"Foundation Establishment Pill, huh!"
A look of longing appeared on Fang Xi's face as well. But watching the increasingly frenzied crowd, scrambling to buy talismans and magical artifacts before rushing out of the marketplace, his heart turned to ice.
Seeking fortune in a secret realm meant facing more than just the dangers within, it also meant contending with fellow cultivators… and rogue cultivators alike.
In the face of the temptation of Foundation Establishment, even familial bonds, friendship, and master-disciple relationships might not withstand the test.
And so, Fang Xi avoided the noisy crowd and slowly made his way back to his spiritual field.
At the same time, he pondered deeply about the matter of the Foundation Establishment Pill.
Foundation Establishment was difficult. Cultivators had to refine their basic techniques to perfection before the age of sixty, that was merely the minimum requirement.
Beyond that, there were three major hurdles to overcome.
The first was the Qi Barrier. At the time of breaking through, a cultivator's body had to be strong and vigorous, free of hidden injuries. It was widely believed in the cultivation world that even if a cultivator reached the peak of Qi Refinement, attempting Foundation Establishment after the age of sixty was futile, due to the natural decline of vitality.
The second was the Spiritual Power Barrier. One's spiritual energy had to be deep and abundant. If it was even slightly insufficient, condensing spiritual liquid would be impossible.
The final hurdle was the birth of Divine Sense.
Qi Refinement cultivators only had ordinary spiritual awareness, useful for inner sight and reading jade slips, but incapable of projection.
Foundation Establishment cultivators, however, possessed true divine sense, capable of sweeping dozens of meters, offering immense advantages in both cultivation and combat.
Any pills or treasures that aided in overcoming these three obstacles could be called "Foundation Establishment Spiritual Items"!
"Ancient cultivators dealt with these barriers by seeking out individual spiritual items suited to each challenge—like tempering the body with Heaven-Earth Fiend Qi, or using vitality-enhancing pills to tackle the Qi Barrier… the same for the Spiritual Power Barrier. As for Divine Sense, it's said treasures like Pureheart Lotus or Wen Jade Heart were highly effective…"
"But such treasures are extremely rare, and many are just as useful for Core Formation. Using them on Foundation Establishment would be a waste…"
"Thankfully, a thousand years ago, the great alchemy master True Lord Shu Tong devised the recipe for the Foundation Establishment Pill. This pill fortifies the meridians and vitality, greatly boosts spiritual power, and stimulates the birth of Divine Sense. It increases the success rate of Foundation Establishment by 30%—and even if one fails, it prevents spiritual backlash or meridian destruction."
"Even in ancient times, the odds of Foundation Establishment were one in ten at best. And unless you had heaven-defying spiritual items, the usual boosts barely raised the chance by 20–30%…"
"Master Shu Tong truly benefited the cultivation world for millennia—he's a prime example of modern genius surpassing the ancients… though it's kind of funny that a thousand-year-old person is still considered a 'modern' cultivator…"
Fang Xi's mouth twitched slightly. But considering the rumors that Nascent Soul cultivators could live over a thousand years, it seemed… perfectly reasonable.
Some of them might still be alive—so why not call them modern?
In the Bamboo Grove
Emerald leaves, translucent like jade, fluttered down, and Fang Xi carefully collected them.
These leaves from the Jade Bamboo weren't particularly valuable—just aesthetically pleasing, like precious stones. Most spiritual farmers discarded them without a second thought.
But Fang Xi could take them to the world of Daliang, where they were more prized than emerald leaf.
After all, in the market, trading for mundane silver and gold still required spiritual crystals!
He made another round through his spirit fields and eventually came to a tall, green bamboo stalk. With a single palm strike,
Pa!
The branch snapped cleanly. Fang Xi rubbed it between his palms, peeled off the outer layer, and revealed what lay inside, it was crisp, pale spirit rice.
This Jade Bamboo Rice grew inside the stalk, dormant in winter, harvested in spring. It was still young and tender.
He picked a few grains, tossed them in his mouth, and chewed thoughtfully like an old farmer, nodding occasionally. "Sweet, rich in spiritual energy, no signs of pest damage. Come spring, this batch should rate as at least 'Good'."
This was his livelihood, he couldn't afford to be careless.
After inspecting the fields, he suddenly felt inspired. Taking a deep breath, he launched into a flurry of strikes.
Bang! Bang!
The air crackled as shadows of his palms danced across the snowy landscape.
Suddenly, he switched from palms to legs. His body slithered like a ghostly snake, weaving through the snow, before landing before a tall pine tree.
Crack!
His right leg lashed out, rising high and then snapping downward like a boneless serpent.
The bark of the pine cracked open, wood chips flying as a whip-like mark appeared across its surface!
"So this… is Qi?"
After a long while, Fang Xi halted and exhaled a long plume of white air.
His momentary inspiration had allowed him to grasp the flow of blood qi within his body—this was the entry-level threshold of Daliang's Blood Qi Martial Arts!
With persistent training, he was sure to master it and reach the level of First Qi Transformation!
