Chapter 164: Sheng Qingquan’s Foundation Establishment

Chapter 164: Sheng Qingquan's Foundation Establishment

The mist was barely there, almost like it wasn’t.

If not for their sharper eyesight from Cultivation training, and the rapt attention they were giving to Sheng Qingquan’s movements, they might’ve missed it entirely. The mist stayed gathered together instead of dispersing, making it even harder to notice.

It looked thinner than the steam rising from a boiling pot at home.

There was no way this could withstand heavenly lightning.

"The vine earlier was just as thin, and it managed to block the lightning. This mist will surely do the same!" someone muttered encouragement under their breath, convinced that looks could be deceiving.

Yet they still felt uneasy.

Dread of the worst outcome gnawed at them.

Those who didn’t know what the mist was couldn’t help but worry, while those in the know were worse off.

At least the vine was meant for attack, but this mist—others were clueless, but they knew better.

What seemed like mist was actually mushroom spores billowing out, shielding Sheng Qingquan above.

But mushroom spores had trippy effects—not exactly known for offensive or defensive capabilities.

How could this possibly work?

It seemed utterly incapable of enduring a single strike from the heavenly lightning.

Just as everyone's stomachs dropped, the heavenly lightning struck the mist. Many couldn’t watch, instinctively closing their eyes.

But more people forced themselves to keep their eyes glued to the scene, afraid to miss even the slightest detail.

When the heavenly lightning hit the mushroom spores and continued downward—

Despite Sheng Qingquan standing dead center below, where the lightning should have struck—

The lightning acted lost, veering away from Sheng Qingquan’s position and instead striking fiercely at the empty space beside him.

Like Sheng Qingquan was a mirage, and the patch of land it struck was where he truly stood.

Truth was, it had it backwards.

"This works?!"

Even heavenly lightning could be fooled by illusions?

Those who got it were utterly stunned.

Meanwhile, those who hadn’t understood were just pumped for the one undergoing the tribulation.

Making it through another strike was certainly worth celebrating!

But soon, the sixth bolt of lightning struck.

Sheng Qingquan pulled the same stunt.

This time, however, the heavenly lightning hesitated.

As it descended, it seemed unable to tell which side held the real tribulation-taker.

The divine lightning zigzagged unpredictably.

In the blink of an eye it took to strike, it twisted mid-air into an extended lightning bolt pattern.

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"Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd live to see divine lightning twist like a corkscrew."

It should have been a grave matter. No one had been feeling lighthearted about the situation. But now, as they watched the divine lightning, they found themselves grinning despite themselves.

Yet just as they began to relax slightly, they saw the divine lightning, after wavering left and right, stop hesitating and decisively strike the bullseye.

Bad news: Sheng Qingquan was hit.

Good news: It only grazed him.

"Ahhh! Is he okay? He’s not hurt, right?" someone smashed their face against their computer screen, wishing they could dive in and rush to the scene.

"He has to be fine, he has to succeed!" Everyone couldn’t help but pray.

They were all on edge for Sheng Qingquan.

Sheng Qingquan checked himself over and decided it was manageable.

His qi rapidly healed the injuries from the lightning strike.

There was still time to deal with the next lightning strike.

Keen-eyed observers noticed this and finally relaxed a little—though only for a moment before their hearts leapt into their throats again.

Even those who couldn’t gauge Sheng Qingquan’s injuries could now see that the wispy barrier was useless against the divine lightning.

Otherwise, Sheng Qingquan wouldn’t have been struck just now—even if it only grazed him.

If it happened again, the divine lightning would blast right through without hesitation.

Sheng Qingquan realized this too and immediately recalled every last mushroom spore.

As the seventh lightning strike descended, Sheng Qingquan had meant to endure it himself.

But the imperial seal thrummed with energy inside him.

A thought flashed through Sheng Qingquan’s mind, and he unleashed the imperial seal.

"No fucking way! What’s that? The imperial seal?!" Their superhuman vision allowed everyone to clearly see the seal’s form.

Some even noticed the inscription on the seal as it tumbled through the air.

"Are my eyes deceiving me? ‘By the Mandate of Heaven, Eternal Prosperity!’"

"Holy shit! Holy shit! So the higher-ups did come prepared. I spoke too soon—they really pulled out all the stops, even bringing out an imperial treasure!"

"Is that really the Imperial Heirloom Seal?"

"Right now, I'm torn between worrying that he might fail to survive the heavenly tribulation and achieve Foundation Establishment, and fearing that the historic treasure might not withstand a single strike from the tribulation lightning, leaving us to watch helplessly as it's destroyed. For a cultural relic enthusiast, this is just too cruel!"

"If the historic treasure is destroyed in exchange for a Foundation Establishment Master, that would still be acceptable. At least there's some gain, offering a bit of consolation."

