Chapter 31: The Foundation Establishment Pill Is Formed

The inheritance of the second-tier alchemist that Yan Qingwan obtained years ago was not particularly profound. However, much like the legacy of Master Mo, Li Ji’an had used it as a foundation, optimizing and improving upon it significantly. Ever since his fire spirit recovered to its prime, reaching a level comparable to a second-tier alchemical flame, he had conducted numerous trials and refinements. He had even simulated the Foundation Establishment Pill refining process many times within his sea of consciousness. Although this was his first real attempt, he felt no sense of unfamiliarity.

Li Ji’an sat cross-legged, holding his breath and focusing his mind. He unleashed the power of the fire spirit, and as the original spirit flame emerged beneath the alchemy furnace, Li Ji’an proceeded methodically: adding medicinal materials in sequence, adjusting temperatures, controlling spiritual pressure, and refining the essences of the herbs. By the time half a day had passed, all the auxiliary herbs had been fully refined, their essences extracted. This was nearly twice as fast as recorded in the ancient texts or what Li Ji’an had anticipated.

The refining of herbal essence primarily relies on the power of the alchemical flame and the practitioner's control technique. Typically, a standard second-tier alchemical flame requires at least a full day to refine such auxiliary herbs. Moreover, the longer the process takes, the greater the risk of losing the essence, which is why insufficient alchemical flame prevents the creation of second-tier pills and compromises the quality of the final product. This step brought Li Ji’an a pleasant surprise; the reduction in time meant that the essence of these auxiliary herbs was almost entirely preserved, which would be of great help in the subsequent smelting of the main medicinal essence into a pill.

"The power of Little Fire's spirit flame is significantly stronger than the heavenly spirit flames recorded in the texts!" he thought with great delight. Filled with high expectations, he added the most crucial main ingredient: half a stalk of Nine-Star Fuling. As a second-tier primary ingredient, a standard second-tier alchemical flame would typically take nearly two days to extract its essence. After another half day, the primary ingredient was initially refined, its medicinal properties fully activated; it only awaited another half day of concentration before proceeding to the next stage of smelting.

Meanwhile, outside the neighboring cave dwelling, three men were beaming with joy. Through the projection, they could clearly see Master Zou had finished refining all the auxiliary materials and was now beginning to add the main ingredient. "Master Zou is truly experienced; every step is performed with such ease," one said. "It is still half an incense stick away from a full day, and Master Zou’s skills have clearly improved once again," the two pill-seekers remarked with smiles.

Xie Gui also shared in the pride. "Haha, you two are truly fortunate. To be honest, my master recently refined a fire-attributed heavenly treasure, and his alchemical flame has indeed grown three parts stronger. There is almost nothing to worry about this time."

"Heaven be praised, heaven be praised," the two pill-seekers rejoiced. They were core descendants of two long-allied Foundation Establishment families from the southwest of Jinhuang Immortal City. After twenty years of accumulation, they had pooled their resources to gather materials for a Foundation Establishment Pill. They didn't ask for a miracle; they only hoped for one low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill each to secure the future of their families for the next few centuries.

Xie Gui nodded with a smile, then glanced toward Li Ji’an’s neighboring cave. Having shared the same ranking list for over a decade, he had specifically looked into Li Ji’an. In the first few years, he hadn't cared, thinking that given the man's age, how good could the alchemy of a lone rogue cultivator be without decades of immersion? He assumed it was likely just hype from the Jiuding Chamber of Commerce. However, after several cycles of the Alchemist Rankings, he noticed that the clients who used to buy pills from him privately were drifting away, eventually finding that many had become Li Ji’an’s customers. Upon inquiry, he learned that many clients felt Li Ji’an’s pills were superior to his own. He disagreed, believing that Li Ji’an only possessed a reputation equal to his own because of his youth, and that others simply saw more "potential" in him. He firmly refused to believe that Li Ji’an’s skills surpassed his. Meeting him today, hearing that he wanted to refine a top-grade pill, only confirmed his master's teaching: the young man was being overly ambitious. After decades of deep cultivation in alchemy, even he had never dared to dream of refining a top-grade pill. Sensing nothing unusual above Li Ji’an’s cave, Xie Gui shook his head and ceased to pay attention.

