23: The path of cultivation is long and arduous; why bother with the mayfly's glimpse of the sky?

Seven days after establishing his dominance with the Mist Illusion Array, the morning mist in the mountains had not yet dispersed.

Li Muchen stood under the ancient cypress tree in front of the temple, his Spiritual Sense washing over the mountain forest like invisible ripples. Thirty-five zhang away, the three fixed observation points were still operational, but the original sense of oppression in those "eyes" had faded, replaced by a certain prudent restraint—like hunters encountering a beast they had never seen before, recalibrating their safe distance.

Even the villagers coming up the mountain to fetch water noticed something unusual.

"Temple Master, it's been much quieter these past few days." Zhao Desheng placed two baskets of freshly picked mushrooms by the stone steps and wiped his sweat. "A while ago, there were always people dressed strangely wandering around nearby, but in the last two days, not a single shadow is left."

Li Muchen was checking the growth of the heart-clearing grass in the Spirit Field, his fingertips brushing over the dew condensed on the leaves. Those dewdrops shimmered with an extremely faint jade hue under the morning light, a trace of spiritual radiance nourished by the Spirit Gathering Formation and the vapor from the Spirit Well.

"Once their investigation ended, they naturally left." His tone was flat as he plucked a leaf with a pale gold edge and handed it to Zhao Desheng. "This is from the new batch; the spirit-soothing effect is better."

Zhao Desheng took it with both hands and carefully tucked it into his robe. As he descended the mountain, his steps were a few degrees lighter than usual, and he muttered to himself, "It's good they're gone, it's good they're gone..."

Waiting until the figure disappeared around the bend of the mountain path, Li Muchen withdrew his gaze. Within his Spiritual Sense, the frequency of the surveillance equipment's operation had decreased by about thirty percent compared to three days ago, and the nearest observation point had even retreated twenty meters. The other party was using this silent method to redraw that invisible boundary.

He knew that the Mist Illusion Array from last time had worked.

Losing a piece of precision equipment was secondary; what truly made those people wary was that method which completely exceeded their understanding—a near-total manipulation of nature. Before they could figure out his background, they chose the most rational response: avoiding his edge for now and waiting for further developments.

This was exactly what he wanted.

Inside the Main Hall, the cold jade meditation cushion emitted a clear glow.

Li Muchen sat cross-legged, his mind sinking into his Dantian. That pool of True Essence Jade Liquid had accumulated to a full state, and as it circulated through his Meridians, there was a faint sound of tides. His Purple Mansion Spirit Platform was as clear as a mirror; although his thirty-five zhang perception range had not expanded, its sensitivity had increased by ten percent—he could now distinguish the vibration of an ant's antennae fifty paces away.

"It is time."

He took a minor restoration pill from his sleeve. This pill was different from the ones he had taken in previous days; its surface had three pale gold Pill Veins. It was refined using the highest quality heart-clearing grass supplemented with spirit well water, making its medicinal power fifty percent stronger than an ordinary minor restoration pill.

The pill melted the moment it entered his mouth, transforming into a gentle yet majestic torrent that surged into his limbs and bones.

The "Returning to Origin Liquid Refining" chapter of the Supreme Clarity Purple Mansion Returning to Origin True Scripture began to operate on its own. Under the drive of the Cultivation Technique, the True Essence Jade Liquid began to rotate; at first, it was slow like a swirling stream, but after ten breaths, it was as fast as a whirlpool. A heavy sense of pressure came from his Dantian, as if a thousand-jin boulder were grinding within it.

Li Muchen's expression remained unchanged as his Purple Mansion Spiritual Sense condensed into an invisible hammer and chisel. Following the rhythm of the Cultivation Technique, he struck the rotating True Essence Jade Liquid again and again.

With every strike, the jade liquid became more condensed;

With every rotation, another trace of Impurities was stripped away.

The coolness of the cold jade meditation cushion firmly protected his mind, allowing him to remain absolutely conscious during this high-intensity tempering. The Spiritual Qi gathered by the Spirit Gathering Formation, the Incense Power Of Will drifting from the foot of the mountain, and the vitality emitted by the ancient cypress tree merged into an invisible stream, continuously pouring into his body to sustain this long and dangerous transformation.

On the first day, the volume of the True Essence Jade Liquid shrank by thirty percent, and its color changed from white jade to pale gold;

On the second day, a grain-sized, brilliant golden point was born in the center of the jade liquid, emitting a low hum as it rotated;

By the dusk of the third day, the last trace of jade color completely vanished.

"Boom—!"

An earth-shattering boom echoed from deep within his Dantian.

That pool of True Essence, rotating to its limit, suddenly collapsed and transformed into a single drop the size of a soybean, shining with golden light—True Essence Gold Liquid!

The gold liquid bobbed in the center of his Dantian, as heavy as mercury, its light restrained yet exuding a heart-palpitating pressure. Under the reflection of this drop of gold liquid, even the surrounding Meridians took on a faint golden hue.

