Feng Shui Chapter 163: Foundation Establishment

Chen Xiao sat cross-legged. With the experience he’d gained from the last time in the square, this time he directly activated the compass within his sea of consciousness, absorbing the continuous flow of causal fortune energy seeping into his body.

The vast, surging fortune energy followed invisible paths, rushing toward Chen Xiao like a colossal whirlpool. The energy fields over the canal and the capital city itself were stirred by his presence. Sand and dust swirled violently, the wind roared and clouds shifted, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. The spectacle was far beyond what anyone had expected. Xi Yunqing quickly stood up and retreated, putting over ten meters of distance between himself and Chen Xiao.

His expression was grave and alert, wary that someone might accidentally stumble into this moment. Looking back at Chen Xiao, who sat unmoving in the heart of the storm, Xi Yunqing couldn’t help but wonder: Could it be that Brother Xiao was establishing his foundation?

Before this, Chen Xiao was just a hair’s breadth away from unlocking the fourth outer ring of the central Heavenly Pool. He was confident that the nested feng shui formation would allow him to open another compass layer, but he had overlooked that the combined energy field of the canal and the entire capital city was more than ten times larger than a typical urban area. In his past life, the city he lived in was even more prosperous than the capital, making him subconsciously forget that this city was the political and economic center of Jin City, carrying the nation’s very fortune.

Just like the time when the energy flowed endlessly into his body during the cave searching, Chen Xiao now felt utterly filled to capacity. The compass spun wildly, radiating golden light in the dark sea of consciousness. Streams of fortune energy transformed into golden primal energy surged from the central Heavenly Pool, circling through the first layer of innate hexagrams, the second layer of the Luo Shu nine stars, the third layer of the Earth Mother’s reversed hexagrams, and then pushed forcefully toward the fourth layer, the Three Yuan Twenty-Four Mountain Yin-Yang Plate, which was just a bit shy of fully illuminating.

Once the compass started spinning, Chen Xiao had no control over it. He gasped in surprise as the primal energy surged unstoppably into the shadowy fifth layer, the seventy-two dragons piercing the mountains. One character after another lit up, as fast and dazzling as festive street lights powered on, glowing in brilliant gold almost without pause.

Chen Xiao felt an electric numbness crawl across his scalp. The relentlessly surging primal energy finally slowed, gently settling at about one-tenth into the sixth layer.

His chest heaved heavily as he exhaled deeply. When he opened his eyes, he realized that everywhere around him except where he sat was a mess. His face was damp, and a light drizzle was falling from the sky.

Hurriedly, Chen Xiao stood up. A faint scent of scorched flesh wafted off him. His clothes had cracked and crumbled like burnt charcoal ash. Stunned and unsure, he spread his arms. The drizzle washed over him, carrying with it some dark, unknown residue that stained his body.

Suddenly, a piece of cloth unfolded, shielding his head and wrapping around his nearly naked body. Reflexively, Chen Xiao grabbed it, and when he turned, Xi Yunqing stood right beside him.

“Big brother? What happened?” Chen Xiao, seeing his only witness, asked eagerly as if he’d found his savior.

Xi Yunqing’s expression was complicated, both amazed at Brother Xiao’s rapid advancement and happy for his breakthrough, but mostly puzzled. He spoke slowly, “Brother Xiao, you’ve established your foundation.”

Chen Xiao was a bit slow to process it. After a moment, he asked, “I’ve established a foundation? Is this the result of my breakthrough?”

Xi Yunqing’s eyes flashed with helplessness. He patted Chen Xiao’s scorched head covered by the cloth. “The calamity lightning struck right on your head. Didn’t you feel anything at all?”

Chen Xiao was stunned. No wonder his scalp felt like it was jolted by electricity, it was the calamity clouds striking him!

Xi Yunqing sighed softly. “I’ve never seen you advance so fast before. The way feng shui intertwines with cultivation is unprecedented. There’s no prior experience to go by, so we can only figure it out as we go.”

Chen Xiao bit his lip and solemnly promised, “I’ll be much more careful in the future. I didn’t expect this to happen this time.”

Xi Yunqing shook his head, then smiled and said, “Still, congratulations on successfully establishing your foundation.”

This time, Chen Xiao sat in meditation for four to five hours. By the time they returned to the royal gardens, dawn was just breaking.

On the way back, Chen Xiao learned that his breakthrough had caused quite a stir, and the city guard of the capital was alarmed. Even Commander Long didn’t attend the celebration banquet but came to the outskirts near the canal to check things out.

Fortunately, Xi Yunqing handled the situation, dispersing other cultivators who wanted to investigate. Thanks to this, Chen Xiao’s foundation establishment went smoothly. He felt a surge of relief, having thought this would be just a minor breakthrough, but it turned out to be a major one.

Tang Ru took it in stride, but Tong Nuonuo was shocked. When they first met, Chen Xiao was just an ordinary person who knew nothing! In less than three years, he had soared through the Qi Gathering and Body Refining stages, now standing firmly at the Foundation Establishment stage. Even Tong Nuonuo, who considered himself talented, felt inferior.

