Chapter 114: One Hundred Years of Foundation Establishment

Next, Kou Hong Ying took out some unused Qi Refining pills from her possession and distributed them to Fu Zhizhou and Wei Fei.

However, there was a difference in the quality of the pills she gave them.

The pills given to Fu Zhizhou were rare and precious.

The ones given to Wei Fei were more ordinary, only fulfilling basic courtesy.

Wei Fei did not mind. He laughed and accepted the pills.

Over twenty years ago, at a gathering, he had refused to help Kou Hong Ying complete a task for her sect. Now that she was looking out for him, he considered it as a gain for himself.

While they were chatting, a pale blue flash of light suddenly sped toward them.

"Junior Sister Kou..." The flash stopped, revealing a slender, black-clad male cultivator.

The black-clad male cultivator greeted Kou Hong Ying, then cast a cold glance at Wei Tu, Fu Zhizhou, and Wei Fei, his face showing signs of displeasure.

But then, as if realizing something, a forced smile appeared on his face.

"Three Dao friends come to Mirror Water Pavilion, and as Junior Sister Kou's senior brother, I failed to greet you in time. My apologies! My apologies!"

The black-clad cultivator's forced smile lingered as he emphasized "senior brother" in his speech.

Wei Tu immediately understood. This "Senior Brother Zhu" was the one who had been bothering Kou Hong Ying, the reason why she had not personally greeted them.

The tone in his voice showed that he already considered Kou Hong Ying his possession. He was also warning them to keep their distance from her.

"A fifty-six-year-old female cultivator at Foundation Establishment is rare in the Immortal Path... she could be considered a Golden Core seed..."

"Naturally, she would attract others' attention," he continued with a sly tone.

Wei Tu immediately realized the cause behind the tension.

The life expectancy for Foundation Establishment cultivators was four hundred years.

Kou Hong Ying establishing her foundation in her fifties showed high potential. Among cultivators of her age, she was considered exceptional, with a high chance of advancing to Golden Core.

Senior Brother Zhu must have had ulterior motives, wanting to win her favor. Not only would he gain a beautiful woman, but he would also gain a future Golden Core cultivator for his family.

Wei Tu coldly thought, "Although women dislike clingy men, this Senior Brother Zhu has no idea about our relationship with Kou Hong Ying. His warning is meaningless."

Wei Tu knew that Kou Hong Ying wouldn't fall for Senior Brother Zhu, especially since he and Fu Zhizhou were her close family, and her position was not as vulnerable as it appeared.

"Senior Brother Zhu, these are my elders. Please mind your tone."

Kou Hong Ying quickly turned serious, warning her senior brother and signaling him to show more respect.

Senior Brother Zhu’s face changed as he realized his mistake. His earlier arrogance faded, and he apologized.

"This was my fault."

He then presented a jade box to Wei Tu with a pained expression, acknowledging his mistake.

"This is my apology gift," Senior Brother Zhu added, presenting a jade box, knowing full well that Wei Tu was the elder of the three.

Kou Hong Ying subtly communicated with Wei Tu and urged him to accept the gift.

"Thank you, Daoist Zhu." Wei Tu took the jade box with a polite nod, placing it in his sleeve.

Later that day

After about a quarter of an incense stick, Wei Tu, Fu Zhizhou, and Wei Fei left Mirror Water Pavilion.

Once outside, Wei Fei immediately collapsed, his face pale as he gasped for breath.

"Foundation Establishment pressure is too hard to bear. Damn that Zhu Renjie," he grumbled.

The Zhu cultivator had released his Foundation Establishment pressure to intimidate them. Wei Fei had managed to endure it but had been visibly weakened afterward.

"You two seem fine. How come?" Wei Fei looked surprised as he recovered, noticing that both Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou had been unaffected.

"Foundation Establishment pressure is nothing." Fu Zhizhou glanced at Wei Fei dismissively.

Wei Fei, realizing he had been mocked, turned to Wei Tu for an explanation.

