4: The problem with the Foundation Establishment Pill lies at the root!

[Looking at the four Foundation Establishment Pills in your hand, you show a look of joy and immediately choose to enter secluded cultivation to make a Breakthrough.]

[Three months later, after swallowing two Foundation Establishment Pills in a row, you vaguely feel you've touched the threshold of Foundation Establishment.]

[However, at this exact moment, scenes from the previous two attempts suddenly emerge in your mind, and you fall deeply into Heart Demons that breed within.]

[You choose to interrupt your Breakthrough, stepping out of your Immortal Cave to clear your head.]

[Arriving at the rear mountain of the Azure Cloud Sect, you accidentally spot a beautiful figure under the moonlight.]

[When you sneak closer, you suddenly realize that the figure looks somewhat familiar.]

[You see her long black hair fluttering in the night sky, her eyes tightly closed and her face covered in sweat, as if enduring immense pain.]

[Just then, the mysterious woman opens her eyes and shouts in your direction, "Who's there!"]

[And at that moment, your eyes meet hers.]

[Before you can even recover from your shock, you turn around and sprint back toward your Immortal Cave. Standing up behind you, the mysterious woman watches your departing back without choosing to pursue.]

[After returning to your Immortal Cave, you gasp heavily for breath.]

[That look in her eyes just now was all too familiar—it was the Demonic Path woman you encountered during your last simulation.]

[You didn't expect to meet her even earlier this time, and judging by appearances, she seems to be a Disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect.]

[At this point, you are utterly baffled as to why someone of the Demonic Path would appear in the Azure Cloud Sect.]

[Or perhaps, at this point in time, she hasn't joined the Demonic Path yet? But then, why would she join the Demonic Path later?]

[Just now, you clearly felt that the woman's cultivation had only just broken through to Foundation Establishment, and she also seemed to be severely injured.]

[Why would she be heavily injured inside the Sect? And why would she be recuperating alone in such a remote place at night?]

[It all seems full of mysteries, leaving you thoroughly perplexed.]

[The next day, you stop dwelling on what you saw yesterday and decide to make a Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment in one go.]

[You take out the last two Foundation Establishment Pills and swallow them directly. An intense power surges through your body, and you begin absorbing the medicinal energy!]

[Two and a half months later, in your secluded cultivation, you snap your eyes open, breaking through the shackles in one fell swoop and successfully making a Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage.]

[Just as you prepare to experience the power of the Foundation Establishment Stage, that familiar sense of crisis strikes.]

[You fall into unconsciousness...]

[You died...]

[This simulation has ended. Please choose one of the following rewards!]

[Orange Talent: Alchemy Prodigy!]

[Cultivation from this simulation!]

[Foundation Establishment Pill Formula!]

[All Alchemy insights from this simulation!]

Glancing at the rewards, he ultimately chose "Alchemy Prodigy."

After selecting the reward, Su Ming silently left the Immortal Cave.

Stepping outside, he looked up at the starry sky and fell into deep thought.

"Died again..."

"What on earth went wrong? Is it really impossible to establish a foundation? Does breaking through to Foundation Establishment mean death?"

No, that's not right!

Something must have gone wrong; it's impossible that Foundation Establishment cannot be achieved.

There must be an issue somewhere in all this.

Su Ming frowned deeply, recalling the events that occurred in the simulation.

This time, his Foundation Establishment Pills were refined by himself—he gathered the herbs and refined them personally.

Logically, it should have been foolproof, so why did he still die?

After a long silence, only one possibility came to mind.

"Could it be... the reason the Foundation Establishment Pill has an issue is that something is wrong with the source herbs?"

Comparing before and after, Su Ming realized that taking either the Sect's Foundation Establishment Pills or the ones he refined himself resulted in death.

If that was truly the case, then the problem was huge.

Because in the Canglan Realm where he lived, the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth had undergone changes since ancient times.

Since then, all Cultivators making a Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment had to rely on Foundation Establishment Pills; they could no longer rely on their own talent like in the ancient era.

"But... how do the Inner Sect Disciples break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage?"

This question immediately followed, and Su Ming felt his head hurting trying to make sense of it.

Many things made no sense at all. If the Foundation Establishment Pills were problematic and taking them to break through caused death, how did others manage to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage without dying?

An hour quickly passed, and Su Ming returned inside his Immortal Cave.

[Simulation Start!]

[Drawing random talent!]

[Congratulations on obtaining the White Talent: Soul Returning!]

[Soul Returning: On the seventh day after your death, your Soul will return to the location where you were and linger briefly.]

[Day 1: Upon realizing that consuming a Foundation Establishment Pill to break through leads to death, you temporarily abandon the idea of breaking through to Foundation Establishment. You need to investigate the problem.]

[Day 2: Seeing that you didn't go to work, Wang Hao arrives at your Immortal Cave in a rage, intending to settle scores with you.]

[Currently in an irritable mood, you attack directly, killing Wang Hao and taking all the Spirit Stones on his body.]

[With no plans to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, you devote all your energy to Alchemy.]

[Year 1: You completely immerse yourself in Alchemy.]

[Year 2: You become an Alchemy boy at the Alchemy Hall, utilizing your free time to start studying the Pill Formulas in the Alchemy Hall.]

[Year 4: Your act of secretly studying Pill Formulas is discovered by an Elder. Just as the Elder is about to strike you dead with a palm, you reveal that you are now a First-Grade Alchemist.]

[Hearing this, the Elder stops his hand that was about to strike you dead, looking at you in surprise and saying, "How could a mere Qi Refinement Stage like you become a First-Grade Alchemist?"]

[Facing the Elder's doubts, you offer no lengthy explanation, directly bringing out your Pill Furnace and asking the Elder for a set of Materials for a Foundation Establishment Pill.]

[The Elder originally didn't want to give it to you, but upon hearing you say that you would commit suicide if you failed to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill, he decisively tossed a set of Materials to you.]

["I'd like to see what tricks you can pull off!"]

[Just like that, under the Elder's watch, you quickly complete the Alchemy. A furnace of Foundation Establishment Pills is finished, containing two High Grade Foundation Establishment Pills.]

[At this point, the gaze with which the Elder looks at you changes from doubt to treasuring you as a precious find.]

[He speaks, offering to accept you as his Disciple, hoping you know how to cherish this opportunity!]

[You catch the implied threat in his words; not daring to refuse, you can only nod in agreement.]

[Seeing you nod, the Elder directly makes an exception to bring you into the Inner Sect ahead of time.]

[The Alchemy Hall holds a high status within the Azure Cloud Sect, and the Azure Cloud Sect places great importance on the status of Alchemists.]

[Just like that, with your Qi Refinement Stage cultivation, you inexplicably join the Inner Sect.]

[Your Master, Mo Chen, tells you to go straight to the classroom the next day to learn more Alchemy knowledge.]

[You have no objection to this and head straight to the classroom to learn the next day.]

[When you enter, everyone's eyes fall upon you; they are very curious how someone with only a Qi Refinement Stage cultivation could join the Alchemy Hall.]

[Paying no mind to others' gazes, you scan the Inner Sect Disciples in the classroom, when suddenly your gaze halts on a figure.]

["How is it her?"]

...