Chapter 196: Hidden

"Did you say that Yuan Chiye and I admitted you into the sect near Nanxi Market?"

After listening, Ding Ying's expression first froze, then she seemed to understand something, her face showing sudden realization.

"Alright, I understand. Don't bring this up again in the future."

"Yes, Senior Sister Ding."

Chen Mobai nodded knowingly.

"If there's nothing important, don't come looking for me in the future?"

"It's like this…"

Seeing that Ding Ying was about to close the door, Chen Mobai gritted his teeth and shamelessly stated his request.

"You said you want to buy the Foundation Establishment Pill from Junior Sister Yin."

Hearing this, Ding Ying's expression turned strange. She then looked Chen Mobai up and down and couldn't help but sneer.

"Junior Brother, sometimes you need to understand your place. Some things are beyond your grasp."

After saying this, she directly closed the main door.

Chen Mobai frowned slightly, took a deep look at the courtyard, and finally turned to leave.

He stayed in Shenmu City for another two days. Besides waiting for Lu Jun to complete the transfer procedures for Xiaoyang Ridge, it was also because Qi Rui had sent a message saying he would come to find him there.

Qi Hou's relationship with Chen Mobai was ordinary. Moreover, he had also obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill and was busy refining his spiritual power, so he didn't have time to come. However, he sent Junior Brother Xi to meet with them.

That evening, at an agreed-upon restaurant, Chen Mobai met the long-unseen Qi Rui and Junior Brother Xi.

"Junior Brother Chen, I knew with your talent, joining our Divine Wood Sect would be easy."

Qi Rui and Chen Mobai shared a bond forged in life-and-death situations, and he was forthright. Upon meeting, he gave Chen Mobai a big hug.

"My name is Xi Jinghuo."

Junior Brother Xi's name was very interesting. After saying it, he quietly sat down in his seat.

"Where's Senior Brother Wang?"

"Alas, when the demonic beasts attacked the island, he and more than a dozen other senior brothers led the charge, blocking the outside of the teleportation array to cover our escape. They perished on Qingguang Island."

As Qi Rui spoke, his previously happy expression at their reunion dimmed.

"If there's a chance in the future, we should go back to Qingguang Island to pay our respects."

Chen Mobai could only sigh, then asked about the situation of the others in their team.

"Shi Pengyi and Luo Lin were separated from us when the demonic beasts landed on the island. Junior Brother Wu fought and died alongside Senior Brother Wang…"

Qi Rui recounted what he knew. Chen Mobai could only pray that Senior Brother Shi Pengyi and Junior Sister Luo Lin had survived, but given the situation on Qingguang Island, it was likely they met a grim fate.

"Oh, and I've broken through to Level Nine Qi Refining."

Finally, Chen Mobai heard some good news: after the life-or-death battle on Qingguang Island, Qi Rui had finally reached the last step of Qi Refining, with only Foundation Establishment remaining.

"Congratulations."

Xi Jinghuo, who had been listening quietly, also couldn't help but offer his congratulations to Qi Rui.

"I hope to make it into the top hundred in the year-end grand competition and strive to become a true disciple within five years. But first, I need to start working towards earning the ten thousand contribution points for a Foundation Establishment Pill."

Qi Rui had formulated a steady plan for his progress.

The Divine Wood Sect holds a grand competition annually. Only Qi Refining cultivators under the age of sixty are eligible to participate. Its purpose is to select the future pillars of the sect, and the sequence of true disciples is determined by it.

Chen Mobai had no intention of participating; it was too time-consuming. Moreover, he knew his combat skills. While he might have been known as a "combat master" on Earth Origin Star, here in the Heavenly River Realm, without enough talismans and magic artifacts, he would essentially be cannon fodder. Since his sect's good deeds points were almost depleted, the talismans in his storage bag were mostly old stock, along with assignments from his talisman class at the Martial Arts Academy over the past year. Each one used meant one less; he couldn't afford to waste them. Although participating in the sect competition could hone his combat skills, Chen Mobai felt it was better not to go and get beaten for now. He would hone himself later, once he had nowhere further to advance in Level Nine Qi Refining. Grandmaster Qingping had a saying that Chen Mobai always kept in mind: "As long as your cultivation level is significantly higher than your opponent's, you will never lose."

After Qi Rui brought up the topic of the Foundation Establishment Pill, Chen Mobai naturally mentioned the one in the hands of the Heavenly Spirit Root user.

"If you want to buy the Foundation Establishment Pill from Junior Sister Yin, I'm afraid it's already too late."

Hearing Chen Mobai mention this, Xi Jinghuo couldn't help but shake his head.

"People like you, who don't have access to the true disciple circle, don't know this, but we know very well that Grand Ancestor Fu bestowed this Foundation Establishment Pill merely to transfer it through Junior Sister Yin to his own blood descendant."

He was a descendant of a Foundation Establishment Elder, essentially a "second-generation immortal" of the Divine Wood Sect, and thus knew some secrets unknown to Chen Mobai and Qi Rui. Among the previous batch of true disciples, there was a direct descendant of Grand Ancestor Fu named Fu Xingzhou. Unfortunately, even with Grand Ancestor Fu's care and having exchanged for a Foundation Establishment Pill, he still failed to establish his foundation. However, Fu Xingzhou had a deep background and many magic artifacts. Even after failing foundation establishment, he did not step down from his position as a true disciple. He had originally intended to hold on until the current batch of Foundation Establishment Pills was refined, to exchange for another one. However, the Spirit Crossing Emissary from the previous batch was fortunate enough to acquire a Heavenly Spirit Root. Grand Ancestor Fu immediately used this as an excuse to bestow upon her the Foundation Establishment Pill that should have been given to the next disciple in line among the true disciples.

"Fu Xingzhou successfully established his foundation five years ago. Publicly, it was said that Grand Ancestor Fu bought a Foundation Establishment Pill from the Tongbao Chamber of Commerce, but we all know it was the one from Junior Sister Yin that was transferred to him."

Hearing this, Qi Rui was momentarily stunned, and Chen Mobai frowned even more deeply.

"Isn't that very unfair to the senior brother who was originally supposed to receive the Foundation Establishment Pill?"

"Fair? In the Divine Wood Sect, Grand Ancestor Fu's willingness to use the Heavenly Spirit Root as an excuse to take this Foundation Establishment Pill is already an act of maintaining surface-level fairness."

After listening, Xi Jinghuo said something expressionlessly that left Chen Mobai silent.

"Only by becoming a true disciple can one be absolutely sure of getting a Foundation Establishment Pill."

After a long while, Qi Rui spoke. His already determined face became even more resolute, clearly having made up his mind to fight hard in the sect's grand competition.

"It seems there's no way to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill in the short term."

Ultimately, Chen Mobai could only sigh. He had already decided to buy a Spirit Ascension Powder for his father, to help him gather the three Foundation Establishment treasures and fulfill his filial duty.

"Perhaps there's an opportunity."

At this moment, Xi Jinghuo suddenly spoke.

"Oh?"

"Although the Battle of Qingguang Island was a great defeat for our Divine Wood Sect, we did gain something from it."

Hearing this, Chen Mobai and Qi Rui exchanged glances, their eyes lighting up simultaneously.

A Foundation Establishment Pill refined from demonic beast inner cores!

"Has Martial Uncle Zeng already refined it?"

"I don't know about that. If you have connections in the Spiritual Plant Department, you could check if the auxiliary ingredients for refining Foundation Establishment Pills have recently been taken from the medicinal fields. That way, you might get a clue as to what stage the pill refinement is at."