Chapter 4

"Is that so?"

Just as Luochuan was full of anticipation, ready to directly lay the foundation, the next blow left him utterly disappointed.

The cultivation techniques in Jiu Long Jun's memory were countless, but the majority were above the Foundation Establishment realm, and could not be cultivated before reaching the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment. The few remaining Foundation Establishment techniques all relied on external objects, such as elixirs, magical artifacts, spirit veins, and demon seals.

"I don't believe there isn't a Foundation Establishment technique suitable for me!"

Luochuan did not give up. He closed his eyes, focused his mind, and plunged into the vast sea of cultivation techniques in Jiu Long Jun's memory.

The sun rose and set, and two days passed. During this time, the stuttering guard secretly came to deliver food again, but unlike last time, he was particularly cautious and did not speak to Luochuan.

Luochuan was fully immersed in Jiu Long Jun's cultivation techniques. Apart from a small amount of water, he did not touch a single grain of rice. Although he did not find a suitable Foundation Establishment technique, his understanding of cultivation and power had made a significant leap, and his insight into Foundation Establishment had reached a very high level.

"This can't go on. There's only a little over a month left until the old lady's birthday banquet. After the banquet, Luo Jiang will likely remember me."

Thinking of the third young master who had framed him, Luochuan felt a sense of urgency.

At the age of twenty, Luo Jiang had already cultivated to the Great Void Spirit realm, making him a one-in-ten-thousand genius. Such a genius, even if born in the martial world, was highly favored by the immortals of Tang Country. There was a rumor in Baiyu Jing that the immortals from Guyue Mountain had not left because they had their eyes on several geniuses in Baiyu Jing, and Luo Jiang was one of them.

Whether in terms of personal power or authority, Luo Jiang was a standout among the young generation of Baiyu Jing. Being targeted by such a person meant a high risk of disaster.

Suddenly, a passage flashed through Luochuan's mind.

This passage seemed to have come from some obscure corner of Jiu Long Jun's memory, as if it had appeared out of nowhere.

"The human body has a great medicine, which can lead to the Great Dao. Nine deaths for one life, the Supreme Nine-Death Method."

The first twenty characters were straightforward.

But the more he read, the more Luochuan was shocked and terrified.

This Foundation Establishment technique had a strange name, the "Nine-Death One-Life Method." Whether in its philosophy or method of Foundation Establishment, the "Nine-Death One-Life Method" was vastly different from other techniques.

No submission, no consumption of elixirs, no cultivation of spirit veins... At first glance, its method seemed very simple and unremarkable. But upon closer examination, he realized that each word and each sentence contained profound truths, provoking deep reflection.

The "Nine-Death One-Life Method" was something Jiu Long Jun had unexpectedly obtained during an adventure. Initially, he found it quite impressive and had a thousand exceptionally talented children cultivate it, but none succeeded. Jiu Long Jun assumed it was an ancient technique from before the Great Extinction and discarded it.

After half an hour, Luochuan had memorized the entire Foundation Establishment technique.

The core of this technique was to use the path of life and death to trigger the vast potential within the human body. At the beginning of Foundation Establishment, one does not rely on external objects, does not cultivate external methods, and does not refine essence and energy. Instead, one places oneself in a situation of nine deaths for one life, using the nine deaths as a catalyst to achieve the Great Dao.

There are nine types of death situations in life: hunger, thirst, cold, fatigue, deficiency, injury, illness, despair, and emptiness. Just looking at the first six, the "Nine-Death One-Life Method" perfectly matched Luochuan's current situation, as if it were tailor-made for him, making him very excited.

However, even a genius like Jiu Long Jun had not succeeded, making it difficult to determine whether the "Nine-Death One-Life Method" could be cultivated.

Sunlight shone through the iron window, and Luochuan could feel time slipping away.

A fierce look appeared in Luochuan's eyes.

This was his only chance, his last chance. He had already won a bet yesterday; why not take another risk today?

Clearing his mind, Luochuan sat cross-legged, focused his mind, and calmed his breath.

For nearly three days, he had not eaten, and his stomach was empty, already as hungry as could be, fitting the "hunger" principle.

Next, he did not plan to drink water, to achieve the "thirst" principle.

Taking a deep breath, Luochuan stripped off all his clothes, leaving only a pair of shorts. The cold air hit him, and he shivered, his face turning pale soon after, the "cold" principle taking effect.

For three days, Luochuan had not slept, relying on sheer willpower to stay awake, already extremely fatigued, fitting the "fatigue" principle.

When it came to the "deficiency" principle... Luochuan suddenly opened his eyes, looking surprised. When his internal energy reached the lower dantian, he felt the presence of the qi dan again.

It turned out that on that day, Luofu had not completely destroyed his qi dan, leaving a trace that was hard to detect... Why did the only female young master of the secondary residence do this?

Luochuan did not continue to think about it. If he did not have Jiu Long Jun's memory, he would have been overjoyed. Now, this qi dan was just a burden to him.

With a sudden effort, Luochuan circulated his internal energy, forcibly dispersing the qi dan!

From the moment he received his first alchemy secret at the age of ten, five years of cultivation were erased, completely gone. A strong sense of weakness overwhelmed him, making him feel as if all his essence had been drained, fitting the "deficiency" principle.

