Clang, clang...
Just then, Xi Ran heard the sound of a zither.
The music was melodious and gentle, carrying a sense of melancholy that drew listeners in unconsciously.
Xi Ran sat there in a daze, not even bothering to wipe away her tears. When the song ended, Xi Ran looked up and saw a handsome, tall cultivator holding a zither walking towards her.
"Judging from your expression, you don't seem to be in a good mood." Qiu Zigen's voice was gentle and pleasant, which made Xi Ran blush instantly.
"Actually, I'm not in a bad mood," Xi Ran said.
Qiu Zigen sized up Xi Ran: "Peak Qi Refining stage? Sigh, I'm afraid this level of cultivation is not enough to participate in the selection competition."
One sentence instantly struck a nerve with Xi Ran, and tears welled up in her eyes. Naturally, Qiu Zigen became the person she confided in.
After Xi Ran finished speaking, Qiu Zigen frowned slightly and said, "Your friend is really something. She got the Crimson Spirit Pill but didn't share half with you. When she reached the Foundation Establishment stage, she only gave you twenty pills. She can hardly be called a good friend. Moreover, you were originally at the same level. It's just that she successfully reached the Foundation Establishment stage and was able to enter the Myriad Miles of Rivers and Mountains Map, while you couldn't. It's really a pity."
"Sigh, what can she do when she has such a capable junior sister?" Xi Ran sighed. "She used to be jealous of her. If it were me, I would be overjoyed."
"oh?"
"Her junior sister is amazing. She can draw talismans and refine pills even before she has reached the Foundation Establishment stage. For example, she seems to refine a third-grade pill like the Crimson Spirit Pill without much difficulty. Otherwise, why would she be given a big jar of it! It is because of this relationship that she was able to reach the Foundation Establishment stage so quickly."
Qiu Zigen's heart skipped a beat, and he tentatively asked, "Could her junior sister be...?"
"Who else could it be but Su Qing, the most popular disciple in the outer sect right now? Because of Su Qing, the queen of contests, the outer sect disciples are cultivating like their lives depend on it. It's just a pity that many people won the contests, successfully established their foundations, and made it to this selection. Alas, I'm in a bad situation, just stuck at the peak of the Qi Refining stage."
Qiu Zigen nodded and said, "Indeed, there are only two days left. It will be difficult to establish a foundation in these two days."
Xi Ran nodded, her eyes still glistening with tears.
"If I could establish my foundation immediately, I would be willing to give up ten or eight years of my lifespan."
Upon hearing this, Qiu Zigen smiled.
"If you are willing to pay the price, it is not impossible to establish your foundation immediately."
"What?"
Xi Ran's eyes lit up instantly.
...
At the outer gate of the Xuanling Sect, the Qi Refining stage cultivators in the cultivation hall were all mobilized, still holding onto a sliver of hope that they could successfully establish their foundation in the last two days.
Yun Luoyan and Bai Xiao are both at the eighth level of Qi Refining. Although they regretted not being able to participate in this selection competition, they are still diligently cultivating in the training hall.
Even if they couldn't successfully establish their foundation in two days, they might feel some regret, but this regret should never become a stumbling block on their path of cultivation.
"Boom!"
Has someone else successfully completed the Foundation Establishment stage?
Yun Luoyan frowned slightly. In just three hours, five cultivators in the cultivation hall had successfully established their foundations.
She came out of the cubicle and saw Bai Xiao standing in the hall, looking rather unwell.
"What's wrong?" Yun Luoyan asked.
Bai Xiao sighed and said, "That Xi Ran, she also successfully established her foundation. When I saw her yesterday, she was only at the ninth level of Qi Refining. Even if she never rested and cultivated to the peak of Qi Refining, that would be her limit. But how long has it been, and she has already established her foundation!"
Yun Luoyan opened her mouth slightly, her face filled with disbelief.
The peak of the Qi Refining stage is only one step away from Foundation Establishment, but countless cultivators are stuck at the peak of the Qi Refining stage for decades and cannot establish their foundation.
Xi Ran was not a particularly talented cultivator; otherwise, she wouldn't have remained a nobody in the outer sect for seven or eight years at the Xuanling Sect.
But this cultivator actually succeeded in establishing his foundation in less than a day!
"Not only Xi Ran, but I also saw several cultivators who had just reached the peak of the Qi Refining stage, and they have all successfully established their foundations. What's going on these past few days? So many people have successfully established their foundations! Could it be that the Myriad Miles of Rivers and Mountains Painting has stimulated everyone and unleashed their potential?" Bai Xiao muttered.
"I really want to reach the Foundation Establishment stage too," Yun Luoyan sighed.
She and Bai Xiao have been cultivating day and night, but they are only at the eighth level of Qi Refining.
If we gave them three months, they might still have a chance, but there's no time now.
"I wonder if Su Qing has a quick way to achieve this," Bai Xiao suddenly slapped his thigh and said.
Yun Luoyan was reminded to open her jade pendant and begin browsing the posts.
The Xuanling Sect forum was quiet; no one posted any methods on how to quickly establish a foundation, nor did anyone sell pills that could instantly establish a foundation.
"Let's go find Su Qing."
Su Qing was currently refining pills. The Xuanling Sect's alchemy room urgently needed a batch of grade three pills. After accepting the task, Su Qing returned to work in front of the behemoth alchemy furnace.
As soon as Yun Luoyan and Bai Xiao arrived, they saw a huge pill being produced. Then, they saw streaks of spiritual energy flash by, and the huge pill, which was several meters in size, was cut into small pills. Su Qing then tossed all of them into a storage ring.
Su Qing affixed a label to the storage ring before turning around and smiling at Yun Luoyan and Bai Xiao.
"Su Qing, your alchemy skills are truly amazing," Yun Luoyan said.
"There's no other way. This time, the alchemy room needs 100,000 Grade 1 Rejuvenation Pills. Don't be fooled by the number of pills; they're not actually worth that many spirit stones," Su Qing said.
Yun Luoyan and Bai Xiao knew that Su Qing needed a lot of spirit stones to revive Ye Qingqing. Su Qing's loyalty to her friends warmed their hearts.
"Su Qing, do you know that many outer disciples have recently reached the Foundation Establishment stage?" Yun Luoyan said.
“Yes, we were cultivating in the cultivation hall just now, and several people reached the Foundation Establishment stage in three hours. Do you have a method to quickly reach the Foundation Establishment stage?” Bai Xiao asked hurriedly.
"No," Su Qing said.
Yun Luoyan and Bai Xiao both deflated like punctured balloons.
"We thought you had some kind of solution. We actually really wanted to go inside the 'Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains' painting," Yun Luoyan said.
“There is no quick way to establish a foundation, but I saw a book in the library that describes a secret method that can establish a foundation within two days,” Su Qing said.
"What secret technique?" Yun Luoyan and Bai Xiao both became excited.
“Burning away lifespan, and then breaking through the Foundation Establishment barrier,” Su Qing said calmly. “A Qi Refining cultivator has a lifespan of 130 years. Burning away 50 years of lifespan, and then breaking through the barrier, one becomes a Foundation Establishment cultivator.”
"After establishing the foundation, one's lifespan will be extended by a hundred years, which is worthwhile."
"No, after Foundation Establishment, one has a maximum lifespan of fifty years. If one cannot form a core within fifty years, then one will soon grow old and die."
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