Cui Zhe's Foundation Establishment (Seeking Recommendations)

Pill Island.

"Big news... This time, the sect released three Foundation Establishment Pills. The first was indisputably exchanged for by Cui Zhe... The second fell into Senior Brother Ruan Tianshou's hands."

"The third... was just exchanged for by Five Dragons Child!"

"Five Dragons Child? I remember he was still short on merit. Who knows who he borrowed from... That man is coldhearted and fickle. Someone actually dared to bet on him?"

"The sect's distribution of Foundation Establishment Pills—Contribution Points are merely a hard requirement. Dozens of us disciples could pool enough together. But do you think the sect would exchange one for you? They gave it to Five Dragons Child because they naturally believe he has hope of Foundation Establishment..."

Upon Cold Spring Peak, numerous disciples casually chatted as they practiced Water-Method Alchemy, their voices full of envy and jealousy toward Five Dragons Child.

Fang Qing did not particularly care.

Though he paid Spirit Assets, he regarded them as protection money.

The Five Dragons Society took the protection money, offered him shelter while he was weak, and provided many channels and connections.

To say nothing else, without the Five Dragons Society, the Spirit Pool inside his cave dwelling 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 expected to recover it when he handed it over.

"Five Dragons Child... I wonder whether he'll succeed?"

After returning to his cave dwelling, Fang Qing habitually wanted to cast a divination, but then forcibly restrained himself and instead calculated Hua Lian's fate. "Hm? So the sect had long noticed and was secretly investigating? I don't even need to act—this man already has a death star hanging over his head. Not only will he die, his entire clan will suffer calamity?"

Though the matter of acting as a spy for Flying Fish Island was extremely secretive, anything done would inevitably leave traces!

Not to mention that the Azure Sea Sect would not reason with Flying Fish Island!

Once suspicion arose, they could immediately exterminate the clan and confiscate its property... then calmly search for evidence afterward!

"One less familiar face again..."

Fang Qing sighed and came to the Spirit Pool, where he began refining pills.

This time, he did not refine low-grade spirit water to warm the furnace. Instead, he directly began refining Ice-Soul Spirit Water!

This spirit water's refining method had also come from Zhong Wufu. Since the Azure Sea Sect and the Zhong Family had fought, they had seized quite a number of ice-element spiritual materials. Fang Qing merely strolled around the market area of the Palace of Miscellaneous Affairs and easily gathered 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 whether I'll ever get to witness the true form of that famous great divine power?"

"This Ice-Soul Spirit Water is frigid by nature. It is quite effective in pulverizing medicinal ingredients and even preserving their medicinal properties..."

Several hours later, Fang Qing looked at the jade bottle in his hand and nodded inwardly.

At this time, its surface was already covered in a layer of white frost.

Clearly, this batch of Ice-Soul Spirit Water had been successfully refined.

"Next comes Qi Refining Powder..."

Fang Qing casually pointed a finger. Under the Water Control Art, the Ice-Soul Spirit Water resembled a cold black dragon, circling above the Spirit Pool.

The main ingredients for several batches of Qi Refining Powder instantly burst apart and turned into powder.

With the aid of his Spiritual Sense and spirit water, although it was Fang Qing's first time refining Qi Refining Powder, his luck was decent, and the first pool succeeded.

"The appearance is slightly inferior to Prime Quality... 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, pondering inwardly.

At the same time, his hands formed seals, sending streams of Dharma Power into the Spirit Pool.

"Water-Method Alchemy is slow, but it has one advantage: time can improve a pill's quality..."

"For example, this pool of Qi Refining Powder, whose appearance is less than perfect—so long as I nurture it for a few more days... it should reach Prime Quality. The Pill Poison will also fall to a reasonable level."

"If a batch of Prime Quality Qi Refining Powder has perfect appearance, then through water-method nurturing... perhaps it could become a premium 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 through the meridians of his entire body.

"Not bad. It truly is the pill best suited for late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators to improve their cultivation... With this pill's assistance, I am confident I can raise my cultivation to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer within four or five years..."

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 perfection, 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 barriers of essence origin and Spirit Origin will absolutely be unable to stop me!

Even the Qi Origin Pass—the trick lies in "liquefying Dharma Power," which demands extremely high Dharma Power quality and quantity... But after cultivating the Water Classic Commentary to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer's great perfection, I can refrain from converting it into Ji Water Dharma Power and instead store it. Then I can cultivate the Black Ridge Observation Book to the Qi Ingestion Ninth Layer and convert it all into Origin Qi... That is at least the Dharma Power of two Qi Refining Ninth Layers. Stacked together, that should get me through the Qi Origin Pass, shouldn't it?

Looking at it this way, even without a Foundation Establishment Pill, my chance of successful Foundation Establishment would be frighteningly high!

But failure in Foundation Establishment almost always means dying with every meridian severed. I cannot gamble... At the very least, I need one Foundation Establishment Pill as insurance...

I can't just refuse to break through Foundation Establishment forever, endlessly accumulate Origin Qi, and become the strongest Qi Refinement cultivator in history, can I?