"Second Brother, isn’t Immortal Path cultivation similar to martial cultivation? If you lay a solid foundation, even if the opponent is higher level, the pressure is like a breeze against the mountainside," Wei Tu explained with a smile.

Fu Zhizhou had been at a similar stage in martial cultivation before, and his calmness in the face of pressure was a testament to his solid foundation.

Wei Fei laughed awkwardly, his discomfort slightly easing as they continued to walk towards their destination.

If the Foundation Establishment period could be solely dominated by pressure, with Qi Refining cultivators simply submitting, the Immortal cultivation world would have far fewer stories of adversity and killings.

High-level pressure only has significant effects on cultivators with unstable foundations.

When Zhu Renjie’s pressure fell on Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou, Wei Tu only felt a slight discomfort, without significant distress.

“Foundation?”

Wei Fei paused for a moment, then his expression turned thoughtful.

"I hope Second Brother pays attention to this," Wei Tu sighed inwardly as he watched the interaction.

In his view, among the three of them, if there were no unexpected changes, only he and Fu Zhizhou had a chance of reaching the next stage—breaking through to Foundation Establishment.

The bottleneck from twenty years ago had been both a setback and a stroke of luck for Fu Zhizhou.

Although it had taken almost ten years for Fu Zhizhou’s breakthrough speed to stagnate, he had only just reached the seventh layer of Qi Refinement.

But his foundation was now strong enough to rank among the top cultivators of the same level.

Additionally, with Kou Hong Ying’s Foundation Establishment, Fu Zhizhou’s investment had paid off.

Soon, he would receive a Foundation Establishment Pill.

With the Foundation Establishment Pill and the help of the "Demonic Soul Foundation Establishment Method" that he would soon acquire, Fu Zhizhou’s chance of successfully breaking through to Foundation Establishment was high.

In contrast, Wei Fei lacked a foundation and had no investments.

Even if he successfully reached the seventh layer of Qi Refinement and obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill, his chances of successfully breaking through were slim.

At this point, although Wei Fei had reached the seventh layer of Qi Refinement, he was still far behind Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou, who had already distanced themselves from him.

This was not something that a few hundred spirit stones from the “Qi Pouch” could make up for.

Foundation Establishment treasures, such as the Foundation Establishment Pill, were far more valuable than the method for crafting an “Qi Pouch.”

“A person who is diligent will not be let down by Heaven.”

"Every sip and every bite is predestined."

Wei Tu thought of these two sayings.

Back then, all four of them were cultivators with low-grade spiritual roots and had no hope of Foundation Establishment.

So, Wei Fei had abandoned the path early on, enjoying life in the secular world.

Only he and Fu Zhizhou remained diligent, taking steady steps.

Time had passed, and now both he and Fu Zhizhou had a chance to reach Foundation Establishment, but Wei Fei, due to his earlier lack of effort, found it difficult to reverse his fate, even if he was fortunate enough to receive opportunities.

The choices made over forty years ago didn’t have a good or bad outcome.

But there was a difference between victory and defeat.

If he and Fu Zhizhou failed in their pursuit of the Immortal Path, then Wei Fei’s choice would seem wise.

But now, the outcome was the opposite.

Seven days later

Wei Tu returned to Danqiu Mountain.

After arriving back at Danqiu Mountain, Wei Tu checked his belongings and decided to sell some talismans and the apology gift from Zhu Renjie at the Baibao Pavilion auction.

The jade box Zhu Renjie gave him contained a first-tier medium-grade magical weapon, the "Ghost Head Mother and Child Blade."

Had he been at the mid-stage of Qi Refinement, Wei Tu might have considered refining the "Ghost Head Mother and Child Blade" for self-defense.

But now, Wei Tu only wanted to reach Foundation Establishment.

Selling the “Ghost Head Mother and Child Blade” was the best way to gather spirit stones for the Foundation Establishment Pill.

The price of a Foundation Establishment Pill on the market was around 1,200 spirit stones.

