Chapter 138: Chapter 137: Foundation Establishment Pill Recipe (Congratulations to the Silver League Master!)_1
After slaying his enemy, Fang Xi did not linger and, piloting the Black Feather Boat, flew out of the Thousand Island Lake area.
Now at the peak of Qi Refining, with his channels of energy flowing extensively, piloting the magical artifact for prolonged flights posed no major issue to him with the help of high-grade Qi Restoring Pills.
After flying thousands of miles, he chose a deserted mountain to descend his Escape Light and establish a Dongfu.
...
Within the Dongfu, the radiance of a night pearl shone brightly.
Fang Xi took out the Storage Bags he had collected from the battle at Dragon Fish Island and began to inspect them one by one.
First were the magical artifacts and Storage Bags of the cultivation-robbers... Apart from the Old Gold Teeth Weirdo’s contribution of a superior-grade magical artifact, the ’Obsidian Gold Knife,’ there were no other remarkable treasures.
"Tch... As expected, Individual Cultivators are all poor ghosts."
Fang Xi cursed, but he also knew the reason; which Cultivator would bring their entire fortune to the battlefield?
They would surely leave it to their descendants or to disciples and close friends.
He continued to rummage through the plunder from Spirit Medicine Valley — a superior-grade Purple Jade Furnace, more than twenty Jade Grease Boxes, and over a dozen jade slip...
These Jade Grease Boxes had been specially refined to preserve the vitality of Spirit Medicine and Spiritual Trees for long periods.
As for the jade slips, they contained an extensive collection of Pill Recipes, including three Tier-2 recipes — ’Water Containing Pill,’ ’Wrinkle-Resisting Pill,’ and...
"Foundation Establishment Pill?!"
Fang Xi looked at the Foundation Establishment Pill recipe in his hand, feeling struck by a pleasant surprise!
’Water Containing Pill’ is a Tier-2 Spiritual Pill suitable for Cultivators with a Water Spiritual Root to use during Foundation Establishment to increase their Magic Power.
’Wrinkle-Resisting Pill’ is an upgraded version of the Tier-1 ’Youth-Retention Pill.’ One dose of Youth-Retention Pill can only maintain a youthful appearance for a few years, whereas the ’Wrinkle-Resisting Pill’ can maintain it for decades and is quite popular among female Cultivators.
But the ’Foundation Establishment Pill’?
Fang Xi took a deep breath, regaining composure from his excitement, "After all, the Dragon Fish Zhong Family is one of the seven great Core Formation Immortal Clans in Yue Country, so it makes sense for them to have collected the recipe for the Foundation Establishment Pill... It makes sense... And, having the recipe is one thing, but being able to collect the required herbs is quite the feat!"
The recipe for the Foundation Establishment Pill is actually available for sale in Baize Immortal City, even at a relatively affordable price.
Otherwise, how could Ruan Xingling have known that the Spirit Medicine she had could be used to concoct the Foundation Establishment Pill?
"However, it does save a considerable amount of Spirit Stones."
Fang Xi felt fairly satisfied, as he started to carefully study the recipe for the Foundation Establishment Pill.
This recipe was created by Lord Shutong, and after a thousand years of numerous alchemists learning and improving it... it had already seen many different versions. In the recent hundred years, it even reached the point where no further amendments could be made.
"The main ingredient for the Foundation Establishment Pill, at least a ’Golden Jade Ganoderma’ of three hundred years, and two important auxiliary ingredients are ’Dragon-transforming Ginseng’ and ’Jade Spirit Liquid’ of over two hundred years, along with thirteen other auxiliary materials..."
"Among them, the thirteen auxiliary materials can be purchased with Spirit Stones and are often used in other pill concoctions... Dragon-transforming Ginseng and Jade Spirit Liquid are a bit troublesome, but they should also be procured in Baize Immortal City. At most, it will cost some Spirit Stones and time. The real challenge is the Golden Jade Ganoderma!"
The Mysterious Heaven Sect’s monopoly on the ’Foundation Establishment Pill’ relies on controlling this most important main ingredient!
