12dz Chapter 45 Foundation Building Failure
Chapter 45 Foundation Building Failure
"Hmm... His technique is skillful, and his mastery of the Water Control Technique is quite good. He shattered the Qi Refining Flower in the blink of an eye... He has completely taken control of this second-tier spiritual spring."
Beside him, Elder Han watched Fang Qing's alchemy technique unfold with incredible fluidity and couldn't help but nod in approval.
Several days later, Fang Qing made a hand seal, and a dose of Qi-refining powder was released directly from the pool.
"Not bad, not bad..."
Elder Han took it, sniffed it slightly, and said, "The various main ingredients are blended perfectly; it's undoubtedly an authentic product..."
"Thank you for your comments, Elder."
After adjusting his breathing, Fang Qing began refining the "Qi-replenishing pills" again.
He had studied this prescription before and even tried it out a few times, so he was quite confident in his abilities.
Even so, despite deliberately concealing his divine sense, he still failed in the first pool.
"I possessed divine consciousness during the Qi Refining stage, a mark of genius, but the tallest tree in the forest... and I have little real power, so it's best to keep it hidden."
"As long as I don't use my divine sense in front of the Foundation Establishment Elder, he won't willingly intrude into my sea of consciousness and discover this secret..."
"That's precisely why it can mask my alchemy skills, reducing them from outstanding to merely passable..."
Fang Qing remained calm and composed, draining the pool of wastewater and continuing to pour in the main materials.
"Um?"
When Elder Han saw this, he felt a pang of regret for the talented man.
He had seen many alchemy geniuses. When things were going well, everything went smoothly, but how they would behave in adversity was another matter.
Even after ruining an entire pool of alchemy, this disciple named Fang Qing remained calm and composed, his composure comparable to that of a first-grade high-level alchemist.
Fang Qing had no idea that Elder Han had so many thoughts on his mind, and successfully refined the Qi-replenishing pill.
Then, they began refining the "Rejuvenation Pill," a first-grade high-quality healing pill. Although it did not have the same life-saving and bone-regenerating effects as the second-grade "Muscle and Bone Regeneration Pill," a severely injured Qi Refining cultivator could still greatly reduce his injuries by taking one.
However, the difficulty of refining this pill is significantly higher.
Fang Qing barely managed to refine two pools of spiritual materials before he could forcefully form hand seals and send a crimson pill flying out of the spiritual pool.
"Not bad, not bad... Your name is Fang Qing, right? Your water control technique is already outstanding for your age."
Elder Han took the pill and examined it: "It's a pity... many of the alchemy techniques are obviously learned from books, without any practical application... Sometimes, a single word of guidance from a master can save a disciple countless hours of hard work."
He praised Fang Qing for a long time, waiting for him to become Fang Qing's apprentice.
To everyone's surprise, Fang Qing seemed to completely misunderstand the implication or even the explicit instruction, and simply listened respectfully.
"So be it... we were never meant to be master and disciple."
Elder Han sighed and waved his hand to activate the formation: "Go to the Pill Hall. Now that you've advanced to a first-tier high-grade alchemist, you're practically a core disciple of the sect... You can access some second-tier pill formulas, pill scriptures, and even rent a second-tier spirit pool..."
"Thank you for your guidance, Elder."
Fang Qing looked grateful and followed Elder Han to the Pill Hall to update his disciple token.
"Congratulations, Junior Brother... on your advancement to a first-tier high-grade alchemist."
Hua Lingsu congratulated him with a beaming smile: "With your talent, Junior Brother, you will surely be able to refine a second-tier pill soon, advance to the level of a quasi-second-tier alchemist, and then become a true second-tier alchemist."
To become a second-tier alchemist, you need to refine at least three different second-tier spirit pills!
If you can only refine one or two types, you can only be called a "quasi-second-tier" in the sect!
Of course, among the independent cultivators outside, he would definitely be a second-tier alchemy master!
Elder Han, who was standing nearby, curled his lip slightly upon hearing this.
