Innate Immortal Seed

"It feels good to be home..."

As the majestic, sprawling peaks of the Black Mountain Range came into view, Bai Zichen could finally relax.

The journey back had been relatively smooth. He had only encountered one incident midway, a group of Tribulation Cultivators hunting several young Cultivators, just as he was lowering his Colorful Cloud Robe to get his bearings.

He didn’t even have to use his Flying Sword. He simply summoned the All Living Beings Bell and trapped the group of Tribulation Cultivators, who were mostly in the Late-Stage Qi Refining realm.

With a surge of Magical Power, the bell tolled deeply, and the lives of the Tribulation Cultivators were snuffed out.

The young Cultivators were from a clan affiliated with the Cyan Lotus Sect. All in their early twenties, they had left their clan to gain experience after achieving a certain level of Cultivation. They never expected to run into Tribulation Cultivators and nearly lose their lives.

The Cyan Lotus Sect was founded a thousand years ago by an Elder of the Holy Lotus Sect. Old and frail, he had lost the strength to pursue higher Realms and had begged the Sect for a favor: to be allowed to return to his homeland and establish his own sect.

Aside from a few of the Holy Lotus Sect’s Basic Cultivation Techniques and its most advanced Divine Techniques, he was permitted to pass on all other inheritances.

Thus, the Cyan Lotus Sect could be considered a Branch of the Holy Lotus Sect.

The young Cultivators were moved to tears, kneeling to express their gratitude. They declared they would remember their senior’s name and build a shrine to burn incense for him daily upon their return home.

But with a flash of white light, the Foundation Establishment Elder who had slain the Tribulation Cultivators with a bronze bell had already vanished.

Also gone were the storage pouches from the waists of the Tribulation Cultivators on the ground.

Ancestor Hall.

"Junior Brother Bai, you’re finally back! Where have you been for the past six months? I’ve been worried sick."

In the past six months, Jin Lu seemed to have lost weight; his belly was no longer as round as before.

Bai Zichen still had a Sect mission to complete, so his first order of business upon returning to the Mountain Gate was naturally to report it.

Deputy Sect Leader Gu Xisheng, Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall Liang Yu, Jin Lu, and an unfamiliar young man were all gathered in the Ancestor Hall, waiting for him.

"Junior Brother Jin returned to the Mountain Gate six months ago. Did you run into trouble on your way back? Could it be that the Ghost Spirit Sect was audacious enough to trail you and attack after you were far from Zengguang Immortal City?"

Liang Yu’s expression was calm, but his tone was laced with deep concern.

"Indeed. Senior Brother Liang came to the Ancestor Hall every month to check on Junior Brother Bai’s Soul Lamp. He would only rest easy after confirming that the flame was stable and showed no abnormalities,"

Having served as the Deputy Sect Leader for a few years, Gu Xisheng had grown a beard, and his presence had become more imposing.

He no longer had the eternally smiling, kind face from when he managed the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall. Now, he possessed a certain gravitas, an air of authority without needing to show anger.

"Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother Liang. I did indeed run into a bit of trouble on my way back."

Bai Zichen stood and bowed to Liang Yu to express his thanks.

"However, it wasn’t a Ghost Spirit Sect Cultivator. It was a Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment Tribulation Cultivator. I didn’t recognize his Cultivation Technique, so he was likely a powerful Loose Cultivator."

He had already prepared this story on his way back. ’Claiming to have defeated a Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivator while only at Early-Stage Foundation Establishment is just too shocking.’

’If I told the truth, I’d have to confess the Heaven-Defying progress I’ve made with my Five Crystal Glaze Body.’

’A Cultivation speed four times faster than even Ancestor Ge Cang, who had a Celestial Spiritual Root, can no longer be explained away by a Spirit Body or a fortunate encounter.’

’To avoid unnecessary trouble and to keep a true trump card hidden, I absolutely cannot reveal the progress of my Five Crystal Glaze Body.’

’Plus, Meng Shigui’s identity was tied to the Fish Dragon Sect and even a Transformed Great Demon. The situation is far too complicated.’

So, the opponent in his story became an unknown Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment Tribulation Cultivator.