Someone raised a terrifying possibility: "What if the historic treasure is lost, and he still fails to survive the tribulation?"

"Darn, just imagining that hurts my soul already!"

"Come on, can't you all hope for something better?"

"Quit jinxing it with that nonsense! Everything will be fine. I'm putting it out there—we're about to have a Foundation Establishment Master. In the future, he'll become a Golden Core Realm Master, a Nascent Soul Master, and even reach greater heights!"

The internet was in an uproar, but Sheng Qingquan remained focused on controlling the Imperial Heirloom Seal.

The seal orbited and danced around him, leaving countless seal marks all over Sheng Qingquan's body.

Those who had been unsure whether this was the legendary Imperial Heirloom Seal now got their answer.

The screen was filled with overlapping impressions of "ordained by heaven, eternal prosperity." If not for their sharp eyes, people wouldn't even have been able to make out the figure in the middle.

It was undoubtedly the genuine article. No one had been mistaken earlier—this was no ordinary seal.

The Imperial Heirloom Seal had proven its own identity.

A massive bolt of tribulation lightning struck down fiercely, as if venting its fury at being tricked earlier.

But in reality, Sheng Qingquan knew the tribulation lightning held no such personal emotions.

The Ninefold Heavenly Thunder grows increasingly perilous with each successive strike.

The lightning struck the jade seal’s defensive barrier.

The seals wrapped Sheng Qingquan in a golden cocoon. The thunder struck, but the cocoon only dulled slightly.

After flickering briefly, the seals regained their radiant golden brilliance.

When the eighth thunderbolt roared down, accompanied by the crisp sound of shattering glass, the crowd’s view cleared abruptly—the screen’s dizzying swarm of seals had dwindled.

Yet this was no cause for relief.

Layer by layer, the seals fractured apart.

Like an egg hitting stone, its shell cracked open.

Without the shell, wouldn’t the yolk and white spill out?

As panic crested, the crowd realized in shock that while the thunderbolt swiftly erased the seals—leaving just a thin, flickering layer around Sheng Qingquan in mere moments—

even this last barrier seemed on the verge of total collapse.

But Sheng Qingquan held on.

Because while the seals vanished fast, the jade seal stamped faster—

holding firm.

Ninth strike.

The divine lightning rolled within the clouds, hovering without striking.

"Of course, the ninth strike is the strongest. If it keeps brewing like this..." The onlookers grew more and more worried.

This was the final hurdle—just one last push. Nothing could go wrong now.

With a deafening roar, the ninth bolt of divine lightning struck down toward Sheng Qingquan.

"Faster, stamp faster!" Though aware they couldn’t help, the onlookers couldn’t help but whisper encouragement to the imperial seal.

As expected, the seal instantly produced countless imprints, shielding Sheng Qingquan tightly.

"What’s going on?!" someone blurted out.

They couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

Though some imprints had shattered, there were still plenty around Sheng Qingquan, and the seal was still adding more. He should’ve been completely unharmed.

So how had the thunder slipped past the seal’s defenses?

As they watched the lightning flicker across Sheng Qingquan’s body, their stomachs twisted with dread.

Sheng Qingquan, eyes closed, had no idea he was worrying everyone.

His entire focus was on the divine lightning.

Out of the nine thunder strikes, he’d only fully endured the first two.

Yet those two alone had already granted him immense benefits, forging his body to an incredible level.

Sheng Qingquan was confident that, in his current state, even if he went up against a mech—as long as the mech wasn’t too high-grade—he would emerge unscathed. The mech would be the one breaking apart.

A reckless idea crossed his mind as the final thunderbolt loomed.

Though the seal looked like it could stop it, what if he let just a sliver through?

He acted on the idea immediately.

To his surprise, the seal worked even better than he’d thought. It didn’t just let a trickle through—it weakened it too.

Like a filter, the seal thinned the thunderbolt into a wisp, sapping its strength.

Now, the lightning was just strong enough to refine his body, not destroy it.

It was like making candied fruit. The boiling syrup in the pot was cloyingly sweet—undrinkable as-is.

But coating a fruit skewer with a thin layer? No problem.

Here, the divine lightning was the syrup, the seal was the skewer, and Sheng Qingquan was savoring the perfect sweet-and-sour balance.

Little by little, he worked through the whole batch.

Enduring the last strike took longer than all eight before it combined.

But the rewards were immense.

Not just because of the body tempering, but also because he had achieved Foundation Establishment.

Sheng Qingquan's presence skyrocketed.

Finally, with his movements, it receded to its usual state.

Just like when he first appeared, he now looked like an ordinary person again.

Having weathered all nine heavenly tribulations, the roiling thunderclouds in the sky finally dispersed, letting a single sunbeam pierce through.

