"Yang Bingzhi, it’s not yet ti for you to use the Foundation Establishnt Pill; keeping it would be a waste. You must prioritize the greater good and let fellow sect cultivators who need it have the Foundation Establishnt Pill first."
"Master has died; we have lost our backing. If you give the Foundation Establishnt Pill, as fellow disciples, we should naturally help and watch out for each other."
"I have just made contributions to the Sect; the Foundation Establishnt Pills have to be put on hold. The next batch can only be made after gathering enough ingredients. Could Brother Yang let have this Foundation Establishnt Pill?"
"Your master has died. Why not use the Foundation Establishnt Pill to secure a better future for yourself?"
...
The Foundation Establishnt Pills had just been refined, and all sorts of nefarious characters—schers and opportunists alike—resorted to pressure, threats, or playing the sympathy card. Their goal was singular: to sohow get the Foundation Establishnt Pill from Yang Bingzhi’s hands.
While the Wind Patrol Chief was still around, these schers and opportunists didn’t dare to act too arrogantly in front of Yang Bingzhi, and few True Disciples dared to provoke him. They were not alone; they had Foundation Establishnt Cultivators backing them.
However, multiple sects had joined forces to attack the Five Elents Sect, completely rewriting its situation. Dozens of Foundation Establishnt Cultivators perished, marking the darkest mont for the Five Elents Sect. Unluckily, the Wind Patrol Chief was among the fallen. Yang Bingzhi thus lost his backing. He now held the Foundation Establishnt Pill awarded by the Sect and also possessed enough sect contribution points to exchange for another. Two Foundation Establishnt Pills were enough to make others burn with envy, so it was only natural for his fellow sect cultivators to covet them.
Yang Bingzhi didn’t take most people seriously, but two individuals, invoking the greater good, put him in a difficult position. One of them was also a direct disciple of the Wind Patrol Chief. He claid that if he broke through to the Foundation Establishnt Stage, he would beco Yang Bingzhi’s new support. Yang Bingzhi, however, had not been apprenticed for long and didn’t share a deep bond with this senior brother. He was unwilling to test the other’s character with such a precious Foundation Establishnt Pill. Once given away, expecting its return was wishful thinking.
The other person gave Yang Bingzhi the most trouble: a Foundation Establishnt Cultivator. He used the pretext of the Sect’s greater good to pressure Yang Bingzhi into surrendering the Foundation Establishnt Pill, implying that refusal would be disloyalty to the Sect. Yang Bingzhi, lacking any backing, could not hope to resist this cultivator’s power and influence.
Fortunately, Yang Bingzhi was considered a hero of the Five Elents Sect. The rit of discovering a large Spirit Stone Vein could not be ignored. Quite a few Foundation Establishnt Cultivators had received a hefty share of Spirit Stones because of him, earning him at least so goodwill. The subsequent leak of information about the Spirit Stone Vein had nothing to do with Yang Bingzhi, so their anger could not be directed at him. Even if a Foundation Establishnt Cultivator coveted his Foundation Establishnt Pill, they wouldn’t dare to act too blatantly. They had to exercise restraint, limiting themselves to applying pressure, hoping he would eventually break.
They want my Foundation Establishnt Pill? What a pipe dream!
Of the two Foundation Establishnt Pills, one would be given to Jia Ren, and the other he would keep for his own breakthrough to the Foundation Establishnt Stage. For the ti being, anyone who ca to his door was turned away. This attitude angered many sect disciples, but they could do nothing about it. Their covetous emotions peaked the mont the Foundation Establishnt Pills were successfully refined. The threshold of Yang Bingzhi’s residence was nearly worn through by visitors.
It wasn’t that the number of refined Foundation Establishnt Pills was small; over fifty pills had co out of this batch. The problem was that easy targets are always picked on. And who was easier to pick on than Yang Bingzhi, who had neither strength nor backing? He was a mud-legged peasant who had gotten lucky enough to enter the Sect. By sheer dumb luck, he had discovered the Spirit Stone Vein, beco a True Disciple, and received a Foundation Establishnt Pill. Countless fellow cultivators envied, were jealous of, and hated him. His master is dead, he has no backing... If we don’t bully you, who do we bully?
The Five Elents Sect was never a place of kindness. Cultivators of the Five Elents Sect were not only adept at bullying and extorting Loose Cultivators but were also cruel and ruthless towards their own fellow disciples. Holding the Foundation Establishnt Pill, Yang Bingzhi felt it burning in his hand. Wherever he went, he attracted attention.
