Chương 55: Breaking the Bottleneck

Zhang Huaijin had sunk into a deep state of seclusion. All around him, the spiritual energy swirled and converged, drawn inexorably toward his meditating form. To guard against any possible shortage of spiritual energy, Zhang Huaijin had also prepared a substantial pile of spirit stones, stacking them neatly at his side. Now, at last, Zhang Huaijin was officially beginning his assault on the Foundation Establishment Realm!

"Break!" As his will commanded, the black and white light within the Realm-Breaking Pearl dimmed at an astonishing rate, visibly fading before his very eyes. And then, from deep within Zhang Huaijin's body, an immense, earth shaking surge of energy erupted. Like a furious dragon, it rampaged through his limbs and bones, sweeping through every meridian, every fiber of his being with overwhelming, unstoppable force. Crack!

The bottleneck of the Foundation Establishment Realm shattered like brittle ice, broken with ease. Deep within his dantian, the grand power of heaven and earth converged into a single, unified entity. A Dao Foundation began to slowly materialize, crystal clear, pure white, and utterly flawless, with swirling streams of Primordial Chaos energy drifting across its surface. At first, it was merely a faint, translucent shadow.

But then, strand by strand, the spiritual energy from his meridians began to flow into his dantian, each wisp condensing into liquid spiritual essence that fell like rain into his growing foundation. The 10 meter tall Dao Foundation rapidly solidified before his inner eye, growing more real with every passing breath. A terrifying aura gradually spread outward.

Ancient, primitive patterns etched themselves across the foundation's surface, mysterious runes inscribed by the very rules of heaven and earth, representing the will of the cosmos itself. Zhang Huaijin's body underwent yet another profound transformation. The Crimson Flame Spirit Ruin Scripture spun at full speed within him, greedily absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy into his body.

A nine meter wide vortex of spiritual energy materialized directly around Zhang Huaijin, endlessly devouring every trace of spiritual power in the vicinity. Zhang Huaijin's personal foundation was simply too deep, too vast. The energy required to complete his breakthrough was truly immense. Nearly half of all the spiritual energy hovering over Green Bamboo Mountain was drained away by Zhang Huaijin alone. The commotion from his cultivation site drew the attention of the entire Zhang family.

Zhang Lixian emerged from his own seclusion, his expression calm despite the storm of emotions churning within him. But in Zhang Chongwen's eyes, a flicker of worry appeared.

"Huaijin... he will surely succeed, won't he?" Zhang Chongwen's voice wavered, caught between hope and fear. His heart was a tangle of anxious anticipation and dread. Zhang Lixian nodded firmly.

"Father, have you forgotten what Huaijin himself said? He declared that he would be the one to lead our Zhang family to rise. A man with such conviction will not fall so easily at the Foundation Establishment Realm hurdle." No sooner had Zhang Lixian finished speaking than the massive vortex of spiritual energy vanished completely. A powerful, steady aura flowed outward from within the chamber, a clear signal.

Zhang Huaijin was deliberately revealing his presence, letting the outside world know that there was nothing to fear. He had succeeded in establishing his foundation. Zhang Chongwen's face broke into a radiant, joyful smile, tears of old age streaming unchecked down his weathered cheeks.

"Blessed heaven! Heaven blesses our Zhang family!" Zhang Lixian watched his father, normally so composed, now openly weeping with joy. His own heart surged with excitement. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. With Zhang Huaijin's advancement to the Foundation Establishment Realm, the Zhang family now possessed its second Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. All the cultivators on Green Bamboo Mountain felt the wave of exhilaration sweep through them.

Zhang Huaijin had not used a Foundation Establishment Pill. He had directly assaulted the Foundation Establishment Realm, and succeeded in a single attempt. This was the mark of a true legend, a genuine once in a generation genius. With Zhang Huaijin at the helm, the Zhang family was surely destined to rise. Despite his successful advancement, Zhang Huaijin did not immediately leave seclusion. Instead, he remained where he was, steadily stabilizing his newly acquired realm.

And now, a quiet doubt began to form in Zhang Huaijin's mind. The Dao Foundation he had condensed seemed... different somehow. Wrong, even.

"This doesn't seem like an Upper Grade Dao Foundation," he muttered to himself. Zhang Huaijin's Soul sank deep into his consciousness, carefully observing every detail, every nuance of his new foundation. A Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator is capable of internal vision, the ability to see clearly within their own body. And what Zhang Huaijin saw left him breathless. His Dao Foundation was a masterpiece of nature, flawlessly formed and adorned with ancient, primitive patterns.

The runes were chaotic and seemingly random at first glance, yet orderly within that very chaos, a perfect, living paradox. It was crystal clear, flawless, an ingenious work of heaven itself, like a piece of celestial art brought into the mortal world. The energy contained within was vast as an ocean, immeasurably deep and immeasurably powerful. If Zhang Huaijin's memory served him correctly, A Low Grade Dao Foundation was only about one meter in size. A Mid Grade Dao Foundation was generally around two meters.

An Upper Grade Dao Foundation was roughly three meters, rarely exceeding four. Yet Zhang Huaijin's Dao Foundation was over ten meters and it even exceeded that staggering measurement. In other words, Zhang Huaijin's energy reserves were three times greater than those of a typical cultivator with an Upper Grade Dao Foundation. Suddenly, a long forgotten legend surfaced in Zhang Huaijin's memory. It was said that above the Upper Grade Dao Foundation existed an even rarer grade, the Supreme Grade Dao Foundation.

But such a foundation might not appear even once in tens of thousands of years.

"This must be the Supreme Grade Dao Foundation!"

"Haha! This is the power of simultaneously cultivating all three paths, forging my unparalleled foundation." Zhang Huaijin laughed heartily, the sound echoing through his quiet meditation chamber. This was a secret he could tell no one. It was Zhang Huaijin's own, personal mystery, his alone to know. If it were ever leaked, it would spell absolute disaster for the entire Zhang family. Zhang Huaijin took a deep breath and continued stabilizing his realm, constantly honing his cultivation with meticulous care.

The Crimson Flame Spirit Ruin Scripture continued its steady cycle, transporting spiritual energy through his meridians in an endless, rhythmic flow. And at that moment, the Realm-Breaking Pearl resting against Zhang Huaijin's chest suddenly transmitted two streams of information directly into his mind. Zhang Huaijin's eyes paused for a moment, stunned. And then, slowly, a smile spread across his face.

"What level of treasure is this? It's far too powerful!" Zhang Huaijin felt his very mind and soul tremble with awe. After Zhang Huaijin advanced to the Foundation Establishment Realm, the Realm-Breaking Pearl had also undergone a startling evolution. It had begun silently absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy, replenishing the black and white energy within its core. The Realm-Breaking Pearl had evolved. Besides spiritual energy and spirit beast flesh and blood...

The Realm-Breaking Pearl could now devour spiritual herbs! The pearl could now truly be called a Tier 2 Realm-Breaking Pearl. Back in the Qi Refining Realm, spirit beast flesh had provided ten times the energy of raw spiritual energy. But now, at the Foundation Establishment Realm, the energy produced by devouring spiritual herbs was ten times that of spirit beast flesh. Spiritual herbs that Zhang Huaijin couldn't directly use could now be fed straight to the Realm-Breaking Pearl.

Of course, spirit beast flesh couldn't be neglected either. For Zhang Huaijin, spirit beast flesh still offered the best cost effectiveness. As for spiritual herbs? As an alchemist, he could never have enough of those. It all depended on his cultivation speed now. If, by the time he reached the peak of the third level Foundation Establishment Realm, the Realm-Breaking Pearl hadn't yet stored enough energy, he would simply use spiritual herbs to fill it up.

The surrounding spiritual energy gradually grew thin around him. He now truly felt the crushing importance of a high quality spirit vein. A Tier 1, Upper Grade spirit vein was insufficient for a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. If Zhang Huaijin hadn't possessed such a deep foundation during his breakthrough, and if he hadn't prepared a stockpile of spirit stones in advance, there might very well have been a risk of insufficient spiritual energy! Spiritual energy was the lifeblood of every cultivator.

Without it, nothing was possible. Zhang Huaijin still needed to remain in seclusion for some time to fully solidify his gains, so he sent a voice transmission to Zhang Lixian.

"Father, I have successfully advanced to the Foundation Establishment Realm. I still need to remain in seclusion for a while longer. However, the spirit vein on Green Bamboo Mountain can no longer support our cultivation. I must trouble you to lead the clansmen in upgrading the spirit vein first."

"I understand," Zhang Lixian replied, his voice steady and resolute. Zhang Lixian now fully recognized the severe drawbacks of their current spirit vein. Without a Tier 2 spirit vein, a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator's cultivation speed would become painfully slow, like trying to fill an ocean with a cup. If they were already cultivating on a Tier 2 spirit vein, Zhang Lixian might have already reached the peak of the first level Foundation Establishment Realm by now.

With the two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators of the Zhang family both giving the order, spirit stones were swiftly drawn from the clan treasury. Zhang Lixian took personal command, while the family's high ranking members mobilized to carry out the work. Green Bamboo Mountain began the long, careful process of cultivating a Tier 2 spirit vein.