Immortality begins with inheriting the myriad arts of cultivation.

Chapter 223 Refining Foundation Establishment Pills and Borrowing Spiritual Veins

We chatted for a while.

Li Ping's gaze fell on the wildfirebirds and blazing sunbirds frolicking and chasing each other in the courtyard, but he asked casually, "Yunzhi, what are your plans regarding the Core Formation Spiritual Ground?"

Xiao Yunzhi seemed to be lost in thought, and when Li Ping asked her, she looked slightly confused.

After a moment, she spoke slowly with anticipation, "Yunzhi doesn't have many ideas for the time being. Does Brother Li have any suggestions?"

"My suggestion?" Li Ping was slightly taken aback.

After pondering for a long time, he said calmly, "I have provoked a great enemy in the Western Wilderness, so I will not return to the Western Wilderness before I reach the Core Formation stage. If the Ice Sea Beast Tide breaks out, Yunzhi, it won't be a big problem for you to return to the Western Wilderness alone."

Xiao Yunzhi nodded, but no one knew what she was thinking.

"But now..." Li Ping changed the subject, his expression turning solemn. "The beast tide has broken out, and a large number of demonic beasts have appeared near Flying Snow City, including many late-stage second-tier demonic beasts. I don't even know if there are any third-tier great demons lurking among them. If you leave Flying Snow City alone, you might encounter danger."

Hearing Li Ping's words, Xiao Yunzhi couldn't help but smile and say, "Brother Li, are you worried about me?"

"I'm just analyzing this for you." Li Ping shook his head, then continued, "So I suggest you stay in Feixue City for now. I'll try to probe through Shi Yutong later. If we can reach an agreement with Feixue Sect, it wouldn't be unreasonable to pay some price to use Feixue Sect's third-tier spiritual pulse to strike the Core Formation stage."

A third-tier spiritual vein is extremely precious.

Especially in the barren regions of the far north, the eight third-tier spiritual veins are controlled by the eight major human cities, supplying cultivators with their energy for cultivation and combat, while also protecting tens of millions of ordinary humans. Outsiders cannot possibly interfere with them.

However, Xiao Yunzhi's attempt to break through to the Core Formation stage was only a temporary borrowing of the spiritual energy environment of the third-tier spiritual vein; she did not intend to take away or destroy the third-tier spiritual vein.

Even if she successfully forms a golden core, it will only consume the spiritual energy produced by the third-order spiritual vein, temporarily affecting the cultivation of other cultivators within the spiritual vein.

This process will not cause irreversible damage to the spiritual veins.

Therefore, in practical terms, the cost of a third-order spiritual pulse striking the core is not too high.

However, since the third-tier spiritual veins are controlled by the sect leader's Core Formation cultivator, ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators from outside the sect have no chance to see them, let alone negotiate with them.

This is the biggest challenge in utilizing the environment of a third-tier spiritual vein.

Fortunately, Li Ping had spent the past three years working as a servant to refine pills for Feixue City and had developed a good relationship with Shi Yutong. He could use Shi Yutong to negotiate with the Core Formation cultivators of Feixue Sect.

Of course, Li Ping would only agree to reasonable conditions, such as offering spirit stones as payment.

If the Flying Snow Sect is trying to exchange the right to use a third-tier spiritual vein for some unreasonable promises from him.

For example, he would not hesitate to refuse conditions such as serving Flying Snow City for hundreds of years after reaching the Core Formation stage.

All transactions can only be completed on the basis of a win-win situation; otherwise, trying to reach a deal is just wishful thinking or a humiliating surrender.

"I'll listen to Brother Li," Xiao Yunzhi nodded gently.

……

Just as Li Ping was about to go to the city to communicate with Shi Yutong about borrowing the environment of the third-tier spiritual vein for Xiao Yunzhi to break through to the Core Formation stage, Shi Yutong took the initiative to come to his door.

"Brother Li, why haven't you gone to look for Yutong lately? Did Yutong make you angry?" Upon meeting, Shi Yutong put on a pitiful expression, as if Li Ping had done something to wrong her.

Li Ping's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained unchanged: "Sect Leader Shi, please have a seat."

The two sat down, and Li Ping looked at Shi Yutong: "Sect Leader Shi, you've come in person to visit, is there something you need?"

Over the past three years, Shi Yutong had long since become accustomed to Li Ping's reactions. Li Ping's lukewarm attitude towards her only fueled her rebellious spirit.

She feigned a wronged expression and said, "Couldn't it just be that Yutong misses Brother Li? Does Yutong only come to see Brother Li because she has something to say?"

Li Ping nodded calmly: "Yes, you must have something on your mind."

Shi Yutong tried to use her status as a beautiful young woman to get closer to Li Ping, but Li Ping is now a centenarian and has long passed the age of romantic feelings.

One should be pure of heart and have few desires, regarding beauty as mere dirt.

He was especially unwilling to provoke women like Shi Yutong, whose background was unusual, lest he be tainted by negative karma.

"How annoying." Shi Yutong couldn't help but roll her eyes at Li Ping.

However, she quickly stuck out her tongue again, saying in a teasy tone, "Brother Li, you really are a prophet. I have come to ask you for your help with something."

Upon hearing this, Li Ping nodded and asked curiously, "Oh? What is it that requires Sect Leader Shi to come in person?"

He was still considering how to ask to borrow the third-tier spiritual vein of the Flying Snow Sect.

Now that Shi Yutong needs his help, he can wait for her to ask for his assistance first, and after he agrees, he can then take the opportunity to ask to borrow the third-tier spiritual vein.

Now that Shi Yutong needs his help, he can wait for her to ask for his assistance first, and after he agrees, he can then take the opportunity to ask to borrow the third-tier spiritual vein.

