Far below him, the nearest peak was still a staggering distance of over three hundred meters away.

Yet, Li Guanqi noticed someone scaling the nearly vertical cliffside bare-chested!

Two massive black stones were tied around his waist!

His muscles were taut and bulging, veins prominently visible.

His feet, planted against the cliff, trembled uncontrollably, and his body was covered in numerous scratches.

But the climber’s eyes remained resolute, ascending towards the summit one step at a time.

The sight sent a tremor through Li Guanqi’s heart!

It seemed that the disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect who had reached Foundation Establishment were even more diligent in their daily cultivation!

Taking a deep breath to calm his spirit, Li Guanqi sat cross-legged on the ground and took out the jade bottle given to him by Ye Feng.

Upon removing the stopper, the white, milky liquid inside sparkled enticingly.

And as soon as it was opened, it released a rich concentration of spiritual energy, extremely pure!

Li Guanqi’s eyes widened in surprise; he hadn’t expected the jade marrow liquid to contain such dense spiritual energy.

He tilted his head back and drank it all, then hurriedly entered a meditative state.

Buzz!!

At the summit of Jade Bottle Peak.

The thick fog began to thin, forming a vacuum over ten meters wide.

The surrounding mist slowly swirled, creating a small vortex.

Seated at the peak, Li Guanqi felt his pubic region surge like a raging river.

Pure spiritual energy was continuously refined into Primordial Energy and merged into his pubic region.

An hour later, the fog within fifty meters of Li Guanqi was suddenly repelled by a powerful aura.

Opening his eyes, Li Guanqi exhaled a breath of turbid air.

He clenched his fists, feeling the surging power within him, and a slight smile crept onto his lips.

Middle stage of Foundation Establishment!

But now, his pubic region was brimming with energy, so he quickly continued to refine the power of the jade marrow, channeling it into the Sword box.

Without the millennium jade marrow, it would have taken him at least half a month to break through to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.

He spent the entire night stabilizing his realm.

When he opened his eyes, darkness had fallen, with only the moonlight shining down upon the mountain peaks.

But Li Guanqi noticed that the surrounding peaks were dotted with bright lights.

Simple Meditation Rooms stood atop each high mountain.

Listening carefully to the wind, he could hear the sound of swords ringing through the air.

Li Guanqi took a deep breath, his understanding of the Great Xia Sword Sect deepening.

He planned to regularly come to Jade Bottle Peak for tranquil cultivation, occasionally visiting the Ascension Platform within the Sect.

Li Guanqi stepped onto his flying sword and soared towards Heavenly Thunder Peak.

He spent another night in cultivation; after breaking through to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, he found his senses had become much sharper.

His hearing was already more acute than ordinary people’s, but now, without using Divine Sense, he could clearly hear conversations fifty meters away.

His skin’s perception had also become clearer; he could even sense the flow of the wind to determine the movements of people in front of him.

The Sword Spirit explained that this was thanks to his breakthrough from the thirteenth level of Qi Refining to the realm of Foundation Establishment.

Arriving at Heavenly Pillar Peak, Li Guanqi went straight to the Sect’s Treasure Pavilion and ordered a ready-made Gathering Spirit Array plate.

Exiting the Treasure Pavilion, Li Guanqi felt like he had just left a den of thieves!

A Gathering Spirit Array plate actually cost two hundred contribution points!!

It was said that within the Sect, one could also build a luxurious residence atop a mountain for sixty contribution points.

Li Guanqi decisively refused and fled.

Back at Jade Bottle Peak, Li Guanqi threw down the array plate, infusing it with Primordial Energy.

The palm-sized ancient bronze array plate instantly split into eight pieces, each occupying a corner.

Immediately, a ten-meter-wide Gathering Spirit Array formed on the ground.

All that was needed was to embed Spirit Stones into the main array plate to increase the density of spiritual energy and maintain its concentration.

Having just finished this task, Li Guanqi stroked his chin, recalling the time-accelerating space inside the Sword box.

“It seems I need to build a secluded room for cultivation.”

Suddenly, a whooshing sound approached; it was Lin Dong arriving on his flying sword!

Lin Dong, slightly more robust, had an odd posture while flying, his hands constantly adjusting his balance.

Landing from the air, Lin Dong laughed heartily, “Guanqi, I didn’t expect you to have chosen a mountain peak here.”

Li Guanqi responded with a slight smile, “You’ve reached Foundation Establishment too?”

Lin Dong scratched his head sheepishly, “I can’t compare to you guys; I broke through at the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining.”

“Lucky enough, I used all my contribution points to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill and barely made the breakthrough.”

Li Guanqi nodded, not saying much more. After all, innate talent was something that set people apart from the start.

It was normal for Lin Dong to choose to establish his foundation at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and it didn’t mean he couldn’t advance further on the path of cultivation.

The path of cultivation was long, and perhaps many fortunes and opportunities awaited.

“By the way, what are you up to? You didn’t come just to see me, did you?”

Lin Dong grinned and whispered, “Didn’t the Sect acquire two secret realms?”

“I heard the contribution points required for eligible disciples aren’t few.”

“So, I took a patrolling task in the mission hall, a whole fifty contribution points a day!”

Li Guanqi frowned slightly upon hearing this; he remembered that his mission with the ghost woman in Xingyun Town was also worth fifty contribution points.

And that was after several disciples had failed the task and the reward was increased.

Just a patrolling mission…

Li Guanqi warned in a serious tone, “This task… fifty contribution points a day, it’s probably not that simple.”

“Be extra careful, and if anything unusual happens, send the Sect’s signal immediately.”

Lin Dong nodded earnestly, “Don’t worry, it’s not just me patrolling.”

“Go on with your cultivation; I’m off.”

Whoosh!

After Lin Dong left, Li Guanqi pondered, “The Great Xia Sword Sect’s territory is only about fifty miles in radius; there shouldn’t be any trouble.”

Then Li Guanqi began to chop wood and carry it up to the mountain peak.

Below the mountains, there were many waterfalls and rivers where numerous disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect were also practicing.

Everyone greeted him warmly when they saw him.

“Wow, Junior Brother Li is also choosing a mountain among the peaks?”

“Which mountain did Junior Brother Li pick?”

Li Guanqi nodded with a smile, “Senior Brothers, I’m at Jade Bottle Peak. Feel free to visit anytime.”

Along the way, Li Guanqi witnessed the cultivation of many fellow Foundation Establishment disciples.

Figures wielding swords under waterfalls, standing firm as the hundreds of meters high water cascaded down.

Some sat on giant rocks by the river, bare-chested, facing the scorching sun in meditation.

Others climbed the mountains barehanded, moving like agile monkeys.

And some darted about on tree trunks protruding from the cliffs, their sword strikes swift and fierce!

Li Guanqi returned to Jade Bottle Peak and sorted the timber, just finishing the framework of the wooden hut when it was deep into the night.

Suddenly!!

Li Guanqi’s gaze shot westward!!

Dozens of miles away, a burst of red fireworks exploded hundreds of meters into the sky!!

Instantly, countless people rose on their swords from the mountain peaks, shouting, “Enemy attack!!”

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!! Whoosh whoosh!!

Numerous flying swords lit up the sky, many disciples even forgoing their robes as they flew towards the commotion!

Li Guanqi threw out his long sword, shooting forward in a flash, and urgently spoke into a jade slip.

“Lin Dong!! Lin Dong!!”