Immortal Refiner

After thoroughly questioning the green-robed servant about Daoist Ling Miao, Li Qing didn’t forget the true purpose of his visit.

”It seems the Heavenly River Sect and Shangqing Sect are at odds again. Do you have any information on that?” Li Qing asked.

The servant’s eyes lit up. ”Senior, you’ve come to the right place!” he replied eagerly.

”Recently, those two great immortal sects have shown signs of renewed conflict, causing many rogue cultivators to flee south for safety. Thanks to this, our Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion has gathered a wealth of information.”

”Let me tell you all about it!”

The root of the conflict was simple: greed.

It had been over a decade since the last direct clash between the two sects.

The peace treaties they had signed were nearing their expiration dates. For example, the bustling Heavenly River Market no longer needed to pay tribute to the Shangqing Sect.

Moreover, the Spirit Stone Mine under the Heavenly River Sect’s control would cease sharing its spirit stone revenue with the Shangqing Sect in just two years.

With the addition of various miscellaneous items, everything was nearing its end.

In short, the Heavenly River Sect was finally about to break free from the shackles of this humiliating treaty.

However, having tasted the sweet benefits of exploiting the Heavenly River Sect, the Shangqing Sect naturally had no intention of relinquishing their grip so easily.

Now significantly stronger, the Shangqing Sect had been constantly provoking conflicts, hoping to find a pretext to reignite the flames of war.

”No wonder the Shangqing Sect sent envoys to visit the Lingyun Sect,” Li Qing mused after hearing the green-robed servant from the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion’s account. ”When two sects clash, third-party forces always become the greatest variable.”

After paying the final sum of Spirit Stones in full, Li Qing returned to his cave abode.

The remaining days passed peacefully. Shen Ningbing quickly recovered from her seclusion and recuperation.

Thus, the two set out once more, leading all forty-seven disciples who had emerged victorious from the ascension conference toward their sect.

This time, their journey was remarkably smooth. No further incidents occurred, and no one dared to obstruct their path.

After more than ten days of relentless travel, the Lingyun Sect’s mountain gate finally came into view.

Just as when Li Qing had joined the sect, most of the disciples showed visible excitement. Crossing this gate meant they would officially become disciples of the Lingyun Sect from this day forward!

The rogue cultivators, who had clawed their way here through hardship, clenched their fists tightly, finally able to shed their wandering status.

Seeing this, Li Qing raised his voice at the opportune moment: ”Everyone, once you cross this gate, you will officially become disciples of the Lingyun Sect!”

”From now on, every action you take will represent the sect’s honor!”

”No matter what dangers you face in the world, remember this: behind you stands a powerful sect!”

These words resonated deeply with the disciples. Their faces flushed slightly as a sense of sect pride surged through their hearts.

”We will remember the elder’s teachings!”

All forty-seven disciples shouted in unison, their voices shaking the mountain gate!

White clouds drifted lazily across the sky, and lush vegetation thrived below.

The newly joined disciples of the Lingyun Sect were fresh blood, injecting new vitality into the ancient sect.

Whenever new disciples entered the sect, the most attention was always drawn to those who received foundation establishment pills.

Among the ten immortal seeds who obtained these pills, how many would successfully achieve foundation establishment?

This matter naturally garnered widespread interest within the sect.

After all, whether one achieved foundation establishment or not would determine a world of difference in their future treatment within the sect.

Even Li Qing, who usually avoided such affairs, found himself paying attention this time.

”By now, the foundation establishment pills should have been distributed to the ten immortal seeds. Will that Lu Fan actually succeed in achieving foundation establishment?!”

It wasn’t out of concern for Lu Fan himself that Li Qing was interested, but rather because of the body refinement inheritance Lu Fan possessed.

Li Qing had long coveted that inheritance and had prepared a substantial bargaining chip: a foundation establishment pill!

Logically, unless Lu Fan was a fool, he would undoubtedly accept the trade.

However, Li Qing had more to consider.

”If I want Lu Fan to willingly make the trade and be grateful to me, the best approach is to wait until he fails his foundation establishment attempt. Then, I’ll offer him a foundation establishment pill.”

”This way, I can not only secure his body refinement inheritance but also gain his favor, maximizing my benefits.”

Conversely, if Lu Fan succeeds in establishing his foundation, the value of this foundation establishment pill will diminish significantly for him.

Li Qing found himself torn between delivering the pill immediately or waiting for Lu Fan’s foundation establishment outcome.

After careful deliberation, Li Qing finally made his decision:

Wait.

”Lu Fan’s cultivation aptitude isn’t exceptional—merely Three Spirit Roots. Even with a foundation establishment pill, his success isn’t guaranteed.”

”Besides, even if he does succeed, I can always offer other items for trade later.”

”After establishing his foundation, he’ll undoubtedly need to refine magic artifacts. If necessary, I could even trade him the Qi Blood Nine Revolutions Cultivation Method.”

With that settled, Li Qing ceased dwelling on the matter and patiently awaited the foundation establishment results of the ten immortal seeds.

