[You did not hesitate and immediately headed to the enormous city's north gate.]
[Cultivators streamed in and out beneath the north gate, which stood over a hundred feet tall.]
[Even Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators who wanted to enter the immortal city had to obediently land and enter through here.]
[You followed the immortal city's rules, and soon your turn came.]
[After paying one spirit stone, you received an identity token.]
[With this identity token, you could move around certain areas within the immortal city.]
[When you left the immortal city, you would have to return the identity token, and you could also get your spirit stone back.]
[You had made preparations long before coming. After entering the immortal city, you immediately headed toward the inner city.]
[Alchemist Zhao Kan lived in the inner city.]
[The inner city of Azure Moon Immortal City enjoyed the spiritual environment of a second-tier spirit vein.]
[Soon, you arrived before an Alchemy Hall.]
["What brings you here?" At the entrance to the hall, an ordinary-looking female cultivator glanced at you and asked.]
["I came to visit Alchemist Zhao Kan."]
[You answered immediately.]
["Mm." The female cultivator seemed thoroughly accustomed to this and said casually, "Go queue up in the side hall."]
[With that, she led you to the side hall.]
[Dozens of cultivators were already waiting inside.]
[Among these dozens of cultivators were those in the late Qi Refining period as well as those in the Foundation Establishment Realm.]
[The female cultivator's arrival immediately drew their attention.]
[One Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator immediately approached and cupped his hands. "Fellow Daoist, I have an urgent matter. I'd like to ask Alchemist Zhao to refine a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills. I've prepared all the main ingredients and supplementary materials. Could you perhaps..."]
["Foundation Establishment Pills..."]
[The female cultivator nodded and said expressionlessly, "Let me work it out. You'll probably have to wait over ten years before Master can refine them for you."]
["Over ten years?" The Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator's expression darkened. Naturally, he was asking Alchemist Zhao Kan to refine Foundation Establishment Pills for a junior in his family.]
[Refine them over ten years later? He could wait, but his junior could not.]
["Couldn't you make an exception..."]
[The Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator forced a smile and humbled himself.]
["No exceptions."]
[The ordinary-looking female cultivator shook her head, giving him no face whatsoever.]
[Standing nearby and watching this, your expression changed slightly.]
[Even a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator seeking pills had to wait over ten years. How long would you have to wait?]
[At this thought, you immediately took out the token Pill Master Yun had given you.]
[Only a fool would leave useful connections unused.]
[When the ordinary-looking female cultivator saw you take out the token, she paid little attention at first.]
[But after looking it over, her expression gradually changed.]
["Wait here a moment."]
[The ordinary-looking female cultivator took the token and headed into the inner hall.]
[You instantly became the focus of everyone's attention.]
[Everyone could tell that the token was no ordinary item.]
[Otherwise, it would not have elicited such a reaction from the ordinary-looking female cultivator.]
["Young friend..."]
[The Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator beside you began talking to you.]
[You did not reveal the token's origins and merely exchanged a few perfunctory remarks.]
[Before long, the ordinary-looking female cultivator came back out.]
["Come inside with me. Master wants to see you."]
[The ordinary-looking female cultivator approached you and spoke.]
[At these words, the many cultivators present immediately cast envious looks your way.]
[Clearly, being personally summoned by Alchemist Zhao put you in an entirely different position from the cultivators waiting in the side hall.]
[Without hesitation, you immediately followed the ordinary-looking female cultivator.]
[Inside the inner hall, you met Alchemist Zhao Kan.]
[Alchemist Zhao Kan was a white-haired old man dressed in white robes. At that moment, his head was lowered as he stroked the token you had presented.]
[You sensed a dense, powerful fluctuation of magical power from Alchemist Zhao Kan, every bit as strong as that of Ruan Hu from Beast Taming Mountain all those years ago.]
["When did Yun pass away?"]
[Alchemist Zhao did not raise his head to look at you.]
["Brother Yun... passed away over twenty years ago..."]
[You answered truthfully.]
["That foolish child..." Alchemist Zhao Kan sighed.]
[You privately surmised that the relationship between Alchemist Zhao Kan and Pill Master Yun was more than a simple master-disciple bond.]
["Tell me, what do you want?"]
[Alchemist Zhao Kan put away the token and looked at you.]
["I'd like to ask you to refine Foundation Establishment Pills, Alchemist Zhao."]
[You spoke immediately.]
["Refine Foundation Establishment Pills?"]
[Alchemist Zhao Kan showed no surprise.]
[Almost all Qi Refining cultivators who approached him sought Foundation Establishment Pills.]
