Chapter 94: Orthodox Foundation Establishing Pill

“Fellow Daoist Qi, when Fellow Daoist Qi Hou and I were hunting demon beasts off the island previously, I saw him use a Scarlet Flame Sword Talisman; it was incredibly powerful.”

Upon hearing Qi Rui’s introduction, Chen Mobai’s eyes lit up, and he naturally steered the conversation.

“Senior Martial Brother Qi Hou? He’s a candidate for true disciple of our Divine Wood Sect. If there are extra Foundation Establishment Pills in the next batch refined, he might get one.”

Qi Rui also knew Qi Hou and spoke of him with an expression of deep admiration.

“Oh, aren’t Foundation Establishment Pills in the Divine Wood Sect redeemable once you accumulate enough contribution points?”

Noticing that Qi Rui seemed quite talkative, Chen Mobai tried to inquire about the Divine Wood Sect’s internal affairs.

“It’s not that simple. Refining an orthodox Foundation Establishment Pill requires Golden Jade Ganoderma with a millennium of medicinal potency. Although our Divine Wood Sect inherited the Five Elements Sect’s largest medicinal garden, Giant Wood Ridge, our ancestors wisely planted many Ganoderma seeds. However, we can only harvest ten fully matured Golden Jade Ganoderma plants every ten years.”

“Theoretically, one batch of orthodox Foundation Establishment Pills can yield ten pills, but getting eight or nine is already considered excellent. When our Divine Wood Sect and Golden Light Cliff jointly separated from the Five Elements Sect, it was agreed that Golden Light Cliff would receive three Golden Jade Ganoderma plants each time they matured.”

“After the separation, our Divine Wood Sect and Golden Light Cliff factions fought with the remaining three factions of the Five Elements Sect for twenty years. Eventually, everyone grew weary of the conflict and agreed to cease hostilities. One condition for the Five Elements Sect to acknowledge our Divine Wood Sect’s independence was that they would also receive three Golden Jade Ganoderma plants from Giant Wood Ridge when they matured.”

“All three sects’ Foundation Establishment Pills are entrusted to Revival Valley for refinement. After each batch is refined, Revival Valley takes one pill, regardless of how many are successfully produced. Essentially, for our Divine Wood Sect, this means only about 30 Foundation Establishment Pills enter our treasury every ten years.”

“However, the Divine Wood Sect has at least a hundred disciples at the ninth level of Qi Condensation. To ensure fairness, these 30 Foundation Establishment Pills must be contended for using sect contribution points. While 10,000 contribution points allow one to redeem a pill, having more points increases the chance of success.”

Although this was common knowledge for Divine Wood Sect disciples, it was rare and valuable information for Chen Mobai, Shi Pengyi, and the others. They listened with great interest.

The term ‘Golden Jade Ganoderma’ must be how it’s referred to in the Sky River Realm. On Earth Star, it’s called ‘Jade Marrow Gold Ganoderma,’ which is quite similar.

As Chen Mobai pondered this, Qi Rui extended the topic from Foundation Establishment Pills, explaining the ranking of true disciples in the Divine Wood Sect. This ranking essentially determined the priority for redeeming Foundation Establishment Pills.

Although Qi Hou was not among the twenty-four true disciples, his cultivation was remarkable. Furthermore, he was a disciple of an elder with the surname Xi who had established his foundation. If there were extra Foundation Establishment Pills after supplying the true disciples in the next batch, he would practically be guaranteed one.

An elder with the surname Xi who had established his foundation. At this point, Chen Mobai recalled the very refined-looking Junior Martial Brother Xi, who always kept his head down. He must be a descendant of that elder.

No wonder Qi Hou was willing to train him in Cloud Dream Marsh. He was a junior martial brother of the same lineage.

“Fellow Daoist Qi, I’ve heard that besides Golden Jade Ganoderma as the primary ingredient, there’s another method for refining Foundation Establishment Pills.”

Suddenly, Luo Lin asked a question that greatly interested Chen Mobai.

“Yes, using Golden Jade Ganoderma as the primary ingredient results in an orthodox Foundation Establishment Pill. The other method uses a demon beast’s inner core. However, the success rate for this method is not high, and demon beasts capable of forming inner cores are at least at the peak of the second tier, making them extremely difficult to hunt.”

