Chapter 68: The Self-Cultivation of the Master Overthinker

Wang Yan experienced flight for the very first time in his life.

After achieving Foundation Establishment, one could ride the wind — though he wobbled and weaved like a drunk duck, nearly crashing into someone's rooftop more than once. But he had flown, and that was what mattered.

The wind howled past his ears. That sensation of breaking free from the earth's shackles sent tremors of excitement through his entire body.

He rushed home at once to share this wonderful news with his mother.

"Good… good! Oh, this is wonderful!"

Wang Yan's mother wept tears of joy, unable to stop them from flowing. "My son has made something of himself! He's really made something of himself!"

She laughed and cried at the same time, as though a lifetime of hardship and illness had finally found comfort in the joy of her son's Breakthrough.

Watching his mother's smile — that smile mixed with tears and pride — Wang Yan felt that every ounce of suffering and exhaustion he had endured was worth it.

That night, the Wang family's little house was just as ramshackle as ever, yet it was filled with the warmth and hope of tomorrow.

* * *

The next morning, Wang Yan was awake before the first light of dawn — or rather, he had been too excited to sleep at all.

After Foundation Establishment, his need for sleep seemed to have diminished greatly. A sleepless night left him no less full of energy.

He carefully tidied the house, making sure everything would be in order when his mother woke, and then set out with a heart full of excitement and nervous anticipation.

He was going to pay his respects to Young Master Si Chen.

This debt of recognition, this grace of rebirth — he had to express his gratitude in person.

The closer he drew to that small courtyard, the faster his heart beat.

He imagined that the Young Master must surely be inside at this very moment, meditating in earnest or practicing some profound technique. Would showing up unannounced disturb his Closed-Door Cultivation?

Filled with reverence, he lightened his steps and slowly approached the courtyard gate.

Yet the courtyard was not the solemn, silent place he had imagined. Instead, the sound of easy laughter and conversation drifted out.

"Brother, I'm just saying — that recliner of yours is practically developing a patina from how much you lie on it! Can't you switch it up a bit?" That was Heishan's booming, rough-edged voice.

Then came Chifeng's voice: "He likes lying there. What's it to you?"

And finally, a voice carrying a hint of lazy ease — Si Chen's:

"It's comfortable."

Wang Yan: "???"

His mind went completely blank for a moment.

A recliner? Developing a patina? Comfortable?

This… this was nothing like the image he had conjured of "bitter cultivation through the night, enlightenment at dawn"… not even close!

Could it be that the Young Master…

After a brief moment of bewilderment, Wang Yan's eyes suddenly lit up!

I understand now!

The Young Master is leading by example, showing us that Cultivation must not be all bitter toil — one must balance effort and rest, and seek the true essence of the Dao within the myriad phenomena of the mortal world!

Brilliant. Truly brilliant!

What appears to be laziness is, in truth, a mind already sunken deep into the contemplation of the Grand Dao… This is clearly a cultivation state of the highest order!

Wondrous! Truly wondrous!

The more he thought about it, the more his respect deepened. The Young Master was so young, yet possessed such awe-inspiring cultivation — the effort he had put in must far exceed anything Wang Yan could imagine.

He must have spent another night in sleepless cultivation, meditating on the Grand Dao until dawn! This present laziness is nothing but the supreme wisdom of balancing work and rest after an intense period of training!

Yes, of course — a peerless genius like the Young Master, how could someone like me, a mere ordinary person, ever hope to understand his methods of Cultivation?

Senior Heishan has a rough and direct personality. How could he ever grasp the profound mysteries within the cultivation of someone like the Young Master?

With that thought, Wang Yan's admiration for Si Chen did not diminish in the slightest — if anything, it surged even higher, and he even felt a pang of sympathy…

The Young Master truly has it hard!

To exhaust himself so completely for the sake of the Dao, and still be so misunderstood!

Just as his heart was swelling with emotion and he was about to straighten his clothes and knock on the gate, Si Chen's voice came from inside the courtyard once more:

"Come in."

Wang Yan's whole body gave a start. The Young Master had already sensed him! Of course — before the Young Master, his own meager cultivation was utterly transparent.

Heishan and Chifeng had also long since noticed the visitor. Heishan let out a hearty laugh and called toward the gate, "Well, well — you actually pulled off Foundation Establishment? Not bad!"

Wang Yan took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and gently pushed open the courtyard gate.

Inside, Si Chen was indeed lounging leisurely on his recliner, while Red Bean had curled herself into a little red ball, nestled comfortably on his chest.

Wang Yan's heart surged with emotion.

Even while lying down, the Young Master is comprehending the Dao. What excuse do I have not to push myself to the limit? Starting today, his Dynamic Cultivation Method needs one more addition — sleeping while standing!

He strode forward and came to a stop before Si Chen's recliner. Without a word, he dropped to his knees with a resounding thud and kowtowed three times, firm and sincere.

