"Mm... His technique was seasoned, and his Water Control Art was cultivated quite well. In the blink of an eye, he had crushed the Qi Refining Flower... He had completely mastered this Second-Order Spirit Spring."
At the side, Elder Han watched Fang Qing make his move, his pill-refining techniques incomparably smooth, and could not help nodding to himself.
Several days later, Fang Qing formed hand seals, and a batch of Qi Refining Powder emerged directly from the pool.
"Not bad, not bad..."
Elder Han accepted it and sniffed lightly. "The various main ingredients have fused quite perfectly. It is undoubtedly prime quality..."
"Thank you for your appraisal, Elder."
Fang Qing adjusted his breathing for a while, then began refining Qi-Replenishing Pills.
He had studied this pill formula before and had even tried his hand at it several times, so he was quite confident.
Even so, while deliberately concealing his Spiritual Sense, he still failed with the first pool.
I possessed Spiritual Sense at the Qi Refinement stage, a mark of genius. But the tallest tree in the forest catches the wind... With no power behind me, it is better to keep something in reserve.
Before a Foundation Establishment elder, as long as I do not use Spiritual Sense, he will not actively send his own Spiritual Sense into my sea of consciousness and discover this secret...
Precisely because of this, I can also conceal some of my pill-refining skill, turning outstanding into merely passable...
Fang Qing remained neither arrogant nor impatient. He drained away the pool of waste liquid and continued adding the main ingredients.
"Mm?"
Yet upon seeing this, Elder Han felt a hint of appreciation for talent stir in his heart.
He had seen many pill-refining geniuses. Perhaps everything went smoothly for them when circumstances were favorable, but how they performed in adversity was another matter.
This disciple named Fang Qing remained unhurried even after ruining an entire pool. His steady temperament alone rivaled that of a First-Order upper-grade pill refiner.
Fang Qing had no idea Elder Han had so many thoughts. He successfully refined the Qi-Replenishing Pills.
Afterward, he began refining Origin-Restoring Pills. This was a First-Order upper-grade healing pill. Though it lacked the effects of the Second-Order Flesh-Regenerating Bone-Replenishing Pill, which could revive the dead and regrow white bones, a severely injured Qi Refinement cultivator who swallowed one would still see their injuries greatly eased.
However, the difficulty of refining this pill was clearly much higher.
Fang Qing barely ruined two pools of spirit materials before he finally formed hand seals and caused a crimson pill to fly out from the Spirit Pool.
"Not bad, not bad... You are Fang Qing, correct? At your age, your Water Control Art can already be called outstanding among your peers."
Elder Han accepted the pill and appraised it. "It is only a pity... Many of your pill-refining techniques are clearly learned from books. You do not know how to apply them flexibly... Sometimes, a single word of guidance from a teacher can save a disciple heaven knows how much bitter labor."
After praising him for so long, he waited for Fang Qing to ask to become his disciple.
Who would have thought Fang Qing seemed not to understand either his hint or his outright implication at all? He merely listened respectfully.
"So be it... In the end, we lack the fate of master and disciple."
Elder Han sighed and waved a hand to open the formation. "Go to the Pill Hall. Now that you have advanced to a First-Order upper-grade pill refiner, you can be considered a core disciple of the sect... You may consult some Second-Order pill formulas and pill scriptures, and even rent a Second-Order Spirit Pool..."
"Thank you for your guidance, Elder."
Fang Qing showed a grateful expression and followed Elder Han to the Pill Hall to update his disciple token.
"Congratulations, Junior Brother... on advancing to a First-Order upper-grade pill refiner."
Hua Lingsu congratulated him with a face radiant as the spring breeze. "With Junior Brother's talent, I expect you will soon be able to refine a Second-Order spirit pill, advance to a Quasi-Second-Order pill refiner, and then become a true Second-Order pill refiner."
To become a Second-Order pill refiner, one had to refine at least three different kinds of Second-Order spirit pills!
If one could only refine one or two kinds, one could only be called "Quasi-Second-Order" within the sect!
Of course, among rogue cultivators outside, that would make one an unquestionable Second-Order pill-refining master!
Elder Han, standing nearby, curled his lips slightly when he heard that.
For a First-Order pill refiner, as long as one was willing to throw resources at the problem, advancing to upper-grade was easy.
