The end of the year was approaching. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Fang Yun was refining and absorbing the last Upper-Grade Qi Enhancement Pill.

Only when his Qi Sea could no longer hold another sliver of Spiritual Power did he stop cultivating, expelling the remaining medicinal potency of the Upper-Grade Qi Enhancement Pill from his body.

’I’ve finally reached the true Peak of Qi Refining.’

After finishing his cultivation, Fang Yun exhaled a breath of turbid air and felt a sense of complete comfort.

He checked his Storage Pouch.

He now had a total of seven Upper-Grade Qi Enhancement Pills left.

He always made his estimates on the high side.

Ever since he had Elder Bai Heyan revert his Qi Enhancement Pill refining tasks back to normal, he hadn’t received a single new Upper-Grade Qi Enhancement Pill.

Tasks for refining Qi Enhancement Pills had started to decrease around this time. An increase in Second-Tier alchemy tasks only partially compensated for this; the gap was mainly filled by refining other Tier One pills used by cultivators in the late Qi Refining Stage.

Among the Tier One pills, he could now perfectly refine eight different types.

His refining of the Qi Condensing Pill was still a little short of perfection. Even after he broke through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, there would surely still be tasks for difficult-to-refine Tier One pills like this one.

’No time to waste. I’ll go find Master.’

Getting up, Fang Yun quickly left his residence.

He had long since made all the necessary preparations. Having cultivated to the peak of the Qi Refining Tenth Layer, he could theoretically begin his secluded cultivation for Foundation Establishment.

「Artifact Casting Peak.」

The Management Elder’s cave residence.

A knock sounded, the stone door opened, and Fang Yun entered.

"Master, I am ready to attempt Foundation Establishment." Upon entering, Fang Yun quickly stated his purpose to his master, Xiong Xingfeng.

It was essential to inform his master that he was about to enter seclusion for Foundation Establishment.

Before preparing for his seclusion, he hadn’t accepted any alchemy tasks from Dan Cloud Peak. Otherwise, he would have had to complete them before he could begin.

"Are you truly ready?" Xiong Xingfeng asked, looking at Fang Yun.

Foundation Establishment is crucial, but it’s also dangerous.

Especially when attempting Foundation Establishment without any aids. A failure could have severe consequences, even leading to one’s death and the dissipation of their Dao.

To aid his Foundation Establishment, Fang Yun had not only a Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill but also a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object, the Celestial Wood Spirit Leaf. Even without the leaf, the pill’s protection ensured that if Fang Yun failed, he would still advance to the Half-Step Foundation Establishment realm.

Such was the allure of a Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.

Therefore, Xiong Xingfeng wasn’t worried about Fang Yun’s safety. He only hoped that the well-prepared Fang Yun could successfully achieve Foundation Establishment and become an Elder of the sect.

To his master Xiong Xingfeng’s question, Fang Yun naturally gave a very affirmative answer.

"Very good. Let’s go to the Main Peak together."

"Mm."

「Cloud Summit, the Main Peak of the Celestial Cloud Sect.」

This was where the Supreme Elders and the Sect Leader resided. Meetings that required the coordination of elders from multiple departments were also held here.

On the mountainside of Cloud Summit, there were seclusion chambers for Inner Sect Disciples attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

As long as a disciple reached the peak of the Qi Refining Tenth Layer and had a chance of breaking through, they would receive a discount for these seclusion chambers.

The discount was only offered once. A second time would be at a different price.

When Xiong Xingfeng arrived with Fang Yun, the Steward on duty immediately snapped to attention.

Managing the registration for the seclusion chambers was definitely a relaxed job, as Inner Sect Disciples who needed to use them didn’t appear very often.

"Elder Xiong." The Steward bowed to Xiong Xingfeng.

"Register my disciple. He needs to enter seclusion for Foundation Establishment."

"Yes, Elder."

Fang Yun stepped forward and handed over his Identity Token.

Using a seclusion chamber cost five hundred Sect Contribution Points.

This was a one-time fee, regardless of whether your breakthrough attempt was long or short.

"Thank you for your trouble, Steward."

"It is my duty. Fang Yun, follow me."

After finishing the registration, the Steward led Fang Yun to one of the seclusion chambers.

The space inside the chamber wasn’t large, but the Spiritual Qi was exceptionally dense.

The high concentration of ambient Spiritual Qi was beneficial for increasing the success rate of Foundation Establishment.

After the door closed, Fang Yun sensed the concentration of Spiritual Qi in the chamber. The density here could increase his chances of success by twenty percent. To be able to use such a place for a mere five hundred Sect Contribution Points was an absolute bargain.

However, only a power at the Core Formation level or above could provide such a seclusion chamber.

Fang Yun sat cross-legged on the Jade Mat. A cool sensation spread from beneath him, and his mind immediately began to calm.

This was the effect of the Jade Mat, and also the main property of the material used to make it.

Although it couldn’t directly increase a disciple’s chance of success, it did have an indirect, beneficial effect.

He swallowed three Upper-Grade Grain Avoidance Pills.

One Upper-Grade Grain Avoidance Pill could keep a Cultivator from feeling hungry for ten days.

Unlike breakthroughs within the Qi Refining Stage, advancing from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment took a very long time—from half a month at the least to a full month at most.

If one had not succeeded in establishing their foundation after a month, it was basically a declaration of failure.

Fang Yun took out the Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill and the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object, the Celestial Wood Spirit Leaf.

For breakthroughs within a major realm, auxiliary items are usually used at the most critical moment to help one charge through the bottleneck.

However, crossing into a new major realm was a different matter.

Before beginning his attempt to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, Fang Yun had to swallow the Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill and hold the Celestial Wood Spirit Leaf in his mouth. This was the proper way to use the Celestial Wood Spirit Leaf to aid in Foundation Establishment.