naaapseattle Chapter 301 - 257: Changes in the Sect (2)
Chapter 301 - 257: Changes in the Sect (2)
"At least until Elder Fang breaks through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment," Bai Heyan replied.
When Fang Yun had just become an Elder, Bai Heyan’s plan was to wait until he broke through to the late-stage of Foundation Establishment before entrusting him with refining Third Tier pills.
However, as Fang Yun’s Alchemy Talent continued to shatter his expectations, he later came to believe that Fang Yun could refine Third Tier pills even if he had just entered the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.
Bai Heyan felt this was the absolute limit.
Refining Third Tier pills in the early stage of Foundation Establishment could easily lead to problems. If one’s Divine Sense wasn’t strong enough, it would be difficult to handle the fine details of Third Tier Spirit Medicines. Should one’s Divine Sense be over-consumed during the refining process, it would not only affect the pill but also harm the refiner.
A cultivator in the early stage of Foundation Establishment could also run out of Spiritual Power, and their control over it would be another issue.
"When will Elder Fang be able to break through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment?"
"In another four or five years."
The one who answered Duan Qingyun was not Bai Heyan, but Zhong Yankun.
When it came to cultivation, Zhong Yankun was familiar with both Song Qiaoqiao and Fang Yun.
When Fang Yun and Song Qiaoqiao had come to see him together, he had inevitably asked them about their cultivation progress.
The conditions he had set for the two were also related to cultivation.
Currently, both Fang Yun’s and Song Qiaoqiao’s cultivation progress was meeting his expectations.
"Four or five years... Hmm. We don’t need to worry about Elder Fang’s cultivation, then."
Duan Qingyun considered the time it took Fang Yun to achieve Foundation Establishment. For a cultivator with Five Spirit Roots, his cultivation speed was already incredibly fast.
The fact that Fang Yun could maintain such a cultivation speed while also practicing Alchemy and Artifact Refining showed that he managed his time very well.
If Fang Yun’s cultivation had been delayed by Alchemy and Artifact Refining, he might have had to seek him out soon to guide him on proper time management.
No matter what, Fang Yun had to cultivate to the Peak of Foundation Establishment and at least attempt Core Formation.
"Sect Leader, leave Fang Yun’s cultivation to me. You can rest assured," Zhong Yankun said, seemingly having sensed Duan Qingyun’s thoughts.
Duan Qingyun nodded.
Once Fang Yun started refining Third Tier pills and achieved good results, their Celestial Cloud Sect would be transformed.
If there were no good results, they might have to continue relying on the Elder of Alchemy from the Purple Mist Sect for their future pill refining.
...
「Within a Spirit Field Institute of the Celestial Cloud Sect.」
Sitting before Mi Zikun, the Elder with the most authority at the Spirit Field Institute, was a young cultivator.
This young cultivator was his grandnephew.
Mi Zikun was the second oldest in his family.
His parents had been ordinary people, and among all his siblings, he was the fortunate one to test positive for a Spirit Root and become a cultivator.
Now over a hundred years old, his parents and siblings had long since passed away.
This grandnephew, Mi Xiaoqi, was the son of his youngest brother’s youngest son. After testing positive for a Spirit Root, he had easily become a disciple of the Celestial Cloud Sect under Mi Zikun’s arrangement.
"Second Grand-uncle, did you need me for something?" Mi Xiaoqi asked, looking at Mi Zikun.
He didn’t know why his Second Grand-uncle would summon him so late at night.
First thing tomorrow morning, he still had to tend to the Tier One Upper Grade Spirit Medicine, the Qi Storage Grass.
"Xiaoqi, from now on, you must cultivate even harder and strive to reach the Peak of Qi Refining quickly," Mi Zikun said, starting on the topic of cultivation. He then stated bluntly, "Once you reach the Peak of the Qi Refining Tenth Layer, you will have a very high chance of achieving Foundation Establishment."
"But, Second Grand-uncle, I only have Four Spirit Roots."
Speaking of Foundation Establishment, Mi Xiaoqi was filled with longing, but he understood his own Spirit Root Talent. Succeeding was simply too difficult.
His Second Grand-uncle said he had a high chance of achieving Foundation Establishment.
For a cultivator with Mixed Spirit Roots like his Four Spirit Roots to have a high chance of achieving Foundation Establishment, Mi Xiaoqi could only think of one possibility.
"Cultivate well. I will get you a Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill."
