***
The next day, Zhang Xiu took a day off.
Zhang Yunlu, following what Xu Xing had told her, went to school early to prepare to report her cultivation realm and inquire about the matters of Foundation Establishment.
Along the way, whenever she saw a person, she would subconsciously glance toward their vital points.
This was a lingering side effect, and it would likely persist for quite some time.
After entering the school, she went directly to see the Dean.
Normally, such matters should have been discussed with her class teacher, but as for Fang Chi... it was better to forget it.
Within the Dean’s office.
"The ninth layer of Qi Refinement with a solid foundation is quite excellent."
Bright filaments of mana were drawn out from Zhang Yunlu’s wrist.
The Dean of Xuanjian City Third High School was named Yu Ming, and he was an elderly man who looked a bit stern and old-fashioned.
He had graying hair and patches of age spots on his face, making him look as if he were shrouded in a deathly stillness.
However, after spending time with him, one would discover that he was actually a quite gentle elder.
It was said that in his early years, he enjoyed adventuring through various secret realms.
It was precisely because of this that his foundation had been damaged in an accident, causing him to lose the possibility of advancing further, eventually leading him to this school to serve as the Dean.
"Now that your realm has reached this point, it is indeed time to explain some matters of Foundation Establishment to you."
Yu Ming handed her a glass of water.
"The information on the Spirit Net is a mixed bag, and while the three tiers of Foundation Establishment described there have some merit, they are incomplete."
Yu Ming was very clear about why Zhang Yunlu had come to find him today.
According to the rules, she should have asked her class teacher about matters regarding Foundation Establishment.
"Nowadays, there are three mainstream methods of Foundation Establishment, which are Pseudo-Foundation, External Object Foundation, and the Heaven-made Foundation."
In Yu Ming’s view, the conflicts between teachers and students and certain insignificant rules were far less important than a student's future.
He conscientiously recounted the three methods of Foundation Establishment he knew.
Pseudo-Foundation was roughly the same as what Zhang Yunlu had initially understood.
External Object Foundation was equivalent to the second and third types she had originally known, combined with the first category of Foundation Establishment she had heard about from Xu Xing.
The Heaven-made Foundation was likewise identical to what Xu Xing had described.
But what about the other type?
"A Heaven-made Foundation is extremely difficult to build, requiring not only an exceptionally strong base, but the process of gathering solar essence, condensing lunar radiance, and refining stellar brilliance is also incomparably painful."
Yu Ming let out a light chuckle.
"Your foundation is sufficient, so it remains to be seen if you can endure these three hurdles."
"I believe my willpower is acceptable."
After all, she was someone who had died more than a hundred times in a single night.
"But rare treasures of heaven and earth must be very difficult to obtain, right?"
Xu Xing had said he would give her one, but Zhang Yunlu still wanted to ask.
"Rare treasures of heaven and earth are indeed difficult to come by, but as early as seventy-three years ago, someone researched replacement materials."
"Personally, I recommend the 'Disposable Foundation Establishment Treasure Essence' from the Pure Moon Flying Sword brand."
Disposable Foundation Establishment Treasure Essence?!
"The price is not too expensive, and the efficacy is on par with other brands."
For instance, those sold by the Xuan Moon Pavilion were much more expensive despite having the exact same effects, so that group was merely a pack of profiteers.
Yu Ming opened a drawer and took out a crystal card from a small box, handing it to Zhang Yunlu.
"This is the 'Basic Extraction Method' created by the Sheng Huang Abyss. Go back and study it carefully."
"Teacher, this is too..."
"Do not refuse, I am not giving you special treatment, as every student at the ninth layer of Qi Refinement receives one. Otherwise, how could it be called the 'Basic Extraction Method'?"
The various extraction methods of the great immortal sects were also available in the school, but they were all too extreme and violent.
This Basic Extraction Method was considered relatively peaceful.
Even so, the school only dared to distribute it to students who reached the ninth layer of Qi Refinement during their senior year.
Oh, so that was how it was.
Zhang Yunlu took the crystal card and placed it into her storage ring.
