Refining the Foundation Establishment Pill!

Li Qingshan's heart leaped in surprise. He hadn't expected that in his momentary exhilaration while refining the residual medicinal power of the pills in his body, he had inadvertently leaked a trace of his aura. He quickly bowed, his face displaying a perfectly calibrated mix of excitement and apprehension. "Reporting to Master, disciple... disciple recently felt his bottleneck loosen, and just now, by chance... by chance, I broke through to the seventh level of Qi Condensation."

He revealed his cultivation to be at the seventh level of Qi Condensation.

"Seventh level of Qi Condensation?"

Master Yan Ming's gaze was like lightning as he scrutinized Li Qingshan, as if trying to see through him.

At the age of one hundred, breaking through from the sixth to the seventh level of Qi Condensation within a year?

Even with a Heavenly Spirit Root, this speed was astonishing!

Had he hidden his cultivation before? Or was it truly his alchemy talent, with his focused mind driving his cultivation forward?

Master Yan ultimately asked no further questions, merely letting out a cold snort. "Hmph, it seems you're still somewhat useful, not a complete waste of my breath. Since you've broken through, from now on, try assisting with fire control and learn from the beginning!"

"Yes! Thank you, Master!"

Li Qingshan responded respectfully, a sigh of relief escaping him.

The seventh level of Qi Condensation, while still remarkable, was far easier to explain than the ninth level or even the Great Perfection.

As Li Qingshan gradually began to engage in actual fire control, secretly using his powerful divine sense and Longevity Mana to mend the flaw of "crude spiritual energy control," a piece of news quietly spread among the higher echelons of the Alchemy Hall, eventually reaching Li Qingshan's ears.

Master Yan Ming was preparing to open his furnace and refine a Foundation Establishment Pill!

It wasn't for himself, but for a core true disciple of the sect.

The news sent shockwaves through the entire Alchemy Hall!

Although the Foundation Establishment Pill was only a second-tier low-grade spirit pill, its refining difficulty was extremely high, even surpassing that of second-tier high-grade spirit pills. The failure rate was astonishing, and the required materials were incredibly precious!

Within the entire Alchemy Hall, the number of alchemists capable of refining a Foundation Establishment Pill could be counted on fewer than ten fingers.

When Li Qingshan heard this news, the hand controlling the fire trembled slightly, and the flames in the furnace nearly went out of control!

He forcefully suppressed the surging tide in his heart, his eyes blazing with an unprecedented brilliance!

Foundation Establishment Pill!

The opportunity to establish his foundation, which he had dreamed of, finally showed a glimmer of hope!

When Master Yan refined pills, wouldn't there be failures? Even with Master Yan's superb skills, being able to produce one or two pills would be fortunate. What about the ones that were ruined... wouldn't they be...

Li Qingshan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. His gaze returned to the leaping furnace flames, but his eyes became deeper and more resolute.

Several days later, the atmosphere in Alchemy Room No. C-7 was completely different.

Where previously there was only the handling of medicinal ingredients and basic practice, now a heavy and fervent energy permeated the air.

In the center of the alchemy room, the Earth-Fire Bronze Cauldron, rarely used and inscribed with complex formations, had been fully activated. The earth-fire burned fiercely, turning the cauldron body a faint red and radiating intense heat.

Master Yan Ming's expression was solemn. His gray hair was meticulously tied back, and his cloudy eyes now gleamed with sharp light as he intently watched the changes in the alchemy cauldron.

Li Qingshan stood respectfully to the side, not daring to breathe too loudly. He knew the most crucial moment had arrived.

"Watch closely, boy!"

Master Yan Ming's voice was low and serious, uncharacteristically devoid of reprimand, carrying instead a tone of instruction. "The Foundation Establishment Pill is a spirit pill that seizes the fortune of heaven and earth, aiding cultivators in defying fate and establishing their Dao foundation! Its difficulty lies in three points!"

