Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

Chen Li rose to his feet and left the meditation room.

Outside, the sky was already faintly bright, the cool breeze of an early summer morning was gentle, bird chirps chirped, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees.

He walked to the courtyard and circulated his Zhou Heaven Gang Strength. In the next moment, it was as though an invisible layer of fierce flame ignited on his body, the surrounding air distorted, and his figure became incredibly blurred.

He lightly stamped his foot.

As if injected with high explosives, the ground shook violently, within a dozen meters the ground churned intensely, several large trees were blasted from their roots, and collapsed with a rumble.

"The power hasn’t increased much?" Chen Li thought quietly to himself.

But that was normal.

Cultivation was always a gradual process, and the difference between the first and second layers of Foundation Establishment was just a quantitative change, not a qualitative one.

"I’m now at the second layer of Foundation Establishment, which is equivalent to having Second Order Third Grade spell defense. Zhou Heaven Gang Strength’s attack is a bit weaker than its defense, but I estimate it could still exceed the power of a typical Second Order low-grade magical instrument!" Chen Li pondered in his heart.

This was the advantage of secret techniques.

They improved as one’s cultivation improved.

Unlike spells, whose power was almost fixed--as his cultivation grew higher, many low-level spells had become superfluous and could not keep up with his pace.

"Ah, I really want to find a mid-stage Foundation Establishment opponent to test myself against!" His heart was brimming with eagerness.

However, no sooner had the thought surfaced than he suppressed it with reason and dispelled it into nothingness.

Keeping a low profile was the key to living long in this world.

"Husband!" Zhang Shuniang came out.

"Did I wake you just now?"

"No, I was about to get up anyway. I’ll make breakfast for you."

"Mm!"

His breakthrough had happened quietly, unnoticed by others, and Chen Li had no intention of making it public. Zhou Hong was still at the seventh layer of Qi Cultivation, and after Zhang Shuniang’s breakthrough to the sixth layer, she too had hit a plateau, with no telling how long it would take for her to enter the later stages of Qi Cultivation.

The talent of ordinary people was generally like this, and perhaps they wouldn’t have a chance at Foundation Establishment in their entire lives.

He sighed deeply.

And continued to test the changes brought about by his second layer of Foundation Establishment.

...

In the following days, Chen Li stayed behind closed doors every day, sitting in meditation and Qi Cultivation, working hard to stabilize his realm.

Seven days later.

Chen Li checked his game panel.

"Realm: Foundation Establishment Second Layer: 2/100"

"One progress in seven days? It’s slower than the one progress in six days at the Foundation Establishment first layer... To reach the third layer, it’ll take about two years," Chen Li calculated in his heart:

"With this trend of progression, I estimate that I should be able to reach Foundation Establishment Completion within fifty years."

Fifty years later.

He would only be a hundred years old.

Compared to a lifespan of nearly three hundred years, only one-third would have passed.

That’s like being in one’s early thirties for a mortal.

He would still be in his prime, at the peak of his youth, in his established years.

"By then, I won’t need to be so cautious anymore. The vast world will be mine to traverse freely."

The wild west was just a remote region.

And the Returning True realm was even more of a frontier within the frontier.

"I wonder what the human hinterlands are like, they must be incredibly prosperous!" Chen Li imagined all sorts of things, standing up.

Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he decided to test the effects of his recent practice of the Immortal Muscles Jade Bones Skill.

He first used a Hemostasis Healing Skill on himself.

Then, he made a sudden move, punching towards the stone wall. His form was like a phantom, and there was a faint sound of a sonic boom.

He hadn’t dared to use too much force, only applying fifty percent of his strength.

With a "boom!" there was a loud noise.

Broken stones splattered everywhere.

The wall had a large hole punched into it, thirty to forty centimeters wide.

At the same time, his arm broke with a snap, his right hand was dripping with blood, and was a blurry mess.

"Hiss, the bone strength is still far from enough!"