A first-tier alchemist can easily advance to the superior tier if they are willing to invest resources.
But how difficult would it be to break through to the second tier without the aid of divine sense? He was well aware of that.
If Fang Qing were his disciple, he would surely have given him earnest advice, telling him not to become arrogant or conceited.
Now? Forget it...
"Finally decided. We can go check the pill formula first, then gather the materials. We can also rent a second-tier spirit pool while we're at it..."
"It just takes a little longer, giving the impression that I've been saving up for a long time, finally gathering all the materials for a gamble... Actually, I'm preparing ten or eight sets to break through to the second-tier alchemist in one fell swoop!"
Fang Qing accepted his family's identity token, a surge of pride welling up within him.
But the next moment, a strange fluctuation of spiritual energy came.
"what?"
Elder Han was the first to sense it, and transformed into a stream of light, flying out of the Pill Hall.
Fang Qing and Hua Lingsu saw that above a cave on Dan Island, spiritual energy suddenly gathered like clouds, forming a huge vortex.
The vortex, like a funnel, frantically devoured the surrounding spiritual energy and disappeared into the cave.
What followed was a surge of magical power far exceeding that of the Qi Refining stage!
"Foundation Building!"
"Are the island's disciples attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage?"
Elder Han, a man of great experience and knowledge, stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "It seems that only by passing through the Essence Gate and the Qi Gate can such a celestial phenomenon be formed... Next, as long as one generates divine consciousness and passes through the Divine Gate, this island will have another fellow Daoist."
"Judging from the location of that cave, it belongs to Senior Brother Wulongzi."
Hua Lingsu observed for a while, then suddenly spoke, her expression towards Fang Qing somewhat strange.
Fang Qing didn't think too much about it. He had never seen a cultivator attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage before, and he observed with great interest:
"Hmm, this breakthrough in Qi Refining was quite impressive... but it doesn't seem to possess the profound mysteries of Qi Absorption..."
He had at least witnessed the tribulation of the Chaotic Sea Serpent; it was indeed a grand spectacle.
However, to say that it would affect an entire prefecture, or even manifest strange phenomena to hinder other fire-attribute cultivators from breaking through their cultivation techniques... is completely impossible!
In this light, it seems that the Core Formation cultivators of the Qi Refining Path are inferior to the Purple Mansion cultivators of the Qi Absorption Path!
At this moment, a number of disciples had gathered outside the Five Dragon Sons' Cave, all pointing and whispering.
"I've heard that Uncle-Master Cui Zhe successfully established his Foundation Establishment a long time ago, emerged from seclusion, and even went to war, where he killed Hua Tianfeng, the Foundation Establishment ancestor of the Hua family, and returned with his sword. He is truly an unparalleled genius in swordsmanship..."
"In comparison, it seems that Senior Brother Ruan failed to break through?"
"Now, it all depends on the Five Dragon Princes..."
The monks were very patient, and everyone waited for a whole day and night.
suddenly!
The vortex of spiritual energy trembled, and a long sigh emanated from the cave.
The vortex of spiritual energy in mid-air collapsed instantly, scattering into countless colorful specks of light that flew into the surrounding void and disappeared...
"The Fifth Prince...failed to achieve Foundation Establishment?"
"That's true, a genuine Foundation Establishment Pill only has a 30% chance of success..."
The disciples watching either felt sorry or gloated.
Fang Qing, however, looked serious. He saw several Foundation Establishment elders send out communication talismans, the cave opened, and the Five Dragon Princes, pale-faced and with blood-stained clothes, came out to receive treatment.
"Very good... It seems the Foundation Establishment Pill is quite effective at preventing death in cases of Foundation Establishment failure."
"These five dragon sons had already completed most of their foundation building, yet they collapsed at the critical juncture of their spiritual consciousness?"
Upon realizing this, Fang Qing knew just how extraordinary his family's "Horse-Head Vajra Protector Divine Skill" and "Mind-Concentrating Powder" were.
……
late at night.
The disciples' caves on Dan Island were still abuzz with the news of the Five Dragon Sons' failed foundation-building attempt.