Even if he cultivated more than a dozen Ninth Layer techniques, the Qi Refinement Realm still could not compare to the Foundation Establishment Realm. It was a matter of quantitative change versus qualitative transformation.

Fang Qing silently planned out his Foundation Establishment scheme. If everything went smoothly, he could achieve Foundation Establishment after the next True Disciple Grand Competition!

By then, even that shitty place... Forget it. That shitty place has never been reasonable. Just when I think Foundation Establishment will let me throw my weight around, some Purple Mansion cultivator might show up and blow up fish...

Yet even knowing Ancient Shu was a cesspit, a shitty place, Fang Qing found it difficult to abandon it.

After all, the issue of his aptitude remained an eternal ache in his heart.

Cultivators with middle-grade aptitude mostly spent their entire lives circling around the Qi Refinement Realm, with only the slightest possibility of breaking through to Foundation Establishment.

And after Foundation Establishment, their cultivation would almost completely stagnate. Ninety-nine percent would be stuck at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage!

Without vast resources, Fang Qing felt that Core Formation was little more than a fantasy for him.

But Ancient Shu's resources and cultivation methods... were the medicine that could cure this problem!

Without the Black Ridge Observation Book, he might still have been stuck at the threshold of Water-Method Alchemy.

Without the Horse-Head Vajra Protector Divine Art, Spiritual Sense would have been even more impossible.

And Plum Blossom Divination had resolved the major problem of his own safety.

"So... I still have to go to that shitty place. I have an agreement with that old fox about the Great Sun Cultivation Method. I hope that demon will keep a little credit... Also, don't blow up my fish. Before the next transaction, I definitely have to cast a divination first and ask whether it is auspicious or inauspicious..."

It had to be said that ever since the Shabby Daoist blew up his fish last time, Fang Qing had become rather jumpy at the sight of a bow reflected in a cup.

Just as Fang Qing was cultivating behind closed doors.

Myriad Treasures Island.

Inside a cave dwelling.

Hua Lian slowly finished his cultivation and stroked a jade pendant at his waist, green enough to drip with life. "The gains from last time were all handed over to the family for handling... According to our agreement, they should send me a batch of pills capable of advancing my cultivation."

"As long as there are enough pills, even someone with low-grade aptitude can advance by leaps and bounds during the Qi Refinement Realm."

"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 certainly succeed in Foundation Establishment!"

He was imagining his bright future when his expression suddenly changed.

Rumble!

The cave dwelling shook, and a curtain of light was torn open.

Crash!

A great quantity of shattered stone flew everywhere.

"Who dares attack my cave dwelling?"

Hua Lian hurriedly took out a Tortoise Shell Shield to protect himself, his voice carrying a trace of fear.

Those who dared forcibly break into an inner disciple's cave dwelling within the sect could only be...

"Heavenly Punishment Island, Hall of Punishing Evil, Cui Zhe!"

A streak of sword light shot forth. It was not especially blazing, yet it carried a stern intent capable of shattering all methods.

With only one strike, the Tortoise Shell Shield, a high-grade artifact, shattered into fragments.

The terrifying gust that followed made Hua Lian spit blood, and his entire body was slammed against the wall like a painting hung there.

"Senior Brother Cui? No... Martial Uncle Cui? You... succeeded in Foundation Establishment? Why have you come to arrest this disciple? This disciple is wronged!"

Clinging to a shred of luck, Hua Lian immediately shouted.

"It is useless. Everyone from the Hua Family within the sect has already been arrested. Not even a single sound-transmission talisman can be sent out..."

Cui Zhe looked quite young, with a slightly pointed chin, bright eyes, and a faintly carefree smile at the corner of his mouth. "Your Flying Fish Island actually dared to pledge allegiance to the Zhong Family and leak our 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 that no amount of argument could help him.

"Speaking of which... the flaw came from your side."

The smile on Cui Zhe's lips became increasingly strange.

"Impossible! I know that I did not reveal the slightest flaw..."

Hua Lian's pupils contracted. If it had been exposed because of him, his Dao Heart would collapse!

After all, he had always considered himself cautious in his conduct. He should not have left behind even the slightest clue!

"Hehe... Just because you asked, does that mean I have to tell you?"

Cui Zhe sneered, and a streak of sword light suddenly rose.

Hua Lian's head flew up. Blood gushed wildly like a fountain.

After doing all this, Cui Zhe walked out of the cave dwelling and saw Elder Heavenly Punishment.

Clearly, everything that had just happened had taken place beneath the Spiritual Sense of this Foundation Establishment Late Stage Great Cultivator.

"Elder, everything has been dealt with."

Cui Zhe respectfully saluted.

"Mm... After this, issue the Island-Annihilation Order and destroy 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 the Foundation Establishment Early Stage. He is perfect for you to test your sword against... I will personally stand guard for you."

"Thank you, Elder!"

Cui Zhe saluted respectfully, a hint of eagerness flickering in his eyes.

As a sword cultivator, he naturally favored battle, seeking opportunities for breakthroughs in cultivation amid combat.