Mu Fan gathered the Spirit Artifacts piled in the corner and stored them in his Storage Pouch before heading to the Exotic Treasure Pavilion.
When he saw Steward Li again, the man's attitude was noticeably warmer. Even his form of address had changed, he now called him Senior Brother Mu.
Mu Fan was now a Formal Disciple of Jiang Yi. His status had risen, and while the afk system showed no change in identity or rewards, the difference in reality was obvious.
Inside Heaven Character Room Number Five, Mu Fan handed over the Spirit Artifacts and explained his purpose.
"Steward Li, I would like to purchase a few foundation establishment pills. I plan to attempt a breakthrough."
Steward Li's expression shifted to one of admiration.
"Foundation Establishment? As expected of Martial Uncle Jiang's brilliant disciple."
As he spoke, he cupped his hands respectfully toward the direction of Jiang Yi's Immortal Cave.
"There are foundation establishment pills in the pavilion's warehouse. However… they are important resources, and the price…"
Mu Fan did not hesitate.
"Just charge the normal price. Although I still owe the pavilion Spirit Stones, with my Artifact Refining skills, I will repay everything within two or three years."
He paused slightly, then added calmly,
"Once I reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, the quality of the Spirit Artifacts I refine will improve as well."
Steward Li nodded.
During the Qi Refining Stage, Artifact Refiners relied on Earth Fire. But upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage, one could produce True Fire within the body, far superior to mundane Earth Fire.
"Senior Brother Mu, please wait a moment. I will retrieve the pills."
Mu Fan called out before he could leave.
"Also, prepare a Formation set. I need protection for secluded cultivation during my breakthrough."
Steward Li nodded and left.
Before long, he returned carrying a small box.
Inside were three foundation establishment pills.
Alongside them was a Formation set, the Nine Palaces Bewildering Fiend Formation. Once activated with Spirit Stones and black fiend beads, it could provide defense, illusion, and offensive capabilities.
Mu Fan thanked him, paid on credit once again, and left the pavilion.
Back in his private courtyard, Mu Fan did not rush into cultivation.
Instead, he carefully studied the Formation.
Following the instructions, he set it up step by step. When installing the Spirit Stones and black fiend beads, he used the highest-grade configuration without hesitation.
At this level, the Formation could run for decades with passive consumption, and even under normal operation, it could last around ten years.
Under ordinary circumstances, it could block an Early Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator. Any disturbances from outside would not affect the interior.
If actively controlled, it could even hold off a typical Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Mu Fan nodded in satisfaction.
Being able to obtain such a Formation on credit was not just due to Steward Li's help. It was also because of his identity as an Artifact Refiner, Jiang Yi's disciple, and someone about to attempt Foundation Establishment.
After setting up the Formation, Mu Fan finally revealed a long-lost relaxed smile.
Ever since returning from the Secret Realm, he had been constantly on edge.
Jiang Yi's attitude toward that Secret Realm was too obvious. From the Restrictions placed on them to the black mist concealment of their movements, everything pointed to extreme caution.
If not for the fact that he still needed them for future exploration during the Foundation Establishment Stage…
He might have silenced them all already.
Under such circumstances, the possibility of Jiang Yi secretly monitoring them was extremely high.
But now, under the pretext of preparing for Foundation Establishment, Mu Fan had set up a Formation.
This should be enough… to block Jiang Yi's prying eyes.
Mu Fan sat cross-legged on a futon.
After a brief hesitation, he decided not to take out the cold jade gourd or the other Medicinal Pills. Since he didn't need them immediately, there was no reason to expose them.
"Time to break through."
He closed his eyes.
On the surface, he appeared to be adjusting his state. In reality, he was cultivating the Spirit Condensing Art.
As for his Qi, there was no need to rush. With the afk system, it would naturally reach perfection within a few days.
Inside his Sea of Consciousness, everything had changed.
The once mist-like Divine Sense had been compressed into beads, hundreds of them.
This was only the first layer of the Spirit Condensing Art. Once the number of Divine Sense beads exceeded a thousand, he could attempt the second layer.
