A Mortal’s Journey to Immortality: Wang Yu’s Rebirth as the Reincarnation Dao Ancestor - Chapter 83

Chapter 83 It turns out that having too many Foundation Establishment Pills can also be a problem.

He opened the two bottles of pills given to him by Gan Rushuang.

One bottle contained seven Snowflake Pills, a secret recipe of the Hidden Moon Sect.

These pills were made from over a dozen kinds of century-old spiritual herbs, with the main ingredients being three kinds of ice-attribute spiritual flowers that had reached three hundred years of age, produced from the spiritual fields of the Hidden Moon Sect’s main peak.

They occasionally appeared on the market through auctions at the Hidden Moon Sect’s market auction house, with each pill generally priced at around six or seven hundred spirit stones. The effect of one pill was equivalent to several months of arduous cultivation for an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, and with the cultivation level of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the medicinal power of one pill could be digested and absorbed in less than half a month. If the pills were in sufficient supply and taken continuously, it was equivalent to cultivating with about ten times the arduous cultivation cheat code.

It was most suitable for use in the early stages of Foundation Establishment, with greatly reduced effects in the middle stages.

Its effect on the late stages of Foundation Establishment was negligible.

Gan Rushuang gave him seven Snowflake Pills, which, theoretically, was enough to save him nearly three years of arduous cultivation in the early stages.

As for why there were seven pills instead of ten from a whole bottle? It must be what was left over from back then.

The other bottle of pills was called the Su Yin Pill, a secret recipe of the Yan Yue Sect. For cultivators whose Yuan Yang and Yuan Yin were still intact, the effect was increased by 20%. One pill could be refined in half a month, and the effect of one pill was equivalent to five or six months of arduous cultivation for an ordinary mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.

How effective it would be on him remained to be seen.

After all, he had consumed a large number of low-grade pills during his Qi Refining stage, and had already developed considerable drug resistance. Moreover, his pseudo-spiritual root’s absorption of the medicinal power of spiritual herbs was slightly inferior to that of cultivators with better spiritual root talent. Such was the nature of his innate spiritual root, and it was difficult to change before obtaining the Heaven-Mending Pill.

“Anyway, let’s try one first.”

…

Just as Han Li began consuming pills to cultivate immortality, several Foundation Establishment cultivators gathered in the Yellow Maple Valley’s sect leader’s council hall.

“Sect Leader, has Han Li truly achieved Foundation Establishment?”

The old man surnamed Xu looked distressed and somewhat incredulous.

“See for yourself,”

Zhong Lingdao handed over a roster.

The words “Han Li, the fourth Foundation Establishment disciple of Hong Fu Sect” had been added above it.

This simple line contained a wealth of information.

The old man surnamed Xu looked even more troubled, as if someone owed him hundreds or thousands of spirit stones. How could one word describe his bitterness?

“How is this possible? How could a mere four-element pseudo-spiritual root so easily achieve Foundation Establishment?”

This situation was practically one in ten thousand in the cultivation world.

It was almost comparable to the appearance of a Heavenly Spiritual Root.

“Senior Brother Xu, have you forgotten that he participated in the Blood Trial, helped Senior Uncle Hong Fu and Senior Uncle Li win the external bet, won the favor of those two powerful figures, and luckily obtained several Foundation Establishment Pills?” a Foundation Establishment cultivator sighed.

“How could he be so lucky?”

The old man surnamed Xu was even more annoyed.

“Alright, Junior Brother Xu, I didn’t bring you here to listen to these complaints. What you need to do now is figure out how to ease the tension with Junior Brother Han. Don’t blame me for not warning you, with Junior Brother Han’s current status and position, after a few more years of cultivation, he might succeed me as your elder brother. At that time, if he still holds onto the dirty secrets caused by the Ascension Token, your Xu family will likely suffer greatly…”

Zhong Lingdao said in a deep voice.

These words caused a moment of silence in the room.

The old man surnamed Xu was even more shocked.

Was this possible?

Certainly.

Zhong Lingdao’s master was a Core Formation elder surnamed Huang in the sect; otherwise, Sect Leader Zhong wouldn’t have been able to secure his position.

Now, with Fairy Hongfu’s breakthrough and the appreciation of Li Huayuan, it was hard to say whether the position of Sect Leader would change hands in the future.

Han Li’s only shortcoming was his slightly lower cultivation level.

