"Yang Bingzhi, it's not yet time for you to use the Foundation Establishment Pill; keeping it would be a waste. You must prioritize the greater good and let fellow sect cultivators who need it have the Foundation Establishment Pill first."

"Master has died; we have lost our backing. If you give me the Foundation Establishment Pill, as fellow disciples, we should naturally help and watch out for each other."

"I have just made contributions to the Sect; the Foundation Establishment Pills have to be put on hold. The next batch can only be made after gathering enough ingredients. Could Brother Yang let me have this Foundation Establishment Pill?"

"Your master has died. Why not use the Foundation Establishment Pill to secure a better future for yourself?"

...

The Foundation Establishment Pills had just been refined, and all sorts of nefarious characters—schemers and opportunists alike—resorted to pressure, threats, or playing the sympathy card. Their goal was singular: to somehow get the Foundation Establishment Pill from Yang Bingzhi's hands.

While the Wind Patrol Chief was still around, these schemers and opportunists didn't dare to act too arrogantly in front of Yang Bingzhi, and few True Disciples dared to provoke him. They were not alone; they had Foundation Establishment Cultivators backing them.

However, multiple sects had joined forces to attack the Five Elements Sect, completely rewriting its situation. Dozens of Foundation Establishment Cultivators perished, marking the darkest moment for the Five Elements Sect. Unluckily, the Wind Patrol Chief was among the fallen. Yang Bingzhi thus lost his backing. He now held the Foundation Establishment Pill awarded by the Sect and also possessed enough sect contribution points to exchange for another. Two Foundation Establishment Pills were enough to make others burn with envy, so it was only natural for his fellow sect cultivators to covet them.

Yang Bingzhi didn't take most people seriously, but two individuals, invoking the greater good, put him in a difficult position. One of them was also a direct disciple of the Wind Patrol Chief. He claimed that if he broke through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, he would become Yang Bingzhi's new support. Yang Bingzhi, however, had not been apprenticed for long and didn't share a deep bond with this senior brother. He was unwilling to test the other's character with such a precious Foundation Establishment Pill. Once given away, expecting its return was wishful thinking.

The other person gave Yang Bingzhi the most trouble: a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. He used the pretext of the Sect's greater good to pressure Yang Bingzhi into surrendering the Foundation Establishment Pill, implying that refusal would be disloyalty to the Sect. Yang Bingzhi, lacking any backing, could not hope to resist this cultivator's power and influence.

Fortunately, Yang Bingzhi was considered a hero of the Five Elements Sect. The merit of discovering a large Spirit Stone Vein could not be ignored. Quite a few Foundation Establishment Cultivators had received a hefty share of Spirit Stones because of him, earning him at least some goodwill. The subsequent leak of information about the Spirit Stone Vein had nothing to do with Yang Bingzhi, so their anger could not be directed at him. Even if a Foundation Establishment Cultivator coveted his Foundation Establishment Pill, they wouldn't dare to act too blatantly. They had to exercise restraint, limiting themselves to applying pressure, hoping he would eventually break.

They want my Foundation Establishment Pill? What a pipe dream!

Of the two Foundation Establishment Pills, one would be given to Jia Ren, and the other he would keep for his own breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage. For the time being, anyone who came to his door was turned away. This attitude angered many sect disciples, but they could do nothing about it. Their covetous emotions peaked the moment the Foundation Establishment Pills were successfully refined. The threshold of Yang Bingzhi's residence was nearly worn through by visitors.

It wasn't that the number of refined Foundation Establishment Pills was small; over fifty pills had come out of this batch. The problem was that easy targets are always picked on. And who was easier to pick on than Yang Bingzhi, who had neither strength nor backing? He was a mud-legged peasant who had gotten lucky enough to enter the Sect. By sheer dumb luck, he had discovered the Spirit Stone Vein, become a True Disciple, and received a Foundation Establishment Pill. Countless fellow cultivators envied, were jealous of, and hated him. His master is dead, he has no backing... If we don't bully you, who do we bully?

The Five Elements Sect was never a place of kindness. Cultivators of the Five Elements Sect were not only adept at bullying and extorting Loose Cultivators but were also cruel and ruthless towards their own fellow disciples. Holding the Foundation Establishment Pill, Yang Bingzhi felt it burning in his hand. Wherever he went, he attracted attention.