"I fought a fierce battle with him and finally seized an opportunity to cut off his head with a single sword strike. However, during the fight, I had to use an Overdraft Secret Technique that burns Essence Blood. My body was weakened, so I found a safe place to recuperate, which is why I was delayed for half a year."

"For Junior Brother Bai to be able to slay a Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator while at a lower level... you truly are worthy of the title of the Sect’s First Sword Cultivator!"

Gu Xisheng’s expression turned slightly grave. He hadn’t expected Bai Zichen’s strength to be so astonishing.

Defeating a Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator and killing one were two entirely different levels of difficulty.

"He might not have been a Loose Cultivator," Liang Yu mused. "Without a complete inheritance or guidance from a predecessor, Breaking Realm is harder than ascending to heaven. It’s possible he was a Sect Cultivator hiding his identity to engage in robbery."

"That Overdraft Secret Technique... did it damage your foundation?"

Liang Yu knew that Bai Zichen’s Sword Dao Realm had already reached the level of Sword Qi Thunder Sound, so he wasn’t surprised by his ability to slay a Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment Tribulation Cultivator.

"I’ve mostly recovered after six months of rest. My Essence Blood is still a little depleted, but it should be fine after a bit more time."

"I have a Tier Three Turtle Shell in my treasury, formed from the condensed essence of a Purple Crystal Mountain Turtle that died of old age. Later, I’ll have Junior Brother Han grind it into powder and prepare a Spirit Soup for you."

Liang Yu took this matter very seriously and didn’t just brush it aside.

"These kinds of Secret Techniques all overdraft your potential. If you don’t replenish the lost qi and blood essence in a short time, it will leave a hidden danger that will manifest when you try Breaking Realm in the future."

"Don’t think it’s a minor issue just because you’re young and vigorous and ignore the drawbacks. You should use Secret Techniques like Heavenly Demon Dissolution as little as possible."

Bai Zichen nodded slightly, not feeling the least bit resentful of Liang Yu’s blunt advice.

He understood that Senior Brother Liang genuinely had his best interests at heart and viewed him as the sole candidate to succeed him at the Law Enforcement Hall.

Bai Zichen did not refuse the precious Tier Three Turtle Shell.

To decline would be a sign that he didn’t consider Senior Brother Liang one of his own.

Having received this favor, he was sure there would be opportunities to repay it in the future.

Bai Zichen turned his gaze to the plain-featured, unremarkable young man Liang Yu had mentioned, and he already knew who it was.

It was Han Qing, the Qingfeng Sect’s renowned alchemy prodigy, who possessed an Alchemy Spirit Body and was considered by the late Tan Changkong to be his true successor.

Like Jin Lu, Han Qing had a Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation, but his status as a Tier Two Mid-Grade Alchemist, combined with a Spirit Body that gave him a slim chance of successfully refining Pill Formulas beyond his skill level, afforded him considerable prestige in the Pill Hall.

This Spirit Body allowed him to have a twenty to thirty percent chance of success when refining Tier Two Top-Grade Spirit Pills, even though he was only a Tier Two Mid-Grade Alchemist.

Therefore, once Han Qing became a Tier Three Alchemist, it would be a massive boost to the Qingfeng Sect’s Alchemy capabilities.

’With a talent like that around,’ he mused, ’I have no idea where Jin Lu gets the confidence to compete with him for the position of Pill Hall Master.’

"Then I will have to trouble Senior Brother Han."

Bai Zichen first cupped his hands in a gesture to Han Qing before taking out two Jade Boxes from his person. Inside were the two Thousand-Year-Old Golden Crown Lingzhi.

"Excellent! The Golden Crown Reishi have arrived... Junior Brother Han, now it’s up to you to show us your skills and see how many Foundation Establishment Pills you can add to the Sect’s coffers!"

Gu Xisheng laughed heartily as he looked at the two perfectly preserved Thousand-Year-Old Spirit Medicines.

"I will do my utmost. I hope the results won’t fall too far short of Brother Tan’s," Han Qing replied.

Han Qing had only refined a single cauldron of Foundation Establishment Pills before, and the results hadn’t been particularly good.

But after years of practice, his Alchemy skills had become much more refined. He also now had the Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact left to him by Tan Changkong, the Imitation Immortal Fire Crow Furnace, which had elevated his control over fire to a new level.

