Fang Qing withdrew quietly.
He had originally planned to disguise his identity and kill Jin Ling’er himself.
He never expected Li Rulong to show up as an assassin at the sa ti. By sheer coincidence, the man had taken the bla for him.
Still, Li Rulong had already reached mid Dao Foundation? And his mana was no weaker than most at that level. His cultivation speed was truly frightening.
At the bottom of the great river.
Fang Qing activated his Dao Foundation profundities, turning turbid waters clear and carving out a hidden water mansion.
Once the arrangents were complete, the Dao-Genesis Pearl spun inside him. Clear and turbid qi ford a gateway.
He pushed open the door and stepped directly onto Taibai Island.
Outside the cave residence where he had been in seclusion, more than ten voice transmission talismans waited.
It was warti after all. Even low-intensity skirmishes kept the outer disciples on high alert.
A re dozen talismans actually counted as few.
Fang Qing checked them one by one and found Taibai Island running as usual. He relaxed slightly. ‘Still, I need to bring Xiang Dahu over as soon as possible. That way I will have eyes and ears on the island. Otherwise I might close myself in seclusion in Ancient Shu only to return and discover the entire place has been wiped out.’
He entered the training chamber and took out the Vajra Ghee he had traded for from Jin Ling’er.
As a second-rank superior alchemist, he could naturally judge its dicinal properties at a glance.
‘This item is excellent. It is perfectly suited for tempering the physique, especially when paired with an Esoteric Hidden-Treasury Body Refinent technique.’
Fang Qing scooped out a spoonful with a small ladle and examined it closely.
The ghee was dense and amber-like, threaded with faint golden lines and carrying an indescribable fragrance.
A single sniff filled him with a sense of perfect completeness.
‘Truly a fine treasure.’
Fang Qing visualized the Horse-Headed Vajra, ford the Treasure Vase Seal, and received the spoonful of ghee.
In that instant the substance seed to co alive. It crawled from his palm up his arm and across his chest, then spread over his entire body until he resembled a Golden Vajra Arhat.
Fang Qing felt a rush of heat across his skin that sank deep into his limbs and bones, transforming into the blood-qi anomalous power of the Horse-Headed Vajra Protector Divine thod.
After a session of cultivation he clenched his fist in satisfaction.
A layer of Golden Vajra Buddhist light glowed across his body.
‘At this rate, once this jar of Vajra Ghee is finished my Body Refinent should reach roughly mid second-rank.’
Mid second-rank Body Refinent!
With such a physique he could clash head-on with second-rank demon beasts comparable to mid Foundation Establishnt.
What pleased him even more, however, was how the strengthened physique and divine sense would let him wield the external core Tide Birth Pearl far more effectively.
At that point he would no longer possess rely sufficient Core Formation combat strength. He would truly stand on equal footing with early Core Formation cultivators.
‘Good. By the ti I finish, my various preparations for mid Foundation Establishnt should also be complete. I can attempt to break through to late Foundation Establishnt.’
Fang Qing moved to the Ice Soul Cold Spring and began preparing to refine second-rank superior Barrier-Breaking Pills.
These pills could help mid Foundation Establishnt cultivators whose mana had reached perfection break through the late-stage bottleneck and advance to late Foundation Establishnt.
Once that was done, he could settle his karma with the White Bone Dao once and for all.
He had personally obtained the main ingredients for the second-rank superior Barrier-Breaking Pill from a black-market auction, including the Qionghua Branch.
The remaining materials had all been gathered thanks to the Zhoutian Star Palace secret realm.
‘I have refined the Barrier-Breaking Pill a few tis before, so my experience is solid. Guaranteeing at least one superior-quality pill should not be difficult.’
Fang Qing gazed at the Ice Soul Cold Spring ahead and pondered silently.
He had already secured the main material for the third-rank Great Barrier-Breaking Pill long ago.
Therefore his path to Foundation Establishnt perfection was wide open.
