Chapter 146 - 114: Hundred-Year-Old Foundation Establishment
For a mighty Foundation Establishment Master, this was no easy feat.
Kou Hongying accepted his thanks. She drained the tea Wei Tu had poured for her in a single gulp and said, "Uncle Wei, I can’t stay long. I plan to deliver the promised reward to Uncle Fu today as well..."
With that, Kou Hongying rose to her feet, preparing to leave.
However, at this moment, Wei Tu called out to stop her.
"Uncle Wei, is there something else?" Kou Hongying turned, a look of surprise on her face.
She knew Wei Tu’s temperament.
He wasn’t the type to trade on their familial connection.
Wei Tu considered for a moment, then took out the Pill Essence Ginseng he had kept hidden and placed it on the table.
"I now have two Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects. I’d like to ask you for a favor, Hongying. Take me to the Supreme Profound Sect’s office to exchange them for a Foundation Establishment Pill,"
he said.
An Independent Cultivator with two Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects could go to the Marketplace office and exchange them for one Foundation Establishment Pill.
This was a clearly stipulated rule from the Three Immortal Sects: the Supreme Profound Sect, Jingshui Pavilion, and Qingzhu Mountain.
However, Wei Tu knew that even the best rules had loopholes.
If a low-level Independent Cultivator like him went to the Supreme Profound Sect’s office to trade for a Foundation Establishment Pill, he would attract the covetous attention of cultivators from both within and without the sect, regardless of whether the exchange was successful...
But...
...if the identity of the person making the exchange were different, the outcome would be completely different.
No cultivator would dare make a move on a Foundation Establishment Master from Jingshui Pavilion.
As for why he didn’t want to make the exchange at Jingshui Pavilion, Wei Tu had his reasons.
Kou Hongying had her own sect elders within Jingshui Pavilion, and those people were also in need of Foundation Establishment Pills.
If someone were to bypass Kou Hongying and use some "reason" to intercept the Foundation Establishment Pill he was exchanging for...
...he would be completely helpless.
Asking Kou Hongying to help him make the exchange at the Supreme Profound Sect was the least risky approach.
...
"It’s a small favor." Kou Hongying was surprised to see that Wei Tu had another Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object, but she nodded in agreement.
「A short while later.」
Under Kou Hongying’s guidance, Wei Tu arrived at the Supreme Profound Sect’s office on Danqiu Mountain.
"And you are...?" Steward Liu felt an immense pressure radiating from Kou Hongying. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he rose and asked respectfully.
"Kou Hongying, a Foundation Establishment Master from Jingshui Pavilion."
Kou Hongying was concise.
’A Master from Jingshui Pavilion?’ Steward Liu was stunned. ’Why would a Master from Jingshui Pavilion come to our Supreme Profound Sect office for no reason?’
"Has some cultivator tried to swindle Master Kou?"
he asked after a moment’s thought.
’Danqiu Mountain is a Marketplace, so it’s common for cultivators from Jingshui Pavilion to come here to purchase Spiritual Objects.’
At this thought, Steward Liu’s expression turned cold. He glanced at Wei Tu, who was standing behind Kou Hongying, and snapped, "Talisman Master Wei, did the Talismans you sold somehow offend Master Kou?"
’He probably guessed that Wei Tu, being blind to her status, had somehow offended Kou Hongying.’
"Steward Liu, you’ve misunderstood," Kou Hongying said, shaking her head. "Talisman Master Wei is a family elder of mine. I’ve brought Uncle Wei here to your esteemed Sect to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill to help him achieve Foundation Establishment."
As her words fell, Steward Liu was stunned. He wracked his brain and finally remembered who Kou Hongying was.
He’d heard the name Kou Hongying before.
Decades ago, after Wei Tu survived an attack by Tribulation Cultivators and returned to Danqiu Mountain, he had told him... that he had a niece in Jingshui Pavilion.
"It was my fault. I hope Talisman Master Wei won’t take offense." Steward Liu groveled, apologizing to Wei Tu.
Despite his esteemed position as a Market Steward, he held no real status in the presence of a Foundation Establishment Master from an Immortal Sect.
After offering his habitual apology, Steward Liu mulled over the implications of Kou Hongying’s words. The way he looked at Wei Tu was suddenly completely different.
’A Foundation Establishment Pill?’
Steward Liu’s heart pounded in his chest.
He’d never imagined Kou Hongying would be willing to go so far for Wei Tu—to provide her own Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object to help him get a Foundation Establishment Pill.
’But on second thought, that doesn’t seem right.’
’If Kou Hongying were helping Wei Tu get the pill, it would make more sense to go to Jingshui Pavilion. The reason they came to the Supreme Profound Sect is most likely because Wei Tu gathered the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects himself, and Kou Hongying is just lending a hand.’
Steward Liu pushed his racing thoughts aside and bowed to Kou Hongying. "Master Kou, Talisman Master Wei, please wait a moment. I will send a message to the Sect at once..."
A Foundation Establishment Pill was no small matter.
It wasn’t something a minor Steward like him could handle.
While they waited, Kou Hongying took out a Pill Bottle, pressed it into Wei Tu’s hand, and sent him a voice transmission, "Once you have the Foundation Establishment Pill, Uncle Wei, you must immediately begin your Foundation Establishment. Do not hesitate, or complications may arise."