As for connections? As long as the two Core Formation cultivators spoke, no one in the sect would dare to make things difficult for him. ” At that time, the Xu family might be implicated.”

“Alas, Senior Brother Sect Leader, what should I do? I did it back then…”

“Make peace with generous gifts.”

Zhong Lingdao’s voice was extremely deep:

“Since Junior Brother Han has made peace with me, it means he also intends to make peace with you all. Even if he asks for an exorbitant amount, as long as you are willing to spend money to satisfy him and make him feel better, Junior Brother Han will likely forgive and forget what happened that day. As long as he accepts everyone’s gifts, he will not be able to make things difficult for you in the future. If you really insist on being so calculating, he will definitely not be liked in Huangfeng Valley, and there will be no place for him here… Do you all understand?”

Among them, there were naturally many people with Core Formation stage backers.

“Senior Brother sees things very clearly.”

“Senior Brother Sect Leader is right.”

“Let’s do it this way…”

“Senior Brother, where is Junior Brother Han’s cave dwelling located now? Can we go and visit him together?” someone suggested.

“I haven’t received a message from him yet either. But don’t worry, he’ll come to the council hall in about ten days to receive a mission to guard the sect’s medicinal fields. We can talk to him here then. By the way, the mission Junior Brother Han wants to take is a bit tricky; it might affect the interests of the Wang family. I alone might not be able to persuade them to give up this lucrative position…”

Zhong Ling then explained in detail about Han Li’s desire to guard a certain sect medicinal garden.

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances.

After a brief exchange of glances and spiritual senses, someone stepped forward and said,

“Sect Leader, this matter isn’t actually troublesome. We can all go and talk to that junior brother from the Wang family. It’s just a matter of getting the Wang family to give up a position; surely he wouldn’t refuse? Besides, they don’t need someone who does nothing.”

“Junior Brother Nie, you’re mistaken. Although Junior Brother Wang doesn’t know how to care for those flowers and plants, I’ve heard he once repelled an attack by evil cultivators, which is commendable. Moreover, forcibly transferring him back like this might easily create discord between us. How about we appease him by offering him another lucrative position?”

A combination of a big stick and a sweet treat might be more effective in controlling him.

“Let’s do it that way,”

Zhong Lingdao nodded, making the final decision.

What he wanted was for everyone to participate, so that he wouldn’t be acting recklessly.

Thus, Han Li, completely unaware of his involvement, was “forced” to accomplish many things.

Ten days of cultivation passed in a flash.

On this day,

the gate of the pseudo-cave next to the Spirit Spring Cave opened, and a young man stepped out.

At this point, Han Li had already refined the first Snowflake Pill. His internal magical power was gradually increasing, and the effect was quite good.

Calculating the time, he closed the gate and headed straight for the main hall of Taiyue Mountain, over a thousand miles away.

Upon arrival, seeing a group of smiling faces, he was both surprised and felt it was perfectly reasonable.

Ultimately, he received the task he wanted: to look after the spirit herb garden of Sect No. 6 for three years.

When he left, he took over four thousand spirit stones with him.

This was an apology from several Foundation Establishment managers representing various cultivation families, a way of putting an end to the matter of the Ascension Order from years ago.

Four thousand spirit stones wasn’t a large sum, but it represented a great deal of sincerity.

Han Li wasn’t one to haggle over small things.

As long as these old guys didn’t cause him trouble in the future, he was quite magnanimous.

Before leaving the sect to carry out his mission, he went to the small herb garden under Senior Brother Ma’s jurisdiction and purchased several types of Foundation Establishment Pill auxiliary materials that met the required age, along with over a dozen other spirit herbs suitable for refining various Foundation Establishment pills. Several of the Foundation Establishment Pill auxiliary materials could also be used to refine many other pills, so it wouldn’t arouse any suspicion. Even if he suspected him, what could they do to him?

Turning back, he returned to Red Tassel Mountain, tended to the plants and flowers, and then immediately visited Master Hong Fu, requesting a copy of alchemy insights.

After leaving the mountain gate, he personally went to Li Huayuan’s cave, Bibo Cave, to pay his respects to Uncle Li, and then met Yu Kun, the adopted son of Li Huayuan and his Daoist partner, presenting him with a “Heart-Clearing Pill.” This pill was one of several spiritual pills refined by Fairy Hong Fu using forbidden land herbs, capable of alleviating or even treating the aftereffects of cultivation deviation. Han Li’s act of giving this spiritual medicine in advance was self-evident.