Fang Xi also had discussions with Ruan Xingling, who mentioned that this ’Golden Jade Ganoderma’ is a Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Medicine that is extremely delicate and can hardly grow in the current environment of the Cultivation World.
It is said that the Mysterious Heaven Sect, together with the Green Wood Sect and Yiling Valley, control a Secret Realm. This Secret Realm has its own space, abundant in spiritual energy, capturing the essence of Heaven and Earth, and growing a large number of exquisite Spirit Medicines!
Every ten years, the Secret Realm is opened once, allowing Qi Refining Cultivators from the three Sects to enter and harvest Spirit Medicines.
The reason only Qi Refining Cultivators can enter is that the Secret Realm has formidable Prohibitions that even Core Formation and Core Formation Elders find difficult to penetrate!
Therefore, the Golden Jade Ganoderma is the forbidden fruit of the three Core Formation Sects and is unlikely to leak out!
As for the Foundation Establishment Pills that occasionally surface in Baize Immortal City, they come from a different source altogether.
"A Tier-2 Beast Inner Dan, perhaps?"
Fang Xi caressed the jade slip recording the Foundation Establishment Pill recipe, falling into thought.
Some Tier-2 Monster beasts with unique talents can condense an Inner Core within their bodies, which can serve as the main ingredient for the Foundation Establishment Pill instead of Golden Jade Ganoderma!
Due to Baize Immortal City’s proximity to the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range, occasionally Cultivators are able to hunt a Tier-2 Monster beast with an Inner Core, thereby concocting a Foundation Establishment Pill!
But this undertaking is exceedingly dangerous!
First of all, the vast majority of Tier-2 Monster beasts are actually unable to cultivate an Inner Core—only the exceptionally rare and uniquely gifted ones have a slight possibility!
Finding such special Monster beasts requires venturing deep into the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range!
Even if one such beast is found, those uniquely gifted Tier-2 Monster beasts possess combat power far exceeding that of an early-stage Core Formation Cultivator, making them incredibly fierce and dangerous, and difficult to defeat!
Last of all, in the depths of the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range, there are Tier-3 Monster Kings roaming around!
If encountered, even Core Formation Elders would have a headache, let alone Core Formation Cultivators who would almost certainly face death!
Despite all this, there are still countless Demon Hunting Teams from Baize Immortal City that venture deep into the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range each year, including Core Formation Cultivators risking their lives for their descendants and disciples... and then they truly lose their lives...
"Foundation Establishment Pill..."
Fang Xi dared to go to Baize Immortal City as he naturally had some certainty of obtaining the Foundation Establishment Pill!
"A Tier-2 Beast Inner Dan, maybe?"
He stroked his chin, feeling he might have a chance to get his hands on it!
The South Wilderness is difficult, but Great Liang is entirely possible!
In Great Liang, there are Monster Kings with unique talents like the Snake Dragon!
However, they only maintained around the peak of the first rank due to the thin spiritual energy, unable to advance for a long time!
"If I capture one and make a contract, then release it into the Cultivation World, it might just break through to the second rank! And then I could kill demons to harvest their pills..."
"Of course, before capturing, it is necessary to imprint Divine Consciousness, then set up a mass of Prohibitions inside it using Beast Controlling Skills, and lay traps externally... As soon as it breaks through to the second rank, immediately detonate all contingencies!"
"Add to that the power of my Martial God to press the formation, and there should be no issues!"
With Fang Xi’s Divine Consciousness, if he were to sign a Master-Servant Contract, he could simply will a first rank superior Monster Beast like the great green fish to its death!
If it were a second rank Monster Beast, it probably wouldn’t die but would be severely injured! Combined with traps and the physical pressure of Foundation Establishment... Against a just advanced second rank, Fang Xi felt like he was bullying the Monster Beast!
"Only, it’s still not entirely safe... Best go purchase a set of second rank Arrays as a safety net!"
Therefore, Fang Xi’s next target was Baize Immortal City!
Although he was not lacking the main materials for Foundation Establishment Pills, he was quite short on auxiliary materials, as well as second rank Arrays.
As for after obtaining the Demon Pills, he was not planning to trust someone else to refine pills but intended to do it himself!