In such a situation, going to Grand Wilderness Mountain to deliver the Foundation Establishnt Pill to Jia Ren was like a fool’s errand. What am I supposed to do?Should I contact Jia Ren and have him co here to get the pill?But if a Foundation Establishnt Cultivator attacks Jia Ren, no one will be able to save him. What then?
Yang Bingzhi took out a Mother-Child Resonating Bell and sent out a Sound Transmission Talisman. About the ti it takes for a stick of incense to burn, a streak of light flew towards him from a distance. Yang Bingzhi received it, and Jia Ren’s familiar voice sounded in his ear. Monts later, a glint lit up in Yang Bingzhi’s eyes.
He made preparations according to Jia Ren’s instructions and left his residence. After brushing off a persistent disciple who was still trying to get a Foundation Establishnt Pill, he headed towards the area with the most cultivators.
"Brother Yang, what brings you here?" A skinny man, who was feeding a yellow dog, smiled upon seeing Yang Bingzhi. He too hailed from Grand Wilderness Mountain and had always been on good terms with Yang Bingzhi. It was thanks to Yang Bingzhi’s influence that he had managed to join the Five Elents Sect.
"Shouhou, let’s talk privately!"
The two found a secluded spot, out of sight of other cultivators.
"I owe a Daoist friend so Concealed Thunder Pellets and promised to return them today. Please deliver these to him for ," Yang Bingzhi said, handing several Concealed Thunder Pellets to Shouhou. "Big Yellow has gotten skinny following you around." Yang Bingzhi then took out a piece of snow-white Monster Beast at, the size of a fist, from his Storage Bag and tossed it to the yellow dog. The dog wagged its tail, snatched the at, and gulped it down in two bites.
"This is for your trouble," Yang Bingzhi said, tossing over a bag containing at least one hundred Spirit Stones.
"Brother Yang, how could I take your Spirit Stones?"
"Take it!" Yang Bingzhi spoke in a tone that brooked no refusal. Shouhou opened his mouth but ultimately couldn’t voice his objection.
Shouhou watched Yang Bingzhi leave, patted Big Yellow’s head, and stored the dog in his Spirit Beast Bag. Yang Bingzhi’s every move attracted attention, as no one could guarantee he wouldn’t find a place to hide the Foundation Establishnt Pill. Any suspicious action drew focused scrutiny. Shouhou had taken only a few steps when three cultivators dressed in Five Elents Sect robes surrounded him.
"What did Junior Brother Yang give you? Take it out and let us see," one of the three Late Stage Qi-Refining cultivators demanded as they encircled him.
"This is sothing entrusted by True Disciple Yang..."
SMACK!
A heavy slap landed on Shouhou’s face, knocking him to the ground and leaving a clear, red palm print on his cheek.
"Don’t be ungrateful when shown kindness!"
"So what if that Yang is a True Disciple? Aren’t I one too?!"
"You’re just an Outer Sect Disciple; I could crush you with a flick of my finger."
"Yang Bingzhi has lost his power. If I decide to kill you, he won’t be able to save you."
The three made no attempt to disguise their malice. While fellow sect mbers couldn’t openly kill each other, that didn’t an they couldn’t resort to violence. They had plenty of ways to dispose of an Outer Sect Disciple.
Not wanting to escalate the situation over rely delivering a few Concealed Thunder Pellets, Shouhou hastily placed the pellets before them. The three cracked open each Concealed Thunder Pellet, confirming no Foundation Establishnt Pills were hidden inside, then tossed them aside like trash. "Here are your replacent Concealed Thunder Pellets," one of them said, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he gestured to the broken remains. "And there’s another bag. Hand it over."
The small bag was opened, revealing nearly one hundred Spirit Stones and two Elixirs inside. Upon inspecting the elixirs, they found several Five Elents Spirit Pills.
"True Disciple Yang really treats you well, doesn’t he!"
"And your yellow dog..."
Before he could finish, a voice ca from nearby, "Yang Bingzhi has gone to the quiet room! I just heard; he’s going to assimilate the Foundation Establishnt Pill!"
"What?! He hasn’t even reached the Ninth Level of Qi Refinent! Isn’t using the Foundation Establishnt Pill now a complete waste? What sacrilege!"
The group scurried back as if their behinds were on fire, wanting to make one last desperate attempt to persuade Yang Bingzhi.
