Before Foundation Establishment, all are considered mortal martial artists. After Foundation Establishment, with the activation of spiritual sense and a spiritual body, one can utilize the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, possessing astonishing abilities. Before Foundation Establishment, there are two major realms, which also serve as a watershed for mortal martial artists: first is the Body Tempering stage, and second is the Qi Condensation stage.
The Body Tempering stage is the forging of the physical foundation. Through unremitting physical tempering, one aims to first enhance personal strength and second, to strengthen all parts of the body, from the exterior inwards to the internal organs and brain, achieving comprehensive physical reinforcement. This process can be aided by a large number of medicinal herbs and external forces to accelerate the tempering effect. Without the powerful physique brought by Body Tempering, one would find it difficult to withstand the physical burden of Foundation Establishment.
Everyone possesses thought power, which ordinary people refer to as spiritual energy. It is used passively and often cannot even be perceived. When Body Tempering is perfected, cultivators can consciously perceive thought power, but still cannot use it for themselves. After this, if one can further consciously perceive and then control thought power, they can reach the first level of the Qi Condensation stage: the "Awakened Eyes and Clear Ears" realm.
The Qi Condensation stage is further subdivided by mortal martial artists into four levels, based on the different degrees of thought power usage:
The first level is "Awakened Eyes and Clear Ears" (醒目,清耳). Individuals at this level experience a qualitative improvement in their vision, hearing, taste, and touch. Their reaction speed is several times faster than during the Body Tempering stage.
The second level is "Minute Realm" (极小境). Those at this level can skillfully control thought power and apply it in actual combat. They are already considered strong among mortal martial artists.
The third level is "Object Manipulation" (驱物境). Experts of this realm are extremely rare in the mortal world. Their thought power is very profound, allowing them to briefly move objects with it. If fighting an enemy, it can catch opponents off guard. Due to more subtle control over the body and the ability to use thought power, many mortal techniques are also developed by martial artists of this realm. Their means of killing enemies are considerably more numerous compared to the Body Tempering stage.
The fourth level, "Kaiyang" (开阳), is the dividing line between immortals and mortals. If one achieves Foundation Establishment at Kaiyang, they can cultivate immortality; if not, they remain a mere mortal, slowly dying from the erosion of time. In the eyes of ordinary mortals, this fourth level is actually ethereal and intangible.
Meanwhile, Mu Yun's forced breakthrough to the Qi Condensation stage through external forces was a mixed blessing. At the very least, he lacked the physical tempering, still quite a distance from the grand completion of Body Tempering.
Mu Yun shook his head and ceased pondering. He activated the Genesis Genesis Neural System to perform a full-body scan, obtaining more intuitive comparative data values. If his combat power value before breakthrough was 200, then at this moment, his combat power value could reach 600, meaning his overall strength had increased by more than threefold. Of course, this data value was assessed excluding Earth's technological armament systems.
"Deactivate Genesis Genesis Neural System." Mu Yun issued the command in his mind. As his eyes flickered between light and darkness, Mu Yun sequentially shut down each of Earth's armament systems, deeply experiencing the various changes brought about by his own strength breakthrough. Soon after, a smile appeared on his lips, clearly satisfied with the current improvement in his strength. After all, this felt entirely different from the skill enhancements brought about by relying on Earth's technology.
Mu Yun suppressed his inner joy, turning his gaze to another artifact, the small gourd. Mu Yun opened the wooden stopper, and indeed, a wave of wine aroma instantly filled the room. Mu Yun couldn't help but smile wryly, "The function of this gourd is currently unknown, for now it can only be used as a 'bottomless' wine vessel". Having learned from the lesson of rashly opening the storage bag earlier, Mu Yun dared not use the gourd carelessly. After making the gourd recognize him as its master with a drop of blood, he hid the storage bag in his embrace, tied the gourd to his waist, and pushed the door open to leave.
...
Qingchuan City was bustling with ordinary merchants, citizens, and martial artists. Unbeknownst to most, a hidden undercurrent surged beneath its surface. The lingering glow of the setting sun spilled onto the streets, also illuminating the face of the inconspicuous Mu Yun in the crowd.
Stepping onto the street, Mu Yun carefully observed the diverse inhabitants of this cultivation world, leisurely walking towards the Treasure Gathering Pavilion.
"The items Grandpa assigned me to find are already in hand, which makes things much easier for me. According to Big Brother Yumo, this Treasure Gathering Pavilion is actually the legendary Suichong Pavilion, an immortal spiritual artifact. Presumably, besides a very few cultivators who know this, ordinary mortals in Qingchuan City must be unaware. I wonder what's so special about it..."
With Earth's Mu Yun's personality, since a legendary immortal spiritual artifact was right before his eyes, he was determined to investigate it thoroughly. Mu Yun's curiosity grew, and he couldn't help but quicken his pace. But at a corner, he bumped into a flowing, cloud-like veil. Before he could look closely, he heard a crisp reprimand explode from behind him: "Stop! You disheveled short-legged tiger!"
Mu Yun halted.
"I'm talking about you! You bump into someone and don't apologize, trying to leave without a word?"
Mu Yun turned back, only to find that everyone around them was scattering like a tide, and he then realized that the "short-legged tiger" she spoke of was actually himself. He couldn't help but feel a bit helpless.
"What are you looking at, haven't you seen a beautiful woman before?" The angrily glaring girl frowned slightly; from her voice, it could be judged that the previous two sentences also came from her. It seemed as if her reminder brought Mu Yun back to his senses, his gaze focused on the two before him.
