Four years later.
Dan Island.
Inside the cave abode, Fang Qing gazed at the jade bottle in his hand.
After opening it, he could hear a whining wind from within the bottle, along with the clear, tinkling sound of spring water.
Inside the bottle was a stream of clear, transparent, lustrous true qi—none other than the mid-grade fifth-tier “Earthspring True Tempering”!
“It wasn’t easy…”
Fang Qing sighed with feeling.
Originally, he had estimated that he could completely refine one stream of “Earthspring True Tempering” in two or three years, and that had not been wrong.
But Fang Qing had overlooked the struggle over the cold spring, as well as the drag of missions.
The Bihai Sect provided spiritual veins, cultivation methods, and resources to nurture its disciples; naturally, it expected those disciples to risk their lives in return. Unless one had background connections and could choose easier missions, one could only grit one’s teeth and endure.
As a newly initiated disciple, Fang Qing had only had a one-year adjustment period. After that, there were compulsory missions every year.
Fortunately, the Bihai Sect was not currently at war with any other faction. Otherwise, the mortality rate of those compulsory missions would have soared.
Even so, after Fang Qing luckily muddled through the first few missions, he capsized two years ago and was assigned to the sect’s fishing team, entering the deep sea to hunt demonic fish. One moment of carelessness had left him with injuries that were neither light nor serious, and had also delayed his cultivation.
He had originally estimated that three years would be enough for him to cultivate his third-layer Qi Refining magic power to perfection. In the end, four years had passed, and he was still just a little short of perfecting the third layer.
“Next, there’s the bottleneck from the early stage of Qi Refining to the middle stage… After that bottleneck, cultivation in the middle stage of Qi Refining takes five or six years for each layer at every turn, and the late stage of Qi Refining goes without saying…”
“At my age, if I want to break through to the great perfection of the ninth layer of Qi Refining before the sixty-year limit, the optimal time for Foundation Establishment, it’s becoming more and more difficult.”
“So this is the difficulty of longevity? The moment you encounter even a slight setback, your future immediately grows dim…”
Of course, the slowness of his cultivation was also because he had not used any resources.
As for the contribution points he had earned over these four years, apart from maintaining the bare minimum necessities of life, Fang Qing had saved the rest. He intended to buy several spiritual items that existed in both worlds but commanded a higher premium over in ancient Shu, then resell them.
Back in the Floating Boat Market, Fang Qing had seen quite a few spiritual items. Some had never appeared on Biyu Island, but others had similar or even identical counterparts.
Moreover, the value of identical spiritual items differed greatly between the two worlds, leaving ample room for profit.
“My disguise art is more or less trained as well… It took me a full four years.”
“It’s time to earn a large amount of resources and improve both my cultivation and my alchemy…”
As long as he became a ranked alchemist, the sect’s compulsory missions would also become alchemy missions. They would not make a production-type talent such as an alchemist risk his life hunting demons.
With a thought, Fang Qing took out his Green Leaf Boat magic artifact and arrived at the Hall of General Affairs.
Inside the great hall, voices were still clamoring.
There were even more people than usual.
“Haha… The sect has increased missions related to the Dragon Transformation Pool. Clearly, a batch of late first-tier horned serpents are about to break through to the second tier…”
“I wonder how many second-tier demon cores will be produced, and how many Foundation Establishment Pills Elder Tianding will be able to refine…”
“According to convention, Foundation Establishment Pills are distributed once every ten years, with true disciples having priority in exchanging for them… There are quite a few true disciples in this generation. If the number of second-tier demon cores produced by the sect itself is insufficient, I’m afraid they’ll mobilize the Five-Toothed Great Ship and enter the deep sea to capture second-tier demonic fish, slaughtering demons for their cores… For this kind of mission, the casualty rate is only a little lower than an all-out sect war. It will definitely be forcibly apportioned down…”
…
Listening to the discussions all around him, Fang Qing’s expression also turned extremely grave. “Foundation Establishment Pills… second-tier demon cores…”
For the time being, this matter had nothing to do with him. But if the second-tier demon cores produced by the sect itself were not enough and they had to conduct a “deep-sea grand harvest,” then he would very likely become cannon fodder.
“I have to act immediately.”
Fang Qing came to the disciples’ stalls and began purchasing several spiritual materials he had selected.
“Hm? The prices of some cultivation supplies have gone up… especially superior-quality magic artifacts that can temporarily boost combat strength. Is it related to the matter of the Foundation Establishment Pills?”
He arrived at a stall selling medicinal pills and spiritual herbs, and saw a strange flower as large as a bowl’s mouth. “How much for this ‘Blazing Sun Flower’?”
“Twenty contribution points and it’s yours.”
The stall owner was a middle-stage Qi Refining cultivator. He was reading a book and answered without even raising his head.
This kind of “Blazing Sun Flower” could only be used to refine some elementary yang-attribute pills and was not worth much.
But over in ancient Shu, because great-sun spiritual items were scarce, the premium was especially high!
Last time, Fang Qing had seen one in the Floating Boat Market; it had been the “treasure of the shop” of a medicinal herb store.
“I’ll buy it.”
After purchasing the spiritual herb, he looked toward those spirit pills and saw among them a “Blackwater Pill.” His heart stirred slightly. “This is… a Blackwater Pill? Senior Brother, are you an alchemist?”
“That’s right. The Blackwater Pill is especially suited for assisting water spiritual root cultivators in breaking through from the early stage to the middle stage of Qi Refining…”
The young stall owner put down the scroll in his hand, a flash of spiritual light passing through his eyes. “I see you’re not far from perfecting the third layer of Qi Refining. Want one?”