Shouhou glanced at the Five Elents Spirit Pills with a bittersweet feeling in his heart. He picked up the damaged Concealed Thunder Pellets from the ground and hurried towards Grand Wilderness Mountain. The journey was uneventful, and Grand Wilderness Mountain grew ever nearer. The closer he got to familiar grounds, the more anxious he beca; Grand Wilderness Mountain felt both familiar and strangely distant.
Rushing to Yang Bingzhi’s ho, he saw a man sitting at a stone table, sipping tea.
"Daoist Jia?" Shouhou exclaid. "So, Brother Yang ant for to deliver the Concealed Thunder Pellets to you." Jia Ren had once helped his family with an insect problem, so Shouhou was naturally familiar with him.
"You still have soone tailing you," Jia Ren noted.
"It’s alright; they’re not strong."
Jia Ren hadn’t just arrived. When he contacted Yang Bingzhi, he had followed the information Yang Bingzhi provided to hide outside the Five Elents Sect’s temporary encampnt. Trading outside the Five Elents Sect’s territory was too dangerous, so Jia Ren, unwilling to take risks, had left a Spirit Insect to follow Shouhou all the way to Grand Wilderness Mountain. Thus, the cultivator tailing Shouhou had also been under Jia Ren’s surveillance.
"Eh, I didn’t expect to be discovered."
"A Loose Cultivator?!"
A figure erged from thin air; it was unclear whether he had used an Invisibility Talisman or so rare invisibility secret technique. The newcor sized up Jia Ren, ascertained he was only a Qi Refinent Seventh Level cultivator, and promptly dismissed him as insignificant.
"How could Yang Bingzhi bear to waste a Foundation Establishnt Pill? Was this to divert others’ attention? To hide the real Foundation Establishnt Pill?" the newcor mused aloud. "Will you hand it over yourselves, or shall I kill you both and search your bodies?"
There was no shortage of clever people in the world; devising a truly flawless plan was never an easy feat.
"Fang Zhenchuan, what are you doing here? I don’t have any Foundation Establishnt Pill..." Shouhou’s face turned deathly pale.
"Where is your Spirit Beast?" Fang Zhenchuan demanded.
Shouhou recalled Yang Bingzhi feeding Big Yellow a piece of Monster Beast at. As if waking from a dream, he summoned Big Yellow from his Spirit Beast Bag.
Jia Ren stepped forward and gently pushed Big Yellow down. His fingertips glowed with a golden light as he expertly, like a skilled butcher, made an incision in Big Yellow’s abdon and extracted a small brass bell – the child bell of the Mother-Child Resonating Bell. He tossed a Resurrection Pill to Big Yellow, then used a Cleaning Talisman to wipe away the blood from the bell. Examining the child bell closely, he could see that its core had been replaced with a wax-coated pill.
This was the Foundation Establishnt Pill that countless Qi Refining Cultivators dread of!
Fang Zhenchuan’s eyes blazed with fervor, his face contorting into an expression of ecstatic joy. My guess was correct!
"My Foundation Establishnt Pill!" he roared.
"I’m afraid you won’t be able to catch it!" Jia Ren retorted. His palm opened, revealing a drop of inky water enveloping the now Foundation Establishnt Pill-less brass bell. His finger, glowing with a dark golden hue, flicked it outwards.
"Humph, re trifles!" Fang Zhenchuan snorted. A Defense Flying Shield, gleaming gold and of superior grade, appeared before him, continuously circling around him.
BOOM!
The drop of inky water exploded with staggering force. The superior grade Defense Flying Shield buckled severely. Fang Zhenchuan was struck as if by a cannonball and flung backward even faster than he had arrived. Jia Ren moved like a wraith, his speed exceeding Fang Zhenchuan’s as he was flung backward, allowing Jia Ren to intercept him. His palm, seemingly cast from dark gold, pulsed with an eerie, blood-red and inky black energy, painting a long, bloody-ink rainbow in mid-air.
The void itself seed to crackle. Under Jia Ren’s fist, Fang Zhenchuan’s Spirit Shield and Defense Artifacts crumbled like paper, offering no resistance as the blow landed. A cloud of blood mist erupted in mid-air; flesh, bone, and the tattered Defense Robe were all pulverized into fragnts by that single punch.
Jia Ren returned, clutching a Storage Bag, his Taoist Robe utterly spotless.
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