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Chapter 172 Foundation Establishment Pill Recipe, Golden Core is Rare

"Is it really the formula for the Foundation Establishment Elixir?"

"Lingyu, you're not lying to us!"

The Foundation Establishment Pill formula is extremely precious, comparable in value to Golden Core spiritual items. Ever since the Zhang family unified Yingchuan County, they have been inquiring with various major forces to see if they can obtain the formula.

While this knowledge is not a secret within powerful factions, it is strictly guarded against by their vassal families and numerous aristocratic clans.

After all, once the formula for the pill is made public, the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators below is likely to increase at an extremely rapid rate, which will not only threaten their status, but more importantly, the price of Foundation Establishment pills in various markets and auctions will shrink significantly.

Neither party would ever do anything that would harm their own interests, so the blockade of the Foundation Establishment Pill Sect was an unspoken understanding.

For the Zhang family now, as long as they have the formula, they will no longer need to spend a lot of effort running around to buy Foundation Establishment Pills.

"Grandpas, when has Lingyu ever lied to you!" Zhang Lingyu said, somewhat amused and exasperated, and handed the jade slip directly to Zhang Yuanhua, whose eyes were burning with desire.

After receiving the jade slip, the old man didn't have time to answer and immediately closed his eyes to examine it.

A full quarter of an hour passed before he returned the jade slip to the boy with a complicated expression.

"Brother, how is it? Is the prescription genuine?"

Zhang Yuanlin is not an alchemist and has no expertise in elixirs. Zhang Yuanhua, as the only fourth-level alchemist in his family and Yingchuan County, can generally distinguish the authenticity of any elixir formula except for those of fifth-level or higher.

"The prescription is genuine..."

The old man calmed himself down and continued, "As expected of the Foundation Establishment Pill formula, it requires quite a few materials, especially the demon core of a fourth-order demon beast. That kind of thing is not easy to obtain in Yingchuan County."

The Foundation Building Pill consists of a main ingredient and auxiliary ingredients. The main ingredient is Condensing Essence Grass, while the auxiliary ingredients include a variety of spiritual herbs such as Dragon Blood Vine, Green Rice Leaf, and Cold Water Dew. Although these are not common, they are not a big problem for the Zhang family now.

The real difficulty lies in obtaining the demon core of a fourth-tier demon beast.

The most powerful demon beast in Yingchuan County is the Poisonous Cloud Black Dragon in the Bone Forest, which has reached the peak of the fourth rank. The next step would be to become a demon king.

However, it is currently being guarded by True Man Xuanhao, so there is naturally no possibility of killing it.

Of course, whether one can win against a monster with ancient blood is another matter entirely.

Apart from that, there were no other traces of fourth-tier demonic beasts in the barren Yingchuan County.

"It seems that apart from purchasing, the only way to obtain a fourth-tier demon core is to go to the inner perimeter of the Myriad Spirits Mountain Range."

After reading the jade slip, Zhang Yuanlin pondered for a moment and continued, "Brother, with your current strength, are you confident you can refine it?"

"Disaster."

After hearing this, Zhang Yuanhua shook his head and said:

"Although the Foundation Establishment Pill is only a fourth-grade pill, it is still a top-tier pill. Even now, my success rate is probably only 30%, and it is definitely mixed with a lot of pill toxins."

"Is that so..."

The old man was somewhat saddened after hearing this, but Zhang Lingyu had expected it. As an alchemist, he naturally understood how difficult it was to refine Foundation Establishment Pills, which is why it was rare to hear of Foundation Establishment cultivators refining Foundation Establishment Pills in the cultivation world.

Even if a Golden Core cultivator were to produce it, only three to four pills could be formed in a single batch.

"It seems that our family can only continue to buy Foundation Establishment spiritual items and Foundation Establishment pills to break through for now. If you want to refine them on your own, we'll have to wait until you break through to the Golden Core stage, brother."

"yes."

Seeing the two elderly men looking somewhat dejected, Zhang Lingyu comforted them, "Grandpas, there's no need to be discouraged. We've already obtained the formula; we can take things slowly. You can't expect to achieve everything at once."

"Furthermore...it's not necessarily a good thing that so many families are now at the Foundation Establishment stage..."

Not to mention that Foundation Establishment Pills are not something that can be refined at present.

Take the Zhang family as an example. Apart from Zhang Yuanhua, who is about to embark on a long journey, there are three Foundation Establishment cultivators with the original surname, one Foundation Establishment guest elder, and Zhang Xinghao and Zhang Yuanyi who are currently in seclusion to break through. If they succeed, the family will have six Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Supporting six Foundation Establishment cultivators is a considerable burden for the family.

After all, one can't just sit idly on Qingya Mountain and the other two spiritual mountains all day, constantly absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth; one must take some elixirs.

If the family produces a few more Foundation Establishment cultivators, the finances may not be able to afford it.

