Foundation Establishment Pill (Seeking Bookmarks)

Azure Sea Sect.

Cold Spring Peak.

Fang Qing found a spring.

This spring's spiritual energy was insufficient, not even reaching First-Order, but under the perception of his Ji Water Dharma Power, it carried surging vitality. Using it to combine medicinal ingredients was an excellent choice.

"Sure enough, there is still much to be unearthed from this Ji Water imagery..."

Originally, Fang Qing had merely planned to use his Mid Qi Refinement cultivation to attempt Water-Method Alchemy once more.

But today, on a sudden whim, he converted his Ji Water Dharma Power and received an unexpected surprise.

Smack!

He slapped his storage pouch at his waist, and three jade boxes flew out. Inside were Qi-Replenishing Herb, Spirit-Unifying Flower, and Jadeflower Treasure Fish juice—all ingredients for refining Jadeflower Spirit Water.

After successfully undergoing Qi Ingestion, Fang Qing had mingled through the many markets of Ba Commandery in the Ancient Shu World, buying low and selling high as a profiteer between two worlds. He had scraped together a batch of Contribution Points, then spent them all on alchemy notes, raw materials, and the like, preparing to spend heavily to improve his alchemy skills.

"Go!"

Fang Qing first extracted the Qi-Replenishing Herb.

He circulated a water-controlling art, causing the Spirit Spring to rise into a whirlpool.

This time, Fang Qing felt an obvious difference. Many obscure difficulties from before became as easy as splitting bamboo under his Ji Water Dharma Power.

Though he was still using the Profound Origin Triple Cycle method, it somehow carried the charm of Six-Whorl Flying Stars.

"Ji Water is also called Fountain Water. Since Spirit Springs fall within its domain, has my control over spring water greatly increased?"

Fang Qing vaguely came to an understanding.

At this moment, his state was simply better than it had ever been. After processing the Qi-Replenishing Herb, he began refining the Spirit-Unifying Flower and Jadeflower Treasure Fish juice.

Next came the fusion and nurturing of the various medicinal liquids...

The chief drawback of Water-Method Alchemy was its lengthy refining time, far exceeding that of Fire-Method Alchemy.

After a long while, the Spirit Spring before Fang Qing had completely transformed into a medicinal pool, faintly emitting an unusual fragrance.

"Excellent. At this stage, I only need to slowly wait for the medicinal properties to settle, then perform the final extraction of the spirit water."

Fang Qing let out a long breath. Excitement flickered in his eyes as he sat cross-legged and silently waited.

"According to the alchemy texts, this step takes two to three days. Thankfully, unlike Fire-Method Alchemy, I don't need to guard the furnace flame day and night... though it still consumes a great deal of energy."

"Hm? This medicinal fragrance?"

"Its color is jade-green, its aura clear and pure... It seems that pool of spirit medicine is about to succeed. It should be Jadeflower Spirit Water. I wonder which senior brother or sister it belongs to?"

Cold Spring Peak was a public area, and there were quite a few Pill Island disciples. Someone immediately noticed the anomaly and exclaimed in amazement.

"That person... seems to be Fang Qing?"

"Oh? That disciple who came in through the back door?"

"Shh... If he can refine First-Order spirit water, he already counts as an entry-ranked alchemist. His status will be entirely different in the future, so we should be more careful. Disaster comes from the mouth."

"Tsk, tsk... I heard this fellow has some bad blood with Li Yusu, a disciple under Master Clouddrift Adept? That Li Yusu has had rather poor luck. He was supposedly in seclusion to break through the Mid Qi Refinement bottleneck, but he failed and damaged a considerable amount of his vital energy..."

"Li Yusu? Isn't he supposed to have a mid-grade spiritual root? He actually got stuck at a minor bottleneck in Mid Qi Refinement? It seems that assessment of his middling aptitude was rather forced..."

The surrounding discussions were not concealed in the slightest, and all of them reached Fang Qing's ears.

"I didn't expect there would be news of that Li Yudan too?"

