Peak Foundation Establishment Realm! Mastering Void Steps!

"Hm?"

Just as Su Xiaobai turned to leave the underground chamber, his eyes caught the faint violet glow threading across the stone walls. The cracks pulsed, jagged streaks of energy carving through reality like an artist gone mad.

He had noticed them long ago but dismissed them in favor of more pressing priorities. Now, with his tasks momentarily complete, curiosity finally demanded his attention.

"…Alright," Su Xiaobai muttered, narrowing his eyes. "That doesn't scream safe, but who am I to judge?"

Picking up a nearby rock, he tossed it at the nearest crack. It vanished soundlessly, as if swallowed by the void.

"Right. Totally decorative. Nothing to worry about," he said, his tone filled with sarcasm. "Higher-ups, if this is another one of your little surprises, I—"

He cut himself off, realizing he was talking to a cosmic peanut gallery that probably 'lived' for his reactions.

Still, curiosity burned hotter than his caution. "Fine. You win. Let's see where this rabbit hole goes."

He extended a hand toward the crack, hesitating briefly before plunging his fingers into its shimmering depths. The sensation was unsettling—like plunging his hand into a pool of liquid starlight. His lips twitched into a grin.

"Not even gonna explain this one, are you?" he muttered. Pulling out Tian Yu's formation manual from his spatial ring, he quickly flipped through its worn pages until one particular entry caught his eye.

"Void Cracks," he read aloud. "Fragments of space torn by a failed Soul Refining Array. They may serve as unstable portals, linking random locations… or leading to realms beyond mortal comprehension. Use at your own risk."

He whistled low, a mix of awe and nervous energy coursing through him. "So, basically... instant teleportation to anywhere within this cave. Good to know."

______

For the next few hours, Su Xiaobai threw himself through the Void Cracks with reckless smile. One jump spat him out upside-down, slamming his head against the chamber ceiling. Another dumped him ankle-deep into glowing sludge that reeked of sulfur.

"Yeah, no. Definitely not decorative," he grumbled, shaking off the slime. "Are you guys having fun yet? Because I—" He stepped through another crack and promptly tripped over his own feet, landing face-first on cold stone.

Unbeknownst to him, the Void Thunder Dragon in his spirit sea had been watching. Its colossal, serpentine body coiled lazily in the endless void of his spirit sea. Its massive golden eyes gleamed with interest, following Su Xiaobai's antics like a bored god watching a mortal circus.

When Su Xiaobai tripped and fell out of a crack, landing face-first on the ground, the dragon snorted.

WHOOSH!

A beam of multicolored light erupted from the dragon's head, condensing into a small black manual. Threads of vibrant energy wove together, forming a book whose surface shimmered like polished obsidian.

Whoosh!

With a flick of its tail, the dragon hurled the manual through space, sending it hurtling toward Su Xiaobai.

Unaware of the dragon's interference, Su Xiaobai dusted himself off after hopping out of another crack. "Alright, one more jump, and then—"

BAM!

"Ow!" Su Xiaobai staggered as the manual abruptly collided with his head. "What the—who just hit me?!"

Rubbing the sore spot, he glared upward at the ceiling as if daring it to answer.

"Alright, which one of you bastards did it?" he snapped, glaring at the stone ceiling. "We need to talk about boundaries. Come forward and face me! Can't stand to see me happy for once, huh?"

As he rubbed his head, his gaze fell to the ground, making his eyes surprised like a curious puppy.

There, lying at his feet, was a small black-covered manual. Its surface gleamed like polished obsidian, smooth and unmarked except for faint silver threads along the edges, shimmering as though stitched with starlight. A strange, subtle energy pulsed from it, steady and deliberate, like the heartbeat of something alive.

"What's this?" Su Xiaobai crouched, picking it up. He flipped through the pages, his eyes widening as he read.

"Void Steps… A movement technique?" His lips curled into a delighted grin. "Now this—this is exactly what I needed."

For a moment, he laughed in his luck before quickly coughing and schooling his expression. Glancing upward, he muttered, "Alright, what's the catch? Or are you guys just rewarding me for not dying? Either way, thanks, I guess. But next time, maybe deliver it without a concussion?"

He paused, then added with a wry smile, "I know one of you is watching. Probably giggling right now. Sadists." He then hook his head, as if passing judgment. "Whoever you are—you're insane. But I'll take it."

He turned back to the glowing cracks, brushing dust off his robes and cracking his knuckles.

