Nothing to It, Just Popping Pills
[You choose not to change.]
[Your cultivation also progressed smoothly this year, reaching the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.]
[It takes an average cultivator twenty years to progress from the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.]
[But you, it only took you five years.]
[During this time, you also spent a lot of time completing the two Pill Formulas and seizing control of the Greenwood Sect.]
[You are not an ordinary cultivator; you are a cultivator with even worse Spirit Roots.]
[This outcome is solely due to drug use.]
[At the top of the Hundred-Forged Medicine Body Formula, take two Qi-Gathering Pills daily.]
[If a normal cultivator practiced like this, their meridians would have become knotted, their brains would be filled with Pill Poison, or they would have exploded and died.]
You are different.
[Heavy Tomato User antivirus software.]
[Salty Fish's mentality.]
[Artisan Spirit pays off on the details.]
[Cost Reduction and Efficiency Improvement, and manage consumption.]
[You retrieve the Jade Slip left behind by the Wuming from your Storage Ring.]
[Your eleven-year promise with Wuming is almost up.]
You agreed to explore a secret realm together, and the entrance to that realm is in the Azure Yang Central Region.
[The secret realm contains the main ingredient for Yellow Fang Pill, Golden-Pattern Yellow Fang Ganoderma.]
[You are currently in the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, not far from the Foundation Establishment Perfection.]
[If one wishes to Core Formation, the Yellow Fang Pill, used for breaking through realms, is naturally indispensable.]
[Before leaving Greenwood Sect, you held a quarterly meeting.]
[Main Hall, the Deacons, stewards, and remaining elders from each hall had all arrived.]
[Qian Dafu stood at the very front of the row in the Alchemy Hall.]
[His aura has changed; he's now at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.]
[The year you joined the sect, he was already at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer.]
[In a place like Greenwood Sect, being able to Foundation Establishment within a decade or so is not considered slow.]
[Most people are stuck at the Qi Refining Perfection their entire lives.]
[Qian Dafu was able to overcome this hurdle thanks in no small part to your guidance and the resources you provided.]
[And you, too, need a Foundation Establishment confidant who can step into the limelight.]
[The various halls began reporting, but you remained seated, offering no instructions.]
[After the reports from each hall were finished, you said something casually,]
"I'm going into seclusion for a while."
[Everyone in the hall lowered their heads to listen.]
"The sect's old rules remain unchanged. Xu Qingshi will handle reports regarding matters concerning the Main Hall."
"Important matters should be communicated; minor matters should be decided independently."
[The managers exchanged glances; some looked at Qian Dafu, some at Xu Qingshi, but none looked at you, the Sect Master, in the main seat.]
[You've built up a formidable reputation over the years; no one dares to directly confront you anymore.]
You looked around.
[Bully at Home, effective.]
[Even a trace of Foundation Establishment Late Stage aura was released, causing all the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Main Hall to tense up, while the Qi Refining disciples trembled all over.]
[It was as if a Primordial Giant Beast was coiled above the Main Hall, pressing down on everyone, threatening to crush them into dust in an instant.]
[The aura was concealed very quickly, so quickly that they didn't have time to confirm it.]
But everyone knew that what they had just witnessed was not an illusion.
You gently wave your hand, signaling everyone to step back.
The group left with even more cautious steps than when they arrived.
[That night, you left your secluded cave abode.]
[You changed out of the Sect Master's robes, donned a grey, Rogue Cultivator's short robe, and quietly slipped out of the Greenwood Sect, boarding the Flying Boat.]
The Flying Boat skimmed low and headed towards the Azure Yang Central Region.
[After the Flying Boat entered the Azure Yang Central Region, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi noticeably increased.]
[This time the main focus was on the Golden-Pattern Yellow Fang Ganoderma; you didn't linger in crowded areas.]
[Following the Jade Slip's instructions, you went to a dangerous place deep within the Qingyang Domain.]
[Broken Sunset Valley.]
[This place is far from the major powers; the depths of the mountains are filled with remnants of Restrictions. Occasionally, cultivators fly by on their magical artifacts, but no one lingers for long.]
[You've arrived at the entrance to the secret realm, where a temporary market has already formed, filled with stalls.]
[Those selling talismans, medicine, and disposable magical Law Artifacts —they've all come.]
[A stall owner was patting a roll of animal hide; it turned out he was selling maps.]
"Detailed Map of the Yellow Fang Secret Realm, one set for one hundred Spirit Stones."
[An old Rogue Cultivator nearby scoffed.]
"The pictures you sold last time led me into a den of serpents."
The stall owner remained calm.
So this time it's been updated.
[You walk past the map stall and see a row of armored monks standing behind a wooden sign.]
The wooden sign reads: Secret Realm Bodyguard, charged by the day.
[You're a bit confused. If armored cultivators have this kind of strength, wouldn't it be better to just go into the secret realm and plunder resources themselves?]
[As you wondered what was happening, the head bodyguard immediately approached.]
"Fellow Daoist, Foundation Establishment Middle Stage?"
"Golden Core cultivators can't enter the secret realm, but Foundation Establishment Perfection run rampant."
"Hire me, two thousand Spirit Stones for seven days."
You glanced at him.
"What is your cultivation level?"
The head of the bodyguards proudly raised his head.
"Foundation Establishment Perfection."
"Then why don't you go in and grab the resources yourself?"
The bodyguard leader's smile froze for a moment, then he coughed lightly.
"Ahem, fighting over resources is too risky."
"Being a bodyguard provides a stable income."
[You fell silent, then continued walking, and there they were, insurance salespeople.]
[A female cultivator in a blue robe sat behind a long table, on which lay a jade contract.]
["Secret Realm Accident Insurance."]
["Exclusive to Foundation Establishment cultivators. Upon death, a designated family member can receive a certain amount of Spirit Stones."]
"The more you buy, the more you lose."
You stopped again.
[When the blue-robed female cultivator saw you, her smile immediately softened.]
[Friend of Women, in effect.]
She pushed a jade contract in front of you.
"Fellow Daoist, please buy one."
[You asked her, somewhat curiously.]
"If I die inside, how will you confirm it?"
[The blue-robed female cultivator spoke calmly.]
"Fellow Daoist, there's no need to worry. Before entering the secret realm, you only need to leave a drop of Blood Seal on your Blood Token. If you die, the Blood Token will naturally crack."
"Even if the body can't be found, will you still get compensation?"
"Of course we can compensate you."
"What if the corpse is eaten by Demon Beast? Will you compensate me then?"
["Pay."]
"What if you were killed by your own companion?"
The blue-robed female cultivator paused for a moment.
"That will cost extra."
You're completely numb.
Is this Blue Star, or the world of cultivation?
You've become somewhat withdrawn.
[You believe there's definitely something wrong with your time-travel technique.]
[You recall a phrase from your past life.]
During the gold Great Tide, the most profitable businesses were selling shovels and water.
[Options pop up.]
[A: Purchase Secret Realm Accident Insurance for unforeseen circumstances to preserve your dignity.]
[B: Don't buy; stay away from all financial traps.]
[C: Ask if it's possible to buy insurance for the enemy and then make oneself the beneficiary.]