That day at the auction, Ye Bufan unexpectedly found the materials for creating a spirit gathering formation. After the auction, he returned to the villa and entered secluded cultivation, intending to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage using spirit gathering pills and formations.
After a week of cultivation, Ye Bufan had reached the threshold, needing only one final push to successfully ascend to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Concurrently, the Yang family anonymously posted a bounty on the dark web, offering fifteen hundred million to take the lives of the Chu family and Ye Bufan, a move that shocked the entire dark web.
Families who had attended the auction, upon seeing the bounty amount, all guessed that this was the Yang family's retaliation against the Chu family.
As everyone eagerly awaited the Chu family's response or counter-strategy, they were surprised to find that the Chu family made no move at all. Apart from Chu Mengyao switching to working from home, there was no further action.
Many speculated that Ye Bufan might be secretly lurking within the Chu family villa, awaiting assassins.
At this point, someone posted on the net that Ye Bufan had been staying in the Xiangshan villa gifted by Chu He and had never left.
This made a group of assassins restless. Some believed the Chu family was employing a hollow fort strategy, while others suspected there might be an ambush within the villa. Consequently, for ten days after the bounty was posted, no one dared to attack the Chu family. After all, everyone wanted to earn the money while staying alive.
However, the Yang family, who had posted the bounty, grew impatient and directly increased the bounty by another two hundred million, which finally prompted someone to act.
Two experts at the High Martial Artist level—Yin Feng and Bi Shou—entered the Chu family residence very smoothly on the eleventh night.
Yin Feng infiltrated from the second floor, while Bi Shou entered from the first.
Ten minutes later, a "bang" sound of an explosion echoed from the Chu family villa, followed by another "bang."
After that, Yin Feng and Bi Shou were never seen again.
This news quickly spread across the dark web. Two High Martial Artists had entered the Chu family residence and not emerged, leading people to speculate that besides Ye Bufan, the Chu family might have other martial artists.
After a few more days, more assassins grew restless and infiltrated the Chu family villa.
This time, in mere moments, the assassin lay dead on the Chu family's balcony, devoid of life.
The day the Yang family posted the bounty on the dark web, Chu He contacted Ye Bufan immediately. However, Ye Bufan's cultivation had entered a critical phase. Thus, Ye Bufan instructed Chu He to prepare some jade stones, on which he set up some formations, and arranged for Wang Xinyan to set up the jade stones at the Chu family villa, forming a rudimentary Seven Kill Formation.
Only those possessing Ye Bufan's jade stones could remain safe within the formation. Combined with the protective jade stones Ye Bufan had already provided, it was foolproof.
At the Xiangshan villa, Ye Bufan's cultivation had entered its final stage.
"Break for me!"
The sound of bones grinding, "gacha gacha," emanated from Ye Bufan's body. The true qi within him grew increasingly robust. Ye Bufan continuously circulated and compressed the true qi within his body, finally gathering it in his dantian.
The true qi had reached an extremely saturated state, feeling as though it would explode from his body at any moment.
His entire body endured immense pain. Veins bulged on his neck, and blood began to stream from his seven facial orifices.
"Just a little more! Just a little more!" Ye Bufan refused to give up. He took a deep breath and, with all his might, compressed the true qi throughout his entire being.
Becoming stronger had always been Ye Bufan's obsession. Influenced by Lin Xiaoyao, Ye Bufan had an immense craving to become powerful. "When Heaven is about to confer a great task on any man, it will exercise his bones and sinews, and suffer his body to pass hungry, and subject him to extreme poverty, and disconcert his actions; so as to stimulate his spirit, and prepare him for what he has to do." Only by adhering to one's original heart can one achieve enlightenment!
Suddenly, a "crack" sound echoed from Ye Bufan's dantian, and a vortex appeared. This vortex was like a black hole, drawing true qi from all over his body into the dantian.
"This is... a breakthrough!"
Ye Bufan's heart filled with joy. Every cell, every pore in his body was frantically absorbing spiritual energy, converting it into true qi and replenishing his body, ceaselessly nourishing his dantian.
"Crack—"
Another soft sound. Deep within Ye Bufan's sea of consciousness, a white spot appeared. This white spot gradually expanded, eventually emitting a dazzling light, like a brilliant radiance.
Ye Bufan felt his perception expanding wildly. With a mere thought, an invisible long sword materialized out of thin air.
"Could this be spiritual power!"
The most significant change in the Foundation Establishment stage was the solidification of perception into spiritual power. This would not only allow him to use some spiritual spells but also significantly improve his efficiency in alchemy.
Ye Bufan circulated the "Nine Revolutions Heavenly Scripture," absorbing spiritual energy into his body until the true qi was saturated.
"Hoo—" Ye Bufan exhaled a turbid breath, ending his cultivation.
"Early Foundation Establishment stage!" Ye Bufan excitedly formed hand seals and punched out, immediately feeling his entire body brimming with power. This feeling, compared to the Qi Refining stage, was incredibly exhilarating.
"Right, the jade pendant!"
Ye Bufan took out the jade pendant left by his master and, with anticipation, injected his true qi into it.
"Buzz—" The jade pendant emitted spatial tremors. Ye Bufan found his spiritual power uncontrollably flowing into the jade pendant. Immediately after, his consciousness entered a mysterious space.
"This is a spatial jade pendant!" Ye Bufan's eyes gleamed.
Ye Bufan had once heard his master, Lin Xiaoyao, speak of a world where spatial artifacts existed. With a mere thought, one could place items into the space within the artifact. These artifacts came in various forms, some as rings, some as pouches, and others as jade pendants.
The one left by Ye Bufan's master was a jade pendant.
At this moment, a phantom suddenly appeared within the space of the jade pendant.
"Master!" Upon seeing the phantom, Ye Bufan immediately knelt and performed a kowtow to the spectral image.
"Good. You broke through half a year earlier than I predicted. A promising student." Lin Xiaoyao's voice echoed, expressing his satisfaction with Ye Bufan's cultivation progress.
"Thank you for your praise, Master." Ye Bufan looked at Lin Xiaoyao's phantom, his eyes involuntarily reddening.
"Alright, my time is limited. Let's get down to business," Lin Xiaoyao said. "This jade pendant is a gift I left for you. The shackles on Earth are loosening, and it will surely be accompanied by bloodshed and chaos. As your cultivation realm increases, the space within the jade pendant will grow larger, and the things I've left for you will increase, enough to help you leave your mark in this chaotic era and become a peerless prodigy."
"Thank you, Master." Ye Bufan listened to Lin Xiaoyao's words and bowed in gratitude once more.
"Furthermore, this jade pendant also contains a grand spirit gathering formation I set up, which will help you cultivate faster in the coming chaotic times. Bufan, this is all I can do for you. The path ahead is yours to tread..."
As Lin Xiaoyao's voice faded, he vanished from the space.
"Disciple will surely remember Master's teachings and stand at the pinnacle of this era, bringing no shame to Master." Ye Bufan solemnly kowtowed towards the spot where Lin Xiaoyao had disappeared...