After I told Sidra that I wanted to form a Dual Foundation, Astra and Estelle glanced at each other with worried expressions on their faces. Sidra, on the other hand, remained calm and composed.

“That’s a difficult path, Little Demon.” Astra said. “We’re dual refiners, but even we haven’t formed Dual Foundations.” She gestured to Estelle. “The brute and I both formed Physical Foundations, while Big Sis Sidra formed a Qi Foundation.”

I blinked at my eldest sister in surprise.

“Really?” I asked.

Sidra nodded.

“Unlike most at Flame Fiend Hall, I focus more on the mystic arts and using magic treasures.” She said. “While I can hold my own in unarmed combat, it isn’t my specialty.” She gestured to Estelle. “In fact, in terms of skill in martial arts, Estelle surpasses me despite my higher cultivation base.”

Estelle waved off the compliment.

“Aw, you’re going to make me blush.” She said.

Despite her words, Estelle looked pleased with herself.

“Why do you want to form a Dual Foundation?” Sidra asked. “I’m not condemning your choice. I just wish to know the reasoning behind your decision. As Astra said, by forming a Dual Foundation, you’re choosing a difficult path for yourself. It would be easier to form a Qi Foundation or a Physical Foundation. In fact, given your talent in physical refinement, you would go far if you formed a Physical Foundation.”

I took a moment before I answered her question.

“People call me a divine demon,” I said, “However, it would be more accurate to call me someone who is both a divine qi refiner and a demonic physical refiner. The two are separate. If I truly want to become a divine demon, I need to merge the divine and the demonic within myself to form a foundation that is composed of both. Otherwise, I will just be a divine qi refiner and a demonic physical refiner. I won’t be a true divine demon.”

My sisters glanced at each other, before Sidra and Astra both held their hands out to Estelle.

“Pay up.” Astra said, grinning.

Estelle grumbled, before she took out two holding bags filled with spirit stones from her storage ring. She tossed one to Sidra and the other to Astra.

“Why couldn’t you have picked a Physical Foundation?” Estelle asked, a surly expression on her face. “You just cost me two thousand spirit stones.”

I looked at my sisters in astonishment.

“You bet on which kind of foundation I would form?” I asked, flabbergasted.

“Of course.” Sidra said in a matter of fact tone. “Astra and I thought you would pick a Dual Foundation, because you are a divine demon. However, Estelle argued that because of your talent in physical refinement, you would pick a Physical Foundation.” She shrugged. “Astra and I figured that we might as well make a wager of it, since we knew it was easy money.”

Estelle crossed her arms and looked away from us, a scowl on her face.

“Bunch of swindlers.” She muttered under her breath.

Astra and Sidra ignored Estelle’s grumbling, so I decided to do the same.

“Have you made suitable preparations for forming your foundation?” Sidra asked. “If not, we can help. I still owe you a reward. You may use it for this if you wish.”

When I defeated Cultivator Byron Gold Flame four years ago and swind-earned a Foundation Breakthrough Pill from him, Sidra offered me a reward of my choosing. At the time, I told her that I would think about what I wanted. Neither of us have brought it up since.

“That won’t be necessary.” I said. “I have the Foundation Breakthrough Pill that I received from Cultivator Byron Gold Flame, and I still have the dish made from Star Flame Fruit that Big Sis Astra gave me as a reward for going through the Crucible of Flames.” I pulled a jade bottle from my storage. “I also still have the Purple Poison Pills that you gave me, Big Sis Sidra.”

After I went through the Crucible of Flames, Sidra gave me a number of resources as a reward for making it halfway up Flame Fiend Peak. One of those resources turned out to be a jade bottle filled with noxious pills. When I researched them, I found out they were Purple Poison Pills. They were a type of pill used to create body baths, which helped physical refiners in their cultivation.

