Nameless Region Arc Chapter Nineteen: Foundation Establishment (Part 2)

Zhou Xuanhong fell into deep contemplation. He could not be certain whether forming a dantian within his sea of consciousness might threaten his life or cause some unknown side effect.

"The sea of consciousness is the most vital part of the human body. For those of great power, even if their physical form is destroyed, they can seize another body through their soul or become a ghost cultivator. If a foundation platform appears there now, might a golden core or even two nascent souls emerge in the future?"

He had to consider all these possibilities. Foundation establishment was an essential starting point—if it limited his future potential, it would be a disastrous trade.

"The 'Form-Shift Formula' is a foundation-building technique. My original plan was to wait until the virtual soul point and the sea of consciousness channels were fully formed, then break through to the foundation stage in one go. But circumstances have changed. If I don’t advance today, I may not survive the unknown dangers posed by the Northern Ridge Ghost Sect. With my current strength, I might not even protect myself."

After thorough deliberation, Zhou Xuanhong made his decision. Breaking through now certainly carried risks—after all, the virtual soul point was not fully formed. Should anything go wrong, it could be fatal. But breakthrough was inevitable; he could not simply follow the Form-Shift Formula step by step, as it was only a guide and meant for foundation-stage cultivation. His future path would rely on himself, so he needed to find another way.

He removed the insect nest from his necklace and summoned all his bloodthirsty insects. Because controlling them required proximity and he worried the Form-Shift Sect might investigate these tiny creatures, he left none behind.

"The insect nest was born from the mother insect’s nurturing, and the mother shares a spiritual bond with me and recognizes me as its master. Its spiritual power is extraordinary. If I could lodge the insect nest in my sea of consciousness and let the mother insect replace the rampaging spiritual energy, not only would it be faster, but it would also be much safer. Perhaps it could work!"

After weighing his options yet again, Zhou Xuanhong decided to act. He transmitted his intention to the mother insect via spiritual waves, received its response, and wrapped the insect nest in spiritual energy, shrinking it to the size of a hair. Guided by the flow of spiritual energy, he sent it through his mind’s palace into the sea of consciousness.

A surge of delight burst forth: "It worked!"

Once inside, the insect nest resumed its original size—half the size of a fist—and from within emerged a translucent monster, half the length of a pinky finger. Its appearance was peculiar: not hairy or segmented like ordinary insects, nor sticky or revolting, but a wholly new form—a lump of flesh with no legs, only a large mouth and a pair of red wings. There was something faintly adorable about it, but not overly so.

It crawled out of the nest, followed by the other bloodthirsty insects, who crowded around their mother.

Since Zhou Xuanhong shared a spiritual connection with the mother insect, the bloodthirsty ones felt a measure of familiarity with this strange domain and did not riot.

"Crrrk!"

Soon, the mother insect began its work, leading the swarm into the faint channels formed by the Form-Shift Formula, commencing their gnawing.

"Damn it! Why didn’t you warn me how much this hurts?"

What they gnawed at was not anything else, but the residual spiritual energy within those channels—the very fabric of the sea of consciousness itself.

The tearing sensation might seem negligible, but this was the most sensitive place; even a flicker of spiritual energy could damage the soul, let alone being gnawed at by a swarm of insects.

As his sea of consciousness teetered on the edge of collapse, ripples emanated from the mother insect’s body—her soul power, swiftly stabilizing Zhou Xuanhong’s rampaging sea and preventing its destruction.

But the pain was nearly unbearable. Every nerve in his body screamed with agony. Normally, as a foundation-building cultivator, he shouldn’t have been able to withstand such torment—he would have long since fainted, or even died outright.

"Good... lord... sister... slow... down...!"

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The pain was so intense that Zhou Xuanhong’s features twisted, every muscle and bone under neural control spasming uncontrollably. Convulsions, reflexes, suffocation, all manner of ill symptoms erupted, sending him bouncing wildly within the protective shield he had set up.

"Damn it, I mustn't pass out!"

He couldn’t grit his teeth in perseverance, as the muscles of his jaw failed him, leaving his mouth distorted and twisted. Only sheer willpower kept him conscious; he felt no regret, for every decision he made was his own—there was only the path ahead.

Every second dragged unbearably, testing not just his body but his resolve. If he entertained the thought of giving up, of seeking an easier path, his taut string of resolve would snap, plunging him into mortal peril.

Within his sea of consciousness, the mother insect had no sympathy, slowly and methodically gnawing away at the channel’s spiritual energy. Hundreds of bloodthirsty insects worked in concert, and eventually, the channels were completely devoured.

