Chapter 42: Breakthrough, Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment!

After a night of cultivation, Lin Fan had completely refined all the accumulated backlash cultivation.

Within his dantian, his magical power surged like an endless sea, flowing unceasingly.

Compared to the early stage of Foundation Establishment, it was nearly twice as dense.

His spiritual sense had also expanded further, rendering every blade of grass and tree around him in vivid detail.

He felt his five senses become much sharper, able to even catch the faint rustling sound of bamboo leaves in the distance.

Mid-stage Foundation Establishment!

It was considerably stronger than the early stage.

He could clearly sense that the majestic power within his body was much more solid and formidable than before.

The amount of cultivation required to step from the early stage to the mid-stage was simply an astronomical figure.

It was vastly more than the entire Qi Condensation stage combined.

To advance from the mid-stage to the late Foundation Establishment stage?

Lin Fan shook his head.

The cultivation required for that would truly be a bottomless ocean.

Relying solely on the backlash from the few people he had helped elevate so far, accumulating enough cultivation to break through to the late stage would probably take until the year of the monkey.

"It seems I need to find a way to increase the number of people breaking through!"

Lin Fan stroked his chin, pondering silently to himself.

Just as he was thinking, a streak of spiritual light pierced the sky, racing over from afar.

Moving at extreme speed, it arrived in the blink of an eye.

Lin Fan reached out his hand, and the spiritual light dissipated in his palm, leaving a delicate paper crane to land lightly upon it.

"Good disciple, get ready. A close friend of mine has been stuck in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment for many years and needs to borrow your special constitution. Come to my residence whenever you have time!"

Ji Qingwan's magnetic voice drifted out from the paper crane.

Though soft, it clearly reached Lin Fan's ears.

Hearing this, Lin Fan's eyes lit up.

It was just as he was dozing off that someone handed him a pillow!

He had been fretting over how to increase the number of breakthroughs, and right on cue, an opportunity presented itself.

However, Lin Fan was also well aware that Ji Qingwan was certainly not doing this out of the goodness of her heart.

"This cheap master of mine is probably monetizing my ability to trade for cultivation resources!"

He sneered inwardly.

Nevertheless, this happened to align with his own desires.

What he lacked most right now was cultivation resources.

Since someone was willing to pay to let him assist in their breakthrough, he was naturally more than happy to see it happen.

As long as he had enough spiritual stones, he could rapidly elevate his own cultivation realm.

No matter how he calculated it, this was a profitable deal.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

At that moment, a soft knock sounded at the door.

With a sweep of his spiritual sense, Lin Fan knew Bai Xiyue had arrived.

She stood obediently outside the door, holding a tray on which sat a steaming bowl of white porridge and a small plate of delicate salted vegetables.

Although Lin Fan had stepped into the Foundation Establishment stage and had long since achieved penance-fasting, no longer requiring food,

having transmigrated from the Blue Star, he always felt something was missing if he didn't eat a little.

Moreover, Lin Fan was something of a foodie with a deep passion for delicious food, and it wasn't as if he lacked the conditions to enjoy it.

"Little Yue'er, come in!"

Bai Xiyue pushed the door open, her face beaming with a sweet smile.

"Since Young Master has just arrived here, ingredients are limited. I brought some simple ones from home; please make do with this for now."

"I plan to cultivate a plot of spiritual farmland right outside the courtyard specifically to grow fruits and vegetables for Young Master. After that, I will plant whatever Young Master wishes to eat."

She spoke as she placed the tray on the table.

Lin Fan nodded in satisfaction.

"Young Master, Master sent me a transmission talisman this morning. She has already selected a new immortal cave and intends to enter secluded cultivation for a period. She asked me to let you know."

Bai Xiyue added.

"Mm, understood."

Lin Fan gave a calm acknowledgment, his gaze falling upon the bowl of white porridge.

He picked up the spoon, gently scooped a spoonful, and brought it to his mouth.

The temperature of the porridge was just right; the rice grains were soft, glutinous, and sweet, carrying a faint, refreshing fragrance.

The salted vegetables were crisp and refreshing, with a moderate saltiness that paired flawlessly with the white porridge.

"Young Master, is it delicious?"

Bai Xiyue blinked her large eyes, asking expectantly.

"Mm, delicious."

Lin Fan nodded.

After finishing the meal, Lin Fan stepped out of the door.

With his hands behind his back, he strolled leisurely along the winding path through the bamboo forest, looking completely relaxed and at ease.

Lin Fan was heading toward Ji Qingwan's residence.

The bamboo forest was tranquil; a gentle breeze swept past, causing the bamboo leaves to rustle.

Lin Fan strolled through it in a rather pleasant mood.

Little did he know, a slender and graceful female figure was hiding deep within the bamboo forest, following closely behind him at an unhurried pace.

This person was none other than Bai Jie, who had suffered a setback in Lin Fan's room last night.

Today, Bai Jie had changed into a pale cyan dress, which accentuated her graceful and curvaceous figure even more.

She was employing an extremely advanced breath-concealing technique, completely masking her presence.

Her entire person seemed to blend seamlessly with the surrounding bamboo forest.

Even with Lin Fan's powerful spiritual sense, he failed to detect that this woman was secretly tailing him for the moment.

All the way to Ji Qingwan's residence.

The moment he stepped inside, a graceful figure glided forward to greet him.

Lin Fan felt his vision blur as a person was already right in front of him.

A faint, refreshing fragrance washed over him, invigorating the mind and spirit.

Ji Qingwan's face was wreathed in smiles, her voice carrying a trace of hard-to-conceal excitement.

"You're here. Here are the spiritual stones I promised you!"

As she spoke, Ji Qingwan extended her delicate wrist.

In her fair, slender hand was a storage pouch.

Lin Fan stood on no ceremony, reaching out to take it.

With a sweep of his spiritual sense, he confirmed there were exactly five hundred spiritual stones inside, neither more nor less.

"I've also prepared everything else; success is guaranteed!"

Ji Qingwan's bright eyes blinked, her lovely face full of smiles.

She turned and walked toward the inner room.

Lin Fan followed closely behind her.

Watching Ji Qingwan's slender, willow-like waist that could be spanned with a single grasp,

and her plump, uptight hips swaying gracefully with every step,

Lin Fan's gaze was involuntarily drawn in.

He sighed inwardly.

The cultivation techniques of the Joyful Union Sect truly lived up to their reputation.

Ji Qingwan was simply a stunning femme fatale.

Lin Fan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the restlessness rising in his heart.

The two of them, one after the other, passed through a corridor and entered a secret chamber.

Inside the chamber, the lighting was soft.

The four walls were built from an unknown variety of jade, emitting a faint, luminescent glow.

In the center stood a lotus dais, carved from a single massive piece of white jade.

At the heart of the dais was a pool of clear spring water.

The spring water bubbled continuously, making a pleasant "ding-dong" sound.

Rich and dense spiritual Qi emanated from the spring water, permeating the entire secret chamber.

This spiritual Qi was several times denser than in ordinary places.

Lin Fan took a deep breath and instantly felt refreshed and clear-headed!

"What do you think of this place?"

Lin Fan nodded in heartfelt agreement: "Not bad!"

Back at the Su family, due to a shortage of cultivation resources, Su Xingyue had wanted to utilize Lin Fan's breakthrough ability to trade for cultivation resources to help Su Mei elevate her realm.

Thus, she had told Ji Qingwan that she had a Dao companion whose family possessed ancestral pills capable of helping others break through.

Ji Qingwan had attempted to break through to the Core Formation stage, only to encounter numerous flaws, ultimately uncovering the secret that Lin Fan could assist others in breaking through.

To prevent such matters from leaking, this secret chamber had been established.

"I have already sent word to my friend, claiming that I accidentally stumbled upon a miraculous spring of spiritual water."

Ji Qingwan's voice echoed in the chamber, every word reflecting careful deliberation.

"Cultivating beside this spring yields twice the result with half the effort, drastically increasing the chance of a breakthrough."

She gazed intently at Lin Fan, shrewdness flashing in her eyes.

"At that time, she will concentrate on cultivation by the spiritual spring, while you simply wait nearby, seizing the right moment to assist her breakthrough."

"That way, even if they harbor curiosity, they at most will only take some spring water back to study."

"Not a soul will ever guess that the true secret to the breakthroughs lies within you!"

Ji Qingwan was quite proud of her plan, as if she could already foresee the future.

Lin Fan, however, maintained an indifferent attitude.

He had his own calculations.

As long as the spiritual stones were plentiful, he didn't mind helping people break through.

In fact, he almost hoped that flaws would appear in Ji Qingwan's plan.

Once his abilities were exposed, the people seeking breakthroughs would probably line up in endless queues.

Just thinking about that scene made him excited.