Chapter 27: Collecting Foundation Establishment Spirit Medicines

Fang Hao had just returned from the market, carrying three stalks of hundred-year-old Purple Cloud Ginseng he had finally managed to trade for, and was in a good mood. He had already collected more than half of the Spirit Medicines on the foundation establishment pill Formula; although a few main ingredients were still missing, he had finally made some progress.

As soon as he returned to Courtyard 27 of District D, he saw a youth in brocade clothes blocking the entrance with an arrogant expression. Fang Hao recognized this person as Zhao Ping, an Inner Sect Disciple with a Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivation. It was said that he was close to Bao Zhijian, the number one on the Inner Sect’s dragon ranking.

"You’re Fang Hao, right?" Zhao Ping eyed him sideways, his tone contemptuous. "Senior Brother Bao asked me to give you a message."

Fang Hao’s heart stirred, but his face remained calm. "What message?"

"Stay away from Senior Sister Liang," Zhao Ping sneered. "A mere Outer Sect Disciple shouldn’t be a toad wanting to eat swan meat. If Senior Brother Bao sees you approaching Senior Sister Liang again, you’ll have to bear the consequences."

Fang Hao frowned slightly. He hadn’t expected Bao Zhijian to be so overbearing, nor did he expect the news of him and Liang Ling exploring the ruins together to reach his ears so quickly.

"Senior Sister Liang and I only share a fellow disciple friendship and explored the ruins together," Fang Hao said indifferently. "Senior Brother Bao is overthinking things."

Zhao Ping scoffed. "Fellow disciple friendship? You’re not worthy! Let me tell you, Senior Brother Bao and Senior Sister Liang are a match made in heaven. A piece of trash from a servant background like you should have some self-awareness!"

Fang Hao’s gaze turned slightly cold. "If I remember correctly, the Sect has no regulation stating that an Outer Sect Disciple cannot associate with an Inner Sect Disciple. Senior Brother Bao’s reach is a bit too long."

Zhao Ping’s face darkened. "Refusing the easy way only to take the hard way! Senior Brother Bao is the number one on the dragon ranking, a Late Foundation Establishment Stage expert! Crushing you is as easy as crushing an ant!"

Fang Hao remained unmoved. "If there’s nothing else, please leave. I still need to Cultivate."

Seeing that Fang Hao refused to listen to reason, Zhao Ping became fly into a rage. "Fine! Fine! You just wait! You’ll get what’s coming to you!" With that, he flicked his sleeves and left.

Zhu Pang poked his head out from the room and said worriedly, "Fang Hao, did you offend Bao Zhijian? He’s a ruthless character!"

Fang Hao walked calmly into the courtyard. "It’s fine, he’s just a jumping buffoon."

Li Xuan also stepped out of his room, his expression grave. "Bao Zhijian has considerable influence in the Inner Sect; you really should be careful. He has pursued Senior Sister Liang for many years and is most wary of anyone getting close to her."

Fang Hao nodded. "I know what I’m doing." He didn’t fear Bao Zhijian, but he didn’t want to make enemies for no reason either. The priority was Foundation Establishment; everything else was secondary.

He turned his attention back to the foundation establishment pill Formula. Seven main ingredients were still missing:

1. 300-year-old mysterious spirit grass—nourishes the Divine Soul and stabilizes the Dao Foundation.

2. 500-year-old crimson sun fruit—Pure Yang Power, helps ignite the Pill Fire.

3. ice heart snow lotus—balances medicinal properties and prevents Qi Deviation.

4. earth vein purple ganoderma—contains the essence of the earth and enhances medicinal power.

5. gold-veined dragon ginseng—nourished by Dragon Qi, improves the quality of the Medicinal Pill.

6. heavenly star grass—draws the Power of the Stars to help Breakthrough the Bottleneck.

7. seven-colored glazed flower—balances the seven elements, most suitable for Cultivators with multiple Spiritual Roots.

Every one of these seven ingredients was a Heaven And Earth Treasure, things that could be sought but not easily found. Fang Hao had scoured the Qingyun Market and only found some clues, but hadn’t actually obtained a single one.

"The hardest to find are the mysterious spirit grass and the seven-colored glazed flower," Fang Hao mused. "mysterious spirit grass only grows in Secret Realms with extremely dense Spiritual Qi, and the seven-colored glazed flower is a legendary spiritual item..."

He took out the task Jade Slip and checked the recently posted collection tasks. Sure enough, several tasks involved these Spirit Medicines:

"Collect ice heart snow lotus, Location: Northern Snowy Plains, Reward: 800 contribution points."

"Find earth vein purple ganoderma, Location: Earth Fire Abyss, Reward: 1,000 contribution points."

...

But these tasks were all marked as "Extremely Dangerous," usually requiring a team, or even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to lead.

Fang Hao weighed his own strength. Although he had many trump cards, going to these dangerous places alone was still too risky.

"Perhaps I could ask Senior Sister Liang..." The thought had just surfaced when he suppressed it. To go to Liang Ling right after being warned by Bao Zhijian, wasn’t that just asking for trouble?

