Chapter 222: Refining the Foundation Establishment Pill and Borrowing a Spirit Vein
Chapter 222: Chapter 222: Refining the Foundation Establishment Pill and Borrowing a Spirit Vein
They made small talk for a while.
Li Ping’s gaze fell upon the Desolate Fire Sparrow and Blazing Sun Bird chasing each other playfully in the courtyard, but his tone was casual as he asked, "Yunzhi, what are your plans for a Spiritual Land for your Core Formation?"
Xiao Yunzhi had been lost in thought, and when she heard Li Ping’s question, her expression was a bit dazed.
After a moment, with a hopeful expression, she slowly said, "I don’t have many ideas right now. Do you have any suggestions, Brother Li?"
"My suggestions?" Li Ping was slightly taken aback.
After thinking for a long while, he said calmly, "I made a great enemy in the Western Wilderness, so I won’t be returning there until I reach Core Formation. Before the Ice Sea Beast Tide broke out, it wouldn’t have been a huge problem for you to return to the Western Wilderness alone, Yunzhi."
Xiao Yunzhi nodded, but her thoughts were unreadable.
"But now..." Li Ping’s tone shifted, his expression turning grave. "The beast tide has erupted. There are large numbers of Demon Beasts active around Flying Snow City, including many at Tier Two Late Stage. I can’t even be sure if there are Tier Three Great Demons lurking among them. If you leave Flying Snow City alone, you might be in danger."
Hearing Li Ping’s words, Xiao Yunzhi couldn’t help but ask with a happy smile, "Are you worried about me, Brother Li?"
"I’m just analyzing the situation for you." Li Ping shook his head, then continued, "So, I suggest you stay in Flying Snow City for now. I’ll sound things out through Shi Yutong later. If we can negotiate terms with the Flying Snow Sect, it might be possible to use their Tier Three Spirit Vein to attempt your breakthrough to Core Formation in exchange for a certain price."
Tier Three Spirit Veins were incredibly precious.
Especially in a barren region like the Land of the Far North, the eight Tier Three Spirit Veins were controlled by the eight major human Main Cities. They supplied the needs of Cultivators for Qi Refining and Magical Combat, while also protecting tens of millions of human mortals. Outsiders had no hope of getting their hands on them.
But Xiao Yunzhi’s attempt at Core Formation only required temporarily borrowing the Spiritual Qi environment of a Tier Three Spirit Vein; she wasn’t trying to steal or destroy it.
Even if she successfully formed her Golden Core, she would only consume the Spiritual Qi produced by the Tier Three Spirit Vein, temporarily affecting the cultivation of other Cultivators within the Spirit Vein.
This process would not cause any irreversible damage to the Spirit Vein.
Therefore, in practical terms, the price for using a Tier Three Spirit Vein to attempt Core Formation wasn’t exorbitant.
However, since Tier Three Spirit Veins were controlled by the Core Formation Cultivators in charge, an ordinary visiting Foundation Establishment Cultivator would have no chance of meeting them, let alone the standing to negotiate terms.
This was the biggest obstacle to borrowing the environment of a Tier Three Spirit Vein.
Fortunately, over the past three years, Li Ping had been hired to refine Pills for Flying Snow City and had developed a good relationship with Shi Yutong. He could go through her to negotiate with the Core Formation cultivators of the Flying Snow Sect.
Of course, Li Ping would only agree to reasonable terms, such as offering Spirit Stones as payment.
If the Flying Snow Sect tried to use access to the Tier Three Spirit Vein to extort some unreasonable promises from him.
For example, if they demanded he serve Flying Snow City for a hundred years after reaching Core Formation, he would refuse without hesitation.
All successful transactions had to be built on a win-win foundation; otherwise, any deal would be mere wishful thinking or a pact made under duress.
"I’ll listen to you, Brother Li." Xiao Yunzhi nodded gently.
...
Just as Li Ping was about to head into the city to speak with Shi Yutong about borrowing the Tier Three Spirit Vein for Xiao Yunzhi’s Core Formation attempt, Shi Yutong herself showed up at his door.
