Chapter 36: Whispers of Divine Foundations

Snow fell in soft, endless flurries, graceful as falling cranes, while a brisk breeze swept swiftly into the sleeves.

In Tingyu Alley, no rain could be heard – only the gentle, continuous murmur of falling snow.

Li Che’s gaze burned with intensity, his heart pounding like a war drum.

He raised his hand, and the divine essence amassed by Pure Heart shimmered in his palm with a hazy white glow, distorting the wind and snow.

“Joy, anger, worry, contemplation, sorrow, fear, and astonishment – these are the seven divine emotions. The Divine Essence Technique is born from them, splitting into branches that forge one’s divine foundation.”

“Then how can I forge a divine foundation from the immaculate divinity condensed by Pure Heart?”

“Flawless and pure as a blank canvas – could it be transformed like a painting to evolve into any chosen divine foundation? Or even, might it be used to create not just one, but multiple divine foundations?”

Ideas surged like wildfire, his ambition igniting in a fierce, all-consuming blaze!

But all this…

were merely Li Che’s speculations.

With only a rudimentary grasp of divine essence, Li Che couldn’t fathom the exact method.

And once he hit a dead end, he simply stopped trying to figure it out.

After all, he had yet to truly engage with the Divine Essence Technique. When the opportunity arose, he planned to analyze it slowly – or even attempt to devise a method to forge an immaculate divine foundation.

Of course, it was challenging; but no matter how arduous, any chance at a divine foundation was better than none.

At that thought, Li Che felt an immediate sense of relief.

“Nurturing my nature with Pure Heart… that is what I must devote myself to now.”

Li Che rose to his feet; as his qi and blood surged, he roared like an enraged dragon. Snowflakes melted, their vapor rising in a shimmering haze.

His eyes gleamed with clarity as his thoughts raced.

“Right… the Dragon Elephant Vajra can absorb divine essence to speed up progress. Could I use the divinity gathered by Pure Heart to bolster the Dragon Elephant Vajra?”

Could it be like mutual reinforcement among Dao Fruits?

The idea was tempting, but using the divine essence nurtured by Pure Heart to empower the Dragon Elephant Vajra would surely slow his own cultivation—a counterproductive trade-off.

“So perhaps a burst of aid during a breakthrough is acceptable. On normal days, I’ll simply refine my skills using the martial talents granted by the Dragon Elephant Vajra.”

“If one can forge a divine foundation, they’ll undoubtedly rank among the elite of Feilei City, whether from the Inner or Outer City!”

Forging a divine foundation is of utmost importance…

Li Che never forgot the words once spoken to him by Xu You.

After all, a divine foundation is the beginning of immortality.

After stretching and hearing his bones creak, Li Che felt exceptionally buoyant.

Leaving the courtyard, he strolled along Long Street, planning to pick up some aged rice wine and slices of braised meat—a perfect pairing for the evening.

Old Chen and Xu You were known for showing up daily to scrounge a meal and drink, so Li Che always kept some snacks at the ready.

…

…

High above, clouds and snow danced in the wind.

Outside Feilei City,

a modest carriage swayed and jostled, breaking through the biting wind and snow as it rolled into the city.

“Old man, we’ve reached Feilei City.”

The coachman pulled the carriage over to the roadside, rubbed his hands, and called into the cab.

As the curtain lifted, two figures emerged.

An elderly man, his face etched with lines like ancient tree bark, wore a thick coat with two long, drooping eyebrows.

Beside him stood a mischievous child of about five or six, his hair tied into twin braids reminiscent of Nezha.

From his sleeve, the old man produced several large Dajing bronze coins and handed them to the coachman. The coachman weighed them, then shot a warning glance at the little one, “Old man, be sure to keep a close eye on this kid. In Feilei City, it’s all too easy to lose a child.”

The old man chuckled and bowed respectfully.

Without further word, the coachman drove the carriage away.

“Master, we arrived in Feilei City a year early. Won’t that break the rules?”

The child looked up at the old man in puzzled inquiry.

The old man stroked his beard and shook his head slightly, “Rules? Dajing is in decline—what rules remain? Besides… on our journey, I noticed that the divine essence of the Bizarre Temple outside Feilei City has grown stronger, and demons are running amok. In a year, the city might even close its gates.”

