Li Yundong continued his trek toward the Himalayas alone after parting ways with Qiangbaduora and Meiduo. He jogged for less than half an hour when he suddenly heard the blare of a car horn behind him.

He turned to see two foreigners driving up in a vehicle, cameras in hand, shouting greetings as they sped toward him.

Li Yundong smiled and waved back. Liu Xia, the Chinese female guide driving, called out, "Want a lift?"

Li Yundong shook his head. "No need."

Liu Xia was taken aback by the refusal; her face immediately fell. She scoffed inwardly, "What’s the big deal? He’s just a bit stronger and knows a few strange tricks. A 'godly man'? I think he's more like a charlatan! Why the pretense?"

Truthfully, Liu Xia was intensely curious about Li Yundong, with his mysterious background and seemingly magical powers. She had wanted to approach him for a talk, but Meiduo had been clinging to him like a prized possession these past few days, allowing no one near. Any attempt by Liu Xia to get close was met with hostile stares from the surrounding Tibetans.

Finally catching a break when Li Yundong and his party separated, Liu Xia eagerly sped after him, only to have her good intentions rebuffed. Frustrated, she slammed the accelerator, and the Jeep roared away into the distance.

Driving, Liu Xia glanced back with a measure of satisfaction at the receding figure of Li Yundong in her rearview mirror, muttering, "See how far you get without my help!"

After putting a significant distance between them, she gradually slowed down, maintaining a steady pace ahead of him, ensuring she could still see him in the mirror.

At first, Liu Xia didn't pay much attention, but after driving for over twenty kilometers, she noticed with disbelief that Li Yundong was still trailing them; he hadn't fallen behind at all.

"No way?" Liu Xia widened her eyes and looked back.

The two foreigners noticed too, turning their cameras on Li Yundong, snapping pictures nonstop while exclaiming in awe, "Good heavens, the guy has been running behind us for over twenty kilometers, and he doesn't seem tired?"

Liu Xia snorted internally and pressed harder on the gas, gradually increasing the distance until Li Yundong vanished from sight. Only then did she ease up on the speed.

It wasn't until noon, when they stopped by the roadside for lunch, that they spotted a tiny black speck appearing on the horizon, growing larger as it rapidly approached.

The two foreigners cried out instantly, "Am I seeing things? He’s been running this whole time without a rest?"

Liu Xia, halfway through chewing a piece of dry ration while taking a drink, suddenly choked, coughing violently while clutching her chest. She stared wide-eyed as Li Yundong zipped past them with astonishing speed.

His legs pumped the ground like pistons of forged iron, making them feel as if the figure passing was not a mere mortal, but the infinitely powerful giant of myth, Antaeus.

After Li Yundong swept past them like a gust of wind, the two foreigners and Liu Xia exchanged glances, then simultaneously shoved the remaining dry rations into their mouths before scrambling back into the car.

What kind of joke was this? A car couldn't outrun a man! Was there any justice left in the world?

As if in a stubborn race, they drove furiously ahead, soon catching up to Li Yundong. But after driving for a while, when night fell and it was time to rest, Li Yundong reappeared beside them like a phantom, terrifying the two foreigners into gasping, "This is impossible! Is this guy on performance enhancers?"

Liu Xia stared at Li Yundong as he passed them yet again, involuntarily murmuring, "Is he a robot? How can he show absolutely no fatigue?"

Little did they know that Li Yundong was now just a step away from the Foundation Establishment stage. The true qi within him was vast and mighty. Even when his foundation was less solid, he could run for days without tiring; how much more so now that his internal qi had been tempered a thousand times, condensed like steel?

Li Yundong continued his run. When tired, he found a spot shielded from the wind and rain, meditated briefly, and then resumed his journey, refreshed. When hungry, he chewed a few barley cakes; when thirsty, he would gulp down several large bottles of water from the high-altitude rivers, drinking his fill with deep satisfaction.

The water on the plateau was unlike that of the lowlands—clear, pure, and unpolluted. Each swallow made Li Yundong feel refreshed to the core, revitalizing his entire body.

After running like this for ten days, Li Yundong finally reached the foot of the Himalayas.

He looked up and felt awe at the magnificent, towering peaks that pierced the clouds, seemingly without end, as if their summits touched the Ninth Heaven.

Even before beginning the climb, a sense of dread filled Li Yundong: could a human truly ascend a mountain this high?

Although there were records of climbers conquering the world's highest peaks, those people had professional climbing gear. He was alone, unequipped. Could he really scale this mountain, thick with ice and snow?

But why had he traveled a thousand li if not to challenge this roof of the world, using the immense power of heaven and earth to help him establish his foundation?

Li Yundong stood at the base for a moment. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he reopened them, the fear was gone, replaced by fervor and excitement.

