C2 The Mysterious Yellow Scripture

After leaving the building, Chu Tian felt his spiritual energy waning.

He needed to find an ideal location to cultivate and re-enter the realm of Immortal Cultivation.

With his cultivation base nearly crippled, his spiritual energy was also severely impacted; he could only sense within a one-kilometer radius.

'I was overly optimistic,' Chu Tian thought. 'The spiritual energy on Earth is far too weak. It's no wonder I never heard of formidable immortal cultivators here in my previous life. Under such conditions, even prodigious talents could end up useless.'

As he journeyed, Chu Tian continuously assessed the spiritual energy levels around him, each time finding them disappointingly low.

Yet he knew how crucial the Foundation Establishment Stage was for stepping into the Immortal realm. Particularly for cultivating the Profound Yellow Sutra, a significant amount of natural spiritual energy was essential.

Failing to establish a solid foundation would make it impossible for him to reach the pinnacle of Immortal Cultivation.

Determined to find a site rich in spiritual energy, Chu Tian roamed the city for half a day.

Finally, as evening approached, he discovered a place with relatively abundant spiritual reserves.

It was Mount Qing, the only mountain in Qingzhou City.

Surrounded by lush vegetation, Mount Qing's air was especially fresh as dusk approached.

To Chu Tian, this "freshness" was a manifestation of the mountain's spiritual energy.

Plants, nurtured by the essence of heaven and earth, absorbed the vitality of the sun and moon, becoming reservoirs of this spiritual essence.

Unlike many modernized landscapes, Mount Qing had largely escaped the scars of mining. It remained one of the few natural ecosystems in Qingzhou City, a pristine haven seemingly untouched by human activity.

As evening drew near, most mountain-goers began their descent, heeding warnings of wild wolves and poisonous snakes. Though security guards patrolled during the day, no one dared venture up the mountain at night.

Chu Tian, however, was not deterred. A faint smile crossed his lips when people cautioned him about the late hour.

The deeper into the night, the more abundant Mount Qing's spiritual energy would become. The mountain's nocturnal solitude offered an ideal setting for him to cultivate the Profound Yellow Sutra, undisturbed.

Skillfully evading the security guards, Chu Tian ascended the mountain. By the time he reached a spot near the summit, darkness had fully enveloped the sky.

He settled onto a boulder and adopted the posture of a meditating monk. Within seconds, he became entirely engrossed in his practice. His breathing grew so faint that an onlooker might think he wasn't breathing at all.

Time ticked away, moment by moment.

Mount Qing was shrouded in an almost otherworldly silence.

Chu Tian had been perched on the boulder for nearly two hours, immobile as a stone statue. Remarkably, he didn't even seem to breathe.

Yet within him, a subtle but growing accumulation of True Essence had started to converge.

Over the course of several hours, it strengthened and permeated every corner of his body.

This True Essence continued to circulate within him at an accelerating pace.

The atmosphere began to hum with the sound of wind, yet not a single leaf on the mountaintop quivered.

A keen observer might realize that this sound emanated from Chu Tian himself.

His internal sea of True Essence surged with increasing intensity, producing a resonant sound that resembled crashing waves. Chu Tian's chest, which had remained still for hours, now heaved rhythmically like a bellows.

Each breath he took was accompanied by a faint, pale-yellow stream of air that flowed from his nostrils. This ethereal mist didn't disperse; instead, it expanded and contracted as though alive.

Strikingly, the pale-yellow airflow resembled a golden dragon. Though it appeared soft and insubstantial, it possessed an undeniable, irresistible force.

The pale-yellow stream of air exuded an aura so powerful that it seemed capable of shattering even the mythical King Kong.

This was the Profound Yellow Qi, the cornerstone of the breathing technique outlined in the Profound Yellow Sutra.

As the foundational energy from the dawn of creation, it boasted an array of inexplicable powers, of which its capacity for destruction was just one aspect.

"Retreat," Chu Tian murmured softly.

At his command, the three-foot-long strand of Profound Yellow Qi instantaneously retracted back into his body.

His sunken chest returned to its normal state.

As he opened his eyes, a flash of bright light appeared and vanished in an instant.

"I've reached the Foundation Establishment stage."

Chu Tian muttered, a hint of joy flickering across his face.

The world of cultivation was divided into eight major realms: Foundation Establishment, Transcending Mortality, Nascent Soul, and Divinity and Fusion, among others.

Each realm had four stages—Beginner, Intermediate, Late, and Peak.

In his past life, Chu Tian had attained the status of a Peak Mahayana warrior. As Divine Venerable Qing Yun, he was the most revered figure among immortals and the foremost authority in the Immortal Court, responsible for guarding its eastern region.

The other three Divine Venerables, who guarded the western, southern, and northern regions, were only at the late Mahayana stage, a level of cultivation significantly below Chu Tian's.

"Now that I've reached the Foundation Establishment stage, I possess the ability to protect myself," Chu Tian mused.

He exhaled deeply, contemplating the road ahead. Given his prior experience and assuming the availability of sufficient spiritual energy, reaching the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage should be well within his grasp.

However, reaching the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage was closely tied to advancing to the Mortal Detached Stage. To exercise caution, Chu Tian decided to restrain his cultivation level, opting to wait until he was fully prepared before attempting to break through.

Nevertheless, his current strength was more than sufficient for self-protection.

Just as he was preparing to descend the mountain, the sound of air ripping apart reached his ears from a distance, drawing closer.

Chu Tian's brow furrowed. Who would be coming to Mount Qing at this hour?

Extending his spiritual energy, he sensed that these newcomers were brimming with vitality; they were certainly not ordinary people.

"Could they be Earth's cultivators?"

Chu Tian pondered, opting to conceal himself behind a large rock to observe their techniques.

Soon after, six figures landed on the very spot where Chu Tian had been meditating.

The group consisted of five men and one woman. The woman had a strikingly cold yet beautiful face, and her form-fitting leather attire accentuated her exquisite figure. Even Chu Tian, who had encountered numerous celestial beauties, found himself taking an extra moment to admire her.