Compared to that, the news of Fang Qing's advancement to a first-grade high-level alchemist seemed completely unimportant.
After all, Wu Longzi was already a top-grade alchemist.
Dongfuzhong.
Fang Qing is copying the alchemical text.
"The Hua family truly lives up to its reputation as a Foundation Establishment family. They have collected quite a few pill formulas, including even the second-tier 'Muscle Regeneration and Bone Repair Pill'... This saves me the contribution points I would have spent copying pill formulas from the Heavenly Book Pavilion."
Although after advancing to the first-tier superior alchemist, one has the authority to view alchemy scriptures and copy alchemy formulas, all of this requires contribution points.
Fortunately, Fang Qing had previously killed Hua family cultivators and seized a considerable number of Hua family books.
"This 'Muscle Regeneration and Bone Healing Pill' has two main ingredients: Muscle Regeneration Flower and Bone Healing Grass... Each of them is worth about one hundred spirit stones. With the other auxiliary materials, a single batch costs several hundred spirit stones... If it's ruined a few times, it will cost over a thousand spirit stones. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would feel the pinch, right?"
Fang Qing clicked his tongue in amazement.
After copying the prescription, he took out a bottle of fruit wine, laid out several plates of good food, and began to satisfy his appetite.
While eating and drinking, he also flipped through the miscellaneous books he had obtained from the Hua family.
"After Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment, the next stages are Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and Deity Transformation... Once Deity Transformation is complete, one can ascend to the Immortal Realm?"
In a cultivator's guide, Fang Qing came across the major realms of Qi Refining and couldn't help but yearn for them: "I wonder what kind of power the Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation realms possess? Ascension? Could it be that one can even go to the Immortal Realm?"
"However, this document states unequivocally that approximately ten thousand years ago, a Nascent Soul cultivator from the cultivation world of the East Sea did indeed ascend to immortality..."
He continued reading the next travelogue and discovered it was the diary of one of Hua's ancestors.
"Who in their right mind keeps a diary?"
Fang Qing glanced at it a few times, but then became interested.
After all, this involves various forces and local customs in the Xiaohuanhai region.
Suddenly, he paused, his wine cup still holding the note, and saw the sentence: "...I've heard that the founder of the Azure Sea Sect, True Man Azure Sea, possessed a supreme treasure, the 'Tide-Rising Pearl,' which could enable Foundation Establishment cultivators to instantly attain Core Formation power...It was later lost, thank goodness!"
His writing is filled with schadenfreude!
"Tide-generating Pearl!"
Fang Qing's expression darkened as he recalled the clues he received from the last divination: "External alchemy... Tide-generating Pearl? I see, I understand!"
"The so-called 'Tide-Rising Pearl' requires a third-tier demon core and is refined using external alchemy techniques?"
"It seems that even the Hua family patriarch only knew of this treasure, but not its origins or the main ingredients used to forge it... Otherwise, how could the Zhong family and Tianxin Linked Islands remain so calm?"
He remembered very clearly that the previous sea serpent had definitely condensed a third-order demon core, otherwise it would not have been able to attract the heavenly tribulation!
This snake belongs to the water element, which is a perfect match for the "Azure Sea Skill" attribute of the Azure Sea Sect!
"Core Formation cultivators can use magic weapons, and in terms of combat prowess, they might even surpass third-tier demonic beasts... Soon, the sect will have two Core Formation combatants. As long as we find an opportunity to ambush the Zhong family patriarch or Yu Yao Sanren, the entire Little Universe Sea will be firmly in control!"
Fang Qing secretly grasped the pulse of the rise of the Bihai Sect, and was even more pleased that his cultivation in the "Plum Blossom Divination" had advanced further.
"To interpret the hexagram in more detail, we need more clues..."
"However, can the Tide-Generating Pearl refined from a peak-stage third-tier demon core in the hands of Patriarch Bi Hai have the same effect as this Tide-Generating Pearl refined from a newly-stage third-tier demon core?"