He didn’t have to wait long; the three months passed in the blink of an eye.

The ten immortal seeds who had obtained foundation establishment pills gradually began their foundation establishment attempts. Only one or two felt uncertain about their chances and decided to wait until they reached the peak of the qi refining realm before attempting foundation establishment. For now, they would remain qi refining disciples.

Meanwhile, Lu Fan’s cultivation had surged to the ninth layer of the qi refining realm, just one step away from perfection.

This impatient, rough-hewn man finally couldn’t restrain himself any longer after hearing that the other immortal seeds had begun their foundation establishment attempts.

”Let’s do it! Even if I have to play the fool for a while, I can slowly accumulate contribution points later and exchange for another foundation establishment pill!”

”The sooner I take it, the sooner I can relax. No more worrying about those damn senior brothers trying to steal my foundation establishment pill!”

With these words, Lu Fan, alone in his small courtyard, swallowed the foundation establishment pill whole, as if gulping down a jujube.

As a vortex of spiritual energy formed, a subtle aura began to spread.

News of Lu Fan’s foundation establishment attempt spread like wildfire!

”Lu Fan, that reckless brute, is attempting foundation establishment too? He’s moving so fast?!”

”He’s being too reckless. He’s only at the ninth layer of the Qi Refining Realm. He should have waited until he reached the peak of Qi Refining before attempting foundation establishment.”

”What a waste. I doubt Lu Fan will succeed.”

”Hahaha, you can’t blame him. They say at least eight people have been trying to buy foundation establishment pills from him recently. I’d lose my patience too if I were in his shoes.”

”...”

Li Qing, secluded in his cave abode, naturally received news of Lu Fan’s foundation establishment attempt.

”So it’s finally begun? He didn’t keep me waiting long,” Li Qing murmured to himself, his gaze drifting toward Stream Cloud Pavilion, where the qi refining disciples resided.

Including Lu Fan, a total of eight immortal seeds had begun their foundation establishment attempts, roughly the same number as Li Qing’s cohort.

However, the quality of this year’s immortal seeds paled in comparison to Li Qing’s year. Among the ten candidates, only two possessed Dual Spirit Roots, while the rest had Three Spirit Roots.

During Li Qing’s year, Shen Ningbing had been a guaranteed success, serving as a safety net for the entire group!

Soon, news of the foundation establishment results began to spread.

”Success! Ning Yuanxing, the Dual Spirit Root cultivator, has successfully established his foundation! The heaven and earth spiritual energy around his courtyard was instantly drained, creating an incredibly intense aura!”

”Someone has already succeeded in foundation establishment so quickly! What a promising start!”

But was it truly a promising start?

The subsequent waves of regretful and resentful voices completely refuted this notion.

”Ye Jun failed his foundation establishment. What a pity! Judging by his progress, he seemed so close to succeeding, only to fall short at the last moment.”

”...”

”Aaaaaah! I can’t accept this! Why?!”

A sorrowful, piercing cry echoed from one of the courtyards in Stream Cloud Pavilion, its tone conveying unbearable anguish.

Someone recognized the voice and murmured in disbelief, ”Heavens! Even Zhang Rishan failed his foundation establishment? He was the second disciple among the ten immortal seeds with Dual Spirit Roots aptitude!”

”Heh, so what if he has Dual Spirit Roots? In the end, he still failed his foundation establishment. A century from now, he’ll be nothing more than a handful of dust!”

”The immortal dao is truly cruel and merciless.”

”Strive! Strive!”

As news of each immortal seed’s foundation establishment outcome spread, Stream Cloud Pavilion, where the qi refining disciples resided, seemed to be shrouded in an oppressive atmosphere.

Indeed, out of the eight disciples who attempted foundation establishment, only one succeeded. The remaining seven all failed!

The results sent the remaining two disciples, who hadn’t yet taken the foundation establishment pill, into a state of deathly pallor.

”This year’s results are... quite unexpected!”

This was nearly the lowest success rate in the Lingyun Sect’s history—only one out of eight disciples had achieved foundation establishment. The two remaining Three Spirit Root disciples didn’t seem to have much better odds.

Even Li Qing was taken aback. He hadn’t anticipated such a dismal outcome for this year’s ascension conference.

”I thought at least the two Dual Spirit Root disciples would succeed, and surely one more from the rest?”

Unfortunately, cultivating immortality wasn’t like a game, and foundation establishment wasn’t like drawing cards. There was no guaranteed success here.

The harsh reality hung heavy in the air, leaving countless Lingyun Sect disciples with mixed emotions.

Fortunately, Li Qing’s example—achieving foundation establishment with a Four Spirit Root aptitude—remained their last glimmer of hope.

Li Qing, meanwhile, breathed a small sigh of relief. Lu Fan, whom he had been waiting for, had also failed to achieve foundation establishment.

”I’ll wait a few more days,” he thought. ”When this guy hits rock bottom, I’ll extend a helping hand. That’s when he’ll truly appreciate my help from the bottom of his heart.”

(End of the Chapter)

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