A day later, at the Yellow Maple Valley market, Han Li met with Manager Tian Buli, asking Wanbaolou to sell the hundred or so mid-to-high-grade magic artifacts he had brought, along with several top-grade magic artifacts without much background. Because it was a black market price, there was no karmic burden, so the price was definitely lowered, but he still managed to get several thousand spirit stones.

Half a day later, Han Li, the newcomer, reported for duty at the No. 6 Spirit Herb Plantation.

Several Foundation Establishment cultivators exchanged pleasantries for a while

before assigning tasks .

Han Li, as the new manager, was temporarily responsible for only one-eighth of the area. Many of the Qi Refining stage disciples assigned to him were experienced gardeners with over ten or even decades of planting experience.

This was a good thing; someone had put in a good word for him, and he naturally didn’t refuse this kindness.

…

No. 6 Herb Plantation.

Entering his temporary cave dwelling,

Han Li took out various low-grade spirit herbs he had prepared beforehand.

From this moment on, he began accumulating experience in alchemy.

He studied the alchemy insights provided by his master, Hong Fu, while personally experimenting and learning. He started by trying to refine pills with herbs that were over ten years old to improve his skills. Once his success rate increased, he would switch to more difficult-to-refine pills.

Nearly 30,000 spirit stones would be enough for him to work on for a long time.

He placed a prepared powder into an alchemy furnace…

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

During these months, he refined the remaining Snowflake Pills, significantly increasing his early Foundation Establishment stage mana.

However, he could sense that the Snowflake Pills weren’t as effective as rumored. The potency was reduced by about one-fifth. Unsurprisingly, this was drug resistance—a side effect of excessive drug use during his Qi Refining stage.

There was no cure for this for the time being.

In addition, he also tried refining various low-grade pills. Perhaps because the Foundation Establishment stage had stronger spiritual senses compared to the Qi Refining stage, and because the Foundation Establishment True Fire was more stable than Earth Fire, his success rate in refining low-grade pills increased rapidly.

For example, when refining a Bright Fire Pill suitable for cultivators at the eleventh or twelfth level of Qi Refining, he used semi-finished medicinal powder made from herbs that were thirty or forty years old to practice. He only made three to five mistakes before mastering the heat and timing of the refining process, the timing of opening the furnace and removing the pills, and the time consumption and feel of almost every step.

Someone without talent would struggle to identify the problem even after numerous trials.

He, however, possessed keen insight and could quickly observe and summarize his oversights.

To ensure no material was wasted, he initially used only one portion of the semi-finished product per batch for practice, instead of the dozen or twenty portions used by experienced alchemists.

After practicing this pill a dozen times, his success rate exceeded 30%. After

refining three hundred batches of this pill over half a month, his success rate surpassed 80%.

Once he was certain he had mastered all the details of refining this pill, he would move on to the next type of pill.

The recipes for low-grade pills weren’t expensive either; several recipes together cost less than two thousand spirit stones.

During the day, he spent a small portion of his time refining pills, the majority refining their medicinal properties for cultivation, and a little time strolling around the medicinal fields he was responsible for. Actually, he didn’t need to worry too much, as his Qi Refining stage

servants took good care of the various herbs. However, he still had to keep an eye on a few types of spirit trees. These required Foundation Establishment cultivators to use some intermediate-level technique periodically to remove pests from the roots and interior of the trees, ensuring the health of the spiritual fruits. Qi Refining stage cultivators couldn’t do this. Their spiritual sense couldn’t detect the finer details, and problems were easily caused. Furthermore, those spirit trees were very precious; every single spiritual fruit on them was precious, otherwise, he would offend some Core Formation stage elders.

Fortunately, he only needed to look after five or six fruit trees,

removing pests about once a week.

It wouldn’t take up much of his time.

Furthermore, he would return to Red Tassel Mountain after refining each Snowflake Pill or Pure Yin Pill, both to tend to the spirit herb garden there and to seek advice from his master on alchemy. This only took a day.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

Now, he wouldn’t dare say he had a 100% success rate with several low-grade pills, but he was confident of over 80%.

This was already a very good success rate.

And two or three thousand spirit stones were gone in an instant.

“Refining low-grade pills is no longer difficult for me; when I’m in a good mood, I can even achieve a success rate of over 90%. Next, I should try refining Foundation Establishment Pills.”

