Top enlightenment at 100 years old Chapter 1: Fallen Hope

The night sky gleamed clear as water.

Alone before a stone hut, Ji Haoyuan sat deep in contemplation.

Once midnight passed this night, his hundredth birthday would arrive.

Time had truly flown by in a blink.

A mix of bitterness, helplessness, and sorrow flickered across his features.

A full century had elapsed since his arrival in this realm.

Upon discovery of his Two Spirit Roots, the family hailed him as their beacon of hope, channeling every cultivation resource his way.

Back then, he lived up to their faith.

At ten years old, he drew Qi into his body, stepping into Qi Refining level one as a Cultivator.

Around thirty, he climbed to the pinnacle of Qi Refining.

At forty, shouldering the dreams of his entire clan, he ventured into Foundation Establishment using a hard-won Foundation Establishment Pill bought with the family's vast expenditures.

From that point, his advancement ground to a halt.

Two years on, his Foundation Establishment bid collapsed in failure.

Fortune smiled faintly, for his sturdy base preserved him; the pill's aid prevented foundation damage, leaving a solid shot at success on retry.

And so, a decade later.

After the Ji Family's thorough assessment and Patriarch Ji Bochang's decree, a second costly Foundation Establishment Pill landed once more in Ji Haoyuan's grasp.

By now, the Ji Family teetered on dire straits.

This worsened as Patriarch Ji Bochang, gravely wounded during an expedition, saw his lifespan brutally curtailed.

Once robust and slated for another century, now only fifty or sixty years remained.

Such blows quietly eroded the Ji Family's holdings and sway.

Clan revenues dwindled, slashing resources for members.

Without birthing a second Foundation Establishment Cultivator, recovery seemed impossible.

Only such a breakthrough could restore their fortunes.

Ji Haoyuan's latest Foundation Establishment gamble now decided the clan's very fate.

No third pill lay within reach after this.

Failure meant swift expulsion from Nanning County's trio of Foundation Establishment Clans.

Any keen observer foresaw the carnage ahead.

Enemies and even neutrals would descend like ravenous sharks, devouring the Ji Family whole.

Be it crushing pressure or hidden flaws, despite the clan's fervent hopes, Ji Haoyuan's second Foundation Establishment attempt crumbled once more.

He still recalled the elders' and clansmen's anguished, hopeless stares upon his emergence from retreat, alongside Patriarch Ji Bochang's weary, crestfallen sigh.

Precisely fifty years had ticked by since then.

Over those fifty years.

Ji Haoyuan toiled for the family, striving to atone for his debts to the clan.

In that span, he sensed ever more keenly how precarious their standing in Nanning County had grown, particularly with Patriarch Ji Bochang's life ebbing away.

Their assets and clout had halved from fifty years prior, without doubt.

Now, just a marketplace and scattered ventures remained.

Even the Ji Family's prime upper-grade Fire Element Spirit Vein atop Taiping Mountain fell cheaply to the Zhang Family, among Nanning County's three dominant Foundation Establishment powers.

One must recognize a Fire Element Spirit Vein suits Alchemy, Artifact Refining, and Fire Attribute Technique cultivation ideally.

Though merely first-tier upper grade, its worth matched half a basic second-tier lower-grade Spirit Vein.

Ji Haoyuan's lips twisted into another wry smile.

He understood the Ji Family's time was nearly spent.

Word had it the clan began dispersing members in secret batches years ago.

Aiming, of course, to plant seeds of future revival.

Yet, with nearly a century in the Cultivation Realm, Ji Haoyuan grasped the harsh truth: ex-clansmen descending the mountain became mere Loose Cultivators.

For Loose Cultivators in this brutal world of predator and prey, bare survival demanded grueling effort at every turn.

Reascending held odds slimmer than striking a five-million jackpot from his old life.

Yet no choice existed.

No matter the slim odds, a faint spark beat utter despair.

Such reflections hardened resolve across Ji Haoyuan's aged visage.

Better to seize this moment for one final stand than limp through the end.

Indeed, he resolved on a last Foundation Establishment push.

He knew full well his advanced age and waning vitality made chasing that faint hope akin to suicide.

But so what?

At this stage, after life's tempests and the chill of fickle bonds, what lingered to bind him?

Perishing thus might grant sweet liberation.

With such convictions, Ji Haoyuan rose unhurriedly.

Just then, moonlight veiled itself in clouds.

Midnight crept in silently.

And right then, a voice echoed in Ji Haoyuan's ears.

"Century mark achievement unlocked; drawing your unique talent.

Extracting talent...

Congratulations, you have gained max level comprehension."

Suddenly, Ji Haoyuan's awareness soared unbound.

Every insight, known or forgotten, flooded his mind.

Above all, the roots of his dual Foundation Establishment flops shone crystal clear now.

Evidently, the Ji Family's Fire Attribute Technique, "Fire Separation Technique," suffered heavy omissions.

Crucially, the vital phase of forming Liquid Magical Power lacked the key use of Water Crystal Stone to temper the method's fiercest, most incendiary aspects.

Absent that, mastering the savage, searing force proved impossible, dooming Liquid Power Condensation.

Little wonder no Ji Family member had ever succeeded in Foundation Establishment via Fire Separation Technique.

Admittedly.

This tied partly to it not being the clan's core, the Cyan Wood Longevity Technique.

Few cultivated it anyway.

And practitioners mainly chased Alchemy Master or Artifact Refiner paths.

The technique stemmed from the prior Clan Leader's chance find on an outing.

It remained fresh in the family.

No surprise its defects escaped notice.

Grasping this at last, Ji Haoyuan birthed a bold new idea.

Could he refine this technique now, tailoring it perfectly for my Foundation Establishment breakthrough?