With the Sect acquiring three Thousand-Year-Old Golden Crown Lingzhi at once, he was confident that each batch would be better than the last.

He might even be able to use this opportunity to make a breakthrough in his long-stagnant Alchemy.

...

"This powder made from the ground-up shell of a Purple Crystal Mountain Turtle, mixed with Spirit Medicines like Vermilion Fruit, White Peony Root, and Blood Jujube... it smells really strange..."

Bai Zichen took a spoonful of the brown powder and mixed it with boiling water, releasing a foul odor, like rotting fish mixed with strong spices.

Holding his breath, he drank it all in one gulp. A warm current instantly spread through his entire body, making his limbs feel as if they were soaking in warm water, pleasant and comfortable.

Pure Primordial Qi gradually formed, silently seeping into his flesh and bones, replenishing his depleted qi and blood.

Before he began refining the Foundation Establishment Pills, Han Qing had prepared an entire gourd of this medicinal powder for him. The various Spirit Medicines added to it alone cost over a thousand Sect Contribution Points to redeem.

That wasn’t even counting the fee for having a Tier Two Mid-Grade Alchemist like Han Qing do the work. He’d done it for free, saying it was a warm-up before he started on the Foundation Establishment Pills.

The effect of Senior Brother Liang’s Tier Three Turtle Shell was astonishingly good. According to Han Qing’s observation, this was because it had absorbed the entire blood and flesh essence of the old turtle that had died of natural causes.

If the turtle had been killed by someone, the remaining shell could never have contained such immense qi and blood essence.

After just two or three doses, the thirty to forty percent of his Essence Blood that had been missing after he took the True Dragon Soaring Pill was fully replenished.

’This gourd of powder is probably enough to replenish my qi and blood seven or eight times after self-destructing my Glazed Body...’

Bai Zichen shook the Yellow Gourd and put it away carefully.

Although he intended to avoid using an extreme measure like self-destructing his Glazed Body again, he knew that if he faced true danger, he would use it without the slightest hesitation.

It was just that the process of rebuilding the Glazed Body was far too tedious.

Bai Zichen skillfully re-condensed the Glazed Fire Jade in his Sea of Consciousness. As expected, it was just as the ancient texts described.

Even cultivating it a second time offered no shortcuts; if you couldn’t find the way in, you just couldn’t find it.

Even the mysterious Spirit Body he possessed couldn’t break this rule.

Bai Zichen summoned Lu Songx, Cai Heng, Su Lie, and the others to give them clear instructions on the miscellaneous affairs of the White Jade Tower, mainly concerning the planting and harvesting of the Spirit Fields.

He then called for his Inner Chamber Disciple, Tong Huan, and used the Nine Yang Divine Fire Mirror to examine him again, offering a few pointers on his cultivation issues.

Finally, he gave the order that he was entering closed-door cultivation and was not to be disturbed unless it was a matter of great importance.

He retreated into his Quiet Chamber, stocked up on a large amount of Spirit Tea, and threw himself into the grand undertaking of comprehending the Glazed Fire Jade.

「Six months later」

Han Qing had consecutively refined three cauldrons of Foundation Establishment Pills, yielding five, five, and six pills respectively.

The yield from the last cauldron matched that of Tan Changkong, bringing the total harvest to sixteen Foundation Establishment Pills.

Thanks to this high-intensity refining experience, he also successfully advanced to become a Tier Two Top-Grade Alchemist.

Han Qing’s prestige in the Pill Hall soared, completely overshadowing Jin Lu, whose only contribution was bringing back the three Thousand-Year-Old Golden Crown Lingzhi.

The Sect Disciples were ecstatic. Sixteen Foundation Establishment Pills available for distribution in a single batch was an unprecedented event for the Qingfeng Sect.

Aside from the True Disciples, who were guaranteed a pill, Long-Term Stewards and Inner Sect Disciples whose ages were just nearing the limit all had a chance.

When news of the successful refinement of the Foundation Establishment Pills spread, the rate at which missions were accepted and distributed at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall increased significantly.

Even some low-value, unpopular missions that had been posted for years were being accepted by Sect Disciples.

Everyone was hoarding Contribution Points, just in case they got lucky and earned the right to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Even if they didn’t have enough on their own, they could borrow from close fellow disciples. If several people pooled their points, there was still a chance.