—

"The most critical step!" After another half day, Li Ji’an’s expression was solemn. His divine sense was entirely focused within the furnace, carefully sensing the fusion of the herbal essences. This was the most vital stage, requiring not only overall adjustments to the alchemical flame based on the state of the essences but also localized temperature control based on the subtle differences in the positioning of the various herbs. It was almost as if he were instantly dividing the flame into several parts, with each part releasing different levels of power depending on the heat tolerance of each essence.

Furthermore, the spiritual pressure and humidity within the furnace required precise control, adjusted in real time according to the fusion of the essences. Divine sense was crucial here; if it were insufficient, any failure to detect changes would lead to total failure. Likewise, the quality of the furnace played a key role; its precise sensitivity greatly reduced the difficulty of the alchemist's control.

An hour later, all the herbal essences were successfully merged into one. With the most critical step completed, the success of the pill was theoretically determined. Clearly, it was inevitable that Li Ji’an’s first batch of Foundation Establishment Pills would be successful; the only question remained the quantity and quality.

An hour later, under the influence of the spiritual pressure, the medicinal liquid in the furnace slowly rose, gradually being squeezed and gathered into a sphere. For his first attempt, Li Ji’an did not ask for too much. He did not seek a high quantity or perfect quality; he simply chose the core medicinal liquid, discarding the peripheral liquid that might harbor impurities.

"Boom!" Half an hour later, the spiritual pressure collided, emitting a soft sound. This signaled that the batch was a success. Taking a deep breath, Li Ji’an opened the furnace and used his magical power to lift a milky-white, perfectly round pill, almost devoid of impurities, before his eyes.

"This is the Foundation Establishment Pill that ninety percent of the cultivation world dreams of but can never obtain." After a brief inspection, he put it away, consumed a Spirit-Replenishing Pill and a Qi-Replenishing Pill, and began to meditate to recover. At the same time, he used his magical power to nourish the fire spirit in his dantian. Fortunately, the fire spirit was still lively; for it, the power of the flame just now was normal—the real difficulty lay in Li Ji’an’s precise control.

"I was a bit too conservative. The discarded essence was enough to condense another one," he thought after a while, once his spirit and power had recovered, feeling a tinge of regret. However, he did not dwell on it; after all, for a first attempt, successfully creating a genuine pill was already a victory. Soon, Li Ji’an communicated with the fire spirit again and immediately began the second batch.

"This time, I will exert my full strength and release more of the original spiritual essence."

Ordinary alchemists, relying solely on their own internal flames, would exhaust their dantian's magical power entirely during a single refinement of a Foundation Establishment Pill, often needing to consume Qi-Replenishing Pills halfway through. Furthermore, the more difficult the pill, the greater the toll on the soul. But because Li Ji’an used a spirit flame, his own power consumption was minimal. As long as the fire spirit was not over-taxed, he could continue refining immediately. Regarding his soul, because of the high precision of the furnace, the consumption was even less than when he used a first-tier mid-grade furnace for lesser pills; having taken a Spirit-Replenishing Pill, he remained in peak condition. Of course, the most critical factor was that the Nine-Star Fuling had been cut in half, and if it were not used immediately, the medicinal efficacy would be lost.

This time, despite the environment being almost identical to the first—and even less favorable since the main ingredient had been cut open half a day prior—his mindset was completely different. Having already secured one genuine Foundation Establishment Pill, he felt no pressure.

A day and a half later, the three people outside Master Zou’s cave were tense. "Master Xie, this... it has been three days, why is Master Zou still..." one ventured. Xie Gui’s eyelids twitched; under normal circumstances, the pill should have been finished an hour ago. "Could it be..."

"Pah, pah, pah! Don’t talk nonsense, we should trust Master Zou," another interrupted nervously. Xie Gui was suspicious for a moment, but after careful observation, his eyes suddenly lit up. "This is... could it be that Master is aiming for a higher grade?"

Master Zou had been refining Foundation Establishment Pills for over fifty years, always playing it safe to ensure the quantity. In recent years, he had become stable, producing two low-grade pills per batch, occasionally three if luck favored him. But he had never produced a mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. With his alchemical flame now improved, he was likely aiming for a mid-grade one. This filled Xie Gui with frantic joy. If Master Zou succeeded, his own reputation as a disciple would naturally soar.

While rejoicing, his peripheral vision caught the neighboring cave. "What is that brat refining? How has he not finished after three days?"

"Clang!" At that moment, a metallic ringing sound echoed. Suddenly, Xie Gui felt the surrounding spiritual energy surge violently. "This is... it’s done!"