With his intact left hand, he carefully felt for the broken arm, setting his bone despite the pain that caused him to break into a cold sweat. Then he took a piece of torn cloth from his storage bag to tie up and secure the broken arm, quietly waiting for it to heal:

"Ah, I really brought this on myself!"

A full thirty minutes passed before the broken bones healed completely.

At this moment, he felt the token of control for the formation in his chest give a slight tremble.

He knew someone had come to visit.

Chen Li used a Cleaning Skill to remove the bloodstains from his body and tidied up his appearance before getting up and walking out of the meditation room.

The visitor was Guo Xingquan. Chen Li deactivated the formation and welcomed the person into his cave dwelling.

Guo Xingquan was all smiles, obviously in a good mood: "Fellow Daoist, why don’t you plant some Spirit Grass or Spirit Flowers in your cave dwelling? Though the annual harvest is small, it’s still an income."

Chen Li saw Guo Xingquan’s happy expression, which clearly meant he had advanced to the second layer of Foundation Establishment: "I’m really too lazy to manage them."

The courtyard of his cave dwelling was his usual practice area. How could he waste it on planting Spirit Grass or Spirit Flowers? The annual income of ten or twenty Mid-grade Spirit Stones was not something he valued.

"I must congratulate you on successfully advancing to the second layer of Foundation Establishment," Chen Li said with a smile.

"Hahaha, I can’t hide it from Fellow Daoist. I just broke through to the second layer of Foundation Establishment the other day! Ah, the difficulty of cultivating Foundation Establishment, I’ve come to realize, just the second layer alone took me nearly ten years!" Guo Xingquan’s face was full of smiles:

"Fortunately, the Returning True Skill emphasizes accumulating a broad base for a future breakthrough. I heard the toughest part is the first layer, and afterward, it should get considerably easier!"

"Fellow Daoist has finally tasted the sweetness after the bitterness!" Chen Li said with a laugh, joining in the conversation.

"Hahaha, Fellow Daoist has been at Foundation Establishment for three years now. I guess it’s almost..." Guo Xingquan was mid-sentence when he suddenly stared intently at Chen Li, feeling the faint overflow of spiritual power around him, clearly a sign of a recent breakthrough. He couldn’t help but show a shocked expression:

"Hiss, you...you’ve advanced as well."

"Uh, yes!" Seeing the surprised look on Guo Xingquan’s face, Chen Li felt a little embarrassed: "I didn’t mean to keep it a secret from you."

Guo Xingquan’s smile became somewhat forced, although he knew the other party didn’t want to strike a blow to his pride, he still felt a mix of emotions: "Understood, understood. You truly have an amazing talent, Fellow Daoist."

Chen Li quickly made a few more modest remarks.

...

After seeing off a somewhat depressed Guo Xingquan.

"Why did he leave so soon? He didn’t even take a sip of tea." Zhou Hong came over to clean the table and asked curiously.

"He probably had something urgent to attend to!" Chen Li said helplessly.

Zhou Hong handed over an invitation, her face showing a hint of envy: "Here, Gu Mengqing brought it over this morning. After delivering the invitation, he left, and we couldn’t persuade him to stay. He just had a big fat son and came over to invite us to the baby’s one-month celebration."

Chen Li took the invitation, opened it, and said with some surprise: "When he came over during last year’s festival, he didn’t mention this at all."

Gu Mengqing was much older than him, already a little old man. It was unexpected that near the end of his years, he would have a child bloom like an old tree bearing fruit.

"He had just become pregnant during the festival, the bump wasn’t showing yet, and it’s considered bad luck to talk about it," Zhou Hong said with a smile.

...

That afternoon, Chen Li visited the scripture library.

The Spells for the second layer of Foundation Establishment were also limited to three, specifically: Call the Wind and Summon the Rain Spell, Resurrection Skill, and Earth Escape Skill.

Call the Wind and Summon the Rain Spell: This spell triggers changes in the weather and is quite complex and cumbersome to activate, lacking significant power.

Resurrection Skill: Revives the residual soul of a corpse, allowing it to come back to life temporarily. After the spell ends, the subject will die completely.

