The Temptation of the Foundation Establishment Pill

In broad daylight, a Foundation Establishment battle erupted at Green Bamboo Mountain Market, drawing the attention of countless cultivators.

The spiritual light of formations flashed as mighty spells soared into the sky.

When Lin Chang'an witnessed this scene from far away, he was shocked—and filled with longing.

"Is this... the battle of Foundation Establishment Cultivators?!"

The entire market was similarly shaken by the clash between Foundation Establishment Cultivators, setting the hearts of countless young cultivators ablaze.

The countless cultivators at the Qi Refining Late Stage were even more resolute.

"Haha, you old bastard of the Zhou Family, that Wind Spiritual Root grandson of yours is quite something. He even knew to deliver a Foundation Establishment Pill to us. Now I'll return it to you."

Amid the distant booming of the formation, a bold, wild laugh rang out.

At that moment, countless people in the market suddenly understood. Everyone knew the Zhou Family had recently been making preparations for a Foundation Establishment Pill, but no one had expected them to have already obtained one.

Yet something seemed to have gone wrong!

"Feng'er!"

Amid the thunderous explosions came the roar of the Giant Turtle, along with the furious, heart-rending howl of the Zhou Family Patriarch.

"You are remnants of the Demonic Sect!"

Suddenly, a female Foundation Establishment Cultivator from Mystic Sound Pavilion cried out in shock and fury. Yet the fleeing figure merely looked back and laughed savagely.

"Haha, the head of this young girl from Mystic Sound Pavilion is enough to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill at the Divine Sword Sect."

As wild laughter swept through the air, the market's formation rumbled the next moment. It turned out there was another group waiting to receive them, and they directly broke open the market's formation.

Lin Chang'an, hiding on a rooftop, shrank his neck as well.

"Going by what he said, not only were the Foundation Establishment Pills of the Zhou Family and Mystic Sound Pavilion disciples stolen, but even the head of a Mystic Sound Pavilion genius can be exchanged for one Foundation Establishment Pill!"

A bold thought inexplicably surfaced in his heart, instantly breaking Lin Chang'an out in a cold sweat.

"Even I am tempted, let alone everyone else."

A Foundation Establishment Pill! Who wouldn't be tempted by that?

The brief battle between Foundation Establishment Cultivators had dazzled countless Rogue Cultivators in the market.

The appearance of the Foundation Establishment Pill, however, stirred the hearts of men.

The market calmed down, yet everyone knew that beneath this calm, undercurrents were surging.

Gathering Immortal Pavilion.

The next day, with the market seemingly peaceful again, Lin Chang'an could no longer suppress his curiosity and came to Gathering Immortal Pavilion to gather information.

"Brother Lin, I only just learned of this too. Something huge has happened."

The moment they met, Little Marquis Shen Lie wore an ugly expression and said in a low voice.

"The Zhou Family hid a descendant with a Wind Spiritual Root. At some point, he actually entered a marriage alliance with the lineage of a female cultivator from Mystic Sound Pavilion. I heard both sides were exceptionally talented.

They had only just left a Second-Rank Alchemist, each carrying a Foundation Establishment Pill. They had thought that with Foundation Establishment Cultivators guarding the market, they would be safe. Who could have imagined they would still be targeted?"

While Shen Lie was shocked, he could not help feeling a little schadenfreude.

Lin Chang'an could only marvel in astonishment.

"So that was it. It seems quite a few outsider Cultivator Bandits have flooded into this market."

"More than a few!" Shen Lie shook his head repeatedly. Looking out at the market through the window, his eyes held both restless eagerness and concern.

"Right now, I'm worried the market will descend into chaos, but I'm also looking forward to it. After all, only when things are chaotic will the Chamber of Commerce's business improve."

Shen Lie's utterly undisguised words left Lin Chang'an speechless. Yet after thinking it over carefully, it really did seem to make sense.

For him, it seemed to be the same.

The more chaotic the market became, the easier it would be for him to sell his talismans.

At that moment, the two seemed to share an unspoken understanding, both harboring certain thoughts.

"It isn't that simple."

Just then, Lu Qingqing entered through the door, her hair gathered into the coiled style of a married woman. Her expression carried a trace of gravity.

