Void Cultivation-Chapter 162- Chase!
The instant the Foundation Establishment expert locked onto Grey’s presence, a suffocating pressure descended upon the air around him. It wasn’t as overwhelming as the oppressive aura of that Nascent Soul Transformation clone Grey had encountered months ago, yet it carried enough weight to demand attention. It was not a pressure that inspired terror, but it was one that commanded respect, a presence that instinctively made one’s heart tighten with wariness.
Any cultivator still within the Qi Accumulation realm would have felt their spirit tremble under that same aura. The gulf between Foundation Establishment and Qi Accumulation was vast, a chasm carved by the heavens themselves. It was said that this disparity alone could bend the will of a lesser cultivator, forcing them to bow as though the heavens themselves had descended upon them.
But Grey... was different.
He had already clashed blades with Foundation Establishment experts in the past. He had endured their suppressive might, felt their auras claw against his soul, and survived to tell the tale. That suffocating pressure, once unbearable, now felt almost familiar — a storm he had learned to breathe through.
"You... you dare trespass upon my territory!" the Foundation Establishment expert roared, his voice echoing like a volcanic eruption as crimson robes flared around him. Without hesitation, he surged forward, his movements swift and burning with power.
The world seemed to slow around Grey as two orbs of blazing fire flared to life beside the red-robed cultivator. They shone like miniature suns, radiating an intense brilliance that distorted the air. Their appearance was proof enough — the man had activated his Special Brilliance Form and stood firmly at the peak of the Initial Stage of Foundation Establishment.
Grey’s eyes narrowed as he observed the two fiery spheres. His mind instinctively recalled what he had learned about the intricacies of this realm.
"Foundation Establishment... truly is a peculiar realm," he mused silently.
In the Foundation Establishment realm, cultivation was no longer about the endless refinement of Qi. Instead, it became a process of nurturing — of tending to the Spirit Fires that burned within one’s core. Each cultivator’s potential was reflected in how many of these Spirit Fires they could awaken and sustain.
A cultivator who sensed three Spirit Fires within their foundation would progress through three distinct stages. The first flame represented the Initial Stage, flickering weakly as it was nurtured. Once it stabilized and burned brightly, the second flame could be ignited — marking entry into the Middle Stage. When the third fire blazed into existence, the cultivator would have reached the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, standing at the precipice of transcendence toward the Spirit Core Formation Realm.
However, the process was far from uniform. Some cultivators, blessed by fate or burdened by genius, could detect four Spirit Fires within their foundation. For them, the first represented the Initial Stage, the second the Middle, the third the Late Stage, while the fourth symbolized Perfection — a state of flawless equilibrium where one’s foundation burned with divine steadiness.
Rarer still were those who could awaken five Spirit Fires. Legends whispered that such individuals had achieved Complete Perfection in Foundation Establishment, a state so profound that their spiritual strength rivaled those preparing to transcend realms entirely.
And then there were the myths — the ancient, almost forgotten tales of cultivators who had awakened a sixth Spirit Fire. None in recent history had witnessed such a phenomenon, and the ancient records that spoke of it were fragmented, almost erased by time. Yet all agreed on one thing: the sixth Spirit Fire was not merely power — it was transcendence. Those who bore it could challenge even those who had stepped into the Spirit Core Formation realm. Once they themselves advanced, they would reign with unrivaled dominance, standing supreme among all below the Nascent Soul Transformation realm.
This... was the terrifying majesty of a cultivator who bore six Spirit Fires within the Foundation Establishment realm.
Grey’s gaze hardened. The two blazing orbs before him burned brilliantly, but to him, they were merely a measure of his opponent’s strength, not an invincible wall.
He... had faced worse... Literally.
The moment the Foundation Establishment expert rushed towards Grey, the ground on which he stomped trembled and shook as if a great force the weight of a mountain had crashed into it.
Grey’s middle-aged face had a solemn expression, but he managed to react quickly. Shifting his body, he managed to move to the left. But the Foundation Establishment expert did not seem to care about Grey moving as he kept on stomping towards him.
When he was ten feet away, Grey could feel the heat of the two balls of spirit fire when the Foundation Establishment cultivator manifested his Special Brilliance form.
’If he detects that he can manifest three balls of Spirit Fire, then his level should be in the Middle-stages of Foundation Establishment. And from the strong aura he is emitting, I can tell that he had a strong Foundation when he was in Qi Accumulation.’ Grey deduced this fact silently in his head.
’But even regular cultivators can manifest Four balls of Spirit fire in the Foundation Establishment realm. That means he is in the Peak of the Initial stages!’
When that thought, a bright glint appeared in Grey’s normally gloomy eyes and he stepped towards the Foundation Establishment expert after already shifting left.
As he stepped forward, the world and wind around him seem to have bended according to his will and made his movements faster than they should have. Even the Foundation Establishment expert was a bit surprised by Grey’s sudden speed. But he was even more surprised because he chose to advance instead of retreat.
That made a brutal and dangerous glint to appear in his eyes.
"You want to fight, then you’ll die!" The Foundation Establishment expert shouted in rage as his fist tore through the air and arrived at Grey.
Grey was similarly prepared and stretched out his fist to counter calmly. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
’Bang!’
A loud bang erupted from where their fists clashed. Grey staggered one hundred feet backwards before he stabilized. Blood trickled down the side of his lips. His face was deathly pale. His still outstretched hand trembled a bit.
**☺️😉**
