Chapter 87: Seeking a Foundation Pill

He doesn't know what tricks Luoxia Sect is playing, and Xiao Zhangqing is too lazy to bother.

Right now he only wants to focus on Foundation Establishment.

As time passes, he gets ever closer to a full completion of Qi cultivation.

When he succeeds in Foundation Establishment, not only will his magical power surge, his lifespan will greatly increase, all aspects will experience a qualitative leap, and his Soul Transformation will rise by a large margin.

At that point, even in the Foundation Establishment Initial Stage, equipped with the Prison Dragon Bracelet to perform Dragon Chant Technique, he will truly possess strength that can match—or even slay—those in the later Foundation Establishment stage! Moreover, with the rise of a great realm, the system might also change.

Even if there is no change, with inventory expansion he can equip more items like 'Fragment of Immortal Stone', and he himself cannot now speculate what level his strength will reach.

In short.

As long as he waits for Foundation Establishment to succeed, Xiao Zhangqing will have genuine self-protection in this turbulent chaos! No matter what conspiracies Luoxia Sect devises, he can easily thwart them.

Even without the presence of the Pill Realist, he fears nothing!

But before that, he must first succeed in Foundation Establishment.

Although Xiao Zhangqing believes that his current Earth Spirit Root quality, magical power, and Soul Transformation strength are so high that, without relying on a Foundation Pill, he has over an eighty percent chance on his own.

That success rate is already quite high.

Even cultivators with a top-grade Spirit Root, when taking a Foundation Pill, only have this probability; in the Cultivation World, top-grade Spirit Roots have already been equated with the Foundation realm.

Yet Xiao Zhangqing is still not satisfied.

He still wants to obtain a single Foundation Pill and then sprint toward Foundation Establishment.

Otherwise, if Foundation Establishment fails, the worst could be a life‑threatening danger, the least extreme extreme weakness and possible regression of cultivation, both of which Xiao Zhangqing cannot accept.

He may not consume the Foundation Pill at the moment of breakthrough, but he must have it prepared.

Because the Foundation Pill not only helps cultivators break through the Foundation barrier, it also has the effect of protecting them from death or dissolution should they fail.

……

Another year's Yi Cave Residence exchange conference has arrived.

Although Xiao Zhangqing now resides in Jia One Cave Residence, he still attended.

The last time he attended the exchange, Xiao Zhangqing was only a First-rank Talisman Master, considered a newcomer of Nanshan Fang, and was already very popular; apart from the Mu Family Grand Elder, almost all attending cultivators showed goodwill toward him and made acquaintances.

But this time, no one approached to greet or make connections.

The reason is simple.

The gap between Xiao Zhangqing and these Yi Cave Residence cultivators is simply too large.

Other attending cultivators, the top tier such as Zhu Youlong, Ruan Qingzhu, Han Yu and others who reside in the top ten Yi Cave Residences, even cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Initial Stage would give them some respect.

But Xiao Zhangqing? He is a Second-rank Talisman Master, lives in Jia One Cave Residence, has a record of slaying a late‑stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and is now the openly recognized top expert of Nanshan Fang!

The gap is so huge that he lacks even the confidence to flatter or make connections!

Even Ruan Qingzhu, who comes from Baihua Valley, as the host of the exchange, is courteous before Xiao Zhangqing, directly yielding the main seat.

At Xiao Zhangqing's signal, the exchange conference began.

Much like last time, the attending cultivators each took out the treasures they wished to trade, then stated what they needed, and the bustle quickly began.

The cultivators began focusing their attention on the treasures they desired.

Xiao Zhangqing was no exception.

He still roamed among the cultivators, occasionally reaching out to touch.

Last time, some people snickered at Xiao Zhangqing's actions; even if not mocking, they thought he was overly cautious, treating the exchange like a market stall, reading a gentleman's belly with a petty mind.

But this time, no one dared to laugh.

Not to mention jokes; if Xiao Zhangqing takes a liking to a treasure, its owner would probably not even dare to ask for a grain of Spirit Sand, and would gladly give the treasure to Xiao Zhangqing for free! The reason is simple.

Nowadays in Nanshan Fang, gaining Xiao Zhangqing's friendship is far more valuable than ordinary treasures!

Unfortunately, the treasures at this exchange did not include anything Xiao Zhangqing wanted.

Even the equipment effects detected by the system on these treasures were rather useless to Xiao Zhangqing now, offering little help.

As for Foundation Pills, they have never appeared in the many years of Nanshan Fang's exchange history!

Even the spirit items used to forge Foundation Pills only surface for trade after several years of good luck.

Thus, from start to finish, Xiao Zhangqing bought no items.

That was actually as he expected. He never held high hopes for the exchange; treasures like the Prison Dragon Bracelet depend on luck—encounterable but not procurable.

His participation this time was merely incidental; his main goal was to find Pill Master Zhu Youlong and Ruan Qingzhu to chat and see if they knew any channels to obtain Foundation Pills.

……

Yi One Cave Residence, back courtyard.

"Symbol Master Xiao, you want to attempt to break through the Foundation Establishment Realm?"

Upon hearing the news, Zhu Youlong was quite surprised.

It wasn't disdain for Xiao Zhangqing; rather, Xiao Zhangqing's low‑grade Spirit Root quality is well known, making his chance of successful Foundation Establishment too low.

"How could a sparrow know the ambition of a swan! Isn't it natural for Symbol Master Xiao to attempt Foundation Establishment?"

Xiao Zhangqing hadn't said anything yet, when a teenage cultivator nearby, looking about sixteen or seventeen, harshly sneered at Zhu Youlong.