The child gasped, “Huh? Is it really that bad?”

“Though Feilei City is small, it hosts many illustrious families and no shortage of cultivators forging divine foundations… a collapse in a year does seem extreme, doesn’t it?”

Glancing at the child, the old man said, “Lu Chi, do you really think your master would lie to you?”

“Using the sect’s Divination of Essence, the Bizarre Temple outside the city is classified as a ‘Ten-City Bizarre Temple.’ In a year, it could even be promoted to ‘Nine Luminaries’…”

“With the current strength of divine essence cultivators in Feilei City, even a Ten-City-level Bizarre Temple can be managed. But once it ascends to the Nine Luminaries level, even those with divine foundations or innate meridians might barely escape—none would be safe under a divine foundation.”

Young Lu Chi drew a sharp breath, “Feilei City has scarce divine essence and few people. How could the Bizarre Temple possibly reach Nine Luminaries?”

The old man stroked his beard, “A temple exists solely to offer sacrifices and prayers.”

“When lives, essence, and divinity are offered as sacrifice, the Bizarre Temple will naturally ascend.”

“We’ve come early to find a Spirit Child and bring them back to the sect. Let’s avoid stirring up unnecessary trouble.”

The old man instructed the child.

“Master… are we really just going to stand by? Shouldn’t we at least alert the strong ones in the city?” asked Lu Chi, tilting his head.

The old man affectionately ruffled Lu Chi’s head, “It isn’t that simple…”

“Besides, my descent from the mountain, though ordered, is meant to elude the watchful eyes of the Dajing Temple Authority by leaving most of our divine essence above. If the Ten-City Bizarre Temple erupts and a temple spirit reaches Nine Luminaries, this old man won’t be enough to handle it.”

“And if one is tainted by the temple spirit’s divine essence, it could ruin their entire path.”

“If Dajing can’t even manage itself, what chance do we stand?”

“Perhaps before disaster strikes, we should reveal our identities and guide the innocents out of the city to safety.”

The old man patted Lu Chi’s head.

“Alright, quiet down. Let me use Divination of Essence to see… how many divine Spirit Children remain in Feilei City.”

He took Lu Chi’s hand.

Raising his hand, he plucked a flake of snow and gently traced a mark before his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, his pupils shimmered with spiraling golden wheels.

He gazed upward to see four colossal divine essence grindstones suspended in the misty heavens.

“Chin Ku Zhen Gui, Fear Inducing Radiance, Xuan Si Liu Jian, Fen Nu Mi Tuo… Even in small Feilei City, there are quite a few cultivators forging divine foundations – and a great variety of them, too.”

The old man smiled softly as he observed intently.

These were common divine foundations, yet those capable of forging them possessed remarkable flair.

After all, many cultivators nurture vast pools of divine essence but never take the next step – or are driven mad by it, eventually suffering a backlash.

“Cultivators with a divine foundation are by no means weak. Don’t be fooled into thinking that a mere fraction separates you from true divinity – sometimes, even the smallest gap is an insurmountable chasm!”

Golden wheels spun repeatedly in the old man’s eyes.

He glanced toward the Inner City and nodded, “The illustrious families have gathered quite a few Spirit Children, but it seems their divine essence is scarce.”

Then, as the golden wheels turned, his gaze shifted to the Outer City, toward Xu Ji’s Wood Carving Shop, where a trace of something unusual shone in his eyes.

Under his Divination of Essence, flames leapt skyward, burning fiercely and tinting half the sky red.

“Such a fierce, domineering anger in the divine essence…”

“A Spirit Child with such potent divine essence – and yet the noble families haven’t claimed them? How odd…”

The old man was visibly astonished. Stroking his beard and calculating, he murmured, “Ah, just two years old… now it makes sense.”

“It seems this mountain descent will yield great rewards.”

The old man chuckled as he stroked his beard.

Just as he was about to dissolve the golden wheels in his eyes and end his Divination of Essence,

he paused, momentarily stunned.

He looked along Long Street at a leisurely young man carrying a bowl of braised meat and a jar of wine, humming a light tune.

And also…

the youth radiated a dazzling, pure, immaculate divine brilliance!