The body baths created with Purple Poison Pills broke down one’s body, refined it with the demonic qi contained within the pills, and built it back up again. As I learned from personal experience, this was quite a painful process. However, after some further research, I learned that Purple Poison Pills also helped demonic physical refiners build their foundation. Since I planned on building a Dual Foundation, this was perfect for me, so I saved my remaining Purple Poison Pills.

“So you figured it out,” Sidra said, raising an eyebrow at me, “Good job.”

“You could have told me that the Purple Poison Pills could be used to help build one’s foundation.” I said, scowling at my eldest sister. “I almost used them all before I figured it out for myself.”

“But you didn’t, and that is what matters most.”

I gave her a look of disbelief.

“Big Sis Sidra prefers to teach by dropping a few hints and letting people figure out the rest on their own.” Astra said, giving me a wry smile. “There is a reason why she has almost no disciples of her own.”

“I don’t need weaklings as my disciples.” Sidra said, scoffing. “Coddling only leads to disastrous results later on.”

Estelle pointed at me.

“Don’t you spoil Little Demon as much as we do?” she asked.

Sidra looked away from her.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She said, feigning nonchalance.

Astra, Estelle, and I snickered at our eldest sister’s words.

“The only thing I don’t have is a suitable location for my break through.” I said, before looking at Astra. “May I borrow your old immortal cave, Big Sis?”

Astra’s old immortal cave, which was located in the Black Mist Mountains, contained a gout of Earth Fire. This was perfect for my needs, since Earth Fire produced a lot of fire qi. Since I was forming a Dual Foundation, I needed to keep my divine qi refining and my demonic physical refining in balance. Otherwise, my attempt would fail.

The Earth Fire in Astra’s old immortal cave produced “neutral” fire qi, which made it perfect for my purposes. At least, it would be once I removed the array that Astra used to convert the fire qi into divine fire qi.

Astra pursed her lips.

“That depends,” she said, “What will you trade for it? Remember, no freebies.”

I grinned at her.

“How about a bet?” I asked. “If I break through to Foundation Establishment in one attempt, you give me that immortal cave. If not, I’ll owe you one thousand spirit stones.”

Astra snorted.

“Why would I agree to an unbalanced wager like that?” she asked.

An immortal cave containing a gout of Earth Fire was worth far more than one thousand spirit stones.

“Because I’m your brother and you love me.”

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Astra narrowed her eyes and glared at me for several seconds, before she grinned.

“Fine,” she said, “I’ll take that bet.” She pointed at me. “But only because you’re the baby of the family. If anyone else had tried to make a bet like that with me, I would have given them a beating.”

“I love you two, Big Sis.”

The two of us grinned at each other. While I loved all of my sisters, I felt the closest to Astra. She was the one who rescued me from Mt. Wind Dance and started me on the path towards immortality. I owed her a debt that I could never repay.

“I see that my worries were unfounded.” Sidra said, sounding annoyed. “You’re more than prepared to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm.”

Was Sidra sulking? It sounded like it. However, that was impossible. My eldest sister would never sulk just because I didn’t need her help in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm.

“What are you going to use that reward for?” Sidra asked. “You have had four years to think about it. You must have thought of something by now.”

I nodded, before pulling my leather gauntlets out of my storage ring.

“I want you to turn these into a high-grade Foundation Establishment magic treasure.” I said. “Once I reach Foundation Establishment, they’ll be too weak for me to use. However, they’re the first magic treasure I ever received from family, so I don’t want to throw them away.”

Astra, as the one who gave me the leather gauntlets, looked touched by my words. Sidra just raised an eyebrow at me.

“And how would I do that?” Sidra asked.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her.

“Spirit enhancement.” I said.

Spirit enhancement was a special way to refine magic treasures. Instead of creating magic treasures the traditional way, spirit enhancement worked by taking existing items and making them more powerful. With enough spirit enhancement, it was possible to turn a mundane leaf into a magic treasure that could shake the heavens and earth. However, spirit enhancement was inefficient.

