Chapter 81: Foundation Establishment Pill in Hand
Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Foundation Establishment Pill in Hand
"That’s easy enough. Come find me at the Earth Fire Hall tonight. It would be best if you could have Zhao Yi bring a few Iron Armor Celestial Bulls with him."
Zhang Chi thought for a moment and immediately decided to lend a hand.
The Spirit Field they had contracted was used to grow Spirit Rice, which was harvested twice a year. He hadn’t done anything last season, yet his investment of two thousand Spirit Stones had more than doubled.
Therefore, this was a business venture well worth maintaining.
However, he had no intention of wasting time catching bugs himself.
Besides, with a junior from the Xie Family involved, he didn’t want them to discover he was the silent partner behind the Spirit Field, which would only escalate the trouble.
It wasn’t that he was afraid of them; he just couldn’t be bothered with pointless disputes.
He much preferred to seize an opportunity for a single, fatal blow—to eliminate them completely.
Fortunately, just because he wasn’t going himself didn’t mean there was no solution.
"Senior Brother Zhang, do you have a clever plan?"
"Alright, we’ll send a message to Zhao Yi right away!"
The eyes of Qin Susu and the others lit up.
But they were tactful enough not to press further when they saw Zhang Chi didn’t elaborate.
Next, the group quickly arrived at the Sect Hall and underwent the cultivation assessment.
The test was no different from the last one, and it went smoothly.
The cultivation level Zhang Chi revealed this time was the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer, the same as Qin Susu and the others.
Among the Outer Disciples of their year, this was still considered upper-middle tier and didn’t attract any special attention.
Zhang Chi didn’t pay much attention to the others, but he did notice that Chen Ling’Er had actually reached the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer.
For someone with a Middle Grade Spirit Root, this speed was quite impressive. But considering Chen Ling’Er was a Noble Family Member, it wasn’t surprising.
After Chen Ling’Er finished her test, everyone crowded around to congratulate her, and Qin Susu’s group was no exception.
Zhang Chi, however, merely glanced over without approaching.
Meanwhile, Chen Ling’Er and her group didn’t spare Zhang Chi a single glance, clearly unconcerned with him.
After that, a large group of young Cultivators arrived in the plaza.
They were senior brothers and sisters from the Sect’s Thousand Mechanism Hall, all masters of the Mechanical Puppet Technique.
Upon their arrival, they slapped their Storage Bags, and CLANG CLANG CLANG... all sorts of puppets in various forms were immediately released.
There were beasts and humanoids among them, all gleaming with a cold, metallic luster that screamed of immense Combat Power.
The disciples taking the assessment went forward one by one to fight these puppets.
The disciples would pass the assessment if they could withstand the puppet’s attacks for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.
Since the puppets were all Tier One Middle Grade, equivalent to Cultivators of the Same Tier, the requirement wasn’t very high.
However, those who could last longer or even defeat the puppets would receive a higher score and corresponding rewards.
With multiple arenas, the assessment proceeded quickly. Before long, it was Qin Susu’s group’s turn. They used every trick they had—dodging and weaving, using Spirit Talismans and Magic, and relying on their Magical Artifacts—to finally grit their teeth and endure for the time it takes to drink a full cup of tea.
Then, it was Zhang Chi’s turn.
The puppet he faced was the same as the one Qin Susu and the others had fought: a ten-foot-tall humanoid puppet.
The puppet’s movements were accompanied by loud CLANKING noises. It came at him right from the start, swinging a metal greatsword the size of a door, bringing it down on him in a furious barrage.
But Zhang Chi wasn’t flustered in the slightest. He had a hundred ways to deal with this puppet easily.
However, to maintain a low profile, he simply slapped his Storage Bag and summoned a small, white metal shield. It rapidly expanded, forming a wall between him and the puppet.
BANG BANG BANG...
The Giant Sword slammed against the Shield, creating a series of explosions and flashes of light, but the Shield remained completely undamaged for the time being.
Of course, this Small Shield wasn’t his Profound Turtle Shield, but rather a Low Grade Peak Magical Artifact he had recently refined himself. It was more than enough to block the puppet for a while.
Just like that, Zhang Chi easily held out for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. He then pretended to have exhausted his Spiritual Power and, WHOOSH... leaped out of the combat circle.
Seeing this, the puppet did not pursue.
"Passed!"
The supervising Cultivator announced immediately.
