Chapter 239: Chapter 226: Envisioning the Future (Part 2)

If this continued, Fang Yun might be able to perfectly refine Spirit Ascension Pills in two years, or three years at the latest.

"What!"

When Bai Heyan saw the results of Fang Yun’s latest Spirit Ascension Pill refinement, he rubbed his eyes, suspecting he had seen wrong.

A submission of eight Upper-Grade and one Lower-Grade Spirit Ascension Pill.

What did that even mean?

It meant that Fang Yun had refined a batch of Spirit Ascension Pills that were all Upper-Grade.

This situation far exceeded Bai Heyan’s expectations.

Compared to his previous attempts, Fang Yun’s refinement speed for the Spirit Ascension Pills had increased significantly this time.

But since it was Fang Yun, Bai Heyan quickly accepted it.

He smiled happily.

’It’s one thing to have great talent, but this kid’s luck is incredible too.’

When an Alchemy Master refining a batch of pills discovers and resolves a subtle issue, the results for that type of pill can improve dramatically. Clearly, this was what had happened with Fang Yun.

’Maybe because of this, Fang Yun’s Alchemy Talent will even improve.’

Bai Heyan entertained the most optimistic thought. Aside from Spirit Root Talent, which was nearly impossible to improve on one’s own, other talents could be enhanced.

An improvement like this was also known as having an epiphany.

To achieve enlightenment mid-refinement—in the entire history of Celestial Cloud Sect’s Dan Cloud Peak, this had only ever happened to a single Elder of Alchemy.

After finishing all his duties,

Bai Heyan went to Artifact Casting Peak to find Fang Yun.

When he arrived, Fang Yun was in the middle of his cultivation.

When someone arrived outside, the stone door to the cave residence opened, and Fang Yun stopped refining and absorbing the Upper-Grade Spirit Ascension Pill.

"Elder Bai."

"Fang Yun, how far off do you think you are from perfectly refining Spirit Ascension Pills?" Bai Heyan asked as soon as he sat down.

In private, Bai Heyan was less formal when addressing Fang Yun, and Fang Yun had grown accustomed to it.

Fang Yun thought for a moment before answering, "It should be soon. This month or next."

"Good. You’re confident." Bai Heyan nodded. "I thought you were going to say three or four months."

It seemed Fang Yun’s progress with the Spirit Ascension Pills was even better than he had imagined. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"In four or five months, you can stop refining Tier One pills. I’ll arrange for you to refine Cyan Clarity Pills then. There will be a few batches that need to be made around that time."

"I’ll follow your arrangements, Elder Bai," Fang Yun replied.

Refining only Second-Tier pills from then on was naturally better for him; he could also gain more Talent Points from alchemy each month.

The Cyan Clarity Pill was a pill that helped cultivators in the early Foundation Establishment Stage break through to the middle Foundation Establishment Stage.

Currently, there were no Upper-Grade Cyan Clarity Pills in the sect.

’If I want to ensure a stable breakthrough to the middle Foundation Establishment Stage, I’ll need at least two Upper-Grade Cyan Clarity Pills and one Middle-Grade one. Of course, three Upper-Grade pills would be best.’

Even if Bai Heyan hadn’t mentioned refining Cyan Clarity Pills, he would have brought it up himself.

The Cyan Clarity Pill was much harder to refine than the Spirit Ascension Pill. From what Fang Yun understood, even Bai Heyan could only produce a single Upper-Grade Cyan Clarity Pill if he was lucky.

Among the other Elders of Alchemy, only Wan Xuanye had refined Cyan Clarity Pills before.

If he hadn’t reached Foundation Establishment, the next person in line to refine Cyan Clarity Pills would have normally been He Jiawen.

"If the Cyan Clarity Pill refinement goes smoothly, all future batches will probably be handed over to you," Bai Heyan said. He was already wondering if Fang Yun could produce an Upper-Grade Cyan Clarity Pill within thirty batches.

This was crucial for Fang Yun personally, and just as important for the sect.

With higher-quality breakthrough pills, the sect’s Foundation Establishment Elders would have a smoother time advancing their cultivation.

Some elders in the sect were stuck at the peak of the early Foundation Establishment Stage, but even more were stuck at the peak of the middle Foundation Establishment Stage.

Once in the Foundation Establishment Stage, breaking through each minor realm was difficult, even for a cultivator with Dual Spirit Roots.

"Don’t worry, Elder Bai. I’m confident I can refine the Cyan Clarity Pills well," Fang Yun said truthfully.

’My six-star Alchemy Talent is more than enough even for the Core Formation Stage. Refining a mere Cyan Clarity Pill is naturally not a problem.’