If his alchemy skills were sufficient, he certainly wouldn’t waste spirit stones buying auxiliary materials to refine the “hot potato” Foundation Establishment Pill; instead, he would directly refine Foundation Establishment pills that could enhance the mana cultivation of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Unfortunately, he was still just a novice. He

had only recently entered the path of alchemy.

As for why he wanted to improve his alchemy skills by refining Foundation Establishment Pills?

There were many reasons.

One reason is that the spiritual herbs in the forbidden area are limited, and he can’t afford to waste any that could help him improve his cultivation and gain experience in alchemy. Even though a single finished Foundation Establishment Pill can fetch two, three, or even five or six times the price of other Foundation Establishment pills in spirit stones, it’s still not as precious to him as the other Foundation Establishment pills that can help him improve his cultivation. Therefore, he uses the spiritual herbs related to Foundation Establishment Pills for practice.

Another reason for this choice is that the process of refining Foundation Establishment Pills is more difficult than refining other ancient Foundation Establishment pills. It requires the medicinal properties of as many as thirty-four ingredients to be compatible. In other words, an alchemist who can refine Foundation Establishment Pills first will find it easier to refine other pills of the same level, and the success rate will be guaranteed much faster.

In addition, Foundation Establishment Pills are the least valuable to him.

For example, he has quite a few of the three main ingredients related to Yue Kingdom Foundation Establishment Pills: Heavenly Spirit Fruit, Purple Monkey Flower, and Jade Marrow Mushroom.

The semi-finished main medicinal powder is enough to prepare over two hundred doses. This is equivalent to one-third of the profits from all three main medicinal ingredients obtained by the seven major sects of Yue Kingdom during each forbidden area trial.

It’s not too much of a waste to use it for practice.

Actually,

the three main medicinal ingredients aren’t only found in the Crimson Forbidden Area; some advanced medicinal gardens built by the seven sects can also provide some. These are spiritual herb gardens constructed using formations to mimic the ancient environment. However, due to low yields, they have to rely on the Crimson Forbidden Area’s output every five years or so.

Furthermore, there’s more than one formula for Foundation Establishment Pills, and Yue Kingdom can’t possibly rely solely on one type to meet the needs of its disciples.

Of course,

Han Li only has one Foundation Establishment Pill formula: the one related to the three main medicinal ingredients, including Heavenly Spirit Fruit and Purple Monkey Flower.

He can exchange for it at the Yue Lu Shop in Yellow Maple Valley, and it’s cheap.

He can also exchange for other Foundation Establishment Pill formulas, but they’re incredibly expensive.

He doesn’t have that kind of spare money.

Beside a medicinal field planted with Thousand Knot Flowers, Han Li called over a Qi Refining disciple:

“Look at that Thousand Knot Flower, isn’t it growing a bit poorly?”

“Huh?”

The Qi Refining disciple who was called out looked completely bewildered.

Because the one Han Li was pointing to was clearly the best-growing one.

“Uncle Han, um, this, this, that…” Beads of cold sweat immediately appeared on his forehead.

“Don’t worry, spirit stones are no problem. I’ll write down the numbers for you. A hundred-year-old Thousand Knot Flower costs three hundred and fifty spirit stones. You accidentally watered it a little too much, causing it to suffer. According to the rules of the medicinal garden, you must compensate three hundred and fifty low-grade spirit stones. Here are three hundred and fifty-one spirit stones. The extra one is yours. Any problems?” Han Li asked with a smile.

The disciple, initially confused, snapped back to reality: “Thank you, Uncle-Master! Thank you

, Uncle-Master!” “Hmm, you’re teachable. Work hard in the future, and you’ll reap the rewards.”

Working here, a disciple only earns five low-grade spirit stones a month.

It’s a lucrative job, but also extremely risky.

Because if a spirit herb dies, there’s an internal loss.

Han Li’s actions are undoubtedly a great benefit for his Qi Refining disciples.

Loss?

So be it.

This is a common “self-serving” tactic used by Foundation Establishment cultivators guarding herb gardens.

And the sect not only doesn’t stop it, but is actually happy to see it happen.

Because planting spirit herbs is for consumption, and selling them is all about earning spirit stones. Besides, sometimes many spirit herbs are unsellable, surplus. Being able to “sell” them at a small discount, and even internally, is a win

-win-win situation.

Han Li gains a channel.

The disciple earns extra money.

