Chapter 112: Fortune or Misfortune

The scenery of Shaohua Mountain was as beautiful as ever.

Qin Sang piloted his flying shuttle through Jianmen Pass, heading towards Daomen Peak. He saw a person flying towards him, who was none other than Senior Disciple Zhuang Yan. Zhuang Yan had originally planned to enter seclusion to attempt Foundation Establishment, but for some reason, he had given up.

"Greetings, Senior Disciple Zhuang."

Qin Sang halted his flight and bowed respectfully from afar.

Zhuang Yan descended on his sword beside Qin Sang. Seeing Qin Sang's expression, he asked curiously, "Junior Disciple Qin, you don't look well. Is something bothering you?"

Qin Sang shook his head, replacing his expression with a smile. "No, I just noticed that the colorful clouds on Jingyue Peak had completely vanished, which puzzled me. Has anything happened within the sect recently?"

Jingyue Peak was not only exceptionally picturesque, but also had clouds and mist drifting above it, concentrated and unscattering, making it very conspicuous. Zhuang Yan had said it was a formation set up by the sect to prevent others from disturbing Fairy Chenyan's seclusion.

Qin Sang had seen them on his last return. This time, upon entering Jianmen Pass, he noticed that all the clouds on Jingyue Peak had dissipated.

Zhuang Yan let out an "Oh," glancing at Jingyue Peak in the distance. "Junior Disciple Qin, you've been in the Deep Cavern all this time, so you probably don't know, but Fairy Chenyan emerged from seclusion a few days ago."

"Fairy Chenyan has emerged from seclusion?"

Qin Sang hastily pressed, "Has she broken through to the Nascent Soul stage?"

If Fairy Chenyan had broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, Shaohua Mountain would have two Nascent Soul Grand Ancestors overseeing it, instantly becoming a top power in the Lesser Cold Domain. Their disciples would also benefit immensely from this rise in status.

Zhuang Yan's expression dimmed somewhat, and he shook his head without speaking.

Qin Sang sighed softly. Every step on the path of cultivation was harder than ascending to heaven. It was said that Fairy Chenyan was a favored child of heaven with a Heavenly Spirit Root, yet she had failed after so many years in seclusion. Qin Sang couldn't help but think of himself, and his mood grew even more somber.

"Senior Disciple Zhuang, do you know if Uncle-Master Wen is currently at Daomen Peak?"

"Junior Disciple, what do you need Uncle-Master Wen for?"

Zhuang Yan paused, then looked at Qin Sang, suddenly realizing. He offered his congratulations repeatedly, "Congratulations, Junior Disciple Qin, on breaking through to the tenth level of Qi Refinement! You've come to collect your Foundation Establishment Pill, haven't you? Uncle-Master Wen happens to be at Daomen Peak."

After seeing Zhuang Yan off, the smile on Qin Sang's face quickly faded, subtly replaced by a hint of sorrow.

After erasing all traces of Sun De, Qin Sang wasn't in a hurry to return to Shaohua Mountain to retrieve his Foundation Establishment Pill. Instead, he decided to stay put in his cave dwelling for a while to observe how Shaohua Mountain would handle Sun De's disappearance.

Ultimately, Shaohua Mountain didn't suspect him. Only one senior disciple came to the Deep Cavern afterward, called him up, asked a few questions, and then hastily left, as if the matter was simply dropped.

Being easily cleared of suspicion, coupled with the three Foundation Establishment Pills he was about to receive, should have been cause for joy, even ecstasy.

However, a piece of devastating news immediately plunged Qin Sang into despair, leaving him in a cloud of gloom ever since.

Before this, he had been consolidating his realm and hadn't noticed any abnormalities with the Yama Banner. Only when he resumed cultivation did he discover that although Yama hadn't become the main soul of the Ten Directions Yama Banner and could still provide Soul Pills, these pills now had no effect on Qin Sang!

He tried every method he could think of, even replacing the Yama Banner, but it remained the same.

This turn of events struck Qin Sang like a bolt from the blue.

His aptitude was so poor, yet his cultivation speed could rival that of many cultivators with True Spirit Roots or even Dual Spirit Roots, all thanks to the Yama Banner and the Soul Pills. Without the support of Soul Pills, Qin Sang's cultivation speed would be utterly despairing.