In such a situation, going to Grand Wilderness Mountain to deliver the Foundation Establishment Pill to Jia Ren was like a fool's errand. What am I supposed to do? Should I contact Jia Ren and have him come here to get the pill? But if a Foundation Establishment Cultivator attacks Jia Ren, no one will be able to save him. What then?

Yang Bingzhi took out a Mother-Child Resonating Bell and sent out a Sound Transmission Talisman. About the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, a streak of light flew towards him from a distance. Yang Bingzhi received it, and Jia Ren's familiar voice sounded in his ear. Moments later, a glint lit up in Yang Bingzhi's eyes.

He made preparations according to Jia Ren's instructions and left his residence. After brushing off a persistent disciple who was still trying to get a Foundation Establishment Pill, he headed towards the area with the most cultivators.

"Brother Yang, what brings you here?" A skinny man, who was feeding a yellow dog, smiled upon seeing Yang Bingzhi. He too hailed from Grand Wilderness Mountain and had always been on good terms with Yang Bingzhi. It was thanks to Yang Bingzhi's influence that he had managed to join the Five Elements Sect.

"Shouhou, let's talk privately!"

The two found a secluded spot, out of sight of other cultivators.

"I owe a Daoist friend some Concealed Thunder Pellets and promised to return them today. Please deliver these to him for me," Yang Bingzhi said, handing several Concealed Thunder Pellets to Shouhou. "Big Yellow has gotten skinny following you around." Yang Bingzhi then took out a piece of snow-white Monster Beast Meat, the size of a fist, from his Storage Bag and tossed it to the yellow dog. The dog wagged its tail, snatched the meat, and gulped it down in two bites.

"This is for your trouble," Yang Bingzhi said, tossing over a bag containing at least one hundred Spirit Stones.

"Brother Yang, how could I take your Spirit Stones?"

"Take it!" Yang Bingzhi spoke in a tone that brooked no refusal. Shouhou opened his mouth but ultimately couldn't voice his objection.

Shouhou watched Yang Bingzhi leave, patted Big Yellow's head, and stored the dog in his Spirit Beast Bag. Yang Bingzhi's every move attracted attention, as no one could guarantee he wouldn't find a place to hide the Foundation Establishment Pill. Any suspicious action drew focused scrutiny. Shouhou had taken only a few steps when three cultivators dressed in Five Elements Sect robes surrounded him.

"What did Junior Brother Yang give you? Take it out and let us see," one of the three Late Stage Qi-Refining cultivators demanded as they encircled him.

"This is something entrusted by True Disciple Yang..."

SMACK!

A heavy slap landed on Shouhou's face, knocking him to the ground and leaving a clear, red palm print on his cheek.

"Don't be ungrateful when shown kindness!"

"So what if that Yang is a True Disciple? Aren't I one too?!"

"You're just an Outer Sect Disciple; I could crush you with a flick of my finger."

"Yang Bingzhi has lost his power. If I decide to kill you, he won't be able to save you."

The three made no attempt to disguise their malice. While fellow sect members couldn't openly kill each other, that didn't mean they couldn't resort to violence. They had plenty of ways to dispose of an Outer Sect Disciple.

Not wanting to escalate the situation over merely delivering a few Concealed Thunder Pellets, Shouhou hastily placed the pellets before them. The three cracked open each Concealed Thunder Pellet, confirming no Foundation Establishment Pills were hidden inside, then tossed them aside like trash. "Here are your replacement Concealed Thunder Pellets," one of them said, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he gestured to the broken remains. "And there's another bag. Hand it over."

The small bag was opened, revealing nearly one hundred Spirit Stones and two Elixirs inside. Upon inspecting the elixirs, they found several Five Elements Spirit Pills.

"True Disciple Yang really treats you well, doesn't he!"

"And your yellow dog..."

Before he could finish, a voice came from nearby, "Yang Bingzhi has gone to the quiet room! I just heard; he's going to assimilate the Foundation Establishment Pill!"

"What?! He hasn't even reached the Ninth Level of Qi Refinement! Isn't using the Foundation Establishment Pill now a complete waste? What sacrilege!"

The group scurried back as if their behinds were on fire, wanting to make one last desperate attempt to persuade Yang Bingzhi.