Just as Fang Hao was troubled, his communication talisman suddenly lit up. It was from Liang Ling:

"In three days, I need to go to the Cloud Mist Secret Realm to collect ice heart snow lotus. Would you like to come along? There might be other Spirit Medicines you need in the Secret Realm."

Fang Hao was overjoyed; this was truly someone bringing a pillow just as he wanted to sleep! But then he began to hesitate—Bao Zhijian had just warned him, and traveling with Liang Ling now would probably...

After thinking for a moment, Fang Hao still replied: "I am willing to go. Thank you, Senior Sister."

An Opportunity was hard to come by; he couldn’t lose big for something small. If Bao Zhijian wanted to cause trouble, so be it!

Three days later, Fang Hao met with Liang Ling outside the Sect. This time, Liang Ling also brought a female companion, her Junior Sister Lin Wan, who was at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

"Junior Brother Ning, this is Junior Sister Lin," Liang Ling introduced. "The Secret Realm is dangerous; having more people means we can look out for each other."

Fang Hao bowed. "Greetings, Senior Sister Lin."

Lin Wan looked Fang Hao over curiously. "So you’re the Formation Genius Senior Sister Liang often talks about? You look quite young."

Liang Ling coughed lightly. "It’s getting late, let’s head out."

The three of them traveled to the Cloud Mist Secret Realm by riding their Flying Swords. On the way, Lin Wan was very lively and kept talking to Fang Hao:

"Junior Brother Ning, I heard you made it to the top eight of the Outer Sect Grand Competition? That’s amazing!"

"How did you and Senior Sister Liang meet?"

"Did Bao Zhijian cause trouble for you? Don’t be afraid, Senior Sister Liang hates him the most..."

Liang Ling tried to stop her with her eyes several times before Lin Wan finally restrained herself, though she still winked at Fang Hao secretly.

Fang Hao found this Senior Sister Lin quite interesting. It seemed that Bao Zhijian’s pursuit of Liang Ling was common knowledge in the Inner Sect.

The Cloud Mist Secret Realm was shrouded in mist year-round, and visibility was extremely low. As soon as they entered the Secret Realm, Liang Ling warned, "Stay close to me, it’s easy to get lost here. Also, watch out for guardian Demon Beasts."

Fang Hao activated his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes, his vision piercing through the thick fog. Sure enough, he saw several fluctuations of Spiritual Qi. "There’s the scent of Spirit Medicine to the northeast, but there are also Demon Beasts guarding them."

Liang Ling glanced at him in surprise. "You can see through the mist?"

Fang Hao said modestly, "I know a bit of ocular arts."

Under Lin Wan’s curious gaze, the three of them headed northeast. Sure enough, they found several stalks of ice heart snow lotus on a cliff, but an Ice-Scaled Python was guarding them.

"I’ll deal with the Demon Beast, you two gather the medicines." Liang Ling summoned her Flying Sword and struck straight at the Ice-Scaled Python.

Fang Hao and Lin Wan quickly gathered the snow lotuses. By the third stalk, Fang Hao suddenly sensed another aura. "There’s an even larger one over there!"

Following his guidance, they found a 500-year-old ice heart snow lotus in a crevice on the cliff wall, with several translucent Spiritual Plants growing beside it.

"It’s Cold Jade Grass!" Lin Wan exclaimed happily. "A top-grade material for refining ice-attribute Magic Treasures!"

After gathering the Spirit Medicine, Liang Ling also finished off the Ice-Scaled Python. The three of them had a bountiful harvest and continued their exploration.

Guided by Fang Hao’s spirit eyes, they found several more hidden Spirit Medicines, including the earth vein purple ganoderma and gold-veined dragon ginseng that Fang Hao urgently needed.

"Junior Brother Ning, your ocular art is so practical!" Lin Wan praised. "We must definitely call you for the next expedition!"

Liang Ling also nodded slightly. "It indeed helped a lot."

Fang Hao was happy in his heart, not only because he found the Spirit Medicines, but also because of Liang Ling’s recognition.

The Secret Realm exploration lasted for three days. During this time, Bao Zhijian indeed sent people to spy on them, but Liang Ling coldly sent them away.

When they parted, Liang Ling gave Fang Hao one stalk of ice heart snow lotus and let him have priority in choosing the other Spirit Medicines he needed.

"Senior Sister, this is too valuable..." Fang Hao declined.

Liang Ling said indifferently, "You earned it. Without you, we wouldn’t have found these."

Lin Wan also laughed, "Just take it, Junior Brother Ning! Just help us find more Spirit Medicines in the future!"

Only then did Fang Hao accept, a warm current flowing through his heart. Looking at Liang Ling’s cool profile, that hazy sentiment deepened a bit more.

Returning to the Sect, Fang Hao took stock of his gains. He had obtained four of the seven main ingredients, leaving only the mysterious spirit grass, heavenly star grass, and seven-colored glazed flower.

He was one step closer to Foundation Establishment.

Meanwhile, someone observing from the shadows gnashed his teeth in hatred.

"What a Fang Hao! Refusing the easy way only to take the hard way." Bao Zhijian smashed the jade cup in his hand, his face gloomy. "It seems I need to give you a real lesson."