Even with three Foundation Establishment Pills, if he couldn't break through to the thirteenth level of Qi Refinement and elevate his cultivation to the peak of the Qi Refinement stage before the age of fifty, his hope of Foundation Establishment would be extremely slim.

Qin Sang pondered deeply. Unless he could gather enough pills for strengthening the foundation and nourishing the essence, or find another magical artifact or cultivation technique similar to the Yama Banner—one that carried significant risks to the soul but could rapidly boost cultivation—his prospects were bleak. However, such items were clearly not easy to come by.

With a myriad of thoughts swirling in his mind, Qin Sang unconsciously found himself before the wooden hall on Daomen Peak. He composed himself, adopted a respectful expression, and knocked on the hall's door.

Uncle-Master Wen was coincidentally in the wooden hall, handling miscellaneous affairs. Hearing that Qin Sang had come for his Foundation Establishment Pill, he showed some surprise and smiled, "To break through to the tenth level in such a short time since joining the sect, it seems the spiritual fruit you consumed was quite extraordinary. Come with me."

Qin Sang followed behind Uncle-Master Wen. They left Daomen Peak and flew deeper into Shaohua Mountain until they reached Baota Peak.

"Wait here for a moment."

Uncle-Master Wen led Qin Sang to the entrance of the second-floor hall on Baota Peak, took his waist token, instructed him to wait outside the door, and then entered alone.

Soon after, Qin Sang heard Uncle-Master Wen call him in. He tidied his attire, lowered his head, and walked in respectfully, finding only Uncle-Master Wen and another elderly man of considerable age inside the hall.

"This is Senior Disciple Ye," Uncle-Master Wen said, pointing to the elder.

Qin Sang dared not be neglectful. He bowed deeply and greeted, "Disciple Qin Sang pays respects to Uncle-Master Ye."

Uncle-Master Ye wore a greenish-white Daoist robe. His small eyes were slightly narrowed, observing Qin Sang with a hint of a smile. If not for the occasional flash of sharp light in his eyes, Qin Sang would have thought he was facing a kind, ordinary old man.

"So this is Junior Disciple Qin," Uncle-Master Ye exclaimed, "He truly is a distinguished talent!"

Uncle-Master Ye's demeanor was exceptionally cordial. He said with a beaming smile, "Indeed, he has broken through to the tenth level of Qi Refinement, meeting the sect's requirements. Please wait a moment, both of you; I'll go fetch a Foundation Establishment Pill."

Hearing footsteps moving further into the hall, Qin Sang secretly sighed in relief, grateful that there were no complications.

Unexpectedly, before his heart could truly settle, Uncle-Master Wen suddenly waved his hand to cast a sound-insulating barrier. He cleared his throat, a hint of awkwardness appearing on his face, and said, "Junior Disciple Qin, Senior Disciple Ye asked me to inquire if you would be willing to sell this Foundation Establishment Pill?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Sang was instantly startled, and his expression subtly changed. The Foundation Establishment Pill was crucial to one's path of cultivation. Who would sell their own Foundation Establishment Pill, unless they had completely given up on Foundation Establishment?

"Don't be nervous, Junior Disciple Qin."

Uncle-Master Wen gently reassured him. He, too, was helpless; Senior Disciple Ye had immediately taken an interest upon learning that Qin Sang possessed a Five-Element Spirit Root and had pleaded for his help in mediating.

If Senior Disciple Ye hadn't once helped him with a small favor, he would never have agreed to such a request.

"It's perfectly fine if you're unwilling to sell. Senior Disciple Ye merely asked out of curiosity; he's not forcing you. If you are willing to sell the Foundation Establishment Pill, spiritual stones, talismans, magical artifacts, or other pills—anything can be discussed. Senior Disciple Ye is quite wealthy and won't let you suffer a loss."

Qin Sang lowered his head in thought. What he desired most right now were pills that strengthened the foundation and nourished the essence. While such pills were rare, they could ultimately be acquired. However, Foundation Establishment Pills were truly priceless and unobtainable on the market. Disciples of cultivation sects received at most one, and rogue cultivators couldn't even dream of obtaining one.

There wouldn't be another chance like this. Without even needing to consider, he decided he definitely wouldn't exchange it.

However, the other party was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, so he couldn't be too direct in his refusal.

Qin Sang thought for a moment, then said with a troubled expression, "To Uncle-Master Wen, this disciple's heart has always been set on the immortal path, and it has never wavered. I wouldn't be content without at least trying..."