Shouhou glanced at the Five Elements Spirit Pills with a bittersweet feeling in his heart. He picked up the damaged Concealed Thunder Pellets from the ground and hurried towards Grand Wilderness Mountain. The journey was uneventful, and Grand Wilderness Mountain grew ever nearer. The closer he got to familiar grounds, the more anxious he became; Grand Wilderness Mountain felt both familiar and strangely distant.

Rushing to Yang Bingzhi's home, he saw a man sitting at a stone table, sipping tea.

"Daoist Jia?" Shouhou exclaimed. "So, Brother Yang meant for me to deliver the Concealed Thunder Pellets to you." Jia Ren had once helped his family with an insect problem, so Shouhou was naturally familiar with him.

"You still have someone tailing you," Jia Ren noted.

"It's alright; they're not strong."

Jia Ren hadn't just arrived. When he contacted Yang Bingzhi, he had followed the information Yang Bingzhi provided to hide outside the Five Elements Sect's temporary encampment. Trading outside the Five Elements Sect's territory was too dangerous, so Jia Ren, unwilling to take risks, had left a Spirit Insect to follow Shouhou all the way to Grand Wilderness Mountain. Thus, the cultivator tailing Shouhou had also been under Jia Ren's surveillance.

"Eh, I didn't expect to be discovered."

"A Loose Cultivator?!"

A figure emerged from thin air; it was unclear whether he had used an Invisibility Talisman or some rare invisibility secret technique. The newcomer sized up Jia Ren, ascertained he was only a Qi Refinement Seventh Level cultivator, and promptly dismissed him as insignificant.

"How could Yang Bingzhi bear to waste a Foundation Establishment Pill? Was this to divert others' attention? To hide the real Foundation Establishment Pill?" the newcomer mused aloud. "Will you hand it over yourselves, or shall I kill you both and search your bodies?"

There was no shortage of clever people in the world; devising a truly flawless plan was never an easy feat.

"Fang Zhenchuan, what are you doing here? I don't have any Foundation Establishment Pill..." Shouhou's face turned deathly pale.

"Where is your Spirit Beast?" Fang Zhenchuan demanded.

Shouhou recalled Yang Bingzhi feeding Big Yellow a piece of Monster Beast Meat. As if waking from a dream, he summoned Big Yellow from his Spirit Beast Bag.

Jia Ren stepped forward and gently pushed Big Yellow down. His fingertips glowed with a golden light as he expertly, like a skilled butcher, made an incision in Big Yellow's abdomen and extracted a small brass bell – the child bell of the Mother-Child Resonating Bell. He tossed a Resurrection Pill to Big Yellow, then used a Cleaning Talisman to wipe away the blood from the bell. Examining the child bell closely, he could see that its core had been replaced with a wax-coated pill.

This was the Foundation Establishment Pill that countless Qi Refining Cultivators dreamed of!

Fang Zhenchuan's eyes blazed with fervor, his face contorting into an expression of ecstatic joy. My guess was correct!

"My Foundation Establishment Pill!" he roared.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to catch it!" Jia Ren retorted. His palm opened, revealing a drop of inky water enveloping the now Foundation Establishment Pill-less brass bell. His finger, glowing with a dark golden hue, flicked it outwards.

"Humph, mere trifles!" Fang Zhenchuan snorted. A Defense Flying Shield, gleaming gold and of superior grade, appeared before him, continuously circling around him.

BOOM!

The drop of inky water exploded with staggering force. The superior grade Defense Flying Shield buckled severely. Fang Zhenchuan was struck as if by a cannonball and flung backward even faster than he had arrived. Jia Ren moved like a wraith, his speed exceeding Fang Zhenchuan's as he was flung backward, allowing Jia Ren to intercept him. His palm, seemingly cast from dark gold, pulsed with an eerie, blood-red and inky black energy, painting a long, bloody-ink rainbow in mid-air.

The void itself seemed to crackle. Under Jia Ren's fist, Fang Zhenchuan's Spirit Shield and Defense Artifacts crumbled like paper, offering no resistance as the blow landed. A cloud of blood mist erupted in mid-air; flesh, bone, and the tattered Defense Robe were all pulverized into fragments by that single punch.

Jia Ren returned, clutching a Storage Bag, his Taoist Robe utterly spotless.

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