"Mm."
Master Green Feather was very satisfied.
He also trusted the disciple before him, who was clumsy with words but honest and sincere.
When he had come earlier, he had seen with his own eyes how the young man swept the Founder's Shrine, methodically and with all his heart.
It was plain that this youth truly enjoyed the quiet life before him and was more than willing to serve the sect. That was why he could do the same thing day after day for five years without finding it tiresome.
At the thought, Master Green Feather felt a little moved.
He stopped and said, "If you keep tending the Founder's Shrine with all your heart, that will be a great contribution to the legacy of our founder."
"Very well, Honest Man. Heaven does not let the worthy go unrewarded. Though your aptitude is poor, if you cultivate diligently, perhaps one day you'll be able to reach Foundation Establishment."
"I promise you this: should you ever reach the great perfection of the Qi Refining Realm, you may go to Treasure Pill Valley and claim a Foundation Establishment Pill."
"Ah?"
Lin Xiaoyao was dumbfounded.
Clearly, the sect master's instruction had taken him completely by surprise.
But then his expression turned ecstatic.
He bowed deeply. "Thank you, Sect Master Ancestor. This disciple will serve with all his heart and never fail to repay your benevolent kindness."
"Mm."
Master Green Feather nodded and said no more. He continued on, leaving the Founder's Shrine behind and walking farther and farther away, until his figure gradually disappeared from sight.
Only then did Lin Xiaoyao raise his head.
His expression was somewhat peculiar.
A Foundation Establishment Pill?
He murmured to himself.
Of course, it was something he had no need for.
But living among the immortal sects, he knew how precious it was.
For cultivators, Foundation Establishment was a threshold.
Even if someone in the Qi Refining Realm stayed free of illness and misfortune, their lifespan would be barely more than a hundred years, no different from an ordinary mortal's.
But once they achieved Foundation Establishment, they could live for over two hundred years. Only then had they truly touched the threshold of immortal cultivation.
Yet to achieve Foundation Establishment, one had to rely on pills. No matter how gifted you were, you couldn't escape that rule.
And that was where the Foundation Establishment Pill came in!
Unfortunately, the medicinal ingredients it required were not only rare and hard to find, but the pill itself was also difficult to refine. So even a major immortal sect like the Feathering Sect received very few Foundation Establishment Pills each year.
Demand far outstripped supply!
Disciples who wanted one had to pass all kinds of trials or earn great merit.
He hadn't expected the True Person sect master to make such a promise to him today.
Though it was because the sect master valued the Founder's Shrine, Lin Xiaoyao still took that kindness to heart.
His efforts in delivering the Mystic Heaven Clear Spirit Powder to him had not been in vain.
Thinking of his proud creation just now, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He felt a small measure of satisfaction.
This demonic art was even more useful than he had imagined.
Of course, Lin Xiaoyao was certain that a true Outer-Realm Heavenly Demon couldn't have done what he had just done.
The student had surpassed the master.
Perhaps only he, who possessed the Saint Fruit Position, could use demonic arts to achieve such an unexpected result.
It was incredibly useful!
In fact, it had far exceeded his expectations.
This had finally solved the problem that had troubled him for years.
For the past five years, he had checked in every day, rain or shine, and amassed a great many treasures.
His cultivation had surged ahead, and he had now reached the Mysterious Mastery Realm. Beyond that stood the Mahayana ancestors.
His progress had been undeniably swift.
But although the items he received from checking in were unusual treasures, most of them were of no use to him at all.
Now that he had this channel, he could bestow some of the things he didn't need upon the sect's disciples, raising their strength.
After all, the Feathering Sect was where he had made his home. If the sect's overall strength improved, it would be nothing but beneficial to him as he quietly stayed here, checking in.
Master Green Feather returned to his cave abode.
His expression was as calm and composed as ever, and his steps remained steady.
Only the occasional flicker of excitement deep in his eyes betrayed how stirred he felt.
His trip to the Founder's Shrine had brought him an enormous gain!
Master Green Feather was immensely grateful that he had decided to pay his respects to the founder.
He had already suspected that some senior founder of the sect, unwilling to reveal himself, was secretly watching over them.
But until now, it had only been conjecture. This time, he had received real confirmation.
Thinking back on what had just happened, it all felt like a dream.
And the founder's extraordinary methods filled him with reverence and admiration from the depths of his heart.
Still, he told no one about it.
Though the founder hadn't told him to keep the matter secret, as the sect master, he knew how to read the room.
The founder had chosen to meet him in this manner, so clearly he did not want anyone else to learn of his whereabouts.
Without the founder's permission, he would never reveal them.
Keeping his lips sealed was the right and prudent choice.
Back in his cave abode, Master Green Feather wasted no time and went straight to the training chamber.
He sat cross-legged, then tapped his waist and carefully took out the porcelain bottle.
He pulled out the stopper. A fragrant aroma wafted out, and inside lay a vibrant green spirit pill about the size of a longan.
The Mystic Heaven Green Spirit Powder!
Master Green Feather cradled it as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.
It was the sacred healing medicine every cultivator yearned for. With it, having one more life was hardly an exaggeration.
He examined it for a moment, then put the pill into his mouth and tipped his head back, swallowing it.
At once, a wave of warmth unfurled in his dantian and flowed through his extraordinary meridians and eight channels...
Master Green Feather dared not be careless. He immediately began circulating his energy to heal his wounds.
Before long, the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed.
At last, the chamber door opened.
A figure flashed into view as Master Green Feather slowly emerged from within.
His face was rosy, and he exuded an immortal's bearing. Compared with his pallid, ashen appearance before entering, he looked like an entirely different person.
He was in such high spirits that the usually reserved sect master of the Feathering Sect couldn't help throwing back his head and laughing.
"Ha ha! My injuries have healed. At last, the stubborn ailment that has plagued me is gone."
He stroked his beard, his face alight with delight.
The Mystic Heaven Green Spirit Powder truly deserved its reputation as a sacred healing medicine. Ever since Old Demon Jia had ambushed him, his injuries had grown worse by the day.
Demonic energy had knotted itself through his seven meridians and eight channels, clinging and winding around them like maggots in his bones...
Every attempt to treat it had been futile. Yet now, in less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the injuries that had driven him to despair had healed with ease.
Not only that, but he had cultivated for more than two thousand years and faced many powerful enemies. He had been wounded time and again, leaving him with many old injuries.
Although they had healed on the surface, they had damaged his foundation.
That was why, for so many years, he had been trapped at the bottleneck of the early Mysterious Mastery Realm, unable to break through. That was the root of the problem.
He had known it, yet there had been nothing he could do.
But this time, to his astonishment, after taking the Mystic Heaven Green Spirit Powder, not only had the injuries from Old Demon Jia's ambush fully recovered, and the demonic energy in his meridians been purged, but his old wounds had healed as well.
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