Chapter 114: Failure

Mount Shaohua, Jingyue Peak.

A cold moon illuminated the scene, and a stream gurgled, flowing into a crescent-shaped lake. It sent up sparkling splashes like stardust beneath the night sky. Hovering above the lake was an exquisite octagonal pavilion, adorned with delicate silk curtains that swayed gently in the breeze.

Inside the pavilion, a table was set with sandalwood incense and fragrant tea, where two people sat facing each other.

One was a middle-aged man in an embroidered robe. His face was square, his eyebrows sharp as swords, and his eyes fierce as a tiger's—a formidable presence that commanded respect without effort. This was none other than Earl Dongyang, the sole Nascent Soul Patriarch of Mount Shaohua.

Across from him sat an elegant woman, like a celestial fairy descended to the mortal world, untouched by dust and seemingly out of place in its impurities. Her face was veiled, and her head slightly bowed. With slender hands, she prepared the tea, her gaze, like fallen stars, fixed on the subtle ripples within the teacup, radiating an ethereal loneliness.

Earl Dongyang placed his hands on the table, leaning slightly forward. His piercing gaze fixed on the woman opposite him as he spoke in a low voice, "Miss Chenyan, your last breakthrough attempt failed, and now there's no turning back. Time is running out; you must make a decision."

The tea in Chenyan's hands trembled slightly, and a heartbreaking flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes.

Earl Dongyang ignored her distress. His tone and expression carried a subtle pressure, though he seemed to be gently coaxing her. "This secret technique indeed originates from the demonic path, but methods have no inherent good or evil; it depends entirely on the user. Moreover, this technique has been proven effective to a certain extent. If Miss Chenyan is concerned about her reputation, I assure you, I will personally handle everything that follows, ensuring absolute discretion and that no trouble whatsoever comes to you."

After a long silence, Chenyan's eyes slightly closed, and she softly said, "Alright."

***

Sunken Earth Cavern.

Inside Qin Sang's cultivation cave, agonizing roars suddenly erupted, as if a ferocious beast were trapped within. Unbeknownst to anyone, these cries were coming from Qin Sang himself.

At that moment, he clutched his stomach tightly, having already tumbled from his meditation cushion. Curled into a fetal position, he writhed on the floor, his facial features contorted in extreme agony, clearly enduring unbearable pain. His face was devoid of color, and sweat not only soaked his clothes but also stained a large patch of the ground.

The cause of this agony was precisely the Foundation Establishment Pill he had just consumed.

His snail-paced cultivation had completely worn down Qin Sang's patience. He steeled his resolve, deciding to try one Foundation Establishment Pill. He had three anyway, and if by some stroke of luck he succeeded in breaking through, it could save him decades of cultivation time.

Of course, taking a Foundation Establishment Pill wasn't something to be done lightly. He spent several days adjusting his physical and mental state to their peak, placed healing elixirs and other necessities within reach, and meticulously recalled Uncle Wen's teachings before carefully ingesting the pill.

Uncle Wen had warned him that the Foundation Establishment Pill would cause some pain during the transformation, but Qin Sang had never imagined the agony would be this intense—it felt like a complete marrow and sinew cleansing!

When the Foundation Establishment Pill first entered his stomach, it wasn't too bad; the sensation wasn't very distinct. But once its effects fully erupted, his dantian felt as if it were savagely squeezed, his Qi Sea nearly tearing apart. At the same time, his entire body, every limb and bone, was tormented as if countless tiny insects were gnawing at his flesh.

Under wave after wave of intense pain, Qin Sang felt as if his body no longer belonged to him. After an unknown duration, the agony gradually receded. Trembling, Qin Sang crawled to a corner of his cave, fumbled for a jade bottle he had kicked away, and poured its healing elixirs down his throat, only then feeling some relief.

His body was sticky and emitted a pungent odor, as if he had been rolled in mud. Qin Sang conjured a stream of water to rinse away the grime, then returned to his meditation cushion and sat blankly.

His cultivation had advanced to the eleventh level of the Qi Condensation stage, and the marrow and sinew cleansing would also improve his aptitude. Furthermore, some residual medicinal power remained in his body, which, once refined, would deepen his cultivation even further. However, there was nothing to be particularly happy about, as this was merely expected. If a Foundation Establishment Pill couldn't even achieve these effects, it wouldn't live up to its grand reputation.

Qin Sang's worry was that after taking this Foundation Establishment Pill, he hadn't even glimpsed the threshold of Foundation Establishment, let alone broken through. It seemed that even if he steeled himself and took another, there wouldn't be a better outcome.

"Sigh!" A long, faint sigh echoed in the quiet cave. Qin Sang tidied up his disheveled cultivation dwelling, calmed his swirling thoughts, entered a meditative state to circulate his cultivation technique, and promptly began refining the accumulated medicinal power within him, so as not to waste it.

***

A month later, Qin Sang returned to Mount Shaohua and sought out Uncle Wen.

"You took the Foundation Establishment Pill?" Uncle Wen immediately noticed the change in Qin Sang's cultivation level, and his brow furrowed slightly.

Qin Sang nodded with a bitter smile, looking utterly mortified.

"Ah, you're too impatient. Did you really think one spirit fruit could fundamentally change your aptitude and protect you for life? I thought you would be more composed than Zhuang Yan, but it turns out you're just as impulsive. What are your plans now? Why don't you come back from the Sunken Earth Cavern? You can take over the miscellaneous duties from Zhuang Yan and be my right-hand man."

In Uncle Wen's eyes, after wasting his only Foundation Establishment Pill, Qin Sang had no further chance of achieving Foundation Establishment. If he could settle down and work diligently within the sect, being sensible and aware, he would be a useful helper.

Qin Sang secretly thought that the two spirit stones he spent hadn't been wasted. However, he hadn't given up on his path of cultivation yet. He opened his mouth and asked, "Uncle Wen, I've always had a question. Why are Foundation Establishment Pills so rare that even our Eight Orthodox Sects can't guarantee one for each disciple? Are the spiritual herbs for Foundation Establishment Pills truly that scarce, or do the major sects not cultivate them?"

In fact, it wasn't just Foundation Establishment Pills. After Qin Sang last left Mount Shaohua, he visited several major immortal cultivation markets nearby. Previously, his cultivation was too low and his wealth meager, so he only ever briefly skimmed the goods. Only now, after a thorough investigation, did he realize that high-quality elixirs were rarely sold in the markets. The best healing elixirs were only slightly superior in quality to the few Sun De had on him. Elixirs for strengthening foundations and nourishing vitality, effective for cultivators above the tenth level of Qi Condensation, were even rarer and extremely expensive, usually only appearing at auctions. It was said that the Taiyi Pill Sect's mastery of alchemy surpassed all other Eight Orthodox Sects. However, firstly, very few of their elixirs circulated outside, and secondly, even if they did, they were virtually impossible to acquire, let alone for someone like him. This was one of the reasons why Qin Sang decided to take a gamble.

Uncle Wen saw through Qin Sang's intentions immediately. "You want to refine Foundation Establishment Pills yourself? Setting aside how difficult it is to learn alchemy, with your Qi Condensation cultivation level, you wouldn't even be able to find the main ingredients for a Foundation Establishment Pill. It's not just Foundation Establishment Pills; Pagoda Peak has numerous ancient elixir formulas in its collection, all of them like precious pearls covered in dust, unrefinable by anyone. The reason boils down to a lack of spiritual herbs for alchemy. Even the cleverest cook cannot make a meal without rice."

Only after listening to Uncle Wen's detailed explanation did Qin Sang finally understand the full story.

***

Related: Wuxia Novel