Mortal Alchemy

Two bottlenecks arrived together, taking half of Chen Ping's life.

He lay on the ground half-dead for three days before he gradually crawled up and began to meditate.

His Daoist robe was covered in shocking bloodstains.

His face was extremely pale.

After entering the tenth level of Qi Refining, his spiritual sense grew stronger, allowing him to completely inspect himself internally.

He frowned deeply: "Fortunately, my foundation wasn't damaged; I can fully recover after a period of recuperation."

This breakthrough left him with lingering fear.

He also understood why some people's cultivation stagnated, with no hope of Foundation Establishment.

Resources were already an insurmountable barrier, and poor talent made it even harder to overcome.

This time his foundation wasn't damaged, but what about the next breakthrough?

He needed to take Yuan Qi Pills to improve his cultivation.

Spiritual Sense Pills and Body Tempering Pills to wear down the bottlenecks.

And he still had to collect resources for Foundation Establishment…

For a mortal to cultivate immortality, wanting to establish a foundation is truly harder than ascending to heaven.

Moreover, he had three more levels of Qi Refining than ordinary cultivators.

Chen Ping's expression was bitter, but he quickly adjusted his state and began to heal.

End of the month.

When submitting his task, Chen Ping was barely recovered. He walked out of the alchemy room, his face pale and bloodless, and followed the other alchemy disciples to the dojo where the Left Hall Master was located with a numb expression.

"Junior Brother Chen, your spirit stones…" Xu Fengshan came to Chen Ping's side, suddenly his eyelids twitched, and then his eyes stared straight:

"Junior Brother Chen, you're at the tenth level of Qi Refining?"

Chen Ping replied weakly: "I was fortunate enough to break through."

"Good, good, good!" Xu Fengshan's expression was extremely shocked:

"Junior Brother Chen, congratulations!"

The Pill Hall hadn't had anyone reach the tenth level of Qi Refining before the age of thirty in two hundred years.

Chen Ping was only twenty-two years old and already at the tenth level of Qi Refining, which meant he could attempt the Foundation Establishment stage!

How did Chen Ping do it?

Xu Fengshan had cultivated for more than fifty years and was only at the eleventh level of Qi Refining, and then his cultivation couldn't advance at all.

Chen Ping cupped his fist and barely squeezed out a smile:

"Thank you, Senior Brother Xu."

Xu Fengshan grabbed Chen Ping's arm and said, "Let's go, I'll take you to see the Hall Master!"

In the Pill Hall, the most important thing about reaching the tenth level of Qi Refining was that one could attempt the Foundation Establishment stage and no longer had to squat in the Pill Hall refining pills every day.

It was equivalent to taking back half of one's freedom decades in advance!

One could go and establish their own small family, or go to the Deacon Hall to accept tasks!

……

The Left Hall Master looked at Chen Ping, a hint of surprise flashing in her beautiful eyes:

"Tenth level of Qi Refining?"

A twenty-two-year-old at the tenth level of Qi Refining was considered to have good talent even within the Mu family.

Moreover, Chen Ping was just an Immortal Seed, and in the Pill Hall, he hadn't received any support or care.

The Pill Hall hadn't produced such a disciple in two hundred years.

Chen Ping cupped his fist and said, "I was fortunate enough to break through."

"Mm." The Left Hall Master nodded slightly and said, "You came to this palace this time for the matter of attempting the Foundation Establishment stage?"

"Yes!" Chen Ping replied weakly.

The Left Hall Master didn't feel that Chen Ping was offending her; rather, the disciples of the Pill Hall were all like this.

"Alright." The Left Hall Master said, "Then this palace will tell you the rules."

"From today onwards, you don't have to stay in the Pill Hall to refine pills. You only need to hand in twenty bottles of Essence Qi Pills each month, and you will receive four spirit stones as a salary, calculated on an annual basis."

Half the task, double the salary?

"Within one year, as long as you complete the task and hand it in, everything will be fine. If you exceed this limit, then you will be punished, understand?"

Chen Ping nodded: "Subordinate understands."