The onlookers who'd been stifled by the tribulation and overwhelmed by Sheng Qingquan's aura could finally breathe freely again.

They'd survived the ordeal!

"Did he succeed?"

"He succeeded!"

"Wonderful! The tribulation is over—congratulations on successfully achieving Foundation Establishment! Hahaha, let me catch some of that good fortune. Today is a happy day—everyone, come and claim a red envelope!"

Many erupted in celebration.

Amid the laughter, golden light washed over the land again.

But at the same time, the skies abruptly opened up.

"Spiritual rain—this must be spiritual rain!" someone shouted in sudden understanding, overjoyed.

"Heaven's bounty!"

Though he had absorbed the heavenly tribulation bit by bit, tempering his body in the process, Sheng Qingquan was still left with a web of injuries after absorbing the entire bolt.

Even through his clothes, it was clear that patches of his skin were blackened crisps.

At this moment, Sheng Qingquan looked like walking wreckage.

He resembled a cloth doll that had been tossed into a stove, scorched by flames, and then snatched back from the brink of cinders.

He looked like a project for divine tailors.

As the sacred rain touched him, Sheng Qingquan's condition visibly improved.

The charred flesh sloughed off on its own, and new skin knitted itself together over his wounds. In mere moments, he looked brand new—like a porcelain figurine fresh from the kiln.

Clean and whole once more.

The deserted training grounds were suddenly packed with people.

Humans and yao cultivators who had kept their distance earlier now rushed over at top speed.

The yao cultivators shifted into their natural shapes, shrinking in size to take up less space. Humans, unable to shrink, packed in shoulder-to-shoulder as tightly as possible.

All to ensure that as many beings as possible could fit within the zone touched by the spirit rain.

Some even cradled yao or hybrid allies in their arms.

Yet others carried mundane vessels to catch the bounty.

These are all researchers. It's rare for someone to successfully reach Foundation Establishment, and who knows when the next one will come along. Of course, they must seize the chance to collect some Spirit Rain specimens.

If they can replicate Spirit Rain later, just thinking about it makes them excited.

"Damn, freeloading *and* hoarding?" Ordinary folks wouldn’t think that far. Someone noticed their actions and couldn’t help but "criticize." The tone was dripping with envy.

Others weren’t much better.

"I wanna soak in the Spirit Rain too! Why wasn’t I there? So jealous of the people on-site!"

"I got secondhand blessings by grabbing a tycoon’s fat red envelope online—and didn’t even get one. Meanwhile, others got secondhand blessings by getting Divine Rain."

"No way, how can the difference be this huge when we’re all ‘sharing the joy’?"

"Right now, only a tycoon’s fat red envelope can barely soothe my wounded soul."

"Tsk, their greed is *way* too obvious."

"Speaking of which, getting drenched in this Spirit Rain must have tons of benefits, right?"

"No doubt. Even if it’s not as good as the previous Spirit Mist, it’s still a gift from heaven and earth. Even if the grade is different, it still counts as a rare treasure. Cultivation levels are definitely gonna rise!"

"Whether cultivation rises or not, it must feel amazing. I saw a flower spirit who was all serious before, now swaying like it’s at a rave—almost blooming on the spot to celebrate."

"Is it not blooming because it doesn’t want to?"

"Clearly, it’s afraid of getting kicked out for ‘public indecency.’ I saw it secretly pressing down its budding flowers."

"A cat spirit is already melting into a purring puddle in a human’s hands—ugh, I’d sell my soul to be that cat!"

"Not so fast, does no one think they’re taking advantage?"

"If I were there, I wouldn’t think so. But since I’m not, I think they’re scamming the system. Totally worth condemning—how can they be so shameless as humans or spirits? Zero shame whatsoever!"

"My face is thick enough, but I just wasn’t there!"

"There are already so many people on-site—one more wouldn’t hurt! What’s +1 to the crowd?"

On Tianlanxing, the whole planet was *seething*—you’d swear it was Doomsday.

Originally, the Divine Rain would fall to the ground, fertilizing the soil, except for the one who survived the heavenly trial.

But when Sheng Qingquan learned from the jade slip that such rain would indeed descend after surviving the heavenly trial, he thought the world where the jade slip came from was rolling in luxury.

Tianlanxing is just starting out—it absolutely can’t afford such waste.

What a pity if the Divine Rain just hit the ground. So Sheng Qingquan offered to *split* the rain.

If it were ordinary rain, people would’ve thought he’d lost it.

"Too many K-dramas? Inviting others to get drenched—not afraid of catching a cold?"

But since it was Spirit Rain, everyone just felt moved.

This was the main reason people paid a hefty amount of credits to witness the trial in person.