Although Wei Tu could afford it with his current wealth, he would need to sell some precious items that couldn’t be traced back to their origins.

Two years later

At the Baibao Pavilion auction, the “Ghost Head Mother and Child Blade” was sold for 163 spirit stones.

The accumulated talismans were also sold for over 300 spirit stones.

If sold individually, the talismans would have brought in more than 100 extra spirit stones, but they were hard to sell quickly in the market.

The same kind of talisman would saturate the market in the local area.

So, the only option was to auction them off.

The cultivator who bought Wei Tu’s talismans was from the Shengjiang He family.

Wei Tu recognized this family; the first time he attended a Baibao Pavilion auction, Lou Hong had auctioned off the "Fire Pulp Fruit," which came from this family.

After the auction ended, a representative from the Shengjiang He family found Wei Tu, wanting to discuss purchasing more talismans.

"In 40 years, the Beast Tide of the Demon Wolf Mountains will come once again."

"My family’s spiritual land borders the Demon Wolf Mountains. We need to prepare more talismans..."

The representative’s name was “He Junpeng,” and after explaining his purpose, he candidly revealed the reason behind his large-scale talisman acquisition.

"Your ‘Jinglong Talisman,’ ‘Earthquake Talisman,’ and ‘Revitalization Talisman’ are urgently needed by my family..."

“I hope you can lower the price a little.”

“If possible, my family would also be willing to introduce other families’ business to you...”

He Junpeng said.

"The Beast Tide of the Demon Wolf Mountains?" Wei Tu’s expression shifted slightly upon hearing this news.

This “common knowledge” was new to him, as a free cultivator.

After all, 500 years was too far off in the future, and there were still over 40 years before the Beast Tide.

He Junpeng continued, "What price would Dao Friend Wei accept for these talismans, if you’d be willing to introduce these business opportunities..."

Wei Tu, of course, would not reject a business that came knocking on his door.

After negotiating terms with He Junpeng, he sold the remaining talismans in his possession for 200 spirit stones.

Next.

Over the course of the next five years.

Wei Tu interacted with several small Foundation Establishment families, like the Shengjiang He family, that were based near the Demon Wolf Mountain Range.

Through selling talismans, he had finally managed to save up enough spirit stones to purchase the Foundation Establishment Pill.

During this period, the ten-year gathering arrived.

Wei Tu made a decision—just like Kou Hong Ying did last time, he wrote a letter to cancel his attendance.

Ever since he began selling magical tools and talismans at the Baibao Pavilion, many people had started to take an interest in him.

It was too dangerous for him to leave Danqiu Mountain now.

“Daoist Wei, I heard that the Xianyao Mountain Secret Realm has recently unearthed a palace, which might contain Foundation Establishment materials…”

One day, the manager of Baibao Pavilion, Shen Yao, approached Wei Tu, wanting to invite him to go on an adventure to search for Foundation Establishment materials.

In recent years, Wei Tu had been tirelessly selling his possessions and accumulating spirit stones, making it obvious to everyone that he was preparing for Foundation Establishment.

Therefore, the attraction of Foundation Establishment materials to Wei Tu was easy to understand.

“The Xianyao Mountain Secret Realm?” Wei Tu was slightly surprised. He hadn’t expected Shen Yao, the smooth-talking manager of Baibao Pavilion, to be a cultivator with such intentions.

Apart from the Demon Wolf Mountain Range, which was an area open for exploration, there were other smaller secret realms within Zheng Kingdom that could be explored.

The Xianyao Mountain Secret Realm was one of the largest treasures, second only to the Demon Wolf Mountain Range.

Many Foundation Establishment cultivators often ventured there for exploration.

Had Shen Yao come a few days earlier, Wei Tu might have hesitated to call him a cultivator looking to rob others, but unfortunately, just a few days ago, Kou Hong Ying had sent him a letter mentioning her failed search for Foundation Establishment materials in the Xianyao Mountain Secret Realm.

“Manager Shen’s goodwill is appreciated, but I… am too cautious and dislike going on adventures,” Wei Tu politely declined.

