Chapter 603: Scheme

"Congratulations, Ye Lin!"

"Waaah!!!"

Yan Buji watched Ye Lin, using his Foundation Establishment early‑stage strength to confront a Core Formation cultivator and defeat him head‑on, and felt a bit shocked.

Indeed, that Core Formation cultivator hesitated at first, losing the initiative, and although he fought with all his might in the end, he still couldn't defeat him!

This differed from Yan Buji's expectations; after all, a Core Formation cultivator who was on the verge of condensing a Golden Core shouldn't be beaten by a mere Foundation Establishment beginner.

"The magical power intensity of a celestial‑talent cultivator far exceeds that of ordinary cultivators; even back when I was at the Core Formation stage, my magical power intensity couldn't match theirs even after practicing Ninefold Transformation!" Yan Buji gritted his teeth silently.

Immediately, Yan Buji took a deep breath and steadied his emotions.

As for celestial‑talent cultivators, people usually only hear how formidable they are, but few have actually witnessed them.

Yan Buji had never seen a celestial‑talent cultivator act, and now, with this chance to compare, he easily perceived his own shortcomings.

Moreover, this deficiency doesn't stem from a lack of effort; on the contrary, the magical power Yan Buji cultivated by expending massive resources is still inferior to that derived from the opponent's innate talent, which left him feeling powerless again.

The last time he felt this way was when Yan Buji first entered the cultivation world and couldn't yet forge magical power.

But the feeling now is even more intense!

It's as if his own effort can't even reach others' thresholds—how unfair!

In many cases, a cultivator's strength isn't solely about magical power, but magical power intensity certainly dominates.

For example, a Nascent Soul cultivator can employ divine abilities, whereas a Golden Core cultivator cannot; even if the magical power intensities are comparable, a gap remains. Yet for celestial‑talent cultivators, if their innate gifts are paired with some extraordinary techniques, could that erase the disparity?

Yan Buji dared not imagine that his perceived hierarchy of strength had been affected.

Fortunately, the impact was minor; long ago, Yan Buji had already contemplated what he would do if he ever met a truly top‑tier genius cultivator, and had considered his own deficiencies versus the other's strengths.

Even if at a disadvantage, Yan Buji still practices Martial Dao, so at least he shouldn't have trouble fleeing if he can't win.

Thinking that, Yan Buji exhaled, turned around, and left.

"Senior Yan, aren't you watching any longer?"

"I'm done watching; I'm going back to refine alchemy."

The two Core Formation cultivators looked puzzled and whispered, "Was that a blow to us?"

"It was. No matter who spends centuries honing their cultivation, seeing a true cultivation genius will inevitably be a blow to anyone."

"Celestial‑talent cultivators are one in ten thousand, and those who can mature are even fewer; to reach the pinnacle, innate talent, strength, and luck are all indispensable."

Yan Buji returned to the Lian Dan Tang, entered a room, and began to contemplate.

"With my current strength, could I make a name for myself in the Paolong Sacred Land?" Yan Buji thought.

Relying on sheer strength to gain followers probably won't work; there are many who surpass his talent and excel in law battles, and this place hides dragons and crouching tigers—who knows when a top‑tier unparalleled genius might emerge?

He didn't want to wield his Martial and Law Dual Cultivation strength to dominate for a while only to become a stepping stone for others' fame, so that path was out.

Although Yan Buji hasn't truly entered the Paolong Sacred Land yet, he has a rough overall understanding of such a sacred site.

At least the sacred land isn't short of people, let alone geniuses. These folks have good innate talent, and the sect has let them cultivate for centuries. They're either training or dueling in law battles all day, and their strength isn't lacking.

The only drawback might be a slightly thin understanding of the outside world, but with a chance to venture out for a while, those shortcomings will quickly vanish.

In contrast, Yan Buji's experience is rich, but his innate talent is poor; even with a few techniques and secret arts to make up a bit, he still can't match those celestial‑talent cultivators.

Never mind the legendary Saint Fetus cultivators!

Celestial‑talent cultivators, as long as they avoid fatal crises, will inevitably achieve Nascent Soul, and even after stepping onto the celestial path, their cultivation is far simpler than that of other cultivators.

Saint Fetus cultivators are almost pre‑ordained sage seeds; provided nothing goes wrong, they can safely cultivate to the Tribulation Crossing Stage and even become saints, as the cultivation world has always said.

Yan Buji has never seen a Saint Fetus cultivator, but they must exist within the Paolong Sacred Land; he just can't encounter them.

"But my cultivation talent is too poor; even with a method to boost it, I probably can't surpass celestial‑talent Saint Fetus, at best I'd just circle within the bone‑refining range. In that case, wouldn't I be no different from ordinary cultivators?"

Yan Buji thought about it, but he didn't want to force these things; after all, innate conditions can't be easily altered, so he decided to go with the flow.

But now that I'm in the Paolong Sacred Land, I should do them a favor: start with alchemy, build a good relationship with Elder Feng Yue of the Outer Gate Internal Affairs Hall, then find ways to cater to his interests, eventually collude inside and out, using power for personal gain... oh no, rather, find a way to get him to allow me into the Paolong Sacred Land.

"If I were to befriend Feng Yue, how should I act to earn his trust and have him bring me under his command from the outside?"

Yan Buji thought for a moment.

This invitation happened to give Yan Buji a stepping stone; although his reputation among outsiders hasn't let him enter the Paolong Sacred Land directly, doesn't this opportunity also demonstrate the benefits of building momentum?

"If you're not famous, who knows you?"

Even if a few know Yan Buji is a Fivefold Transformation Alchemist, without prior dealings with those merchants, his name couldn't reach Feng Yue's ears.

Although he doesn't care about these people now, catering to their interests isn't hard; the key is who to inquire.

Yan Buji thought, scheming in his room.

In the following days, each time Yan Buji completed a furnace of pills, he would go out for a walk with the two gate‑keeping Core Formation cultivators, chat occasionally, and invite them to drink his brewed spirit wine to strengthen the relationship.

Eventually, Yan Buji managed to extract some internal information about the Paolong Sacred Land.

"Senior Yan, don't ask so many questions; our sect may be large and well‑treated, but not every disciple can make a name. Most reach a certain age; if their cultivation doesn't meet the standard, they're dispatched for external duties, and only after completing them can they return. For those of us stuck in the middle—neither high nor low—if we can't break through the Golden Core stage, we might be sent away next year."

Yan Buji raised an eyebrow: "Then why don't you two try to breakthrough? With your status and resources, achieving a breakthrough shouldn't be difficult, right?"

"But we've already had one chance; there's no second one."

"Oh? Did you fail?"

"Sigh, it's our impatience. When the Inner Gate planned to expand personnel, we hoped to breakthrough quickly and join the Inner Gate, but... sigh."

Yan Buji suddenly said, "I see. But if you truly don't want to be dispatched, I have a solution."

"What?"

"I'm also an Alchemist and have tried forging pills that break the Golden Core. Aren't all the Outer Gate alchemists of your sect already reassigned? If you can locate Spiritual Materials, I can craft them for you."

"Really?!" the two brightened, knowing Yan Buji's alchemical skill wasn't low; while others were still toiling over pills, he had already refined several furnaces and was out having fun, so they naturally trusted that Yan Buji could forge Golden Core‑breaking pills.

"That's natural, but the Spiritual Materials will have to be prepared by you two, and I have a small request as well," Yan Buji said with a smile.

The two hesitated: "As long as it's not about the sect..."

"Of course I won't make it difficult for you," Yan Buji smiled.