"Young Master, your kindness is immeasurable! Had you not bestowed that Pill upon me, Wang Yan would have had no hope of Foundation Establishment in this lifetime! This grace is nothing less than a second birth, and Wang Yan will never forget it! From this day forward, I am yours to command — through mountains of blades and seas of fire, I will not hesitate!"

He meant every word from the bottom of his heart.

Without Si Chen, he might still be working as a waiter in some restaurant, struggling desperately for his mother's medicine money and a single low-quality Foundation Establishment Pill.

Si Chen looked at him with a gentle smile, raised his hand slightly, and a soft force lifted Wang Yan back to his feet.

"This is the result of your own hard work. The Pill is merely an external aid."

Wang Yan's whole body trembled, as though struck by a bolt of enlightenment!

The Young Master is reminding me not to rely on external things — my own diligence is what truly matters!

He must have seen that I was growing restless after my successful Foundation Establishment, and so he spoke these words to guide me!

Truly, every word is a pearl of wisdom, spoken with the deepest of intentions!

"The Young Master's teaching is correct!" Wang Yan immediately bowed, his tone utterly sincere. "Wang Yan will keep these words in his heart at all times, remain diligent without pause, and never dare to be the slightest bit slack or disappoint the Young Master's expectations!"

Watching Wang Yan's expression — the look of someone who wanted nothing more than to go back into Closed-Door Cultivation for three hundred years — Heishan's mouth twitched beside him.

For some reason, he had the nagging feeling that something was slightly off.

Si Chen, on the other hand, found his manner rather amusing, and casually asked, "Now that you've achieved Foundation Establishment, how does it feel?"

Wang Yan immediately straightened up. "In response to the Young Master — it feels excellent! My five senses are sharper, my body is light and strong, and Spiritual Energy flows more than ten times smoother than before!"

"Especially the art of flight — though I'm not yet very skilled, that feeling of freedom…"

A trace of excitement crossed his face, but his words cut off halfway, and his expression suddenly changed.

Oh no!

The Young Master suddenly asked about the feeling of Foundation Establishment — this is clearly a test of my character! To see whether I would let this small bit of progress go to my head!

The way I was just now, so pleased with myself — didn't that expose the restlessness in my heart?

A cold sweat broke out down his back in an instant. He quickly took a deep breath, replaced his expression with one of utmost seriousness, and added with great solemnity:

"Of course, this junior is well aware that this is only the starting point of Cultivation, and would never grow arrogant or complacent over such a small step forward."

"Starting tomorrow, this junior plans to extend his cultivation time by four more hours, sleep standing up at night, and circulate his Cultivation Technique even while eating…"

"Are you out of your mind?"

Heishan could not take it anymore. He cut in with a blunt growl.

"Sleep standing up? Do you think you're a horse? Circulating your technique while eating — aren't you afraid the Spiritual Energy will go sideways and blast your rice bowl apart?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yan felt not the slightest embarrassment. Instead, he turned to Heishan with a look that clearly said, "You just don't understand."

"Senior Heishan, all of this is so that I may measure up to Senior Si Chen!"

Si Chen: "…?"

Chifeng, along with Red Bean who had been feigning sleep: "???"

Heishan's bear-like eyes went perfectly round, his expression screaming, "Are you fucking with me right now?"

Measure up? Measure up to what?! Who can lie flatter than him??

Si Chen blinked. He had only been making casual small talk, but judging by Wang Yan's reaction, the young man seemed to have grasped something extraordinary.

Wang Yan took in everyone's reactions, and once again felt a pang of sympathy rise in his heart.

The Young Master truly has it hard! Even his closest companions cannot understand him.

He turned to look at Si Chen, his face wearing an expression that said, "You don't need to explain — I understand everything."

Si Chen: "…"

He looked at Wang Yan's passionate, fired-up appearance, was silent for a moment, and in the end simply nodded.

"…Do as you like."

Seeing that Si Chen had no other instructions, a thought that Wang Yan had been suppressing for a long time finally bubbled back up.

He rubbed his hands together, a little embarrassed but full of anticipation, and spoke up:

"Young Master… well, this junior has now successfully achieved Foundation Establishment, and can just barely channel spirit fire."

"Do you think… when might we begin… cooking alchemy?"

His eyes were bright and sparkling, filled with a longing to put theory into practice.

Foundation Establishment was only the starting point — refining spirit elixirs through the method of cooking as alchemy was the true beginning of his dream!

Si Chen's eyes also lit up slightly at that.

Right, there was that matter. He looked at Wang Yan's eager, raring-to-go expression and decided this was genuinely more interesting than lying around.

"Sure." He sat up from the recliner. Red Bean let out a disgruntled chirp and flew up to perch on his shoulder.

"That method of yours — cooking as alchemy — it's quite interesting. I still have a few Nascent Condensing Pills I cooked up earlier. Take a look at them; they might give you some inspiration."

Wang Yan: "???"

Nas… Nascent Condensing Pills?! And they were… cooked?!

Cooking as alchemy… it actually works?! And the ceiling is this absurdly high?!

The sheer volume of information made Wang Yan's head buzz.

Young Master, just how many more surprises are you hiding that I don't know about?