Four Years (Please Recommend)

Four years later.

Pill Island.

Inside his cave abode, Fang Qing gazed at the jade bottle in his hand.

Once opened, it released a mournful whistling of wind from within its body, accompanied by the tinkling sound of spring water.

Inside the bottle was a strand of clear, transparent, lustrous True Qi. It was none other than the fifth-grade middle-grade Earthspring Tempered Essence!

"It hasn't been easy..."

Fang Qing sighed.

Originally, he had estimated that two or three years would be enough to completely refine a strand of Earthspring Tempered Essence. That estimate had not been wrong.

But Fang Qing had overlooked the struggle over Cold Springs, as well as the burden of missions.

The Azure Sea Sect spent spirit veins, cultivation techniques, and resources to nurture its disciples. Naturally, it expected them to risk their lives in return. Unless one had connections or a background and could choose easier missions, one could only grit one's teeth and bear it.

As a newly inducted disciple, Fang Qing had only been given one year to adapt. After that, he had been assigned mandatory missions every year.

Fortunately, the Azure Sea Sect was not currently at war with any other force. Otherwise, the mortality rate of mandatory missions would have shot straight upward.

Even so, after Fang Qing had luckily muddled through his first few missions, his luck had run out two years ago. He had been assigned to the sect's fishing team and sent into the deep sea to hunt demon fish. One careless moment had left him with injuries neither light nor severe, and his cultivation had been delayed as well.

He had originally estimated that he could cultivate his Qi Refining Third Layer mana to completion within three years. Yet four years had passed, and he was still just a little short of Third Layer Completion.

"Next comes the bottleneck between Early Qi Refinement and Mid Qi Refinement... After the bottleneck, every layer in Mid Qi Refinement takes five or six years at the least. Late Qi Refinement need not even be mentioned..."

"At my age, breaking through to Qi Refining Ninth Layer Grand Completion before the Jiazi Lifespan Limit—the best time for Foundation Establishment—is becoming more and more difficult."

"Is this the difficulty of immortality? A slight setback, and the road ahead immediately turns bleak..."

Of course, his slow cultivation was also because he had not used resources.

Over these four years, aside from maintaining the bare minimum necessities of life, Fang Qing had saved all his Contribution Points. He intended to buy several spiritual items that existed in both worlds but carried a much higher premium in Ancient Shu, then resell them.

Back at Floating Boat Market, Fang Qing had seen many spiritual items. Some did not exist on Jade Island, but others had similar or even identical counterparts.

Moreover, identical spiritual items held vastly different values in the two worlds, leaving plenty of room for profit.

"I've nearly mastered the Disguise Technique too... It took me a full four years."

"It's time to earn a great deal of resources and raise both my cultivation and alchemy skills..."

Once he became an entry-level alchemist, the sect's mandatory missions would become alchemy missions. It would not send productive talents like alchemists out to risk their lives hunting demons.

With a thought, Fang Qing took out the Green Leaf Boat artifact and headed for the Palace of Miscellaneous Affairs.

The great hall was still bustling with voices.

There were even more people than usual.

"Haha... The sect's Dragon Transformation Pool missions have increased. Clearly, a batch of First-Order high-grade Horned Serpents is about to break through to Second-Order..."

"Who knows how many Second-Order Demon Cores will be produced, or how many Foundation Establishment Pills Elder Tianding will be able to refine..."

"By convention, Foundation Establishment Pills are distributed once every ten years, with True Disciples given priority in exchange... There are quite a few True Disciples in this generation. If the number of sect-produced Second-Order Demon Cores proves insufficient, they will likely mobilize the Five-Tusk Warship and enter the deep sea to capture Second-Order demon fish, killing demons for their cores... The casualty rate for such missions is only slightly lower than that of a sect war. They will definitely be forcibly assigned..."

Listening to the clamor of discussion around him, Fang Qing's expression grew grave. "Foundation Establishment Pills... Second-Order Demon Cores..."

This had nothing to do with him for now. But if the sect lacked enough self-produced Second-Order Demon Cores and launched a Deep-Sea Grand Fishing operation, he would be highly likely to become cannon fodder.

"I must act at once."

Fang Qing went to the disciples' stalls and began purchasing several spiritual materials he had picked out.

"Hmm? The prices of some cultivation supplies have risen... Especially quality artifacts that can temporarily increase combat power. Is this related to the Foundation Establishment Pill matter?"

He arrived at a stall selling pills and spirit herbs, where he saw a strange flower as large as a bowl. "How much for this Blazing Sun Flower?"

"Twenty Contribution Points, and it's yours."

The stall owner was a Mid Qi Refinement cultivator reading a book. Without even raising his head, he answered.

This Blazing Sun Flower could only be used to refine a few basic fire-aspected pills and was worth very little.

But in Ancient Shu, Great Sun spiritual items were scarce, so its premium was especially high!

Fang Qing had seen one in Floating Boat Market last time. It had been the "treasure that held down the shop" of a medicine store.

"I'll take it."

After buying the spirit herb, he looked over the pills and spotted a Blackwater Pill. His heart stirred. "This is... a Blackwater Pill? Senior Brother, are you an alchemist?"

"Correct. Blackwater Pills are especially suited to assisting Water Spirit Root cultivators in breaking through from Early Qi Refinement to Mid Qi Refinement..."

The young stall owner set down his book, spiritual light flashing in his eyes. "I see you aren't far from Qi Refining Third Layer Completion. Want one?"

"This..."

Fang Qing pondered inwardly.

