Pill Island.
"Big news... This time, the sect released three Foundation Establishment Pills. The first was indisputably exchanged away by Cui Zhe... The second fell into Senior Brother Ruan Tianshou's hands."
"The third... was just exchanged away by Five Dragons Child!"
"Five Dragons Child? I remember he was still short on merit. Who knows whom he borrowed from... That man's heart is cold and thin; someone actually dared to gamble on him?"
"When the sect distributes Foundation Establishment Pills, Contribution Points are merely a hard requirement. If dozens of us disciples joined hands and scraped enough together, do you think the sect would let us exchange for one? They gave it to Five Dragons Child because they naturally believed he had hope of Foundation Establishment..."
On Cold Spring Peak, numerous disciples casually chatted as they performed Water-Method Alchemy. Their tones carried no lack of envy and jealousy toward Five Dragons Child.
Fang Qing did not care much about it.
Although he paid Spirit Assets, he regarded them as protection money.
The Five Dragons Society took his protection money, sheltered him while he was weak, and provided many channels and connections.
To say nothing else, without the Five Dragons Society, the Spirit Pool in his cave residence could never have been built!
And once protection money had been paid, he had never heard of anyone getting it back.
Or rather, he had never intended to get it back when he handed it over.
"Five Dragons Child... I wonder whether he can succeed?"
After returning to his cave residence, Fang Qing habitually wanted to cast a divination, but then forcibly restrained himself and calculated Hua Lian's fate instead. "Hm? So the sect had noticed long ago and was secretly investigating? I do not even need to act. Death stars are already hanging over his head—not only will he die, his entire clan will suffer calamity?"
Though acting as a spy for Flying Fish Island was extremely secretive, so long as something had been done, it would inevitably leave traces!
Not to mention, the Azure Sea Sect would not reason things out with Flying Fish Island!
Once suspicion arose, they could immediately wipe out the household and confiscate their property... then calmly search for evidence!
"A familiar face is about to disappear once more..."
Fang Qing sighed and arrived at the Spirit Pool, where he began refining pills.
This time, rather than refining low-grade spirit water to warm the furnace, he directly began refining "Ice-Soul Spirit Water"!
The method for refining this spirit water had come from Zhong Wufu. Since the Azure Sea Sect had fought the Zhong Family and seized quite a few ice-element spiritual materials, Fang Qing only needed to stroll around the stalls at the Palace of Miscellaneous Affairs to easily gather everything he needed.
"The key to Water-Method Alchemy... lies first in refining spirit water!"
"First-Order Ice-Soul Spirit Water, Second-Order Ice-Soul Cold Radiance, Third-Order Ice Soul Mystic Light... I wonder if I will someday be able to glimpse the true form of this famous great Divine Ability?"
"This Ice-Soul Spirit Water is extremely cold in nature. It is rather useful for pulverizing medicinal ingredients and even preserving their medicinal properties..."
Several hours later, Fang Qing looked at the jade bottle in his hand and silently nodded.
A layer of white frost now covered the bottle's surface.
Clearly, this portion of Ice-Soul Spirit Water had been successfully refined.
"Next comes the Qi Refining Powder..."
Fang Qing casually pointed. Under the Water Control Art, the Ice-Soul Spirit Water became like a cold black dragon, coiling above the Spirit Pool.
The primary ingredients of several portions of "Qi Refining Powder" instantly burst apart and turned into powder.
With the aid of Spiritual Sense and spirit water, although this was Fang Qing's first time refining Qi Refining Powder, his luck was not bad. He succeeded with the first pool.
"The appearance is slightly inferior to Prime Quality... and the Pill Poison is a little over the limit."
His Spiritual Sense swept over the Spirit Pool as he watched powdered crystals begin settling at the bottom, quietly pondering.
At the same time, his hands formed seals, and streams of Dharma Power entered the Spirit Pool.
"Water-Method Alchemy is slow, but it has one advantage: time can be used to improve a pill's quality..."
