Days slipped by like a white steed’s shadow through a crevice.

Since Zhou Kai hadn’t formally joined the Calamity Abyss Valley, he was spared the sect’s mundane administrative nonsense. Taiji Peak was sparsely populated; aside from Li Youci and Fish Baibai, his cultivation was the highest. He enjoyed the peace, avoiding much of the sect’s covert and overt power struggles.

Yet, within this tranquility, a hint of unease lingered.

Li Youci had been exceptionally busy lately, her movements erratic and unpredictable. several times, when a chilling wind howled across Taiji Peak and surges of extreme Yin ghost energy erupted, she would rush back just in time. She would release her Ghost Body—identical to her own appearance—to devour the spreading ghost energy like a whale. What followed were the earth-shaking aftershocks of a fierce internal battle that made the mountain rocks tremble.

Whenever Zhou Kai encountered bottlenecks in his cultivation, he would go into seclusion, but never for long—just three to five days.

Even so, he felt time slipping through his fingers like fine sand. It was never enough!

The Lawless No Word Heavenly Scripture was vast. The Myriad Phenomena Hammer was domineering. The Cicada Raiment Art was profound. Each of these techniques required an ocean of time to comprehend.

Not to mention, he also had to focus on alchemy. He wasn’t just supplying pills for himself anymore; he had a large brood of Spirit Insects to feed. Now that both his physical and Mana cultivation had reached the second realm, ordinary Spirit Gathering Pills were insufficient. He was burning through Spirit Origin Pills daily—resources that even mid-second realm cultivators used sparingly.

His Alchemist points were maxed out, so the craft itself wasn’t an issue. The problem was the time investment and the massive cost of rare spirit herbs, which devoured his Spirit Stones like a bottomless pit.

The ideal situation should have been: The exchange points provided by Chen Ziyi and the other three women would shorten his cultivation time. Ziyi would manage the household and the clamoring Spirit Insects. Ziqing, a genuine Second-Grade Alchemist, would shoulder the alchemy burden. Zhiwei would handle formations, and Wang Qiaoqiao would be out earning Spirit Stones.

Zhou Kai’s cultivation “production line” was ready to go. Logically, his life should have been getting easier.

Yet, Li Youci seemed to have her eyes glued to him, strictly forbidding him from stepping even half a foot off Taiji Peak!

Zhou Kai wasn’t without his own sneaky ideas. Relying on the stealth of the Cicada Raiment Art, he had tried to slip out. But Li Youci’s terrifying Divine Sense, comparable to a mid-Golden Core cultivator, enveloped the entire peak like a dragnet. Every time he tried to descend, she detected him instantly.

Then Fish Baibai would “coincidentally” appear to “invite” him back.

If Li Youci wasn’t around, Fish Baibai would stick to him like glue, claiming it was “by the Young Miss’s order, to protect Junior Brother Zhou’s safety.”

“Damned ghost!” Zhou Kai grumbled inwardly. “Why is this Li family Young Miss so fixated on me? Does she think I’m hiding some treasure she covets?”

He pondered it endlessly but found no answer.

What he didn’t know was the real reason Li Youci kept him trapped on Taiji Peak. She absolutely could not let Zhou Kai discover that the four beauties he longed for had already been sent to the Yunmeng Residence on Yantian Peak.

There, her own paternal aunt was using their living bodies to refine human-shaped talismans—the Spirit Platform Fuel Fire Talismans!

Although the side effects were minor and their spirituality would recover within three to five years, the process was brutal. It required a special talisman knife. With the target’s spirit awake but their body immobilized, Li Yunmian had to carve intricate, profound runic arrays onto their skin and directly into their Consciousness Seas.

Every cut brought bone-deep, soul-rending agony that gnawed at the heart.

Naturally, she wouldn’t let Zhou Kai detect even the slightest hint of this.

At this moment, inside Zhou Kai’s meditation chamber at the peak of Taiji Peak.

He sat cross-legged, eyes slightly closed, his mind sinking into his Dantian’s energy sea. Within, his Mana and Vitality surged like tides. At the center of the vortex, a war hammer was quietly transforming.

Hum—

A soft vibration resonated from Zhou Kai’s Dantian, and the giant hammer trembled violently. Threads of spiritual light emerged from the weapon’s surface, creating an intimate connection with Zhou Kai’s mind. It felt as if the hammer were an extension of his own limbs. With a thought, he could wield it as effortlessly as his own arm.

Zhou Kai snapped his eyes open, a sharp light shooting from his gaze.

“Success!”

“I’ll name you the Chaotic Sky Hammer!”

Although this newly formed Life-Bound Magic Treasure contained only a faint trace of spirituality—less than even the Hundred Beast Banner—it was connected to his soul. It was truly his own!

