Top-Grade Foundation Establishment Pills!

After a day of rest, Master Yan began refining the second batch.

With the experience of the first attempt behind him, Master Yan's movements grew steadier and more practiced.

Li Qingshan watched with rapt attention from beginning to end, not daring to miss a single detail. His powerful divine sense silently recorded every movement Master Yan made and every fluctuation of spiritual power, constantly running through them in his sea of consciousness.

This time, the process went much more smoothly.

Three pills were successfully formed. Though they were still low-grade, their color and pill patterns were noticeably better.

There were as many as six ruined pills.

Li Qingshan shamelessly asked for them again. Master Yan merely glanced at him and snorted, which counted as consent.

By the third batch, Master Yan seemed to have reached the peak of his form. His movements flowed like water, and his grasp of the heat and the blending of medicinal properties was precise to the finest detail.

In the end, six pills were successfully formed, with four ruined pills!

One of them even bore two pill patterns, making it a mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. Master Yan was immensely pleased with himself.

Li Qingshan once again got his wish and put away all the ruined pills.

After more than ten days of high-pressure refinement, Master Yan looked exhausted. Still, as he gazed at the jade bottle holding ten low-grade Foundation Establishment Pills in all, he nodded in satisfaction. "One mid-grade and nine low-grade. I've done right by the trust placed in me."

He looked at Li Qingshan, who stood respectfully beside him, and his tone softened a little—a rare thing. "You old fellow, you really do have a decent comprehension. After watching me refine these three batches, how much did you understand?"

Li Qingshan answered respectfully, "Master, your skill is profound and mysterious. This disciple is dull and could only grasp the surface. I'm deeply aware of the vastness of the Pill Dao and my own insignificance."

"Hmph. At least you know your place."

Master Yan snorted, but a trace of unnoticeable approval flickered in his eyes. "If you could grasp even the surface, then your year here wasn't wasted. Get things in order. There's nothing for you to do here now."

"Yes, Master."

Li Qingshan bowed and withdrew, carrying a jade box containing thirteen ruined Foundation Establishment Pills. His heart pounded wildly.

Back in his little hut, he activated the restrictions without hesitation.

Li Qingshan eagerly took out all the ruined pills.

Most of them were misshapen and dull in color, some even charred black. Their spiritual energy was chaotic and mixed, and they gave off an unstable aura.

But in Li Qingshan's eyes, they were priceless treasures!

"Thirteen... That's plenty!" His eyes burned with excitement as he carefully placed them into the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd in batches.

Next came the moment when he would wait for a miracle.

The next day, he would reap thirteen top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills!

At the same time, a more pressing problem surfaced.

"Even with top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills, where should I establish my foundation?" Li Qingshan fell into deep thought.

Establishing his foundation within the sect? The commotion would be enormous! The strange phenomenon caused by the Longevity Art's Foundation Establishment would probably be impossible to conceal completely. How would he explain an odd-job disciple in his hundredth year suddenly establishing his foundation?

It would surely invite enormous trouble!

He had to leave the sect and find a place that was absolutely safe and secluded!

"The mountains near the sect... No, the patrolling disciples could easily find me. A remote place... But powerful demonic beasts might be lurking there..." Li Qingshan knitted his brows, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.

"Perhaps... I could go to that place?"

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind. Back when he had been brought from Peach Blossom Village to the Spring Autumn Sect, the spirit boat had passed over a stretch of desolate mountains where the spiritual energy was unusually chaotic and violent. They said it was the site of an ancient battlefield. Space there was unstable, and strange occurrences were common. Ordinary cultivators didn't dare venture deep into it.

"The spiritual energy there is chaotic, so it'll be perfect for masking the Foundation Establishment phenomenon! And hardly anyone goes there. It's an ideal place for seclusion!"

With the location settled, the next problem soon followed.