"Mm." The Left Hall Master said:

"Starting from today, you have fifteen years to attempt the Foundation Establishment, enjoying this treatment. After fifteen years, if you haven't broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage and entered the Eastern Xuan Sect, you will return to the original state."

"Go down."

She was only surprised that the Pill Hall hadn't produced a young tenth-level Qi Refining cultivator in two hundred years, but that was all.

It was just an opportunity given by the Mu family.

It was difficult for the Mu family's disciples to establish a foundation, let alone an outsider?

But this kind of unspoken rule couldn't be stated openly; after all, they still had to give the bottom-level people hope.

Xu Fengshan excitedly pulled Chen Ping away: "Junior Brother Chen, you're amazing."

"The Pill Hall has been around for two hundred years, and it has finally produced a disciple like you who can attempt the Foundation Establishment stage."

Chen Ping smiled bitterly: "Senior Brother Xu, it's just the tenth level of Qi Refining. You also know how many resources are needed to attempt the Foundation Establishment."

"I can only do my best and leave the rest to fate."

Xu Fengshan sighed: "…That's true."

Many heroes and talented individuals had fallen at this hurdle, especially cultivators from small families like them. It was too difficult to establish a foundation.

"Junior Brother, I owe you those forty spirit stones, and I will pay them back as soon as possible."

"Okay."

Xu Fengshan took a lot of pills to trade with Mu Luofei.

Chen Ping went to the warehouse to ask Mu Hongluan for the alchemy resources for the next year, seven hundred portions of Essence Qi Pill materials.

He also purchased one hundred portions of Bigu Pill and Qi Return Pill materials.

Based on these seven hundred portions of Essence Qi Pill materials alone, Chen Ping could get three hundred and fifty spirit stones if he took them to the market to sell. After deducting the money for two hundred and forty bottles of Essence Qi Pills, he could still make a net profit of more than one hundred spirit stones.

And Chen Ping could receive this welfare loophole for fifteen years, which was naturally a loophole specially reserved by the Pill Hall.

But this sum of spirit stones was definitely not enough for a cultivator who wanted to attempt the Foundation Establishment stage.

For Chen Ping, to maximize his profits, he had to refine Spiritual Sense Pills.

Chen Ping collected the medicinal materials and returned to the dojo. Mu Luofei came to Chen Ping to trade Spiritual Sense Pills:

"Junior Brother Chen, let's meet in the elegant room of the teahouse in Baisha Fangshi later."

Chen Ping didn't know Mu Luofei's intentions, but he still nodded in agreement.

He also happened to be going to the market to buy some things.

Mu Luofei took a large number of pills to sell and make money, while Chen Ping summoned his flying gourd and headed to Baisha Fangshi.

It had been a few years since he had been to Baisha Fangshi.

This place was still as lively as before.

Chen Ping used a Thousand Faces Talisman, changed his clothes, came to Wanbao Pavilion, and found Old Guo.

Over the years, the twilight aura on Old Guo's body had become more and more intense and decayed: "Old Guo."

"It's you, kid. It's been a while since I've seen you." Old Guo's eyes were already very cloudy, and his cultivation had begun to decline.

Chen Ping sold some pills to him, and then took the opportunity to ask:

"Old Guo, do you know where I can buy Foundation Establishment spiritual objects?"

Old Guo smiled and said, "Foundation Establishment spiritual objects are such good things that my Wanbao Pavilion doesn't have any to sell."

"If you want to find such good things, you can only try your luck at auctions and black markets."

Chen Ping was puzzled: "Old Guo, what are auctions and black markets?"

Old Guo said unhappily, "You don't even know this?"

Chen Ping's knowledge of the world of immortal cultivation was not extensive, and he really didn't know about auctions and black markets.

Old Guo said: "Many important spiritual objects are controlled by the Eastern Xuan Sect and cannot flow into the market. There are many Qi Refining cultivators like you who want to establish a foundation, so exchange meetings have been formed, and auctions and black markets have gradually evolved."

"Specially selling materials controlled by the Eastern Xuan Sect."

Chen Ping was a little tempted and took out ten spirit stones: "Old Guo, do you have any connections?"

Old Guo took the ten spirit stones and took out a token:

"This is my token, and I don't need it anymore, so I'll just give it to you."