Just as Li Yundong was lost in the Three Thousand Worlds, Zhou Qin, after a long trek, finally walked into Tibet.

Although Zhou Qin followed the route Li Yundong had taken westward, by the time she entered Tibet, her path had deviated. Li Yundong had set out from Tiannan City, eventually reaching the Bailonggou area in western Sichuan, entering Tibet from the Ganden Monastery. Zhou Qin, however, entered the Foundation Establishment zone from the Kasha District of Langkazi County in Shannan, Tibet.

Along the way, Zhou Qin’s shoes had developed two holes; the original walking shoes were worn thin at the front, and the soles were almost completely smooth. She was wearing a slightly faded, dark gray long-sleeved casual top over straight-leg trousers.

This young lady carried a bundle on her back. Despite the slight disarray of her attire, Zhou Qin possessed an innate cleanliness. More remarkably, her vitality was unbelievably vigorous. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was already draped in silver, yet she wore only single-layer clothes, but her delicate face was flushed with health, appearing radiant and exquisitely smooth—her natural splendor undimmed by the dust of travel.

In the depths of the Tibetan winter, Zhou Qin encountered few travelers. The local Tibetans she occasionally saw, slowly approaching in yak carts, were bundled tightly in padded cotton coats and trousers to withstand the severe cold.

These Tibetans stared at Zhou Qin in utter astonishment, seeing her in single layers, her slender figure looking as fragile as a winter plum blossom against the biting wind, seeming as if she could freeze solid at any moment.

When some kind-hearted locals took out warm cotton clothing, intending to offer it to Zhou Qin, they watched as this exceptionally beautiful and graceful woman calmly walked further away.

They watched her proceed into the extreme cold of the snowy plateau, heading toward Kari Holy Mountain, her speed almost inhuman. In stunned awe, they jumped down from their carts, watching her receding figure and murmuring in hushed reverence.

The hardships Zhou Qin endured on this journey were no less, if not greater, than those Li Yundong had faced. Her entire demeanor had undergone a profound transformation.

The former Zhou Qin projected an air of aloof reserve and proud self-possession, like a noble, haughty swan, unapproachable.

But the Zhou Qin who emerged from this long trek now possessed an inner essence tempered through a thousand refiners’ fires, coalescing like molten steel. When surging, it was as powerful and scorching as lava; when still, it was as unyielding as raw iron or hardened steel. A spirit of unbreakable resilience now marked her brow, like a peerless sword poised to be drawn, ready to sing at any moment!

Ruan Hongling and Ziyuan, who had been following Zhou Qin from a distance, now watched her moving onward. Though they hadn't observed her up close, they could sense the immense energy contained within her—energy now equal to Li Yundong's.

Since Zhou Qin had not yet established her Foundation, she couldn't conceal or regulate her power. Consequently, wherever she walked, a dense layer of clouds gathered above her head, within which seemed to reside a pair of imposing eyes, fixed intently on her every move.

Ruan Hongling watched Zhou Qin’s figure and couldn't help but exclaim, “I truly never imagined she would persevere through all of this! It’s incredible! I saw her secretly shedding tears a few times at night; I thought she would give up then, but she kept going the next day. For a young lady from such a wealthy family, this is truly rare and magnificent.”

Ziyuan smiled knowingly. “Indeed. The fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold, and the sharpness of a sword is honed by grinding. This sword is nearly ready to emerge!”

Ruan Hongling looked at Zhou Qin with unconcealed envy. “I truly envy her: a perfect tripod vessel, excellent fortune, a superb master, good luck, and a strong will. She was born to be a cultivator!”

Ziyuan, however, shook her head slightly and said gravely to Ruan Hongling, “No, Hongling, no one is born a cultivator. If Zhou Qin hadn't possessed this endurance, she never could have maintained her path toward Foundation Establishment. Even you haven’t experienced the hardship of walking two thousand kilometers, running all the way to Tibet.”

Ruan Hongling snorted, slightly unconvinced. “If I had a Primordial Gold Elixir, I could do it too!”

Ziyuan shot Ruan Hongling a sharp look, about to scold her, when she suddenly saw Ruan Hongling’s eyes widen. Pointing toward Zhou Qin in the distance, she stammered, “Look! What’s happening to her?”

Ziyuan followed her pointing finger and saw Zhou Qin standing motionless in the vast expanse of the snowfield, like a statue. After a long while, her body shifted slightly, and she seemed to force herself into a cross-legged position, immediately becoming utterly still, as if entering deep meditation.

Ruan Hongling whispered in surprise, “Could she be attempting Foundation Establishment right now?”

Ziyuan’s brow furrowed. She bit her lip lightly and said grimly, “Damn it. Zhou Qin is a Profound Yin Virgin Vessel, possessing both Profound Yin Qi and Primal Yang Qi, and she has the body capable of Gold Elixir reshaping—truly the most perfect conditions for cultivation. But she simply doesn't know how to control her energy. Right now, her internal energies are likely boiling and surging uncontrollably, forcing her to begin Foundation Establishment right here!”

Ruan Hongling gave a wry smile. “You’ve got to be kidding. After all that effort to reach the foot of this holy mountain, she’s starting now? Isn’t that like a heavily pregnant woman whose water breaks just as she’s about to reach the hospital?”

