Chapter 246: Chapter 230: Celestial Cloud’s Upper Echelons

"Isn’t that Elder Fang?"

On his way back to his cave abode on Artifact Casting Peak, Fang Yun heard a voice and stopped mid-air, looking toward the sound.

Not far off, a chubby elder was flying toward him. The smile on his face made him seem quite approachable.

"Elder Zheng." Fang Yun recognized him at a glance, even though they had never met.

This was Zheng Xiaotian, the only elder Fang Yun had looked into after his own Foundation Establishment.

It wasn’t because Zheng Xiaotian was particularly powerful, but because, like Fang Yun, he also possessed Five Spirit Roots and had used a Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill to reach the Foundation Establishment stage.

Zheng Xiaotian had only been able to use a Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill because of his grandfather, Zheng Wuji—the youngest Supreme Elder in the Celestial Cloud Sect.

"It really is Elder Fang," Zheng Xiaotian said, his smile unwavering. "I’ve been wanting to meet you ever since I heard you’d reached Foundation Establishment. But my grandfather said you were extremely busy, so I never sought you out."

Looking at Fang Yun, Zheng Xiaotian felt a sense of kinship.

They were both Five Spirit Roots cultivators.

Perhaps that was the source of the feeling.

"I have been pretty busy," Fang Yun nodded.

His schedule was packed to the brim. Although he had already broken through to Foundation Establishment and completed his initial development, he couldn’t afford to stop growing.

The area surrounding the sect was far from safe. If the sect was to grow and expand in the future, these peripheral problems had to be solved.

"I’m not like that. I don’t have many talents," Zheng Xiaotian said, scratching his head in embarrassment.

"Don’t sell yourself short, Elder Zheng. I’ve heard you keep the Task Hall running in perfect order."

"That’s not entirely my accomplishment."

Fang Yun wondered if he was imagining things, but it seemed Zheng Xiaotian had very low self-esteem and thought little of himself.

’Why would the grandson of a Supreme Elder feel this way?’

Fang Yun couldn’t quite understand it. ’If I’d been born a Supreme Elder’s grandson, my nose would probably be pointing at the sky by now.’

"The Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill I used for my breakthrough was something my grandfather fought to get for me. It’s not like you, Elder Fang. You earned yours through your own strength."

Fang Yun didn’t like the sound of that. It seemed a bit passive-aggressive.

If his senses hadn’t told him Zheng Xiaotian held no malicious intent, he would have assumed the man had said it deliberately. It was just too easy to misinterpret.

But since there was no malice, Zheng Xiaotian was most likely being sincere—which aligned with his earlier suspicions.

Fang Yun felt like he was starting to understand.

"Elder Zheng, in my view, there’s no difference between the two. Whether it’s talent or background, I believe they are both a form of strength. We both relied on our strength to obtain a Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill."

"Elder Fang, you really think so?" Zheng Xiaotian stared at Fang Yun, incredulous.

"Is that so strange?"

"It’s... different from what the other elders think."

At that moment, unpleasant memories flashed through Zheng Xiaotian’s mind.

Though some elders never said anything to his face, he knew they gossiped behind his back about him receiving the sect’s only Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, acting as if giving it to him had been a waste.

"It’s normal for every elder to have a different opinion. If they disagree with you and you can’t get through to them, just don’t interact with them as much." Fang Yun was speaking from the heart; this was his approach to everything. "Besides, it’s not like you took the Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill and failed to reach Foundation Establishment."

"Hahaha, you have a point, Elder Fang."

The two of them chatted for a while.

Although Zheng Xiaotian looked as if he hadn’t had his fill of conversation, he didn’t take up too much more of Fang Yun’s time.

Finally, Fang Yun asked one last thing.

"Elder Zheng, are you heading to Dan Cloud Pavilion now?"

"That’s right." Zheng Xiaotian smiled and nodded. "The Middle-Grade Cyan Clarity Pills I ordered are ready. I’m on my way to pick them up."

"With our aptitude as Five Spirit Roots cultivators, Upper-Grade Cyan Clarity Pills would be better."

"You make it sound so easy, Elder Fang..."

’Are Upper-Grade Cyan Clarity Pills really so easy to refine?’

But after a moment’s thought, he held his tongue.

"The Middle-Grade Cyan Clarity Pills you’re on your way to pick up were just refined by me. It was only my second batch of Cyan Clarity Pills."

"What!"

The smile on Zheng Xiaotian’s face completely transformed into shock, giving him an expression nearly identical to Elder Bai Heyan’s.

"I knew you had great Alchemy Talent, Elder Fang, but I never imagined it was this incredible." After recovering from his shock, Zheng Xiaotian spoke his honest thoughts.

"Haha, you’ll see more as you get to know me," Fang Yun replied.

"Right." Zheng Xiaotian nodded furiously. "In that case, I won’t buy the Middle-Grade Cyan Clarity Pills. I’ll just wait and use the upper-grade ones."

He had previously failed to break through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage while using Middle-Grade Cyan Clarity Pills.

Now that he had recovered, he was ready to make another attempt.

’With Fang Yun’s Alchemy Talent,’ he thought, ’it probably won’t be long before I can use Upper-Grade Cyan Clarity Pills for my next breakthrough attempt.’

Even though he was no longer buying the Middle-Grade Cyan Clarity Pills, Zheng Xiaotian still needed to make a trip to Dan Cloud Pavilion.

And with that, the two formally parted ways.

The main reason Fang Yun had chatted with Zheng Xiaotian for so long was a prompt he had received from a light screen.

The prompt had appeared during their conversation, triggered at the moment Zheng Xiaotian brought up the Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills.

Zheng Xiaotian’s indirect influence on him was limited on its own. However, if Zheng Xiaotian were to ask his grandfather, Zheng Wuji, for help on his behalf, the situation would be entirely different.

After this latest increase, his influence within the sect had now reached 58%.

This was a pleasant surprise for Fang Yun.

Zheng Xiaotian was in high spirits as he continued on his way to Dan Cloud Pavilion.

He had been a sensitive person since childhood, and with years of experience, he had become quite good at judging whether someone was speaking from the heart or just putting on an act.