"Brother Li, why haven’t you come to see Yutong lately? Did Yutong do something to make you angry?" The moment she saw him, Shi Yutong put on a pitiful expression, as if Li Ping had done something to wrong her.
Li Ping’s eye twitched inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged. "Please, have a seat, Sect Leader Shi."
The two sat down, and Li Ping looked at Shi Yutong. "Sect Leader Shi, you came all this way in person. Is there something you need?"
After three years, Shi Yutong had long since gotten used to Li Ping’s reactions. His indifferent attitude toward her, rather than discouraging her, only fueled her rebellious streak.
She feigned a wronged tone and said, "Couldn’t it just be that Yutong missed Brother Li? Does Yutong have to have a reason to come see Brother Li?"
Li Ping nodded calmly. "Yes. You must need something."
Shi Yutong was trying to use her status as a beautiful young woman to get closer to Li Ping, but Li Ping was now a hundred-year-old man, long past the age of budding romance.
He was pure of heart and free of desire, viewing beauty as nothing more than dirt.
He was especially unwilling to get involved with a woman like Shi Yutong, whose background was anything but ordinary, lest he become entangled in some unfavorable karma.
"You’re impossible." Shi Yutong couldn’t help but roll her eyes at Li Ping.
But she quickly recovered her coy demeanor, sticking her tongue out. "You’re as perceptive as ever, Brother Li. Your little sister really did come here today to ask for your help."
Hearing this, Li Ping nodded and asked curiously, "Oh? And what might that be, that it requires Sect Leader Shi to trouble herself with a personal visit?"
He had just been wondering how to bring up the matter of borrowing the Flying Snow Sect’s Tier Three Spirit Vein.
Now that Shi Yutong needed a favor from him, he could wait for her to state her request, agree to it, and then seize the opportunity to propose borrowing the Tier Three Spirit Vein.
That way, he figured, Shi Yutong would find it difficult to refuse him.
Just as these thoughts passed through Li Ping’s mind, Shi Yutong began to slowly explain the purpose of her visit.
Li Ping listened quietly, nodding slightly from time to time.
It turned out that two of the Golden Marrow Jade Ginsengs the Flying Snow Sect was cultivating in its Tier Three Spirit Vein had reached a thousand years of medicinal age and could be used to refine Foundation Establishment Pills.
Shi Yutong’s purpose for this trip was precisely to ask Li Ping to take action and use those two Golden Marrow Jade Ginsengs to refine two batches of Foundation Establishment Pills.
In truth, this wasn’t just her decision but a joint decision made by the Flying Snow Sect’s two Core Formation Cultivators—Shi Yutong’s parents.
After their collaboration over the last three years, Li Ping’s Alchemy skills had earned their recognition.
They privately believed that Pill Master Li Ping’s alchemy techniques might have already surpassed that old monster’s in Cloud City, and entrusting the alchemy task to Li Ping was a surefire bet.
’So, it’s about refining Foundation Establishment Pills...’
After listening to Shi Yutong’s explanation, an expression of understanding dawned on Li Ping’s face.
From Shi Yutong’s description, he learned that the upper echelons of the Flying Snow Sect had designated a specific Medicine Garden within the Tier Three Spirit Vein to cultivate Golden Marrow Jade Ginseng. They had planted a total of twenty stalks, divided into ten groups, with a hundred-year age difference between each group.
This way, the Flying Snow Sect could obtain two thousand-year-old stalks of Golden Marrow Jade Ginseng every hundred years to refine Foundation Establishment Pills, ensuring a continuous stream of new Foundation Establishment Cultivators within the Sect.
The reason there were only twenty stalks wasn’t that the Flying Snow Sect didn’t want more Golden Marrow Jade Ginseng.
Rather, it was because the growth process of this Spirit Medicine damaged the Spirit Vein’s environment. Twenty stalks was already the limit for this Tier Three Spirit Vein; planting any more would cause irreversible damage and could even cause the Spirit Vein to degrade in tier.
