41: News of Foundation Building Pill

Lin Feng looked at Gao Yu's corpse, skillfully erased all traces of battle, and sank the body deep into a nearby natural poison marsh.

A few days later, a rumor began to spread among the Outer Sect Disciples: Gao Yu, the Enforcement Hall Disciple who often extorted them, had suddenly disappeared.

At first, no one dared to believe it, but as time passed, Gao Yu indeed never appeared again.

The Disciples who had once been oppressed by him couldn't help but clap their hands in joy in private, their hearts full of gratitude and relief.

"It must have been some passing Inner Sect Senior Brother who couldn't stand it and got rid of the evil for the people."

"Perhaps an Elder secretly acted to clean up the Sect?"

"Who cares. Anyway, it's a great thing. Heaven has eyes."

They whispered, attributing this gratitude to some imaginary, righteous high-level Cultivator, never casting their gaze toward the quiet Lin Feng, who was only at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer.

The reaction of the Enforcement Hall's higher-ups to this matter was, just as Lin Feng expected, almost non-existent.

A simple record was archived: "Outer Sect Enforcement Disciple Gao Yu, went out on official business, failed to return on time, judged as... having left the Sect on his own or met with an accident."

No deep investigation, no anger, no regret.

For an ordinary enforcement Disciple at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer with no background, his disappearance was insignificant in the eyes of the Sect's upper management, like a bubble vanishing from the surface of a lake, unable to cause the slightest ripple.

On this day, Lin Feng stepped onto Yunshu Peak and arrived outside Junior Martial Uncle Zhao Li's Immortal Cave.

From inside the cave came rhythmic clinking sounds and a faint aura of fire.

Junior Martial Uncle Zhao Li was rolling up her sleeves, instructing Ye Yuner on how to control a small smelting furnace to melt a piece of metal. Seeing Lin Feng enter, both of them stopped.

"Brother Lin Feng!" Ye Yuner's eyes lit up. She put down her work and ran over. Her aura was much steadier than before; she was actually already at the Fourth Level of Qi Refining.

Junior Martial Uncle Zhao Li's gaze fell on Lin Feng, narrowing slightly. A rare look of surprise appeared on her serious face: "Qi Refining Sixth Layer? It's only been how long... you kid, your cultivation speed is truly terrifying."

Lin Feng cupped his hands in greeting: "Junior Martial Uncle, Junior Sister Yuner."

He looked at Ye Yuner and smiled, "Congratulations on your Breakthrough, Junior Sister."

Ye Yuner smiled somewhat shyly: "It's all thanks to Master's careful guidance. He's even started teaching me the basics of Artifact Refining."

She looked at Lin Feng curiously, "Brother Lin Feng, you Cultivate so fast!"

Junior Martial Uncle Zhao Li wiped her hands, walked over to a stone bench, and sat down, gesturing for Lin Feng to sit as well:

"It seems you've had another fortuitous encounter. However, your Foundation is quite solid, with no signs of instability. How is your study of my brother's Formation insights going?"

Lin Feng pondered for a moment and replied: "Reporting to Junior Martial Uncle, I can barely set up basic Spirit Gathering, Protection, and Maze Formations, but it takes a long time and the power is limited. There are still many profound changes and combinations I haven't been able to grasp."

Hearing this, the surprise in Junior Martial Uncle Zhao Li's eyes deepened, then turned into satisfaction:

"To reach such a level in such a short time has far exceeded my expectations. It seems you indeed have some talent in the Dao of Formations. Good, do not slack off."

After chatting for a while, Lin Feng prepared to take his leave. Junior Martial Uncle Zhao Li stood up, took an item from the room, and handed it to Lin Feng:

"It's a good thing your cultivation is progressing, but the outside world is dangerous; you need something for self-defense."

"This item is called the 'Green Wood Shield'. It's a defensive Magical Artifact I refined in my early years. Once activated, it can transform into a spiritual shield, enough to withstand several full-strength strikes from a Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivator. Take it."

Lin Feng took it, his heart warming slightly: "Thank you for the generous gift, Junior Martial Uncle."

Junior Martial Uncle Zhao Li waved her hand, her expression becoming a bit more solemn: "Given your current cultivation speed, the Peak of Qi Refining won't be far off. It's time... to start preparing for Foundation Establishment."

