Mystic Jade Cave.
Fang Qing watched the transmission talismans fluttering chaotically outside the cave residence and could only give a wry smile. "Ever since advancing to true disciple... this sight has truly beco rare. Truly an eventful ti."
Ever since news spread that Linghu Jin had failed to break through to Core Formation, undercurrents had surged throughout the Blue Sea Sect.
Countless cultivators gathered in secret etings and ford alliances in the shadows.
But Fang Qing needed no divination to know exactly how he should respond.
"Let the storms rage from all directions; I remain unmoved and steadfast."
"The specific reason is simple: I seek nothing. Without weaknesses, one is not easily manipulated, nor prone to impulsive actions."
At present, the sect master's faction appeared to have beco drowning dogs, but in reality?
Linghu Jin was rely rumored to be on the verge of death; after all, he had not actually died yet.
Moreover, Ancestor Ruan's attitude remained quite ambiguous.
Fang Qing had always maintained good relations with cultivators from the sect master's line and could not bring himself to kick soone when they were down.
So he simply stayed holed up in his cave residence, cultivating daily and studying pill scriptures.
Occasionally he ventured out for leisure: visiting pleasure quarters to listen to music, playing chess with others, browsing auctions and marketplaces, or heading to Taibai Island to et Qin Ruxue. Before he knew it, several more years had slipped by.
For a Foundation Establishnt cultivator, a single seclusion lasting years could easily beco the norm.
Inside the cave residence's flower hall.
Qin Ruxue poured tea for Fang Qing and smiled. "The sect's chaos has finally begun to settle. In recent months, Hall Master Cui Zhe led the Hall of Punishing Evil to arrest quite a batch of disciples, including several Foundation Establishnt elders. The charges were all collusion with the Sea Destoying Alliance. The sect's atmosphere has been cleansed in one sweep."
"The most crucial part is that Linghu Jin kept saying he was about to die, yet he never actually did. It is plainly obvious he was fishing for sothing."
Fang Qing took a sip of clear tea and gave an amused smile. "It seems the sect is using this opportunity to sweep away the arrogance left over from our previous great victory. One action achieves many goals. Sect Master Linghu truly lives up to his na—even on the verge of old age and death, he still exhausts himself for the sect."
"Sect Master Linghu... is about to pass away in ditation?"
Qin Ruxue was startled. The Sea Destroying Alliance had suffered a massive blow; she had almost thought the earlier Core Formation failure had been a ruse.
"Make the false seem true, the true seem false. Sect Master Linghu was already advanced in years. After failing to break through to Core Formation, how could there be no backlash?"
Fang Qing shook his head. "Still, the sect has one Core Formation ancestor in residence. The Blue Sea Sect's position remains as stable as Mount Tai. There is no need to worry excessively. You returned this ti not only to deliver that true qi, but also because the sect issued a summons?"
Qin Ruxue's return had two main purposes: delivering the [Lou tal] true qi to Fang Qing, and answering the sect's call.
"Correct. Senior Brother Wanbao has summoned the Array Island Lord along with many array masters. They plan to mobilize us all to Tianxin Island under the pretext of constructing a third-rank grand array."
Tianxin Island possessed a third-rank spirit vein and had once been the main island of the Tianxin Linked Islands.
"So it seems... the secret realm has been confird to be near Tianxin Island?"
Fang Qing paid even closer attention to this news. "Go ahead. Report back imdiately if you discover anything."
In truth, he did not even need Qin Ruxue to report; through the Dao-Genesis Pearl he could observe at any ti.
The reason he still said this was to give his wisdom consort a faint sense of privacy—even if it was illusory.
For many matters, having that thin veneer of formality made all the difference in effect.
After sending Qin Ruxue away, Fang Qing entered the pill-refining chamber.
His divine sense flared, examining the second-rank cold spring inch by inch, then turning inward to inspect his own body.
