Hearing the Third Elder's apology, Uncle Lin's expression softened—if only slightly. He snorted coldly.
"Let this be the last time."
Seeing his anger fade, the Third Elder quickly added, "This matter concerns life and death. Please allow us time to discuss before we make a decision."
Uncle Lin nodded. "One day. No more."
"Thank you, Senior."
The group left the Contribution Hall and returned to Chen Qingyuan's residence.
The moment they stepped inside, Chen Qingyuan could no longer hold back his fury.
"Qingyang Sect is a nest of snakes and rats! They're pushing us too far! If you ask me, forget the pill. Let's go home, Qingyuan—don't suffer this humiliation!"
"Fourth."
Chen Qinghao stopped him sharply, frowning."A Foundation Establishment Pill is priceless. It's not something you can simply 'give up.'"
He turned toward Chen Nianzhi.
"Nianzhi, you're the alchemist here. Tell us the truth—what's wrong with that pill?"
Chen Nianzhi paused for a moment, then spoke plainly.
"That Foundation Establishment Pill is tainted with earth-fire baleful qi. That type of qi is born from poisonous fire deep in the earth veins."
"It is incredibly domineering—damaging flesh and meridians. Even Purple Mansion cultivators avoid contamination when they can."
"In my estimation, taking that pill, even with only a trace of baleful qi, is extremely dangerous."
"If the breakthrough succeeds, you can temporarily suppress the taint and slowly cleanse it afterward."
"But if it fails… the meridians may shatter. At best, the baleful fire will enter your body, crippling your cultivation and tormenting you for life."
Chen Qingyuan's face paled.
He swallowed hard. "If I take the pill… how likely am I to form my foundation?"
"No more than thirty percent," Chen Nianzhi said. Then he added earnestly, "It's too risky. I advise Uncle Qingyuan to wait ten more years."
"If the sect refines more pills in the future, the mission might be easier next time."
"Ten years… Who has that many ten years to waste?"
Chen Qingyuan let out a bitter laugh.
The five Chen family elders had traveled hundreds of thousands of miles over the course of almost a full year to help him. And now, after all this, Second Elder lay gravely injured, his lifespan torn away by heavy backlash—all because of him.
Just that price alone filled him with guilt.
He gritted his teeth."Thirty percent is enough. Who knows what the world will look like in ten years?"
"Qingyuan…"The others tried to persuade him again.
"No need."He cut them off."My mind is set."
That very night, Chen Qingyuan exchanged for the Foundation Establishment Pill and prepared for seclusion.
Breaking through to Foundation Establishment could take two to three months. The others were clan elders with responsibilities—they couldn't remain idle.
After bidding him farewell, they departed for Qingyuan Mountain. The journey took another six months.
Upon returning, Chen Nianzhi did not immediately go back to Spirit Lake Isle, for the Third Elder stopped him.
"The clan's Qi-Nurturing Grass is fully mature."
"Now that Chen Qingmeng has passed, the duty of refining Qi-Gathering Pills falls to you."
The family's five acres of Qi-Nurturing Grass matured once every five years. Harvest time had come half a year earlier, but the clan's only alchemist—Chen Nianzhi—had been away.
Now that he'd returned, the responsibility naturally fell on him.
Just like five years prior, the harvest yielded fifty furnaces worth of ingredients. It took him six to seven days of nonstop work, but in the end, he refined all fifty furnaces.
His current alchemy skill had already surpassed what Chen Qingmeng once achieved. With stronger true qi and spiritual sense, refinement came far more smoothly.
When he finished, he was pleasantly surprised:three hundred and fifty-three Qi-Gathering Pills.
A success rate of over seventy percent—even higher than the late Chen Qingmeng.
"Over seventy percent… remarkable."
"With your technique, once you reach Foundation Establishment, you'll be able to attempt second-rank pills immediately," Chen Qinghao said warmly. "With these pills, we can finally make up for the spirit stones our clan owes its members."
Chen Nianzhi nodded modestly."My progress is thanks in part to that pill manual we recovered."
After finishing the alchemy work, he stayed only one more day to rest before returning to Spirit Lake Isle.
When he arrived, he found Xianyan and Xianling cultivating. Both had already condensed true qi and stepped into Qi Refining Level Two.
"Not bad."
Chen Nianzhi couldn't hide his delight. The siblings had been here for five years; before age nine they had only been building fundamentals. When he left, they had barely begun cultivation.
Now, after only a year and a half, they had advanced twice.
Reaching level two at age eleven might not match Chen Nianzhi's childhood achievements, but it was still the birth of two young talents—likely to reach Qi Refining level nine in their twenties.
"You're back."
Old Uncle Gong returned from tending the fields and smiled warmly upon seeing him.
He followed Chen Nianzhi's gaze toward the siblings and chuckled.
"These two have good potential. This is their foundation stage. I used some of your spirit peaches to help them along—hope you don't mind."
Chen Nianzhi shook his head with a smile."May they live up to your expectations."
Saying that, he suddenly found himself laughing softly.
Unknowingly, he had already passed the age of twenty-two. He had lived on Spirit Lake Isle for more than seven years.
Later, sitting with his elderly grandfather over tea, they talked late into the night about everything that had happened.
When Chen Nianzhi finished recounting the events of Heavenly Ruins Mountain, the old man sighed deeply.
"Qingyang Sect's unfairness has long worn away people's trust. Ours is not the only clan harboring resentment."
"The next Beast Calamity arrives in thirty-some years. If the great clans cannot unite, the Qingyang Alliance might as well be scrap paper."
"And when that day comes… Chu Kingdom may fall. The common folk will suffer the most."
His words were casual, almost offhand.
But Chen Nianzhi felt the weight settle heavily in his heart.
The strong may stand tall, but under a collapsing nest, how can any egg remain whole?
If the borders fell, the mountains shattered, and Chu Kingdom became a wasteland ruled by demons… how could the Chen family possibly survive?
"I'm still not strong enough."
"I must grow stronger. If the tall ones can't hold up the sky, then I'll climb up—and become the tallest."
Silently, he made up his mind.
It was time to prepare for Foundation Establishment.