It required far more resources to spirit enhance an item to a certain rank rather than make a new magic treasure of the same rank. Spirit enhancement also required the use of exotic flames, special types of fire with strange and magical properties. In fact, Earth Fire was a type of exotic flame, albeit the most common type.

The benefit of spirit enhancement was that magic treasures refined this way were more powerful than their counterparts. They also gained the properties, depending on the specific exotic flame used to spirit enhance them. Spirit enhanced magic treasures were also more likely to gain sentience and become a treasure spirit.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t proficient in spirit enhancement, or refining magic treasures in general, so I couldn’t do it myself.

“I’m studying magic treasure refinement,” I said, “And during the course of my studies, I found out that my eldest sister was one of the Dawn and Dusk Sect’s best magic treasure refiners and spirit enhancers.” I gave her a smug smile. “So don’t try to plead ignorance.”

Estelle burst out into laughter.

“Little Demon has you there.” she said, wiping tears from her ears.

Sidra scowled at her, before turning towards me.

“Do you know how many resources it would take to spirit enhance those gauntlets to that rank, Little Demon?” she demanded. “Enough to make three high-grade Foundation Establishment magic treasures. Spirit enhancement has its benefits, but the costs are high.”

“You can afford it.” Estelle pointed out.

Sidra narrowed her eyes at my second eldest sister.

“This is revenge for the bet from earlier, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Of course.” Estelle said, grinning at her.

The two of them stared at each other for several seconds, before Sidra shook her head and looked back at me.

“It would be easier, and better in many ways, to just give you three high-grade Foundation Establishment magic treasures.” Sidra said. “Are you sure you want me to spirit enhance those gauntlets?”

I looked down at the leather gauntlets. They had accompanied me almost since I first became a cultivator, and I had studied them to gain insights into magic treasure refinement, so I was familiar with every inch of them. To me, they were more than just weapons. They were extensions of myself.

“These gauntlets are my most treasured possessions.” I said. “They were the first gift I ever received from family, at least on my mother’s side. That is how special they are to me.” I held the gauntlets out to Sidra. “I would be honored if you spirit enhanced them, Big Sis, because then it would feel like a gift from both you and Big Sis Astra.”

Sidra took the gauntlets and gave me a solemn nod.

“Hey!” Estelle protested. “Don’t leave me out! I’m your sister too!”

Astra jabbed her with an elbow.

“Then contribute instead of complaining, you brute.” She said.

Estelle grumbled for a moment, before throwing her hands up in surrender.

“Fine,” she said, “I’ll provide the resources. It’s not like I need them for anything.” She nodded to the gauntlets. “However, if we’re going to do this, we might as well make those gauntlets into a top-grade Foundation Establishment treasure.”

I frowned.

“I don’t think that is a good idea.” I said. “Cultivators are greedy, for the most part. If someone sees me with a top-grade Foundation Establishment treasure, they might try to steal it from me.”

Sidra nodded.

“A wise choice.” She said. “How about this? I’ll spirit enhance those gauntlets into a high-grade Foundation Establishment magic treasure. Once you become strong enough to defend yourself against any would-be thieves, I’ll spirit enhance them into top-grade magic treasures.”

I gave her a grateful smile.

“Thank you, Big Sis,” I said, “I really appreciate it.”

Sidra turned her head away from me.

“Think nothing of it.” she said, once again feigning nonchalance.

Astra and Estelle both burst out into laughter. After that, we spent the rest of the journey back to the Dawn and Dusk Sect eating snacks and talking amongst one another. I enjoyed my time in the Flowering Blossom Sect, but spending time with my family brought its own satisfaction.

----------------------------------------

After returning to the Dawn and Dusk Sect, I spent the next week familiarizing myself with the changes brought about by my Demon Form. The changes to my appearance were nothing compared to the changes to my physique. I was stronger, tougher, and faster than before. It took some getting used to.

