「Three months later.」
The chaos in the Black Mountain Range had finally subsided. Thanks to the Qingfeng Sect's decisive action, the Tribulation Cultivators who had taken advantage of the turmoil were almost entirely swept away, and the region returned to its former peace.
But healing the wounds of this conflict would likely take twenty to thirty years.
This was palpable in the sudden drop in foot traffic at the Market run by the Qingfeng Sect itself.
According to unofficial counts, only a little over twenty well-established Cultivation Families remained in the entire Black Mountain Range.
As for the ones that had vanished, some were completely slaughtered by Ghost Spirit Sect Cultivators. Others had their Clan Leaders return to find their Clans decimated, with only a handful of survivors left. In some cases, a Clan's most important Cultivator had died in battle; when a tree falls, the monkeys scatter, and they were left unable to hold onto their Spirit Land. For various reasons, these remnants either became Loose Cultivators or joined the Top Five Families as Honored Guest Elders, causing many Clan names to disappear overnight.
For a time, a number of ownerless Spirit Veins appeared in the Black Mountain Range. Many Loose Cultivators seized the opportunity, gathering in small groups to occupy the vacant peaks.
The Bai Family's revenue relied mainly on Spirit Plants and Spirit Rice, so losing a few peaks didn't have a devastating impact. However, many bamboo forests and Spirit Fields were now left untended, and it was predictable that the Clan's income would drop sharply in the coming year.
In these gloomy times, the only good news was the Clan Leader's announcement three months prior: he was giving out nine Barrier-Breaking Pills as a reward to the clansmen who had returned from the Five Mountains Temple.
He also announced that a new Clan system was under consideration, which would allocate more Cultivation Resources to the younger generation of Cultivators to help them mature faster.
The Barrier-Breaking Pill was practically a Divine Pill for the Qi Refining Stage, with the miraculous effect of agitating one's Magical Power to loosen the bottlenecks for both the Mid-Stage and Late-Stage Qi Refining realms. Naturally, its price was terrifyingly high, costing one hundred fifty Spirit Stones per pill.
Over the past three months, after a brief period of recovery, the clansmen who received the pills took them one after another and attempted to break through to the Late-Stage Qi Refining.
As of yesterday, the results were two successes and six failures.
Bai Zichen glanced at the still and silent main chamber, sighed, then grabbed his bag and headed toward the study hall.
The last person remaining was Bai Jiu'an.
After receiving the Barrier-Breaking Pill, he hadn't been in a rush to take it. He continued his routine as usual, honing his Magical Power.
When people asked, he would say that he felt a thread of his Magical Power had yet to reach Perfection. Then, three days ago, he suddenly announced he was entering seclusion to break through to the Late-Stage Qi Refining, and he had been inside ever since.
Bai Zichen stepped out into his courtyard. Though small, it was fully equipped with a main chamber, side rooms, a Quiet Chamber, a living room, and a storage room. A newly transplanted peach tree stood in the center.
He found the mountain Cave Mansions to be too cold and gloomy, so he had chosen one of the courtyards built in a row beside the study hall and moved in.
Bai Jiu'an had no objections and let him do as he wished.
Living near the study hall made it convenient for Bai Zichen to spend a great deal of time reading every day. Of course, texts on Magic or Cultivation Techniques weren't kept here. The shelves were filled with miscellaneous books on topics like local customs, folklore, and biographies. However, they contained many fascinating tales and strange events from the surrounding prefectures, and he read them with great relish.
'I'll just treat them like fantasy novels,' he thought. 'It's a good way to broaden my horizons, too.'
"Yesterday I read the 'Atlas of Mizhou's Landscapes.' Today I'll check out something else."
"In the center of Liang Country, atop Qii Mountain, lies the Nascent Soul Sect, the Holy Lotus Sect..."
"Nascent Soul Cultivators live for a thousand years, witnessing the rise and fall of entire dynasties. The histories of many Sects are shorter than the lifespan of a single Nascent Soul True Monarch. From its founding ancestor to the present day, the Holy Lotus Sect has produced five Nascent Soul True Monarchs, making it the undisputed number one Sect in Liang Country."