Ziyuan couldn't help but smile bitterly at the analogy. “Your comparison, though a bit crude, is quite apt. For us cultivators, establishing a Foundation is indeed like giving birth—ordinary people give birth to children; we give birth to an Inner Elixir in our Dantian. And you never know when that Inner Elixir might suddenly erupt.”

Ruan Hongling asked Ziyuan, “So, what now? Zhou Qin is establishing her Foundation on this desolate plateau—that’s not ideal. What if someone startles her at this critical moment?”

Ziyuan sighed helplessly. “We can only protect her from malevolent attacks along the way, but we cannot interfere with her actual cultivation, even if she fails to establish her Foundation. If she realized someone was protecting her during the process, she would subconsciously develop reliance. Once a cultivator develops this kind of dependence, they are ruined; they can forget about achieving Foundation Establishment in this lifetime.”

Ruan Hongling exclaimed, “So we just watch her build her Foundation here?”

Ziyuan sighed. “There’s nothing we can do. This is her fate; we watch to see if she succeeds. Even if she fails, she can always attempt Foundation Establishment again.”

The two watched Zhou Qin with deep concern. Although their relationship with her wasn't particularly intimate, having witnessed her arduous journey, neither wished for her to suffer failure at this final juncture.

Zhou Qin also felt a surge of helplessness. She had intended to climb to the middle slopes of this snow-capped mountain to establish her Foundation, just like Li Yundong. But she hadn't anticipated that as soon as she ascended the vast, snowy plateau, her chest would expand, and the energy within her seemed to be pulled by the energy of heaven and earth, surging uncontrollably.

At first, Zhou Qin paid little mind, but the further she ran, the more intense her internal energies became. Finally, Zhou Qin distinctly felt her energy swirling like a massive vortex, rushing madly toward her lower Dantian in her abdomen.

It was as if a whirlpool had opened there, with the center being the very spot where the Inner Elixir was about to form!

Although the environment was poor, Zhou Qin dared not force herself any longer, knowing that if she held back, her meridians might explode. Without hesitation, she immediately sat down cross-legged, sinking into profound meditation.

Just as Zhou Qin entered her trance, snow suddenly began to fall. The snow of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was as large as goose feathers, and in moments, Zhou Qin’s entire body appeared to be draped in a thick white felt blanket.

However, the circulating energy within Zhou Qin caused a surge: a stream of icy Profound Yin Qi flowed down from her left kidney toward the lower Dantian, while a stream of scorching Primal Yang Qi rushed up from her right kidney toward the same center. These two forces collided, vibrating and rubbing against each other, generating a blaze of fierce energy. Gradually, Zhou Qin could feel this energy growing stronger and hotter, like an invisible fireball spinning rapidly in her lower abdomen.

This heat vaporized upward, rapidly melting the snow covering her body. But as the melted snow ran down her form, new snowflakes instantly covered the area. This cycle of melting and accumulating repeated until a thin layer of ice formed over Zhou Qin, making her resemble a sculpture encased in ice armor.

Ziyuan and Ruan Hongling watched from a distance, growing anxious. Ziyuan frowned. “This is bad. Zhou Qin should have found a place sheltered from the snow! Her true fire within is too intense, constantly melting the snow, allowing the cold energy to seep into her body through her pores. Even if she succeeds in establishing her Foundation, she will retain dampness and cold, which will be detrimental to her future cultivation. This approach is more loss than gain!”

Ruan Hongling also worried, “Sister Ziyuan, should we interrupt her Foundation Establishment? Even if she fails this time, better than leaving a chronic illness!”

“No! It is better for her to carry a physical ailment than to develop a dependency!” Ziyuan gritted her teeth and commanded sharply, “External sicknesses are treatable; heart sickness is hard to cure!”

Ruan Hongling looked at Zhou Qin and sighed wryly, “This girl. I thought she was always blessed with good fortune, but now this hitch at the crucial moment! Sigh!”

As she was musing, she suddenly heard a melodious and pleasing song rising from the vast, white snowfield.

“It is best never to have met, so there is no need for love.”

“Secondly, it is best never to have known each other, so there is no need for yearning.”

“Thirdly, it is best never to accompany one another, so there is no need for debt.”

“Fourthly, it is best never to cherish one another, so there is no need for memory.”

“Fifthly, it is best never to have loved, so there is no need for abandonment.”

The song was sung by a woman. Her voice was clear as a silver bell, as pleasant as the gentle stream at the foot of the Tanggula Mountains. Moreover, the song was infused with a deep sense of longing and the bitter pain of separation, so mournful and poignant that it stirred the listeners’ hearts and brought emotion to their faces.

Ziyuan and Ruan Hongling were unprepared for such a moving melody emerging from the desolate, snowy plains of the plateau. A delicate string within both their hearts seemed to be gently plucked, leaving them momentarily spellbound.

Ziyuan, in particular, suddenly saw Li Yundong’s figure flash in her mind, causing her heart to tremble softly.

For a moment, the world was utterly silent, save for this beautiful sound carried through the howling snowstorm. The song seemed to represent the purest, most beautiful essence of heaven and earth—something even the merciless wind and snow could not block.

The two young women simultaneously gazed into the vast, swirling snow, trying to discern who was singing such a sorrowful and moving tune, who was plucking the very strings of their own affections.