In addition, the injuries from the third young master's lackey Pang Guan three days ago, which had not yet healed, added the "injury" principle.

Thus, Luochuan had completed the first six principles of the "Nine-Death One-Life Method." Only the "illness," "despair," and "emptiness" principles remained.

Next, he would cultivate according to the technique, experiencing a process of death and rebirth, seeking the great medicine within his body, and triggering unparalleled human potential.

In the afternoon sunlight, Luochuan focused his eyes on his nose, his nose on his heart, silently reciting the technique while circulating his internal energy according to the prescribed route. Soon, he entered a meditative state.

On the first day, Luochuan's limbs ached, his head was heavy, and his body was stiff from the cold. Hunger pangs came in waves, and he was barely holding on with a thin thread of internal energy. The first day was already extremely difficult.

On the second day, Luochuan's body remained stiff, his limbs ached, but his chest felt scorching hot, as if his heart was on fire. By the second night, a foul odor emanated from his pores. Luochuan felt as if he were about to die, as if the gates of hell were right in front of him.

On the third day, Luochuan's limbs were numb, his face covered in sores, and the burning sensation in his chest had moved to his lower dantian. His skin was red and raw, and his entire body was in excruciating pain, with no strength left. Any other person would have given up. Luochuan bit his tongue and struggled to persist.

On the fourth day, Luochuan fell seriously ill. His body was swollen, his face yellow, and his hair dry and brittle. He circulated his internal energy according to the "Nine-Death One-Life Method," and with each cycle, one of his internal organs was affected, as if being scraped by a fiery knife, causing unbearable pain. At this point, there was no turning back. Luochuan was barely hanging on, his breath weak.

Fortunately, he finally sensed the "illness" principle.

On the fifth day, it snowed again in the afternoon. Snowflakes drifted through the iron bars and landed on Luochuan's head. The swelling on his body was visibly subsiding, and within half an hour, he was so thin that he looked like a skeleton. There were no other changes. If there had been another person present, they would have thought Luochuan was dead.

On the sixth day, Luochuan's hair had completely fallen out, and he looked strange, pale, weak, and indistinct... It was impossible to describe him, as if he were a faint shadow on a canvas, about to dissipate.

On the seventh day, the snow stopped. The first ray of sunlight shone through the window, and Luochuan's heartbeat quickened with the rising temperature. He felt a glimmer of life and managed to open his eyes.

There was only a month left until the old lady's birthday banquet, and this month was his last chance to turn the tide. However, he had not yet grasped the remaining two principles, let alone complete the "Nine-Death One-Life Method." Moreover, even if he completed it, it would only be the beginning of Foundation Establishment.

Anxiety, worry, and fear... Various negative emotions welled up from the depths of his heart. By noon, Luochuan was almost suffocating with tension, feeling a sense of despair for the first time in his life. At this moment, he suddenly realized that his current state of mind perfectly embodied the "despair" principle.

The seventh principle, "illness," was a summary of the first six principles, while the eighth principle, "despair," marked a transition from the physical to the mental.

Only the final "emptiness" principle remained. Where was it?

Luochuan used his last bit of strength to sit cross-legged and enter a meditative state, his mind wandering.

"Rattle!"

The iron window opened, and a bamboo basket slid down the wall. Over the past seven days, the stuttering guard had secretly delivered food and water four times.

Although Luochuan's eyes were closed, he could still hear it.

...

After placing the bamboo basket, Lü Ping retrieved the chain. As before, there was no response from the other side of the wall, as if no one was inside. Lü Ping hesitated for a moment, then pressed his ear against the wall.

For a long time, there was no sound from the secret room. Recalling Luochuan's near-death state when he was brought in, Lü Ping's heart tightened, and he frowned bitterly.

He was seventeen this year and had been an inner guard at the Luo residence for only three years.

Three years ago, a strange snowfall had destroyed his home, and both his parents had died in the disaster, leaving only him and his sister. Lü Ping's family was very poor, so poor that he could not even afford to bury his parents. He took the few remaining copper items to the night market to exchange for money. Being young and stuttering, he was quickly surrounded by a group of young nobles who mocked and teased him. Lü Ping, being shy, accidentally offended them. The young nobles mercilessly destroyed all his possessions and laughed as they left.

Lü Ping clutched the broken copper pieces, his eyes red, his heart dead.

At that moment, a young boy walked out of the crowd. Although his attire was not as luxurious as the young nobles who had left, he was still dressed in fine silk. The boy was younger than Lü Ping, only ten or so years old, but his demeanor and bearing were much more mature.

The boy did not speak, but took out all his silver coins and placed them in front of Lü Ping, then left without looking back.

By the time Lü Ping realized it, the boy was already gone.

Using the money to bury his parents and settle his sister, Lü Ping found a large house to work as a laborer. Because he was quiet and quick-handed, he was soon recommended to the Luo family, where he began to cultivate alchemy and martial arts in the secondary residence. Due to his quick progress, he was selected as an inner guard.

Although the inner guards' duty was to protect the inner residence, they had little contact with the young masters of the residence.

Three years later, when Lü Ping, responsible for guarding the back yard, saw Luochuan again, his former benefactor had become a prisoner.

"What are you doing!"

A cold voice came from behind Lü Ping.

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