Ever since breaking through to mid-stage Foundation Establishnt, the shackles on his mana had vanished. Swallowing genuine water essence pills for cultivation, his progress advanced by leaps and bounds.
In general, he could condense one drop of liquid mana per year.
"In the best-case scenario, twenty-so years would suffice to cultivate to the peak of mid-stage Foundation Establishnt before attempting late stage. Of course, due to growing resistance and various other factors, that is practically impossible."
To say nothing else, accumulating mana in mid-stage Foundation Establishnt was inherently far more difficult than in early stage.
If he continued using lower-grade second-rank water essence pills, it might take several pills just to condense a single drop of liquid mana.
"Hmm, the water affinity has recovered nicely. I can begin refining pills now."
Fang Qing patted his storage bag. Jade boxes flew out one after another and opened in sequence.
Inside one of them lay a pitch-black second-rank water-attribute demon core.
He was preparing to refine superior second-rank Foundation Establishnt Pills!
Over these years, Fang Qing had continuously studied the Shen Yuan Random Jisttings and even attempted to use the one Foundation Establishnt Pill in his possession to refine it into a Dao Foundation Pill—only to fail regrettably.
This was quite normal; after all, the pill dao of the two worlds differed in certain aspects.
He planned to refine several more Foundation Establishnt Pills for experintation, better safe than sorry.
This second-rank demon core had many uses; Fang Qing had not used it all to refine genuine water essence pills earlier.
"The auxiliary materials for Foundation Establishnt Pills... I managed to gather several full sets from the Zhong Family side."
"However, when Elder Tianding refined Foundation Establishnt Pills, he required assistance from all the disciples of Pill Island. I lack such convenience and can only shoulder more of the burden myself."
Fang Qing circulated the Water-Fire Pill Formula, transforming the cave residence's lower-grade second-rank cold spring into a mid-grade second-rank cold-hot dual spring. He began processing the various materials for the Foundation Establishnt Pill one by one.
Several months later...
He remained expressionless as he ford hand seals with both hands, allowing an entire pool of spiritual liquid to drain away rapidly.
Clearly, refining a second-rank superior pill for the first ti carried considerable difficulty. At the critical mont of pill fusion, the slightest mishandling would result in total failure and waste.
"Fortunately, unlike Elder Tianding, I only refine one second-rank demon core at a ti. The loss is not too great."
Fang Qing rested for several days before opening the pool again.
This ti his condition was even better. Several crises were handled with almost divine assistance.
Finally...
Half a year later.
Fang Qing ford a hand seal. Three water dragons rose from the spring, each holding a faint blue glow in its mouth.
His expression remained calm as he continued to apply the water-control technique.
The three water dragons twisted and swam. Suddenly one let out a mournful cry and dissolved into a spray of water. The blue light within it shattered instantly.
Evidently, this attempt at a Foundation Establishnt Pill had failed.
Fang Qing's mind remained steady. He guided the Cold-Hot Dual Springs into a taiji shape. The two remaining water dragons spun in opposition, positioning the last two Foundation Establishnt Pills precisely at the yin-yang fish eyes.
This was a niche technique he had comprehended after years of studying pill scriptures. By deliberately lowering the success probability or even the quality—of one pill, he could raise the success rate of the other.
Several hours later, two Foundation Establishnt Pills floated quietly to the surface. One was noticeably smaller and covered in fine cracks.
Splash!
Suddenly, the flawed pill disintegrated completely, leaving behind only a single genuine Foundation Establishnt Pill.
"One genuine pill... still acceptable."
"Elder Tianding can stably produce two genuine and one inferior, occasionally even three genuine ones. His pill-refining skill truly surpasses mine."
Fang Qing knew he still lacked Elder Tianding's many years of practical experience.
Moreover, although he possessed so talent in water-thod pill refining, most of his success relied on the strong water affinity provided by the [Ji Water] thod.