"What about after I establish my foundation? My cultivation will surge. How can I conceal it?" The Turtle Breath Technique was marvelous, but whether it could perfectly hide the fluctuations of Foundation Establishment Realm spiritual power was still unknown.

"I have to find a stronger concealment method, or... a magical treasure that can hide my aura!" Li Qingshan's gaze flickered as his thoughts raced.

"Outer sect disciples are entitled to choose three spells from the Scripture Pavilion. I can go there first and take a look! Also, there should be plenty of good things in the sect's marketplace. I can look around there too!"

Li Qingshan thought to himself.

The next day.

The Wish-Fulfilling Gourd was filled with the fragrance of pills.

The thirteen Foundation Establishment Pills were round and ancient-looking, like dazzling, flawless purple pearls. Each one bore four pill patterns.

Even though Li Qingshan had expected this, he was still shaken and overwhelmed with excitement when he saw them.

He quickly put all thirteen top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills into the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd, his heart pounding wildly.

Li Qingshan didn't let excitement cloud his judgment.

Establishing a foundation was no small matter. He had to prepare for every eventuality.

"First, I'll take a look at the Scripture Pavilion!"

Li Qingshan thought to himself. He hadn't let excitement cloud his judgment.

Establishing a foundation was no small matter. He had to prepare for every eventuality.

His first target was the sect's Scripture Pavilion.

As an outer sect disciple, he had the right to choose three Qi Refining spells for free.

There weren't many people on the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion, where jade slips filled the shelves like a vast sea.

Li Qingshan browsed as though at random, but his powerful divine sense swiftly swept over the descriptions on one jade slip after another.

The Fire Snake Technique, the Quicksand Trap, the Wind Control Technique... Most were common low- or mid-grade first-tier spells, nothing special.

He strolled over to a secluded corner. Most of the jade slips piled there were incomplete, incredibly difficult to cultivate, or simply ignored by everyone.

Just as he was about to give up and pick two practical spells at random, the corner of his eye caught a black jade slip, its old surface buried beneath a thick layer of dust.

Its description contained only a few words: "Lesser Heaven-Veiling Technique (incomplete), a fragment of an ancient concealment secret art. When cultivated to great mastery, it can conceal one's heavenly secrets, evade calamities, and hide one's cultivation without a trace. However, it is extremely difficult to cultivate, requires an exceptional talent for divine sense, and is incomplete. Choose with care!"

Conceal one's heavenly secrets! Hide one's cultivation without a trace!

Li Qingshan's heart gave a mighty leap!

Wasn't this precisely the art he had dreamed of finding?

It was far more powerful and mysterious than the Turtle Breath Technique!

He suppressed his excitement and picked up the jade slip without showing it. Then he casually chose an Entanglement Technique, a Wood-element restraint spell, and an Earth Escape Technique, a spell for escaping and saving his life, before walking over to register them with the attendant disciple on duty.

The attendant disciple lazily took the jade slips. When he saw the Lesser Heaven-Veiling Technique, he visibly froze, then looked up at Li Qingshan as if he were an idiot. "Senior brother, are you sure you want this? This thing's been here for hundreds of years. I've never seen anyone cultivate it successfully. You'd just be wasting one of your choices."

Li Qingshan put on a simple, slightly stubborn smile. "Sorry for the trouble, junior brother. The name just sounded impressive to this old man, so I thought I'd take it back and study it. Whether I can succeed or not, it'll give me something to do."

The attendant disciple pursed his lips. As he registered the slips, he lowered his voice. "Hey, you look old, so I'll tell you something interesting about this jade slip. They say this fragment was dug out of some ancient ruins hundreds of years ago. It caused quite a stir at the time, but no one could cultivate it, so it was tossed in here.

"Some people suspect that this might be a tiny fragment of the true Heaven-Veiling Secret Technique, an unparalleled art rumored to be capable of deceiving the Heavenly Dao's perception! What a pity, though. It's only a fragment, and no one's managed to cultivate it..."

He shook his head, looking as though a treasure had been squandered.