“This…”
Fang Qing pondered inwardly.
He possessed a mid-grade water spiritual root. According to common sense, he would not be stumped by such a minor bottleneck.
But how much time it would delay him was hard to say.
And taking a “Blackwater Pill” to break through was indeed a good idea for saving time—provided he had enough contribution points!
“May I ask the price?”
“Only two hundred contribution points.”
“Pardon the disturbance!”
Fang Qing turned and left.
“Haha… Senior Brother Xu, you’ve misjudged him. This Junior Brother Fang is short on funds. I’m afraid he can’t afford the Blackwater Pill in your hands.”
At this moment, a blue-robed cultivator walked over from the side and spoke mockingly. It was none other than Li Yusu.
“Li Yudan, what did you call me?”
Fang Qing stopped at once.
“Junior Brother Fang, what’s wrong? Among fellow disciples of our sect, forms of address are determined by strength. I’ve already reached the great perfection of the third layer of Qi Refining and will soon enter seclusion to break into the middle stage of Qi Refining. Am I not allowed to call you ‘Junior Brother’?”
Li Yusu laughed heartily.
“Junior Brother Yudan, did you overlook the sect rules? Although there is such a regulation, among those of the same cultivation layer, ranking is still determined by the order of initiation. Therefore, before you break through to the fourth layer of Qi Refining, I am still your senior brother.”
Fang Qing did not know why, but even after he had severed his connection with Cha Zhu and the faint, indistinct malice from Gong Susu had vanished, this Li Yusu still refused to let things go.
Perhaps this was the jealousy the youth had once harbored?
Although laughable, the reason people were people was that sometimes they did inexplicable things.
“Hmph, I won’t argue with you over this… The sect is about to conduct a ‘grand harvest.’ You will definitely be on the roster for the ocean-going fleet. I’ll be waiting for you!”
Li Yusu laughed with delight.
“Then you keep waiting.”
Fang Qing turned and left, too lazy to quarrel with him.
Not far away, Hua Lian and Yu Taohua also witnessed this scene.
“Senior Brother Hua… it seems you misjudged him.”
Yu Taohua smiled sweetly. “This Fang Qing was outstanding as a child, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be remarkable when grown… On the other hand, that Cha Zhu—I hear she has already reached the fifth layer of Qi Refining? Given time, the threshold to the late stage of Qi Refining definitely won’t be able to hold her back…”
“She truly is a proud daughter of heaven…”
Senior Brother Hua praised her, then watched Fang Qing leave. His good family upbringing made him one of the rare few who treated Fang Qing no differently even when Fang Qing had fallen on hard times. “As for Junior Brother Fang, to test jade, it must be burned for three full days; to judge timber, one must wait seven years… We have now been in the sect for seven years, and he does indeed seem somewhat mediocre… But the more that is the case, the more we must greet him with smiles when we meet him in the future and not provoke resentment for nothing. Look at Li Yusu—once he came into success, he humiliated his former senior brother. How good can his reputation be? Within the sect, reputation is very important. Otherwise, even if one becomes a true disciple, who would lend him that enormous sum of contribution points needed for a Foundation Establishment Pill?”
“A Foundation Establishment Pill… It won’t be our turn this time, and the next ten years won’t be the stage for disciples of our batch either. But I believe Senior Brother Hua will definitely become a true disciple in the future and make his name resound across the Bihai Sect.”
Yu Taohua gazed at Senior Brother Hua in infatuation, as if some sort of light shone in her eyes.
…
“This fishing team will be even more dangerous than last time!”
Inside his cave abode, Fang Qing’s expression was grave.
He did not care at all about some of Li Yudan’s words. In fact, he rather liked hearing them, because the other party had a Foundation Establishment master and could hear a great deal of sect intelligence, which he would inadvertently leak.
And after learning of this matter, Fang Qing had to respond at once!
“There isn’t much time. I need to break through in alchemy as quickly as possible…”
He took out a bright yellow talisman paper from his storage pouch and pasted it onto the door of his cave abode, then hung up the sign indicating he was in seclusion.
This was a “protective talisman” that could safeguard a cultivator during seclusion.
Even if divine sense forcefully intruded, it would automatically turn to ash and warn the cultivator.
After finishing his protective measures, Fang Qing formed hand seals with both hands and began practicing the “Disguise Art.”
As he muttered incantations under his breath, the flesh and skin on Fang Qing’s face squirmed as if they had come alive. With only slight adjustments to his brows and eyes, he seemed to become a different person.
Not only that, but the aura on his body also began to shift. It faintly differed from that of local cultivators, carrying instead some of the traits of a cultivator of the Breath-Ingestion Dao.
“Unfortunately, it’s only a barely passable imitation. Once I truly take action and use magic power, it will be exposed immediately. Moreover, if I encounter a Foundation Establishment cultivator, or one of those Dao Foundation great cultivators over there… I’m afraid it will likewise be difficult to conceal.”
“Four years of effort, along with the Bihai Sect’s superior secret art… and this is the level I’ve achieved.”
“This will have to do. Tomorrow, I’ll immediately accept a mission outside the sect, then take the risk. Calculating the days, this year’s Biluo Market should be opening soon as well.”
Ever since learning of the abilities of high-level cultivators’ divine sense, Fang Qing had tried his best to avoid using the Dao-Generating Pearl within the sect.
“I heard that after Foundation Establishment, not only can one monopolize an entire peak, one can also set up a second-tier formation to protect one’s cave abode… Even a Core Formation ancestor would find it very difficult to probe the privacy within the formation without anyone noticing… Unfortunately, that’s still somewhat distant for me.”
…