Foundation Establishment is the divide between immortal and mortal. It is of utmost importance and requires a massive amount of resources, especially the foundation establishment pill, which is the most critical. You need to plan early."

"foundation establishment pill..." Lin Feng noted the name, thanked his Junior Martial Uncle again, and took his leave. Ye Yuner saw him off and waved goodbye.

Leaving Yunshu Peak, Lin Feng did not return to the Outer Sect, but instead headed to Cloud Bamboo Peak to seek an audience with Su Sizhu.

After hearing Lin Feng's purpose, Su Sizhu's cold eyes glanced at him: "Thinking of Foundation Establishment at only the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, you are quite impatient."

She pondered for a moment before speaking: "The difficulty of Foundation Establishment lies in the compression of spiritual power, the transformation of the Dantian into a sea, and the conversion of true essence."

The foundation establishment pill is the core. It can significantly increase the success rate and acts as a catalyst for the compression and conversion of spiritual power. It is indispensable."

However, its main ingredients are hard to find, and the Pill Formula is a secret not shared by the various Sects. Very few circulate in the market, and each one is worth a fortune."

"Furthermore," she continued, "the spiritual power undergoes a drastic change during Foundation Establishment, making it easy to attract Heart Demons. The ice heart pill is also very important; it can keep the Divine Sense clear and resist illusions."

She casually mentioned several auxiliary ingredients needed to refine these two types of pills, which could be called Heaven And Earth Treasures:

"...Such as the earth origin spirit mushroom, dragon scale fruit, ice heart orchid, qing shen bamboo... all are rare spiritual items that can be encountered but not sought."

Lin Feng's heart grew heavier as he listened.

'This... is simply too difficult.'

After bidding farewell to Su Sizhu, Lin Feng walked on the mountain path back to the Outer Sect, feeling his steps were a bit heavy.

'The requirements for Foundation Establishment are actually so terrifying...' He shook his head. 'Forget it, it's still early before the Peak of Qi Refining. Worrying now is no different from creating problems for oneself. It's better to first improve my strength and learn more self-defense methods.'

However, in the Myriad Laws Pavilion, the Spells and Cultivation Techniques that Outer Sect Disciples could access were mostly limited in power. To him, they were already somewhat beneath his notice.

He pondered for a moment, remembering Senior Sister Fang Lingyao of Yunxia Peak. That Senior Sister had quite some insight into Spells and seemed... quite fond of teaching others.

Lin Feng straightened his clothes and walked towards Yunni Peak.

When he found Fang Lingyao, she was practicing an exquisite water-system sword art in a sea of flowers. Her sword light flowed like moving clouds and flowing water.

Seeing Lin Feng, she stopped and sheathed her sword, smiling: "Junior Brother Lin? Why do you have time to come to my Yunni Peak today?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, her Divine Sense habitually swept over Lin Feng, and the smile on her face instantly froze: "Wait. You... you're already at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer?"

She clearly remembered that the last time they met to pass him the Ice Heart Art, Lin Feng seemed to be struggling at the Peak of the Fourth Level of Qi Refining, failing to break through to the fifth layer.

How long has it been since then?

Lin Feng's expression was calm as he cupped his hands: "I was fortunate enough to make a Breakthrough. I apologize for disturbing you, Senior Sister. It's precisely because my cultivation has progressed slightly that I feel my own knowledge is shallow. I wanted to ask Senior Sister for advice on some more exquisite Spells or ways of application. I wonder if Senior Sister could give me some pointers?"

Hearing this, Fang Lingyao's eyes lit up, and she indeed became interested: "Oh? What do you want to learn? Tell me."

Lin Feng turned his gaze toward the sea of flowers where Fang Lingyao had just been practicing her sword art and said sincerely:

"The sword art I saw Senior Sister practicing just now seemed as dense as flowing water, yet hidden within its extreme softness was a sharp edge. Its power is extraordinary and its Concept is lofty. I wonder... if I might have the honor of learning this art?"

Fang Lingyao was slightly taken aback, then she smiled: "Oh? You want to learn my Flowing Cloud Water Dividing Sword Art?"

This sword art follows a soft and feminine path, emphasizing overcoming hardness with softness, and diverting and neutralizing force. Most of the female Disciples in the Sect practice this; it's rare to see a male Disciple interested in it."

YouDetermined to learn？"