A few days later...
Lin Fang's aura rose substantially before it flared, sending the pebbles around him across the small cave.
"I've done it," he said, satisfied with the result of his practice. "I reached the Foundation Establishment Realm."
Name: Lin Fang
Realm: First Level of Foundation Establishment
Spiritual Roots: The Elemental Dao(Ancient)
Special Physique: Dao Body
Luck: Maximum Fortune
Cultivation Manuals: Qi-Gathering Art, Foundation-Establishment Art
Skills: Stone Palm Secret Art (Low-Grade)
Lin Fang stood up slowly, testing the changes in his body.
His movements felt lighter, and smoother, as though his body had been refined into something more efficient, and more powerful.
He clenched his fists, feeling the new strength that was coursing through his meridians.
Lin Fang used his qi to check out his body more thoroughly.
Lin Fang found that his Dantian was much bigger than before, he also found that his Qi was much purer than before.
"This is amazing," Lin Fang muttered, a grin on his face.
"The difference between the peak of Qi-Refining and the Foundation Establishment Realm is ridiculous. It's like comparing a flickering candle to a roaring bonfire."
He began pacing the cave, his mind racing to process the transformation.
"Although it's technically just one realm," he thought aloud, "the leap in power is... baffling. It's not just a little stronger—it feels like I've grown ten times stronger. Maybe more."
Lin Fang glanced at his hands, flexing his fingers as if testing their limits. The energy inside him was like a coiled spring waiting to be unleashed.
"This explains a lot," he continued, his expression thoughtful. "Those Foundation Establishment cultivators I read about from the other players in the chat weren't just hyped up for no reason."
What Lin Fang didn't fully understand—at least, not yet—was the significance of the breakthrough itself.
While climbing the levels within the Qi-Refining Realm brought incremental gains, stepping into the next major realm was an entirely different beast.
Breaking through to Foundation Establishment wasn't just about increasing power. It was about building the cultivator's very foundation from the ground up, which made it a very important realm in a cultivator's journey.
Many cultivators with great talents rushed this realm. This caused them to have limited gains later on, making them stuck in realms that were lower than their maximum potential.
Despite his increasing strength, Lin Fang kept his excitement in check.
"Still, this doesn't mean I can just start picking fights with everyone who crosses my path. Foundation Establishment or not, there's always a bigger fish out there."
His lips curved into a faint smirk as he added, "But at least now I'm not the smallest fish in the pond anymore."
Lin Fang decided it was time to catch up on what the other players were up to in the world of Dao Online.
He opened the Chat Channel, and immediately, a wave of messages flooded his interface.
The text scrolled so quickly that he had to squint just to catch a few lines.
"I've finally reached the first level of Qi-Refining Realm! Is this how it feels to be a cultivator? Immortality, I'm coming for you!"
Lin Fang chuckled softly, shaking his head.
"Ah, the innocence of beginners," he muttered, before reading the next message.
"The person above, calm down. Immortality is galaxies away from you, maybe more. Hehe. Don't get your hopes up too much, reaching Foundation Establishment in the next hundred years or so would already be a miracle for you."
The response sparked an avalanche of responses, some cheering the overly ambitious player on, whilst others poked fun or tried to inject a dose of reality into the player's dreams.
Lin Fang scrolled idly, reading the chatter with amusement.
"Motivated, jealous, realistic... it's all here," he thought, noting how the tone of the channel shifted from encouragement to snarky banter within moments.
"It seems like cultivators can also be keyboard warriors," He shook his head with a soft smile.
After a while, he decided to contribute to the chat channel. His fingers moved over the interface, and soon his own question appeared among the rapidly scrolling text.
'What realm is the strongest person in our player base?'
The Chat Channel momentarily slowed, as though everyone collectively paused to consider the question.
Then, messages began coming in.
"Strongest? I think I read that someone reached the second level of the Qi-Refining Realm. He's got a top-grade spiritual root!"
Lin Fang raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Second level? isn't that too slow?" he muttered.
But the message wasn't finished.
"Listen to me and don't believe me! It might be a lie."
"Second level? Pfft, he is definitely a liar. Everyone knows we're all stuck at the first level or just scraping by at the start of Qi-Refining."
"Top-grade spiritual root? Must be nice to be born talented."
"Don't hate just because you've got a bottom-tier spiritual root. Let the man live!"
"Honestly, I don't care what realm anyone's in. Tell me where the barbecue drops are—I'm starving!"
Lin Fang couldn't help but laugh at the last message.
After reading for a while, Lin Fang closed the chat channel after he caused a whole fight between people who believed that someone truly reached the second level of the Qi-Refining realm and others who didn't.
"Time to head out of this cave, it's feels weird to cultivate near a grave." He muttered, glancing toward the cave entrance.
The entrance was painted in shades of gold, indicating that the sun was out.
For the first time in days, Lin Fang stepped outside and tilted his head back to stare at the sky. The vast expanse of the blue sky beautified with heavy clouds was a sight he hadn't realised he missed until now.
"Finally," he murmured, a faint smile on his face. "Time to continue."
While he had achieved what he came for—the Foundation Establishment manual—there was still more to do.
Cultivating in a cave had been productive, but it wasn't sustainable long-term. He needed to find the natives.
A city would be ideal, but at this point, even a random village would do.
"Anything works," he muttered to himself, starting to walk in a random direction. "As long as I can get some directions and stop wandering around like a clueless tourist."
His thoughts wandered to the girl he had saved days ago, and a sigh escaped his mouth.
"She just bolted without a word," Lin Fang said, shaking his head. "Although, I didn't save her because I wanted a thank you, or expected her to take me as her hero. It wouldn't have hurt—Sigh, forget it."
"Maybe she thought I'd rob her. Or worse. So I can't really blame her for running, I guess. This world isn't exactly brimming with trust."
Still, her abrupt departure had left him without a lead. If she'd stayed, she could've pointed him toward the nearest town or at least given him some sense of direction.
His mind wandered as he ran at incredible speeds. He thought through the possible strategies he could use when approaching the natives once he found them.
"Should I act as a merchant? No, they might try to rob me and cause problems. I don't have time for that, I just want to cultivate peacefully. Maybe I should go for the 'mysterious cultivator' look?"
After thinking about it for a while, Lin Fang decided to forget about it.