"That female disciple in the corner, you answer this question."
"Regarding the twelfth level of the Qi Refining stage, how does one fully utilize spiritual power to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage?"
While Shu Linyuan and Yuan Shu were staring at each other, the displeased voice of the lecturing elder suddenly rang out from above.
The crowd's gaze followed the elder's line of sight and landed collectively on Yuan Shu.
After all, Yuan Shu was the only female disciple sitting in that corner.
Without a doubt, he was talking about her!
Many eyes around her immediately lit up, eager to watch a good show.
After all, Yuan Shu was somewhat famous in the Luoxian Sect.
Not only because of her peerless beauty, but also because she was known as the number one trash personal disciple of the Luoxian Sect!
People would look up to and respect someone who possessed both beauty and strength.
But a person with only beauty and no strength would be belittled, trampled upon, and turned into a laughingstock!
Obviously, Yuan Shu belonged to the latter category—a personal disciple who had bought her way in just because her family owned spiritual mines!
As a low-level Qi Refining cultivator, Yuan Shu was a regular at Wansong Cliff.
Every time she attended a lecture, she would be called upon by the elders. She would stand up, unable to answer anything, and make a complete fool of herself.
Frivolous and evaluating gazes fell upon Yuan Shu. Although no one dared to whisper about her openly, the disdain and contempt in their eyes were clear.
Shen Qi's fists, resting on his knees, clenched slightly. He really wanted to stand up right then and there to teach these people a lesson.
But considering that this was an elder's lecture, if he caused trouble, it might implicate Yuan Shu.
He held back again and again before finally relaxing his hands.
Yuan Shu blinked.
When she saw Shu Linyuan walking toward her earlier, she knew she wouldn't be able to remain invisible today.
Letting out a soft, helpless sigh, Yuan Shu stood up unhurriedly.
"Yuan Shu, repeat after me in a moment: Foundation laying..."
Beside her, seeing her called out, Shu Linyuan felt a bit nervous. Forgetting that he had just been scolded by her, he hurriedly whispered the answer to remind her.
However, he didn't expect the Ninth Elder to catch him red-handed.
"Silence! No one else is allowed to tell her the answer!"
"I want to see what right she has to whisper in class. Doesn't she know this is already her tenth year since joining the sect?"
"If she still can't break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, even if she is a personal disciple of Qingyun Peak, according to sect rules, she will be expelled!"
The Ninth Elder shot Yuan Shu a look of deep disappointment. As he spoke, he casually cast a silencing spell on Shu Linyuan.
Shu Linyuan's eyes widened. He opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single word, looking at Yuan Shu anxiously.
Yet Yuan Shu didn't even spare him a glance, speaking in a calm tone.
"It's just some basic knowledge about advancement. I don't need anyone's reminder. You can rest assured, Elder!"
"Fine, then you tell us!" The Ninth Elder, with a dark expression, sneered upon hearing this, his eyes full of disbelief.
As a regular lecturer at Wansong Cliff, the Ninth Elder naturally knew Yuan Shu.
A disciple who needed her companion's reminder to answer a question dared to boast so shamelessly?
He wanted to see how she could back up those words!
Yuan Shu ignored the Ninth Elder's angry glare, cleared her throat, and spoke slowly.
"Breaking through from the twelfth level of the Qi Refining stage to the Foundation Establishment stage involves three well-known steps: laying the spiritual foundation, resonating with the spiritual veins, and returning to the origin to establish the foundation."
"First, sit quietly and focus, guiding spiritual energy into the body through the acupoints and gathering it in the dantian to lay the foundation."
"Second, chant the incantation when approaching the spiritual vein nodes, using one's own spiritual power to resonate with the spiritual veins, drawing upon massive amounts of spiritual energy for empowerment."
"Finally, guide the spiritual energy back to the dantian for nourishment, preventing energy dissipation and cultivation deviation. Once the spiritual foundation is formed, Foundation Establishment is achieved!"
Her soft and sweet voice unhurriedly glided into the ears of everyone present.
Even without looking at her, one could imagine this was a casual, languid, yet charmingly enchanting woman.
Moreover, Yuan Shu's face and figure were already remarkably beautiful.
The moment she stood up, she attracted the gaze of almost everyone around her.