The sect made the lion’s share.

“That sixty-year-old black peony, you weren’t careful, you didn’t water it enough, it dried out… 120 spirit stones.”

“And that eighty-year-old golden ginseng, you neglected to water it for days, didn’t use any magic to infuse it with spiritual energy, look, it’s wilted and rotten, pull it up and send it to my cave… 170 spirit stones.”

“That two-hundred-year-old True Treasure Leaf, you ruined it, you have to pay 720 spirit stones… Here are 723 spirit stones…”

“From now on, for anything over a hundred years old, I’ll give you an extra spirit stone. For over two hundred years old, I’ll give you three extra. For over three hundred years old, I’ll give you five extra.”

Four-hundred-year-old? It would be snapped up by a Core Formation cultivator the moment it appeared, don’t even think about it.

“You better watch your mouth…”

After a series of actions, Han Li quickly obtained over twenty kinds of auxiliary materials, totaling more than fifty plants.

The expensive ones cost seven or eight hundred spirit stones, some even close to a thousand, but the required quantity was very small.

Cheap herbs, a few decades old, are sufficient, costing a hundred or so spirit stones per plant.

The most needed are herbs a hundred years old, costing tens of thousands of spirit stones.

Adding the seven or eight auxiliary ingredients he purchased from Senior Brother Ma in the sect, he had gathered all thirty-one auxiliary ingredients needed to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Considering he was the largest in this area, the Qi Refining stage disciples couldn’t control him. They were too busy cooperating with him,

and since he only picked one or two plants from each herb field and immediately planted younger ones, this act of embezzlement was completely harmless, and outsiders couldn’t detect anything amiss.

Furthermore, his willingness to spend spirit stones smoothed out all the minor issues.

“Thousand-knot flower, black peony grass, golden essence ginseng…” Thirty-one auxiliary ingredients.

“Heavenly spirit fruit, jade marrow fungus, purple monkey flower.” The three main ingredients.

He had gathered everything.

Back in his cave, following the proportions, he began mixing the semi-finished medicinal powders corresponding to each Foundation Establishment Pill.

He mixed over thirty batches in one go.

It wasn’t that he didn’t have enough main ingredients, but rather that the auxiliary ingredients were too expensive;

he didn’t have enough spirit stones to buy them. Without small bottles, just gathering the auxiliary ingredients would be a huge expense.

If he hadn’t made a fortune earlier, he probably wouldn’t have even had enough capital for the first round of operations.

“Start the furnace, refine the pills.”

The first batch of materials, without a doubt, was ruined.

The second and third batches were also ruined.

Fortunately, he found the problem: he hadn’t controlled the heat properly.

Seven or eight more failures followed.

Various problems arose one after another, and he found them all.

Watching over ten batches of materials being wasted, he felt heartbroken, but his will remained firm, and he remained patient.

Several more batches were ruined.

It must be said that refining Foundation Establishment Pills was quite difficult.

But on his sixteenth attempt, this time, he controlled everything perfectly, his touch was excellent, and finally, he successfully refined one pill!

He finally refined the first Foundation Establishment Pill:

“It’s done!”

He couldn’t help but slap his thigh in satisfaction.

He used his magic power to examine the pill closely, scraped off a small piece, and tasted it—it was undoubtedly a genuine Foundation Establishment Pill.

This pill, though a bit small and less appealing, and perhaps slightly weaker in potency than those refined by experienced craftsmen, was absolutely a genuine Foundation Establishment Pill.

“Let’s try again.”

The next batch failed because he was too eager. The

next batch, this time with a calmer mindset, regained the feeling he had when he refined the first batch. Unsurprisingly, it succeeded again.

In the end, he refined six Foundation Establishment Pills from thirty-four portions of materials. The last two were practically indistinguishable from those refined by experienced craftsmen. Round and full, a bright blue, clearly of mid-to-high grade.

It must be said: the feel for the pill is truly important.

The enhancement of spiritual sense during the Foundation Establishment stage was also significant.

If he were in the Qi Refining stage, he doubted he would have succeeded even once with thirty-odd portions of materials.

More than a month passed quietly.

He emerged from seclusion.

He was out of materials.

He was almost penniless.

“I must earn spirit stones.”

Calculating the time, Chen Qiaoshan and Chen Qiaoqian should have reached Foundation Establishment by now, right?

Because of his butterfly effect, the eldest son of the Chen family was in a much better situation than in the original timeline.