A Foundation Establishment Cultivator mastering a second rank Pill Recipe through repeated practice was very possible.
"A second rank alchemist’s advantage lies only in Divine Consciousness, Magic Power, and Innate True Fire..."
"I already have Divine Consciousness, Innate True Fire can be replaced by Earth Flames or Fire-gathering Arrays, and regarding Magic Power, I’m at Qi Refining Great Perfection, at most popping a few more Qi Restoring Pills, refining pills isn’t a battle so I should be able to get by..."
"Recently, I’ve become a first rank superior alchemist, I have the Foundation Establishment Pill Recipe in hand, refining it ten furnaces, I refuse to believe a pill won’t come out!"
Fang Xi clenched his teeth internally.
Regular major powers cultivating alchemists would never be so extravagant.
How important is a Foundation Establishment Pill? How precious are the materials?
If not a second rank superior alchemist, one simply can’t get the task.
And starting to practice with Foundation Establishment Pills, wasting one or two furnaces is the limit, at most three furnaces worth of materials consumed. If still no pill is made, one will definitely be given up on! From then on, it’s impossible to be supported to refine Foundation Establishment Pills again, unless gathering materials oneself!
And the collection of main materials for Foundation Establishment Pills is as difficult as reaching the heavens!
Even if a Foundation Establishment Cultivator is lucky enough to kill a second rank Monster Beast and obtain its Inner Core, only a madman would let such a failed alchemist practice with it!
But for Fang Xi, with the resources of a world, the main materials were essentially endless, it’s just that hunting them would take a little time.
"This Foundation Establishment Pill Recipe also details two different main ingredients’ refining methods, very good, very good..."
Fang Xi stored the Foundation Establishment Pill Recipe safely and started to check the last ’Situ Ying’s’ Storage Bag.
This person’s Storage Bag was black, tied at the opening with a red string, looking somewhat sinister.
Upon opening it, there were many items inside, and they were quite a mess.
"So many Spirit Stones, magical instruments, and pills... Did he rob the Zhong Family Warehouse?"
Fang Xi poured out the contents and scanned over them, feeling somewhat surprised.
But thinking of the other’s position that day, he more or less understood: ’Indeed, Ye Sanren colluded with the Situ Family, and this Situ Ying was specifically here to pick the juicy peaches... He picks his, I pick mine, this is called repaying what should be paid, all those past exorbitant rents and deductions have now come back with interest!’
"Hmm?"
As Fang Xi swept his Divine Consciousness over each item, he suddenly paused and picked up a seemingly ordinary lower-grade water-attribute Spirit Stone.
On this Spirit Stone, his Divine Consciousness detected another faint presence of Divine Consciousness wrapped around it, even forming a certain mark.
"A Divine Consciousness imprint from a Foundation Establishment Cultivator? This person indeed had tracking measures on their body..."
Fang Xi sneered and destroyed the Water Spirit Stone directly.
If he were just an ordinary Qi Refining Cultivator, even at Great Perfection, it would be impossible to detect the Divine Consciousness of Foundation Establishment, and even if the items were shifted to another Storage Bag, it’s likely that the Demon Cultivators who followed up could find the traces!
"They really are cautious..."
He meticulously checked the rest of Situ Ying’s personal items, finding nothing amiss, but still decided to discard anything useless or suspicious.
After a few moments, Fang Xi only had a dark jade slip left in his hand.
His Divine Consciousness infiltrated it and immediately found a series of mantras. This turned out to be the cultivation manual practiced by Situ Ying!
"Blood Fiend Demon Art?!"
In fact, the Situ Family had long since reformed, but after being exterminated, they naturally picked up their old tricks without inhibition.
Fang Xi leaned back in a stone chair he had carved from the Obsidian Gold Knife, crossing his legs, and gave the cultivation manual a cursory skim.
"So Demon Cultivators also absorb the Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi? Just that the transformation is a bit different... This Blood Fiend Demon Art actually requires the Cultivator’s Essence Blood as a foundation, how vile... Ah, the progress of cultivation is quite rapid... Oh, there are also a few Secret Skills, all rather good..."