Translator: AnubisTL
In the cave abode, Daoist Qingyang gazed at the fully restored bronze cauldron with a satisfied expression.
"Excellent, excellent. Fellow Daoist Er Niu's artifact refinement skills are nearly reaching mastery."
Despite Daoist Qingyang's praise, Li Qing remained grounded, fully aware of the long road ahead.
"Senior flatters me. The cauldron wasn't severely damaged; any artifact refiner could have repaired it," Li Qing said, clasping his hands in respect.
"Hahaha, Fellow Daoist Er Niu, don't be so modest. Among the four cultivation techniques—Pill Refinement, artifact refinement, formation, and talisman—artifact refinement demands the most talent. Among rogue cultivators, artifact refiners are the rarest."
This was true. Li Qing hadn't encountered any other rogue cultivator artifact refiners yet. He'd met a few Pill Refiners and Talisman Masters, but artifact refinement required not only talent but also vast resources.
While formation masters also needed talent, many formation materials could be reused. Even if a formation failed, the spiritual materials wouldn't be damaged.
"I was just fortunate," Li Qing said, scratching his head bashfully.
"Fellow Daoist Er Niu, I understand your purpose for coming. It's about the Foundation Establishment Pill, isn't it?" Daoist Qingyang asked with a gentle smile.
Seeing that the other party had already guessed his purpose, Li Qing was happy to cut to the chase. He nodded and said, "That's right, Senior Qingyang. I've come to discuss Foundation Establishment."
"Though I've only recently advanced to the Late Qi Refining Realm, I have a heart devoted to the Dao. I hope Senior won't laugh at my ambition."
Li Qing spoke with sincerity and conviction, making no attempt to hide his yearning for the Great Dao.
"There's nothing laughable about that. Once you've embarked on the Immortal Path, aren't we all striving to cross the river?"
"My own aptitude isn't much better than yours. Back then, to obtain a single Foundation Establishment Pill, I faced a near-death experience."
Daoist Qingyang's eyes flickered with a hint of nostalgia. He too possessed a Four Spirit Root, and few in the cultivation world had succeeded in Foundation Establishment with such a mixed Spiritual Root. His own Foundation Establishment process had truly been a matter of life and death.
"Senior is truly a model for us rogue cultivators!" Li Qing flattered, knowing that flattery never failed. "No matter what, it's always wise to start with some praise."
Daoist Qingyang chuckled and asked, "Heh heh heh, we've strayed a bit. How have you fared in gathering the Spirit Herbs needed to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill?"
In the immortal cultivation world, the pill formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill wasn't a secret; many Pill Refiners possessed it.
Even rogue cultivators, through constant exposure, knew that refining the Foundation Establishment Pill required a majority of auxiliary ingredients.
The limiting factor in the production of Foundation Establishment Pills was never the pill formula or the Pill Refiners themselves, but rather the primary ingredients!
Both the Essence Fusion Fruit and the Crystal Cores of Second-Tier Demonic Beasts were considered extremely rare outside. They could only be obtained in perilous Forbidden Lands or secret realms.
"I have some auxiliary ingredients: Profound Ice Leaf, Eight-Cornered Grass, and Illusory Heart Fruit..."
Li Qing truthfully listed the types of Spirit Herbs he possessed, concealing nothing.
While these materials were also quite valuable, they were nowhere near as difficult to find as the primary ingredients. Li Qing's ability to gather them wasn't particularly surprising.
"Not bad at all. For a rogue cultivator to gather so many Spirit Herbs on his own is already beyond what most can achieve!"
"The few auxiliary ingredients you're missing shouldn't be too hard to find. With a little effort and time, you should be able to acquire them."
Hearing Daoist Qingyang's words, Li Qing inwardly muttered, "This is all thanks to Fellow Daoist Gu Ming's generosity."
Of course, Li Qing would never reveal this to Daoist Qingyang. Killing for treasure was ultimately dishonorable, even if he had done it to save Ye Feng.
Moreover, Gu Ming had been a member of the secret trade fair Daoist Qingyang had organized in the past, with the daoist name Radiant Light.
