In the distant Taihao Sect, Wang Yi had just awakened from his meditation.
A Transmission Talisman floated in at the door, and Wang Yi reached out to bring it closer.
"Wang Senior Brother! Please come to the Mountain Gate; someone is looking for you." A man's voice came through the Transmission Talisman.
Wang Yi got up and walked out of his room. His residence was more magnificent than Wang Hong's, with artificial mountains, water features, and bamboo groves in the courtyard.
Among the Qi Cultivation Disciples of Taihao Sect, he enjoyed quite a high level of treatment.
Wang Yi headed towards the Mountain Gate, exchanging greetings with fellow disciples along the way.
Due to excessive consumption of white crystal fruit, his cultivation level had dropped, and he had not yet reached Foundation Building.
As he approached the Mountain Gate reception building, he was surprised to find three Foundation Building cultivators waiting there, which startled him.
"Junior Wang Yi pays respects to the three seniors."
Until he achieved Foundation Building, no matter how talented he was, he had to show respect to Foundation Building cultivators.
The leading Foundation Building cultivator asked curiously, wondering about Wang Yi's identity.
That day, when he was preparing to take on a mission, an additional task popped up, requiring a Foundation Building cultivator to personally deliver a letter to Taihao Sect, with a reward of three thousand contribution points.
Without hesitation, he accepted the task. A trip with almost no danger and a reward of three thousand contribution points such generous opportunities were rare.
After leaving the Mountain Gate with the task, he encountered two fellow disciples. To his surprise, they were all assigned the same mission.
Unaware of the contents of the important letter they were delivering, the fact that three Foundation Building cultivators were simultaneously tasked hinted at the significance of the delivery. Considering the high reward for the mission, they speculated that what they were delivering was anything but ordinary.
This realization turned what they initially thought was an easy task into a cautious journey, fearing unexpected dangers.
Fortunately, the journey was uneventful, and they safely arrived at Taihao Sect.
However, they couldn't relax yet, as the mission required them to bring back a letter. The return journey might still hold potential dangers.
"I am indeed Wang Yi."
Wang Yi took three Jade Boxes from the hands of the three men, dripping a drop of blood onto the seal of each box.
This seal could only be opened by the blood of a specific individual. Anyone else attempting to open it would cause the entire Jade Box, along with its contents, to turn to ashes.
Opening the Jade Box revealed three identical Jade Scrolls inside.
Wang Yi took out three Jade Scrolls from the Jade Boxes and checked them. The contents were identical.
Wang Yi was familiar with his brother's style of handling matters, so he wasn't surprised.
The letter mentioned a Shadow Kill Organization that might pose a threat to him. It advised him to be cautious and preferably not leave the sect.
In front of the three men, Wang Yi imprinted the Jade Scrolls and placed them back into the original Jade Boxes, sealing them with the same symbols.
The three Foundation Building cultivators took the Jade Boxes and carefully returned. After this experience, they would likely develop some inner demons regarding missions with high rewards.
Once they left, Wang Yi suppressed his anger towards the Shadow Kill and went back to seclusion to prepare for breaking through to Foundation Building. Without strength, any plans were futile.
Meanwhile, Wang Hong plucked a Green Spirit Peach and prepared to eat it.
The current Green Spirit Peach was much larger than the one Wang Hong had consumed before, about the size of a fist.
Although it hadn't fully ripened, it was still entirely green, with slightly less fuzz on the surface.
*Crunch!* The Green Spirit Peach was exceptionally crisp, lacking the previous astringency. It tasted much better.
After consuming the entire Green Spirit Peach, a powerful surge of Spiritual Energy rose within him, flowing through his meridians and causing them to throb.
He worked to calm this potent Spiritual Energy, allowing it to gradually settle. The Spiritual Energy in his dantian vortex swirled and expanded continuously.
Soon, Wang Hong broke through the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation, reaching the Tenth Layer. However, the ascent didn't stop there.
His cultivation level continued to rise, reaching the pinnacle of the Qi Cultivation stage, where no further progress was possible.
Wang Hong guided the internal Spiritual Energy to impact a few more times, but there was no effect.
This was the bottleneck between Qi Cultivation and Foundation Building, an obstacle that ordinary cultivators couldn't break through on their own.
Perhaps mature Green Spirit Peaches had this effect, but waiting for them to ripen was an uncertain timeframe.
He planned to consume more white crystal fruit in the coming days to purify his internal Spiritual Energy further.
Then, he would prepare for Foundation Building quietly. After succeeding, he intended to conceal his cultivation level, appearing as if he were still at the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation.
This had to be discreet; no information should leak. Also, the sect's Foundation Establishment Pills hadn't been refined yet, so he couldn't exchange them.
Thinking ahead, he considered refining the Foundation Establishment Pill himself before the sect distributed them. This way, he could better conceal his cultivation level.
When necessary, he could exchange a few Foundation Establishment Pills from the sect, feigning another breakthrough.
This approach could deceive enemies, making them think he was still at the Qi Cultivation stage. Then, he could catch them off guard.
Given the strength of his adversaries, revealing his Foundation Building status might lead to powerful opponents being sent after him.
Deciding on this course of action, Wang Hong, due to the scarcity of the main Medicinal Herbs for the Foundation Establishment Pill, which he cultivated later, had not reached maturity.
The Foundation Establishment Pill belonged to the second tier of Elixirs. He needed to familiarize himself with the refinement of second-tier Elixirs, as the previously refined Golden Body Pill was only close to the second tier, not a true representation.
He chose to practice with refining the Nourishing Essence Pill, a second-tier Elixir commonly used by Foundation Building cultivators to enhance their cultivation levels.
The primary ingredient, the second-tier Essence Nurturing Grass, took at least a hundred and fifty years to mature, and locations suitable for its growth were limited.
This scarcity led to a continuous rise in prices over the years, from a few dozen Spirit Stones per pill a thousand years ago to two or three hundred Spirit Stones per pill today.
Many Foundation Building cultivators complained about being unable to afford it, and some cultivators even specialized in manipulating the prices of Nourishing Essence Pills.
They bought large quantities when the prices were low and sold them when the prices were high.
In fact, the prices of second-tier and higher Elixirs had been rising continuously. Due to the scarcity of elixirs, wealthy cultivators were willing to spend more Spirit Stones to acquire them.
Today, someone offered five Spirit Stones, tomorrow someone else offered six, and if the demand persisted, prices would keep rising. This made elixirs unaffordable for most cultivators while allowing the wealthy ones to purchase the needed elixirs with Spirit Stones.
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