The Observing Cultivators shook their heads slightly at the sight but had nothing to say.
After all, Zhang Chi hadn’t broken any Sect rules. And for an Alchemy Master to have weaker Combat Power and compensate by buying a Defensive Magical Artifact was perfectly normal.
"Senior Brother, congratulations!"
"Congratulations to you too."
Qin Susu and the others all offered their congratulations.
With that, everyone in their group had successfully passed.
Moreover, because they had all lasted long enough, they each received a bonus of one hundred Contribution Points.
"Look, Senior Sister Chen Ling’Er is fighting a puppet one-on-one, and she has the upper hand!"
Just then, a cry of surprise came from the distance.
Zhang Chi and his group went over to look and saw Chen Ling’Er engaged in a fierce battle in another arena. She was controlling a golden Middle Grade magical artifact Flying Sword, fighting a ten-foot-long, black Tiger-shaped Puppet.
Protected by a Tier One Upper Grade Vajra Talisman, she stood her ground, continuously forming sword seals. The Flying Sword transformed into a dazzling Sword Light, striking so fiercely that the puppet was forced back step by step.
Half an hour later, she was panting heavily, but she struck out with her sword one more time, successfully knocking the puppet out of the competition area and securing her victory.
"As expected of a junior from the Chen Family, so highly regarded by Uncle-Master Chen Bufan!"
"Indeed! It seems she has already reached the Entry Level in a Middle Grade Sword Control Technique!"
The crowd was endlessly amazed.
This achievement ultimately earned Chen Ling’Er first place in the assessment once again.
Of course, this "first place" was only among the disciples of Zhang Chi’s year.
Afterward, the crowd surged forward again with another round of congratulations.
Qin Susu’s group even went with Chen Ling’Er and her friends to the Drunken Immortal Tower in the Marketplace to celebrate with a feast.
But by this time, Zhang Chi had already collected his reward and left the Sect Hall plaza alone.
He then snuck out of the Sect again and went to the White Cloud Marketplace branch of the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower. There, using a Secret Order, he successfully retrieved a small coffer sealed with a golden strip.
Inside the coffer were two items. One was a white Jade Scroll, which was a letter from Lan Xuan.
The other was an exquisite Jade Bottle containing an Elixir, its mouth specially sealed.
"Fellow Daoist, won’t you buy something?"
"Next time."
"Very well. Oh, right, our tower is holding an auction in half a year. Remember to come!"
"We’ll see!"
Zhang Chi sent a simple reply confirming he had received the items, gave Guan Ruxin a few perfunctory words, and then eagerly returned to the Sect.
Back in his cave residence at the Earth Fire Hall, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He opened the Jade Bottle and took out the Elixir to examine it closely.
’So this is the Foundation Establishment Pill? I finally have it!’
There was only one Elixir, about the size of a longan, and pure white. It didn’t look much different from an ordinary Spirit Pill. But the faint, herbal fragrance it emitted was enough to make the Spiritual Power in Zhang Chi’s body circulate much faster.
And this Elixir was none other than the legendary Foundation Establishment Pill.
To almost every Qi Cultivation Cultivator, it was incomparably precious.
Zhang Chi had only recently managed to scrape together twenty thousand Spirit Stones, which he had sent to Lan Xuan through the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower to trade for this very pill.
The entire process had taken just over half a month, but he had spent nearly every day looking forward to this moment. Today, he finally had it.
His Alchemy skills were considerable, so he could tell that not only was there nothing wrong with this Foundation Establishment Pill, but its quality was also quite high.
But this was to be expected.
After all, it came from a top-tier Sect, and with Lan Xuan’s status, there was no way she would have been given a Substandard product.
Furthermore, as his servant whose life and death he controlled, Lan Xuan would never dare to deceive him. And the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower had a reliable reputation; they would never tamper with an item during shipping.
’Good. Now all that’s left is to reach the Qi Cultivation Peak.’
Holding the Elixir, Zhang Chi was quite excited. It took him a good while to calm down.
Then, Zhang Chi returned the Elixir to the Jade Bottle and sealed it, then tucked the Jade Bottle into his hairband. He even scanned it several times with his Divine Thought, confirming the item was real before he was completely at ease.
Finally, Zhang Chi had the time to pick up the letter—the Jade Scroll—press it to his forehead, and extend his Divine Thought into it to read.