Time Waits for No One!

After a long while.

An aged voice finally drifted faintly from Meng Guan's mouth.

"Alas, Realm-Breaking Pills are hard to come by." He sighed.

Meng Guan shook his head. He casually picked up the teacup beside him but did not drink, his brows tightly furrowed as though he still did not wish to give up this opportunity.

He had been stuck at Qi Refining stage 6 for so long.

How could he not know that he only needed to slowly save up Spirit Stones before heading to Qingyuan Immortal City to buy a Realm-Breaking Pill?

But for an Immortal Market cultivator like him, with neither power nor influence, going to Qingyuan Immortal City would not earn him treatment much different from that of an ordinary Rogue Cultivator.

Immortal Market cultivators only possessed a few privileges within the Immortal Market where they belonged.

Once they reached a higher-level Immortal City, what difference was there between Immortal Market cultivators and ordinary Rogue Cultivators when compared with disciples of true great Golden Core sects?

At most, they simply knew a little more than Rogue Cultivators.

They had a fixed place to live.

And a stable source of income, that was all.

When it came to fighting methods, Immortal Market cultivators were generally even inferior to those Rogue Cultivators who licked blood from the edge of a blade.

Moreover.

The journey to an Immortal City to purchase a Realm-Breaking Pill was far from smooth sailing.

Not to mention the countless dangers along the road to Qingyuan Immortal City.

Even if one reached Qingyuan Immortal City without any hindrance, would the Spirit Stones on one's person be enough to bid for a Realm-Breaking Pill?

Even if one was lucky enough to obtain a Realm-Breaking Pill, they would immediately be targeted.

With a Realm-Breaking Pill in hand, one would need to be especially careful on the return journey.

There was, however, a solution to this. One only needed to spend some more Spirit Stones to stay at an inn within the Immortal City, consume the Realm-Breaking Pill, and break through in cultivation, thereby resolving the danger.

Yet who could guarantee that, after successfully bidding for a Realm-Breaking Pill, they would still have enough Spirit Stones to stay at an inn?

If he wished to ensure that nothing could possibly go wrong, the time needed to save Spirit Stones would be extended once more.

By then, even if he truly relied on a Realm-Breaking Pill to break through to the Qi Refining Late Stage, he would no longer have time to touch upon the Foundation Establishment realm.

For ordinary cultivators.

Foundation Establishment before the age of sixty was best.

From sixty onward, the later one attempted Foundation Establishment, the more difficult it became and the lower the chance of success.

Once one failed to cultivate to the complete Qi Refining Ninth Layer before turning sixty and obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill.

It meant that Foundation Establishment was almost hopeless in this lifetime.

Unless one was extraordinarily fortunate, it would be possible to successfully achieve Foundation Establishment after sixty.

But that was merely a low-probability event.

Not even several such cases appeared in a hundred years.

Meng Guan was already forty-three. With his savings, if he hurried and gave it everything he had, perhaps he could still touch the threshold of Foundation Establishment.

If he did not fight for it and continued to endure as he was now, then the Qi Refining Late Stage would likely be the limit of this lifetime.

That was also why Meng Guan struggled so fiercely in his heart.

This life in the Immortal Market, where he could see the end at a glance, truly burdened him with tremendous pressure.

At the side.

He Song and Wei Fan exchanged a glance, each seeing a trace of helplessness in the other's eyes.

Having known one another for so many years, He Song and Wei Fan understood Meng Guan quite well.

Seeing Meng Guan's appearance now, he was likely still wavering in his heart.

Although the two of them had already tried to persuade him, they also understood the predicament Meng Guan faced at this moment.

Should he fight for it and gamble on a chance at Foundation Establishment?

Or should he slow down and remain at the Qi Refining Late Stage for the rest of his life?

This question truly left one in a difficult position.

At the same time, He Song and Wei Fan could not continue trying to persuade him.

Saying it once was enough. If he could take it in, then he had naturally taken it in.