Compared to the guaranteed breakthrough to late Foundation Establishnt within a few years, however, reaching Foundation Establishnt perfection would still take a very long ti.
Fang Qing estimated that Guru Sangji would not wait decades. The man might even report to a Dharma King, which could introduce new variables.
According to his calculations, the best solution was to end the matter once and for all at Sangji’s side.
Splash!
The Ice Soul Cold Spring gushed frigid qi that turned into countless streams of water. They wrapped around the Qionghua Branch, drew it into the depths of the spring, and ford a swirling vortex.
With Fang Qing’s current water-thod alchemy skill, aided primarily by his Dao Foundation level [Ji Water] mana, refining second-rank superior Barrier-Breaking Pills ca easily.
What was more, while refining the pills he could even split his attention slightly to think about other matters.
The cultivation world of Ancient Shu was far too resource-poor, and its restrictions were excessively strict. Without reaching Dao Foundation it was nearly impossible to trade for Dao Foundation spiritual items. Layers of limits had also been placed on techniques and true qi, clearly intended to prevent later generations from advancing.
It was as if society had beco completely stratified, with almost every upward path sealed shut.
By comparison, the Minor Huan Sea felt like an open blue ocean, vibrant and full of vitality, even a bit savage in its upward drive and rapid developnt.
Fang Qing felt the two cultivation worlds were like different stages of societal progress.
The Minor Huan Sea was like a primitive era where technology had just broken through. Society overflowed with resources. Anyone with spiritual roots could cultivate, and wild resources were still abundant.
If the Minor Huan Sea continued developing for billions of years, it might one day beco like Ancient Shu, where even Qi Refining and Foundation Establishnt required examinations and certifications.
The thought sent a shiver through Fang Qing. He had grown sick of taking endless exams in his previous life and had no desire to repeat the experience.
Several months later.
Fang Qing ford hand seals. Two water dragons spiraled and danced, spitting out a pair of large purple pills.
Both pills were deep purple and radiated auspicious light. Each bore three exquisite pill veins on its surface.
“Two superior-quality pills.”
“One for myself. The other can go to Qin Ruxue or Xiang Dahu.”
He stored the two pills away and could not help feeling speechless when he rembered the inferior Minor Barrier-Breaking Pill still sitting in his inventory.
‘Are my subordinates too fortunate? They are about to receive a complete Foundation Establishnt-level Barrier-Breaking Pill package.’
Of course, pills that assisted in breaking through major realms were extrely precious in both Ancient Shu and the Minor Huan Sea. They could be exchanged for countless rare resources. Keeping them on hand would only increase in value; they would never depreciate.
After refining the pills, Fang Qing erged from seclusion at a leisurely pace.
“Young Master!”
A streak of escape light flew over. It was none other than Xiang Dahu.
After reaching Foundation Establishnt, the man had spent a year recuperating in the sect before receiving his assignnt. Fang Qing had asked Qin Ruxue to pull so strings and transfer Xiang Dahu to Taibai Island to replace Ma Xin.
When Junior Brother Ma learned of the change, he had been endlessly grateful. He completed the handover with Xiang Dahu as quickly as possible and left at once.
In truth, if it were possible, Fang Qing would have liked to bring Qin Ruxue over as well so she could craft various array flags and disks for him. Unfortunately, she now held a high position in the sect as the Master of Array Island and carried heavy responsibilities. She could not get away.
Under Ancestor Ruan’s deliberate grooming, she had already beco a mid second-rank Array Master.
As for her cultivation, it had also neared the peak of early Foundation Establishnt. The inferior Minor Barrier-Breaking Pill he still possessed would soon prove useful.
“Dahu.”
Fang Qing stood with his hands behind his back. He brought Xiang Dahu into the air and looked down over the entire Taibai Island.
“I often needs to enter seclusion. From now on, all affairs on the island will be left entirely to you.”
“Besides advancing your own cultivation, now that you have reached Foundation Establishnt you possess divine sense. You may choose one of the Hundred Arts of Immortal Cultivation to study. As long as you put in the effort, you will eventually reach the second-rank level.”
