Spirit-Concentrating Powder and Setting Sail (Please Follow)

Moonlight flowed like water.

Inside the cave abode.

"I contemplate Black Ridge, where clear springs gush forth..."

Fang Qing had converted his Qi Ingestion Dao mana and was silently comprehending [Ji Water].

Whoosh!

Mana surged and roiled through his body, and in an instant, he broke through some barrier.

"Finally... Qi Ingestion Level Four."

"All that Ginseng Green Spirit Water I drank wasn't for nothing."

Fang Qing opened his eyes, a trace of excitement on his face. "With this, my Qi Ingestion Dao cultivation technique has likewise entered the mid stage."

After thinking for a moment, he closed his eyes.

The Dao-Born Pearl spun round and round. The [Ji Water] mana around Fang Qing's body vanished, transforming into Blackwater mana!

"As the water flows through its course, all comes naturally..."

A smile appeared on his face as he felt the Blackwater mana within him drift with the current. Then, it suddenly broke through, and the qi sea in his dantian expanded by another circle.

"Qi Refinement Level Five... At this rate, I'm probably even a little faster than Zha Zhu? Is it because I cultivate all three flowers of essence, qi, and spirit, and have converted them all?"

After all, he also possessed the Horse-Head Vajra Protector Divine Art, cultivating both essence source and spirit source. This breakthrough had likewise converted its strange power!

"This cultivation speed is a little too fast. I can conceal it somewhat."

With that thought, Fang Qing immediately converted part of his Blackwater mana, causing his aura to fall back to Qi Refinement Level Four.

After breaking through, he left seclusion feeling refreshed and clear-minded, only to see the sound-transmission talisman Xu Wusu had sent him. "Oh? The procedures have all been handled? Truly, double happiness has arrived."

A short while later, inside a pavilion.

Fang Qing entered and saw Xu Wusu brewing tea.

"Haha... Junior Brother Fang, I had to make many trips before I managed to obtain the sect decree for you. With this, you can renovate your cave abode and draw in a water vein, so long as it does not exceed the first tier."

Xu Wusu took out a letter talisman. "Besides that, I contacted Senior Sister Qin from Formation Island for you... Senior Sister Qin is a first-tier high-grade formation master and also has hopes of becoming a true disciple. If Senior Brother Five Dragons Child were not on good terms with her, she truly would not have agreed to help."

"Thank you."

A hint of delight appeared on Fang Qing's face as he accepted the letter talisman. "As for that Spirit-Concentrating Powder, I happen to have some ideas..."

This Spirit-Concentrating Powder was one of the Five Dragons Society's ancient pill formulas. It could condense divine sense, but its primary ingredient had long since gone extinct on Jade Island.

"When the primary ingredient in one of our pill formulas goes extinct, we generally gather materials from sea demon beasts as substitutes... For that Seven-Star Grass, how about using Seven-Star Treasure Fish?"

"Sigh... We thought of that long ago and even acquired several Seven-Star Treasure Fish to try it. But whether it was the fish blood, flesh, or bones... none met the requirements."

Xu Wusu shook his head in disappointment. How could replacing the primary ingredient in an ancient pill formula possibly be simple?

Without hundreds or thousands of experiments and accumulated experience... one needed to be a grandmaster of alchemy, with every transformation of medicinal principles clear in one's heart, to identify even a few possibilities.

Even a grandmaster would need to fail several batches before having any hope of success.

"Sigh..."

Fang Qing likewise showed disappointment.

"Haha, never mind that... A year has now passed, and the results are in for those twenty-five true disciples who entered seclusion."

Xu Wusu brought up another matter. "Senior Brother Zhang, Senior Sister Can... eight in total successfully established their foundations. All the rest failed."

"Twenty-five people, and eight succeeded? That's close to a thirty percent success rate?"

Fang Qing murmured.

"That's right. A genuine Foundation Establishment Pill can increase one's hope of Foundation Establishment by thirty percent..." Xu Wusu naturally had an ulterior meaning in mentioning this. "Those true disciples who failed are now stepping down one after another. Preparations for the next round of competition for true disciples will have to begin early..."

This was really just urging him for spirit stones.

"Thanks to Senior Brother Xu's efforts in handling the procedures this time. It is but a small token; please help me deliver it to the society."

Fang Qing smiled and took out a small pouch of spirit stones.

"Haha, excellent."

After accepting the spirit stones, the smile on Xu Wusu's face became much more sincere. He sighed again. "Foundation Establishment is difficult indeed... Even true disciples who fail once are permanently consigned to another register. Who knows how they will repay the contribution points they borrowed afterward? Unless the sect shows mercy beyond its laws, they will have no second chance at Foundation Establishment..."

In theory, once one failed after taking a Foundation Establishment Pill, the sect would abandon them. Naturally, there were exceptions.

For example, disciples of Golden Core ancestors, direct descendants of powerful inner sect elders, and the like...

Fang Qing was long accustomed to it. Compared to Ancient Shu, this little bit of cruelty in sect competition was nothing at all. Even if forcibly attempting Foundation Establishment without a Foundation Establishment Pill meant death upon failure, that was still better than consuming human pills, was it not?

"By the way, building a spirit spring in your cave abode is quite a major undertaking. The reconstruction will take a long time. Could it be that Junior Brother plans to rent another cave abode?"

Before parting, Xu Wusu asked.

"No. I plan to go out to sea and fish... Perhaps I might catch a spirit fish that can assist in breaking through a realm, allowing my mana to advance by leaps and bounds."

Fang Qing spoke truthfully.

