Chapter 431 - 324: Perfection and Parting
For the past two years, Fang Qingyuan had been honing his Nurturing Realm, striving to polish his Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivation until it was utterly seamless, leaving no trace of a flaw.
Additionally, over these two years, Fang Qingyuan had spent a fortune in Spirit Stones to acquire the various resources needed for Core Formation. Normally, the Spirit Rice from his Immortal Mansion brought in over a hundred Top-grade Spirit Stones each year. That, combined with the wealth he had amassed in the Outer Sea Iron Wind Islands, would have been more than enough for an ordinary Cultivator to attempt Core Formation.
But Fang Qingyuan knew full well just how difficult his Core Formation would be, so the shortfall of Spirit Stones he faced was particularly large.
The seven thousand Top-grade Spirit Stones he had in the Immortal Mansion were now completely spent, yet the resources he had gathered still fell far short of his expectations.
For talismans, artifacts, arrays, and elixirs alone, even ten thousand Top-grade Spirit Stones wouldn’t be enough.
Although Lechuan had already provided some support, his resources were limited. He couldn’t very well keep investing the assets of the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect in Fang Qingyuan, so he could only dip into his personal savings to help.
Fang Qingyuan accepted Lechuan’s aid without reservation, but he didn’t dare ask for more. When he saw that Lechuan intended to continue supporting him, he insisted that it was enough, which finally dissuaded Lechuan from the notion of selling his own Magical Artifacts.
He would have to find a way to cover the remaining shortfall himself. In any case, he had plenty of lifespan, so he wasn’t desperately pressed for time. Even by relying solely on the output of his Immortal Mansion Spirit Rice and those Cyan Jade Dragonfly Beasts, he would eventually save up enough Spirit Stones.
Of course, the sooner he reached Core Formation, the better. Only after becoming a Core Formation Cultivator would Fang Qingyuan have the strength to truly stand firm in the White Mountain Territory, no longer needing to rely on his status and connections for his sense of security.
"I’ve already collected the flags, poles, command tokens, the ritual table, and the altar’s main body for the Seven-Star Stepping Dipper Celestial Sacrificial Altar. The only things left are three sticks of Top-Grade Incense and a suitable Sacrificial Sword, which I still haven’t been able to track down. It’s a real problem."
Inside the Immortal Mansion, Fang Qingyuan complained in frustration to the Bee Queen beside him. It was only in front of his Companion Beasts that he would let down his facade and reveal his true self. To the Qingyuan Sect and the mortals within it, he was still the Sect Leader, a god-like figure.
The Bee Queen lounged lazily to one side. She had heard Fang Qingyuan’s complaints so often recently that she had grown accustomed to them.
"And then there’s the Jade Chen Awakening Spirit Opening Heaven and Earth Gate Array. Very few factions here in White Mountain stock its components. Those things can probably only be found in the Qi Yun Territory. White Mountain is just too remote compared to Qi Yun."
The two methods Fang Qingyuan mentioned were the Seven-Star Stepping Dipper Celestial Sacrificial Altar and the Jade Chen Awakening Spirit Opening Heaven and Earth Gate Array. The former harmonized the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, refining it for the user’s personal use. The latter provided a massive boost, essentially placing the user in an incredibly potent state.
Each of these two methods could increase a cultivator’s chance of successfully reaching Core Formation by thirty percent, for a combined total of sixty percent. However, Fang Qingyuan felt that while it might be a sixty-percent boost for others, he would be lucky to get thirty percent, and it might even be less.
Fang Qingyuan had learned of both methods for the breakthrough from Lechuan. The only problem was that they required a staggering amount of Spirit Stones. Those without considerable wealth couldn’t even dream of using them.
Furthermore, Fang Qingyuan had also gone to the Pill Alliance to procure the elixir pills refined from the Spring and Autumn Cicada. In light of the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect’s past assistance, the Pill Alliance wasn’t stingy. However, the production of these pills was extremely limited, and in the end, Fang Qingyuan only managed to obtain two vials, for a total of twelve pills.
Then there were the Magical Artifacts needed to withstand the Celestial Tribulation. Fang Qingyuan couldn’t bear to use his Ten Thousand Beasts Qiankun Banner for that purpose, which meant he needed to prepare three top-grade, or even supreme-grade, Magical Artifacts.
He was short on Spirit Stones at every turn. As he contemplated this, Fang Qingyuan glanced at the Blood Life Pills he had accumulated. An idea began to form in his mind as he considered the Magical Artifacts and resources he still lacked.
’It’s time to go to the Qi Yun Territory. I’ll sell the Blood Life Pills and exchange them for magical artifacts and resources.’
Just then, he thought of someone from his past: Xu Taichu. ’Do you still remember your invitation from all those years ago?’