Fang Qing continued, “I specialize in alchemy and Qin Ruxue in array formation, so you need not choose those two. Pick whichever of the rest you have the most talent for and begin practicing it first.”
“Understood,” Xiang Dahu replied. “I only knew the trade of spirit plant tending before. But after Foundation Establishnt, I feel I could try my hand at talisman crafting or artifact refining.”
“There is no need to limit yourself to pills, arrays, talismans, or artifacts,” Fang Qing said. “The Hundred Arts of Immortality are rich and varied. Puppetry, brewing, spirit cuisine, musicianship, any of them are fine.”
He gave a few more instructions, then suddenly paused.
It seed the Minor Huan Sea’s Hundred Arts of Immortal Cultivation did not include any dedicated divination techniques. At most, physiognomy and astrology touched on the subject slightly. No wonder the heavenly secrets here remained so clear and unobstructed. As the monopoly holders, they would naturally never spread divination manuals and create rivals for themselves.
Yanshan Market.
Returning after several months, Fang Qing noticed that many cultivators in the marketplace wore smiles, as though so great joyous event had occurred.
“Victory report! A great victory on the front lines!”
“The Shangyong Sect set up a grand [Ji Water] array and drowned countless demons from the Azure Bird Tribe!”
“Our human race’s sword genius, Tian Jinchen, personally slew seven demon generals in battle!”
Fang Qing did not even need to ask. A casual sweep of his divine sense picked up all the information the cultivators were discussing.
“Human race genius Tian Jinchen? Oldman Tian’s grandson?”
Hearing the na, Fang Qing’s expression turned rather strange. ‘This person was so badly used by the Purple Mansion forces of Ancient Shu, yet he is still fighting for them?’
The thought made his heart turn cold. ‘Perhaps he is not acting willingly… or rather, under the control of the Purple Mansion forces, he is extrely willing.’
‘I wonder if the Xu Jinhuan is still in his hands? It probably is not.’
‘If I were to kill him according to the sword cultivators’ life-and-death duel rules, how much benefit would I gain?’
Fang Qing was growing increasingly frustrated by the resource scarcity in Ancient Shu.
His Blue Sea Technique could at least rely on nurous spiritual pills to increase his mana with great speed. He had only broken through to mid Foundation Establishnt twenty-so years ago, yet his mana had already reached perfection.
Dao Foundation cultivation, however, was far more difficult.
Accumulating mana was manageable, but when he encountered the bottleneck between early and mid Dao Foundation, he had no idea how to proceed.
Still, with his golden finger, Fang Qing had co up with a crooked solution.
First cultivate the Listening to the Mysterious Cavern Spring Scripture. The qi-ingestion pills that boost mana for the Qi Refining path can be used to so extent for the Dao Foundation path as well.
‘Most of the pills I possess are suited to water-attribute techniques, and with my [Ji Water] natal foundation I can first fill my early Dao Foundation mana to perfection. Then I can convert it to the Heavenly Escape Sword Art. Both are Purple Mansion techniques, so after the conversion the Heavenly Escape Sword Art should also reach early Dao Foundation mana perfection. If it falls short, I can use primordial qi from the Dao-Genesis Pearl to make up the difference. After that, I simply need to find a sword cultivator at the peak of early Dao Foundation and engage in mutual killing. The victor will naturally break through to mid Dao Foundation!’
Once the bottleneck is broken, the Dao-Genesis Pearl’s property of once attained, forever attained, there would be no further need to seek opportunities or resources for breakthroughs in the other Dao Foundation techniques—they would naturally advance on their own.
The only uncertainty was whether he would happen to encounter such a sword cultivator enemy.
Fang Qing had no desire to eat people, but this thod was different.
Moreover, given the character of local sword cultivators, the mont they saw him they would probably charge over with greedy eyes, just like Zhao Wufeng had done.
After all, he lacked a breakthrough opportunity, and the other cultivators of Ancient Shu were suffering the sa hardships.
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