Qi Rui nodded, answering the question.

Chen Mobai was hearing this for the first time and continued to ask questions with great interest. It was normal for him not to know this as a rogue cultivator, and the other three members of the team had no suspicions. Shi Pengyi and Luo Lin had also heard about it from their masters. The founding ancestor of their small sect had successfully established his foundation by consuming a Foundation Establishment Pill refined from a demon beast’s inner core. He then recorded this experience in the sect’s secret texts, which has been passed down to this day.

“The two demon beasts killed when rushing onto Azure Light Island this time, I believe, were both at the peak of the second tier, and they might have already formed inner cores. If that’s the case, this batch of Foundation Establishment Pills might yield a few extra.”

As Qi Rui spoke, a hint of yearning appeared in his eyes, but his cultivation was only at the eighth level of Qi Condensation, meaning even if he accumulated enough contribution points, he might not be eligible.

“Are there any differences between Foundation Establishment Pills refined from demon beast inner cores and orthodox Foundation Establishment Pills?”

“There are differences, but the effects are similar. However, one batch of this type yields only two or three pills at most, yet it requires the same amount of auxiliary ingredients, making it somewhat uneconomical.” At this point, Qi Rui couldn’t help but shake his head. “Revival Valley is unwilling to refine this type of Foundation Establishment Pill because each refinement delays the alchemist’s cultivation for a year. Given the same time investment, they only prefer to refine orthodox Foundation Establishment Pills.”

However, it is precisely because of this that other alchemists in the Eastern Barrens find their value. While Revival Valley is reluctant to refine Foundation Establishment Pills with demon beast inner cores as the primary ingredient, other alchemists eagerly seek such opportunities. Major sects and even cultivation families in the Eastern Barrens cultivate their own alchemists primarily for the purpose of refining this type of Foundation Establishment Pill.

However, upon hearing this, Chen Mobai felt that Revival Valley’s leadership possessed profound wisdom. After all, if they truly monopolized the refinement of Foundation Establishment Pills, Revival Valley’s transcendent status would likely not be sustained. They would certainly be targeted by the other six major sects, and might even face destruction.

“Fellow Daoist Qi, do you know when the Divine Wood Sect’s next batch of Golden Jade Ganoderma will mature?”

Chen Mobai’s question drew strange looks from the rest of the team.

“Ahem, you might not be able to wait for that. They matured this year and have already been sent to Revival Valley. When the new batch of disciples enters the sect next year, these Foundation Establishment Pills will enter the sect’s treasury and become available for redemption.”

Qi Rui understood Chen Mobai’s implication and spoke with considerable regret.

The Divine Wood Sect recruits disciples once every ten years, which coincides with the time Foundation Establishment Pills are refined. This is to ensure an orderly succession of generations.

Even if Chen Mobai were an unparalleled genius, he would still have to wait another ten years for a chance to compete for that batch of Foundation Establishment Pills.

“What about Foundation Establishment Pills refined from demon beast inner cores?”

Chen Mobai thought of this and continued his inquiry.

“Among the three Foundation Establishment seniors who came to assist, two appeared to be Golden Light Cliff’s Martial Uncles, judging by their sword light. The inner cores from the two peak second-tier demon beasts killed today will likely have one allocated to them. From the remaining core, Martial Uncle Zeng should be able to refine two Foundation Establishment Pills. However, within the sect, there are at least twenty or thirty senior martial brothers and sisters who have accumulated enough contribution points and are queuing behind the twenty-four true disciples.”

As Qi Rui spoke, he let out a slight sigh himself.

He was also aiming for the batch of orthodox Foundation Establishment Pills ten years from now, but even if he reached peak Qi Condensation by then, he might not be able to compete against those more senior martial brothers and sisters.

“Have there never been any exceptions? Like someone guaranteed a Foundation Establishment Pill upon entering the sect?”

“There has been, actually. During the disciple recruitment ten years ago, we acquired a Heavenly Spiritual Root genius from a small sect. Old Ancestor Fu personally emerged from seclusion and bestowed a Foundation Establishment Pill upon them.”