Years Dao Method, First Taste of Foundation Establishment

After taking the Foundation Establishment Pill, Wei Zhong left Bright Moon Market and continued onward, heading away from the Azurewood Sect.

Not far behind him, three figures emerged, all wearing black hooded robes, concealing their faces.

"Why is that Spirit Farmer heading outside the Azurewood Sect's territory?"

"Isn't that for the best? Away from this Bright Moon Market, it'll be easier for us to make our move, won't it?"

Only the last person frowned slightly, a hint of hesitation suddenly arising in their heart.

"Brother Liu, is it true that he has two Foundation Establishment Pills on him?"

"Of course, Qi Yun keeping the fact that he refined two pills at once is quite secretive. Probably not many in the Pill Hall even know about it. I only found out by chance, which is why I invited you two to help."

Upon hearing this, the two showed even greater joy, and one of them spoke up first:

"I won't take any other items from Chu Zhong on this trip, I only want one Foundation Establishment Pill."

The other person chimed in:

"Then the other Foundation Establishment Pill is mine."

After saying this, the two simultaneously looked at Liu Di, who sneered inwardly, casting aside the trace of hesitation he had just felt.

"That won't do. Who knows how many Spirit Stones Chu Zhong has left after entrusting someone to refine pills? If you two want to split it like that, one of you will have to compensate me with one thousand Spirit Stones."

The two across from him exchanged a glance, and one of them said:

"One thousand is too much, how about five hundred? The two of us will jointly compensate Brother Liu with one thousand."

Liu Di shook his head:

"No, one thousand is too little, it has to be at least one thousand five hundred Spirit Stones. You two decide quickly, that Chu Zhong is getting further and further away."

"In that case, we'll do as Brother Liu says."

As soon as these words were spoken, Liu Di was overjoyed.

Foundation Establishment Pills are hard to come by for rogue cultivators, but for an Azurewood Sect Inner Sect Disciple, especially one from the Pill Hall like Liu Di, it wasn't so difficult.

In recent years, the output of the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range has significantly alleviated the shortage of Foundation Establishment Pills within the Azurewood Sect, even more so than when they relied solely on the Qingchuan Secret Realm.

After finishing their discussion, the three immediately stepped on their Flying Swords and headed in the direction Wei Zhong had left.

As he went further and further away, Wei Zhong, seeing that the three had finally caught up, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had thought that his headless-chicken-like escape had made the three suspicious.

Good thing they followed.

Wei Zhong chose a direction where people rarely went and sped up.

"Not good, he's discovered us."

"Chase!"

Wei Zhong fled further and further into the remote mountains and forests. The three behind him pursued relentlessly, suddenly catching sight of Wei Zhong turning towards a large rock on a mountain and disappearing in an instant.

"Gone? Could it be an array?"

The three stopped in front of the large rock, looking at each other.

Liu Di watched as one of them extended his arm towards the rock, only for it to pass straight through.

"Concealment Array. That person is inside. After him!"

Without waiting for the other two to speak, he plunged into it and disappeared.

The two exchanged a glance before stepping into the rock as well.

A moment of disorientation, and they saw the cultivator who had entered first wearing an expression of wild joy.

"This is, a Third-Order Spirit Land?"

The two who entered later felt the rich spiritual energy here and immediately fell into the same ecstasy as him.

Liu Di's surprise lasted only a moment before he realized, how could such a spirit land be concealed with a crude Concealment Array?

Unless it was intentional.

At this thought, a chill ran up his spine, and Liu Di could no longer suppress the fear in his heart. He urged the Magic Sword under his feet, ready to turn around and flee in the direction he had come from.

But after turning around, there was no path back, only a field of golden Spirit Fields.

Just then, Wei Zhong's strange laughter rang out.

"Heh heh, now that you've entered this old man's Grotto-heaven, do you think you can leave so easily?"

After saying this, Wei Zhong's aura suddenly changed.

[Years Dao Method]

Wei Zhong instantly broke through from Qi Refining ninth layer to Foundation Establishment, and then continued to rise unstoppably to Foundation Establishment third layer, only a step away from the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

"Grotto-heaven? No, Senior, spare us! We two didn't mean to offend you. It was him, he incited us to steal your Foundation Establishment Pill."

Feeling the Foundation Establishment aura on Wei Zhong, one of them looked terrified, unable to speak smoothly, and pushed all the blame onto Liu Di.

"Oh?"

Wei Zhong was not in a hurry to act, but watched this scene with interest.

Seeing that the rogue cultivator he had invited had sold him out in the blink of an eye, Liu Di's face turned ashen.

He looked at Wei Zhong and directly withdrew his Magic Sword, kneeling down.