"Junior Sister."

"Madam." Shen Lie scratched awkwardly, while Lin Chang'an addressed her as Junior Sister.

However, Lu Qingqing, who had just entered, shook her head and let out a long sigh.

"I just came back from Sister Yun's place. Do you know what is going on with those remnants of the Demonic Sect?"

The two were at a loss, and even Lin Chang'an had never heard of it.

Lu Qingqing shook her head and explained.

"The Demonic Sect was originally the Mystic Yin Divine Sect. More than four hundred years ago, the Demonic Sect's Nascent Soul True Lord vanished without a trace. Afterwards, the Demonic Sect fell into chaos, and the entire Yue Kingdom was thrown into turmoil for nearly a hundred years. That was when the Three Great Sects emerged and stabilized the situation..."

Listening to Lu Qingqing, Lin Chang'an and Shen Lie were both immensely shocked. They had not expected the Yue Kingdom to have such a history.

Still, those words sounded nice, but none of the three were fools.

To put it bluntly, the current Three Great Sects had likely sprung from the Mystic Yin Cult.

"So that was it."

Yet after their realization, neither Lin Chang'an nor Shen Lie said it aloud.

Lu Qingqing then said gravely, "Sister Yun said that the Mystic Yin Cult fled to the Ten Thousand Demon Sea more than three hundred years ago. Who would have thought there would still be remnants left behind?"

"The casualties this time are secondary. What matters more is the hearts of men!"

After Lu Qingqing said this, Shen Lie and Lin Chang'an both grew solemn.

Perhaps because of their own interests, they might welcome a little turmoil outside. But if things became too chaotic, it would endanger their own safety.

"Don't laugh at me, Big Brother Lin, but even I was tempted when I first heard about it."

Lu Qingqing patted her chest with lingering fear, while Lin Chang'an let out a long sigh.

"Let alone you, Junior Sister. With the temptation of a Foundation Establishment Pill, I'm afraid no one in the market could remain unmoved."

There were currently three paths to obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill. The first was to prepare one yourself. It took a long time, hunting a Second-tier Monster Beast was extremely difficult, and other materials had to be gathered as well. Worse still, during the collection process, it was easy to make a wedding dress for someone else.

The second was to rob someone else's Foundation Establishment Pill. Even if that person had Foundation Establishment Cultivators backing them, hunting a Second-tier Monster Beast was no less difficult than facing a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

More importantly, one only needed to risk it once.

Now, however, the Divine Sword Sect's bounty had given countless Rogue Cultivators a third choice.

Hunt the geniuses of the Two Major Sects, and you could obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill. No matter how gifted you were, you were still only at the Qi Refining Late Stage.

Although the Two Major Sects could retaliate, was it easier to carry out an assassination in an unfamiliar place, or in a place you knew like the back of your hand? The difference in success rates was obvious.

If it was a gamble either way, why not choose the one with the lowest difficulty?

"Storm clouds are gathering. The Cultivation World will not remain peaceful."

Lin Chang'an sighed, then shook his head and cast the matter out of his mind. He was only at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer now; Foundation Establishment was still far away.

Besides, how many Spirit Stones could a Foundation Establishment Pill cost? Why risk his life over it?

As long as he was given time, with the earning ability of a First-Order High-Grade Talisman Master, buying a Foundation Establishment Pill would not be difficult.

"Moreover, the one involved this time was the cousin of Fairy Nishang, Mystic Sound Pavilion's strongest genius of the past century. Everyone should be more careful in the market lately."

"Fairy Nishang, whose cultivation has already reached Foundation Establishment Late Stage and who is only one step away from Core Formation!"

Shen Lie cried out in shock. Even Lin Chang'an suddenly recalled something, a trace of remembrance surfacing in his eyes.

The last time he had heard this name was when they had just entered the Cultivation World. On the road before the assessment, Elder Lu had told them of the legendary geniuses of the Three Great Sects.

Among them, Fairy Nishang was known as the greatest genius of the Three Great Sects in the past century.

In other words, at the same age when they had only just entered a sect and begun cultivating, she had already reached Foundation Establishment.

Comparisons between people could make one furious!