Innate Immortal Seed

Chapter 305: Chapter 303: Holding Down the Fort

Huo Feiyan, on the other hand, had been too eager for progress after her Foundation Establishment. She had continuously consumed Elixirs to advance her Cultivation without fully refining their medicinal power, causing a significant buildup of Erysipelas in her Dantian.

Bai Zichen’s advice for her was to temporarily stop taking any Elixirs and instead find an Auxiliary Cultivation Technique at the Transmission Hall for circulating Magical Power and absorbing Primordial Qi.

She could use Water Grinding Skill to gradually dissolve the Erysipelas, which would also enhance her control over her own Liquid Magical Power.

As for Swordsmanship, he followed his usual practice and passed down the complete Star Luo Swordsmanship.

If she showed a talent for it, he would continue to teach her and see if she had the potential to develop on the Sword Dao.

”You are a fortunate generation. The Sect can ensure that every disciple at Foundation Establishment Perfection can obtain a drop of Clear Spirit Jade Marrow. You only need enough Contribution Points to redeem it, without having to fight a bloody struggle against outside Cultivators...”

Decades ago, just for two drops of Clear Spirit Jade Marrow, Ancestor Yang had to personally travel to the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect and incur a debt of gratitude.

On Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain, Bai Zichen had keenly felt the gap between the two Sects.

For a disciple of the Qingfeng Sect, a Core Formation Spiritual Object was truly a luxury.

Without a special opportunity, it was fundamentally impossible for them to obtain Clear Spirit Jade Marrow on their own.

Several generations of Qingfeng Sect disciples should be grateful to Ancestor Yang. That Core Formation Ancestor had, without regard for personal cost, repeatedly exchanged for Clear Spirit Jade Marrow.

He would have to personally repay the favors owed to the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.

The Core Formation Spiritual Objects used by Wei Dao, his peers, and even the disciples of several generations before them were all acquired by Ancestor Yang.

Aside from the few who succeeded, many more disciples who failed to break through to Core Formation faded into obscurity after a few decades.

”Junior Sister and I will definitely cultivate diligently and reach Foundation Establishment Perfection as soon as possible... We will not tarnish Master’s reputation and will make greater contributions to the Sect.”

Lii Guizhen was spirited and brimming with confidence.

Huo Feiyan was older than Lii Guizhen and had also reached Foundation Establishment earlier.

Because she was accepted into the Sect a little later, she had become the ”junior sister,” but she held no dissatisfaction in her heart.

She knew very well that at his current rate of progress, it wouldn’t be long before her Second Senior Brother, Lii Guizhen, surpassed her.

Huo Feiyan felt no confidence in backing up such a bold declaration, but with Lii Guizhen taking the lead, she could only nod helplessly.

”Master, when I was at home, I saw my ancestor mention the Pill Discussion in his notes. He wrote that his own aptitude was insufficient and that it was difficult to achieve a Pill Discussion. Even though he was lucky enough to reach Core Formation, he couldn’t accomplish much and was stuck at the Early-Stage Core Formation for the rest of his life, unable to advance a single step... Is the Pill Discussion really that important? That without it, the Great Dao is difficult to walk? But why is there no mention of how to achieve a Pill Discussion in any of the insights and experiences at the Transmission Hall?”

Lii Guizhen’s Clan was considered nearly top-tier in Yongzhou. An ancestor of his had been a Core Formation True Man, bringing the clan great prominence for a time.

By the time he was born, the Lii Family’s Core Formation Ancestor had long since passed away, but they still had as many as five Foundation Establishment clan elders.

His understanding of Core Formation True Men was certainly far beyond that of an ordinary disciple; he had at least learned about the concept of the Pill Discussion just a few years after his own Foundation Establishment.

”The Pill Discussion is the clear manifestation of your principles, the understanding of the changing of seasons; it is the secret of knowing the measures of the sun and moon, and the interplay of Yin and Yang... Of course, it is best to achieve it before Core Formation. The path ahead will be smooth, and you can save the time you would have spent pondering it after Core Formation.”

When it came to the Pill Discussion, Bai Zichen’s expression turned solemn, and he spoke with great gravity.