That youth was Ruan Qingzhu's son, named Ruan Bufan.

Although he was said by Zhu Youlong to be somewhat rebellious, his relationship with his mother Ruan Qingzhu was strained.

In fact, he understood gratitude and grudges clearly and greatly admired the strong.

When he returned from Silver Leaf Peak to Nanshan Fang, he contracted a malevolent spirit, nearly losing his life, and Symbol Master Xiao saved him.

After learning this, he kept the gratitude in his heart.

But before he could recover and visit Xiao Zhangqing, the Mu Renjie incident occurred; Xiao Zhangqing leapt to become Nanshan Fang's top figure and moved to Jia One Cave Residence, leaving him no chance to meet.

Yet because of that, learning of Xiao Zhangqing's achievements—how the malevolent spirit that almost killed him was directly slain by Xiao—he feels not only gratitude for the life‑saving favor but an overwhelming, unstoppable admiration.

Upon hearing today that Xiao Zhangqing would attend the exchange, he even proactively asked his mother Ruan Qingzhu to request an introduction on his behalf.

"Mortal, you must not be rude!" Ruan Qingzhu scolded.

Ruan Bufan, however, let out a cold snort, and his gaze toward Pill Master Zhu Youlong showed no hint of malice.

It seems that toward those who are loyal pursuers of his mother, he harbors great disgust.

Xiao Zhangqing ignored the three's complicated relationship and said with a smile, "Although I have a Low‑grade Spiritual Root, I must still give it a try. We cultivators strive for an immortal Dao of everlasting youth; we cannot be content with the Qi Refining Realm, turning into a clod of yellow earth after a hundred and twenty years—how is that any different from a mortal?"

"No, no, no, I was presumptuous," Zhu Youlong, not wanting to argue with the half‑grown youngster Ruan Bufan, quickly apologized.

The current Xiao Zhangqing is no longer the little junior he saw a year ago, a figure one could tease and advise.

He said sincerely, "Although Xiao Symbol Master has a Low‑grade Spiritual Root, his talent and brilliance far exceed those of anyone with an Upper‑grade Spiritual Root! Even the predecessor from four hundred years ago in the Da Yu Cultivation World, who also had a Low‑grade Spiritual Root during Foundation Establishment, was likely far inferior to Xiao Symbol Master while in the Qi Refining Realm. Becoming the second Low‑grade Spiritual Root to reach Foundation Establishment in four hundred years has never been a difficult feat for Xiao Symbol Master."

Ruan Bufan continued, "That's natural! Xiao Symbol Master can not only achieve Foundation Establishment; I think perhaps he may even have the hope of Core Formation in the future!" After the praise, he switched tone, targeting: "Unlike some people who have lived half their lives buried in the earth, with no hope of Foundation Establishment, and whose proud Alchemy is only at the first stage! Yet the shameless toad still dreams of eating swan meat, clinging persistently to my mother!"

Ruan Qingzhu, standing nearby, became furious, both angry and embarrassed, and scolded, "Ruan Bufan, get out! We're discussing matters, why are you sticking your nose in!"

"If you're leaving, then leave!" Ruan Bufan lifted his head and walked away, not admitting any fault.

But before leaving, he still politely said farewell to Xiao Zhangqing.

Ruan Qingzhu gave Zhu Youlong an apologetic glance, but Zhu Youlong seemed already accustomed and paid it no mind.

After the little interlude, they began to discuss the main business.

"Foundation Establishment Pills, in a Core Formation sect like Luoxia Sect, the sect's inventory usually has a number of such pills! Even if none are currently available, Core Formation sects generally cooperate with Second‑rank Pill Masters; once the alchemical materials are gathered, a Foundation Establishment Pill will be produced. Compared with us Scattered Cultivators or cultivators from small sects or families, the advantage of a large sect lies here. If Xiao Symbol Master is willing to return to Luoxia Sect, with your Second‑rank Talisman Master status, obtaining a single Foundation Establishment Pill is not difficult," Zhu Youlong said.

"What else?" Xiao Zhangqing asked.

"Beyond that, at auction houses in various great immortal cities, Foundation Establishment Pills also appear frequently. The price isn't cheap, generally around one hundred and fifty Upper‑grade Spirit Stones. This is also an advantage of large immortal cities compared to our small place like Nanshan Fang. In Nanshan Fang, even if you have Spirit Stones you still can't buy a Foundation Establishment Pill…" Zhu Youlong sighed.

One hundred fifty Upper‑grade Spirit Stones.

That is fifteen thousand Low‑grade Spirit Stones, indeed very expensive.

Even with my Second‑rank Talisman Master status, I must work hard drawing talismans for a while before I can afford it.

Ordinary Qi Refining Realm cultivators can't even think of it.

It's just that Xiao Zhangqing can scrape together enough money, but he must go to a large immortal city.

In the southwest of the Da Yu Cultivation World, large immortal cities are few and far between; the nearest to Nanshan Fang is still thousands of li away.

For the current Xiao Zhangqing, it's too far, and the journey is fraught with too many uncertainties.

"If Xiao Symbol Master wants a Foundation Establishment Pill, doesn't want to return to Luoxia Sect, and finds large immortal cities too distant, perhaps he could consider the Peach Blossom Fang, which is closer to Nanshan Fang. There, the largest Foundation Establishment family, the Sun family, has connections with a Second‑rank Upper‑grade Pill Master from Liyang Immortal City, and they occasionally bring out Foundation Establishment Pills for auction," Zhu Youlong added.

"Peach Blossom Fang?" Xiao Zhangqing's eyes lit up at the mention.

(End of Chapter)