Chương 23: The Weight of a Pill

It was much like Zhang Huaijin's own second uncle, Zhang Liliang. Though Liliang had only reached the seventh level of the Qi Refining Realm himself, he was already a Tier 1, Middle Grade Talisman Refiner. In the past, with no real system in place and little personal interest, he hadn't bothered much with crafting talismans. But now, simply making talismans for the clan earned him Merit Points. So in his spare time, Liliang would craft talismans and donate them to the family treasury.

Then, using the Merit Points he'd earned, he would exchange for resources that suited his own needs, slowly tempering his cultivation step by step. As his success rate improved, he began to brush against the threshold of Tier 1, Upper Grade talismans. The day he successfully crafted his first Upper Grade talisman, the Zhang family would officially have a Tier 1, Upper Grade Talisman Master on their roster. The family was flourishing. Everything was moving in a good direction. —— Three days later! Crack!

A muffled sound echoed from within Zhang Huaijin's body. A wave of powerful energy burst forward before slowly receding back into him. The spiritual power flowing through his meridians had grown noticeably more robust. The circulation speed of his Heavenly Fire Blaze Art accelerated once again. The rotating spiritual force scrubbed away impurities lodged deep within his meridians, making them tougher and more resilient. His physical body had also grown stronger.

Now, Huaijin wanted to find a Body Refining technique, something to forge his physique even further. If he could refine his Qi, his body, and his spirit (soul), the three pillars of cultivation, his foundation would become unshakably solid. —— Two hours later. Huaijin finished his cultivation session. His cultivation at the sixth level of the Qi Refining Realm was now completely stable.

He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, rose to his feet, and walked out of his Cave Dwelling, heading toward his grandfather Zhang Chongwen's residence. There were very few Zhang family members living on Green Bamboo Mountain, so it was usually very quiet. The mountain only grew a little livelier around the New Year. His younger sister, Zhang Yunli, had officially become a cultivator herself. Having tasted the wonder of drawing spiritual energy into her body, she no longer had much time for play.

Every day, she endured the monotony of absorbing spiritual energy, focused entirely on raising her own realm. Zhang Chongwen no longer involved himself much in managing family affairs. After completing his daily cultivation, he would spend his time brewing wine. The entire foundation of the Zhang family's current prosperity had been built by Chongwen alone, through decades of struggle.

But to truly make the family strong, future generations would have to toil, risk their lives, and push forward relentlessly to reach new heights. Chongwen's greatest wish in life was to produce a single Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator for his family, to elevate the Zhangs into a Foundation Establishment Clan. Right now, Zhang Lixian was the most promising candidate for breaking through to Foundation Establishment Realm. This novel is published on a different platform.

Support the original author by finding the official source. He was only forty nine years old. There were still eleven years left before the age limit of sixty for attempting the breakthrough. That was more than enough time for him to reach the peak of the Qi Refining Realm. The only problem was the Foundation Establishment Pill. Technically speaking, the Foundation Establishment Pill was only a Tier 2, Upper Grade pill.

But its main ingredient was a Tier 3 spiritual herb called the Golden Sun Flower, along with more than a dozen other Tier 2 supplementary herbs. There was another method as well, using the core of a Tier 2, Upper Grade spirit beast, combined with other precious Tier 2 herbs. Most Foundation Establishment clans couldn't even refine the pill themselves. The recipe was widely known, but the clans that could actually produce it were few and far between.

Only some of the older, well established Purple Mansion Realm clans/sects could reliably manufacture them. Every time a Foundation Establishment Pill appeared on the market, it caused a bloodbath. A single Foundation Establishment Pill was typically worth around ten thousand Spirit Stones, far more expensive than any other Tier 2 Upper Grade pill. Given the Zhang family's financial resources, acquiring one was incredibly difficult. But there were still eleven years left.

If no pill could be found by the time Lixian reached the peak, he would have no choice but to risk breaking through without it. The jump from the Qi Refining Realm to Foundation Establishment Realm was extremely dangerous. One wrong move could sever your meridians, drain your vitality, drastically shorten your lifespan, or even lead to a swift, unglamorous death. Taking the Foundation Establishment Pill strengthened the body and meridians while calming the violent spiritual energy.

It increased a Qi Refining cultivator's chance of success by a full thirty percent. For any Qi Refining Realm cultivator, that was enough to drive them mad with desire. The younger you attempted Foundation Establishment, the better, your life force was more robust. A perfect Qi Refining Realm cultivator already had a thirty percent chance of breaking through on their own. With the pill, that rose to sixty percent. And with a firm, unyielding will, you could add another ten percent.

That was why the Foundation Establishment Pill was so precious. Gaining a single Foundation Establishment cultivator extended a clan's lifespan by two hundred years. And with that kind of foundation, future generations might even strive toward the Purple Mansion Realm. A Qi Refining Realm cultivator lived to be one hundred and twenty years old. But a Foundation Establishment cultivator lived twice as long, two hundred and forty years.

What's more, cultivators could take spiritual herbs to extend their lifespans even further, though each such treasure was incredibly rare. And no matter who you were, you could only take them three times in your entire life. —— It was at this moment that Huaijin arrived at his grandfather's bamboo building.

"Haha! It seems our Zhang family is truly destined for greatness. You've reached the sixth level?" Chongwen sensed the aura emanating from his grandson and laughed heartily. Joy filled his chest. He was now more certain than ever that his grandson possessed some kind of Spirit Body. A cultivator with a Spiritual Body, unless they fell in battle, would reach at least the Purple Mansion Realm. Most could even reach the Golden Core Realm. That was the terrifying potential of a Spirit Body.

"I try to live up to your expectations, Grandfather." Huaijin was neither arrogant nor impatient as he bowed respectfully. Chongwen's eyes shone with undisguised approval. Huaijin was only sixteen. If he kept up this pace, Chongwen felt he could reach the peak of the Qi Refining Realm by the time he was thirty. He would have more than enough time before the age limit of sixty for attempting Foundation Establishment. Even if Zhang Lixian failed, Huaijin would have a strong chance.

With nearly forty years to go, the Zhang family would surely be able to save up enough Spirit Stones to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill. A new light kindled in Chongwen's eyes. For the rest of his days, he would continue brewing his spiritual wine, accumulating resources for the clan. If the Lixian's generation failed, then he would place his hopes on the Huaijin's generation. As long as the Zhang family stood united, they would surely produce a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator.

Chongwen had never felt such strong conviction.

"What brings you to see your grandfather?" Chongwen asked, a warm smile on his face, though beneath it, a new urgency had taken root. He couldn't afford to stop brewing for even a single moment.

"Now that I've broken through to the sixth level, my cultivation won't advance much further for a while. So I wanted to see if I have any talent for artifact forging or talisman crafting." Huaijin spoke slowly, his eyes shining with confidence. The Primordial Tai Chi Visualization Diagram was constantly tempering his soul, granting him exceptional comprehension and insight. Chongwen slowly rose to his feet and nodded.

"With the family's new rules, you'll need to pay Merit Points to receive the inheritance."

"I understand. I have enough points."

"Good."