At the lower elevations, Li Yundong could still see the lush green vegetation at the mountain’s base. But as he climbed higher, the grass grew sparser, eventually giving way to only tenacious green moss clinging to the rocks. The green grasses and shrubs had completely vanished.

Li Yundong looked down from his vantage point. The earth below was a deep, rich green, as if draped in a velvet blanket. The rivers snaking across the grasslands looked like silver necklaces strung across the green fabric. Li Yundong estimated he had climbed perhaps one or two thousand meters.

Climbing further, frost began to appear on the ground, making the path treacherous and difficult. Lacking specialized climbing boots, Li Yundong had to concentrate all his attention on contending with the icy, complex terrain, taking each step as if walking on thin ice.

After ascending another two thousand meters, Li Yundong looked back again. He realized he was now in a silver world, enveloped entirely in ice and snow, the entire landscape draped in white. The ground beneath him seemed incredibly distant; the river that had looked like a silver necklace was now a thin, silvery thread, so small it could easily be missed if one didn't look carefully.

Li Yundong looked up. The summit still seemed impossibly high. He didn't know which specific peak he was on; all he knew was that he had to ascend, to keep climbing upward!

Even though the mountain was lashed by ferocious winds, sharp as blades, Li Yundong, clad only in a thin, single layer of clothing, struggled upward in the freezing desolation. Every step seemed to demand tremendous effort, causing his body to sway slightly.

Yet, despite the apparent hardship of his climb, Li Yundong showed no sign of hesitation or retreat. In his view, wasn't life itself a process of climbing a treacherous peak?

Some people feared such difficulty and remained at the foot of the mountain, enjoying comfort, but in doing so, they missed the opportunity to witness boundless vistas.

The higher Li Yundong climbed, the more mournful and powerful the icy wind became, forcing him to expend significant amounts of true qi and primal essence to resist the severe cold dipping below minus ten degrees Celsius.

Some people are naturally blessed with vigorous yang energy, allowing them to wear less in winter, as their strong vital blood can ward off the chill. Others, however, are extremely sensitive to the cold, bundling up tightly as winter approaches because their internal yang is insufficient, and their vital blood cannot guard against the cold.

Often, even in autumn or winter, many people on the streets wear backless tops, crop tops, or short skirts—but these are overwhelmingly young individuals, because they are young, possessing abundant yang and strong vital blood.

However, few people over thirty dress that way, as their bodies have begun an undeniable decline, lacking sufficient yang and robust vital blood.

Li Yundong’s body had been reshaped by the Primal Golden Elixir, and his internal organs had been continuously tempered and strengthened; his vital blood was unbelievably robust. Thus, despite wearing only a single layer, he was not shivering in the sub-zero cold.

On the contrary, a faint layer of white vapor rose from him—the heat escaping his body as his vital blood churned within.

Li Yundong ascended another two thousand meters along the mountain ridge. Looking down now, the nearby landscape had completely vanished from view.

In a single sweeping glance, Li Yundong could only see a sea of clouds swirling around the mountain range, making him feel as if he had ascended into fairyland.

Li Yundong lifted his gaze and looked far into the distance. He saw the vast earth where mountain ranges undulated endlessly, their peaks snow-capped and white above, the lower slopes lush and green—two worlds clearly delineated by color and layer.

Li Yundong felt entirely integrated with this immense expanse of heaven and earth; he felt as if he could touch the sky with an outstretched hand and grasp the earth completely in his other!

"No wonder the Great Man once said: Boundless scenery lies on dangerous peaks! If one doesn't ascend such heights, how can they know the magical, magnificent sights this world holds, or the lofty spirit they inspire?" Li Yundong reflected inwardly, feeling an immensely powerful force surge within him, making him feel as if he were the sole sovereign between heaven and earth!

"Ziyuan was right to send me to a place like this for my Foundation Establishment!" Li Yundong felt his chest surge with blood and energy, an irresistible urge rising within him to let out a great roar.

As soon as the thought to shout arose, Li Yundong felt the five energies within his organs stirring restlessly. The true qi accumulated in his three Dantians churned and boiled, like a floodgate about to burst.

Li Yundong knew this was the precursor to establishing his foundation. Although he hadn't reached the very summit, he vividly remembered what Ziyuan had told him: "You don't necessarily have to reach the very top; as soon as your internal qi reacts, you can begin the Foundation Establishment."

Li Yundong looked left and right, knowing that during the Foundation Establishment, he absolutely could not be disturbed. He thought to himself, Surely no one would venture to a place like this?

After a moment of thought, Li Yundong dug out a small hollow with his hands, nestled against the mountain, the opening recessed enough to conceal him. He sat down cross-legged inside.

The moment Li Yundong entered his meditative stillness, the true qi within him exploded with a deafening roar, like a dam breaking open or an avalanche—it surged out uncontrollably.