"I'm no martial arts prodigy… but I sensed my vital energy so easily just now…"
His eyes lit up faintly. "It seems that in a world with dense spiritual energy, martial cultivation is actually faster!"
He looked at his fist, recalling the feeling of controlling his energy, lost in thought.
"According to Master Mu… above the third transformation are even stronger realms, ones reached only by Martial Hall Masters. At that stage, one can condense their qi entirely, remaining still as a mountain, indistinguishable from an ordinary man. Only upon action do they unleash monstrous strength. Even in old age, their vitality doesn't decline, they only lose it in death…"
"Which means…"
His eyes shone brighter, "If I can reach that realm, my qi will remain locked in place until death, no longer declining with age. That would eliminate the 'Qi Barrier' from Foundation Establishment altogether!"
"In other words, even if I attempt Foundation Establishment at seventy, eighty, or ninety, I won't be held back by waning qi."
"This Qi Martial Path… is worth at least a third of a Foundation Establishment Pill!"
"As expected, by mastering resources from both worlds—exchanging what each lacks—I can grow steadily, even in secret!"
A faint smile crept across Fang Xi's lips.
Since crossing over to this life, never had he been as confident about his future as he was right now!
Shantytown
To Fang Xi's surprise, this place had also descended into chaos.
Even Old Maitou, a veteran cultivator, had taken out a worn-out flying sword, a damaged low-grade artifact, and was headed out.
"Old Mai, where are you going?" Fang Xi couldn't help asking.
"Where else? Purple Mist Mountain!" The old man grinned, exposing several missing yellow teeth, a smile that seemed a bit savage. "I've cultivated all my life… gotta take a shot at it someday. When I was young, I had an opportunity, but I hesitated. Now I regret it every single night… like a hundred claws scraping at my heart!"
Hearing this, Fang Xi knew there was no point in trying to stop him. The old man had made up his mind.
Still, he offered one last bit of courtesy, "Then I sincerely wish you success in establishing your Foundation…"
Judging by the man's feeble health, Fang Xi didn't hold much hope.
"Haha… I've long since given up hope on Foundation Establishment. But I still have a little grandson in the mortal world, he's clever, not like me…"
Old Maitou waved and walked off without hesitation.
It seemed that, in his final parting, he also wanted to secure a small connection for his grandson.
"Old Mai…"
Fang Xi exhaled into the cold air, watching as the snow slowly erased the man's footprints.
He didn't know what opportunity the old man had lost in his youth, but clearly, the regret had haunted him for years.
If he didn't take a gamble now, he truly would be waiting for death.
If it were me… before I got my cheat… would I have gone too?
Standing at his doorway like a statue, Fang Xi silently asked himself.
Living an ordinary life as a low-level cultivator, or risking it all to seize that fleeting shot at Foundation Establishment… Was it really such a hard choice?
No matter, these next few days, I'll shut myself in and train.
With a sigh, he stepped inside and shut the door.
Three Days Later, Daliang World, Fang Residence
"Haah!"
Dressed in a short training outfit, Fang Xi's arms bulged with taut muscle, veins writhing beneath his skin like serpents.
"White Cloud Palm!"
With a light shout, he launched into a sequence of palm strikes, landing blow after blow on the wooden post before him.
Thud, thud!
Deep, muffled impacts echoed as shallow marks formed on the wood.
Standing beside him, Mu Piaomiao's eyes widened in surprise. "That's… fast progress!"
"Master Mu, how is my palm technique?"
Finishing his routine, Fang Xi casually took a towel from Laurel, wiped his sweat, and asked.
Mu Piaomiao took a deep breath. "Young Master Fang, your talent exceeds even my expectations. You've already begun sensing your qi, haven't you? Within a month, you should fully grasp it and reach the First Qi Transformation stage without difficulty."
"Excellent."
Fang Xi smiled.
He'd already confirmed that training Blood Qi Martial Arts in the Southern Wilderness cultivation world gave remarkable results—his progress was three to four times faster than in Daliang!
"Must be due to the higher density of spiritual energy."
That much, he was sure of now.
"Once you reach First Transformation, you'll become an official disciple of our White Cloud Martial Hall. You'll gain access to the methods for Second and Third Transformations, along with medicinal support."
Mu Piaomiao's tone was serious.
"Thank you, Master Mu."
Fang Xi nodded and motioned for Laurel to present a gift.
"This is… too generous, isn't it?"
Mu Piaomiao's hand trembled as she looked at the jade-like bamboo leaf. Even she couldn't help but twitch.
Such a fine gem could easily fetch dozens of taels of silver—more than what a middle-class family in Blackstone City spent in an entire year.
Even she couldn't help but think, This disciple is worth nurturing, he really does repay kindness with gifts.
"Please, Master, don't find it too humble."
Fang Xi grinned brightly.
After all, they were just leaves he'd picked off the ground, why not use them to earn some goodwill?
That afternoon, when She Lei came by, Fang Xi repeated the gesture.
But when She Lei took the emerald bamboo leaf, Fang Xi caught a faint flicker of greed and malice in the man's eyes.
As a cultivator with enhanced senses, Fang Xi could see right through this martial artist's hidden emotions, despite the man's belief that he had masked them well.