”But in the Cultivation Realm, the vast majority of Cultivators only clarify their own path *after* Core Formation, with their Pill Discussion forming gradually. Cultivation is a long journey; coming to it later doesn’t necessarily mean you are inferior to those who do it earlier. Many such Cultivators still embark on the Nascent Soul Path... With the end in sight from the very beginning, your actions will surely lead you there.”

Lii Guizhen was the type of disciple who had a chance to achieve a Pill Discussion during the Foundation Establishment Stage, but whose grasp was not particularly firm. This was why Bai Zichen was giving him specific guidance.

A tier below, someone like Huo Feiyan, without a special opportunity, should just honestly focus on her Cultivation and not even think about the Pill Discussion, lest she be distracted.

Not every Cultivator who appeared to have only average-to-good talent on the surface could be like Zhou Suqing, whose exceptional qualities were hidden from view.

Apart from a weakness in Combat, she was flawless, which allowed her to rise up as a dark horse.

As for the absolute top tier, the level of Core Disciples from Nascent Soul Sects, they were required to discern their Pill Discussion and clarify their path.

This was the case with people like Master Ge Cang, who, after confirming Bai Zichen’s aptitude, had directly gifted him his insights on the Pill Discussion.

Even Qi Yue, his own Direct Disciple, did not receive such treatment.

For someone like Lii Guizhen, who fell between these two categories, how to make trade-offs and how to allocate his time and energy was a true test of personal judgment.

If he succeeded, he would be like Wei Dao, who had achieved his Golden Core and ascended to the True Man Realm.

But if he failed at the last moment, wasting his time in vain, even reaching the Core Formation Realm would become a pipe dream, to say nothing of a greater future.

Recalling Master Ge Cang’s lesson to him—’Those who learn from me shall live; those who imitate me shall die’—Bai Zichen did not want Lii Guizhen to go down the wrong path either.

If he clung to the idea that he absolutely had to achieve a Pill Discussion before even considering Core Formation, the pressure on him would be immense.

According to the Jade Scroll left by the Huang Ping Wanderer, even in a Super Major Sect like the Celestial Star Sect, at most only one-fifth of the True Disciples in each generation could achieve a Pill Discussion during the Foundation Establishment Stage.

In any case, Lii Guizhen seemed to be the most promising of his three disciples at the moment.

Bai Zichen gave him this early reminder, hoping Lii Guizhen would take it to heart and let go of his obsession with the Pill Discussion.

...

The Qingfeng Sect’s rule over Hejian County stabilized in a way that defied most people’s expectations.

Although the first two months had been filled with incessant attacks—from remnants of the Ghost Spirit Sect, from Tribulation Cultivators of unknown origin, and from local factions looking to make a grab for profit—

The Qingfeng Sect adhered to one principle: materials could be lost, but casualties should be avoided as much as possible.

After all, with two Core Formation Ancestors stationed in Hejian County, they could settle any score.

Within two months, they had hunted down nearly three hundred remnants of the Ghost Spirit Sect and eradicated more than ten Cultivation Families.

As long as there was evidence of attacking Qingfeng Sect property or harboring Ghost Spirit Sect Cultivators, they were exterminated from top to bottom, without any mercy.

At the same time, they generously distributed benefits, lavishly rewarding the local factions that showed a friendly attitude.

Resource nodes that had once been firmly in the hands of the Ghost Spirit Sect and would never have been shared were now distributed, with sublease contracts signed for a hundred years at a time.

Furthermore, the assets of the dozen or so exterminated Cultivation Families, except for a few choice ones taken by the Qingfeng Sect, were also mostly divided among the other factions.

In this way, they quickly tied a large number of local factions to the Qingfeng Sect’s great ship.

Of course, another very important reason was the Qingfeng Sect’s absolute superiority in high-end combat power.

A group of Tribulation Cultivators, which surprisingly included a Core Formation True Man, had gathered several hundred people to attack the only large-scale Spirit Stone Ore Vein currently in normal operation in Hejian County.

But they had only been surrounding the large Spirit Stone Ore Vein for half a day, not even managing to break the Grand Array, when a streak of Moonlight Sword Light arrived.

That Core Formation Tribulation Cultivator didn’t even have the courage to fight. He abandoned his subordinates on the spot and turned into a cold radiance, fleeing immediately.

Scaring off a Core Formation Tribulation Cultivator without even drawing his sword made the reputation of the Qingfeng Sect’s Master Bai, the Core Formation Killer, even more renowned.