He paused for a moment and added, “Rather than looking for Foundation Establishment materials in the Xianyao Mountain Secret Realm, I would prefer to purchase them from other cultivators at a high price.”

There were other cultivators in Danqiu Mountain with Foundation Establishment materials, not just Gong Shulan.

“Very well.” Shen Yao’s expression stiffened, and he sighed before cupping his hands and bidding farewell.

After Shen Yao left.

Wei Tu immediately went to Fu Zhizhou’s residence to advise him to be cautious these days and to avoid going out.

He was worried that Shen Yao and other cultivators with ulterior motives might use their connection to Fu Zhizhou and him to lure them outside.

While advising, Wei Tu also informed Fu Zhizhou of his plan to break through to Foundation Establishment within the next ten years.

“I understand.” Fu Zhizhou immediately nodded in agreement, without a trace of hesitation.

Although staying in Danqiu Mountain for ten years would have a significant impact on his future cultivation, brothers didn’t count such small matters.

Since Fu Zhizhou began to act as a scribe for Wei Tu, had it not been for Wei Tu’s life-saving talismans, he would not have survived so many times in the Demon Wolf Mountain Range.

“Third Brother, even if Hong Ying finds Foundation Establishment materials in the next ten years and gives them to you… if there is only one set of Foundation Establishment materials, it still can’t be exchanged for a Foundation Establishment Pill.”

Fu Zhizhou asked with a trace of confusion.

Two sets of Foundation Establishment materials were required to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill in the three major sects, which was common knowledge among free cultivators.

If there was only one set of Foundation Establishment materials, it could only be pooled with other cultivators to ask a second-tier alchemist to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill.

However, this method generally took a long time, and without a few decades, it was difficult to gather enough materials for the pill.

“I already have one set of Foundation Establishment materials,” Wei Tu softly revealed, taking out a jade box containing "Dan Yuan Ginseng."

Foundation Establishment materials, while rare, were not something to hide from others.

Fu Zhizhou, being a trusted person, immediately understood upon seeing the Dan Yuan Ginseng.

“Third Brother, don’t worry. I will keep this secret and won’t tell anyone,” Fu Zhizhou swore.

Afterward, Fu Zhizhou didn’t ask any more questions about the origin of the Dan Yuan Ginseng.

Everyone had their own opportunities.

If you dug too deep, even the closest brothers could become enemies.

Time passed quickly.

Four more years went by.

One day, Wei Tu, with a heart full of expectations, walked to the secluded meditation room at the Falling Snow Courtyard and sat down cross-legged.

Half an hour later, a faint spiritual pressure emanated from his body.

“Ninety-two years old, seventh layer of Qi Refinement.”

Wei Tu opened his eyes, revealing a slight trace of weariness that quickly vanished.

Then, he took a spirit-testing talisman from his sleeve and pressed it to his forehead.

In the mirror, Wei Tu saw the talisman on his forehead emit earth-green and blue lights, forming a fist-sized glow.

“Probably in about twenty more years…”

“My spiritual root will reach the medium grade. By then, my chance of success in Foundation Establishment will increase by more than 10%.”

Wei Tu thought to himself.

Cultivators with different spiritual roots had different chances of success when using a Foundation Establishment Pill.

For a low-grade spiritual root, the success rate of using a Foundation Establishment Pill was under 50%.

For a medium-grade spiritual root, the success rate could reach about 60%.

“However… if Hongying sends me the Foundation Establishment spirit herbs…”

“After exchanging them with Tai Xuan Sect, I’ll have two Foundation Establishment pills. The probability of success will be over seventy percent. Plus… this half snow lotus can increase the probability by half…”

Wei Tu silently thought to himself.

He now had two choices.

One was to wait, for the "late bloomer" fate to improve his spiritual root to a medium-grade spiritual root.

The other was to break through directly.

Save those twenty years.