But breaking through to Second-Order? Without the aid of Spiritual Sense, how difficult was that? He knew perfectly well.
If Fang Qing had been his disciple, he would certainly have drilled it into him day after day, telling him not to grow complacent and arrogant.
But now? Better forget it...
It is finally settled. I can first inspect the pill formulas, then gather the materials. I can also rent a Second-Order Spirit Pool while I am at it...
I simply need to spend a little longer, so others will think I have saved for a long time and only barely scraped together one batch of materials for a gamble... In reality, I will prepare seven or eight, even ten batches, and break through to Second-Order pill refiner in one stroke!
Fang Qing accepted his identity token, a surge of lofty spirit rising in his heart.
But in the next instant, a strange spiritual power fluctuation arrived.
"Eh?"
Elder Han sensed it first. He turned into a streak of light and flew out of the Pill Hall.
Together with Hua Lingsu, Fang Qing saw spiritual energy suddenly gather like clouds above a cave dwelling on Pill Island, forming an enormous vortex.
The vortex resembled a funnel, madly devouring the surrounding spiritual energy and pouring it into the cave dwelling.
What followed was a mana fluctuation far beyond the Qi Refinement stage!
"Foundation Establishment!"
"Is a disciple of this island attempting Foundation Establishment?"
Elder Han was experienced and knowledgeable. Stroking his beard, he smiled. "It appears that the Essence Origin Pass and Qi Origin Pass have both been crossed, allowing such a heavenly phenomenon to form... Next, as long as Spiritual Sense is born and the Spirit Origin Pass is crossed, our island will gain another fellow Daoist."
"Judging by the location of that cave dwelling, it belongs to Senior Brother Five Dragons Child."
After observing for a while, Hua Lingsu suddenly spoke. The expression in her eyes as she looked at Fang Qing was somewhat strange.
Fang Qing did not think much of it. He had never seen a cultivator attempt Foundation Establishment before, so he watched with great interest.
"Mm, a breakthrough on the Qi Refinement Way does not have a small display of force... But it seems to lack the profundity of the Breath-Nourishing Dao..."
After all, he had witnessed the Sea-Mixing Flood Serpent undergo Tribulation Crossing. Its display had certainly been immense.
But for it to affect an entire prefecture, manifest phenomena, or obstruct breakthroughs in the cultivation arts of other fire-aspect cultivators... that was entirely impossible!
It seemed that Core Formation cultivators of the Qi Refinement Way would likely be inferior to Purple Mansion cultivators of the Breath-Nourishing Dao!
At this time, quite a few disciples had already gathered outside Five Dragons Child's cave dwelling, all pointing and discussing.
"I heard that Martial Uncle Cui Zhe achieved Foundation Establishment long ago and successfully emerged from seclusion. He even accepted a mission and returned after beheading Hua Tianfeng, the Hua Family's Foundation Establishment Ancestor, with his sword. He is an unparalleled sword-dao genius..."
"Compared to him, it seems the other Senior Brother Ruan failed his breakthrough?"
"Now, it depends on Five Dragons Child..."
Cultivators were all patient. Everyone waited for an entire day and night.
Suddenly!
The spiritual energy vortex trembled, and a long sigh sounded from within the cave dwelling.
The spiritual energy vortex in midair abruptly collapsed, scattering into countless dazzling motes of light that flew into the surrounding void and vanished...
"Five Dragons Child... failed Foundation Establishment?"
"That makes sense. A single prime-quality Foundation Establishment Pill only has a thirty percent chance of success..."
The observing disciples were either regretful or gleeful at another's misfortune.
Fang Qing, however, wore a solemn expression. He watched several Foundation Establishment elders send out communication talismans. The cave dwelling opened, and Five Dragons Child emerged with a pale face and bloodstained robes, then received treatment.
"Very good... It seems the Foundation Establishment Pill can ensure that one does not die after failing Foundation Establishment. Its effect is rather good."
"Five Dragons Child had already completed more than half of Foundation Establishment, yet he actually fell at the Spirit Sense Pass?"
At that thought, Fang Qing understood just how extraordinary his Horse-Head Vajra Protector Divine Art and Spirit-Concentrating Powder were.
Late at night.
