Chapter 51: Senior Brother Cao, You Took the Wrong One—That’s a Foundation Establishment Pill!

Chen Qianru saw that Cao Xuan was still deep in thought and asked instinctively.

"I'm thinking that my own talent and effort are still not enough."

Chen Qianru's eyes widened in disbelief. "Senior Brother, you think your talent and effort aren't enough?"

Reflecting carefully, she realized that those boot-licking senior brothers who came to flatter her had visited her far more often than she had seen Senior Brother Cao. It was as if they had nothing better to do all day and didn't need to cultivate. But as for Senior Brother Cao, whenever she sent him a spiritual message, most of the time he was either cultivating or in seclusion. Wasn't that effort enough?

Cao Xuan raised his hand to stop her. "Wait a moment, Junior Sister. I feel uneasy, so I'll cultivate for a while first. Please guard me!"

He was carrying a pile of Foundation Establishment Pills, yet hadn't reached the Foundation Establishment stage himself—a dangerous state indeed. Thinking this, Cao Xuan immediately took out a supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, sat cross-legged, and began his breakthrough.

After all, he had reserved the Earth Fire Pill Room. As long as he didn’t vacate it, no one would disturb him under normal circumstances, and with Junior Sister Chen, who would obey him completely, as his guardian, there shouldn’t be any problems with breaking through.

"Hey, Senior Brother, aren’t you..." Chen Qianru was speechless. Good heavens, talking so confidently after pulling up your pants, huh? I’ve been set ablaze by you, and now you tell me you need to cultivate.

Of course, Chen Qianru didn’t fully understand, but her feelings at this moment were something like that.

She looked at Cao Xuan with a plaintive gaze, unsure what she was thinking, then suddenly opened her mouth.

"Wait, Senior Brother, the pill you just took wasn’t a Qi Gathering Pill or any other cultivation pill, was it?"

Chen Qianru thought carefully—it seemed it was the Foundation Establishment Pill he had refined earlier.

"No, Senior Brother, you took the wrong pill! That’s a Foundation Establishment Pill!"

Chen Qianru blurted out, but quickly shut her mouth.

"Wait, Foundation Establishment Pills contain a large amount of spiritual energy; I suppose they can be used as cultivation pills, but isn’t that far too extravagant?"

She didn’t dare think further, as the implications were frightening.

She found a spot by the door to squat, resting her cheeks in her hands, quietly watching Senior Brother Cao.

"Senior Brother, what kind of person are you, really?"

Chen Qianru suddenly realized she had only known Senior Brother Cao for half a year, yet it felt as though much more time had passed.

She remembered their first meeting—his appearance was ordinary, and among the entire Azure Cloud Sect, he was an unremarkable presence. Yet it was precisely this person whom her roommate Lin Miaoxuan revered.

After further interactions, she discovered that not only was he knowledgeable, but his understanding of alchemy was profound, and his wealth considerable.

She didn’t know what Lin Miaoxuan thought, but she remembered the first time Cao Xuan gave her a pill, her heart was pounding.

Are there really people in this world who treat cultivation resources as nothing, giving them away so easily?

As a know-it-all, Chen Qianru had heard of male cultivators pretending to be generous to please female cultivators, lending magic tools and formation disks. But as soon as relations soured, the men would show their ugly faces, demanding the return of everything loaned.

But Senior Brother Cao—he simply gave away pills, an essential consumable for cultivation. Did he not realize that once they were taken, there was no getting them back, even if he regretted it later?

Three months ago, at Moon-Gazing Valley, Chen Qianru had been conflicted inside, wanting to let go. She was at a loss, unsure how to face Senior Brother Cao Xuan. But when he took out a storage pouch and handed it to her and Lin Miaoxuan without hesitation, she knew she was lost.

The gifts were secondary; the key was his attitude. Senior Brother Cao’s assertiveness left no room for argument—he simply showered them with spirit stones.

Whether it was pills or storage pouches, they were all spirit stones, bright as daylight.

At that moment, Chen Qianru understood that her biggest worry was whether she was good enough for Senior Brother Cao.

"Senior Brother has refined so many Foundation Establishment Pills today—could the reason he cultivates so quickly be because he uses only high-grade pills?"

"But I saw in the Scripture Pavilion that using pills above your level, no matter how potent, wastes a lot of their power."

Chen Qianru knew the more you exceeded your level in consuming pills, the more was wasted.

Take the Foundation Establishment Pill in her hand—if Senior Brother Cao, at the seventh level of Qi Refining, took it, he could absorb about seventy percent of its power; thirty percent would be lost. If she, Chen Qianru, used it for cultivation, she might absorb only forty percent, with sixty percent wasted.

Thinking of this, Chen Qianru felt her heart tremble—how many spirit stones were being squandered?

"Couldn’t he just wait a few more years to maximize the pill’s efficiency?"

A quick calculation, and she felt the loss was in the billions.

In her eyes, if these pills were used wisely over a few years, one could be elevated to the peak of the ninth layer of Qi Refining, and even break through to Foundation Establishment.

Now, though his cultivation speed had risen and he broke through to the seventh layer in a year, the resources wasted were enough for two more layers, even a whole stage.

Chen Qianru suddenly realized this was likely the difference between herself and Senior Brother Cao.

"Yes, Senior Brother can refine his own pills—perhaps to him, it’s better to save time by using pills directly, rather than waste energy."

…

While Chen Qianru was lost in thought, Cao Xuan had already begun to contemplate the mysteries of Foundation Establishment.

Foundation Establishment is the point at which a cultivator builds their Dao foundation, truly embarking upon the path of immortality. From that moment, their lifespan transforms, reaching two hundred years, marking the true departure from the mortal realm.

Twice the lifespan means the cultivator begins to contend with heaven and earth, seizing that slender chance to attain immortality.

As the supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pill entered his stomach, Cao Xuan felt a sudden tremor throughout his body, as if he had become transparent and ethereal, merging with the world itself.

"So this is it—the Foundation Establishment Pill is the key that opens the gate of heaven for mortals!"

Cao Xuan thought to himself; in his perception, as that supreme-grade pill entered his stomach, his essence, energy, and spirit were all drawn by that tiny pill.

Essence—his bloodline and form.

Energy—the spiritual energy and true essence of his tenth layer of Qi Refining.

Spirit—his consciousness and the nine-forged spiritual roots.

All three were drawn together by the Foundation Establishment Pill, fusing as if in a pill furnace.

"The Foundation Establishment Pill acts as a guide, uniting one's essence, energy, and spirit to build the Dao foundation."

"If the pill is of low quality, the pull is weak; if it fails, it will harm essence, energy, and spirit."

"But after one fusion, you only need to rest and recover; taking another pill will make fusion and Foundation Establishment easier."

"I finally understand why Elder Zhou Ge needed ten Foundation Establishment Pills!"

With the help of the supreme-grade pill, Cao Xuan's essence, energy, and spirit fused instantly, establishing his Dao foundation. His divine sense was born, and his thoughts accelerated a hundredfold, instantly comprehending the crucial points.

Zhou Ge gave his juniors five Foundation Establishment Pills each, granting five chances to fuse essence, energy, and spirit. If they still failed to break through, they were likely destined never to achieve Foundation Establishment.

"Hoo~"

Cao Xuan exhaled lightly and opened his eyes.

Chen Qianru was stunned. "Senior Brother, didn’t you say you’d be in seclusion…"

Boom!

A wave of pressure struck her, causing her eyes to roll back in shock.