Earth Escape Skill: As the name suggests, it is used to escape through the earth.

Chen Li chose only the Earth Escape Skill, planning to study it leisurely.

As one reached higher levels of spellcasting, the cost-effectiveness ratio dwindled.

Spells and incantations became increasingly complex, and the long activation time made them impractical for combat. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Chen Li’s enthusiasm for learning new spells had greatly diminished, but the Earth Escape Skill was indeed an excellent technique for saving one’s own life.

When out and about, facing danger, one could simply burrow into the ground to avoid most perils.

...

One month later.

Luoluo City.

"Big brother, big sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, please come in quickly!" Gu Mengqing and his wife greeted them with beaming faces, delighted to see Chen Li’s family in person, feeling honored by their presence.

It was not common for a Loose Cultivator to invite a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Today is your child’s full-month celebration, a day of great joy; let’s skip these formalities." Following local custom, Chen Li gave a few words of blessing to the child, then presented a Jade Pendant-shaped magical artifact:

"This Jade Pendant has the effects of warding off evil, calming the spirit, and protecting the body. Remember to have your child wear it at all times."

Gu Mengqing gratefully accepted it, recognizing it as a high-grade magical artifact.

It was truly a generous gift.

Gu Mengqing’s friends, who had come to attend the full-month celebration, also came forward to pay their respects.

Zhang Shuniang’s lips curled in a smile, her gaze never straying from Chen Li’s side. In harmony with Chen Li, she had shed her girlish naivete in less than a year, becoming fully the picture of a newly married woman, ever more radiant and beautiful.

"This little one is even smiling at me, not at all shy. May I hold him?" Zhou Hong teased the child and said to Gu Mengqing’s wife.

"How can you say that, sister-in-law? The child makes a fuss at night and is only calm during the day," Gu Mengqing’s wife replied with a laugh, handing over the child to Zhou Hong.

Zhou Hong carefully took the baby into her arms, her face forming a motherly smile: "This child really looks like you, just look at his eyes and brows; he’s the spitting image."

"If he looked like that old man of mine, that would be quite something," Gu Mengqing’s wife said jokingly while keeping a close eye on the baby.

Gu Mengqing didn’t have many friends.

They only prepared two tables.

Chen Li and his group occupied one table, with Gu Mengqing and his wife personally attending to them.

The rest were at the other table.

Perhaps because a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Chen Li was present, the atmosphere was a bit tense, and they couldn’t really liven up the place.

...

In the evening, after returning home.

"What’s wrong, you look like you’ve lost your soul." Chen Li saw Zhou Hong sitting on the bed, lost in thought, and couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Let’s have a child!" Zhou Hong suddenly said softly: "I’m not getting any younger. In a few years, I’ll have crow’s feet, while you remain ever youthful. I don’t want to end up alone in old age."

Chen Li hesitated for a moment, his heart suddenly filled with complex emotions. He sat by the bed and took her hand:

"What are you fussing over? You’re not old at all. Even if you grow old one day and lose all your teeth, I’ll still be by your side... If you want to have children, then let’s have them. When the time comes, we’ll have seven or eight of them; it’s not like we can’t afford it."

"Stop teasing! How could cultivators have so many children? I heard that it’s much more difficult for cultivators to get pregnant than it is for mortals. I don’t even know if I can have children," Zhou Hong said with a laugh, playfully hitting Chen Li.

"As they say, ’you reap what you sow.’ As long as you work hard, you’ll surely get results," Chen Li said with a smile.

Zhou Hong gave Chen Li a coquettish glance and got up to walk to the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I’m going to call Shu over!" Zhou Hong said.

What is this for?

Chen Li was confused.

Soon, Zhou Hong returned, pulling along a blushing Zhang Shuniang: "Today, you’re in for a treat."

Under the dim light of the oil lamp, with the flickering shadows, the two women, one dazzling and the other shy, were a match for any flower in their beauty.

ps: Finally rushed this in before midnight.