Fortunately, the Heavenly River Market had later been breached by the Shangqing Sect, leading to the trade fair's dissolution. Many members lost contact with each other or perished in the ensuing chaos.
No one would likely care about the fate of a rogue cultivator like Gu Ming.
"Young Friend Er Niu, do you have access to the most crucial ingredient for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill—the Essence Fusion Fruit or a Second-Tier Demonic Core?"
In response to Daoist Qingyang's question, Li Qing could only offer a wry smile and shake his head. "Senior, you overestimate me. I'm just a rogue cultivator. I've never even seen such precious items, let alone possessed them."
Daoist Qingyang nodded understandingly. "So, what are you planning?"
Li Qing immediately replied, "I intend to entrust you, Senior. If someone comes to you seeking to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill, I'll provide all the auxiliary ingredients to be combined into a single batch. Additionally, I'll compensate them with spirit stones or Magic Artifacts!"
Combining ingredients for a Foundation Establishment Pill was rare in the cultivation world, but Daoist Qingyang was naturally familiar with the practice.
"So that's how it is. I don't mind keeping an eye out for you, but I must warn you in advance: in recent years, few cultivators have sought me to refine Foundation Establishment Pills. Even those who have are usually well-connected cultivators with established backgrounds. They rarely agree to combine their ingredients with others to refine a single batch."
"You might have to wait a long time, perhaps even a decade or more, before you find someone willing to collaborate."
Li Qing had already prepared for this. He replied calmly, "I understand, Senior. I'll also try to gather the main ingredients myself. In the future, I'll trouble you to keep an eye out for me!"
"It's no great matter, just a small favor," Daoist Qingyang waved his hand dismissively.
With that, Li Qing left Daoist Qingyang's cave abode.
Thus, one path to obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill was now open.
Night had fallen. Returning to his courtyard, Li Qing's heart was calm.
"Next, I should keep an eye out for news about the main ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill. But with the current turmoil, it's not wise to travel around too much."
Gazing at the Azure Radiance Pool under the moonlight, Li Qing couldn't help but sigh softly. The night scenery was beautiful, but his thoughts were consumed by the matter of Foundation Establishment.
"Well, I'll cultivate in seclusion here for a year. I can start gathering the ingredients after the two sects' war ends."
As Li Qing spoke, he turned around and immediately spotted Fan Tong sprawled in the courtyard, snoring soundly.
"This lazy glutton is living the good life, eating and sleeping all day long."
"I wish he'd put in some effort and cultivate diligently, advancing to Second-Tier Demonic Beast status sooner. Then I wouldn't have to worry about the main ingredient for the Foundation Establishment Pill!"
Li Qing chuckled, though his words were clearly in jest. Even if Fan Tong truly reached Second-Tier status, he would never use its demonic core to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill.
Moreover, a Demon beast's cultivation heavily relied on bloodline aptitude. From birth, their bloodline determined their lifelong potential.
Fan Tong's ability to break through to the mid-First-Tier despite its mixed bloodline was already a result of Li Qing's relentless use of Beast Nurturing Pills. Without further opportunities, reaching the late-First-Tier would be virtually impossible.
Even pure-blooded Black Fiend Tigers typically peaked at the late-First-Tier. Only a select few with exceptional talent or extraordinary opportunities had a chance to advance to Second-Tier status.
Thinking of this, Li Qing lightly patted his storage pouch.
A flash of crimson light streaked across the air, and soon, several Crimson Crystals—extracted from strange beasts within the World of Eternal Night—appeared in his hand.
These Crimson Crystals contained the Red Moon Secret Power, a force capable of inducing mutation, but at the cost of madness and savagery.
Merely holding these few Crimson Crystals in his hand, Li Qing's divine sense could sense the chaos and frenzy they contained. This was why he dared not feed them to Fan Tong.
But Li Qing tapped his storage pouch again, and two more translucent Crimson Crystals appeared in his hand.
The madness and savagery within these two Crimson Crystals were somewhat diluted. The reason for this was Li Qing's own blood.