That unhurried tone and calm attitude somewhat shocked the Ninth Elder at the front, as well as the disciples who had wanted to watch a good show.
Without a doubt, this was the standard answer from the cultivation manuals.
No, the standard answer was much more verbose. What Yuan Shu had said was a streamlined and accurate answer that retained the most essential core!
The Ninth Elder raised his eyes and took a careful look at Yuan Shu.
Only then did he realize that this disciple, who was dead last in both theory and practice, seemed somewhat different today.
There was something more on that remarkably beautiful face.
Confidence, composure, and an innate allure and nobility.
The Ninth Elder raised an eyebrow. "Then tell me, what should be done if spiritual energy stagnates and the spiritual foundation becomes unstable during the Foundation Establishment process?"
This question was slightly out of bounds.
It could be said that anyone who hadn't established their foundation would have almost no experience with this.
For someone like Yuan Shu, who was currently stuck at the fifth level of the Qi Refining stage, it was absolutely impossible for her to have encountered it.
The crowd was certain that Yuan Shu wouldn't be able to answer and began to chuckle softly.
However, under the gloating gazes of countless disciples, Yuan Shu's expression remained unchanged as she continued to answer calmly.
"Encountering spiritual energy stagnation and spiritual foundation instability during Foundation Establishment is extremely dangerous!"
"If not handled properly, at best, one's cultivation will regress and their foundation will be damaged; at worst, all meridians will be severed, leading to death and the dissipation of one's cultivation."
"First, focus the mind and calm the heart, temporarily halting the breakthrough. Sit cross-legged and meditate, using the Origin Returning Qi Nurturing Art to guide the scattered spiritual energy slowly back to the dantian, preventing the energy from crashing against the meridians and worsening the stagnation."
"Second, adjust the cultivation method and change the route. If the method's route has a low compatibility with one's own meridians, one can temporarily switch to a gentler Minor Heavenly Circulation technique, allowing the spiritual energy to flow smoothly along the meridians to gradually clear the stagnant nodes."
"Furthermore, rely on external aids to nourish the meridians. Consume supplementary pills like low-grade Body Tempering Pills or spiritual liquids, or draw gentle wood or water-attribute spiritual energy into the body. These types of spiritual energy are mild and can nourish the meridians, reducing the resistance to spiritual energy flow."
"Finally, draw upon external spiritual source energy to help channel the flow. Circulate the Spiritual Vein Resonance Art, using the gentle energy of the spiritual source to guide one's own spiritual power, letting it flow along the momentum of the veins to stabilize the spiritual foundation."
After these well-reasoned words were spoken, not only did the expression of the Ninth Elder at the front change slightly.
Even the sect disciples who had just been gloating and wanting to see Yuan Shu make a fool of herself were astonished.
"Yuan Shu, you actually remember it so clearly?"
Beside her, Shu Linyuan, who had just been released from the silencing spell, exclaimed in surprise.
Having been fellow disciples with Yuan Shu for so many years, he had no idea she possessed such a shining moment?
Had he underestimated her too much in the past?
Yuan Shu cast a cold glance at him and ignored him.
As the former Sect Master of the Hehuan Sect who had steadily achieved a supreme-grade Foundation Establishment, these were the paths she had traveled, etched deep into her bones.
How could she not remember them clearly?
Yuan Shu's cold attitude caused Shu Linyuan's joyful expression to suddenly freeze.
"..."
Yuan Shu was still holding a grudge!
At the same time, the expression of the Ninth Elder at the front visibly relaxed.
"Alright, sit down and listen to the lecture properly. Don't whisper anymore."
Only then did Yuan Shu give a slight nod and sit down amidst the crowd's varying gazes.
...
During the break between classes.
Yuan Shu stretched her back and lazily walked toward the shade of a tree canopy at Wansong Cliff.
Just as she rounded the corner of the hillside, her wrist was suddenly seized, and she was yanked forcefully into the shadows.
A tall, lithe figure pressed in, pinning her into a small nook of the stone wall.
The faint, crisp scent of pine and ink drifted to her nose. Even without looking up, Yuan Shu instantly recognized who it was.
"Shu Linyuan, bullying a female disciple between classes—are you looking to be sent to the Cliff of Repentance?"