“Let’s wait and see…”

“If Hongying doesn’t send the Foundation Establishment spirit herbs soon, and the time to my medium-grade spiritual root is not long, then… delaying until my spiritual root improves and then breaking through would also be fine.”

Wei Tu thought to himself.

If there were only a few years difference, improving the spiritual root first and then breaking through would be the better option.

But just at that moment.

A knock on the door came from outside the Snowfall Courtyard.

“Uncle Wei, it’s me.” The knock was followed by the sound of Kou Hongying’s voice.

Upon hearing this voice, Wei Tu immediately felt a surge of joy, secretly thinking to himself, "Double happiness comes at once."

At this moment, the only reason Kou Hongying could be coming to Danqiu Mountain to find him was to deliver the Foundation Establishment spirit herbs she had promised in the spiritual contract.

Wei Tu signaled for "Wind-Cleaving Eagle" to hide, then stood up, walked out of the cultivation room, and opened the courtyard door.

“This is the Foundation Establishment spirit herb I promised, Uncle Wei—Cold Smoke Fruit.”

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Kou Hongying took out a jade box from her storage bag and placed it on the table.

As soon as the jade box was opened,

A fist-sized ice-blue fruit immediately emitted a cold aura, lowering the temperature in the vicinity by several degrees.

Wei Tu took the Cold Smoke Fruit and cupped his hands to Kou Hongying in thanks.

From their correspondence, he knew that since Kou Hongying’s Foundation Establishment eleven years ago, she had not rested for a moment, continuously helping him search for Foundation Establishment spirit herbs throughout Zheng Kingdom.

For a Foundation Establishment cultivator to do such a thing was not an easy task.

Kou Hongying accepted his thanks, drank the tea Wei Tu had poured for her, and then said, “Uncle Wei, I won’t stay long. I’m also delivering the promised reward to Uncle Fu today…”

After finishing her sentence, Kou Hongying stood up, preparing to leave.

However, at that moment,

Wei Tu called out to stop her.

“Uncle Wei, is there something else?” Kou Hongying turned around, showing a surprised expression.

She knew Wei Tu’s personality.

He wasn’t the type to cling to family ties.

Wei Tu pondered for a moment, then took out the "Dan Yuan Ginseng" he had been secretly keeping and placed it on the table.

“Now that I have two Foundation Establishment spirit herbs, I would liKou Hongying to do me a favor and take me to Tai Xuan Sect’s office to exchange for a Foundation Establishment pill.”

He spoke.

A scattered cultivator holding two Foundation Establishment spirit herbs could go to the market office to exchange them for a Foundation Establishment pill.

—This was the official rule established by Tai Xuan Sect, as well as by the Mirror Water Pavilion and the Green Bamboo Mountain, the three major sects.

However, Wei Tu knew well that no matter how good the regulations were, there would always be loopholes.

As a low-tier scattered cultivator, going to Tai Xuan Sect’s office to exchange for a Foundation Establishment pill, whether successful or not, would attract the covetous eyes of cultivators both inside and outside Tai Xuan Sect...

But—

The identity of the person exchanging it would make all the difference.

No cultivator would dare touch a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Mirror Water Pavilion.

As for why he didn’t go to the Mirror Water Pavilion to exchange,

Wei Tu also had his own considerations.

Kou Hongying had her own sect elders in the Mirror Water Pavilion, and these people were also in need of Foundation Establishment pills.

What if someone bypassed Kou Hongying and used some “reason” to intercept this "Foundation Establishment pill" exchange…

He would have no way of dealing with it.

Having Kou Hongying help him exchange for a Foundation Establishment pill at Tai Xuan Sect was the least risky approach.

“This is but a small favor.” Kou Hongying, seeing that Wei Tu had another Foundation Establishment spirit herb, was surprised but nodded in agreement.

After a short while,

Under Kou Hongying's lead, Wei Tu arrived at Tai Xuan Sect's office on Danqiu Mountain.

“May I ask who this is?” Elder Liu, sensing a powerful pressure from Kou Hongying, broke out in cold sweat and stood up respectfully to inquire.