["Although you have Yun's token, you still need to prepare the main ingredients and supplementary herbs if you want me to refine Foundation Establishment Pills..."]
[Alchemist Zhao Kan said.]
["Of course..."]
[You nodded, then hesitated slightly before lightly patting your storage pouch. Spiritual herbs appeared before you, one after another.]
["I'm still missing the Twinborn Flower..."]
[Refining Foundation Establishment Pills required three main ingredients and eight supplementary herbs.]
[The supplementary herbs were easy to gather, but as for the main ingredients...]
[The three main ingredients for Foundation Establishment Pills were Profound Yin Grass, Profound Yang Fruit, and Twinborn Flower.]
[These three main ingredients were monopolized by the major powers.]
[Decades ago, you had killed Maple Leaf and obtained two of the main ingredients from him: Profound Yin Grass and Profound Yang Fruit.]
[Over the years, you had gathered all the supplementary herbs for Foundation Establishment Pills. Only the Twinborn Flower remained missing, with no opportunity to obtain it.]
[You looked at Alchemist Zhao Kan.]
[Your plan was to first ask Alchemist Zhao Kan whether he knew a channel through which you could buy a Twinborn Flower with spirit stones.]
[If that did not work, you intended to sell all these main ingredients and supplementary herbs to Alchemist Zhao Kan as a bundle, then use the spirit stones to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill directly.]
[The auction held every three years in Azure Moon Immortal City always featured Foundation Establishment Pills.]
[There was still over a year until the next auction.]
["Missing the Twinborn Flower..."]
[Alchemist Zhao Kan considered it for a while, then said, "How about this? I'll provide the Twinborn Flower. Give me these main ingredients and supplementary herbs, and I'll guarantee you one Foundation Establishment Pill. What do you think?"]
["Thank you, Alchemist Zhao."]
[You immediately expressed your thanks.]
[When an ordinary alchemist refined Foundation Establishment Pills, good luck could yield three pills in a batch. Average luck yielded two, poor luck yielded only one, and terrible luck meant the refinement failed without producing a single pill.]
[Although you had supplied most of the main ingredients and supplementary herbs needed to refine Foundation Establishment Pills, you could reliably obtain one pill in return. This amounted to a guaranteed yield.]
[Even if Alchemist Zhao Kan failed to refine the Foundation Establishment Pills, you would not be affected. You would still receive one.]
[No matter how you looked at it, you would not lose out.]
[Other cultivators seeking pills had no such guaranteed yield.]
[If the refinement failed, they received nothing.]
["Mm. Come back in two months."]
[After speaking, Alchemist Zhao Kan rose and headed into the inner hall.]
[After leaving the Alchemy Hall, you began wandering around the immortal city.]
[You had not spent all your spirit stones and continued purchasing numerous craft inheritances.]
[Azure Moon Immortal City was far more prosperous than Listening Rain Market, and the inheritances sold here encompassed every field.]
[Most of the craft inheritances you purchased were Alchemy Path inheritances, since that was your primary craft. Beast Taming Inheritance came next.]
[After this simulation ended, you would obtain a Dark Demon Eagle with an earth-grade bloodline in the next simulation. Purchasing Beast Taming Inheritance also served as advance preparation for commanding the Dark Demon Eagle.]
[Two months passed in the blink of an eye.]
[As agreed, you returned to Alchemist Zhao Kan's Alchemy Hall.]
[This time, you did not see Alchemist Zhao Kan. The ordinary-looking female cultivator approached you carrying a jade box.]
["Here is your pill."]
[The ordinary-looking female cultivator handed you the jade box.]
[You reached out to accept it, then slowly opened it.]
[Inside lay a lustrous, crystalline pill with two pill marks on its surface.]
["A standard-grade Foundation Establishment Pill!"]
[You were also an alchemist, so naturally, you knew what two Alchemy Path marks represented.]
[Pills were divided into waste pills, ordinary grade, standard grade, and premium grade.]
[One Alchemy Path mark indicated an ordinary-grade pill, two indicated standard grade, and three indicated premium grade.]
[Premium-grade pills could only be encountered by chance, not sought at will. Standard-grade pills were essentially the highest quality most cultivators could aspire to.]
[As for Foundation Establishment Pills... an ordinary-grade Foundation Establishment Pill could increase the chance of successful foundation establishment by twenty percentage points.]
[A standard-grade Foundation Establishment Pill could increase the chance of successful foundation establishment by twenty-five percentage points, while a premium-grade pill could increase it by thirty percentage points.]
[You slowly closed the jade box.]
[Your surging emotions swiftly settled.]
[At this moment, everything was ready.]
[There was no time to lose. It was time to attempt foundation establishment.]