Foundation Establishment Late Stage, True Essence transformed into gold, success!

Almost simultaneously, his Purple Mansion expanded with a roar.

His originally thirty-five zhang range of Spiritual Sense surged, instantly breaking through forty zhang, then forty-five zhang, finally stabilizing at the edge of fifty zhang! The precision of his perception underwent a qualitative change: not only could he "see" the muscle contractions of an earthworm crawling in the soil, but he could even "hear" the faint sound of dew condensing on the underside of a leaf thirty zhang away.

Even more mysterious was that a faint sense of "substance" appeared within his Spiritual Sense.

With a slight thought from Li Muchen, a speck of dust on the stone steps three zhang away slowly floated up. Guided by his will, it drew a slanted arc in the air before finally falling back to its original spot.

"Spiritual Sense Transforming into Thought... I have just crossed the threshold."

There was a flash of enlightenment in his eyes.

Although he could only move dust at this moment, it meant his mental power had begun to interfere with physical matter. In time, moving objects from a distance or controlling tools with his mind would not be mere fantasies.

He opened his eyes.

The golden light in the depths of his eyes swirled for three breaths before being completely restrained. His entire temperament had transformed once again. Previously, at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, he was like the still water of a deep pool, but now he was like an ancient well containing the stars—calm on the surface, but possessing a vast atmosphere deep within.

When he stood up, his joints cracked softly like jade stones clicking together. With a casual wave of his sleeve, the fine dust accumulated over three days in the hall was swept out the window by an invisible gust of Qi, revealing the original luster of the bluestone floor.

This was the power of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage: the quality of his True Essence had doubled, his recovery speed had increased by fifty percent, and he could cast Spells like Palm Thunder seven times in a row without losing his breath. If he were to dissolve that single drop of True Essence Gold Liquid, it would be enough to fully replenish all the consumption from his previous jade liquid state.

Just then, a familiar ripple came from the edge of his Spiritual Sense.

The "Mountain Eagle" squad appeared on the mountain path again, but this time, they stopped exactly one hundred meters away from the mountain gate—the limit of the Mist Illusion Array's edge when Li Muchen had established his dominance last time.

The leading middle-aged man was still wearing field combat gear and holding a silver-gray instrument. He first operated it toward the Daoist temple for a moment; the instrument emitted a laser invisible to the naked eye, leaving a tiny energy marker on the ground at the hundred-meter mark.

Having done this, he put away the instrument and cupped his hands in a salute toward the temple. His movements were as standard as ancient etiquette. After pausing for three seconds, he led his team and turned to leave, without saying a word or taking half a step across the forbidden line.

Li Muchen stood in front of the hall with his hands behind his back, watching the few people disappear into the woods.

The other party was recalibrating the boundary in the most rigorous manner: beyond a hundred meters was the observation zone; within a hundred meters was the Forbidden Ground. Behind this restraint was a completely rational assessment—in the face of an irresistible force, maintaining distance was the optimal solution.

"Quite clever," he whispered to himself.

The mountain breeze blew, making the branches and leaves of the ancient cypress tree rustle. On the scorched marks where the tree had been struck by lightning, new sprouts were actually budding, dotted with fresh green.

Li Muchen walked back under the cypress tree and reached out to stroke the trunk. Where his palm touched, he could clearly perceive the surging life force within the tree, more than twice as vigorous as it had been half a month ago. The subtle nourishment of the Spirit Gathering Formation, combined with the traces of aura he had released during his Breakthrough, had brought good fortune to this ancient tree as well.

"Our companionship can be considered fate." He withdrew his hand and looked toward the rising morning glow in the east.

The deterrence was established, and he had broken through his Realm; now was the golden period for dedicated cultivation. There were still many mysteries within the Supreme Clarity Purple Mansion Returning to Origin True Scripture that he had yet to fathom, his Spiritual Sense Transforming into Thought needed careful polishing, and the True Essence Gold Liquid had to be repeatedly tempered until it was perfect and unobstructed.

As for those eyes outside the mountain...

As long as they didn't cross the line, he would let them watch.

The path of cultivation is long; why care about ephemerae peering at the sky?

The hall door was lightly closed, blocking out the brightening morning light. On the cushion, the Daoist had re-entered meditation, his breathing synchronized with the mountain breeze and his True Essence surging in harmony with the earth's veins.

The fifty-zhang Spiritual Sense was like an invisible dome, enveloping this deep-mountain Daoist temple.

Outside the dome, the screens of the instruments at the observation points flickered, with data flowing like a waterfall. Someone reported in a low voice: "Target energy readings stabilized at... an abnormally high level. Suggestion: maintain the status quo and continue long-term observation."

The report fell into the forest wind and vanished without a trace.

The mountain was still that mountain, and the temple was still that temple.

Only the Realm of the person in the temple was no longer what it was yesterday.