As he carefully placed a peculiar flower emitting a purple halo and possessing nine crystalline leaves into the alchemy cauldron, he explained, "First, the main ingredients are difficult to find! The three main ingredients: a nine-hundred-year-old Purple Sun Nine-Leaf Flower, the seeds of the Earth-Core Fire Lotus, and the essence refined from Millennial Stone Milk!

Each one is incredibly precious, especially this Purple Sun Nine-Leaf Flower, which is nearly extinct. It only appears occasionally in ancient ruins or perilous places, and each one used is one less!"

Li Qingshan held his breath, his spirit focused, watching the legendary spirit herb melt in the cauldron, releasing a vast and pure energy. He was deeply shocked.

"Second, the medicinal properties are fierce, and their fusion is extremely difficult!"

Master Yan's hands moved like lightning, continuously casting control-fire incantations and fusion imprints. The various medicinal liquids within the cauldron churned and collided, sometimes merging, sometimes repelling, erupting with astonishing energy fluctuations that caused the entire alchemy cauldron to tremble slightly.

"The three main ingredients have different attributes, with yin and yang clashing. It requires extremely strong divine sense and precise spiritual energy control to find the balance point amidst constant change, allowing them to fuse perfectly! A slight misstep will result in the medicinal properties clashing, causing the furnace to explode and the pill to be ruined!"

Beads of sweat had appeared on Master Yan's forehead, clearly indicating the immense mental strain.

Li Qingshan's powerful divine sense could faintly perceive the thrilling energy struggle within the cauldron, filling him with awe for Master Yan's alchemy mastery.

"Third, at the moment of pill formation, a pill tribulation is internally generated!" Master Yan's voice grew even more solemn. "The Foundation Establishment Pill defies the heavens. Upon formation, it will spontaneously trigger a trace of an internal pill tribulation, requiring special techniques to protect it and help stabilize its form and lock in its spiritual essence! This step has the highest failure rate!"

At this moment, the cauldron erupted in brilliant light, and the medicinal fragrance suddenly became intensely rich.

However, a violent buzzing and energy surge also emanated from within!

Master Yan's expression changed. His hands moved rapidly, striking the cauldron with several streams of spiritual light, attempting to forcibly stabilize it.

Boom!

A muffled sound came from within the cauldron. The light suddenly dimmed by more than half, and a burnt smell mixed with medicinal fragrance wafted out.

Master Yan's face darkened. He opened the cauldron lid and saw three scorched, twisted, and spiritless ruined pills lying at the bottom, along with one low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill with a dim color and blurred pill patterns, and a small pile of ashes.

The first furnace yielded one pill, with three ruined!

"Hmph! I'm getting old! My divine sense is ultimately not as sharp as it was in my youth!"

Master Yan snorted coldly, appearing extremely displeased, but there was not much surprise in his eyes, clearly having been mentally prepared for this.

He carefully put away the low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, not even bothering to glance at the three failed pills, and was about to sweep them into the waste chute.

The waste chute would have the failed pills directly refined into ashes by the earth fire.

"Master!"

Li Qingshan quickly stepped forward and respectfully said, "These failed pills... may I... may I keep them?"

Master Yan Ming paused, his sharp gaze sweeping over him: "What use do you have for these failed pills? Their medicinal properties clash, their spiritual energy is violent, they are already useless, even harmful."

A look of embarrassment and longing appeared on Li Qingshan's face, and he said in a low voice, "Disciple... disciple wants to keep them for observation and study, to see where mistakes are easily made during Master's pill refining process, to take it as a warning... perhaps, perhaps I can also feel a trace of the residual Dao rhythm of the Foundation Establishment Pill from them, which might bring a tiny benefit to my cultivation..."

The reason he gave sounded both studious and like a somewhat pitiful delusion.

Master Yan Ming stared at him for a few seconds, seeming to see through his little scheme but too lazy to expose it. He finally waved his hand impatiently, "As you wish! They're just a pile of trash, don't leave them in the pill room to be an eyesore!"

"Thank you, Master!"

Li Qingshan suppressed his excitement and carefully placed the three still-warm failed pills into a jade box he had prepared.