Chapter 124 - 87 : Before The Pursuit (2)

Chapter 124: Chapter 87 : Before The Pursuit (2)

Kael’s smile deepened.

Foundation Establishment changed things. He was no longer limited to the position of an outer sect disciple. Once he returned to the sect, he would be eligible to become an Outer Sect Elder, just like some of the older Foundation Establishment cultivators who had been stationed at the border for years.

But Kael had no intention of becoming an Outer Sect Elder just yet.

Foundation Establishment had only opened the next stage of his cultivation journey. He was still young, and there was still plenty of room for him to advance. Some of the older cultivators who had reached Foundation Establishment had eventually chosen to take the position after realizing that their cultivation had reached its limit. Rather than continue spending their remaining years chasing a realm they could no longer reach, they could settle into the sect, gain greater access to its resources, take on more responsibilities, and guide the younger disciples.

Kael was nowhere near that point.

He had only just stepped into Foundation Establishment, and he still wanted to find out how far his own potential could take him.

An Inner Sect disciple was different. It meant that the path ahead was still open, with better resources, stronger cultivation techniques, and opportunities that would not be available to an Outer Sect disciple. For Kael, remaining on that path meant continuing to push himself upward and finding out how far his cultivation could ultimately take him.

Kael stood.

He took one final breath, allowing his cultivation to settle naturally within him. The changes brought by Foundation Establishment had already become familiar, and there was no longer any instability hidden beneath the surface. His meridians, Spirit Sea, and newly transformed cultivation had all settled into their proper state. Leaving now would not put his foundation at risk.

His robes shifted as he turned toward the cultivation room’s door.

He had done what he needed to do.

It was time to leave

The moment Kael stepped outside, the noise of the cultivation facility returned around him. Footsteps crossed the stone courtyard as disciples moved between the rows of cultivation rooms, some carrying small storage pouches while others spoke quietly with companions.

The place was clearly important to the disciples stationed at the border. Many had spent months gathering contribution points just to secure time inside, and the anticipation on the faces of those waiting to enter was easy to notice. Several attendants were already guiding newly arrived disciples toward vacant rooms, while others helped cultivators leaving after their allotted time or recorded the contribution points being spent. The steady movement gave the courtyard a sense of activity that had been completely absent from the quiet room Kael had just left.

Kael had taken only a few steps when one of the disciples noticed him. The disciple’s expression changed immediately, and he quickly straightened, his attention fixed on Kael as the realization of who he was settled in.

"Senior brother Kael."

Kael paused.

The disciple bowed.

"Congratulations on your breakthrough."

Kael nodded.

"Thank you."

The words were simple, but a faint smile touched his lips, and there was a quiet pride in his eyes. He had worked for this moment for years, and hearing the congratulations from those around him made the achievement feel a little more real.

Another disciple nearby turned at the exchange. His eyes widened slightly when he recognized Kael.

"Senior brother Kael?"

The greeting drew another glance from one of the attendants, and soon the change began to spread through the courtyard. It was not dramatic. No one stopped what they were doing, but more and more eyes turned toward Kael as he passed. Some disciples looked at him with open admiration, while others exchanged quiet looks, their expressions carrying a mixture of respect and envy. To them, Foundation Establishment was still a distant goal, something they could only hope to reach after years of cultivation and countless struggles.

Before today, Kael had been one of the many Qi Refining disciples stationed at the border. He had been respected for his strength and years of service, but he had still been part of the outer sect.

Now, he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The difference was enough.

A pair of disciples noticed him approaching and quickly stepped aside, one of them watching Kael with unconcealed admiration as he passed. An attendant also straightened and bowed slightly, while another disciple lowered his voice to whisper something to his companion, both of them glancing after Kael with expressions that made it clear they were already wondering how long it would take them to reach the same height.

"Senior brother Kael, congratulations on establishing your foundation."

Kael returned the greeting.

As Kael continued walking, the city seemed different.

Not because anything around him had changed. The same stone streets stretched through the borderfront, the same banners moved above the walls, and the same cultivators hurried between shops, training grounds, formation halls, and supply offices. Yet his awareness no longer stopped where his eyes did. His Divine Sense extended naturally around him, passing through walls and buildings and picking up the presence of cultivators moving nearby. He could sense their cultivation, distinguish the fluctuations of their spiritual energy, and even notice people approaching before they came into view.

The sensation was difficult to describe. The world had not become clearer because he could see more. It was simply that there was now more of it within his awareness.

Even his body felt different. There was a lightness to his movements, but it was not weakness or a lack of weight. His body felt cleaner, steadier, as though something that had always been clinging to him had finally been stripped away. His breathing was easier, his steps more controlled, and the spiritual energy within him moved with a smoothness that had been impossible during Qi Refining. After years of forcing himself forward, enduring injuries and pushing his body to its limits, there was a strange sense that he had finally left something behind.

Kael smiled.

He had spent years imagining what Foundation Establishment would feel like. He had expected a greater surge of power, perhaps some overwhelming change that would make the difference obvious the moment he stepped outside. Instead, the change was quieter, woven into everything he did.

Yet the longer he walked, the more he noticed another change.

People seemed different too.

A few disciples who passed him lowered their heads slightly or moved aside without being asked. Some looked at him with open respect, while others watched him with the same admiration he had once felt toward cultivators far above himself.

Kael found himself enjoying those looks.

His smile deepened slightly. He had spent years watching others stand where he could only hope to stand. Now that he had reached the same height, he wanted to know how much further he could go. He wanted more opportunities to prove his strength, more people to recognize what he was capable of, and perhaps a chance to show those who had once stood above him that he was no longer someone they could casually look down on.

As he continued walking, the thought settled more deeply in his mind. The cultivators who had once seemed distant no longer felt quite so far away. Even the struggles of the disciples around him seemed smaller than they had before.

Perhaps this was what it meant to step into a higher realm.

Once he had reached the height he had spent years looking toward, the world below naturally began to look different. The people he had once needed to look up to no longer seemed so untouchable. They were simply cultivators who had reached their positions before him.

There were still higher realms ahead, and Kael knew he had a long way to go. But now, when he looked at those above him, he no longer felt the same distance he once had.

He had stepped onto the same path.

And perhaps, he thought, this was what it meant to finally stand above those who had not.

He continued toward the inner part of the city, where the sect’s administrative offices were located. He still needed to report his breakthrough, confirm his return to the main sect, and complete the arrangements for leaving the borderfront. He also needed to prepare for his new stage of cultivation. The resources he had relied on as a Qi Refining cultivator would no longer be enough, and he had been saving his contribution points and spirit stones for the moment when he could finally begin preparing properly for Foundation Establishment.

Now that moment had arrived.

The thought brought a faint excitement to his face. For years, he had been saving for more than just the Foundation Establishment Pill. He had also been setting aside enough to purchase a low-grade flying sword, something he had only been able to admire from a distance before. Now that he had awakened his Divine Sense and stepped into Foundation Establishment, he would finally be able to control one himself.

Kael’s pace quickened slightly.

There were still matters he needed to settle before leaving, but the thought of choosing his own flying sword and putting it to use made him look forward to what came next. After spending so many years preparing for this realm, he was finally going to experience what it meant to possess the tools and resources of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.