Chapter 83: Cloud Sword Technique

In the next second, slash—Foundation Establishment!

There were no insurmountable barriers, no need for a Foundation Establishment Pill. It happened just like that—smooth and unremarkable.

In an instant, all the spiritual energy in the cultivation room rushed toward Lin Xiao. The energy, after circulating through his body in a grand cycle, converged in his dantian, condensing into liquid form and filling it.

Then Lin Xiao noticed a change in his status panel:

[Host: Lin Xiao (Auto-Cultivation Enabled)]

[Aptitude: Dragon Among Men]

[Gender: Male]

[Bone Age: 12 Years]

[Cultivation Level: Foundation Establishment - Initial Stage]

[Techniques: Original Source Sutra (Comprehension 100/1000), Peach Garden's Endless Void Art (Comprehension 24/100)]

[Skills: Purification, Beast Whispering, Immobilization, Cloud Ascension, Heavenly Net...]

At that moment, the system's voice echoed in his mind:

[Ding—Congratulations to the host for successfully reaching the Foundation Establishment Initial Stage. Kindly note: Auto-cultivation has automatically entered the Foundation Establishment mode. The daily spiritual stone cost will increase from one stone to five stones.]

Five stones per day!

Lin Xiao felt his wallet tightening. It seemed that until he acquired a spiritual stone mine, he would have to rely more on his own cultivation efforts instead of leaving everything to the system. Oh well.

Then he noticed something in his status panel—his skills section was still empty, listed as "None." Could he create his own skill?

[Ding—Congratulations to the host for unlocking the Skill Creation function.]

[Would you like to begin creating a skill?]

Lin Xiao immediately chose "Yes" and, satisfied, opened his eyes.

He was greeted with the familiar sight of four slots, just like when creating spells. The first two slots were for paper and ink, the third for a spiritual stone, and the fourth for the skill concept.

After pondering for a moment, Lin Xiao placed the first three items into the slots. For the fourth slot, he entered a concept he'd long had in mind.

A moment later...

[Ding—Cloud Sword Technique successfully created. The skill has been added to your inventory.]

It worked!

A sword's direction reflects the heart's intention!

Like the spells, Lin Xiao automatically learned the skill upon creation.

Liao Pantu, who had been sitting quietly nearby, noticed Lin Xiao's sudden actions—opening his eyes and seemingly placing invisible items into the air—but he refrained from asking questions. He simply waited patiently.

Once Lin Xiao appeared to have finished, Liao Pantu finally spoke, "Young one, I have something that may help you."

Surprised, Lin Xiao turned to him and asked, "What do you mean, Senior?"

Liao Pantu handed him a talisman and explained, "I sense a weakness in this evil energy. Its strength currently doesn't reach the Nascent Soul stage. It seems to have suffered significant damage and is here recovering. It likely awoke because it sensed the spiritual energy around you."

As Lin Xiao took the talisman, Liao Pantu continued, "This talisman contains my Nascent Soul aura. If you use it near the source of the evil energy, it should sense the aura and retreat. If it believes a Nascent Soul cultivator is nearby, it will likely choose to go back into hiding to recover. This will buy you some time to prepare."

Lin Xiao listened carefully while holding the talisman. He suspected that Liao Pantu hadn't forgotten about this earlier but was simply reluctant to get involved. Now, it seemed that the elder had finally accepted their sect and was willing to help. Whatever the reason for the change, Lin Xiao was grateful.

Liao Pantu stroked his beard and added, "Now that you've reached Foundation Establishment, locating the source of this evil energy shouldn't be too difficult."

Lin Xiao stored the talisman and replied, "Thank you, Senior. I'll head out immediately to find the source of this evil energy!"

With that, he rose and headed outside.

Ever since he finished cultivating, Lin Xiao had been monitoring the presence of the villagers within the sect's territory. So far, no one had entered, which suggested that the village was still safe.

By now, it was evening. The weather outside had worsened, with heavy snow falling in large flakes, covering the ground in a thick white layer.

As a newly advanced Foundation Establishment cultivator, Lin Xiao could feel the evil energy becoming even more intense.

He concentrated for a moment, pinpointed the general direction of the energy flow, and swiftly set off in that direction, his feet leaving no trace in the snow as he moved.

As he ran, Lin Xiao placed the talisman into his inventory for an appraisal. After all, Liao Pantu's explanation had been somewhat vague. What if it was a powerful offensive talisman? If he accidentally blew himself up, who could he blame?

Better safe than sorry.

[Nascent Soul Pressure Talisman: Contains the aura of Nascent Soul cultivator Liao Pantu. Originally intended as a protective measure for his future disciples when he wasn't around.]

Lin Xiao: ... Well, that's reassuring.

Thankfully, it was just a pressure talisman, so he could use it without worry.

Following the trail of evil energy, Lin Xiao arrived at a small lake near Tomb Mountain.

The lake was formed from a stream flowing down from the mountain. The surrounding area was densely wooded, with little sign of human activity. The villagers rarely ventured this far, as the resources closer to the village were usually sufficient.

Beyond the lake stood an oddly shaped mountain. It wasn't particularly large, but its appearance was striking.

The mountain had no peak. From below, its top looked flat, almost like a volcanic crater, with jagged edges around the rim.

What was most disturbing, however, was the mountain's color. The entire mountain was pitch black, with dead, decaying trees dotting its slopes. The ground around it was similarly blackened, as if cursed by some malevolent force.