In addition, the expected retaliation from the Holy Lotus Sect and the Celestial Principle Sect had not arrived after two or three months of waiting.

Many people secretly speculated whether these two Nascent Soul Major Sects had tacitly accepted this outcome and did not want to completely fall out with the Qingfeng Sect.

If that were true, it was only a matter of time before Hejian County truly became Qingfeng Sect territory.

Even the few most powerful Cultivation Families, who had remained neutral and observant, came to offer congratulatory gifts, bowing their heads in submission.

Han Qing made a special trip to Ten Thousand Immortals Creek to organize and catalog the Pill Formulas that had originally belonged to the Ghost Spirit Sect. Some were restricted from being shared, while others were added to the Pill Hall’s collection.

Among the Hundred Skills of Cultivation, the Qingfeng Sect already possessed Tier Four inheritances for both Artifact Refining and Talismans, thanks to the Inheritance Steles.

Only in the most crucial Alchemy Dao did the sect possess just a few Tier Three Pill Formulas, and many of those could no longer be refined because the required herbs, or their substitutes, could not be found after so long.

Someone like Han Qing, already a Tier Three Low Grade Pill Master, was now basically fumbling his way forward on his own. The highest-level predecessors in the Pill Hall were only on par with him, so their recorded experiences were of little help.

Bai Zichen had him inspect the spoils of Elixirs he had obtained on the battlefield and, at the same time, assured him that if he ever came across any Tier Three Pill Formulas, he would do everything in his power to bring them back to replenish the Pill Hall’s inventory.

If Han Qing was lacking any Alchemy Materials, he only had to ask, and the Core Formation True Men would find a way to resolve it for him.

A Tier Three Alchemist would enjoy the highest level of treatment in any sect.

Even in the Holy Lotus Sect, there were only a few Tier Three Alchemists, and each one was incredibly precious.

Once things in Hejian County settled down, Wei Dao returned to Ten Thousand Immortals Creek to discuss some personnel arrangements with Bai Zichen before also returning to the main mountain.

For the time being, only he remained to hold the fort at Ten Thousand Immortals Creek.

But suppressing the dozens of large and small factions in Hejian County—two of the strongest of which even had Fake Pill Cultivators—was no small task.

Outside the county, other factions and wandering Tribulation Cultivators were like hungry wolves, viewing Hejian County as a juicy piece of meat they were eager to take a bite out of.

The surface was calm, but in reality, there were internal troubles and external threats, with undercurrents surging.

The moment a single flaw was exposed, countless enemies would appear.

If only one Core Formation True Man were left to guard Hejian County, Wei Dao’s prestige and strength would not be enough to keep things in check.

Only Bai Zichen, with his reputation as an invincible Sword Cultivator and the Core Formation Killer, could remain at Ten Thousand Immortals Creek to strike fear into the hearts of hidden enemies and deter them from making a move.

Fortunately, there weren’t many matters in Ten Thousand Immortals Creek that required Ancestor Bai to personally intervene, nor were there many foolish factions in Hejian County causing trouble that needed his attention. This allowed him a stable environment for Cultivation.

’The Nine Revolutions Jade Lotus Pill is much more targeted than the Tribulation Crossing Pill... A Nascent Soul Major Sect is truly something else. Even if they don’t specialize in alchemy, their Alchemy Dao inheritance is no weaker than the Danxia Sect’s.’

Bai Zichen consumed the first Nine Revolutions Jade Lotus Pill. As he began the Refinement of this lotus-seed-shaped Spirit Pill, nine different flavors swirled in his throat.

Focusing his senses, he discovered that it had saved him six years of bitter cultivation.

And so, time turned, and three years passed in the blink of an eye.

In those three years, Bai Zichen not only consumed all eight remaining Nine Revolutions Jade Lotus Pills and refined their medicinal power.

He also picked up the Five Crystal Glaze Body once more and began striving toward the Glazed Fire Divine Body.

The final Realm of the Five Crystal Glaze Body was ethereal and elusive, even requiring two types of Tier Five Spiritual Materials to have a chance of completion.

The Glazed Fire Divine Body could already be considered the final form of this Body Refining Technique under normal circumstances.

Even a prodigy like Master Ge Cang had stopped at this point, with no intention of continuing to delve deeper into its refinement.