What terrified Su Changyu even more was that the faces of all the corpses covering the floor looked identical to the white-haired cultivator before him!
It was as if every single one of them was his own corpse!
Even with his self-professed unyielding will and unusual composure, Su Changyu could not help breaking into a cold sweat at this bizarre, unsettling sight.
"Heh, don't be so nervous. They're just dead bodies—what is there to fear?"
"You should know that the living are far more terrifying than the dead,"
the white-haired cultivator said sinisterly.
With a flick of his finger, a table and chairs rose from the ground.
"Sit. Admire the view properly."
"No one has visited this place for many years."
After his initial terror, Su Changyu gradually adjusted to the eerie, dual-layered voice and the gruesome surroundings.
Steeling his resolve, he sat down steadily.
"May I ask how to address Senior?"
After taking his seat, seeing that the white-haired cultivator was merely staring blankly at his surroundings, Su Changyu could not help asking aloud.
"I am called Master Yin."
"Heh, others call me Master Yinyin,"
Master Yin said with a touch of self-deprecation.
"Greetings, Senior Yin. I am Su Changyu," Su Changyu introduced himself neither servilely nor arrogantly.
Master Yin suddenly turned around at that moment and scrutinized Su Changyu closely.
Only after a long while did he look away.
"Tsk, heaven's will truly works in mysterious ways..." Master Yin muttered under his breath.
Su Changyu heard it, but had no idea what he meant.
After a long silence, Master Yin spoke again. "You've also hit a bottleneck in Foundation Establishment and were guided here by your inner destiny, weren't you?"
"Foundation Establishment?" Su Changyu was taken aback. He was only at the late Qi Condensation stage.
Just as he was about to deny it, Master Yin continued speaking to himself, "Heh, I'm used to it. Every few years, cultivators are guided here anyway."
"Every time someone comes, I have to repeat it all. I'm sick of saying it."
"When gods fight, little ghosts suffer. What a bloody nuisance, annoying me to death..."
Su Changyu frowned slightly. This Master Yin was half-mad, babbling incomprehensible words with hidden meanings.
"Whatever. I'll just say it one more time."
Master Yin also sat down and said, "The so-called Foundation Establishment is establishing the foundation of cultivation. So do you know what this Dao Foundation actually is?"
...
"Using myself as the wonder, I established my Dao Foundation!"
His body split in two right down the middle, revealing another face embedded within the flesh and viscera.
The inner and outer faces spoke in unison.
Finally, with two chilling smiles, he concluded his explanation.
Shocked by the horrifying sight, Su Changyu had leapt to his feet, but seeing Master Yin return to normal, he slowly sat back down.
"Establishing the Dao Foundation with oneself..." An unusual light flashed in Su Changyu's eyes.
"What? Tempted?" Master Yin asked with a chuckle.
"When your Dao Foundation overlaps perfectly with yourself, all divine abilities and magical arts belong entirely to you."
"From then on, no matter what cultivation method or secret art you encounter, you learn it at a glance and master it upon learning."
"Punching peerless prodigies, trampling reclusive grandmasters..."
"Why haven't you made a move yet?"
Master Yin looked at Su Changyu with a manic gleam in his eyes, his voice dripping with temptation.
Su Changyu, however, maintained a rare calm and clarity. "Then may I ask Senior, what is the price?"
"If everyone could easily establish the Dao Foundation with oneself, wouldn't geniuses be walking the streets everywhere?"
"If everyone were a genius, then there would be no distinction between mediocrity and talent."
Master Yin chuckled foolishly and pointed at the hundreds of corpses covering the floor. "These are the price!"
Su Changyu did not understand his meaning and could only remain silent.
"Only after dissecting hundreds of 'mes' and gaining absolute certainty..."
"Did I start over to establish the Dao Foundation with myself."
"Even so, I am still a hair's breadth away from perfect success."
"For an ordinary cultivator to dream of establishing the foundation with oneself is nothing more than seeking death,"
Master Yin explained with a cold sneer.
"How exquisite is the human body, and how complex."
"How could an ordinary person know their own body inside and out to establish the foundation with oneself?"
"To achieve this purely on one's own without relying on external forces is something only a rare genius of this world could do."
Hearing this, Su Changyu understood at once.
He could not help feeling dejected inside.
As the saying went, he who knows others is wise, but he who knows himself is enlightened.
Su Changyu was acutely aware of his own cultivation talent.
He was definitely no genius.
He was not even average.
It would not be an exaggeration to describe him as mediocre.
For him to establish the foundation with oneself was simply out of the question.
Taking in the shift in Su Changyu's expression, Master Yin chuckled. "Brat Su, don't lose heart."
"At this very moment, you have come before me. That proves it was all predestined."
As he spoke, he extended his index finger and tapped lightly, striking directly between Su Changyu's brows.
In an instant, countless images and pieces of knowledge flooded frantically into Su Changyu's mind.
They were all Master Yin's memories and insights from dissecting hundreds of Foundation Establishment corpses.
Even more precious was the process of establishing the foundation with oneself, along with the lessons of his near-success.
...
Suddenly overwhelmed by such a colossal volume of information, Su Changyu struggled to bear it.
His temples throbbed relentlessly, and his head felt as if it were splitting open.
Yet he knew in his heart that this miraculous encounter was likely the only chance in his life to defy his fate.
So he gritted his teeth and held on.
After a long while, he slumped weakly into the chair, utterly exhausted and drenched in sweat.
Master Yin watched him and shook his head repeatedly.
After a moment, Su Changyu rallied his spirits and bowed deeply toward Master Yin.
"Thank you, Senior!"
"Heh, no need to thank me."
Master Yin showed a malicious smile. "Originally, you had already given up on the idea of establishing the foundation with oneself."
"Now that I have passed on my experiences to you, I've made you want to gamble on it."
"You must know that everyone is unique. What applied to my circumstances might not necessarily suit yours."
"Perhaps you will fail because of this and perish, your Dao extinguished."
"Looked at that way, I'm the one who harmed you!"
Su Changyu said with solemn resolve, "Life and death are determined by fate, wealth and honor by heaven."
The smile vanished from Master Yin's face. "Good ambition, at least."
Without any courtesy, he barked, "This matter is done. Now get lost!"
Caught off guard by the abrupt dismissal, Su Changyu was momentarily taken aback.
However, since Master Yin had spoken, he could hardly insist on staying.
He bowed once more and prepared to leave.
Before departing, looking at the floor covered in Master Yin's corpses, Su Changyu could not help asking, "Senior Yin, where exactly did these corpses come from?"
Master Yin looked around the room, a bewildered expression creeping into his eyes.
"Right... where did these corpses come from?"
"Ah! I remember!"
"It was such a heavy rain! Countless corpses fell from the sky like raindrops, and I took the chance to scavenge a few..."
Master Yin seemed half-crazed as he muttered to himself.
Hearing that answer, Su Changyu felt a chill rise within his heart once again.
Not daring to linger any longer on this bizarre island, he hurried away.
Watching Su Changyu's receding figure, Master Yin slowly returned to normal.
He touched his chest, where some irreplaceable treasure seemed to be hidden.
...
Long afterward, the extinguished flames flared up once again,
completely swallowing Yinyin Island.
Chapter 287