Chapter 115: The Guyuan Kingdom
The main ingredients of the Foundation Building Pill could not be cultivated on their own; they were obtained from the secret realms deep within the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.
"It is said that the ancient immortals' great battle shattered the heavens and earth, causing the spiritual power in this world to weaken considerably. Immortal cultivation has become more difficult than ever, and the natural spiritual herbs that are nurtured by the heavens and earth now require extremely harsh environments to grow, making them increasingly rare. Nowadays, in our Small Cold Domain, the most accessible place to find spiritual herbs is deep within the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. There, a few ancient immortal cave dwellings and forbidden grounds remain, but few dare to tread upon them. The primary ingredients of the Foundation Building Pill you consume were found in an ancient forbidden ground controlled by our sect, which is why they are so rare."
Senior Uncle Wen warned Qin Sang, "The depths of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield are filled with countless dangers. Our sect paid a considerable price to control this ancient forbidden ground. Many smaller sects have been fortunate enough to find such places but lacked the strength to break the barriers and enter, and they couldn’t defend them either. In the depths of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, even Foundation Building cultivators face the risk of death if they are not careful. As a low-level cultivator in the Qi Refining Realm, you should abandon such reckless thoughts."
Qin Sang never had much hope for the path of alchemy anyway. He couldn’t keep up with others even when focusing solely on cultivation. Diverting his attention further would make achieving immortality in this lifetime impossible. Thus, he did not dwell on his disappointment for long and took the opportunity to bring up his real request.
When Qin Sang mentioned borrowing the waist token, Senior Uncle Wen did not immediately refuse. After some thought, he said, "You are not my son nor my nephew. While the sect has no explicit prohibition against it, it's not easy for me to just hand you the waist token."
Qin Sang had already prepared spirit stones and was contemplating if there was any deeper meaning behind Senior Uncle Wen’s words. Unexpectedly, Senior Uncle Wen’s tone shifted. "It just so happens that I have a task at hand and no time to find someone else. If you complete it satisfactorily, I will give you the waist token as a reward, which should silence any dissent."
Hearing this, Qin Sang had mixed feelings. He was glad that he didn’t have to part with his spirit stones, but he was also concerned. Any task significant enough to warrant the attention of a Foundation Building cultivator and to be personally assigned would likely not be simple. It could potentially take a considerable amount of time.
However, he wasn’t worried about his safety. His cultivation level had skyrocketed recently, and with the ebony sword at his side and the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions he refined from Sun De's belongings, his strength was now far superior to that of ordinary Qi Refining cultivators. Even if he couldn’t win in battle, he would have no problem protecting himself.
As Qin Sang’s thoughts wandered, Senior Uncle Wen tossed him a jade slip.