The speaker, dressed in a red dress that swept the ground like flickering flames, had a reddish tint at the corners of her eyes. She stood with hands on her hips, her silver bells lightly trembling with her breathing. And the white-clad girl beside her was like a cold pool reflecting the moon, with a faint cinnabar mark between her brows barely visible amidst her flowing dark hair, and calm eyes like autumn water at the cusp of winter. It seemed she felt Mu Yun's gaze; she subtly turned her head, and their eyes met. For a moment, it made Mu Yun think of the ice crystals he saw in the snowy mountains as a child.
"I wasn't looking at you, why are you getting so agitated?" Mu Yun turned his gaze, fixing on the red-clad girl, and replied unhurriedly.
"Never mind, Phil. The collision was unintentional, there's no need to be so rude."
Mu Yun, having lived in the mountains, indeed didn't pay much attention to his appearance. Upon hearing the white-clad girl speak, he no longer wished to engage in verbal sparring. "Two young ladies, I was not paying attention just now. If I was presumptuous, I apologize to both of you now". Mu Yun openly cupped his hands in apology, then turned to leave. The red-clad girl, seeing Mu Yun apologize, didn't pester him further. She stuck out her tongue, let out a "hmph," then took the white-clad girl's hand and turned to walk away.
The two hadn't walked far when they stopped again; this time it was Mu Yun who called out to them. He rubbed his nose, looking a bit awkward, and asked, "Do the two young ladies know how to get to the Treasure Gathering Pavilion?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Mu Yun regretted them. The red-clad girl's face instantly broke into a wide smile, as if she had completely forgotten what happened before.
She laughed, "Haha... Big idiot!" She pointed into the distance: "The Treasure Gathering Pavilion is right ahead, can't you see it?" Mu Yun looked where she pointed, but saw nothing. He thought to himself,
Never mind telling me, why mock and tease me like this? He couldn't help but feel a bit helpless.
As soon as he looked up, he saw the white-clad girl's eyes fixed on him again.
"My sister is accustomed to being mischievous, please don't take offense."
"Phil, you go back first. I have something to discuss with this young master." The red-dressed girl named Mu Fei immediately widened her eyes, looking incredulous. "Sis... you... you're actually going to be alone with a stranger. It's over, it's over..." The red-dressed girl's surprise vanished, replaced by dejection; her expression was truly a sight.
"Phil, don't be silly, I'll be back soon. Otherwise..." The white-clad girl pretended to look stern, feigning a reprimand. After the red-dressed girl named Phil left, she slowly said, "Young master, this way please". Mu Yun followed the white-clad girl to a secluded, sparsely populated area.
"Young lady, what is this about?" Mu Yun, unable to understand the situation along the way, finally couldn't help but ask.
"Young master, you have already reached the Qi Condensation stage, haven't you?" the white-clad girl asked directly. Mu Yun's expression was calm, but his heart churned with shock. He had just reached the Qi Condensation stage, yet his cultivation was seen through at a glance. Could this girl before him be a Foundation Establishment cultivator?
Seeing Mu Yun remain silent, the white-clad girl smiled slightly and continued: "Young master, no need to be nervous. Just now, young master..."
"I see." After hearing the white-clad girl's words, Mu Yun sighed with understanding. "Thank you, young lady, otherwise I would certainly have had quite a search for this Treasure Gathering Pavilion."
The white-clad girl explained the whole situation to Mu Yun. According to her, the Treasure Gathering Pavilion was clearly visible to her before she reached the Qi Condensation stage. However, after she reached the Qi Condensation stage, the Treasure Gathering Pavilion seemed to evaporate; even standing at its entrance, she could vaguely sense its presence, but still couldn't see it with her eyes. Only by actually stepping into the pavilion could she see the interior with her naked eyes. For this, she had also sought confirmation from other Qi Condensation cultivators, who all gave the same answer.
Those who can reach the Qi Condensation stage are, in the mortal world, intelligent top martial artists. Some of them had also investigated the history of this Treasure Gathering Pavilion, but found nothing. Of course, some also linked the Treasure Gathering Pavilion to cultivators, believing it to be a pavilion left behind by immortals. In the eyes of mortals below the Qi Condensation stage, this Treasure Gathering Pavilion was a hundred-year-old shop, well-stocked with everything imaginable, managed year-round by only one shop steward. However... in the eyes of those above the Qi Condensation stage, it was a completely different scene.
Recalling Yumo's admonition, Mu Yun had some guesses: "Since this Treasure Gathering Pavilion is transformed from the legendary Suichong Pavilion, it's normal for it to have some special characteristics. Ordinary people, with their mortal eyes, naturally cannot discern its mysteries. The Qi Condensation stage already produces thought power, so what one sees is naturally different from ordinary sight". Mu Yun did not use the Genesis Genesis Neural System to investigate. Currently, Qingchuan City was a mixed bag, with many powerful cultivators among them. If he were to be targeted by someone like Yumo, whose combat power even the Genesis Genesis Neural System couldn't identify, it would be troublesome.
For a moment, Mu Yun's thoughts raced. When he came back to his senses, he found that the beautiful lady had already left at some unknown point, and he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of loss.
"She truly came like a shadow and left like the wind," Mu Yun smiled. Her appearance overlapped with that of another blonde woman in his mind.
"Jane... I wonder what their current situation is."
"To think I've actually arrived in such a world. With Earth on the brink of destruction, is mastering this cultivation civilization the way for me to solve Earth's crisis...?" Mu Yun thought this, and his heart was suddenly filled with mixed emotions.
...
Soon after, following the direction the white-clad girl had indicated, Mu Yun arrived before an unassuming shop. After standing for a moment, Mu Yun stepped inside.