However,

after returning to Huangfeng Valley and inquiring about the Chen family’s situation, he was immediately shocked.

“How could this be?”

It turned out

that someone had intercepted the eldest son of the Chen family.

The reason was: Years ago, when Chen Qiaoshan became a disciple of a Core Formation elder surnamed Huang, the elder didn’t appreciate the apprenticeship gift he presented, or rather, didn’t even consider this nominal disciple with three spiritual roots. Therefore, he didn’t accept the gift, only giving Chen Qiaoshan a formal title out of respect for the Chen family.

This time, however, when the Core Formation cultivator surnamed Huang received news that Chen Qiaoshan had brought back twenty-eight hundred-year-old spiritual herbs from the Crimson Forbidden Zone, three of which were top-quality herbs with an age of five or six hundred years, he immediately thought of his nominal disciple.

Then, without hesitation, he took half of the twenty-odd herbs Chen Qiaoshan had painstakingly acquired, using the name of his “mentor.” He

even abused the sect rules to specifically take the three hundred-year-old premium herbs, using them to refine a batch of pills for himself.

This put Chen Qiaoshan in an extremely awkward situation.

Originally, the eldest son of the Chen family could have exchanged for three Foundation Establishment Pills. After this incident, he only received one.

However,

the Core Formation cultivator surnamed Huang was a man of principle, and afterwards, he specially gave Chen Qiaoshan, his nominal disciple, another Foundation Establishment Pill, leaving no room for complaint. With

two Foundation Establishment Pills in hand, and considering that Chen Qiaoshan had previously taken a Foundation Establishment Pill to cleanse his marrow, he should theoretically have a high probability of achieving Foundation Establishment in one fell swoop. The entire Chen family had high hopes for their eldest son.

However,

Chen Qiaoshan faltered and failed.

Two pills later, he was still just short.

This showed that his spiritual root aptitude was no less than Dong Xuan’er’s—

equally poor .

Of course, it was definitely much better than his own, Han’s.

“Elder Huang really tricked us…”

If he had three Foundation Establishment Pills, Chen Qiaoshan’s path to Foundation Establishment would have been without its challenges.

Unfortunately, he had Huang Nie, a Core Formation stage master who was both reliable and unreliable.

“Wait a minute. Since Young Master Chen failed, doesn’t that mean my Foundation Establishment Pills have a legitimate use?”

As for the source?

Within the Crimson Forbidden Land, he obtained three Foundation Establishment Pills. With just a slight hint, Master Hongfu and Dong Xuan’er would surely understand: “Feng Yue, Old Monster Li, and Barefoot Yan, you’ll have to take the blame for killing the direct descendants of the Hidden Moon Sect.”

As long as he didn’t take out too many Foundation Establishment Pills, Fairy Hongfu and Dong Xuan’er wouldn’t think much of it.

What outsiders think is their business.

Maybe they’ll think he succeeded in Foundation Establishment with only two or three pills?

After all, he obtained seven through the Crimson Trial.

If he took out three or four more, who among those outsiders could say anything wrong?

Three or four Foundation Establishment Pills would be worth over ten thousand spirit stones.

Enough for him to continue improving his alchemy skills. He

acted immediately,

heading to the Chen family’s ancestral land in Taiyue Mountain.

“Han Li, a disciple of Hongying Mountain, has come to visit a friend…”

The Chen family, as one of the three major cultivation families in Huangfeng Valley, has a solid foundation and profound heritage. There are as many as sixty or seventy people in the Foundation Establishment stage and as many as four or five hundred people in the Qi Refining stage. If it weren’t for the fact that they deliberately controlled the pseudo-spiritual root talents with poor spiritual root aptitude and some triple spiritual root talents to manage their businesses in the secular world, such as the market in Huangfeng Valley and the small markets of the other two families, the Chen family would have at least a thousand members with spiritual roots.

The Chen family also has one Core Formation elder, eight or nine promising talents with dual spiritual roots like Chen Qiaoqian, and one with a special physique. The Chen family patriarch has also taken in six or seven Foundation Establishment cultivators from other families with dual spiritual roots or special physiques as his disciples. They also have

two promising sons-in-law.

In other words, the Chen family has countless connections with many other cultivation families.

Coupled with the patronage of their Nascent Soul ancestor, their position in Huangfeng Valley is unshakeable.