"For instance, this pool of less-than-perfect 'Qi Refining Powder' only needs to be nurtured for several more days... It should reach Prime Quality, and its Pill Poison will also drop to a reasonable level."
"If Prime Quality 'Qi Refining Powder' with flawless appearance is nurtured through the water method... perhaps it can become a superior pill?"
Several days later.
Fang Qing looked at a portion of Prime Quality Qi Refining Powder in his hand, nodded, and lightly licked it.
In an instant, the surging Black Water Dharma Power within his Dantian Qi Sea seemed to be drawn by something. It began circulating violently, coursing through the meridians of his entire body.
"Not bad. It truly is the most suitable pill for late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators to improve their cultivation... With this pill's aid, I am confident that within four or five years, I can raise my cultivation to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer..."
And five years later would be the True Disciple Grand Competition!
Fang Qing silently calculated. "By then, my Horse-Head Vajra Protector Divine Art should also reach its first great completion, comparable to Second-Order Body Refinement..."
"The secret to Foundation Establishment lies in the unity and transformation of essence, qi, and spirit... I have already cultivated Spiritual Sense. If I also attain Second-Order Body Refinement, the essence origin and Spirit Origin Pass barriers definitely will not stop me!"
"Even the Qi Origin Pass—the trick is 'liquefying Dharma Power,' which demands extremely high quality and quantity of Dharma Power... But after cultivating the Water Classic Commentary to Qi Refining Ninth Layer Grand Completion, I can refrain from converting it into [Winnowing Basket Water] Dharma Power and store it instead. Then I can cultivate the Black Ridge Observation Book to the Qi Ingestion Ninth Layer and convert it all into Origin Qi... That amounts to the Dharma Power of at least two Qi Refining Ninth Layers. Stacked together, it should be enough to pass the Qi Origin Pass, right?"
"Looking at it this way, even without a Foundation Establishment Pill's assistance, my chance of succeeding in Foundation Establishment would be frighteningly high!"
"But failure in Foundation Establishment almost always means dying with severed meridians. I cannot gamble... At the very least, I need a Foundation Establishment Pill as insurance..."
"Surely I cannot keep refusing to break through to Foundation Establishment, endlessly accumulating Origin Qi until I become the strongest Qi Refinement cultivator in history?"
Even if he cultivated more than ten ninth-layer cultivation methods, the Qi Refinement Realm would still be inferior to the Foundation Establishment Realm. It was a matter of quantitative change versus qualitative change.
Fang Qing silently planned his own grand Foundation Establishment scheme. If all went smoothly, he could achieve Foundation Establishment after the next True Disciple Grand Competition!
"By then, even in that shitty place... Forget it. That shitty place has never cared about reason. Just when I think Foundation Establishment will let me show off my might, a Purple Mansion cultivator might come along to blast fish..."
Still, even knowing Ancient Shu was a cesspit, a shitty place, Fang Qing found it difficult to give up on it.
After all, his aptitude had always been an everlasting pain in his heart.
Cultivators with middle-grade aptitude mostly spent their entire lives going in circles within the Qi Refinement Realm, with only a slim chance of breaking through to Foundation Establishment.
After Foundation Establishment, their cultivation would almost entirely stagnate. Ninety-nine percent would be stuck at Foundation Establishment Early Stage!
Without enormous resources, Fang Qing felt that his own Core Formation was little more than a fantasy.
Yet Ancient Shu's resources and cultivation methods... were the proper medicine for solving this problem!
Without the Black Ridge Observation Book, he might still be stuck at the threshold of Water-Method Alchemy.
Without the Horse-Head Vajra Protector Divine Art, Spiritual Sense would be utterly out of reach.
And the Plum Blossom Divination had solved the great problem of his personal safety.
