Chunibyo in Cultivation World

Chapter 10: Finally Discovered?

“Here are all the resources you’ll need to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm within a hundred days. If you wish to cultivate, do so before the Sword Monument at the peak—there lies the center of the Spirit-Gathering Formation, where spiritual energy is the densest.”

After explaining the basic knowledge of cultivation to Li Tianwei, Bai Muxu took out a storage ring and handed it to him.

Li Tianwei did not decline in the slightest. He accepted it and put it on his finger.

“A hundred days to establish your foundation.”

Bai Muxu emphasized each word.

Li Tianwei nodded deeply.

Bai Muxu stepped forward and gently patted his shoulder in encouragement.

“Don’t let me down!”

Bai Muxu had great expectations for Li Tianwei.

Since the founding of the Sacred Land of Lingxu, only two people had ever reached the top of the Heart-Questioning Steps. Both had long ascended, thousands of years ago.

Now, after two thousand and five hundred years, another had appeared—Li Tianwei, who had climbed to the summit.

Regardless of anything else, from his aptitude and temperament alone, he was bound to ascend. He might even catch up to Bai Muxu’s own progress.

“That’s all I have to say. If you encounter something you don’t understand, come find me at my hall. Now, focus on your cultivation.”

After giving all his instructions, Bai Muxu waved his hand.

A longsword behind him flew out, slicing through the air, circling a few times before landing before Li Tianwei.

“Chitian, take my disciple to the Sword Monument.”

Bai Muxu spoke to the sword.

As soon as the words fell, Chitian dove to the ground at Li Tianwei’s feet, carrying him toward the summit.

Watching Li Tianwei depart, Bai Muxu couldn’t help rubbing his chin—only to realize there was no beard, and he quickly withdrew his hand.

“Hopefully, he can establish his foundation soon. Time is running out.”

Bai Muxu sighed softly.

Under Chitian’s guidance, Li Tianwei soon arrived at the peak of Heaven’s Gate Peak.

After delivering Li Tianwei, Chitian made a lazy loop through the air and vanished without a trace.

The vast mountaintop was covered by a spiritual formation.

A massive boulder, like a sword piercing the heavens, stood embedded upside down into the peak.

From beneath it spread countless cracks, as though its sharpness had cut into the earth itself.

“One Sword Opens Heaven’s Gate.”

Five simple characters were carved upon the stone, the brushstrokes bold and vigorous—each stroke full of dominance and sharpness, as if carrying the intent to cleave open the heavens.

Li Tianwei gazed at the giant stone—the so-called Sword Monument—and sat cross-legged behind it at the cultivation platform.

At that moment, he held in his hands the Heavenly Source Dao Foundation Method he had received from Bai Muxu, as well as the storage ring.

“Cultivation? With my Heavenly Root, isn’t that as easy as lifting a hand?”

He immediately flipped through the manual.

The cultivation path of this world resembled that of the novels he had read in his past life:

Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, Out-of-Body, Union, and Tribulation Transcendence.

Qi Refinement had ten levels, and from Foundation Establishment onward, each realm was divided into early, middle, and late stages.

However, cultivation methods varied.

This world placed the greatest emphasis on the stages from Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment.

As the Heavenly Source Dao Foundation Method described, the Dao Foundation formed from the ten layers of Qi Refinement determined the future course of one’s cultivation path.

Naturally, these ten layers could not be achieved by simply accumulating time and experience.

If that were the case, anyone could do it—just grind endlessly during the Qi Refinement stage.

The formation of the Dao Foundation began from the very moment one stepped onto the path of cultivation.

During that period, the embryo of one’s Dao took shape, and the process was limited to a hundred days.

Within those hundred days, if one could surpass the ten layers of Qi Refinement and achieve Foundation Establishment, the Dao Embryo would transform into a Dao Foundation—ascending in a single step and granting immense long-term benefits.

Yet, few could accomplish Foundation Establishment within such a short span.

It required not only aptitude, but also temperament and comprehension.

Even possessing a Heavenly Root did not guarantee success through mere abundance of resources.

One needed the patience to endure the solitude of cultivation, and the insight to comprehend the Dao and various techniques.

The most crucial factor was still aptitude. Without a supreme spiritual root, achieving Foundation Establishment within a hundred days was almost impossible.

Of course, accomplishing the Hundred-Day Foundation gave an extraordinary start—but failing to do so did not mean one could not ascend. It merely lowered the chances.

However, those with strong aptitude and temperament would never accept being left behind.

If others could achieve Foundation Establishment within a hundred days, why couldn’t they?

With that mindset, the Hundred-Day Foundation became a hallmark of true prodigies.

You claim to possess a supreme spiritual root, powerful techniques, and excellent temperament, mastering every spell and art to perfection in mere moments—

Then why haven’t you achieved Foundation Establishment within a hundred days?

Naturally, there were exceptions—those who accumulated strength and made late breakthroughs—but they were few.

“Dao Embryo?”

“According to this Heavenly Source Dao Foundation Method, once I draw in spiritual energy, the Hundred-Day Foundation begins.”

“With the resources my cheap master gave me, the rest is up to me.”

Li Tianwei touched the ring on his finger.

With a thought, a small world of several dozen square meters appeared before him, filled with all kinds of spirit stones and manuals piled high.

Though Li Tianwei did not recognize most of the herbs or treasures, the glow of their aura and the fragrance of their medicine revealed their extraordinary nature.

“A mere Hundred-Day Foundation and drawing spiritual energy into the body? Isn’t that a piece of cake for me?”

Li Tianwei took out a bottle labeled Fasting Pill from the ring and swallowed several in one go.

Because Bai Muxu had forbidden him from using any cultivation-boosting elixirs, the storage ring contained only Fasting Pills and some healing medicine.

“Back then, during my first exam, I crammed for just two hours, had a sudden epiphany, and aced it.”

“So what’s a little closed-door cultivation to me?”

As the pills settled in his stomach, the emptiness he’d felt vanished completely.

He sat cross-legged, recalling Bai Muxu’s explanation on how to draw the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the body, and began to act.

Before long, his consciousness settled, and he began to sense the spiritual energy around him.

Indeed, the formation atop Heaven’s Gate Peak gathered vast amounts of spiritual energy.

The air was so rich that even ordinary mortals without spiritual roots could live long, healthy lives here.

Yet within Li Tianwei’s perception, things seemed off.

According to Bai Muxu’s explanation, the better one’s spiritual root, the more passionately the surrounding energy would respond—like a lover rushing into one’s arms.

However, what Li Tianwei sensed was nothing like that.

The world’s energy felt indifferent and dull.

Moreover, with a Pure Yang Heavenly Root, the energy he perceived should have been as brilliant as blazing flames.

But in his perception, the energy was a swirl of colors—mixed with streaks of murky black.

The situation was quite strange.

For a moment, Li Tianwei was dumbfounded.

Inside his consciousness, the System—upon witnessing this reaction—couldn’t help but let a wave of digital excitement ripple through its data stream.

【You’ve finally discovered it...】

The System had yet to finish speaking—

“I see! My Heavenly Root must be too special—different from the rest! That’s why it looks like this!”

Outside, Li Tianwei clapped his hands in sudden realization.

【Damn it...】

The System, unable to hold back, swore in frustration.