Hearing that the man had failed his breakthrough, Fang Qing felt thoroughly pleased. He rose to his feet and cupped his hands toward all sides. "Fellow disciples... this pool of spirit water has yet to be completed. Please spare your junior brother for now. Once the spirit water is refined, there will surely be a reward."

"Haha... We'll stand farther away, then. We mustn't disturb the alchemical aura of the Spirit Spring."

For some reason, the senior brothers and sisters all found Fang Qing's words entirely reasonable and gave him a certain amount of space.

Fang Qing watched coldly from the side, knowing that his Eloquence's Edge had taken effect.

"Mm. Those with cultivation higher than mine and firmer wills... have greater resistance to words."

"And... verbal persuasion must ultimately rest upon tangible benefits or one's fists. If I promise valuable treasures in return, Eloquence's Edge becomes even more persuasive..."

Two days later, Fang Qing's eyes lit up. Forming hand seals with both hands, he sent streams of Dharma Power into the medicinal pool before him.

The once-clear medicinal pool had now separated into several sharply distinct layers.

The uppermost layer was jade-green like emerald. Merely catching a faint whiff made the Dharma Power within one's body stir slightly.

"As expected, it is medicine that increases Dharma Power..."

Fang Qing smiled and took more than a dozen small green-skinned gourds from his storage pouch.

These gourds were only the size of an infant's fist, small enough for an ordinary person's palm to fully grasp. They were containers specifically made for holding spirit water.

"Rise!"

He pointed with one hand. A stream of Jadeflower Spirit Water flew out and fell into a green-skinned gourd, rapidly filling it before Fang Qing stoppered it.

A moment later, twelve green-skinned gourds stood arranged in a row.

This was another characteristic of Water-Method Alchemy: though it took a long time, its yield was plentiful!

"Congratulations, Senior Brother, on your successful refinement!"

The Pill Island disciples around him all offered congratulations. Some, however, wore dejected expressions, clearly reminded of their own grand alchemy ambitions...

"Thank you, junior brothers and sisters... This Jadeflower Spirit Water is of little use to me. Those who see it get a share; I only need to keep one gourd."

Fang Qing stood and cupped his hands toward the crowd.

It was an ancient custom for alchemists to give the first batch of successfully refined pills to their fellow cultivators.

Now that these junior brothers and sisters had gained benefits and were also influenced by Eloquence's Edge, they immediately felt Fang Qing was someone worth befriending.

Li Yusu's wild slander might not be trustworthy after all!

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Fang, on successfully entering the ranks."

At this moment, a Mid Qi Refinement disciple with handsome features, half-black and half-white hair, and a medicinal fragrance about him stepped forward with a smile. "I am Xu Wusu..."

"So it is Senior Brother Xu."

Sensing the deeper waves of Dharma Power coming from the other man, Fang Qing hurriedly returned the salute.

"Your technique may be somewhat immature, but it is seamless and natural. It is a wild fox Chan method, is it not? As it happens, before long, Elder Tianding, the master of our island, will open his furnace to refine pills. Junior Brother, you should complete your certification as soon as possible, then follow Elder Tianding. Even learning a mere scrap of his knowledge would benefit you for life."

Xu Wusu reminded him.

"Mm."

Fang Qing had the same intention. At the very least, he needed to report officially to the sect that he had formally entered the ranks and become an alchemist.

That way, he would not need to leave the sect and risk his life for compulsory missions.

Sending precious production-type talents to serve as cannon fodder was not something a mature power ought to do.

"The senior brothers and sisters here speak so pleasantly. Even someone like Li Yusu merely excludes me; he wouldn't rob and kill me... This place is far better than that rotten place. I love it here so much. It would be best if I could keep refining pills within the sect and never go out..."

Pill Island, main hall.

Fang Qing had deliberately converted four layers of Black Water Dharma Power before coming to report.

He planned to reveal his Mid Qi Refinement cultivation while he was at it, lest he play the pig to eat the tiger and ultimately truly become a pig, completely looked down upon by others.