Many disciple cave dwellings on Pill Island were still abuzz over Five Dragons Child's failed Foundation Establishment.
Compared to that, Fang Qing's advancement to a First-Order upper-grade pill refiner seemed utterly insignificant.
After all, Five Dragons Child had long since been an upper-grade pill refiner.
Inside his cave dwelling.
Fang Qing was copying pill scriptures.
"The Hua Family truly deserves to be a Foundation Establishment aristocratic clan. They have collected quite a few pill formulas, even the Second-Order Flesh-Regenerating Bone-Replenishing Pill... That saves me a sum of Contribution Points at the Heavenly Books Pavilion for copying pill formulas."
Although advancing to a First-Order upper-grade pill refiner gave him permission to consult pill scriptures and copy pill formulas... all of that required Contribution Points.
Fortunately, Fang Qing had killed Hua Family cultivators before and seized quite a few Hua Family books.
"This Flesh-Regenerating Bone-Replenishing Pill uses flesh-regenerating flowers and bone-replenishing grass as its main ingredients... Each is worth around one hundred spirit stones. Adding the other supplementary ingredients, one batch costs several hundred spirit stones... If I ruin a few more batches and lose over a thousand spirit stones, even Foundation Establishment cultivators would feel the pain, would they not?"
Fang Qing clicked his tongue inwardly.
After copying the pill formula, he took out a bottle of fruit wine, set out several plates of fine dishes, and began satisfying his appetite.
As he ate and drank, he also flipped through miscellaneous books obtained from the Hua Family.
"After Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment come Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and Spirit Transformation... At Spirit Transformation Completion, one can ascend to the Immortal Realm?"
In a cultivator's notes, Fang Qing saw the major realms of the Qi Refinement Way, and his heart could not help yearning for them. "What sort of power do Nascent Soul and Spirit Transformation possess? Ascension? Could one perhaps even go to the Immortal Realm?"
"But it says here with utter certainty that around ten thousand years ago, the Eastern Sea Cultivation Realm truly had a great Spirit Transformation cultivator ascend..."
He continued to read the next travel journal and discovered that it was the diary of some Hua Family ancestor.
"What proper person writes a diary?"
Fang Qing skimmed a few lines, but his interest was piqued.
After all, it involved the various powers of the Lesser Vast Sea, as well as local customs and conditions.
Suddenly, his wine cup paused as he saw a line: "...It is heard that in the hands of the Azure Sea Sect's patriarch, Azure Sea True Person, lies a supreme treasure known as the Tide-Birth Pearl, which can grant Foundation Establishment cultivators Core Formation mana at once... It was later lost. What good fortune!"
The brushstrokes overflowed with glee at another's misfortune!
"Tide-Birth Pearl!"
Fang Qing's expression darkened as he recalled the hint obtained from his previous divination. "Outer Core Method... Tide-Birth Pearl? So that is how it is. I understand now!"
"The so-called Tide-Birth Pearl requires a Third-Order Demon Pill and is refined through the Outer Core Method?"
"It seems this Hua Family ancestor only knew of the existence of this supreme treasure, not its origin or the main material used to refine it... Otherwise, how could the Zhong Family and the Heavenly Heart Chain Islands remain sitting still now?"
He remembered clearly that the Sea-Mixing Flood Serpent from before had definitely condensed a Third-Order Demon Pill. Otherwise, it could never have drawn down Heavenly Tribulation!
And that serpent was water-aspected, making it extremely compatible with the Azure Sea Sect's Azure Sea Method!
"Core Formation cultivators can use magical treasures. In terms of the subtleties of combat, they may even surpass Third-Order demon beasts by a notch... Before long, the sect will have two great Core Formation battle forces. As long as they find an opportunity to ambush the Zhong Family ancestor or Rogue Cultivator Yuyao, the overall situation of the entire Lesser Vast Sea will immediately be decided!"
Fang Qing secretly grasped the thread of the Azure Sea Sect's coming prosperity. What delighted him even more was that his cultivation in Plum Blossom Divination had advanced another step.
"To interpret the hexagrams in greater detail, I need more clues..."
"However, would the Tide-Birth Pearl refined from a peak Third-Order Demon Pill in Azure Sea Ancestor's hands have the same effect as a Tide-Birth Pearl refined from a Demon Pill that has only just entered Third-Order?"
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