He possessed a Middle-Grade Water Spirit Root. By all logic, such a minor bottleneck should not be able to stop him.

But how much time it would delay him was hard to say.

Taking a Blackwater Pill to break through was indeed a good way to save time, provided he had enough Contribution Points!

"May I ask the price?"

"Only two hundred Contribution Points."

"Sorry for the trouble!"

Fang Qing turned and left.

"Haha... Senior Brother Xu, you misjudged him. This Junior Brother Fang is short of funds; I'm afraid he can't afford the Blackwater Pill in your hand."

At that moment, a blue-robed cultivator approached from the side and mocked him. It was none other than Li Yusu.

"Li Yudan, what did you call me?"

Fang Qing stopped in his tracks.

"Junior Brother Fang, what? Among cultivators of the same generation in our sect, strength commands respect. I have already reached Qi Refining Third Layer Completion and am about to enter seclusion to break through to Mid Qi Refinement. Can't I call you 'Junior Brother'?"

Li Yusu laughed heartily.

"Junior Brother Fish Egg, have you overlooked the sect rules? While such a rule does exist, those at the same cultivation level are still ranked by the order in which they entered the sect. Therefore, until you break through to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refinement, I am still your senior brother."

Fang Qing did not know why. Clearly, after he had cut off contact with Zha Zhu, even the faint, almost imperceptible malice from Gong Susu had vanished. Yet this Li Yusu still refused to let the matter rest.

Perhaps this was simply the jealousy of a youth long ago?

It was laughable, but people were people precisely because they sometimes did utterly nonsensical things.

"Hmph, I won't argue with you over this... The sect is about to conduct a Great Hunt. Your name will surely be on the ocean-going fleet's roster. I'll be waiting for you!"

Li Yusu laughed with undisguised delight.

"Then wait."

Fang Qing turned and left, too lazy to argue with him.

Not far away, Hua Lian and Yu Taohua had witnessed the scene as well.

"Senior Brother Hua... it seems you misjudged him."

Yu Taohua smiled beautifully. "This Fang Qing showed promise in childhood, but greatness in adulthood was never guaranteed... That Zha Zhu, on the other hand—I heard she has already reached Qi Refining Fifth Layer? Given time, the threshold of Late Qi Refinement definitely will not be able to trap her..."

"She truly is a favored daughter of heaven..."

Senior Brother Hua sighed in admiration and watched Fang Qing depart. His good family upbringing made him one of the rare few whose manner remained unchanged even when Fang Qing had fallen into hardship. "As for Junior Brother Fang, testing jade requires three full days of burning; judging timber requires waiting seven years... Now that it has indeed been seven years since we entered the sect, he does seem somewhat mediocre. But precisely because of that, when we meet him in the future, we must greet him with smiles. We cannot needlessly breed resentment. Look at Li Yusu—having risen to prominence overnight, he humiliates his former senior brother. How good can his reputation be? Reputation is very important within the sect. Otherwise, even if one becomes a True Disciple, who will lend one that enormous sum of Contribution Points for a Foundation Establishment Pill?"

"Foundation Establishment Pills... This time, it will not be our turn. Nor will the next ten years belong to disciples of our batch. But I believe in you, Senior Brother Hua. One day, you will surely become a True Disciple and make your name resound through the Azure Sea."

Yu Taohua gazed at Senior Brother Hua with infatuation, as though some kind of light shone within her eyes.

"This fishing team mission will be more dangerous than the last one!"

Inside his cave abode, Fang Qing's expression was grave.

He did not care in the slightest about some of the things Li Yudan had said. He even rather enjoyed hearing them. After all, the other man had a Foundation Establishment master and could learn much sect intelligence, which he might inadvertently reveal.

And now that he knew this, he had to respond immediately!

"There isn't much time. I need to break through in alchemy skills as soon as possible..."

He took out a bright yellow talisman paper from his storage pouch, pasted it onto the entrance of his cave abode, then hung up a sign declaring seclusion.

This was a Protective Talisman, capable of guarding a cultivator during secluded cultivation.

Even if Spiritual Sense attempted to forcibly intrude, it would automatically turn to ash and warn the cultivator.

After taking these precautions, Fang Qing formed hand seals with both hands and began practicing the Disguise Technique.

As he muttered an incantation, the flesh on Fang Qing's face seemed to come alive and writhe. With only slight adjustments to his brows and eyes, he appeared to have become an entirely different person.

Not only that, but the aura around him began to shift as well. He faintly differed from the cultivators of this place, carrying instead a trace of the characteristics of Breath-Nourishing Dao cultivators.

"Unfortunately, it is only a barely passable imitation. Once I truly fight and use mana, it will immediately be exposed. And if I encounter a Foundation Establishment cultivator, or a Dao Foundation Great Cultivator from that side... I likely still won't be able to conceal it."

"Four years of effort, along with the Azure Sea Sect's high-quality secret technique... and this is all I have achieved."

"This will do. Tomorrow, I'll immediately accept a mission to leave the sect, then take the risk. Counting the days, Jade Heaven Market should be opening this year as well."

Ever since learning of the capabilities of high-level cultivators' Spiritual Sense, Fang Qing had tried his utmost to avoid using the Dao-Born Pearl within the sect.

"I heard that after Foundation Establishment, one can claim an entire peak and set up a Second-Order formation to protect one's cave abode... Even Core Formation patriarchs would find it difficult to secretly investigate the privacy within a formation... Unfortunately, that is still a little too far away for me."