However,

they still have to give some face to a Core Formation disciple like Han Li.

“Junior Brother Han, we meet again.”

The one who came out to greet Han Li was none other than Chen Qiaotian, the fourth genius of the younger generation of the Chen family,

the future Core Formation cultivator.

“Senior Brother Qiaotian, greetings.”

“No need for formalities, please come inside.”

“Alright.”

The host and guest sat down, exchanged pleasantries, and chatted happily.

They quickly got down to business:

“Junior Brother Han, what brings you here?”

Han Li didn’t mince words, directly taking out a pill bottle containing a single, gleaming blue pill.

Upon seeing the pill, Chen Qiaotian was utterly astonished:

“A Foundation Establishment Pill?”

Indeed, this man had amassed quite a few valuable items that day, many of them of excellent quality. After becoming a disciple of Master Hong Fu, he certainly wouldn’t be mistreated. It was perfectly normal for him to have a Foundation Establishment Pill left over.

“Junior Brother, what do you mean?” Chen Qiaotian asked cautiously.

“Senior Brother Qiaotian, I heard that Brother Chen has been unlucky, failing to achieve success with two Foundation Establishment Pills in a row. I have some history with Brother Chen, and after much thought, I feel it’s a real pity that Brother Chen is wasting his time like this. Coincidentally, I happen to have a spare Foundation Establishment Pill, so I’m planning to help you… I just don’t know if Brother Chen needs it now?” Han Li asked tentatively.

Upon hearing this, Chen Qiaotian abruptly stood up: “Junior Brother Han, is this true?”

Han Li remained calm and nodded slightly.

It seemed the Chen family indeed needed the Foundation Establishment Pill.

“Junior Brother, thank you. Please wait here for a moment, I’ll immediately send a telepathic message to Uncle Wu and have him call my elder brother back.”

Chen Qiaotian then hurriedly left the reception room.

Han Li wasn’t surprised.

He knew all too well the importance of the Foundation Establishment Pill to the gentle and refined eldest son of the Chen family.

In the original timeline, after consuming the second Foundation Establishment Pill obtained from the Blood Forbidden Land, he still failed to establish his foundation, and became disheartened, losing all his spirit, and turned to the mortal world. Decades later, he turned into a handful of dust.

This time, failing to establish his foundation after consuming two Foundation Establishment Pills in a row would only be a greater blow to his Dao heart.

He had offered a glimmer of hope when the other party was in utter despair.

He figured not only would the eldest son, Chen Qiaoshan, desperately try to seize it, but the other members of the Chen family who were on good terms with him, including his elders, would also try their best to negotiate and obtain it.

When Chen Qiaotian returned, he brought back a middle-aged, plump man with a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation level.

“Fifth Uncle, this is Junior Brother Han Li,”

the young man introduced.

“Junior Brother Han, greetings,” the plump man said politely.

Han Li, seeing this, also stood up and returned the greeting: “Senior Brother Chen, greetings.”

Without further pleasantries, the plump man directly offered to buy the Foundation Establishment Pill:

“Junior Brother Han, my Chen family offers three thousand five hundred spirit stones for this Foundation Establishment Pill you have. What do you think, Junior Brother?”

Han Li smiled without saying a word.

Three thousand five hundred was indeed above his desired price.

But merchants are driven by profit, and this plump man, who was mostly active in the Chen family’s market shops, wasn’t very sincere in his pricing. Just look at the Zhongling Dao Sect Leader to understand.

“Three thousand six hundred…”

Seeing Han Li’s calm demeanor, the plump man knew the price was too low and immediately raised it.

Upon hearing this, Han Li shook his head and said bluntly,

“Senior Brother Qiaotian, Senior Brother Chen, let me put it this way, I’ve already traded one with Sect Leader Zhong for 4,500 spirit stones. I know that price is a bit high, but the value of a Foundation Establishment Pill varies from person to person. Brother Chen Qiaoshan has already taken three, and with one more, the probability of him establishing his foundation is extremely high. Of course, my visit isn’t just about getting a good price for this Foundation Establishment Pill; I’m more interested in helping Brother Chen achieve his goal…”

“Therefore, whether you offer 1,000 spirit stones or 2,000, 3,000, or 4,000, it doesn’t matter…”

The asking price of 3,500 or 3,600 spirit stones was truly disappointing.