"Senior, spare me! I am Liu Di, an Inner Sect Disciple of the Azurewood Sect, a First-Order Pill Master. I am willing to serve you from now on, please spare my life."

As an Inner Sect Disciple of the Azurewood Sect who often came into contact with those Foundation Establishment cultivators, Liu Di clearly understood that there was an insurmountable gap between Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining. Therefore, seeing that escape was impossible, he directly knelt down and begged for mercy.

In his heart, he also cursed Wei Zhong. As a Foundation Establishment, why did he have to pretend to be a Qi Refining cultivator and ostentatiously refine Foundation Establishment Pills? Would anyone in this Bright Moon Market dare to steal pills from a Foundation Establishment cultivator?

"A First-Order Pill Master? Unfortunately, First-Order pills are probably useless to me. The three of you know the secret of this Daoist's Grotto-heaven, so you should just die."

"Senior, I guarantee that within ten years, no, five years, I will become a Second-Order Pill Master and will definitely be of use to you."

Wei Zhong ignored him, and the surging spiritual power in his body formed a spiritual energy arm that grabbed towards the three of them.

The other two, seeing that the situation couldn't be resolved peacefully, also hardened their expressions and took out their personal Magical Artifacts.

After all, they were Robber Cultivators who licked blood from their blades year-round, possessing more ruthlessness than Liu Di.

One of them made a hand seal, and immediately a simple, small sword flew out from the scabbard behind him, covered in rust, as if stained with some filthy substance.

The other slapped a jade talisman on himself, and instantly a bright light flashed, enveloping him in a thin layer of golden light.

Then, he took out a stone halberd, a rare sight for a close-combat Dharma cultivator.

"Brother Liu begs for mercy, why not join us in resisting?"

These words seemed to move Liu Di, who wore a miserable expression as he took out a blood-red pill and stuffed it into his mouth.

Under the stimulation of the medicinal power, Liu Di's face became twisted, blood flowing from his eyes and ears, and the spiritual pressure emanating from his body blew away his tied-up hair.

At this moment, Liu Di actually had a hint of the power that only Foundation Establishment cultivators possessed, truly Half-Step Foundation Establishment.

The expressions of the two beside him solidified, then turned to joy, as if Liu Di's change had given them more confidence in fighting Wei Zhong.

Liu Di, however, looked miserable, with sorrow in his eyes. He was finished. Taking this pill stimulated his potential while damaging his foundation, making it impossible for him to advance to Foundation Establishment.

Wei Zhong watched the three of them display their respective methods, the joy on his smiling face growing even more.

As expected, none of these Qi Refining ninth layer cultivators were easy to deal with. The lack of Foundation Establishment Pills over the years had led them to find various strange ways to improve themselves.

That strange Flying Sword was one such method, and so was the Golden Body Cultivator wielding the halberd.

Especially Liu Di, truly worthy of being an Azurewood Sect cultivator, actually having a pill that forcibly raised his cultivation by half a realm. Ordinary Qi Refining cultivators would really capsize if they encountered him.

Good strength, just right for me to familiarize myself with this Foundation Establishment power.

Wei Zhong only used his own spiritual power to condense a large hand of spiritual power, without using any Dharma spells.

The spiritual power produced by cultivating the Spring Autumn Water Refining Art was already far stronger than ordinary cultivation methods, and it also carried a sense of solidity.

Especially in the current Foundation Establishment realm that Wei Zhong was in, the solidity of the spiritual power had reached a new level, and even the spiritual power in his body had a trace of black.

To outsiders, it looked as if it were mixed with ink, revealing an unstoppable aura.

Let's see if you three can withstand this move of mine.

"Alas, not..."

An astonished look instantly appeared on Wei Zhong's face.

"Liu Di, have you gone mad?"

The cultivator wielding the halberd was clutching a gash on his chest, roaring angrily at Liu Di.

Liu Di slowly withdrew his hand from the other man's chest, and at the same time, he took out the Magic Sword stuck in his neck.

"As expected, body refiners are hard to kill."

Casually flicking the blood off his fist and the Magic Sword, Liu Di glanced in Wei Zhong's direction, then, not bothering with idle chatter, charged towards the rogue cultivator.

The cultivator behind him made a whimpering sound, but the blood flowing continuously from his neck indicated that his death was not far off.

His figure instantly fell from the sky, and the strange, decaying Flying Sword fell with him.

Wei Zhong watched as Liu Di swiftly dispatched the other two cultivators with a few strikes, then gathered the spoils of war. He approached Wei Zhong, holding up three Storage Bags in his hand, and knelt before him.

His forehead touched the ground as he said,

"The two thieves have been killed by this lowly one. Please, Master, spare my dog's life!"