’At the early Foundation Establishment Stage, I no longer have a disadvantage in my realm when refining Cyan Clarity Pills. The situation would have been different if I were still at the peak of Qi Refining.’

This conversation between Bai Heyan and Fang Yun wasn’t just about alchemy; it also touched upon their hopes for the sect’s future.

They hoped the changes Fang Yun brought would allow the sect’s Foundation Establishment Elders to break through more smoothly than before.

...

「In an Elder’s cave residence near Battle Peak.」

Two Elders from Battle Peak were talking face-to-face.

As they chatted, their conversation shifted from matters outside the sect to those within it.

"Elder Liu, what pills have you been using to aid your cultivation recently?"

"Upper-Grade Spirit Ascension Pills," replied Elder Liu, who was in the early Foundation Establishment Stage.

"Hahaha, same here. Dan Cloud Pavilion has had a lot more Upper-Grade Spirit Ascension Pills recently. I feel like my Contribution Points are barely enough to keep up."

"Elder Feng, if you’re short on Contribution Points, just use Spirit Stones. It’s not like you can’t buy Upper-Grade Spirit Ascension Pills with them. When Upper-Grade pills are available, you’re not seriously considering using Middle-Grade ones for your cultivation, are you?"

When it came to pills for aiding cultivation, the vast majority of Sect Elders prioritized buying the best available.

They were faster to refine and absorb, provided a greater boost to cultivation, and resulted in lower resistance. Their only drawback was the price.

Fortunately, the Celestial Cloud Sect’s benefits for Elders were quite good. As long as they fulfilled their duties, they could earn a substantial amount of Contribution Points.

"Of course not. The faster I can reach the peak of the early Foundation Establishment Stage, the better. That way, even if I fail to break through to the middle stage, I’ll have more time to adjust and recover."

"I’ve accumulated a lot of Sect Contribution Points. Even three years from now, I can guarantee I’ll have pills to aid my cultivation, as long as Dan Cloud Pavilion has enough Upper-Grade Spirit Ascension Pills."

Elder Liu had been a Sect Elder for nearly thirty years and was still a short distance away from the peak of the early Foundation Establishment Stage.

Elder Feng had reached Foundation Establishment less than ten years ago.

"There should be enough. I heard from Elder He that the main reason Dan Cloud Pavilion has such a large supply of Upper-Grade Spirit Ascension Pills now is because of Elder Fang."

"Elder Fang... Not only is his Alchemy Talent excellent, but his strength is also formidable. It’s just that since reaching Foundation Establishment, he’s not as fearsome as he used to be."

"You’re referring to Elder Fang’s Seven-Aperture Exquisite Body, right?"

"Yes."

Any Elder from Battle Peak had a decent understanding of Fang Yun’s combat prowess.

When Fang Yun was in the Qi Refining Stage, two things had left the deepest impression on them. The first was his record-breaking first-place finish in the Four-Sect Trials. The second was when he killed the Foundation Establishment Vice Sect Leader of the Stone Demon Sect with the help of a Qi Refining Cultivation Clan while on a Guardian mission.

It was worth noting that many Elders of Battle Peak had never even killed a Foundation Establishment Demon.

As they talked about Fang Yun’s strength, the conversation eventually turned to his Artifact Refining.

According to news from the Shen and Xiao Families, the Sect Disciples who had purchased the special Upper-Grade Magical Artifacts refined by Fang Yun had all performed exceptionally well when fighting Demons.

After discussing Artifact Refining, they moved on to his Alchemy.

"I also heard from Elder He that Elder Fang is now responsible for fifty percent of Dan Cloud Peak’s Spirit Ascension Pill refinement tasks. It would be great if all of the Spirit Ascension Pill tasks were handed over to him."

"Are you trying to make Elder Fang give up on his own cultivation?"

"Hahaha, I’m just saying. I didn’t mean it like that."

"Elder Fang can’t just refine Spirit Ascension Pills, either. I know that as an Alchemy Master, one must master the refinement of many different pills to gain enough experience for more difficult ones."

"Elder Liu, do you think that when Elder Fang starts refining Foundation Establishment Pills in the future, our sect will have a surplus of Middle-Grade ones?"

"If that really happens, the reward for first place in the Inner Sect Grand Competition might just become a Middle-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill..."

As their conversation continued, the two Battle Peak Elders began to discuss the sect’s future.

An increase in high-quality Foundation Establishment Pills would inevitably lead to a growth in the number of the sect’s Foundation Establishment Elders.

With a stronger mid-level force, they would have more confidence when facing an invasion from the Celestial Demon Sect.