"What!" Mi Xiaoqi stared at Mi Zikun in disbelief.
This was the possibility he had thought of.
’But this possibility, no matter how I think about it, seems impossible. Does Second Grand-uncle really have the ability to obtain a Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill?’
From what Mi Xiaoqi knew, in the last hundred years, the sect had only managed to refine a single Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. Two disciples had used such a pill to break through, and one of them, Elder Fang, had even earned his own during the Four-Sect Trial.
’Even if the sect has any Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills now, their distribution would be controlled by the Sect Leader and the Supreme Elders, right?’
"Things are different now." Seeing his grandnephew’s surprised expression, Mi Zikun had a good idea of what he was thinking. "These days, Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills are easier to obtain than before."
This was the latest news Mi Zikun had received.
Elder Fang’s refining of Foundation Establishment Pills had been a great success. Now that this batch of Spirit Medicines for the pills was fully refined, the sect had three Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills in stock.
When Elder Fang started refining the next batch of Foundation Establishment Pills, the results would be different yet again.
The Spirit Field Institute and Dan Cloud Peak worked closely together, so it was easy for Mi Zikun to get news from Bai Heyan. After all, many of the main Spirit Medicines Fang Yun used for refining the Foundation Establishment Pills this time were harvested under his care.
"Second Grand-uncle, why is that?"
"Naturally, it’s because the sect has more Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills."
Hearing this, Mi Xiaoqi quickly made a connection.
’Who’s the most famous Alchemy Master in the sect right now? It has to be Fang Yun.’
’If the sect has more Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills, they must have come from his hands.’
"Second Grand-uncle, I understand! I’ll work hard to cultivate to the Peak of the Qi Refining Tenth Layer!"
Mi Xiaoqi felt even more confident about his future.
A Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill had another name: a guaranteed Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
It was called this mainly because the pill’s effect in assisting with Foundation Establishment was simply immense.
A cultivator with Five Spirit Roots had a seventy percent chance of success when using a Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. For someone like him with Four Spirit Roots, the probability of success would be as high as eighty-five percent.
"While you cultivate, don’t neglect tending to the Spirit Medicines."
"Understood, Second Grand-uncle!"
Mi Xiaoqi was not his grandson, merely his grandnephew. The reason Mi Zikun was so invested in him, even planning to procure a Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill for him, was related to Mi Xiaoqi’s talent in planting.
This grandnephew of his possessed a talent for planting that was no less than his own.
Although Mi Xiaoqi hadn’t even reached the Qi Refining Ninth Layer yet, he was already a genuine Spirit Plant Master.
After Mi Xiaoqi left, Mi Zikun began to consider what connections he would have to leverage and what debts of favor he would need to incur to get his grandnephew a Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.
There were more Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills in the sect now, but they were still not easy to obtain.
Pills like the Middle Grade and Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills still couldn’t be obtained through purchase or exchange.
Before, as an Elder, he wouldn’t have even dared to think about a Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. Now, there was at least a significant glimmer of hope.
’Maybe I should look for Elder Fang?’
The first person Mi Zikun thought of was Fang Yun. Given Fang Yun’s current status in the sect, if he agreed to help, it would be easy to get a Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill with his influence.
However, his relationship with Fang Yun was merely passable.
’I’d better go find Elder Bai.’
In the end, Mi Zikun chose Bai Heyan.
His relationship with Bai Heyan was much better. With Bai Heyan’s help, combined with his grandnephew’s considerable Planting Talent, he should be able to get a Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.
Mi Zikun stood up.
It was time to set his plan in motion.
「Over half a month later.」
By now, the vast majority of Elders in the Celestial Cloud Sect knew the news.
The results of Fang Yun’s Foundation Establishment Pill refining.
After learning this, some of the Elders couldn’t help but envy the current Inner Sect Disciples.
"If Elder Fang had become an Elder fifty years earlier, maybe I could have gotten a Middle Grade Foundation Establishment Pill. Then I wouldn’t have been stuck in the Qi Refining Stage for an extra dozen years."
"Even with a Middle Grade Foundation Establishment Pill to help you, Elder Wei, there would still have been a chance of failure, right?"
"The chance of failure would have been very small. It’s much, much better than a Lower Grade Foundation Establishment Pill."
"That’s true."
"Elder Fang has achieved such results after refining just twenty-two batches of Foundation Establishment Pills. When he starts on the next major batch, perhaps even Three Spirit Root disciples from ordinary backgrounds will have a chance to obtain a Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill."