Master Ge Cang stayed at Feiyue Lake for only a few days before returning to the Mountain Gate on his Wind Shuttle.

After half a year of recuperation, with the help of the Primordial Ten Thousand Wood Pill, Master Qingmu’s injuries were mostly healed. The only thing that remained was the Demon Fire, buried deep within his body and linked to his True Essence.

The two Masters from the Five Elements Sect bid farewell to their comrades from the Qingfeng Sect and also began their journey home.

In Dian Country, there was no distinction between righteous and demonic sects. Numerous sects stood side-by-side, and the competition for resources was extremely fierce.

Often, the discovery and mining of a single Ore Vein required several major battles to determine its final ownership.

With the Five Elements Sect having lost half of its high-level combat power, Master Qingmu and Master Hei Shui were worried about the situation back home. They politely declined the kind offer from their Qingfeng Sect comrades to stay and recuperate for a while longer.

As the major figures departed one by one, the Clan Cultivators also began an orderly withdrawal from Feiyue Lake, returning to their clan residences to regroup.

It was said that on the back of Monkey Mountain, the twenty-some Vermilion Fruit Trees had an extremely low survival rate when transplanted over long distances. So, in a shocking act of wastefulness, the Ghost Spirit Sect Cultivators treated them like ordinary Spirit Wood, chopping them down at the roots and burning the stumps to ashes.

Upon witnessing this scene, Patriarch Liu was so overcome with rage that he spat out a mouthful of Essence Blood and fainted.

The lands of the other Cultivation Families were also ravaged beyond recognition by the Ghost Spirit Sect Cultivators.

It would take at least a decade, if not longer, to restore them to their former state.

A letter arrived from the Bai Family. When the demonic shadows appeared, the entire clan had moved within the range of the Qingfeng Sect’s main Grand Array, so their casualties were few.

Unfortunately, their clan’s land, Hanxiu Peak, was also destroyed. The Ink Bamboo Sea, cultivated over several hundred years, was completely wiped out.

Fortunately, the mortal clan members had been notified in advance and told to hide in mountain ravines and barren ridges where the Spiritual Qi was thin. They managed to avoid the Ghost Spirit Sect Cultivators’ deadly grasp.

However, they had lived a hard life these past few years, and many of the elderly mortals had died.

The number of Cultivators at Feiyue Lake quickly returned to pre-war levels. The Miscellaneous Affairs Hall also released a large number of missions to reclaim various branch courtyards, ore veins, and so on.

Suddenly, the place felt desolate.

Su Li stood outside White Jade Tower. Once again, he was told that Bai Zichen was still in seclusion. His own messages had gone unanswered, so he could only turn and leave.

’Senior Sister Zhou is in seclusion, and so is Senior Brother Bai. They must both be trying to refine the Spirit Wine gifted by Ancestor Ge as quickly as possible... Once they fully refine the Ice-Fire Dragon Blood Wine, the gap between us will be even wider.’

By now, no one in the Sect would ever compare Su Li’s name with Bai Zichen’s.

The combat prowess he displayed as a Sword Cultivator during the war, coupled with Master Ge Cang’s gesture of gifting the wine to just the four of them, had invisibly drawn a line between them and the other Elders.

In the Ancestor’s eyes, only these four had any hope of reaching the Core Formation Stage.

Although it was never explicitly stated, everyone more or less had the same idea.

’I can’t just stay in one place. If this continues, Senior Brother Bai will reach Late-Stage Foundation Establishment while my Realm might not have changed at all... I’ll start by traveling through the Black Mountain. I won’t go too far, so I can return quickly if the Sect needs me.’

After a moment of thought, Su Li’s expression hardened with resolve. He decided to make the Nameless Valley his first stop.

First, he would check on the Earth Evil Yin Vein that the three of them had discovered, to see if it had been destroyed by the Ghost Spirit Sect Cultivators.

’That valley is unremarkable, and it’s concealed by an Array, so the chances of it being discovered should be low... After that, I’ll head deeper into the Black Mountain, moving slowly. I’ll try to find an opportunity to break through my bottleneck while in combat with Demon Beasts.’

Su Li had a Tier Three Talisman for protection, and he was confident that as long as he was careful, he could ensure his own safety.

In truth, his cultivation speed was already quite fast. It had only been a little over twenty years since he reached Foundation Establishment, and he was already at the peak of the Early Stage.

He just needed to accumulate enough power before he could attempt to break through his bottleneck and successfully advance his Realm.

It was just that the two people closest to him were both prodigies of heaven-sent talent, each cultivating faster than the last, which made him seem inferior by comparison.

...

「White Jade Tower, in the Quiet Chamber.」

Visions of both ice and fire appeared intermittently.

Bai Zichen circulated his Cultivation Technique, subduing the surging Magical Power bit by bit and gathering it back into his Dantian Qi Sea.

CRACK!

With a crisp snap, the piece of Thousand-Year-Old Ice Jade on his chest—about three inches long and two fingers wide—cracked down the middle.

The entire piece of Ice Jade was covered in a rust-like, dark red color.

He could no longer feel the slightest hint of cold from it. Instead, a warm, scorching heat emanated from it.

The Thousand-Year-Old Ice Jade should have lasted for some time longer, but because he had been continuously drinking the Ice-Fire Dragon Blood Wine, his Cultivation had soared. The resulting Fire Poison had also increased, causing the Thousand-Year-Old Ice Jade to be used up ahead of schedule.

’Thankfully, I prepared in advance and have a sufficient supply of both Elixirs and Ice Jade... It’s just that as my Cultivation deepens, the length of time a single piece of Thousand-Year-Old Ice Jade can absorb the Fire Poison is getting shorter and shorter.’

Bai Zichen swiped his storage pouch, and a brand new piece of Thousand-Year-Old Ice Jade appeared in his palm.

Its Cold Qi was biting, chilling him to the bone.

When he had just reached Foundation Establishment, a piece of Thousand-Year-Old Ice Jade could last for twenty years. At this rate, once he reached Late-Stage Foundation Establishment, a piece will last for ten years at most before becoming ineffective.

’Worst case, I’ll just have to spend more Spirit Stones and replace it more often... The cultivation cost is a bit high, but I can still bear it.’

Not long after the Ghost Spirit Sect retreated, the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, sensing an opportunity, sent a merchant caravan to Feiyue Lake.

Besides purchasing Spirit Rice, they also brought large quantities of Spirit Wood, roughly refined bluestone slabs, and other materials needed for reconstruction. Clearly, they had long been prepared to profit from both ends of the deal.

The Ghost Spirit Sect’s army had swept through the area, plundering resources, but they hadn’t touched the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion in the slightest.

Even the Ghost Spirit Sect didn’t dare to encroach on the properties of this behemoth of a merchant guild, which spanned five states and seventy-two commanderies, for fear of needlessly offending a major power.

If they angered the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, it would halt its trade with the Ghost Spirit Sect and withdraw its branch from Hejian County. In the end, the Ghost Spirit Sect would be the one to suffer.

This time, the purchase price for the Spirit Rice was about three thousand Spirit Stones lower in total than when Qing Hex was around.

The person in charge said it was because the quantity of Spirit Rice was too large, so a bulk purchase required a further discount.

After Cai Heng reported this matter, Bai Zichen didn’t say much, but he mentally made a note against the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

It was highly likely that the new Pavilion Master of the local Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion branch had no personal connection with him. They had never established any rapport, and the man probably figured that the Qingfeng Sect, after its great war with the Ghost Spirit Sect, was desperate for Spirit Stones.

So, he lowered the purchase price of the Spirit Rice to make his own performance record look better during his tenure.

’I’ve finally finished the Spirit Wine that Junior Martial Uncle Ge gifted me. If only I could have another bottle...’

Relying on the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo in his Qi Sea, Bai Zichen had been consuming three to four drops of the Ice-Fire Dragon Blood Wine every month.

In just over half a year, not a single drop was left in the Jade Bottle.

He estimated that as long as he had enough Spirit Pills, he could reach the peak of Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment in another five or six years.

"It’s still going to take that long? That’s forever..." Bai Zichen muttered to himself, his eyelids drooping slightly, hiding the eagerness in his eyes.

A normal Cultivator with Three Spiritual Roots Talent would need at least a 60-Year Cycle to advance from Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment to its peak without relying on any external aids.

He had a Tier Three Mid-Grade Spiritual Land as his residence. He practiced the Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture, a Cultivation Technique that suited him perfectly and was several times more effective than others of the same tier. His body absorbed elixirs several times more efficiently than others. And on top of all that, there was the unexpected boon of the Ice-Fire Dragon Blood Wine...

All these factors combined allowed him to cover a journey in a few years that would take other Foundation Establishment Cultivators fifty years to complete.

’The Great Dao is difficult, and the road ahead is long. I should take advantage of this rare peace in the Black Mountain and work harder...’

Bai Zichen ascended to the top of White Jade Tower and saw Spiritual Qi gathering not far away. It was swirling like a vortex, centered around a pavilion.

’Judging by the time, that should be Lu Song attempting to reach Foundation Establishment.’

Among his followers, only Lu Song had reached Qi Refining Great Perfection and was ready to make the attempt at any time.

The Foundation Establishment Pill had just been sent from the Mountain Gate three months ago. After fasting, bathing, and adjusting his mindset, Lu Song entered seclusion to make his breakthrough. By now, he should have reached the final stage.

During the Sect war, several Elders had fallen, but a large number of outstanding disciples had also emerged.

As soon as the fighting ceased, the Alchemy Hall fired up its furnaces once more. Using the Tier Three Flood Dragon Demon Pill as the main ingredient, they refined a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills.

The process yielded nine pills. Combined with the previous stock, the Sect’s supply of Foundation Establishment Pills was once again plentiful.

Bai Zichen had written five letters and sent them to Wei Dao, Liang Yu, Dai Hui, Luoo Changkong, and Gu Xisheng, respectively, stating his intention to request a Foundation Establishment Pill for Lu Song.

Liang Yu and Dai Hui went without saying. Besides Luoo Changkong, who didn’t respond, both Wei Dao and Gu Xisheng indicated they would support his request.

When the Elders convened to decide on the distribution list for the Foundation Establishment Pills, Lu Song, who had been recommended by Bai Zichen, easily obtained the right to exchange for one.

This was the power that came from displaying his strength and from the rumor that Master Ge Cang had listed him as one of the four Core Formation Seeds. Unconsciously, Bai Zichen’s influence within the Sect was now completely different from when he had first reached Foundation Establishment.

Every word he spoke, every action he took, was now treated with great solemnity and analyzed carefully by others.

Furthermore, with more than ten Foundation Establishment Pills being released at once this time, Lu Song, who was merely a Steward, had unprecedentedly obtained one.

As for the ten thousand contribution points required to exchange for the Foundation Establishment Pill, Bai Zichen had naturally transferred them to him.

With this, he had fulfilled the promise he made outside the Ancient Secret Realm that day.

The Spiritual Qi churned, finally converging into a single stream and pouring into the pavilion.

An aura several times more powerful than before was born. It was fragile and unstable at first, but it quickly settled and stabilized after a few breaths.

’The Seven Luminaries Spiritual Body truly is extraordinary... Successfully reaching Foundation Establishment at sixty years old is nothing short of inspirational.’

Seeing that Lu Song had successfully reached Foundation Establishment, Bai Zichen paid it no more mind and strode back to his Quiet Chamber.

’I just hope this example of an old man like Lu Song successfully reaching Foundation Establishment doesn’t over-stimulate the long-term Stewards in the Sect. If they all get riled up, harden their hearts, and try to fight for that slim chance at Foundation Establishment, it’ll be a disaster if a large number of them suffer cultivation regression and a loss of lifespan.’

Once one reaches Foundation Establishment, they are separated from the world of mortals.

For someone like Lu Song, who originally only had thirty or forty years of life left, his lifespan was instantly extended by a hundred years.

After Foundation Establishment, there would always be opportunities to obtain one or two Life-Extending Elixirs. Add to that the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique available to Elders in the Transmission Hall, and at sixty years old, he had only lived through a quarter of his life.

He was, without a doubt, a young man now.

Previously, everyone knew that after the age of fifty, the probability of successfully reaching Foundation Establishment decreased year by year.

And if one failed, there would be severe after-effects.

But with Lu Song as a role model for succeeding at sixty, there would always be those who’d get their hopes up, thinking they could be the next lucky one.

What these people wouldn’t know is that Lu Song actually possessed the Seven Luminaries Spiritual Body. For someone like him, it wouldn’t have mattered what age he attempted Foundation Establishment.