"So... I still have to go to that shitty place. I have an agreement with that old fox concerning the Great Sun Cultivation Method. I hope that demon can show some integrity... Also, do not blast my fish. Before the next transaction, I absolutely must cast a divination first and ask whether it will bring fortune or misfortune..."
It had to be said that ever since the Shabby Daoist had blasted his fish last time, Fang Qing had become somewhat jumpy at the mere sight of a bow.
While Fang Qing was in secluded cultivation, diligently training.
Myriad Treasures Island.
Inside a cave residence.
Hua Lian slowly concluded his cultivation and stroked a jade pendant at his waist, green enough to drip. "All the gains from last time were handed over to the family for handling... According to our agreement, they should send me a batch of pills that can advance my cultivation."
"So long as there are enough pills for Qi Refinement cultivation, even someone with inferior aptitude can advance by leaps and bounds."
"With this assistance, perhaps I can contend for a True Disciple position next time?"
"If I obtain one Foundation Establishment Pill from the sect and the family supports me with another, then with two Foundation Establishment Pills, I will definitely succeed in Foundation Establishment!"
He was fantasizing about a bright future when his expression suddenly changed.
Rumble!
The cave residence shook, and a curtain of light was torn apart.
Crash!
A great quantity of shattered stone sprayed outward.
"Who dares attack my cave residence?"
Hua Lian hurriedly took out a Tortoise Shell Shield to protect himself, his voice carrying a trace of fear.
Those who dared forcibly break open an inner sect disciple's cave residence within the sect could only be...
"Heavenly Punishment Island, Hall of Punishing Evil, Cui Zhe!"
A streak of sword light flew forth. It was not especially blazing, yet it carried the stern intent to shatter all techniques.
With just one sword strike, the Tortoise Shell Shield, a high-grade Dharma artifact, turned into fragments.
The terrifying gust that followed made Hua Lian spit blood, pinning his entire body against the wall like a hanging painting.
"Senior Brother Cui? No... Martial Uncle Cui? You... succeeded in Foundation Establishment? Why have you come to arrest this disciple? This disciple has been wronged!"
Clinging to a thread of luck, Hua Lian immediately shouted.
"It is useless. Everyone from the Hua Family within the sect has already been arrested. Not a single sound-transmission talisman can be sent out now..."
Cui Zhe looked very young, with a slightly pointed chin, bright eyes, and a faintly irreverent smile at the corners of his mouth. "Flying Fish Island actually dared to side with the Zhong Family and leak this sect's great secrets. Are you prepared for your entire clan to be exterminated?"
Hua Lian's face changed drastically. "I... How did you discover it?"
At this point, he knew no amount of sophistry would be useful.
"Speaking of which... the flaw came from your side."
The smile on Cui Zhe's lips became increasingly strange.
"Impossible! I ask myself that I did not leave the slightest flaw..."
Hua Lian's pupils constricted. If the secret had been exposed because of him, his Dao Heart would collapse!
After all, he considered himself cautious in all matters. He should not have left behind the slightest clue!
"Hehe... Because you asked, I have to tell you?"
Cui Zhe sneered, and sword light suddenly rose.
Hua Lian's head flew off. Blood gushed wildly like a fountain.
After doing all this, Cui Zhe walked out of the cave residence and saw Elder Heavenly Punishment.
Clearly, everything that had just happened had taken place beneath this great Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator's Spiritual Sense.
"Elder, everything has been handled properly."
Cui Zhe respectfully bowed.
"Mm... Next, issue the Island-Annihilation Order and wipe out the Hua Family of Flying Fish Island."
Elder Heavenly Punishment said expressionlessly, "That Hua Family ancestor has cultivated bitterly for many years, yet remains only at Foundation Establishment Early Stage. He is just right for you to test your sword on... This old man will personally stand guard for you."
"Many thanks, Elder!"
Cui Zhe respectfully bowed, his eyes carrying a trace of eagerness to try.
As a sword cultivator, he naturally favored battle, seeking the opportunity for a breakthrough in cultivation amid combat.
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