A Life-Bound Treasure, nourished by a cultivator’s Vitality and Mana, synced perfectly with its master, far surpassing ordinary treasures in power. More importantly, it could grow alongside him.

“Counting from when I activated the system, it’s only been about ten months,” Zhou Kai murmured, ambition flashing in his eyes. “Beauties, artifacts, alchemy, formations, Vitality, Divine Sense, comprehension… all now have a foundation.”

“From now on, I, Zhou Kai, shall have everything!”

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Zhou Kai stood up and walked out of the chamber. The alchemy herbs he had entrusted Fish Baibai to purchase were running low again.

Just as he reached the mountainside, he sensed a fluctuation of Spirit Qi from nearby. From the direction of Gao Feiyang’s cave abode, a vortex was rapidly gathering, accompanied by the faint rumble of wind and thunder.

A sparse crowd of disciples had already gathered at the entrance.

Zhou Kai rode the wind and landed gracefully.

“Greetings, Uncle-Master Zhou!”

Seeing Zhou Kai, everyone immediately straightened, bowing with the utmost deference. Zhou Kai’s status on Taiji Peak was now second only to Li Youci and Fish Baibai.

Zhou Kai gave a slight nod, glancing at Gao Feiyang’s cave. This Gao Feiyang is as flashy as ever. He can’t even be bothered to set up a simple isolation formation? Afraid no one would know he’s attempting Foundation Establishment?

He addressed the crowd clearly.

“Your Senior Brother Gao is breaking through the Foundation Establishment bottleneck. This is a crucial juncture. You may observe from a distance, but do not release your Divine Sense to probe, lest you disturb him. Cultivation secrets must not be trespassed upon.”

“We heed Uncle-Master Zhou’s instruction!” everyone chorused, stepping back several zhang in unison, daring not make a sound.

“Junior Brother, you really have the air of a senior expert now!”

A pleasant laugh came from behind—it was Fish Baibai. She had sensed the commotion and rushed over, landing beside him.

Hearing this, Zhou Kai mused inwardly, What is cultivation for? Longevity? Unrivaled power? Beauties? Important, sure. But if one can’t show off, isn’t the joy diminished by half? Putting on… ahem, maintaining the demeanor of a senior is part of the Dao!

Outwardly, he remained impassive. “With Senior Brother Gao attempting such a significant breakthrough, I must stand guard to prevent disturbances.”

The two chatted idly, watching the commotion. The Spirit Qi vortex grew larger, the thunder louder—the critical moment had arrived.

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the violent fluctuations suddenly contracted. The thunder ceased.

Then, the aura of Foundation Establishment erupted!

Boom!

The stone door of the cave exploded outward. A figure shot into the sky in an extremely flashy pose.

Gao Feiyang stood on a gleaming flying sword, maintaining his signature posture—feet on the handguard, sword tip pointing down. A cloak fluttered behind him, emitting a blinding golden light in the sun. The ten large characters were missing, likely not yet embroidered, but the effect was still blinding.

He circled above the crowd, his wild laughter echoing across the mountain.

“Wahahahaha—!”

He cleared his throat, struck a “handsome” pose, and declaimed loudly:

“Once Foundation breaks the mortal dust, All thanks to the wise master who holds the universe! Dao techniques newly formed shake the cosmos, Grace vast and deep bathes in profound favor! If not for discerning eyes spotting the uncut jade, How could I stride among the clouds today?”

“Hahahaha! Junior Brother Zhou! Senior Sister Fish! Today, I, Gao Feiyang, have successfully established my Foundation! Let’s drink until we drop! Come on!”

Zhou Kai clicked his tongue, his eye twitching.

Good heavens. His bootlicking skills are improving daily. He has reached the pinnacle of perfection! This poem… it’s so awkward it could dig out a pocket dimension with one’s toes.

What a pity, Zhou Kai sighed inwardly. You’re aiming your flattery at the wrong person!

Sure enough, the moment the thought crossed his mind, three icy, emotionless words drifted up from the foot of the mountain.

“Scram! Trash fish!”

Before the words faded, a black ghostly shadow appeared above Gao Feiyang—Li Youci’s Ghost Body!

The Ghost Body’s face was expressionless. Its pale hand lifted lightly and slapped downward.

Thwack!

A dull, wet sound.

Gao Feiyang, who moments ago felt he had reached the peak of life, didn’t even have time to scream. He was sent flying like a meteor, smashing hard into the mountain wall dozens of zhang away!

Boom—!

The solid rock was crushed into a deep, human-shaped crater. Debris flew; dust billowed.

Gao Feiyang was embedded deep into the mountain in a spread-eagle pose, his limbs twitching slightly.

The black shadow flickered and vanished, as if it had never been there.