"So, in Ancient Times, there was no such Divine Pill as the Foundation Establishment Pill. All Cultivators had to rely on their own accumulated Magical Power to forcefully break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage. Not only was the success rate abysmal, but failure meant their meridians would be destroyed, leaving them crippled for life. The Foundation Establishment Pill doesn't just increase the chance of success by thirty percent; it also protects the user's meridians, ensuring their Realm remains stable even in failure. No wonder it's hailed as the greatest Pill Formula of the last ten thousand years!"
Bai Zichen stretched. Before he knew it, it was already noon. He placed the book back in its spot on the shelf, his stomach already starting to rumble.
'The best thing about Hanxiu Peak is that they hired several cooks who prepare three meals a day. You can get food whenever you want. And the variety of dishes is incredible—I've been eating here for over a month and haven't had the same thing twice. I'm finally enjoying the perks of being a Cultivator.'
Bai Zichen picked up a food container and returned to his courtyard. Just as he set it down and was about to eat, he felt the surrounding Spiritual Power surge and rush toward the main chamber.
'Uncle is coming out of seclusion...'
His face filled with anticipation. If Bai Jiu'an took this step successfully, he would still have a slim chance of pursuing the Foundation Establishment Path. If he failed, he would run out of time.
A mere eight years was not enough time to go from the Qi Refining Sixth Layer to the Qi Refining Great Perfection, and the Clan would not invest more of its resources in a failure.
CREAK. The door was pushed open, and Bai Jiu'an strode out, an uncontrollable smile breaking across his normally composed face.
Bai Zichen understood at once. He cupped his fists in salute and said, "Congratulations, Uncle, on advancing to the Late-Stage Qi Refining! The Foundation Establishment Path is now within reach."
Having just broken through, Bai Jiu'an's presence was overwhelming. He walked with a powerful, confident stride. "I wouldn't dare dream of Foundation Establishment, but at least our lives will be a little easier from now on."
"Chenn'er, your aptitude is far superior to mine. From now on, I'll focus on accumulating Clan contribution points. With our combined efforts, we can exchange them for a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object. Who knows, you might even succeed at Foundation Establishment in one fell swoop!"
The Foundation Establishment Pill was the ultimate dream of every Qi Refining Stage Cultivator, but in all of Black Mountain County, only the Qingfeng Sect had the ability to refine it. The pills were not only scarce but also sold at an astronomical price.
The next best option was one of the few Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects, which could increase the chances of a successful breakthrough by roughly ten to fifteen percent and were worth several thousand Spirit Stones.
If two Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators saved for several decades, such a sum was not entirely unattainable.
This was precisely Bai Jiu'an's plan: to sacrifice the rest of his life, toiling for Bai Zichen's sake, in order to secure a slim chance for him to reach Foundation Establishment.
This was the reality for many Qi Refining Clans. Several generations would toil for a single, exceptionally talented junior, with even white-haired elders still struggling to accumulate Cultivation Resources for them.
Success meant the carp had leaped the Dragon Gate, and they would become a Foundation Establishment Clan. Failure meant they would be instantly set back to where they started, wasting decades of the Clan's accumulated wealth.
Bai Zichen was deeply moved, having never expected his uncle to harbor such thoughts.
Bai Jiu'an reported his advancement to the Late-Stage Qi Refining that very day. Upon hearing the news, the Clan Leader, Bai Xianzhong, personally met with him the next day to grant him the benefits afforded to Late-Stage Qi Refining clansmen.
These included a Low-Tier storage bag, an annual stipend of twenty Spirit Stones—which was paid in full, even though the year was more than half over—and the right to choose one Mid-Grade Magical Artifact from the Artifact Refining Hall for free.
There was also a recently updated Clan policy: any member who broke through to the Late-Stage Qi Refining before the age of fifty would receive an additional Purple Ginseng Pill.
The Purple Ginseng Pill was a Tier One Top-Grade Spiritual Pill, one of the few elixirs that could even advance the Cultivation of a Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator. This policy was naturally intended to motivate all clansmen who had not yet reached the age where their vitality would begin to decline, encouraging them not to give up hope but to continue improving their Cultivation and strive for Foundation Establishment.
After all, if the Bai Family truly wanted to endure, a Foundation Establishment Stage Great Cultivator was the only true foundation.