Su Ming's face instantly turned as pale as paper, with bean-sized beads of sweat mixed with blood seeping from his pores, immediately soaking through his layers of clothing.

"Right now!"

Lin Yu's phantom figure suddenly solidified above the Xuantian Ring. His originally lazy expression now radiated an unprecedented murderous intent. His hands formed seals at lightning speed, the afterimages of his fingers nearly merging into one blur, and he roared:

"Stars descend into fate, fall—"

Boom!

At the top of the cave dwelling, the seven skylights that had merely been letting down star radiance suddenly erupted. Seven silver beams of light, as if enraged by some force, instantly swelled to three times their original size. Carrying a biting chill and vast oppressive pressure, they plunged straight down along the seven Star Pattern Steel pillars.

The formation lines on the ground began to light up, spreading from the center to the edges.

The earth energy that had been flowing gently was instantly thrown into a boil upon the star radiance's impact. The spiritual energy within the cave dwelling also converged toward Su Ming's Dantian.

The seven beams of star radiance poured directly into Su Ming's body, converging within his Dantian. The formation forcibly twisted and compressed them, eventually turning them into an invisible silver giant hammer that slammed viciously down onto Su Ming's Dao foundation.

"Pfft—"

Su Ming spat out a mouthful of blood mist. The moment it left his body, it was crushed into nothingness by the wild spiritual pressure surrounding him.

Under the oppression of this terrifying external force, his nearly collapsing Dantian was forcibly "bound" together. The Earth Vein Spirit Milk that had been about to scatter in all directions was clamped down on by an invisible giant hand, with nowhere to flee, and was then forcibly squeezed into the dense, dense cracks.

Using the power of stars as a hammer and his own flesh and blood as a mold, the purest and thickest Earth Vein Spirit Milk was forcibly "forged" into every inch of the Dao foundation's wounds.

"Ah—!!"

Su Ming tilted his head back, letting out a guttural roar that barely sounded human.

This pain was a hundred times more intense than when he had dispersed his cultivation to restart. It was like someone was pouring scorching molten gold into his internal organs, filling the very cracks of his bones.

Every inch of his meridians was burning; every piece of his flesh was being reorganized.

"Hang in there! Don't pass out!"

Lin Yu's voice rang out like a great bell, echoing directly in the depths of Su Ming's nearly scattered consciousness. "Do you want to be a leaky bucket for the rest of your life, or a solid iron barrel? It all comes down to this moment! Bite down and hold on!"

Even as he shouted fiercely, Lin Yu's soul body was trembling violently. He stared deathly at the chaotic energy storm within Su Ming's Dantian, silently praying to every god and Buddha he could think of.

This was truly a high-stakes gamble.

If Su Ming's willpower showed the slightest weakness, or if the Earth Vein Spirit Milk's potency was even a fraction more violent, this kid would instantly turn into a human firework, blasting Gazing Star Cliff clean through.

"Scientific cultivation, scientific cultivation... this isn't very scientific, but it's very cultivator..." Lin Yu muttered to himself for encouragement while frantically channeling his soul power to protect Su Ming's heart vessels. "High-pressure grouting is a mature process in civil engineering. There's no reason it wouldn't work on a Dantian... probably."

Just as Su Ming's consciousness was about to be swallowed by the boundless agony.

An unexpected change occurred.

The "Border Defense True Seal," which had been dormant deep within his Consciousness Sea ever since he brought it back to the sect, seemed to awaken, startled by this familiar earth vein aura.

Hum. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

The dark red star-shaped mark on Su Ming's chest suddenly flared to life.

A wave of energy, ancient and desolate, carrying an aura of iron and blood, swept out from the mark. This power was not strong, yet it held an indescribable authority of "command."

The Earth Vein Spirit Milk, which had been rampaging and unruly within Su Ming's body, instantly calmed down the moment this aura appeared, as if it were a minister bowing before its emperor.

The wild destructive power vanished, replaced by a docile, rhythmic pulse.

It was the breath of the earth itself.

Under the guidance of this pulse, Su Ming's body, which had been stretched to its absolute limit, miraculously relaxed for an instant.

"This is..."

Lin Yu's eyes went wide as he stared at the halo of deep blue and earthy yellow intertwined on Su Ming's chest, unable to hold back a curse. "Holy shit? This True Seal has this kind of function too?"

With the intervention of the "Border Defense True Seal," the originally perilous "violent crack-filling" instantly transformed into a delicate "artistic process."

In the world of inner vision.

The amber-colored Earth Vein Spirit Milk began to flow along the cracks on the Dantian wall in a profoundly mysterious trajectory.

The originally crimson and terrifying cracks were filled with the golden-yellow spiritual liquid. Under the continuous hammering of the star power, this liquid quickly cooled, solidified, and ultimately merged perfectly with Su Ming's original Dantian wall.

Golden patterns spread across the Dantian, resembling exquisite kintsugi craft, repairing a broken piece of pottery into something more solid and filled with even greater Dao rhythm than before.

Time seemed to lose all meaning at this moment.

After an unknown amount of time, the light on the seven Star Pattern Steel pillars began to dim, and the air pressure within the cave dwelling slowly returned to normal.

Su Ming still maintained his cross-legged posture, but his aura had undergone a world-shaking transformation.

The spinning vortex within his Dantian was now completely gone. In its place was a tranquil, mirror-like lake of liquid spiritual power.

The lake was not large, but its waters displayed a deep, profound blue, as viscous as mercury. At the bottom of the lake, faint golden patterns could be seen woven into a net, firmly locking this spiritual lake in place, as solid as a fortress.

This was Foundation Establishment.

The foundation of the Great Dao begins with a single step.

Su Ming slowly opened his eyes.

In that instant, it was as if a cold lightning bolt flashed through the dim cave dwelling. Deep within his pupils, a deep blue light flickered and vanished, seeming to contain a trace of faint gold.

He lowered his head, looking at his own hands.

The blood and grime on his skin had already dried and scabbed over. With a gentle clench of his fist, the layer of blood scabs fell off like dead bark, revealing skin beneath that was as fair as a newborn's, yet faintly shimmering with a luster like jade.

Without needing to deliberately summon it, the spiritual energy of the surrounding world seemed to find its true home, surging toward him joyfully, drilling into his body through his pores. This smoothness was an experience he had never known in the Qi Refining stage.

"How does it feel?"

Lin Yu's voice carried a note of exhaustion, but even more of it was undisguised smugness. "Didn't I say my plan would work? What do you call this? This is called finding life in the face of death! This is called the miracle of industrial repair!"

Su Ming did not speak.

He tried moving his fingers—it hurt.

Su Ming slowly stood up, his movements gentle yet carrying a calm and unhurried steadiness.

He raised his hand and lightly pointed into the void.

There was no incantation, nor any hand seal formation.

At his fingertip, a single droplet of deep blue water materialized out of thin air.

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