"Does Student Zhang have anything else to ask?"
"Have you ever heard of... the Creation Dao Foundation?"
Yu Ming fell silent for a while.
"I have, but that is not mainstream, and the difficulty is far too great."
"The current Pseudo-Foundation is a new type of Foundation Establishment method established by the Spirit Sound Pavilion after they researched the Creation Dao Foundation."
Although the Heaven-made Foundation was rare, a few could always be seen in every college entrance examination.
However, as for the Creation Dao Foundation, the last time it appeared was fifteen years ago.
Knock, knock!
"Dean, this is for tomorrow's combat test..."
Zhang Yunlu turned her head to look, only to find that the person who had arrived was her own teacher, Fang Chi.
The two of them stared at each other, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
............
At noon, the senior students came out of the school one after another.
Because there was a combat test tomorrow, the school had given them the afternoon off to prepare.
Zhang Yunlu was among them, but she did not go home after leaving school, instead taking a taxi to the villa district where Xu Xing was located.
During class today, many classmates who usually rarely spoke to her came to advise her to apologize to Fang Chi, saying that there were no conflicts between a teacher and a student that could not be resolved.
However, Zhang Yunlu paid them no mind, as she only found them noisy.
I am about to graduate, and you want me to smooth over a teacher-student relationship?
When those people saw that she was so "unappreciative of their kindness," they directly stated that they would see the true extent of her abilities during tomorrow's combat test.
Although they were students, they were also cultivators.
A combat test... just how many of her classmates would be more powerful than that monster in her dream who did not fear pain?
Thinking of this, she suddenly felt a bit expectant.
If there was a sufficiently strong opponent in this combat test to hone her sword arts, then the next time she faced that monster, she might not have to suffer as miserably as she did last night!
The taxi driver, seeing Zhang Yunlu silent one moment and smiling the next in the rearview mirror, could not help but feel a sense of lament in his heart.
'The pressure on senior students is truly immense.'
He simply stopped trying to strike up a conversation and turned the volume of the music up a bit higher.
Soon, the car arrived at the destination.
"We have arrived, students. Cars cannot drive inside here, so I can only ask you to walk in yourself."
After paying the fare, Zhang Yunlu walked into the residential area and went all the way to the front of Xu Xing’s villa.
She used the array hub to open the formation and walked to the door in a few steps, just about to ring the doorbell.
"Come straight in, the door is not locked."
Sure enough, the door opened with a gentle push, and everything inside was still exactly the same as when she had come yesterday.
She eventually saw Xu Xing in the garden.
At this moment, Xu Xing was leaning back on a woven rattan lounge chair with a pot of tea placed on the table beside him.
The sunlight spilled down, and his entire person looked extremely leisurely.
"Have a seat. Your performance last night was indeed not bad, so I expect you will have no problem dealing with tomorrow’s combat test."
"Emm... regarding last night, I actually have a question I want to ask."
After a pause, Zhang Yunlu continued.
"Was everything I experienced actually real, or was it fake?"
Xu Xing did not answer, but instead asked her back: "What do you think about yourself?"
"It should be fake, otherwise it would be impossible for me to resurrect so many times, and I was still in my own room after waking up."
Where would a single person get so many lives?
"Since you understand this point, why ask this question now?"
"But my spiritual power has truly increased, as if the medicinal pills I ate during that trial really had an effect."
Zhang Yunlu furrowed her brows, as this was the reason she felt confused.
"Illusion or reality."
She saw Xu Xing give a light tap, and a drop of tea floated up, subsequently expanding rapidly and transforming into a round and plump medicinal pill right before her eyes.
"As the saying goes, when the truth is taken for the false, the false also becomes true. This is what it means to refine the fake into the real."
As Xu Xing’s voice fell, that medicinal pill transformed back into a drop of tea and fell back into the teacup.
"If I were to explain, everything last night was equivalent to you experiencing reality within the false. Do you understand when I put it this way?"
Zhang Yunlu nodded as if she understood, yet did not fully grasp it.
Xu Xing did not care much either, as after all, these things were still very, very far away from her.