Within the cave, there is no sun or moon; the cold pond knows the passing of spring and autumn.
Ye Chen sat by the Profound Yin Spirit Spring, his mind sinking into his body. Like the most meticulous weaver, he guided the pure, ice-cold spiritual energy, washing and nurturing his cracked Dantian time and again. The Ascension Token hung on his chest, emitting a gentle glow, continuously transforming the overly overbearing Profound Yin energy from the spirit spring into more easily absorbed, peaceful spiritual energy, far more efficient than ordinary meditation.
Wang Tiechui remained unconscious, but his breathing had become steady and long. The medicinal effects of the Ice Marrow Fruit continued to work within him. The terrifying wound on his chest had already scabbed over, and new flesh was slowly growing, nourished by the ice-cold spiritual energy. The trace of Chaos Battle Body bloodline within him seemed to have fallen silent again after its eruption, but Ye Chen could feel that the thickness of his Qi and Blood was far greater than before.
Time flowed by in silent cultivation.
【Guiding Profound Yin spiritual energy to repair the Dantian, cultivation slowly improves.】
【《Basic Body Tempering Art》 Proficiency +3】
【Dantian injury repair 55%…60%…】
Ye Chen was not impatient. He knew the importance of a solid foundation, especially with his Pseudo Spirit Root and damaged Dantian. If he couldn't hone his foundation to the extreme, his future immortal path would be fraught with difficulties. He used most of his spiritual energy to repair and consolidate his Dantian, only using a small amount of scattered energy to improve his cultivation.
One day, as he was drawing in Qi as usual, when a wisp of pure spiritual energy flowed through a small, usually unremarkable meridian, the Ascension Token in his embrace suddenly emitted an unusual warmth.
At the same time, the system panel in his mind, which had always been calm, autonomously displayed a new, more complex, and profound Qi circulation route diagram. Its origin was precisely that small meridian!
【Detected Host's spiritual power circulation touching the 'Hidden Meridian', condition met, unlocking 《Basic Body Tempering Art》 hidden advanced cultivation method - 《Primordial Dao Foundation Chapter》（Partial）.】
【《Primordial Dao Foundation Chapter》: An ancient Qi Practitioner's method for honing the foundation. Extremely high cultivation difficulty, requires using a special Qi circulation route to connect all hidden meridians throughout the body. It can forge an supreme Dao Foundation, greatly enhancing spiritual power quality and capacity, and compensating for insufficient Spirit Root aptitude.】
Primordial Dao Foundation!
Ye Chen's heart pounded! This was actually a method specifically designed to compensate for aptitude deficiencies and forge a supreme foundation! No wonder it was called "Heaven Rewards Diligence." The System had provided the most suitable solution for his current predicament when he met the specific condition!
Without a moment's hesitation, he immediately began to attempt to circulate Qi according to the profound Qi circulation route in his mind.
Difficult! Incredibly difficult!
Those so-called "hidden meridians" were small and fragile, like uncultivated wasteland. The swelling pain and tearing sensation brought by the spiritual energy flowing through them were ten times more intense than when repairing his Dantian! Every circulation was like dancing on a knife's edge; a slight mistake could lead to the destruction of his meridians.
But Ye Chen's eyes grew brighter. Pain meant change! It meant hope!
He held his mind steady, relying on the precise control over his own energy granted by the System, and the gentle spiritual energy support continuously provided by the Ascension Token. Like the most patient craftsman, he painstakingly, strand by strand, opened those blocked hidden meridians.
Failure, correction, try again…
【Attempting to circulate 《Primordial Dao Foundation Chapter》 failed, spiritual power control improved.】
【Successfully connected the first hidden meridian, 《Primordial Dao Foundation Chapter》 Proficiency +10! Spiritual power quality slightly improved!】
【《Basic Body Tempering Art》 Proficiency +8!】
The System's prompts became his sole comfort and motivation. He was completely immersed in this pain and joy of breaking through and forging a new path.
After an unknown amount of time, when he finally managed to complete one small circulation of the 《Primordial Dao Foundation Chapter》, his body was drenched in cold sweat, his face pale as paper, but his eyes shone with astonishing brilliance!
He slowly raised his hand, and a faint stream of airflow swirled around his fingertips. This airflow was no longer colorless and transparent; it now carried a trace of an extremely faint, yet real, chaotic hue. The spiritual power contained within it was at least thirty percent stronger and more condensed than before!