To minimize Sheng Qingquan’s losses, the authorities really charged an arm and a leg this time.

Many people scraped together all their savings and still came up short, having to sign IOUs. Some students, still young and not yet officially out of school, were already drowning in debt.

That's right, apart from the official personnel, some outstanding civilian practitioners with excellent abilities also snagged slots this time.

Though time was tight, the authorities made every effort to ensure fairness in this regard.

As long as one was top-tier, willing to pay the price, and friendly toward Tianlanxing without ill intent, anyone could have a chance at such an opportunity.

The enlightenment rain lasted only about three minutes. However, after the rain, no one was in a hurry to leave.

Some people, while standing in the enlightenment rain, unknowingly entered a state of enlightenment.

They had already gained many insights from witnessing the tribulation firsthand. With the help of the enlightenment rain, these realizations transformed into actual power boosts.

One person, whose cultivation had been stuck at a certain stage for some time, even began breaking through on the spot.

Though it was just advancing from the third to fourth level of Qi Refinement, this was already incredibly fortunate.

Every Immortal Cultivator knows how rare breakthrough opportunities are. It comes when you least expect it—and he stumbled upon it.

Without this lucky break, he might have remained stagnant for over a decade. If fate were particularly unkind, he could have been trapped forever at this stage.

Even if everything went smoothly and he broke through naturally, this still saved him a tremendous amount of time.

In short, it was a huge win.

Others had only recently advanced, leaving their foundation somewhat unstable.

Normally, they would have needed to slowly build up their cultivation.

But now, their foundations instantly solidified.

Some weren't the quickest learners, and even with the most suitable cultivation techniques, they had always struggled to grasp certain aspects.

Inspiration that had eluded them despite racking their brains now came effortlessly, like a lightbulb moment...

Witnessing these scenes firsthand, those who were already envious went absolutely wild.

"So, where’s the next person to reach Foundation Establishment? You must be my dearest friend. When you face your heavenly tribulation, you’ll definitely save me a spot to catch the enlightenment rain, right?"

"Before, when I saw people catching the enlightenment rain, I just thought they'd lost their minds. Never did I imagine I’d one day yearn to stand in the rain like this."

"The Foundation Establishment cultivator doesn’t need to be yours truly, but why isn’t the one breaking through a minor realm me either?"

"Don’t sell yourself short! Aim higher—the one who just successfully underwent tribulation is Tianlanxing’s first Foundation Establishment cultivator. We should strive to be the second! So, whoever's confident, DM me. I’ll start riding your coattails right now."

"Upstairs, you've got ambition to spare!"

...

Netizens were busy with envy and jealousy, though some found inspiration and were deep in thought.

Those on-site, meanwhile, were making the most of the afterglow. Even though the enlightenment rain had ended, they could still take advantage of the moment to cultivate—who knows, maybe they’d break through.

Sheng Qingquan wasn’t in a hurry to leave either. He stood in place, running his cultivation method to stabilize his realm.

By the time Sheng Qingquan had gotten used to his new abilities and familiarized himself with the power of the Foundation Establishment stage, he opened his eyes to find the previously packed training field nearly empty.

The livestream had ended ages ago.

Just as Sheng Qingquan was about to leave and head home to rest,

his cheat skill suddenly activated, and a new novel appeared in front of him.

"Good thing it showed up after the tribulation. If it had appeared mid-tribulation..."

The mere thought of it filled Sheng Qingquan with relief.

"Otherwise, choosing between the tribulation and the Doomsday would’ve been tough."

"More likely, I’d have failed at both."

"The lightning tribulation wouldn’t care if the world was ending. As for the Doomsday—if it’s a natural disaster, it wouldn’t delay. If it’s an enemy? They’d just attack while I’m distracted—no way they’d wait."

Sheng Qingquan imagined himself as the enemy and concluded he’d only feel lucky to strike when the target was overwhelmed.

He’d strike fast and hard, leaving no room to fight back.

The staff shuddered, picturing the scenario.

Fortunately, the timing had worked out.

"Guess Tianlanxing (the planet) and I both lucked out!"

As Sheng Qingquan mused, he cracked open the novel.

"No freaking way!"

He was stunned.

"Who attacks a new place without scouting first?"

"Or are you aliens just brainless?"

The others wondered what plot deserved such scorn.

After all, the last thing he’d called dumb was that clueless system he’d picked up.

"Okay, maybe I was too harsh."

For once, Sheng Qingquan actually felt a twinge of guilt.

Had he misread a good guy?

It wouldn’t be the first mix-up.

Sometimes, things just go sideways.

Luckily, the novel warned him—no repeats IRL.

Then Sheng Qingquan’s thoughts cut in.

"Then again, you really *are* brain-dead!"