"Are you still going to hold back?"
"What really goes through your mind?"
Under the scrutiny of that intense gaze.
The man opposite, trembling, his visage distorted.
In memory, at the foot of Danxia Peak.
An elderly man, hand in hand with a young Min Longyu, looking up to the soaring mountain peak.
"This is Danxia Peak, the ancestral land from the most glorious times of the Min family. Longyu, you are the most talented member of the Min Clan. You must reach Foundation Establishment one day and bring the Min Clan back to Danxia Peak."
Min Longyu lifted his head, his big eyes wide open.
"Grandfather, I will certainly reach Foundation Establishment!"
"And I will also certainly bring the Min Clan back to Danxia Peak!"
Time flies, decades have passed.
The struggling Min Clan, dwindling in numbers, no longer mirrored its past prosperity.
Min Longyu, who was at the Ninth Level Qi Refinement, looked at the group of mortals huddled in the valley, his eyes filled with pain.
In the end, he turned his back and walked away.
"For the sake of the clan, I must reach Foundation Establishment."
"In order to reach Foundation Establishment, I have to abandon my clan."
"You all wait for me!"
He waited, and ten years passed.
When he returned to Tianlan Immortal City, the earthly members of the Min Clan had already vanished without a trace.
Without the protection of an Immortal Cultivator, these people could not possibly survive near the Immortal City.
The saddened Min Longyu, however, was led by Luo Chen back to Danxia Peak.
"I haven’t reached Foundation Establishment, but I have indeed returned."
"So, have I fulfilled my promises from my youth?"
Life is full of unpredictable changes, so it is.
However!
"After all, I still didn’t reach Foundation Establishment!"
A breeze carrying moist coolness swept into the valley.
Min Longyu abruptly opened his eyes and decisively stretched out his hand.
Crack!
A pill the size of a dragon’s eye shattered.
The fine shards fluttered down, blown away by the wind.
Luo Chen dusted off his hand, looking at him with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.
"Such audacity, daring to assault me."
"Or have you forgotten the Oath of Dao you took, pledging not to betray me?"
The reaching hand froze in mid-air.
Min Longyu’s eyes were full of pain, but he looked firm, as if he had gone through a metamorphosis.
"Luo Chen, you were the one who broke the promise first, how can you say I broke the oath!"
Luo Chen let out a hearty laugh.
The laughter was clear, without any hint of malice.
Hearing this, Min Longyu was somewhat startled.
"Fine, I believe your determination for Foundation Establishment is extremely resolute now, since you dared to act against a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator, impressive."
In Min Longyu’s astonishment, Luo Chen flicked his wrist.
A jade box landed in his hand.
"This is your Foundation Establishment Pill, don’t forget to repay Sima Huiniang five thousand Spirit Stones after your Foundation Establishment."
Watching the jade box in his hand, Min Longyu’s breathing became heavy.
As for his emotions, they were in such a tumultuous state that he could barely contain himself.
What was Luo Chen doing just now?
Was he simply bored and wanted to play a prank on him?
No, that can’t be it!
Luo Chen was never the type to act casually without significant thought. Every action he took, even if devoid of profound implications, was always directed towards a clear aim.
The heart of Foundation Establishment... The Heart of Dao...
Gradually, Min Longyu began to understand.
When he spoke next, his voice unexpectedly cracked slightly.
"Chairman..."
Luo Chen made an evasive turn of his neck, refusing to look at him.
After surveying the surroundings, his gaze fell upon a particular location veiled in swirling mist overhead.
"You probably haven’t rented a Second Order Immortal Mansion for your breakthrough yet!"
"I’m about to move soon, and the lease on this Immortal Mansion of mine has two months left."
"Pack up in the next couple of days, come over and familiarize yourself with the Closed-Door Cultivation environment!"