【Successfully circulated 《Primordial Dao Foundation Chapter》（Partial） one cycle!】
【Dao Foundation preliminarily solidified, spiritual power quality increased by 35%! Spiritual power capacity increased by 20%!】
【《Primordial Dao Foundation Chapter》 Proficiency: Glimpse of the Threshold（1/）】
【Cultivation: Qi Refining Stage First Layer（80/100）】
The effect was immediate!
Ye Chen suppressed the excitement in his heart and, without pausing, threw himself back into this painful yet hopeful cultivation. With the pure spiritual energy from the Profound Yin Spirit Spring and the Moon Radiance Stone, he circulated the 《Primordial Dao Foundation Chapter》 again and again, opening hidden meridians, refining spiritual power, and consolidating his Dantian.
Days passed.
The cracks in his Dantian were healing at a visible rate. The newly formed Dantian walls presented a warm jade color, far tougher and wider than before. The spiritual energy within became increasingly condensed and pure, and the trace of chaotic hue grew more pronounced.
Wang Tiechui finally woke up a month later. He sat up in a daze, touched the nearly healed scar on his chest, and then felt the surging yet unfamiliar power within his body. His honest face was filled with confusion.
"Ye Chen, I... I feel a bit different?"
Ye Chen looked at him and smiled slightly, "It's a good thing. How do you feel?"
Wang Tiechui scratched his head and walked to the cave wall, tentatively throwing a punch.
"Bang!"
A dull thud echoed, leaving a clear fist print on the stone wall, and gravel rained down.
Wang Tiechui was startled. He looked at his fist, dumbfounded, "I... my strength, it seems to have increased again?"
Ye Chen nodded, understanding. Although the Chaos Battle Body bloodline had fallen silent again, that eruption and the nourishment from the Ice Marrow Fruit had undoubtedly permanently strengthened his physical foundation.
Spring turned to autumn. When the sound of the waterfall outside the cave seemed to carry a hint of winter's chill, Ye Chen slowly opened his eyes.
Divine light was contained within his eyes, and his aura was harmonious and heavy, no longer carrying the previous hollowness and sense of damage.
【Dantian injury completely repaired!】
《Primordial Dao Foundation Chapter》（Partial） Proficiency: Minor Accomplishment（1250/）】
【Cultivation: Qi Refining Stage Third Layer（Perfected）!】
【Current Dao Foundation Strength: 300% of cultivators of the same rank（Based on comprehensive evaluation of spiritual power quality, capacity, and physique）】
Qi Refining Third Layer! And it was a solid foundation forged by the 《Primordial Dao Foundation Chapter》, far surpassing that of cultivators of the same rank!
Ye Chen exhaled a long breath of turbid air. His breath condensed without dispersing, turning into a white stream of Qi in the cold air, shooting out about a foot before slowly dissipating.
He stood up and stretched his limbs. A powerful force like surging rivers flowed within him. He felt that if he were to face Zhao Hu again now, he would have the strength to fight even without using the Thunder Fire Talisman!
He walked to the Profound Yin Spirit Spring. The spring water was still icy cold, but it no longer had a significant effect on him. The light of the Moon Radiance Stone seemed to have dimmed slightly, clearly indicating that the cultivation during this period had consumed a considerable amount.
It was time to leave.
Although the bottom of Dragon Fall Ravine was a good place, it was ultimately not a place to stay for long. His goal was the vast Immortal Gate, the wider world.
He looked at Wang Tiechui. After months of recuperation and instinctive training, Wang Tiechui's physique seemed more robust, and his gaze sharper. Although still honest, the latent power he exuded was not to be underestimated.
"Tiechui," Ye Chen said, "we should go."
Wang Tiechui nodded heavily without hesitation, "I'll go with you!"
Ye Chen took out the remaining two low-grade spirit stones and the few jade slips from the storage bag of the cultivator who sat in meditation（still unable to fully open them, but the gaps were wider）, and then organized the gold, silver, and inferior stones from Zhao Hu's storage bag. Finally, he carefully pried off the Moon Radiance Stones, which had largely depleted their energy, and put them into his embrace. These items might be useful in the outside world.
The two took one last look at the cave, their blessed land that had sheltered them for months and helped them regain new life. They resolutely turned, pushed aside the blue vines at the cave entrance, and walked into the mist and cold wind of Dragon Fall Ravine.
The road ahead was unknown, but at this moment, with his Dao Foundation newly formed, Ye Chen's gaze was already set in the direction of the Immortal Gate.
Azure Profound Dao Sect, I am coming.