Chapter 107 - 87: I Have Guarded the Shihu Border Region

Chapter 107: Chapter 87: I Have Guarded the Shihu Border Region

A single bottle was worth twenty years of arduous cultivation, valued at one hundred Merit Coins, and required three rounds of guard duty at the pass to be exchanged.

In other words, an ordinary Cultivator who diligently performed their guard duty could only earn about eight bottles a year.

He poured out the blood-red Elixir Pill and examined it closely for a moment. Only after confirming it didn’t have a nauseating smell did he place it in his mouth.

It was just as Yan Jin had said before: how could Elixirs truly refined from human lives be supplied to everyone without restriction?

The fact that a Foundation Establishment Cultivator like Gu Nanzhi was only fit to be used as an "Auxiliary Medicine" was a testament to how precious these Elixir Pills were.

Soon, a potent medicinal power dissolved on the tip of his tongue.

Above the Nine-story Jade Tower manifested by his Dao Foundation, a fine rain began to fall, replenishing the Spirit Sea within.

Lin Shu’s current Cultivation had just broken through the seventh layer, putting him in the Late-stage of Foundation Establishment.

The final two layers were the most difficult to break through, requiring a vast amount of Spiritual Power to breach.

’Twenty years.’

Lin Shu circulated the Cyan Bird Guardian Essence Formulas, a flicker of emotion in his eyes.

With a single Spirit Pill in his system, the seventh level of the Jade Tower filled at a rate visible to the naked eye.

He hesitated no longer. With a wave of his hand, he opened all the medicine bottles, and the crimson Elixir Pills flew into the air one after another.

Even if ordinary Cultivators had Crimson Heart Pills, they would have to take them gradually. One bottle a month was the absolute limit. Any more and they would risk their Dao Foundation becoming shaky and their Cultivation unstable.

Fortunately...

’I have a Flawless Dao Foundation.’

Lin Shu finally understood the point of being so careful with his Merit Coins back then.

This Jade Tower, stable as a mountain, was capable of Absorbing Hundred Rivers, ensuring no problems would arise on his path through Foundation Establishment.

The Elixirs from bottle after bottle entered his mouth in quick succession.

Spiritual Power surged like a vast ocean, smashing through the next barrier and then rapidly filling the new level.

The eighth level, and then the ninth.

This continued until the Elixirs from all seven bottles were depleted.

The entire Nine-story Jade Tower was now suffused with Spiritual Light.

Foundation Establishment Perfection!

This Spiritual Light flowed along the Cang Bird channels, surging to the small, palm-sized platform at the very top. There, with all its might, it converged into a tiny point of light.

The point of light lasted only for an instant before it quietly shattered.

...

Lin Shu was suddenly struck by a profound sense of despair.

It was not a feeling that came from his own mind.

Rather, it was as if all the Spiritual Power in his body was lamenting at the sight of its path being cut off.

A Lower Three Grades Inner Technique offered a chance at Core Formation, but the hope was incredibly faint. It would likely require numerous rare treasures and a great deal of fortuitous luck.

It was the most arduous of paths.

’Good thing I’m not truly limited to the Lower Three Grades.’

Lin Shu shook his head in relief.

This was also his first time advancing his Cultivation on his own, without relying on external items. It felt quite grounding.

But once was enough of that experience.

He waved his hand, summoning four and a half strings of White Jade coins.

’Merit and Sin Coins are earned through hard work, too. How could that not be considered part of the effort?’

’When it comes to Cultivation, why quibble over the details?’

[Foundation Establishment Eighth Grade. Cyan Bird Guardian Essence Formulas: Perfection]

The Crimson Heart Pills had taken the place of Merit Coins, helping the technique reach Perfection.

"Go!"

With a mere thought from Lin Shu, four and a half strings’ worth of Merit Coins surged into the Cyan Simurgh Statue.

In an instant, the Jade Tower erupted with Spiritual Light once more!

The Nine-Layered Spirit Sea within it churned. Though its volume remained unchanged, its color had deepened considerably, indicating a massive surge in its Spiritual Qi content.

[Foundation Establishment Seventh Grade. Cyan Bird Guardian Essence Formulas: Perfection]

Over a string’s worth of Merit Coins remained, and they continued to pour in without stopping.

The Spirit Sea gradually ceased its churning, and its surface became coated with a faint, gentle, jade-like luster.

It hadn’t undergone a complete transformation, but it was already taking a step away from its clear, water-like texture toward a more viscous, creamy consistency.

’As long as it can transform into Jade Liquid, my chances of achieving Core Formation will increase dramatically, and I’ll even gain a new Spiritual Root.’

Lin Shu opened his eyes.

He could feel his Spirit Sea’s exultation, as if it could see hope once again.

’At most, another twenty or thirty strings of Merit Coins will be enough to help my Inner Technique break through to the Sixth-Grade, entering the ranks of the Middle Third Grade.’

’I’m so close to the Core Formation Stage!’

Lin Shu reined in his excitement, got up, and left his room, heading downstairs.

"Hm?"

The moment he got downstairs, he froze in a bit of a daze.

The inn was packed to the gills with what looked like laborers in coarse, tattered clothing. Some of them were even casually holding mining picks.

These people weren’t Cultivators, but it seemed they had all trained in some kind of Formula. Their movements were far more nimble than those of ordinary people, and they faintly gave off the air of Martial Artists.

On the twenty-odd tables, every single one was laid out with large wooden basins of rice, four or five side dishes, and two or three meat dishes.

The most eye-catching thing, however, was the glistening, succulent pork knuckle sitting in the middle of each table.

’Is this an inn... or a banquet hall?’

He watched the group of men wolfing down their food.

The corner of Lin Shu’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch.

He glanced toward Yu Sheng behind the counter.

He was extremely curious about what on earth she had been up to for the past seven days.