Chapter 105: The Foundation Establishment Pill

The Qingye Snake and the Golden Eagle were both first-grade superior spirit beasts. In his current state, even after an hour, releasing either of these spirit beasts from their seals would be a dangerous situation for him. — After the battle with Geng Wen, most of the talismans on his body were depleted, and his spiritual power and Geomagnetic Yuan Light were nearly used up. An hour’s time was only enough for him to refine one spirit beast’s Beastmaster Token. Therefore, he had to make a choice, kill one spirit beast, and refine the other’s Beastmaster Token. This decision was not difficult for Wei Tu, as the Qingye Snake had a "brother-killing grudge" against him. — It was because of the Qingye Snake that Wei Tu’s older brother, Kou Liang, died. Additionally, compared to the Golden Eagle, the Qingye Snake was certainly inferior. Flying spirit beasts ranked among the more valuable creatures in the cultivation world. After an hour, Wei Tu successfully refined the Golden Eagle, learning some information about it from the Beastmaster Token. Its name was Wind-Cleaving Eagle, a bloodline of the Xuan (Mysterious) level, captured and tamed by the "Jingguo Beastmaster Sect." Similar to humans, spirit beasts also had cultivation levels. They were classified as Huang (Yellow), Xuan (Mysterious), Di (Earth), and Tian (Heaven), corresponding to the human levels of Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul. The Beastmaster Token for the Wind-Cleaving Eagle indicated that it had a Xuan-level bloodline, meaning that this eagle was likely to break through to the equivalent of human Foundation Establishment during its lifetime, becoming a Xuan-level spirit beast. However, it was more common in the cultivation world to classify spirit beasts, talismans, pills, and magic tools according to ranks, such as first-grade, second-grade, and third-grade. "Since it's from the Beastmaster Sect, I don’t have to worry about its origin in Zheng Kingdom," Wei Tu thought, breathing a sigh of relief. When refining the Wind-Cleaving Eagle, he had been concerned that it might have been a spirit beast stolen by the Blood Demon Elder from a Zheng Kingdom cultivator. But now that it bore the symbol of the Beastmaster Sect, he no longer had to worry about its origins. He didn’t want to inadvertently create an enemy with a major power in Zheng Kingdom over a single spirit beast. "Monitor the surrounding mountains and keep an eye out for any cultivators approaching. If there are any, notify me immediately..." Wei Tu instructed. He was worried that the battle earlier might have attracted the attention of nearby cultivators who could be curious and approach. This was something he couldn’t ignore. Following his orders, the Wind-Cleaving Eagle flapped its golden wings and soared into the air, quickly disappearing into the distance. Without the Beastmaster Token, Wei Tu would have been worried that the eagle might have escaped from his control. "Now, the hardest task lies ahead." "How to handle Zhao Qingluo..." Wei Tu stored the Beastmaster Token and gazed at the inside of the cave, feeling a headache coming on. If he had rescued Zhao Qingluo before she had been affected by the aphrodisiac powder, everything would have been easy. Zhao Qingluo could have repaid him for saving her life, and he could have asked for a reward, perhaps even another Foundation Establishment spirit item, or even the Foundation Establishment Pill. It would have been a win-win! But unfortunately, before Geng Wen and the Blood Demon Elder had their falling-out, Zhao Qingluo had already been struck by the aphrodisiac powder and was now in a dazed state. He had been forced to witness Zhao Qingluo in her "disheveled state." This was a fatal flaw. If Zhao Qingluo were a person who understood gratitude, it wouldn’t matter much. But if she wasn’t... It would be light if he had his eyes gouged out. More likely, Zhao Qingluo might kill him to avoid the scandal from leaking out, leaving the favor for her descendants. The latter was the common way noble figures in the cultivation world handled such matters. Wei Tu did not want to leave his life to Zhao Qingluo’s "mercy." Moreover, he suspected that he wasn’t that much more important than Master Wang, and Zhao Qingluo’s "good" attitude towards him was likely because of his talent in talisman Dao and her desire to make a good connection. "And killing Zhao Qingluo to avoid future trouble is even less acceptable." Wei Tu shook his head. He wasn’t like Geng Wen, whose lifespan was already short and who could act recklessly. Zhao Qingluo was a genius from a Golden Core family. She might have the imprint of a Foundation Establishment