Pill Island was primarily responsible for managing the sect's alchemists, and there were quite a few disciples in the main hall as well.

The person responsible for registering newly ranked alchemists happened to be an acquaintance of Fang Qing's.

"It's you?"

Gong Susu was somewhat surprised upon seeing Fang Qing.

"Indeed. This junior brother was fortunate enough to refine a pool of Jadeflower Spirit Water at Cold Spring Peak, and I have come specifically to report it."

Fang Qing smiled as he took out a green-skinned gourd.

He had refined the medicine in full public view, so he was exceedingly confident.

"This man lay dormant for seven years, yet he can erupt in a single day?"

"He lacks financial resources and should not have had enough materials for many batches. Could his talent in Water-Method Alchemy truly be so high?"

Gong Susu was astonished inwardly, but she still completed Fang Qing's procedures. "Junior Brother, you are now an entry-ranked alchemist of our sect. Aside from the Palace of Miscellaneous Affairs, you may also accept alchemy missions here... Seven days from now, Elder Tianding, master of our island, will personally come to the Cauldron Altar to give a lecture..."

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Sister."

Fang Qing cupped his hands, retrieved his disciple token, and took his leave.

"Hehe... Senior Sister, do you feel any regret?"

Beside her, Hua Lingsu watched the scene unfold, and two lovely dimples appeared on her face.

"Not at all... After all, we have no conflict with Junior Brother Fang. Only that foolish Li Yusu laid all his cards on the table from the start..."

"Besides, we are disciples of a Foundation Establishment elder. Even if this man becomes an alchemist, what can he do? Under the sect rules, we cannot do anything to him, and he can do even less to us..."

Gong Susu said, "Right now, I care only about Junior Sister Zhu'er's progress in cultivation."

"Junior Sister Zhu'er has always been diligent. I believe she truly has some hope of Foundation Establishment in the future." Hua Lingsu spoke solemnly.

"Foundation Establishment... The three barriers of essence, qi, and spirit—each barrier is a whole new heaven. If only I had a Foundation Establishment Pill... True Disciple! True Disciple!!"

Intense yearning surfaced in Gong Susu's eyes.

Seven days flashed by.

Cauldron Altar.

At last, Fang Qing met the master of Pill Island, Elder Tianding.

This Foundation Establishment cultivator took the form of an elderly man with white beard and brows. He wore coarse hemp robes, their edges marked by numerous scorch stains.

At this moment, his gentle eyes swept over the gathered alchemists as he spoke. "Today... this old man will explain the formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill, as well as the techniques and precautions for refining it... You must study it carefully. Half a month from now, Cold Spring Peak will be sealed. All entry-ranked alchemists must assist this old man in participating in the sect's Foundation Establishment Pill refinement mission. This refinement mission shall count as completion of one compulsory sect mission..."

"Foundation Establishment Pill?!"

Many disciples' eyes shone brightly. Even Fang Qing unconsciously straightened his back, his eyes gleaming. "Foundation Establishment Pill? It is actually the Foundation Establishment Pill?"

After reaching Qi Refinement Great Completion, one could attempt to enter the Foundation Establishment Realm!

Foundation Establishment cultivators had lifespans close to two hundred years, roughly comparable to an ancient dynasty's rise, decline, and destruction.

What was more, their Dharma Power was formidable enough for them to dominate an entire island!

This was the dream of every low-level disciple!

Yet Foundation Establishment was difficult. Without the aid of a Foundation Establishment Pill, failure meant death and the dissipation of one's Dao, stopping countless talented disciples in their tracks.

"The Foundation Establishment Pill's formula has only one main ingredient: a Second-Order Demon Core... The Demon Core's demon power must be full and flawless. Our sect excels at raising Horned Serpents, so the spiritual power of Second-Order Demon Cores is mainly water-aligned, making them most suitable for Foundation Establishment by cultivators practicing water-attribute techniques... If it is to be taken by other Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivators, the refining methods must undergo corresponding changes..." Elder Tianding's voice carried clearly into every disciple's ears.