"This Foundation Condensation Pill was meant as a reward for Uncle Fu, but... you have a more urgent need for it now, Uncle Wei. It’s best you take it first."
Wei Tu nodded. He didn’t refuse Kou Hongying’s kind gesture and accepted the Foundation Condensation Pill.
Even if Kou Hongying hadn’t brought it up, he had been planning to find Fu Zhizhou to acquire this elixir anyway.
Fu Zhizhou was still a ways off from Foundation Establishment and had no immediate need for the Foundation Condensation Pill.
「Half an hour later.」
A woman in a colorful dress descended on a cloud and landed at the office entrance.
Her features were elegant, and she wore the Daoist Robe of the Supreme Profound Sect, giving her an ethereal air.
"Fellow Daoist Kou," the woman in the colorful dress said with a nod as she entered the office.
"Fellow Daoist Guan."
Kou Hongying clearly knew the woman and returned the gesture.
The two exchanged a few words.
"Uncle Wei, you can take out the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects now," Kou Hongying said with a smile.
Wei Tu nodded and placed the two jade boxes containing the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects on the table.
"This is the Foundation Establishment Pill."
The Female Cultivator Guan turned her palm over, and a Pill Bottle appeared. Channeling her Magical Power, she sent it floating into Wei Tu’s hands.
Wei Tu took the Pill Bottle and opened it. Seeing that the pill inside was identical to the Foundation Establishment Pill he had obtained from Zhao Qingluo, he felt a wave of relief.
"Fellow Daoist Guan, please wait a moment."
Kou Hongying called out, stopping the Female Cultivator Guan just as she was about to leave.
"Fellow Daoist Kou, is there something else?"
The Female Cultivator Guan stopped and asked curiously.
"I’d like to trouble Fellow Daoist Guan to arrange a Cave Mansion for my elder’s Seclusion, so he can attempt his breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm," Kou Hongying said.
"That’s a small matter."
The Female Cultivator Guan nodded without hesitation. She took a Token from her sleeve and handed it to Kou Hongying, saying, "This is a Cave Mansion Token for the core area of Danqiu Mountain. It’s located near a Tier Two Spirit Vein, more than enough for a Foundation Establishment breakthrough."
With that said, the Female Cultivator Guan transformed into an Escape Light and departed from the Supreme Profound Sect’s office.
...
Next, Kou Hongying personally escorted Wei Tu to the core Cave Mansion on Danqiu Mountain, protecting him along the way.
Under the watchful gazes of the other cultivators, Wei Tu used the Token to open the Cave Mansion’s gate and stepped inside.
No one dared to make a move, nor did anyone dare to block his path.
His passage was safe and unimpeded.
"I shall be staying on Danqiu Mountain for several years. If anyone dares disturb Uncle Wei’s breakthrough, do not blame me for being merciless..."
Kou Hongying’s sharp gaze swept over the assembled Danqiu Mountain cultivators before she flicked her sleeve and departed.
The cultivators present could only look at each other in dismay.
’With Kou Hongying, a Foundation Establishment Master, personally acting as his Protective Daoist, who would dare even think of snatching Wei Tu’s Foundation Establishment Pill?’
’They’d be lucky to get away in time.’
’How did Wei Tu get a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object? Could it be that the one Gong Shulan had has changed hands?’
The cultivators made a reasonable deduction.
’Wei Tu is a Talisman Master who has always stayed on Danqiu Mountain, almost never leaving. It’s highly unlikely he obtained a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object from some Secret Realm.’
’There’s only one possibility: he seized the Spiritual Objects from another cultivator.’
’And Gong Shulan is the most likely candidate.’
’Looks like there’s no need to surveil Gong Shulan anymore.’
The cultivators sighed to themselves.
...
Upon entering the Cave Mansion’s Cultivation Room, Wei Tu did not immediately swallow the Foundation Establishment Pill and begin his breakthrough. Instead, he first entered Meditation to adjust his condition.
’Although a cultivator at the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer could break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage immediately after taking a Foundation Condensation Pill and a Foundation Establishment Pill, he would rather delay his breakthrough by a few years to polish his Qi Refining Realm Cultivation to absolute perfection.’
One year passed.
Two years passed.
By the fourth year, Wei Tu’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit had reached a state of near perfection. With a soft cry, his eyes flashed as his hands formed the Dharma Seal of the Little Spring and Autumn Technique.
Instantly, streams of Spiritual Qi were drawn from the Gathering Spirit Array beneath his meditation cushion, pulled into his Circulation Acupoints.
His Qi and Blood fused with the Spiritual Qi and began to cleanse his meridians and entire body.
Under the immense pressure of his Qi and Blood, the Gas-Like Spiritual Power within his Dantian began to slowly liquefy, condensing drop by drop.
At this moment, Wei Tu no longer hesitated. He bit through the wax seal of the Foundation Condensation Pill he held under his tongue. Using the elixir’s power, he began to solidify his foundation, gathering his qi into a liquid state.
After he swallowed the Foundation Condensation Pill, the Qi and Blood in Wei Tu’s body surged once more.
In that instant, the world outside the Cave Mansion seemed to shift. Pulled by the Spell, the surrounding Spiritual Qi began to pour frantically toward Wei Tu’s Cultivation Room, forming a massive funnel that continuously channeled energy into his body.