After the banquet, Shen Yonghe invited the group to the palace again. This time, it was still Elder Sanshui who came to meet them, but it was a farewell. With their mission accomplished, Elder Sanshui and his disciples were withdrawing, and before leaving, he advised Xi Yunqing once more to retreat to Chongxuan for focused cultivation.

After this journey, Elder Sanshui would take Ke Jiusi to the mountain gate for serious training, and wouldn’t travel for a while. Besides Xi Yunqing’s emerging domain abilities impressing him, Chen Xiao’s feng shui skills also left a strong impression. Elder Sanshui was a highly influential figure in the cultivation world, and Chen Xiao had earned considerable goodwill in his presence, laying an excellent foundation for future development in Guangyin’s Middle Heaven Realm.

Shen Yonghe thanked Chen Xiao again for his contributions to Jin City and the Shen royal family, and presented him a reward fitting his achievements. Previously he had given him excellent-grade cultivation techniques, but this time the gift was specially for the nested formation layout.

Calmly accepting a box of spiritual pearls, Chen Xiao said, “During my time in Jin City, I have tasted unique delicacies and experienced the local customs and scenery. The culture and landscapes have left a wonderful impression on me. However, all good things must come to an end. Now that the capital’s earth crisis is resolved, it’s time for us to take our leave.”

Shen Yanxing had never heard of Chen Xiao’s plan before and was suddenly shocked and anxious. “Master, what will I do without you?”

Without cultivation, Shen Yanxing dared not follow Chen Xiao into the dangerous wilds filled with fierce beasts. He could only hold them back and be a burden.

Chen Xiao, of course, had made arrangements. “Our group will continue training, but you stay here in Jin City. I’ve taught you quite a bit about residential feng shui, apply what you’ve learned and keep improving through practice. I will continue to train hard. When I reach the Golden Core stage and establish a sect, I’ll come back for you.”

Shen Yanxing felt sad and reluctant to part with his master. But he knew his own limitations and didn’t dare expect more. He nodded, “Yes, disciple wishes Master a smooth immortal path and early Core formation.”

Chen Xiao reminded him, “Take good care of the compass I gave you. Treat it like your other half and never let it leave your side.”

Shen Yanxing nodded earnestly. After a moment, he asked, “If I want to contact you, where should I send the message?”

Chen Xiao froze for a moment, but Xi Yunqing answered, “You can send messages to a valley outside Hanshan City called Zhushan Residence. There is a man named Du Rong who is your master’s subordinate. Once we finish our training in Gengsheng’s Lesser Heaven Realm, we’ll settle there. Du Rong will pass on your messages to your master.”

No matter how unwilling Shen Yanxing was, the day of parting arrived as planned. Chen Xiao and the others rode the scaled horses Shen Yonghe had given them, leaving through the northern city gate.

Chen Xiao asked Xi Yunqing, “Big brother, where are we headed next? Still continuing on land?”

Xi Yunqing said, “Now that you’ve reached Foundation Establishment, you can use the vortex teleportation gate. How about a visit to Taishen’s Middle Heaven Realm?”

Tong Nuonuo immediately perked up. “Yes! The cultivation city in Taishen’s Middle Heaven Realm is also by the sea, but it’s a huge island. The climate is much warmer than Hanshan City, and there are plenty of fruits and specialties you’ll definitely like! I can be your guide and take you on a proper tour around Yingxian Island.”

Tang Ru laughed, “Nuonuo wants to be a guide? That cracks me up. Luckily, Yingxian Island is surrounded by the sea, so you can’t really get lost too far.”

Nuonuo was annoyed and defensive. “That’s way too harsh! I’ve been to Yingxian Island with my Master several times. How could I possibly get that lost?!”

Tang Ru didn’t believe a word, laughing without mercy. Chen Xiao and Xi Yunqing also doubted it but didn’t show it as openly. Nuonuo, flustered, jumped on Tang Ru’s horse and they started play-fighting.

“A sea island?” Chen Xiao thought to himself. Unlike Gengsheng’s Lesser Tian Realm with its subarctic climate, this was a subtropical island, seafood must be abundant. His excitement for Yingxian Island grew immediately.

Xi Yunqing smiled slightly. “The Tai Shen Middle Heaven Realm’s waters are vast, composed of a peninsula and many archipelagos. It produces aquatic beasts, sea plants, and various underwater minerals.”

Without using magic or special movement skills, Nuonuo shamelessly used her size advantage to overwhelm Tang Ru, successfully defending her pride before hopping back onto her horse.

She caught up to Chen Xiao and whispered, “Not only are the mineral resources rich, but the four Lesser Heaven Realms under its jurisdiction all have to pass through Yingxian Island. It’s even bigger than Hanshan City, with more cultivators, countless shops and stalls where you can find many rare treasures, some even passed down for hundreds or thousands of years. Xiao Xiao, you’re bound to gain a lot!”

She winked at Chen Xiao, letting him immediately catch her meaning. Come to think of it, it had been a long time since he had used his ability to see energy fields for treasure hunting.