For the next few hours, Su Xiaobai focused on learning the Void Steps technique. Well, 'focused' might be a strong word. Between swearing at the manual, glaring at the Void Thunder Dragon for not helping, and taking breaks to complain about his existential suffering, he somehow made progress.

Maybe it was thanks to the Void Thunder Dragon chilling in his spirit sea, or maybe he was just a genius (a conclusion he came to often).

Either way, the process felt oddly smooth.

The first stage? Mastering "Void Concealment."

But before he could actually 'conceal' himself, he had to "perceive the void." Oh, just 'perceive' something that exists outside existence. No big deal, right?

He muttered darkly as he skimmed the manual. "It's always the same crap with cultivation manuals. 'Step one: do the impossible. Step two: somehow don't die.'"

The text described the void as cracks that occasionally touched reality, like celestial spiders weaving cosmic cobwebs. Su Xiaobai had to find these cracks using Qi Suppression—an absurdly overcomplicated breathing technique.

"Inhale. Match the flow. Hold. Exhale," he muttered, mimicking the instructions. "Why not just say 'breathe like a normal person?'"

He tried several times, and while he managed to hide his presence, he remained visible to the human eye. Frustration mounted.

"Great. I'm invisible to rocks. Too bad I'm not fighting rocks!"

His mind wandered to Elder Bai's gift—the Frostwhisper Lotus. Originally, the lotus was meant to stabilize his foundation after his reckless breakthroughs, but its calming properties could help him focus.

Without overthinking, Su Xiaobai tossed the lotus into his mouth like candy.

Whoosh!

His entire body lit up with icy Qi, the chill biting into his bones. His mind sharpened, and his scattered thoughts stilled.

For once, he felt… quiet.

He muttered, impressed. "So this is what it's like to not be a complete mess."

Two days passed in frozen silence as he meditated. And then, like the curtains of reality parting, he saw them—the void cracks.

They were faint, like whispers in the air, barely visible to the naked eye. Nothing like the glaring rifts on the cave walls, but they were there.

He grinned. "Gotcha, you sneaky bastards."

Repeating the Qi Suppression technique, Su Xiaobai failed repeatedly, but persistence (and swearing) finally paid off. Bit by bit, his presence dissolved until he vanished completely.

"I am 'officially' a ghost. Suck it, mortal eyes!"

Flipping to the next page of the Void Steps manual, Su Xiaobai's excitement fizzled. The requirements for stage two were a joke—some ridiculous nonsense about 'merging with the void and flickering like a lantern.'

"Tch..." He tossed the book aside. "Who writes these things? The author with no concept of pacing?"

A faint ripple in his spiritual ring drew his attention. "Xiao Lu's awake."

Peering into the Ring World, he saw his little servant meditating, her cultivation aura calm but steady. The effects of the Frostwhisper Lotus still in his body, so he decided to seize the moment.

The cave was silent, undisturbed by any threats.

"Alright, let's do this," he said, sitting cross-legged. It was time to break through to Foundation Establishment.

Whoosh!

Spiritual pond water poured from his spatial ring, coiling around him like a living stream. He absorbed it slowly, directing a smaller flow into the Ring World to aid Xiao Lu's cultivation.

Even as he meditated, he calculated how much water he'd need to save for the future. Breaking through Foundation Establishment was just the start—forming a core would require ten times this much Qi.

The process began with fortifying his body, a step that felt less like cultivation and more like being crushed by a mountain. He grimaced through the pain, gritting his teeth.

"Oh yeah, this is 'exactly' what I signed up for. Love it. Ten out of ten, would recommend."

Next came forming the Qi nodes, reservoirs for storing excess Qi. As each node formed, he felt like his insides were being poked by celestial needles.

"Fantastic. Nothing like stabbing yourself repeatedly to feel alive."

Finally, he worked on creating the three Meridian Cores: one in his spirit sea, one in his dantian, and one near his essence. The cores glowed faintly as they stabilized, linking with the Qi nodes across his body.

The last step was opening all his meridians. This was, by far, the worst part.

It felt like molten lava coursing through his veins, burning everything in its path.

Two months later, Su Xiaobai finally opened his eyes, his body radiating with vitality.

"Haaa…" He stood and stretched, feeling like a new man.

"Master!" Xiao Lu appeared, her cheeks flushed and glowing. "You've reached the peak of Foundation Establishment! Congratulations!"