Of course, besides what the Sect cultivated itself, the Flying Snow Sect had other sources for Foundation Establishment Pills.
For example, hunting Tier Three Demon Beasts, or purchasing them from Great Zhou through merchant guilds.
...
A strategic Pill like the Foundation Establishment Pill was something every Tier Three Alchemist had to learn. Li Ping was no exception; he had long ago mastered the method for refining it thanks to his own peerless talent.
Therefore, upon hearing Shi Yutong’s request, he agreed without hesitation. "No problem. For me, refining Foundation Establishment Pills is a trivial matter."
Hearing this, Shi Yutong couldn’t help but smile.
Before Shi Yutong could speak, Li Ping spoke up with a smile, "Actually, I also happen to have something I need your help with, Sect Leader Shi."
Having settled the matter of refining the Foundation Establishment Pills, Shi Yutong was in a very good mood.
Hearing Li Ping speak, she said with a smile, "Brother Li, listen to you. Given our relationship, if there’s anything you need, your little sister will do everything in her power to help."
At that, Li Ping didn’t stand on ceremony and explained that his younger sister had reached the Peak of Foundation Establishment and that he hoped to borrow the Flying Snow Sect’s Tier Three Spirit Vein for her breakthrough to Core Formation.
"Borrow a Tier Three Spirit Vein to attempt Core Formation?" Shi Yutong murmured, her delicate brows knitting together unconsciously.
After stating his request, Li Ping said no more, simply watching Shi Yutong with a calm gaze.
After a moment of thought, Shi Yutong gave a wry smile. "To be honest with you, Brother Li, if it were anything else, your little sister could agree to it in a heartbeat. But this... this truly puts me in a difficult position. After all, the Tier Three Spirit Vein is where my parents cultivate, and many of the Sect’s most important locations are situated on it."
She sighed. "I really can’t make the decision on this matter myself. I can only go back and ask for my parents’ opinion. Please wait a while, Brother Li. Once I have a definite answer, I will inform you of their decision."
Li Ping smiled and nodded. "That’s only natural. I’ll have to ask Sect Leader Shi to put in a good word for me."
...
Shi Yutong left in a hurry, saying she was going to ask her parents about borrowing the Tier Three Spirit Vein.
As for refining the Foundation Establishment Pills, she didn’t press Li Ping to start right away.
After all, the Flying Snow Sect’s Golden Marrow Jade Ginseng was hard to come by, and Foundation Establishment Pills were not like other Pills; their importance was immense.
If the matter of borrowing the Spirit Vein environment soured Li Ping’s mood, and he then ’accidentally’ ruined a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills, it would affect the Flying Snow Sect’s future development.
Therefore, her thinking was to first confirm whether her parents would agree to lend the Spirit Vein to Li Ping’s sister for her Core Formation attempt, and only then decide whether to ask Li Ping to refine the Foundation Establishment Pills.
If her parents refused to lend the Spirit Vein, then the matter of refining the Foundation Establishment Pills would require further consideration.
At the same time, she couldn’t help but wonder to herself, ’Just what is the background of that sister of Li Ping’s? To be attempting Core Formation at such a young age...’
Shi Yutong herself had an Ice-type Abnormal Spiritual Root. Relying on her own natural talent, coupled with the devoted nurturing of her two Core Formation Cultivator parents, she had managed to reach Late-stage Foundation Establishment before the age of one hundred. She expected to reach the Peak of Foundation Establishment in another twenty or thirty years and then attempt her own breakthrough to Core Formation.
But what about Li Ping’s sister?
From observing the other woman’s features, Shi Yutong could sense that she was significantly younger than herself.
She was younger, yet her Cultivation was higher.
She had even reached the threshold of Core Formation. How could Shi Yutong not be amazed?
She then thought to herself, ’Perhaps it’s because he has such a fine beauty by his side that Li Ping is so stern with me.’