Chapter 22: Transformation, Foundation Establishment Initial Stage!

The child born to the indolent Qu Xiaoxiao was not as talented as Li Yunlin; he also possessed a five-element mixed spiritual root. His strongest attribute, the fire spiritual root, only reached a value of 48.

However, something in the game screen caught Li Xiang by surprise.

As soon as Li Yunbing was born, Li Yaozu cradled the infant in the room without sparing a single glance at Qu Xiaoxiao, who had just finished labor. The other members of the Li family were the same; whenever they cast a glance at Qu Xiaoxiao, their expressions were filled with intrigue or even disgust.

"Yaozu, the child—let me hold the child," Qu Xiaoxiao pleaded, her eyes rimmed with red.

Li Yaozu pondered for a moment before handing the baby to her. He then said coldly, "Qu Xiaoxiao, I have treated you well all these years. Yet, time and again, you have feathered your own nest at the expense of our Li family, even stealing spiritual herbs and beast-blood fruits from our treasury to give to your brother and father."

"Once Yunbing is born, we are no longer husband and wife, and you shall have no further connection to the Li family."

"Out of consideration for our past, you may continue to reside in Zhien Village under my protection, and you may see Yunlin and Yunbing. I do not wish for them to grow up without a mother. But remember, sparing your life is already a mercy of the highest order. I only ask that you and your kin conduct yourselves with propriety."

Qu Xiaoxiao wept mournfully, "Yaozu, give me a chance. I will change; I will never dare to do it again."

"Big Brother has already given you many chances."

Li Yaowen rubbed the armrests of his wheelchair, his expression blank. "Did your family really think these actions could escape my eyes? You have gone too far. Our Li family can accept mediocrity, but we cannot tolerate betrayal and deception."

With that, Li Yaowen looked at Li Yunlin, who was standing to the side with his head bowed, and said gently, "Nephew, you are grown now, and you should know the truth."

"Yes."

Li Yunlin murmured with a sob, still keeping his head down, his eyes brimming with tears.

...

"Sigh."

Li Xiang let out a long sigh. Li Yaozu had spoken of this before the ancestral tablets, lamenting his own poor judgment in marrying such a woman and repenting for his inability to discern character in his youth.

Yet, every family has its own hardships; no one can predict how their loved ones might change.

However, Li Yaozu had handled this matter quite appropriately. Human ambition is boundless; if Li Yaozu had allowed the Qu family to act recklessly, it would likely have resulted in unbearable losses.

The only ones who truly suffered were the children, Li Yunlin and Li Yunbing.

Late that night in the game interface, Li Yunlin, who had been holding back tears all day, clutched the swaddled Li Yunbing. Bathed in the glow of candlelight, he wept before Li Xiang’s ancestral tablet.

"Great Ancestor, my mother... is a traitor!"

"From now on, everyone in the family and all our friends in Zhien Village will know that my brother and I are the children of a traitor."

"I am... a traitor's child..."

No one knows the psychological shadow a failing mother can cast upon her children. The actions of Qu Xiaoxiao and the Qu family would likely become a mark of humiliation, branded upon Li Yunlin and Li Yunbing.

[Suffering immense inner pain, Li Yunlin has gained the trait: Humiliated Self-Validation.]

[He will become insecure, mental fortitude -10%. To shed this humiliation, he will work harder than anyone else and will treat this inner shame as his bottom line. Cultivation speed increased by 20%!]

Looking at the trait on Li Yunlin, Li Xiang shook his head, not knowing how to comfort him. He immediately used "Love from the Ancestor," casting a warm light to soothe the boy. The Purple Thunder Heaven-Sun Python seemed to sense Li Xiang's thoughts, reaching out from the darkness to lick the tears from Li Yunlin’s face.

"Thank you, Great Ancestor."

In the pitch-black night, the fragile soul curled up against the Purple Thunder Heaven-Sun Python and drifted off to sleep.

***

In the days that followed, Li Xiang instructed the Li family members to take extra care of Li Yaozu’s two children. Soon, a year passed.

[Li Family Year 31: The great drought ended. The heavens were kind, bringing forth a heavy rain that gave the entire land a new lease on life!]

"Has this twenty-year drought finally ended?"

Li Xiang breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't understand why there had been a twenty-year drought—having lived on Earth, he had never witnessed such a catastrophe, only hearing stories from the refugees of Zhien Village about bones lining the roads and families trading children to eat.

On the game screen, after the rainfall, all the villagers ran out of their homes, bathing in the sweet dew after the long drought as if thanking the heavens for finally forgiving their sins, celebrating the rain.

[After three years of secluded cultivation, Li Dalong had a sudden epiphany, successfully building his foundation to become an Early-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator!]

[Your descendant has broken through to Foundation Establishment. Incense +100!]

"Hahaha, I’ve done it! Great Ancestor, your foolish descendant Li Dalong has finally succeeded!"

In the secret chamber, Li Dalong, now 51, looked at his reflection. Before his retreat, his hair had been streaked with gray, but now it was black again. The wrinkles on his face had smoothed out, and he appeared to be a resolute middle-aged man of thirty, with a complexion far fairer and more radiant than before. Even standing next to Li Yaozu, one might mistake them for brothers!

[Li Dalong]
[Realm: Early Foundation Establishment]
[Techniques: Qi Absorption, Basic Sword Art, Drifting Dragon Footwork]
[Traits: Diligent and Striving, Boar Slayer, Forest Ranger]

Breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage is a true metamorphosis. The process of "building the foundation in a hundred days" is a transformative one, cleansing the body of impurities and creating better conditions for future cultivation.

Every bone, joint, and organ is purged of impurities. While Qi Refining stage energy resides in the Ren and Du meridians, Foundation Establishment energy circulates through all the meridians of the body! Even one's spiritual roots can be strengthened as a result!

After three years of cultivation, Li Dalong’s spiritual roots had narrowed to just Gold, Fire, and Earth, with the quality of each exceeding 60.

The strength of Foundation Establishment lies in transcending the limitations of a mortal body. Cultivators gain vast reserves of spiritual energy and the ability of "Insight," allowing them to perceive the energy of others and estimate their strength. They can condense "divine sense," which goes far beyond the five senses, allowing them to perceive their surroundings in 360 degrees without blind spots. They can even perceive the "infinitesimal" and see tiny objects. Their Dantian contains "Dantian Fire," which is the key to condensing spiritual energy into a core to reach the Golden Core stage!

This is why the cultivators of the Hu and Wang families had been so dismissive of the Qi Refining cultivators when they first entered the Li family territory—the two were simply in different dimensions. It was also why they fled without hesitation when encountering the Purple Thunder Heaven-Sun Python and the War Puppet; they could sense the immense power of both.

"Our Li family finally has a true Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Li Xiang did not hesitate to bestow "Love from the Ancestor" upon Li Dalong. He considered Li Dalong the first true Foundation Establishment cultivator of the family, as Xu Cuihua didn't count—she was a beast tamer, and after bonding with the Heavenly Moon Fox, she was considered a demon cultivator.

As Li Dalong broke through, the Li family gathered to celebrate, though they kept it private, hidden from the outside world. After all, hidden strength is the true trump card.

"Thank you, Great Ancestor, for your constant help. Without you, a dull man like me could never have reached Foundation Establishment. Your grace has always been my guiding light."

After more prayers and expressions of gratitude, Xu Cuihua looked at her husband with joy. Over time, having bonded with the Heavenly Moon Fox, she had grown increasingly beautiful and even regal, making it hard to imagine she had once been a simple farm girl. "My dear, this is wonderful. With your breakthrough, our Li family is even stronger now."

"Wife, you..."

Li Dalong stared at his wife in astonishment. "Your strength..." He had known she bonded with the fox, but now he could truly sense her power—it was overwhelming. Her aura was three zhang high, while his was only two chi!

"Beast Taming Arts..." Xu Cuihua slowly explained. She hadn't wanted to tell him while he was in seclusion, fearing he might try to follow her path to Foundation Establishment, as everyone’s journey is different.

Hearing the wonders of the Beast Taming Arts, Li Dalong finally understood, filled with emotion. "So that is how it is. The Beast Taming Arts passed down by the Great Ancestor are truly extraordinary."

As he spoke, he looked at his increasingly beautiful wife and felt his heart race, his face flushing. "Wife, there are some things I’d like to discuss with you back in our room."

"You old lecher!"

Xu Cuihua gave a rare, coquettish reprimand, pulling Li Dalong into their room.

"..."

Li Xiang, watching from behind the screen, felt his face darken. He quickly switched perspectives, grinding his teeth. "If you two keep showing off your affection in front of me, I’ll bury you in separate graves—one at the South Pole and one at the North Pole!"

After steadying his mood, Li Xiang continued to watch the game. He glanced at the numbers on the right.

[Incense: 5121]

"Finally, enough."

He grinned. While the Li family was developing, he had been keeping a close eye on the incense value. Reaching 5,000 meant he had met another condition!

The screen shifted to the cellar behind the Li family ancestral hall, where a massive mechanical construct stood. He clicked on the War Puppet.

A box he had been eagerly awaiting popped up on the screen.

[To activate the War Puppet’s operating system, 5,000 points of incense are required.]
[Sufficient incense detected.]
[Do you wish to establish the connection immediately? You will be able to pilot the mech and enter combat mode!]

He had waited so long for this moment. By piloting the mech, he would finally experience the game from a first-person perspective and fight alongside his clan members!

Excitedly, he clicked—

[Yes!]