If they said too much, they would inevitably become annoying, and the gain would not be worth the loss.

Besides, obstructing another's path to enlightenment was like killing their parents. Only because the three of them had such a close relationship could they offer a word of advice.

Had they not been so close, Meng Guan might have fallen out with them merely over what they had said earlier.

Time trickled away.

He Song refilled each of their teacups.

Meng Guan still did not drink. His brows remained tightly locked as he immersed himself in his own world.

Wei Fan raised his teacup toward He Song, but the helplessness in his eyes could not be concealed.

He Song likewise raised his teacup toward Wei Fan, his heart equally filled with helplessness.

He had tried to persuade him, and Wei Fan had done the same. Yet Meng Guan's heart was still struggling.

At this point.

He Song could only wait for the result of Meng Guan's struggle.

Whether the outcome was good or bad, he could only offer his blessings rather than forcefully persuade him.

Obstructing another's path to enlightenment was no laughing matter.

Even if He Song knew that the Red Spirit Gold Mine was a pit of fire, he could no longer use his own speculation to stop Meng Guan.

This was the path Meng Guan had chosen for himself.

"Perhaps, with Meng Guan's Qi Refining stage 6 cultivation, he can protect himself in the Red Spirit Gold Mine."

Such a thought flashed through He Song's mind.

But his gaze collided with Wei Fan's slightly worried eyes.

For a time, the two remained silent, neither knowing what to do.

After a stretch of silence.

A while later.

Meng Guan finally opened his eyes and tipped the tea in his hand into his mouth in one motion.

With a gulp, he drained it in a single swallow, and Meng Guan broke into a grin.

"Ha ha ha, I, Meng Guan, possess five spirit roots. I cultivated in Thick Earth Courtyard from childhood, but alas, my aptitude was poor. Unable to enter the outer sect of the Thick Earth Sect, I was sent down to Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market."

"I thought Foundation Establishment was already hopeless in this life, yet I never expected to wait for a sliver of opportunity!" Whether he was speaking to himself or stating a fact, Meng Guan's voice carried far too many emotions.

At this moment, He Song's expression was grave, and he felt that things were increasingly amiss.

Wei Fan likewise seemed to want to speak but hesitated, anxiety plainly written across his face.

"Time waits for no one! Rather than grow old in haste here, I might as well stride forward and fight for this fleeting chance!" At last, beneath He Song and Wei Fan's gazes, Meng Guan spoke these words with a resolute expression.

At this moment, determination filled Meng Guan's face.

His right hand tightly clenched the teacup in his grasp. Even as the cup began to crack apart piece by piece, he did not notice in the slightest.

A ray of sunlight shone in through the window, landing directly upon Meng Guan's hand.

It was as though he had sunlight clenched in his palm.

Silence.

He Song was silent.

Wei Fan was silent as well.

For a time, aside from the faint sound of the three men breathing, a pin dropping in the room could have been heard.

After a while.

"Old Meng, once we part on this journey, who knows when we will meet again? Is there anything you need to entrust to us?" Seeing that Meng Guan's resolve had been set, He Song knew persuasion was useless and no longer tried to dissuade him. Instead, he asked about other matters.

The Red Spirit Gold Mine was incomparably dangerous. Meng Guan's journey there would likely be fraught with peril.

Even though his cultivation had reached Qi Refining stage 6, and his many years in the Immortal Market had earned him quite a few Spirit Stones, leaving him with no shortage of Magic Artifacts and Spirit Talismans.

He Song still did not dare be certain that Meng Guan could return alive.

Rather than speak again now and dampen Meng Guan's morale, it was better to ask whether he needed any other help.

At the side.

Wei Fan's expression tightened anxiously upon hearing this, but then he seemed to think of something, and his entire body suddenly froze.

He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, only a sigh escaped him.

He had understood as well.

Trying to persuade him now would only leave a shadow in Meng Guan's heart. It would be better to clear away his worries, for perhaps that might even give him one more thread of hope for survival.