"Going out to sea to fish—do you have a fleet?"

Xu Wusu smiled, not taking it seriously.

Every cultivator of the Azure Sea Sect knew that opportunities without end lay within the sea. Why, then, did so many still refuse to go out to sea?

Was it not because the deeper the sea, the greater the danger?

With bad luck, one could encounter a third-tier or even fourth-tier demon beast. Even a Golden Core ancestor might not return alive!

"I have no fleet. I still prefer to act alone."

Of course Fang Qing would not form a team with others. If he went to sea alone, he could still hide in Ancient Shu if he encountered danger.

If he formed a team, never mind the question of whose orders they would follow—even hiding would be difficult.

"If I go out to sea alone and do not enter the deep sea, the risk is still manageable... Besides, it will give me the perfect opportunity to make another fortune in name."

For cultivators, going to sea and catching high-grade spirit fish was likewise a shortcut to becoming rich overnight!

Of course, more people ended up buried in fish bellies, yet that still could not stop ever more cultivators from exploring and catching fish... Hua Lian, for instance, had established his own fleet to go out to sea even without the sect organizing one.

Fang Qing did not truly need to catch any high-grade spirit fish. He merely needed an excuse for suddenly becoming wealthy.

Whoosh, whoosh.

The sea wind howled, vastly different from the tranquility of a lake.

"Seawater is [Zhen Water]. Compared to [Ji Water], it indeed possesses another kind of profound mystery..."

A lone sea skiff drifted across the ocean as Fang Qing silently experienced the sea's unpredictable moods.

"The cultivation of the Qi Ingestion Dao seems to place greater emphasis on 'Dao practice,' or rather... one's comprehension of water virtue."

"So troublesome. As expected, it cannot compare to the Qi Refinement Way, which can advance valiantly and fiercely..."

After comprehending for half the day without gaining anything, he took out a pill formula and silently studied it.

This pill formula was precisely the Spirit-Concentrating Powder obtained from the Five Dragons Society!

"Qi Refinement Way medicinal pills mainly come in the forms of waters, powders, pellets, and pills... Each has its own strengths, and their refining methods differ."

"This Spirit-Concentrating Powder is even more difficult to refine than spirit water."

Fang Qing sighed.

It had now been seven days since his conversation with Xu Wusu.

After obtaining the letter talisman, he had immediately gone to Formation Island to request an audience with that Senior Sister Qin.

Senior Sister Qin's attainments in formations were indeed extraordinary. She had also taught herself the way of earth masters, so there was no need to find another person to draw in the water vein.

After examining Fang Qing's cave abode, she immediately provided a renovation plan.

Fang Qing thus handed the cave abode over to Senior Sister Qin, packed up his belongings, and went out to sea to fish.

But fishing was merely a cover. His own cultivation remained his primary focus.

After his daily cultivation, he began pondering the pill formula again.

"This ancient Spirit-Concentrating Powder formula has actually already been solved more than halfway by the Five Dragons Society. Most materials can be found on Jade Island or replaced with substitutes. Only this Seven-Star Grass is truly without a solution..."

Thinking of this, Fang Qing gave a mysterious smile and slapped his storage pouch.

A jade box opened, revealing a strange spirit herb within. On its spiritual leaves were patterns like little stars. It was precisely Seven-Star Grass.

"Of the Five Dragons Society's several pill formulas beneficial to divine sense, only this Spirit-Concentrating Powder has had its main ingredient found in Ancient Shu... Next, once the spirit pool is completed, I can try opening the furnace and refining it myself."

For a pill of such importance, Fang Qing would have to be a fool to refine it at Cold Spring Peak, much less hand it over to the Five Dragons Society.

Trying to refine it himself and taking it himself was the proper course!

The sun rose and set, the tides swelled and ebbed...

Fang Qing sat cross-legged on the boat. Every day, he devoted two fixed hours to refining qi and cultivating his techniques, then set aside another hour to temper his body and cultivate the Horse-Head Vajra Protector Divine Art.

He spent the rest of his time reading various miscellaneous books and alchemy classics, studying ancient pill formulas.

When he occasionally took a break, he half reclined on the fishing boat and cast his line for sea fishing.

He knew what mattered. He never ventured into the dangerous deep sea, only circling through several safe waters near Jade Island that had already been explored.

As a result, though his catches were meager, he encountered no danger either.

On this day.

Splash!

Feeling the fishing rod tremble, Fang Qing's face lit up with delight as he violently reeled it in.

A Treasure Fish whose entire body resembled jade was flung from the sea, and he easily caught it in his hand.

The Treasure Fish opened its bloody maw, its mouth full of sharp teeth like saw blades. It bit down on Fang Qing's hand with a crunching sound, yet could not even break his skin.

"Jadeflower Treasure Fish? Not bad luck today..."

Seeing this, Fang Qing applied a little force with his palm, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

This fish was the main ingredient in refining Jadeflower Spirit Water and was considered relatively valuable among Treasure Fish.

Of course, it was only a half-demon and had not yet entered a tier. It could not possibly penetrate the defenses of his first-tier low-grade body tempering.

"If I encountered a first-tier low-grade, or even mid-grade spirit fish... it would not be so easy. The human body is ultimately unsuited to underwater combat, unless one cultivates special arts, such as water thunder techniques..."

Within the sect, there were cultivators who specialized as fishermen. Their cultivation techniques, spells, and magical artifacts were all intended for underwater fishing, making them remarkably formidable when catching spirit fish.

Of course, when they encountered danger, they died quickly as well...