When it ca to second-rank pills, the Qi Ingestion-level [Ji Water] mana was no longer sufficient.
In other words, once he used [Ji Water] to cast his Dao Foundation, it might bring another significant boost to his pill-refining ability.
"One Foundation Establishnt Pill... still not enough!"
Fang Qing took out a jade box and carefully stored the pill away before beginning another round of refinent...
Ti flowed like water.
Outside, after a period of reorganization, the Blue Sea Sect's cultivators gradually settled down. They returned to daily cultivation, visiting friends, and studying miscellaneous arts.
The restless atmosphere that had gripped the sect after becoming the hegemon of the Minor Huan Sea finally cleared away.
Linghu Jin, anwhile, passed away quietly in seclusion. His funeral was reportedly handled with extre discretion.
As for Tianxin Island? The news had been sealed airtight.
To the outside world, the Blue Sea Sect was vigorously developing Tianxin Island into a massive marketplace and had even invited nurous array masters to set up formations.
In truth, the sect was secretly advancing through hidden channels, pouring all its efforts into conquering that secret realm.
"The entrance to that secret realm is protected by a powerful restriction—drawing on the combined might of heaven and earth, aligning with the stars above and the earth veins below. Its power has already surpassed third rank. Even if the Array Island Lord personally acted, truly breaking it open would be extrely difficult."
With Qin Ruxue as his informant, Fang Qing naturally knew the exact progress of the Blue Sea Sect's exploration.
"According to Qin Ruxue's estimate, it may take several more decades of slow grinding, plus the right timing and geography, before they can even crack open a small gap in the restriction."
"In that case, there is no need to pay too much attention."
He withdrew his thoughts and looked toward the Cold-Hot Dual Springs before him.
At the bottom of the spiritual pool lay two blue pills.
"Two genuine ones..."
"With this, I can barely be considered a quasi second-rank superior alchemist, I suppose?"
Fang Qing ford a hand seal and collected the two Foundation Establishnt Pills. Inhaling their strange dicinal fragrance, a slight stir rose in his heart. "Second-rank demon cores are running low. This round of Foundation Establishnt Pill refinent has nearly exhausted several years' worth of my stockpile."
"Still, the results are quite good."
Now, including these two, he held a total of eight Foundation Establishnt Pills!
This was a number that could make any force green with envy. With good luck, it would be enough to nurture several Foundation Establishnt cultivators.
Of course, Fang Qing had no intention of letting even one slip out. He planned to refine them evenly into Dao Foundation Pills to prepare for casting his own Dao Foundation.
Even after studying nurous pill scriptures and gaining hands-on practice once, evenly refining them still presented considerable difficulty.
But these second-rank demon cores were all water-attribute. By Ancient Shu classification, they belonged to [Zhen Water]. Though they lacked profound Dao Foundation mysteries themselves, they should prove quite beneficial for a [Zhen Water] Qi Ingestion cultivator casting a Dao Foundation.
If the even refinent proved too challenging, he would still need to prepare to switch to the [Zhen Water] path...
Thinking of this, Fang Qing could not help but feel a pang of regret over losing the Heavenly Wind Spiritual Spring during the Yanbo Blessed Land incident.
If he had obtained it back then, he could have long since attempted to cast a [Ji Water] Dao Foundation.
"Xu Hei truly is useless. Such a major event as the blessed land opening, with so many spiritual items circulating outside, and he still failed to secure the one I wanted..."
"Of course, now that the Black Gu Sect has lost its Purple Mansion ancestor, the Pu Family imdiately tore up the previous agreent and launched an assault on Ba Commandery. In just a few years, chaos has returned once more."
Reflecting on the situation in Ancient Shu, Fang Qing could only shake his head.
Clearly, for those low-level cultivators and common people, their lives, deaths, rises, and falls were rarely within their own control.
A single shift among those in power could ignite countless wars and leave untold numbers displaced and holess...
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