Glancing at Yuan Huyuan, Li Yuanjiao inquired cautiously, "Senior, are you planning to attempt breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm?"
"Your guess is correct," Yuan Huyuan replied with a soft smile as he continued, "At my age, being ridiculed by the younger generation is unbearable... I must try for the Foundation Establishment Realm before this life ends!"
Li Yuanjiao continued asking further in concern, "Senior, do you have any special techniques or pills to aid in your breakthrough...?"
Yuan Huyuan hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly and replying, "Yes, the Yuan Family does. We have special secret techniques, formulas, and pills that complement each other, making it possible to achieve the breakthrough with only half the required effort."
As a century-old prestigious clan, the Yuan Family was naturally wealthy. Li Yuanjiao listened and nodded.
"I've heard that the Essence Gathering Pill can aid in achieving the Foundation Establishment Realm. Does your clan have it prepared?" he asked with a serious look.
Yuan Huyuan sighed softly as he raised his eyebrows, then replied vaguely, "Essence Gathering Pills are not ordinary pills..."
Li Yuanjiao nodded slightly. Sensing that Li Yuanjiao seemed to know something, Yuan Huyuan decided to speak frankly.
"Ordinary pills wouldn't allow Golden Feather and Azure Pond to maintain control for so long. There are various ways to refine Essence Gathering Pills... Some can assist in achieving breakthroughs with less than just half the effort. Unfortunately, my family does not possess it."
"If you need it, my family can provide one."
Li Yuanjiao offered, transmitting his voice with his mana.
Yuan Huyuan was caught off guard. His expression changed drastically, and he hesitated for several breaths before asking slowly, "Qinghong is preparing for a breakthrough too... won't she need it?"
Li Yuanjiao shook his head with a smile and replied, "You worry too much, Senior. My family has already made arrangements for her."
Yuan Huyuan, tempted by the offer, nodded thoughtfully and asked nervously, "May I see the quality of the pill?"
Feeling confident enough to handle a peak Qi Cultivator like Yuan Huyuan if something went awry now that he was a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, Li Yuanjiao produced a jade bottle. He inverted it and a pill floated out from within it.
The pill was white with gray patterns on it, emitting a captivating aroma. Yuan Huyuan's eyes sparkled at the sight of it as he exclaimed, "Excellent! Truly excellent!"
He quickly asked, "What do you want in exchange, fellow Daoist?"
Li Yuanjiao considered the options but could not think of an immediate need for his family, so he simply responded, "What can you offer in return, Senior?"
Yuan Huyuan was pleased to see that Li Yuanjiao was not being fussy. He patted his chest and assured, "Cultivation techniques, medicine, dharma artifacts...my family has plenty. I can also help you acquire any of them through our sect connections if needed!"
Yuan Huyuan struggled to determine Li Yuanjiao's needs and requirements since he refused to speak. Li Yuanjiao narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Are you able to obtain Heavenly Pure Essence , fellow Daoist?"
Heavenly Pure Essence was a highly prized spirit water. Not only was it an excellent healing medicine, but it could also purify true essence, alter Dao foundations, and elevate various unrefined Qi Cultivators to proper Qi Cultivators.
The Li Family did not have unrefined Qi Cultivators who needed this spirit water, but since Li Qinghong's secret technique formed the Profound Thunderpool , Li Yuanjiao wanted to find this essence to further enhance her Dao foundation.
After making this request, Li Yuanjiao remembered that the Purple Thunder Secret Origin Technique was also modified. Altering her Dao foundation might severe her cultivation path.
Yuan Huyuan shook his head and replied, "Fellow Daoist, you overestimate my capabilities! Heavenly Pure Essence is a water essence of the Purple Mansion Realm... Only the three sects might have it. If any of the ancestors had acquired such a purifying essence, they would have used it themselves rather than leaving it for future generations."
Li Yuanjiao could only abandon the request and inquired, "Does your family have a method to capture and subdue spirit beasts or demon creatures then?"
Li Yuanjiao was still considering the Hooked Serpent, which was a rare Foundation Establishment Realm combat force. Taming such a creature without significant backing was appealing, and the cold qi it released could assist those cultivating the Slaughter Jun Kui Light, making it a tempting prospect.
Yuan Huyuan was taken aback by the unusual request and asked, "Is it for a small demon or a demon general?"
Li Yuanjiao was excited to see that Yuan Huyuan seemed to have a solution and responded eagerly, "A demon general! A Foundation Establishment Realm demon!"
Yuan Huyuan thought carefully before saying, "My family does have a method, but it's quite difficult."
"Oh?"
Li Yuanjiao's curiosity was piqued instantly.
Yuan Huyuan explained, "My ancestor once traveled far to the north and inherited a legacy from a temple known as the Six Dams Life Matching Unique Technique . It's a Grade Four technique capable of suppressing demons and controlling spirits... However, this method has two major drawbacks."
Yuan Huyuan shook his head and continued, "First, this method is very costly to use. It requires six types of precious spirit items for the ritual. In the past, this cost ninety Spirit Stones for a single casting, but now, with the materials being more expensive due to the distance from the north, you might need up to a hundred Spirit Stones."
"Second, the method requires a life-matching object, which must be significantly more powerful than the demon. Otherwise, not only will the spirit items be wasted, but the life-matching object will also be consumed."
Yuan Huyuan then added, somewhat awkwardly, "My family can't obtain the Purple Mansion Realm spirit medicine, so we had to use a Foundation Establishment Realm panacea instead. It took two pieces to succeed, costing a total of about seven or eight hundred Spirit Stones. Since then, my family has lost interest, and only very few still use this method for taming demons."
If the Li Family were not also a prestigious clan with whom they had a strong relationship and expected many future exchanges, Yuan Huyuan would not have been so honest. He would have just handed over the technique and called it a day.
"I see," Li Yuanjiao said, putting on a troubled look on his face. Although his heart raced with excitement, he deliberately lamented on, "Oh... Why must it be so difficult to tame a demon?"
Yuan Huyuan shook his head, sharing the sentiment.
Secret techniques are unlike elixirs or dharma artifacts. Once given, it's no different than leaking the family's legacy. It won't be easy to get the ancestor's approval, so it might be better to make him give up on this idea.
Noticing Yuan Huyuan's expression, Li Yuanjiao decided to push forward. With a resolute look on his face, he said, "My home is close to Mount Dali... Finding a treasured panacea won't be a significant issue. I'll trade this pill for that secret technique!"
Yuan Huyuan had no choice but to nod.
Li Yuanjiao then added, "But this secret technique alone is not enough."
Yuan Huyuan, looking troubled, asked, "What else do you need, fellow Daoist?"
"Two methods for collecting cold qi, different from the method used in my family," he answered.
Yuan Huyuan shook his head and said, "We can only provide one. Qi gathering methods are clan secrets. We can give you one that is not rare, but we can't offer more than that."
"Understood!" Li Yuanjiao smiled and continued, "However, I will need your help to arrange for a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator from your family to assist in capturing a Foundation Establishment Realm demon so I can use this secret technique."
Yuan Huyuan was slightly taken aback but, upon seeing Li Yuanjiao's sincere expression, he nodded in agreement.
"That won't be a problem. I'll have a cultivator from my family assist with that."