Vessel of Worlds

Andy produced an egg-sized, ordinary-looking pebble.

Elder Xiong picked it up and felt the heat radiating from it. He knew at once what it was. Examining the unremarkable stone closely, he found golden flame-like patterns flickering within, shifting ceaselessly as though alive.

"A Golden Flame Stone!" Elder Xiong confirmed its identity, then fixed Andy with a long look. "Andy, would you mind telling me how you managed to find so many treasures? I don't mean anything by it—if you have any special insights, the sect could apply them to the next Dragon Descent Valley expedition, and you'd receive a reward as well."

Andy calmly trotted out the story he had prepared days in advance. The gist was that his luck had been extraordinary: he found one treasure shortly after entering the valley, then spent most of the month in hiding. In the final moments, he happened upon two peak thirteenth-layer elite disciples locked in a duel. Both perished, and he scavenged their storage pouches, discovering the remaining treasures inside. He said not a word about his own strength, instead painting his good fortune in the most extravagant terms imaginable. The disciples standing nearby who had come away empty-handed listened with rising fury, silently demanding to know why all the luck had fallen to Andy while they got nothing. Their jealousy only deepened their contempt for him.

When Andy finished, Elder Xiong nodded repeatedly, wearing an expression of sudden understanding. Whether the old man truly believed the story, thought it pure nonsense, or fell somewhere in between, Andy couldn't tell. As long as the explanation held, that was enough. No one had the will or the means to investigate what happened inside Dragon Descent Valley.

"Nephew Zhao—" The sect leader's manner had grown noticeably warmer, his form of address far more familiar. "Do you wish to exchange this Golden Flame Stone for a Foundation Establishment Pill as well?"

"Yes, Sect Leader. This disciple's aptitude is poor. I would like one more Foundation Establishment Pill," Andy said.

Elder Xiong nodded, studied Andy for a long moment, then spoke in measured tones: "Nephew Zhao, there are things I feel I should say to you plainly—it may serve you better in the end. With your aptitude, even taking two Foundation Establishment Pills in succession gives you no better than a one-in-ten chance of success. Three pills might improve the odds slightly, but not by much. Your chances of achieving Foundation Establishment are, frankly, very slim. These three treasures were extraordinarily hard to come by, and you will almost certainly never have such an opportunity again. If you exchange all of them for Foundation Establishment Pills, take them all, and still fail—the loss would be devastating."

"Here is what I suggest. Exchange two of your treasures for Foundation Establishment Pills and let the sect trade the third for eight thousand low-grade spirit stones—enough to fund your cultivation for the rest of your life without ever worrying about expenses again. That way, if the two pills succeed, wonderful. But if they don't, you'll still be one of the wealthiest Qi Condensation disciples around, with no shortage of artifacts and pills. Consider this: eight thousand spirit stones is the entire fortune of a Foundation Establishment cultivator who lived past a hundred!"

"You don't need to answer right away. Step aside and think it over. Once the other disciples have finished their exchanges, you can tell me your decision." The elder waved Andy to one side.

"Yes. Thank you for your guidance, Sect Leader." Andy had no choice but to step back.

Next, Golden Leaf Fairy exchanged a thousand-year spirit herb—its leaves blazing red like flames—for a Foundation Establishment Pill. And the cold-eyed Sun Ming exchanged for two pills at once.

After the disciples completed their exchanges, they bowed to the sect leader and returned to their respective peaks.

Stolen novel; please report.

Only Elder Xiong and Andy remained in the Enquiry Hall.

"Nephew, have you decided?" Elder Xiong watched Andy expectantly.

"This disciple has made his decision. I would like to exchange for one more Foundation Establishment Pill." Andy's voice was quiet, but the resolve in it was unmistakable.

"Very well. I won't say more. Your determination to pursue the Dao is admirable, but the path of cultivation is perilous. Sometimes there is no shame in knowing when to retreat." A flicker of disappointment crossed the elder's face. He handed Andy another wooden box and said no more.

Andy took his leave, mounted his Flying Feather artifact, and flew toward Recluse Peak.

Though his storage pouch now held two faster flying artifacts, he had no intention of using them within the sect where others might see. If someone recognized their origins, it would only mean tiresome explanations.

"Five Roots! You really are back!" A familiar young woman's voice rang out—who else but Jian Xin'er?

"Xin'er—you've achieved Foundation Establishment!" Andy took one look at the young woman gliding toward him on a silver ribbon, white robes billowing, as beautiful as a celestial maiden, and immediately sensed the depth of her cultivation. Astonishment and delight mingled in his voice.

"Yes! After reaching the absolute peak of the twelfth layer in closed cultivation, I couldn't wait any longer and took the Foundation Establishment Pill. The breakthrough to the thirteenth layer came effortlessly, and I reached the thirteenth-layer peak in no time. The pill's power still hadn't been exhausted, and half a month ago, I broke through to Foundation Establishment as though nothing could stop me." Jian Xin'er gave a brief account of her breakthrough.

"Congratulations, Xin'er! From now on, you're truly a member of the cultivation world's inner circle. By seniority, I should be calling you Junior Aunt," Andy said with a smile.

"You can skip the Junior Aunt business. If you hadn't given me those high-grade artifacts, how could I have passed the Foundation Establishment competition? How could I have earned the pill and broken through so quickly? I'll never forget what you've done for me." Jian Xin'er smiled, then her expression shifted. "But tell me—did you find any treasures in Dragon Descent Valley? Did you manage to trade for Foundation Establishment Pills?"

"I did," Andy said with a nod.

"Wonderful!" Jian Xin'er cried out in delight. But almost immediately something seemed to cross her mind. The light in her eyes dimmed, and she lowered her head.

Andy fished a small golden sword, just a few cun long, from his storage pouch and tossed it to her. "I expect you know better than I do whose hands this came from."

Jian Xin'er glanced at the sword and said evenly, "Yes. I gave this to Bai Chuli with my own hands. Since you have it now, I take it he didn't make it out of Dragon Descent Valley alive."

"He died inside the valley," Andy said bluntly. As he spoke, he kept his eyes fixed on hers and saw no trace of grief. He continued: "I don't understand what you were thinking. You've always despised him—gone out of your way to avoid him. Why would you give him an artifact? He told me you'd reconciled with him before the Foundation Establishment competition even began."

"Heh—what's the point of talking about it now? I've already achieved Foundation Establishment." Jian Xin'er lifted her chin. "And it wasn't just Bai Chuli. Every thirteenth-layer senior brother who showed interest in me—every one who pursued me—I said similar things to all of them." Her expression was grave and hard, nothing like the lively, mischievous girl Andy knew.

"I don't understand," Andy said, frowning.

"It's actually very simple. After I was forced out of the Jian family, I finally understood the most basic truth of the cultivation world: strength is everything. If I wanted to survive and advance, I had to either raise my own strength or attach myself to a powerful cultivator. My spiritual roots aren't bad, but they're not exceptional either. My cultivation was mediocre, and I had no family backing. Without the artifacts and talismans you gave me, I'd never have had a chance at the Foundation Establishment competition—let alone imagined I could break through this quickly. So I set my sights on the senior brothers who'd shown interest in me—the ones most likely to pass the competition and eventually achieve Foundation Establishment. If even one of them succeeded, I could attach myself to a Foundation Establishment cultivator and have a foothold in this world." The girl let out a sigh and spoke without haste.

"So even if it had been Bai Chuli—the one you despised most—if he'd achieved Foundation Establishment, you would have married him?" Andy asked after hearing her out.

"Probably. I don't know." Her answer was quiet and flat.

Andy looked at her in silence. Neither of them spoke for a long time.