cultivator or a Golden Core ancestor from the Qiyue Zhao Clan on her body. If Zhao Qingluo died, this imprint would awaken, transfer to him, and mark his face, sending it to the Foundation Establishment cultivator or Golden Core ancestor. Furthermore, Wei Tu didn’t really want to kill Zhao Qingluo. First, he and Zhao Qingluo had some acquaintanceship, and there was a certain level of goodwill between them. He wasn’t a cruel, bloodthirsty person. Second, the "bad deed" Zhao Qingluo had done was still just his assumption. Third, Zhao Qingluo had helped him once during the incident with Dan Xianshou. If he truly wanted to kill Zhao Qingluo, he would have let Geng Wen take the opportunity to harm her earlier. After all, that had been the best time to strike, when Geng Wen was at his most careless and vulnerable. "Thinking too much won’t help. Let me first check Geng Wen’s storage bag to see if it has any records of the aphrodisiac powder’s effects..." "If the aphrodisiac powder causes confusion, and Zhao Qingluo doesn’t know I was here, then I won’t have to feel conflicted and hesitant..." Wei Tu took Geng Wen’s storage bag from his waist and began rummaging through the pile of items inside. Although Geng Wen had destroyed most of his belongings before his death, the hard jade slips containing information and pills weren’t as easily destroyed. Soon, Wei Tu found seven jade slips in the storage bag. He pressed each jade slip to his forehead and used his spiritual sense to probe the contents. "Found it!" When he reached the fourth jade slip, Wei Tu finally found information on the aphrodisiac powder. After reading the details about the aphrodisiac powder, he let out a long breath of relief. The effects of the aphrodisiac powder were exactly what he had hoped for, even beyond his expectations... This aphrodisiac powder had been specifically created by Geng Wen to deal with the "spiritual imprint" left on Zhao Qingluo’s mind. The aphrodisiac was merely a side effect. Its principle was to slowly erode the spiritual imprint in her sea of consciousness, using the emotional fluctuations of her body to dissolve it. In the jade slip, Geng Wen proudly wrote: "With this medicine, surpassing my master will be easy." "Geng Wen’s mind is deep." Wei Tu couldn’t help but sigh. He had been wondering why Geng Wen had mixed the aphrodisiac powder into the Qingye Snake’s venom. If Geng Wen had mixed other lethal drugs into the venom, Zhao Qingluo would not have been able to endure the effects for four days. After being bitten by the Qingye Snake, she would likely have died in no time. But considering Geng Wen’s obsession with lust, this made no sense—because if they had both ambushed Zhao Qingluo, they would have been in danger of dying at any moment. And this whole process had taken a full four days. Now, with the explanation of the aphrodisiac powder’s effects, things that didn’t make sense earlier suddenly fell into place. Geng Wen, like him, was wary of the spiritual imprint that Zhao Qingluo might have on her. This is why he had chosen the aphrodisiac powder, a slow-acting drug, rather than other fatal poisons. ... Wei Tu stored the jade slip and stood up, walking into the cave. He muttered a spell, summoning Zhao Qingluo from the underground, where she had been hidden three meters deep, back to the surface. At that moment, the Geomagnetic Talisman he had used to create the protective underground barrier lost its power, crumbling into ash without a trace. "If it weren’t for the other gains from this battle, I would have exhausted all my savings over the past twenty years." Wei Tu thought to himself. He waved his sleeve, dispersing the protective spiritual energy shield he had previously placed around Zhao Qingluo. Then, he bent down to check her current condition. However, just at that moment, Dazed, Zhao Qingluo suddenly lunged toward Wei Tu, throwing herself directly into his arms. Simultaneously, Zhao Qingluo wrapped her jade-like arms around Wei Tu’s shoulders, pulling his upper body down toward her. Wei Tu was stunned, trying to dodge to the side, but to his surprise, Zhao Qingluo’s strength was greater than his, and for a moment, he couldn’t free himself from her grasp. After all, Zhao Qingluo was a Ninth Stage Qi Refinement cultivator, three whole realms stronger than him. With a single pull from Zhao Qingluo, Wei Tu lost his balance and fell straight into her arms, rolling with her into a tangled mess. Amidst these movements, Wei Tu also felt a stirring of emotions. Since entering the cultivation world, he had kept a strict personal code and never mixed with female cultivators like Hu Yao or Yao Dao. As a result, his inner fire was strong, and just the smallest provocation