Not just Xie Gui, but the two pill-seekers were suddenly energized. Although the ringing was short, it was the famous sound of a "heaven-resonant cauldron" in the cultivation world. Only a top-tier first-tier pill or a high-grade second-tier pill could produce such a resonance. However, top-grade pills were incredibly rare; most such sounds were produced by second-tier pills.

"How is this possible? Could Master have refined a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill?" Xie Gui was shocked. The other two pill-seekers turned pale. They had only sought two low-grade pills to split between them, based on their knowledge of Master Zou’s skills. If a high-grade pill were produced, there would only be one, as higher quality inevitably sacrificed quantity. It was a consensus in the cultivation world that while two mid-grade pills might appear, anything above that would only yield one.

Initially ecstatic, the two men then looked at each other with suspicion. The Foundation Establishment stage was a matter of one’s path to immortality; failing meant an eternal farewell to the immortal path. An extra percentage of success meant another hope for immortality. Who wouldn't want a higher-quality pill?

"Wait, no, Master hasn't opened the furnace yet!" Xie Gui noticed that in the projection, his master was still at the final stage of condensing the pill. The tension between the two seekers instantly dissipated. All three looked toward Li Ji’an’s cave at the same time.

"Did he actually refine a top-grade pill?" Xie Gui had a look of disbelief. If word spread that Li Ji’an had refined a top-grade pill, he would surely take first place in the next Alchemist Ranking, even if he had a second-tier alchemist as a backer.

"Boom!" Just then, a soft sound came from the projection. Master Zou’s batch was finished. Moments later, Master Zou finished his meditation and slowly walked out.

"Hahaha, congratulations to Master Zou for reaching a new level of artistry and refining a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. Truly a joyous occasion!" As soon as Master Zou exited, congratulatory words came from nearby. More influential cultivators from the inner city, drawn by the surge of energy and the resonance, gathered around. They had arrived earlier but waited at a distance to avoid disturbing him.

"Hmm?" Master Zou looked at the crowd, bewildered. "Thank you, Steward Qi, thank you all, but... why do you say that?"

Seeing his expression, the crowd joked, "Does Master Zou wish to remain modest? The sound of the cauldron resonated with heaven and earth, and the spiritual energy surged—you cannot hide that from us."

"Resonated with heaven and earth? Spiritual energy surge? Did that happen?" Master Zou was even more confused, then looked at his disciple Xie Gui and the two pill-seekers. The three looked at the seniors, wanting to speak but hesitating. Xie Gui’s face flushed red as he kept glancing at Li Ji’an’s cave, not knowing how to speak.

"Are you all mute? Xie Gui, tell me, was there really a cauldron resonance?" Master Zou grew anxious. He had indeed wanted to aim for a higher quality today, which had taken more time. But he had eventually played it safe, sticking to two low-grade pills. Hearing about the resonance, he felt deep regret.

"Reporting to Master, and to all the seniors, there was indeed a resonance, but... it was not from Master’s cave, it was from Alchemist Li’s," Xie Gui said, gathering his courage.

"What? That boy..." Master Zou finally understood why everyone had gathered and stared at Li Ji’s cave.

"Alchemist Li? In this city, I didn't know there was a quasi-Alchemist King capable of refining high-grade Foundation Establishment Pills!" someone exclaimed, having never followed the rankings of first-tier alchemists.

"I remember Little Li is a first-tier alchemist, right? How could he produce a resonance... could it be he refined a top-grade first-tier pill?" the City Lord’s steward knew of Li Ji’an.

"Someone in the Immortal City refined a top-grade pill? I must see this today!"

"A top-grade pill requires heavenly spirit energy to descend; to refine one requires great fortune!"

Thinking it was a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, the situation had suddenly shifted, and they now concluded it was a first-tier top-grade pill. Although less valuable than a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, it still excited the inner-city cultivators.

Inside the cave, Li Ji’an dispelled the isolation array. Feeling the situation outside, his brow furrowed. Gaining a little fame in the rankings wouldn't have been a problem, as most followers were rogue cultivators who would be long gone by the time he "rejuvenated" in his next life. But attracting the widespread attention of Foundation Establishment-level cultivators was disastrous for his plans. At the very least, his hope of "rejuvenating" within this city had been completely extinguished. Most importantly, once this Foundation Establishment Pill in his hand was revealed, he could not guarantee he would be able to keep it!

"I underestimated the power of the heavenly holy spirit. It is not even on the same level as the heavenly spirit flames recorded in the texts!"