Earlier in the secret realm, to lure the strange beasts into breaking the Restriction, Li Qing had used his blood mixed with Crimson Crystals as bait.
After the Restriction was breached, two Crimson Crystals had been stained with his blood. Li Qing was surprised to discover that these blood-stained Crimson Crystals seemed less likely to drive one into a state of utter chaos and madness.
"It seems blood can suppress the side effects of the Crimson Crystals. I wonder if beast blood would have the same effect."
As he spoke, Li Qing turned his gaze toward Fan Tong.
The sleeping Fan Tong suddenly felt a chill run down its spine. Its tiger body shuddered, and it opened its eyes to look at its master.
"Aow?"
"Hehe, come here and let me draw some blood," Li Qing said with a grin, sending a thought to Fan Tong.
Fan Tong let out a mournful howl, but didn't resist. It obediently allowed Li Qing to draw a small bowl of thick, crimson tiger blood from its body.
"Aow-roar!"
"Alright, stop howling. This is all for your own good. If beast blood can suppress the Crimson Crystal's side effects, then you..."
Before Li Qing could finish, he fell silent, narrowed his eyes, and even released his divine sense to carefully observe the Crimson Crystal's changes.
He had already submerged a piece of the Crimson Crystal in the tiger blood. The bowl of blood began to bubble, as if boiling.
Soon, the madness and violence contained within the Crimson Crystal rapidly dissipated, reaching a negligible level.
"It worked!"
Li Qing held the Crimson Crystal up again, pointing it towards the cold moon in the sky. The crystal, still stained with tiger blood, seemed to have become even more transparent and luminous.
"While taking the Crimson Crystal now might not make you lose your mind, ingesting the Red Moon Secret Power could still cause a mutation."
"This mutation could be benign or malignant, and it might vary depending on the beast. You should think carefully about whether you want to consume it!"
With that, Li Qing held the Crimson Crystal, which had been purified with blood, out to Fan Tong, clearly explaining the pros and cons.
Through the Blood Pact Seal they shared, Fan Tong could clearly sense Li Qing's thoughts.
At that moment, Fan Tong's head drooped, as if it were truly considering the matter.
Li Qing said nothing more. This was Fan Tong's decision, and he wouldn't interfere. He had already made the risks and benefits clear.
Though Fan Tong had been by his side for many years, their relationship was far from that of master and pet. If anything, they were more like partners.
Man and tiger, they had relied on each other for survival, journeying from the mortal world to the realm of immortals. Along the way, they had weathered countless trials, forging an unbreakable bond.
Whatever decision Fan Tong made, Li Qing would not interfere.
Even if it chose not to consume the Crimson Crystal, he would find other spiritual objects in the future to aid its advancement or strengthen its bloodline.
Sensing Fan Tong's hesitation, Li Qing smiled gently and said, "It's alright. We have plenty of time. You can take your time to consider it."
After speaking, Li Qing turned to return to his meditation practice. But suddenly, Fan Tong used its claws to tug at his robe.
"Awo!"
"Have you made up your mind? You know that no Demon beast has ever consumed a Crimson Crystal before, not even a purified one!"
Feeling the thoughts Fan Tong was conveying, Li Qing earnestly tried to dissuade it one last time.
"Awo awo!"
Fan Tong's meaning was clear. It shook its massive body, its tiger eyes filled with unwavering determination.
Having been by Li Qing's side for so many years, it knew its strength was gradually falling behind. Perhaps one day, it would no longer be able to help Li Qing.
So it wanted to become stronger, desperately craving to swallow the Crimson Crystal. This was a primal urge rooted deep within its bones.
Even if consuming it might cause some form of mutation, it didn't care in the slightest. It had already thought this through completely.
"You silly tiger, go ahead and eat it," Li Qing said, placing the Crimson Crystal into Fan Tong's mouth. Then he scratched its round head.
Boom!
The moment the Crimson Crystal entered Fan Tong's mouth, Li Qing sensed a surge of energy within the beast's body, triggering an immediate reaction.
Whether this mutation was a blessing or a curse, it had begun!
(End of the Chapter)
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