"Ugh... ugh..."

Zhou Xuanhong struggled to breathe, froth bubbling at his lips, eyes rolling upward and bloodshot, his meridians spasming all over.

After an hour, he finally recovered, crawling up from the floor and sitting cross-legged on his bed, clutching his aching forehead, brows furrowed deeply.

"Curse you, little bug, heartless thing. You nearly killed me just to break free from my control!"

The mother insect had retreated to the nest, unmoved by Zhou Xuanhong’s accusations, as if it didn’t understand him at all.

Fortunately, the Form-Shift Formula had finally succeeded—the channels complete, though a shortcut had been taken. The spiritual pathways and the virtual soul point were still somewhat unstable, but it was a success nonetheless, giving him confidence to advance to the foundation stage.

Now he could absorb the spiritual energy from the pile of spirit stones without reserve. The spirit gathering array had been running for over an hour, saturating the room with spiritual energy so dense that a single breath could add years to an ordinary person’s lifespan.

Following the path of the Form-Shift Formula, the energy formed a great cycle within his body, transforming into spiritual power. The spiritual channels and virtual soul point in his sea of consciousness anchored the energy firmly, strengthening his cultivation and enhancing his spiritual power, expanding his sea of consciousness.

"No wonder it’s the technique of a major sect—this cultivation speed rivals that of green-talent prodigies. Most important is the increase in spiritual power, which, though not needed now, will be crucial once I reach the foundation stage, becoming synonymous with divine sense!"

"Time to break through!"

The swelling sensation in both his dantian and sea of consciousness grew stronger, as if something was about to break the old equilibrium and be born.

With the final conversion of spiritual energy, the situation reached its peak. All spiritual power split into two parts—one half gathering in the dantian, the other in the sea of consciousness, forming distinct shapes.

The dantian foundation came first. Spiritual power liquefied, then solidified, forming a low, circular platform—a foundation, much like the base of a house built by ordinary men, unremarkable and ordinary.

"Just a regular foundation, as expected—after all, I only possess yellow talent."

Zhou Xuanhong took it in stride, undeterred by the lowest grade of foundation, for he never resigned himself to fate or talent, relying instead on his intellect.

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Within the sea of consciousness, another foundation platform neared completion. Though the spiritual energy was similar, it contained another element—the sea itself, imbued with Zhou Xuanhong’s extraordinary spiritual power.

Above the spiritual channels and virtual soul point, energy slowly gathered, forming a strange platform—round, but nothing like a foundation base, more akin to... an insect nest!

Yes, unmistakably the shape of the insect nest, and Zhou Xuanhong recognized it well—it was the nest of the bloodthirsty insects.

"Little bug, you’ve fused your nest into this—will it affect me?"

The mother insect sent a wave of reassurance, promising only benefit.

Once both foundation platforms were complete, they began voraciously absorbing spiritual energy from the pile of spirit stones, forming two vortices, one large and one small, above his head and in front of him. The rate of absorption was hundreds of times faster than in the Qi Refining stage.

"This... this... is Earth-Spirit Foundation!"

Careful scrutiny revealed that the platform in the sea of consciousness, compared to the ordinary one in the dantian, possessed a sense of malice and an obvious affinity for spiritual energy. The insect nest platform was larger and shone more brilliantly!

"A marvelous, unexpected surprise. Little bug, by doing this, you’ve bound yourself to me completely!"

In the sea of consciousness, as soon as the insect nest platform formed, the mother insect and her swarm entered it, digesting the spiritual energy they had previously devoured, treating the platform as their new home.

Having broken through, Zhou Xuanhong began to stabilize his cultivation. The impurities in his body, expelled automatically as he operated the Form-Shift Formula, accelerated his absorption of spiritual energy.

The pain he had endured gradually faded, replaced by a warm, powerful sensation.

When the dawn sunlight pierced the room, Zhou Xuanhong drew a deep breath, absorbing the last bit of spiritual energy—the pile of spirit stones had become nothing but powder.

"Foundation stage cultivation, paired with this nearly superior-grade spiritual sword and the other treasures gifted by my cheap master—even mid-stage foundation cultivators are not beyond my reach."

"Knock knock knock!"

A knock came at the door—Shi Xiu had arrived, and the three were ready to set out for the bandit den.

He dismantled the protective shields, swept the pile of spirit stone powder into his storage pouch, and used the necklace’s power to suppress his cultivation at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

With a sly smile, he said, "Coming, coming!"

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