As soon as Han Li finished speaking, Chen Qiaotian stepped forward and said eagerly, “Junior Brother Han, 3,800 spirit stones, I’ll buy this Foundation Establishment Pill from you. And I’ll owe you a favor, what do you think?”

It wasn’t the Chen family owing a favor, but Chen Qiaotian personally owing a favor, which was fine. That

was enough.

“Alright.”

Han Li’s eyes lit up, and he nodded with a smile.

He handed over thirty-eight mid-grade spirit stones in one hand and a Foundation Establishment Pill in the other. Everyone got what they needed, and everyone was happy. Even Uncle Chen Wu didn’t say anything more, but left in a hurry with the Foundation Establishment Pill.

There was no other way. Chen Qiaoshan was now disheartened and insisted on going to the mortal world to manage the family’s businesses and do his best for the family.

How could this be allowed?

How could the Chen family patriarch be willing to let his son leave in such a dejected manner?

How could the uncles bear to see the eldest son of the Changfang family, who had been sensible, well-behaved, polite, respectful to his elders, and caring for his younger siblings, become so decadent and degenerate?

It was important to send him a Foundation Establishment Pill as soon as possible. It could both save this eldest son and deepen the bond between the young man and the family.

“Junior Brother Han, thank you very much.”

Chen Qiaotian sincerely thanked him.

His elder brother, who had taken good care of him in the past, would have another chance to establish his foundation. This was truly wonderful.

“You’re welcome, I got more benefits.”

Han Li stroked his increasingly bulging storage bag, very satisfied.

Just as he was about to take his leave, Chen Qiaotian suddenly asked tentatively from behind:

“By the way, Junior Brother Han, do you have any more Foundation Establishment Pills? If so, could you sell one or two more to the Chen family? The price is negotiable, I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”

Han Li paused, then nodded:

“I do have two left, but how many spirit stones are you prepared to take out, Senior Brother?”

Upon hearing this, Chen Qiaotian was surprised for a moment, then overjoyed.

After a moment’s thought, he offered a price Han Li couldn’t refuse:

“Four thousand two hundred spirit stones per pill, how about that?”

The Chen family, generally speaking, wasn’t lacking in spirit stones, but they were desperately short of Foundation Establishment

Pills. After all, the annual pie was only so big, and although the Chen family received a large share, it was still far from enough for the clansmen to share.

Now, with two more Foundation Establishment Pills, perhaps two clansmen who had previously taken them but failed to establish their foundations could make up for their regrets and advance further?

Therefore, he readily offered a price that was usually only seen at auctions.

However, he believed that the clansmen were willing to pay these spirit stones.

They would even try to get these two Foundation Establishment Pills on credit.

“Four thousand two hundred spirit stones per pill?” Han Li murmured, then nodded: “Okay, deal.”

This was already two or three hundred spirit stones higher than his expected price. He

not only gained spirit stones but also a goodwill.

A huge profit.

As Han Li left, he saw a tall, graceful figure flying towards him on a sword in the distance, but he didn’t go to greet her, instead heading straight away.

“Chen Qiaoqian has indeed achieved Foundation Establishment! As expected of a little genius with dual spiritual roots, she succeeded with just one Foundation Establishment Pill.”

With over ten thousand spirit stones, plus the several thousand he had left, he had enough to gather materials for another thirty or so Foundation Establishment Pills.

…

He didn’t delay, first going to his Hongying Mountain cave to ask Master Hongfu about some of her cultivation difficulties, then seeking advice on alchemy. Afterwards, he returned to his Lingquan Cave to check on things.

Finding everything untouched and no one causing trouble, he immediately returned to the No. 6 herb garden to refine pills.

A little over a month later, he had successfully refined thirteen pills.

Although the success rate was still low, he had gained a considerable amount of alchemy experience.

Then, a new problem arose.

“Something’s not right. I’m accumulating more and more Foundation Establishment Pills.”

He’d already sold several, but his stockpile hadn’t decreased; in fact, it had quietly increased to over a dozen.

His spirit stones, however, were truly empty, with only about twenty low-grade spirit stones left.

What to do?

A dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator, reduced to only twenty-odd low-grade spirit stones?

He’d never imagined he’d be troubled by having too many Foundation Establishment Pills.

Before Foundation Establishment: Set a small goal—get eight Foundation Establishment Pills first.

After Foundation Establishment: Set another small goal—sell as many as I can.

Damn it, no sales channels.

What to do with these stuck pills?

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(End of Chapter)