understood clearly that…

Despite Bai Qiuyuan’s young age, he was now a genuine Foundation Establishment cultivator!

Consequently, Lin Ziya shed her previous casual demeanor, treating Bai Qiuyuan entirely as her peer.

Yet, in Lin Ziya’s heart:

‘Ah!!! An eight-year-old Foundation Establishment cultivator! I desperately want to abduct him into our sect to be my junior brother!’

Bai Qiuyuan, unfazed by the change in address, returned a polite smile and chuckled.

“Thank you.”

Zhou Meng and Sun Ning, cultivating nearby, soon emerged from their meditation as well.

After storing their meditation cushions in their storage pouches, the three gazed at the successfully established Bai Qiuyuan, lost in wonder for a long moment.

“Speaking of which, Senior Sister Ziya, where do you three plan to go next?”

Bai Qiuyuan inquired.

Hearing Bai Qiuyuan still willing to call her “Senior Sister Ziya,” Lin Ziya paused in surprise, then smiled as she explained.

“We came to the Imperial City to heal one of its princesses.”

“This Imperial City annually pays tribute to our sect, and in exchange, we are obligated to offer assistance once a year whenever the Imperial City requires our help.”

“Of course, we cultivators generally do not readily interfere in the wars of mortals.”

Bai Qiuyuan nodded after listening, refilled his teacup, and then asked.

“Could you elaborate on some common knowledge about cultivation for me?”

Half an hour later.

“Well then, little brother, we’ll bid you farewell here!”

Lin Ziya laughed, bending down to ruffle Bai Qiuyuan’s hair.

The solemnity that had marked her demeanor after Bai Qiuyuan’s breakthrough was now entirely gone.

Bai Qiuyuan, meanwhile, maintained a poker face.

Because… Bai Qiuyuan truly had no idea what expression he should be making at that moment!

After all, he was essentially a grown man in his twenties!

To have his head patted at twenty-something was utterly humiliating, yet his practice of the Quieting Heart Art forced his inner self to remain as still as tranquil waters!

“Perhaps I could accompany you to the imperial palace? I might be able to offer some assistance.”

Bai Qiuyuan asked.

Lin Ziya smiled upon hearing this.

“No need; this is a trial assigned to us by the sect. How could we trouble you, little brother?”

Bai Qiuyuan nodded.

“Oh, right, little brother, take this token. Should you ever come to the Upper Realm, you can use it to find me at the Sword Pavilion (TL Note: A sect or location name).”

Lin Ziya chuckled, extending a red ancient jade token inscribed with her name, Lin Ziya, towards Bai Qiuyuan.

Bai Qiuyuan took the token and smiled.

“I understand.”

Seeing Bai Qiuyuan’s gentle, spring-breeze-like smile, Lin Ziya immediately stepped forward, flung her arm around his neck, and unceremoniously ruffled his hair into a mess!

“Ah! Little brother, you’re absolutely adorable!”

“With a face like yours, who knows how many young maidens will fall for you when you grow up!”

Bai Qiuyuan forced a wry smile of helplessness.

‘Senior Sister Ziya truly is unconventional.’

‘Have I been assimilated by spending too much time talking with these people?’

‘Why do I subtly feel like my speech has become overly refined?’

After Lin Ziya and her companions departed, Bai Qiuyuan, while tidying his ruffled hair, mused to himself.

‘After an hour (half a shichen (TL Note: A traditional Chinese unit of time, equal to two hours, so half a shichen is one hour)) of conversation, I finally have a rough understanding of this world.’

‘The so-called Upper Realm seems to harbor many powerful cultivators… I should find a place to improve my cultivation before heading there.’

‘Come to think of it, I still haven’t figured out where I’ll stay tonight… Perhaps an inn?’

Bai Qiuyuan pondered, troubled.

Evening.

On the Imperial City’s streets.

Bai Qiuyuan walked along the street, his arms laden with various packaged snacks and desserts.

Although Bai Qiuyuan’s face remained expressionless at this moment, the glimmer in his eyes betrayed his true feelings.

‘This is incredibly delicious… The snacks in this world are surprisingly tasty!’

‘This world has no food additives; almost everything is handmade!’

‘Though a bit rough compared to modern standards, it’s genuinely delicious!’

‘The fruits are also wonderful!’

‘Am I dreaming?’

At this moment, Bai Qiuyuan had completely forgotten about finding a place to stay.

Suddenly, Bai Qiuyuan inadvertently caught sight of a young girl, roughly his age, who, as she passed an alleyway, was instantly seized by a pair of large hands, her mouth covered, and dragged into the dim passage.