Furthermore, there are very few clansmen who can break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. Not to mention that their cultivation level does not meet the standard, their foundation is also very weak. Even if they have a good foundation, there is still a possibility of failure.

Of course, these problems will be easily solved once Zhang Yuanhua has established his foundation.

"Lingyu is right." Zhang Yuanlin agreed wholeheartedly. The family was now stable both internally and externally. Yingchuan County was too barren for any external enemies to target it. The vassal families under its jurisdiction were also strictly controlled.

With four Foundation Establishment cultivators stationed simultaneously, it would be enough to deter any villains.

Therefore, the Zhang family does not lack Foundation Establishment cultivators, but rather top-tier cultivators.

Golden Elixir.

When this topic came up, the two of them looked at Zhang Yuanhua at the same time.

The old man was already at the peak of Foundation Establishment, and had taken a Longevity Pill that extended his life by ten years. In recent years, he had been preparing for a breakthrough, basically consolidating his foundation in his own cave. He also had some ideas about how to obtain suitable Golden Core spiritual items.

Now we just need to wait for Zhang Xinghao and the other person to successfully break through so they can go out and find a suitable place to break through.

"Grandpa, I wonder if those things are ready?" Zhang Lingyu pondered for a moment before finally expressing his concerns.

Not to mention the tribulation of lightning and the tribulation of inner demons, the initial core condensation stage alone is enough to stop 90% of the peak Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The process of condensing the pill is somewhat similar to the process of refining qi to break through to the foundation stage. The former involves compressing spiritual liquid into a pill, while the latter involves compressing spiritual energy into spiritual liquid.

They all appear to be compressed, but the pressure involved is unimaginable.

The first step in condensing the pill is to test the cultivator's magical power and spiritual soul. Compressing spiritual liquid into a pill seems simple, but it takes at least five to ten years, and sometimes even more than ten years.

Over the course of more than a decade, cultivators have had to continuously refine and compress the golden core to make it a perfect whole, without any flaws.

The amount of mana and spiritual energy consumed during this period is unimaginable. Of course, at this time, one must use Golden Core Elixir, Golden Core Spiritual Objects, and many pills to replenish mana.

It can be said that one wrong move could undo all the previous efforts.

Damage to meridians is a minor matter. In the cultivation world, there are many cultivators who have died directly. Disciples of major sects usually have their masters by their side to protect them and to remedy any problems that arise.

For a rogue cultivator like Zhang Yuanhua, failure is failure, and the survival rate is pitifully low.

After successfully condensing the core, the cultivator will trigger a celestial phenomenon. This phenomenon is likely to attract the attention of other cultivators in the vicinity. If they intend to interfere and increase the intensity of the upcoming tribulation lightning, the cultivator will most likely die under the tribulation lightning.

That's why I mentioned earlier that we needed to find a good place and have someone look after us.

If none of these external factors exist,

The cultivator can then face the tribulation alone with peace of mind.

Cultivators can use a series of methods such as formations, magical artifacts, talismans, and their physical bodies to resist the lightning tribulation. During this time, it is absolutely forbidden to let outsiders help them pass the lightning tribulation. It can be said that people who could have passed the lightning tribulation were killed instead.

You'll have nowhere to cry when the time comes.

As for why there is a tribulation of lightning, ancient books say: Heaven and Earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs.

Cultivation is inherently defying the heavens. Since they began cultivating, Zhang Lingyu and the others have been constantly absorbing and exhaling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and consuming various spiritual treasures. In the eyes of the Heavenly Dao, they are like thieves, constantly stealing things from its house.

Originally, this thief was insignificant, stealing only trivial things.

But now?

The thief is about to take things a step further. As he grows stronger, he will steal more and more, and the things he steals will become increasingly valuable.

Therefore, in order to prevent this thief from continuing to do evil, Heaven will send down calamities to stop him.

That makes sense, but what puzzled Zhang Lingyu was that since the cultivator had survived the tribulation, why would the heavens and earth gather strange phenomena to allow the cultivator to be infused with spiritual energy and advance further?

In his view, this was a reward from Heaven.

Therefore, opinions varied on whether the tribulation lightning was a test or a punishment.

After the tribulation, the cultivator can be considered a Golden Core cultivator, but there is still another tribulation waiting for them.

It is important to know that breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage requires "forging bones, condensing fluids, and tempering the soul," which corresponds to the three treasures of "essence, energy, and spirit."

Breaking through to the Golden Core stage is no different.

The process of condensing the elixir tests one's magical power and spiritual soul, the tribulation of lightning targets the physical body, and the final tribulation targets the spiritual soul, or one could say, the cultivator's temperament.

The final tribulation is what cultivators call the tribulation of inner demons.

The concept of inner demons has a long history, dating back to the time when ancient Qi cultivators began their practice, and Qi cultivators have their own views on it.

Some say it refers to a cultivator's obsessions, regrets, hatred, desires, and so on, but these all refer to the cultivator's own emotions.