In that case, Shi Yutong would probably feel embarrassed to refuse him again.

Just as Li Ping was having these thoughts, Shi Yutong slowly spoke, revealing the purpose of her visit.

Li listened quietly, nodding slightly from time to time.

It turns out that two of the Golden Marrow Jade Mushrooms planted by the Flying Snow Sect within the third-order spiritual veins have reached the medicinal properties of a thousand years and can be used to refine Foundation Establishment Pills.

Shi Yutong's purpose in coming here was to ask Li Ping to use the two Golden Marrow Jade Mushrooms to refine two batches of Foundation Establishment Pills.

In fact, this was not just her decision, but a joint decision made by Shi Yutong's parents, both Core Formation cultivators of the Flying Snow Sect.

After three years of cooperation, Li Ping's alchemy skills have been recognized by them.

They privately believed that Master Li Ping's alchemy skills might have surpassed those of the old monster in Buyun City, and that entrusting the alchemy task to Li Ping was a foolproof thing to do.

"So it's for refining Foundation Establishment Pills..."

After listening to Shi Yutong's account, Li Ping looked enlightened.

From Shi Yutong's description, he learned that the higher-ups of the Flying Snow Sect had specially designated a medicinal garden in the third-tier spiritual vein to cultivate Golden Marrow Jade Mushrooms. A total of twenty Golden Marrow Jade Mushrooms were planted, and these twenty plants were divided into ten groups, with each group being a hundred years apart in age.

In this way, the Flying Snow Sect can obtain two thousand-year-old Golden Marrow Jade Mushrooms every hundred years to refine Foundation Establishment Pills, ensuring that Foundation Establishment cultivators can emerge continuously within the sect.

The reason there are only twenty is not because the Flying Snow Sect doesn't want more Golden Marrow Jade Mushrooms.

Rather, the growth of this spiritual herb will damage the spiritual vein environment. Twenty plants are already the limit for this third-order spiritual vein. Planting more would cause irreversible damage to the spiritual vein, and might even cause it to be downgraded.

Of course, besides the sect's own cultivation, the Flying Snow Sect has other sources of Foundation Establishment Pills.

For example, hunting third-tier monsters, or purchasing from the Great Zhou through the merchant guild.

……

The Foundation Establishment Pill is a strategic pill that every third-level alchemist must learn, and Li Ping is no exception. He had already learned the method of refining the Foundation Establishment Pill through his unparalleled talent.

Therefore, upon hearing Shi Yutong's request, he agreed without hesitation: "No problem, refining Foundation Establishment Pills is just a small matter for me."

Upon hearing this, Shi Yutong couldn't help but smile.

Before Shi Yutong could speak, Li Ping said with a smile, "By the way, I also happen to have something I'd like to ask Sect Leader Shi for help with."

Having reached an agreement on refining the Foundation Establishment Pill, Shi Yutong was in a very good mood.

Hearing Li Ping speak, she smiled and said, "Brother Li, what are you saying? Given the relationship between us, if there's anything you need, I'll definitely help you if I'm able."

Without further ado, Li Ping revealed that his younger sister had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment and hoped to use the third-tier spiritual energy of the Flying Snow Sect to help her form her Core Formation.

"Borrowing a third-tier spiritual pulse to strike the Core Formation stage?" Shi Yutong murmured, her eyebrows unconsciously furrowing slightly.

After Li Ping revealed this, he stopped talking and simply looked at Shi Yutong with a calm gaze.

After pondering for a moment, Shi Yutong gave a wry smile: "To be honest, Brother Li, if it were anything else, I could easily agree, but this matter is really putting me in a difficult position. After all, the third-tier spiritual vein is where my parents cultivated, and many important places in the sect are located on the third-tier spiritual vein."

She sighed and said, "I really can't make this decision myself. I can only go back and ask my parents for their opinion. Brother Li, please wait a while. I will inform them of their decision once I have definite news."

Li Ping smiled and nodded: "This is only natural, and I hope Sect Leader Shi will put in a good word for me."

……

Shi Yutong left in a hurry, saying that she would go back and ask her parents about borrowing the third-tier spiritual vein.

As for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill, she did not rush to urge Li Ping to start.

After all, the Golden Marrow Jade Mushroom of the Flying Snow Sect is hard to come by, and the Foundation Establishment Pill is different from other pills, so it is of great importance.

If the matter of borrowing the spiritual vein environment affects Li Ping's mood, and he accidentally ruins a whole batch of Foundation Establishment Pills, it will affect the future development of the Flying Snow Sect.

Therefore, her idea was to first determine whether her parents agreed to lend the spiritual vein to Li Ping's sister to help her break through to the Core Formation stage, and then decide whether to ask Li Ping to refine the Foundation Establishment Core.

If the parents do not agree to lend the spiritual vein, then the matter of refining the Foundation Establishment Pill still needs to be considered in the long run.

At the same time, she also thought to herself, "Just who is Li Ping's younger sister? She's so young and she's already trying to break through to the Core Formation stage."

Shi Yutong possesses an ice-type unique spiritual root. With her innate talent and the dedicated nurturing of her two Core Formation cultivator parents, she was able to cultivate to the late Foundation Establishment stage before she was even a hundred years old. She is expected to reach the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage within twenty or thirty years and attempt to break through to Core Formation.

And what about Li Ping's sister?

Shi Yutong could tell from observing the other person's eyes and brows that the other person was much younger than her.

He was younger than her, but his cultivation level was higher.

She had even reached the threshold of Core Formation, which made Shi Yutong sigh with admiration.

She thought to herself, "Perhaps it is because of such a beautiful woman by my side that Li Ping treats me so coldly."