People bustled by, and the girl had no companions; apart from Bai Qiuyuan, it seemed no one else noticed the little girl’s disappearance.

Bai Qiuyuan: “…”

Night, in the main hall of a mountain stronghold deep within the mountains.

“Boss! Today we captured Wen Zhenping (TL Note: A wealthy man in the city)’s youngest daughter, Wen Ningyu (TL Note: The wealthy man’s youngest daughter)!”

“Once we get the ransom, it’ll be enough for us to live comfortably for several lifetimes!”

A dark-skinned man in his twenties, dressed in hemp clothes, grinned at a burly, muscular man seated on a tiger-skin-draped stone throne.

“Well done!”

The burly man chuckled.

“But Boss, she is a daughter of the Wen family after all. What if the rich man spends a fortune hiring people to hunt us down later?”

The subordinate then voiced his concern.

“Why panic? I’m a peak seventh-rank master!”

“In the entire pugilistic world, even an eighth-rank master might not be able to defeat me!”

“Furthermore, our mountain stronghold is famously easy to defend and difficult to attack!”

“As long as we stay in these mountains, even the old emperor of the Imperial City can’t touch us!”

The burly man declared confidently, then raised his wine cup high and burst into hearty laughter.

“Tonight, everyone drinks to their heart’s content!”

Upon hearing this, the bandits all laughed and began to feast and drink heartily.

Creak~

The heavy door of the mountain stronghold’s main hall was pushed open from the outside.

It was deep winter, and the cold night wind howled incessantly outside.

The moment the door opened, a blast of icy wind instantly swept into the hall.

Many, feeling the biting cold on their faces, sobered slightly from their drunken stupor.

“Eighth-rank? Qi Condensation eighth layer?”

Immediately after, a youthful voice echoed through the hall.

Everyone turned their gaze towards the entrance.

Standing at the doorway was a boy of remarkably beautiful appearance, clad in luxurious fur robes, with long black hair!

The cold wind, carrying flecks of snow, whipped at Bai Qiuyuan’s robes and fur collar, leaving everyone who saw him stunned in their places.

The boy calmly pulled out a string of candied hawthorn from his sleeve, unhurriedly unwrapping its paper packaging, completely disregarding the bewildered bandits.

“Where did this little brat—”

The burly man’s words caught in his throat halfway, his mouth gaping as he stared blankly at the doorway.

A black, ancient longsword flew out from behind the boy, hovering steadily by his right side.

The newcomer was, naturally, Bai Qiuyuan.

Bai Qiuyuan calmly put away the candied hawthorn wrapper, took a bite of the snack, and only then looked up again at the burly man on the tiger-skin stone throne.

Upon seeing this, the burly man instantly cried out in terror.

“It flies! A spirit sword! Ninth… above ninth-rank!”

“You’re a Sword Immortal! (TL Note: In the mortal realm, ‘Sword Immortal’ is the title for all sword masters above ninth-rank.)”

Hearing these words, all the bandits sat frozen in their spots, daring not to move.

Bai Qiuyuan then looked at everyone with a benevolent smile and said.

“This is a robbery!”

Everyone: ??

“Leader, hand over your mountain stronghold and all your subordinates.”

“From now on, this mountain stronghold… will bear the surname Bai!”

Everyone: ??????!

In an instant, the boisterous hall from just a minute ago became so silent that a pin drop could be heard.

‘No, great one! You’ve already cultivated to become a Sword Immortal! Why would you come to rob our small mountain stronghold? What do you gain from it!?’

‘This is the first I’ve heard of robbing bandits, and taking their stronghold and people too!’

‘I must have drunk too much; I’m hallucinating.’

Bai Qiuyuan looked at the crowd, then smiled as he grasped his sword hilt and walked into the hall.

“From now on, you’ll be working for me!”

“Before that, I need to help you sober up.”

Bang!

Bai Qiuyuan slammed the main hall’s door shut with True Qi.

Immediately after, the wails of the bandits echoed throughout the entire mountain!

The next day.

Inside the city.

Everyone in the streets and alleys was wildly spreading a piece of news.

“Have you heard? The chiefs of all the mountain strongholds outside the city were robbed!”

“Bandits got robbed??? No wonder I kept hearing screams from the mountains last night while trying to sleep.”

“What did the bandits have stolen?”

“…Their mountain stronghold.”

“What?!”

“I heard the one who robbed them was a Sword Immortal.”

“??”

“Now the Sword Immortal is the chief bandit.”

“Who told you that?”

“Old Master Wen… the second aunt from his kitchen heard it from his third young lady.”

“…”