In ancient times, there was a special kind of cultivation method called the Path of Ruthlessness.

In their view, immortals or cultivators should not have the seven emotions and six desires, as these things would hinder their cultivation. It is precisely because of these things that inner demons are born, thus obstructing them.

Therefore, ruthless cultivators are neither sad nor happy, they don't care about anything in the outside world, they focus on their own path of cultivation, and live only for longevity.

These methods proved effective, significantly reducing the interference of inner demons.

Even now, many practitioners still advocate this type of cultivation method.

But in this world, how many people can truly be ruthless?

Of course, in addition to the cultivators' own seven emotions and six desires, there is also interference from external demons. In places like those in ancient times, many celestial demons were born.

These creatures often originate in places with abundant Yin energy. They will take advantage of cultivators' unpreparedness to invade their physical bodies and sea of ​​consciousness, intending to interfere with and seize their bodies.

Therefore, ancient alchemists expended a great deal of effort to eliminate them.

Of course, on the other hand, most cultivators in the immortal path have inner demons to some extent, but they don't manifest during their usual cultivation. They all appear when they are undergoing the tribulation of inner demons.

The tribulation of inner demons will transform into an illusion. Cultivators need to control themselves and remain clear-headed to avoid falling into the illusion. As for the time it takes to pass through, it can be a moment or an infinitely long time, depending on the cultivator's own temperament.

In the world of cultivation, there are also many cultivators who are trapped in the tribulations of their inner demons and cannot extricate themselves until the end of their lifespan.

Of course, there are also certain ways to deal with cultivators who are suffering from inner demons.

For example, certain special elixirs, magical artifacts, and spiritual objects can provide assistance, but these are only assistance and cannot guarantee that the illness will be overcome.

The Longquan Jade Fruit and Silver Amber Spirit Flower, which appeared at the underground trade fair a dozen days ago, can be used to refine the Xuan Yin Protector Pill, which has a similar effect.

So don't underestimate breaking through to the Golden Core stage; the price you have to pay is far too high.

Of course, it's better than demonic cultivators, since their inner demon tribulation and lightning tribulation are much more powerful than Zhang Lingyu's. However, there are quite a few demonic golden cores, so they probably have some good magic power to get through it.

In response to Zhang Lingyu's question, Zhang Yuanhua stroked his beard and said:

"The collection is almost complete. Thanks to the Ming family, the Yun family, and the Black Tiger Gang's inventory, otherwise, our own inventory alone over the years would probably not have been enough for me to prepare so many things."

As mentioned earlier, the Golden Core Spiritual Object has already shown some promise, so there's no need to worry too much about it.

There were also quite a few pills to restore mana and soul, after all, the old man himself was a fourth-level alchemist, and he was always treated as an honored guest wherever he went.

As for inner demon tribulations, it can be said that almost everyone in a high-ranking family like him has inner demons that are all related to their family.

Because they were concerned about the safety of their family, they were constantly worried that their breakthroughs would cause huge losses to the family, or even lead to the extinction of the family.

This was something that Zhang Yuanhua and other high-ranking family members had been worried about before.

But things are different now.

The family is growing stronger and more powerful, with stability both internally and externally. With Zhang Lingyu and other family members laying the foundation, the family can continue to develop even without him.

So the old man was relieved, no longer having any worries, and could now focus on his attempt to break through to the Golden Core stage.

Of course, this doesn't mean that one can easily break through the inner demon tribulation. Since the inner demon tribulation can stand shoulder to shoulder with the lightning tribulation, it must have its own power. Zhang Yuanhua dared not underestimate it and also prepared some things.

All that's left is the tribulation of lightning.

This is what Zhang Lingyu and the others are most worried about.

The tribulation lightning is domineering, and it is difficult to overcome without powerful methods. Disciples of sects often have arrays, talismans and magic weapons bestowed by their sects. Some Golden Core disciples even bestow magic treasures directly to resist it.

These things are currently beyond the reach of the Zhang family.

However, in the past two years, the family has accumulated some wealth. Zhang Yuanhua has already spent a great deal of money to purchase a top-grade Foundation Establishment defensive magic weapon from Tianliu City, as well as several top-grade fourth-tier spirit talismans...

It can be said that the old man's conditions are much better than those of most independent practitioners.

"What needs to be done has been done; the rest is up to fate and ourselves."

Zhang Yuanhua wasn't too worried. He stroked his beard and smiled, "Everything is ready now. Xinghao and Yuanyi went into seclusion half a year ago. As long as one of them succeeds, I can leave in peace."

The Foundation Establishment stage is difficult, a fact Zhang Lingyu deeply understands. Zhang Yuanyi, after all, is old and is consuming Foundation Establishment spiritual items, so even if no one says it, everyone knows that the probability of success is rather small.

Of course, even if both of them fail, the old man will pass away; time waits for no one.

"Um."

Zhang Lingyu nodded, did some quick calculations, and smiled, "I think it will be quick; we should have results within two months."

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