made it difficult to control himself. He could hardly maintain his composure. Moreover, similar to Geng Wen, seeing the noble Zhao Qingluo behaving this way stirred a strange desire within him. The two of them forgot themselves for a moment, Until— Zhao Qingluo reached to tear off Wei Tu's clothes. Wei Tu finally came to his senses. He bit his tongue, using the sharp pain to force himself to calm down. Then, like a snake avoiding danger, he quickly pulled away from Zhao Qingluo’s body. “That was too dangerous. I almost made a huge mistake,” Wei Tu muttered to himself as he took out a Tranquility Talisman from his sleeve, sticking it to himself to force his emotions under control. The female yin and male yang both had an effect on Foundation Establishment. If he had ruined Zhao Qingluo’s body, not only would it ruin her path, but it would also leave traces of his aura on her. These traces would be difficult to remove. At that point, even if the aphrodisiac powder had sealed Zhao Qingluo’s spiritual sense and five senses, he wouldn’t escape the pursuit of the Qiyue Zhao Clan. Taking advantage and ruining someone’s body—there was a huge difference. Furthermore, Wei Tu didn’t believe that after ruining Zhao Qingluo’s body, she would follow him forever. “Aphrodisiac powder?” “She’s detoxing her body?” “No wonder I was so uncontrollable just now.” At this moment, Wei Tu glanced at Zhao Qingluo, who was lying on the ground, and when he saw the white mist evaporating from her body, he suddenly understood his earlier actions. It wasn’t that he had lost control, but rather that both he and Zhao Qingluo had been affected by the aphrodisiac powder. After confirming Zhao Qingluo’s condition, Wei Tu thought for a moment and then stepped out of the cave. He sat down at the entrance, using his spiritual power to begin removing the spiritual imprint from Zhao Qingluo’s storage bag. He was indeed a person of deep loyalty and affection, but he was not a fool. Zhao Qingluo’s disgrace had already happened, and he certainly wouldn’t expect her to thank him afterward and give him a Foundation Establishment Pill or other spirit items. That would be far too dangerous. Entrusting his life to others was not the behavior of a wise person. Moreover, The storage bag belonging to Zhao Qingluo had been taken from Geng Wen. It wasn’t as if he had forcibly robbed Zhao Qingluo. Not to mention, he had saved her life. ... Fortunately, it seemed that the Blood Demon Elder had already worn away part of the spiritual imprint Zhao Qingluo left in her storage bag, so Wei Tu didn’t need much effort. In just the time it took for an incense stick to burn, he easily opened Zhao Qingluo’s storage bag. “So this is the Foundation Establishment Pill?” Wei Tu found a purple sandalwood box, carefully placed in the corner of the storage bag. Opening it, he found a pill the size of a broad bean inside. The pill was a deep purple color and emitted a faint, pleasant fragrance. It didn’t look like much. However, when Wei Tu sniffed the pill lightly, he immediately felt his spiritual power within his dantian beginning to stir. “It must be the Foundation Establishment Pill!” Wei Tu resealed the sandalwood box, feeling a sense of excitement building within him. There could be no other pill that would cause his spiritual power to react so strongly. “Other than the Foundation Establishment Pill, what else is in Zhao Qingluo’s storage bag…” Wei Tu hesitated, unsure if he should return the other items in her storage bag. He thought for a moment and then made his decision. Wei Tu took out the Beastmaster Token and summoned the Wind-Cleaving Eagle. He then took Zhao Qingluo and flew to another valley, twenty miles away. Upon arriving in the valley, Wei Tu left a message on the rock wall: “Junior, this one has old ties with the Zhao family. Passing through here, I killed two demons and saved your life. As a reward, I took a Foundation Establishment Pill from you.” — Foundation Establishment Pills were rare everywhere, not just limited to Qi Refinement cultivators. Thus, by writing this in the tone of a senior, he didn’t think it would raise any suspicions. As for the name... Wei Tu didn’t leave one. Without a name, it would be difficult to expose the truth. “Saving your life, taking your Foundation Establishment Pill... This should be fair,” Wei Tu thought to himself as he glanced at Zhao Qingluo lying on the ground, letting out a soft sigh. Next, Wei Tu returned to the original valley and, using several Earthquake Talismans, erased all traces of his presence, covering the marks he had left behind and scattering the special pill powder Geng Wen had made to erase the aura. 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