“Foundation Establishment cultivator from Mirror Water Pavilion—Kou Hongying.”

Kou Hongying replied succinctly.

“Mirror Water Pavilion cultivator?” Elder Liu was surprised, wondering why a Foundation Establishment cultivator from Mirror Water Pavilion had suddenly come to their Tai Xuan Sect’s office.

“Is there a cultivator attempting to deceive Kou cultivator?”

He thought for a moment and asked.

Danqiu Mountain was a market town, and it was common for Mirror Water Pavilion cultivators to come here to purchase spirit herbs.

After thinking this through, Elder Liu’s expression grew cold. He glanced at Wei Tu, who was standing behind Kou Hongying, and reprimanded, “Master Wei, did your talismans offend Kou cultivator?”

He guessed that Wei Tu had offended Kou Hongying by not recognizing her and had been rude.

“Elder Liu misunderstood.” Kou Hongying shook her head and explained, “Master Wei is a senior of my family. I brought him here to exchange for a Foundation Establishment pill to help him with his breakthrough.”

Upon hearing this,

Elder Liu immediately froze, racking his memory and finally recalling who Kou Hongying was.

He had heard of the name Kou Hongying.

Decades ago, after Wei Tu had encountered rogue cultivators, he returned to Danqiu Mountain and told him… that he had a niece in Mirror Water Pavilion.

“My mistake, please don’t hold it against me, Master Wei.” Elder Liu quickly lowered his posture and apologized to Wei Tu.

Despite holding a position as an elder in the market town, his status was nothing compared to a Foundation Establishment cultivator from a sect.

After his habitual apology, Elder Liu processed Kou Hongying’s words and looked at Wei Tu, his gaze immediately changing.

“Foundation Establishment Pill?”

Elder Liu’s heart trembled.

He never expected that Kou Hongying would go so far for Wei Tu, even offering up Foundation Establishment spirit herbs to help him exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

However, after a brief thought, he realized something was off.

If Kou Hongying was helping Wei Tu exchange for the pill, wouldn’t it have been more convenient to go to Mirror Water Pavilion? The fact that they had come to Tai Xuan Sect instead likely meant that the Foundation Establishment spirit herbs had been gathered by Wei Tu himself, and Kou Hongying was merely assisting him.

Suppressing the many thoughts racing through his mind, Elder Liu cupped his hands and respectfully said to Kou Hongying, “Please, Cultivator Kou and Master Wei, wait for a moment. I will send word to the sect immediately…”

The Foundation Establishment Pill was no trivial matter.

It was beyond his authority to handle.

As they waited,

Kou Hongying took out a jade bottle and handed it to Wei Tu, transmitting a message to him, “Uncle Wei, as soon as you exchange for the Foundation Establishment Pill, you must immediately begin the breakthrough. Do not hesitate, lest unforeseen changes occur.”

“This Condensed Foundation Pill was originally meant as compensation for Uncle Fu, but… Uncle Wei, you are in urgent need of it now, so it’s best for you to take it first.”

Wei Tu nodded and did not reject Kou Hongying’s goodwill, accepting the Condensed Foundation Pill.

Even if she had not offered it, he had intended to approach Fu Zhizhou to negotiate for it.

—Fu Zhizhou was still some time away from attempting Foundation Establishment and did not urgently need the Condensed Foundation Pill.

Half an hour later,

A woman in a multicolored robe stepped on flowing clouds and descended at the entrance of the office.

She had a delicate and elegant appearance, dressed in the Daoist robes of Tai Xuan Sect, with an ethereal presence.

“Cultivator Kou.” The multicolored-robed woman entered the office and nodded in greeting to Kou Hongying.

“Cultivator Guan.”

Kou Hongying clearly recognized her and returned the greeting.

After a brief exchange,

“Uncle Wei, you may present the Foundation Establishment spirit herbs now.” Kou Hongying smiled.

Wei Tu nodded and placed two jade boxes containing the Foundation Establishment spirit herbs on the table.

“This is the Foundation Establishment Pill.”