I also practiced using both Armor of the Celestial Warrior in conjunction with my Demon Form, with Elliot as my sparring partner. Using both increased my battle prowess to a significant degree. While I wasn’t a match for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, I was unparalleled in the Qi Condensation realm.

Second Master visited me once during that week and offered some pointers. When he saw me using both Armor of the Celestial Warrior and Demon, he said that I looked like a celestial demon.

At the end of the week, I gathered my prepared materials and my sisters brought me to Astra’s old immortal cave. The journey took almost an entire day, since the Black Mist Mountains bordered the Whispering Hill province’s north-western border. The cave looked the same as I remembered it. However, now I saw it through new eyes.

The reason why there was so much empty space was because the rooms were meant to house the facilities most cultivators required. A workshop for magic treasure refining, a room for concocting pills, a space to grow spirit herbs, and so on. As I looked through the immortal cave, I imagined how I would make use of it all when it became mine. When Astra noticed this, she poked me in the ribs.

“This isn’t yours yet.” She said, smiling despite her words. “Don’t put the cart before the horse. Reach the Foundation Establishment realm first.”

Embarrassed that she caught me, I nodded. She was right. All in due time. No need to get ahead of myself.

My sisters and I arrived at the antechamber leading to Earth Fire chamber, deep within the heart of the mountain. It was as hot as I remembered it. However, I was no longer the mortal who could hardly stand the heat. Instead, I found it comforting and nourishing.

“We’ll stand outside as your guardians while you’re in seclusion, Little Demon.” Sidra said. “No one will interrupt your breakthrough.”

I doubted that it was necessary, because of all the defensive arrays that protected this immortal cave, but I appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

“Remember to take your time.” Astra advised. “If you rush, you may end up failing.”

“If forming a Dual Foundation is too difficult,” Estelle said, flexing her muscles, “Follow my lead and form a Physical Foundation.”

I gave each of my sisters a hug in turn, before closing the door to the chamber. Everything from this point on would be up to me. Whether I succeeded or not in forming my foundation would depend on my preparations, my talent, and my luck. The chances of failure were low, but not zero. There was no room for complacency.

The Earth Fire looked the same as I remembered it: a torch-sized column of flame that was deep red in color and emitted an astonishing amount of fire qi. However, no traces of the array that converted the fire qi into divine fire qi remained. The floor was smooth, as if nothing had been carved into it at all.

The first thing I did was take out a jade bathtub from my storage ring. A disciple of Myriad Treasures Pavilion, one of the Dawn and Dusk Sect’s neutral halls, created it for me in exchange for the bones of a certain kind of demon beast. The disciple carved it from a large block of mundane jade, which was useless for refining magic treasures but was perfect for my needs.

I filled the jade bathtub with the water I gathered from Evenfall City. Afterwards, I took the last of my Purple Poison Pills and dumped them all into the bathtub. The moment the pills touched the water, it started to smoke and boil. It turned a noxious purple color and let out a foul stench. My skin itched just looking at it.

After that was done, I took my array flag set and used it to create a basic qi gathering formation. While there was plenty of fire qi in this chamber, I wanted to concentrate it all in and around the bathtub since that was where I would make my breakthrough.

The Earth Fire provided the fire qi and the Purple Poison Pills provided the demonic qi for my body. Now I just needed the divine qi for my dantian. I took out the dish made from Star Flame Fruit out of my storage ring. In its natural form, a Star Flame Fruit looked like a flaming star with reddish-yellow flesh. Cultivator Raphael’s cousin, the one who cooked this for me, had turned it into some kind of fruit salad covered in syrup made from spirit tea.

Without hesitation, I consumed the Star Flame Fruit salad, making sure not to miss a single morsel. As I ate, a gentle warmth filled me. Star qi. Once I finished eating, I took a deep breath to settle my mind before jumping into the Purple Poison Pill bath and laying down.

It was time to form my foundation and break through to the Foundation Establishment realm.