"This is the Parent-Child Spirit Barrier Pearl. This one here is the Child Pearl. Only by holding it can the barrier created by the Parent Pearl be dissolved."
After setting down the second layer of protection, Ye Fan produced a smaller green pearl. With a wave of his hand, he sent the Child Pearl floating before Dong Yue.
"I'll entrust this to your safekeeping. Now, you should believe me."
Dong Yue accepted the pearl, her fingers tightening slightly around its surface.
Though hard to believe, nothing in Ye Fan's actions so far suggested deceit.
Could it be… that he was deliberately displaying generosity, hoping to change how she saw him?
Dong Yue was not vain, but everything about this was simply too abrupt, too dreamlike. Beyond this possibility, she could think of no other explanation.
Just then, Ye Fan's voice came again.
"Since Brother Wang is in seclusion, I won't linger. Yue'er, I'll take my leave first."
Though he dearly wished to linger by Dong Yue's side, recalling Wang Jianqiang's "advice" made him swallow his words.
Turning around, he left cleanly, without a trace of hesitation.
Seeing this, Dong Yue exhaled a long breath.
So, Ye Fan really had changed—no longer clinging to her like a patch of stubborn plaster.
For her, this was indeed good news.
After Ye Fan's departure, Dong Yue pondered briefly, then decided not to stay either.
She still had duties in the Outer Affairs Hall to attend to. And with Wang Jianqiang's retreat now secured behind two layers of defenses, his safety was more than sufficient.
Her presence here would serve no further purpose until the moment of his breakthrough.
Not long after Dong Yue departed, another figure came quietly to the hut.
"Senior Brother Wang, the sect's order has arrived. Tomorrow, I will officially enter the Inner Sect."
"I trust you will also succeed in your Foundation Establishment."
Wang Yuyao whispered softly, then turned and left.
Three days later, a figure clad in red arrived.
Yan Qingxuan gazed at the secluded house, her face carrying a flicker of complicated emotion.
As an Inner Sect elder of the Hehuan Sect, she knew far more secrets than the average disciple.
And precisely because of that, she understood better than most the true difficulty of Wang Jianqiang's attempt.
A Five-Element Spiritual Root…
In terms of rarity, such a root was even scarcer than the legendary Heavenly Spiritual Root.
But their fates could not be more different.
A Heavenly Spiritual Root—pure, unmatched, advancing rapidly without bottlenecks before the Core Formation stage.
But a Five-Element Spiritual Root, though far denser in spiritual energy than others of the same level, walked a path fraught with obstacles. Throughout history, few had ever succeeded in Foundation Establishment.
Yet if they did succeed… they would undergo an extraordinary metamorphosis.
Their combat strength would become overwhelming—so much so that ordinary cultivators, even one or two small realms higher, could hardly compare.
It was said that in ancient times, some great powers had attempted to cultivate such individuals, pouring resources into forcing them past Foundation Establishment.
But those sects soon gave up.
The cost was staggering.
To push a Five-Element Spiritual Root to Foundation Establishment required more than it took to raise an ordinary cultivator to Core Formation.
And what use was overwhelming strength at Foundation Establishment? Could it contend with a true Core Formation expert?
With such lopsided investments, no one considered it worthwhile.
From then on, Five-Element roots were abandoned entirely—labeled as "wasted roots," unworthy of effort.
Were it not for the token he had obtained, Yin-Yang Sect would never have accepted Wang Jianqiang.
"Let the Perfect Foundation Pill help you shatter that wall of fate," Yan Qingxuan murmured.
Her figure blurred, then vanished completely.
As time passed and Wang Jianqiang remained unseen, word inevitably spread.
Rumors of his seclusion reached eager ears, and within days, the entire Outer Sect was abuzz.
"Have you heard? Wang Jianqiang hasn't left his house for months. They say he's trying for Foundation Establishment."
"Hah, even that waste thinks he can step onto the path?"
"Who knows—maybe he's just desperate, with death closing in. A last gamble before the end."
"Breakthrough? More like delusion. With two years left to live, he should be enjoying what time he has, not wasting it in futile seclusion."
Everywhere, the same sneering voices.
Not one believed in his success.
Foundation Establishment—the first great gate in cultivation.
How many triple- and quadruple-root cultivators had polished their qi to perfection, only to remain stuck for decades, never crossing?
And Wang Jianqiang—Five-Element "waste root," his life span dwindling, his body weaker than most…
Even if he had only just reached the peak of Qi Refining, with such shallow foundations, attempting the breakthrough was nothing but a fool's dream.
Six months passed.
Mockery reached a fever pitch.
Some even claimed he had failed and died quietly in his hut.
Even Dong Yue, who always held faith in him, found herself growing uneasy.
Several times, she came to check—only to see him still immersed in meditation, which brought her some relief.
Time flowed on.
By a year and a half into his seclusion, all talk in the Outer Sect had faded.
To them, Wang Jianqiang was already dead.
Even Wang Yuyao, who had always believed, began to waver.
She came nearly every fortnight to his door, but with two barriers in place, she could not glimpse within.
Once again, she came, gazing at the secluded house wrapped in layers of protection.
"Senior Brother Wang… why haven't you emerged yet? You're not really…"
Her words trailed off, eyes shining with grief.
"Buzz!"
Suddenly, the spiritual power of heaven and earth convulsed.
Startled, Wang Yuyao raised her head—only to witness a dazzling sight.
Above the house, a vast five-colored vortex had formed, spanning over thirty zhang in diameter.
Endless five-element energy poured downward, swallowed whole by the hut below as if into a bottomless void.
At the same time, a rising aura surged from within, growing stronger and stronger by the heartbeat.
"This is…"
She froze—then her face lit with joy.
"Senior Brother Wang! He's alive!"