Cultivator Guan flipped her palm, revealing a jade bottle in her hand. She used her spiritual power to send it over to Wei Tu.

Wei Tu caught the bottle, opened it, and upon seeing that it was identical to the one he had obtained from Zhao Qingluo, he felt relieved.

“Cultivator Guan, please wait a moment.”

Kou Hongying called out to stop Cultivator Guan, who was preparing to leave.

“Does Cultivator Kou have another matter to discuss?”

Cultivator Guan stopped and asked curiously.

“I would like to trouble Cultivator Guan to arrange a secluded cultivation cave for my elder, where he can attempt his Foundation Establishment breakthrough.” Kou Hongying made her request.

“This is a minor matter.”

Cultivator Guan nodded without hesitation. She retrieved a command token from her sleeve and handed it to Kou Hongying, saying, “This is a cave residence in the core area of Danqiu Mountain, near a second-grade spiritual vein, sufficient for breaking through to Foundation Establishment.”

After speaking, Cultivator Guan transformed into a streak of light and left the Tai Xuan Sect office.

Following this,

Under Kou Hongying’s personal protection, Wei Tu was escorted to the core cultivation cave of Danqiu Mountain.

Under the watchful eyes of many cultivators, Wei Tu used the command token to unlock the cave entrance and stepped inside.

No one dared to intervene.

No one dared to obstruct.

He was completely safe along the way.

“This master will be residing in Danqiu Mountain for a few years. If anyone dares to disturb my uncle’s breakthrough, do not blame me for being merciless…”

Kou Hongying’s sharp gaze swept over the surrounding cultivators of Danqiu Mountain before she flicked her sleeve and left.

The assembled cultivators exchanged glances.

With a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Kou Hongying personally safeguarding him, who would dare to covet Wei Tu’s Foundation Establishment Pill?

They could only stay as far away as possible.

“How did Wei Tu acquire Foundation Establishment spirit herbs? Could it be that the Foundation Establishment spirit herbs from Gong Shulan ended up in his hands?”

Many cultivators arrived at a reasonable assumption.

Wei Tu was a talisman master who had spent most of his time in Danqiu Mountain, rarely venturing outside. It was highly unlikely that he had obtained Foundation Establishment spirit herbs from a secret realm.

The most plausible explanation was that he had acquired them from another cultivator.

And the most likely candidate was Gong Shulan.

“It seems we no longer need to keep watch over Gong Shulan.”

The cultivators sighed inwardly.

Inside the cultivation chamber of the cave residence.

Wei Tu did not immediately consume the Foundation Establishment Pill to break through. Instead, he first entered a meditative state to adjust his condition.

Although reaching Qi Refinement ninth level meant that consuming the Condensed Foundation Pill and Foundation Establishment Pill would directly allow him to break through, he preferred to delay the process for a few years to fully refine his Qi Refinement stage cultivation.

One year passed.

Two years passed.

Until the fourth year.

When Wei Tu’s energy, spirit, and vitality had reached a peak state, he let out a deep breath, his eyes gleaming with determination. He then formed a hand seal with the Lesser Spring and Autumn Art.

In an instant, strands of spiritual energy from the Spirit Gathering Formation beneath his meditation mat were drawn in, flowing into his major acupoints.

His blood and Qi fused with the spiritual energy, cleansing his meridians, limbs, and bones.

Under the immense pressure of surging blood and Qi, the gaseous spiritual energy in his dantian began to slowly liquefy, coalescing drop by drop.

At this moment, Wei Tu did not hesitate. He bit through the wax seal under his tongue, swallowing the Condensed Foundation Pill, using its medicinal power to solidify his foundation and gather Qi into liquid form.

Once the Condensed Foundation Pill entered his system.

The blood and Qi within Wei Tu surged violently.

In an instant.

The environment outside the cave residence changed dramatically. The surrounding spiritual energy, guided by his cultivation method, rushed madly toward the cultivation chamber, forming a vortex that continuously poured into his body.

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