For now, his Divine Sense quantity was insufficient, so he could only continue condensing and refining these beads, gradually improving their quality.
Seven days passed.
Mu Fan opened his eyes, took out a foundation establishment pill, and swallowed it.
His breakthrough… officially began.
The pill dissolved in his body, its medicinal power merging into his Qi and circulating through his meridians.
A faint sizzling sensation spread through him, as if his Qi was being tempered and refined.
At the same time, his Physical Body was affected as well, there was a slight numbness, accompanied by faint pain.
He recalled how Han Li had once consumed over ten foundation establishment pills to cleanse his marrow and refine his bones, a process filled with intense pain.
But that was due to poor aptitude.
Mu Fan, in contrast, only felt mild discomfort.
That meant the pill's marrow-cleansing effect on him was limited, and the refinement of his Qi was only superficial.
He remained calm.
Slowly, he refined the medicinal power.
Only after it was completely absorbed did he release the suppression on his Realm.
In an instant More than ten thousand points of Qi surged within his body.
It gathered, compressed, and adhered together naturally.
The gaseous Qi began to transform.
The first drop of liquid Qi formed.
Then the second.
The third.
The tenth…
The process accelerated rapidly.
Because this breakthrough was natural, Mu Fan felt like an observer rather than an active participant.
He only needed to ensure the process remained stable, while most of his attention was used to observe the transformation.
With his Divine Sense, he could clearly perceive the conversion:
Six units of gaseous Qi… condensed into one unit of liquid Qi.
A true qualitative transformation.
At the same time, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi surged into his body at several times the normal cultivation speed, joining the process.
Mu Fan analyzed quietly:
"When advancing to a higher Stage, Qi quantity decreases, but quality increases."
"But with the addition of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, the overall loss isn't too severe."
"The Cultivation Technique also matters greatly. A top-tier technique might only require two or three units of Qi for one unit of liquid Qi."
He continued observing.
A full day and night passed.
The breakthrough reached its final stage.
Originally, fifteen thousand points of Qi should have converted into around twenty-five hundred points of liquid Qi.
But due to the influx of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi He now had over three thousand.
"That's roughly a twenty percent increase…"
Mu Fan murmured inwardly.
"Is that standard… or tied to aptitude?"
He paused.
"…Most likely aptitude."
The final drop of liquid Qi fell into the small "lake" within his dantian.
Boom!
His robes fluttered as a gust of wind rose from beneath him. Waves of air spread outward, disturbing the entire room.
{Early Foundation Establishment Stage.}
Mu Fan did not stop.
He immediately began circulating the Black Fiend Art, testing his new state.
The results became clear quickly.
In terms of raw Qi quantity, the increase was only about three thousand if converted back.
But it was the quality which had nearly doubled.
Overall, his power had more than doubled compared to the Qi Refining Stage.
A simple comparison formed in his mind:
An Air-filled balloon… versus water-filled balloon.
His Physical Body had also improved. roughly twenty to thirty percent stronger.
His Divine Sense had similarly increased by twenty to thirty percent.
Mu Fan then checked the System panel.
{Name: Mu Fan
Aptitude: Gold, Water, Earth (Spiritual Root), Endless Vitality (Physical Body), Re-perception (Divine Sense)
Realm: Early Foundation Establishment Stage
Identity: Extreme Yin Island Formal Disciple
Qi: 3064
Physical Body: 886
Divine Sense: 1258
Cultivation Techniques: Black Fiend Art (Qi Flicking Technique), Spirit Condensing Art, Treasure Sacrificing Art
Techniques: Gold Rock Technique, Qi Concealment Technique, Earth Quake Technique
Spirit Artifacts: water-fire twin pendants, bright silver spear, wind-chasing boots…
Ancient treasure: cold jade gourd}
All three attributes, Qi, Physical Body, and Divine Sense, had decreased numerically.
But that didn't matter.
His strength had risen dramatically.
Mu Fan's eyes lit up slightly.
What he was truly curious about now…
Was how the afk system would change after this breakthrough.