Gateway of Immortality

Shaohua Mountain, Jingyue Peak.

The moon lit up the scene, and the sound of water babbled through the stream.

The flowing water merged into a crescent-shaped lake, splashing crystalline droplets that looked like stardust under the night sky. Floating above the lake was a beautiful octagonal pavilion, with light curtains billowing in the gentle breeze.

A table set with sandalwood incense and fine tea stood inside the pavilion, where two people sat facing each other.

One of them was a middle-aged man in a brocade robe. His face was square, with sharp brows and piercing tiger-like eyes, exuding an aura of authority without needing to display anger. He was none other than Dong Yangbo, the only Spiritual Infant grandmaster of Shaohua Mountain.

Seated across from him was an elegant woman, as ethereal as a celestial fairy, untouched by the dust of the mortal world, appearing out of place in this tainted realm. She wore a veil and kept her head slightly lowered, gracefully brewing tea with delicate hands. Her gaze, like starlight, lingered on the rippling water in the tea cup, emanating an aura of otherworldly tranquility and loneliness.

Dong Yangbo placed both hands on the edge of the table and leaned forward slightly, his sharp eyes fixated on the woman in front of him. In a low voice, he said, "Ms. Chenyan, after your last failed breakthrough, your retreat path has been cut off. Time is running out, and you can no longer afford to cultivate slowly."

The tea in Chenyan’s hand trembled slightly, and a trace of heartbreaking confusion flickered in her eyes.

Dong Yangbo ignored her reaction, his tone and expression carrying an unmistakable sense of pressure. Although his words seemed like gentle persuasion, there was a clear force behind them. "This secret art indeed originates from a demonic sect, but arts themselves are neither righteous nor evil—everything depends on how they are used. Moreover, this secret art has been proven to yield results. It only requires some preparation. If you are concerned about the risks or her reputation, I can handle the aftermath. I assure you, everything will be clean, and you won’t be troubled."

Chenyan slowly closed her eyes, her voice trembling, barely audible.

"Alright..."

…

Sunken Cave

Suddenly, a series of heart-wrenching screams erupted from within Qin Sang’s cave dwelling, as if a ferocious beast were trapped inside. Unbeknownst to anyone, those screams were coming from Qin Sang himself.

He was clutching his stomach tightly, having already rolled off his meditation mat. His body was curled up like a shrimp, writhing on the ground. His facial features were contorted in extreme pain, clearly enduring agony beyond what any normal person could bear. His face was pale, devoid of any color, and the sweat pouring from his body had not only soaked his clothes but also drenched the floor around him.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The cause of this suffering was the Foundation Building Pill he had just consumed.

He had spent a year diligently cultivating in his cave dwelling, yet the results were worse than what he had achieved in a single month before. At this rate, even by the age of fifty, he wouldn't be able to break through to the eleventh stage of the Qi Refining Realm, let alone the stages beyond.

The snail-like pace of his cultivation had completely worn down Qin Sang’s patience. In desperation, he decided to take one of the Foundation Building Pills to test his luck. After all, he had three of them. If by some miracle he succeeded in breaking through, his entire life would change.

Of course, taking the Foundation Building Pill couldn’t be done recklessly. He spent a few days adjusting his state and mindset to their peak, carefully preparing by placing healing pills and other items within reach. After reviewing Senior Uncle Wen's teachings, he cautiously swallowed the pill.

Senior Uncle Wen had warned him that the medicinal energy of the Foundation Building Pill would cause the user’s body to undergo a transformation, accompanied by some pain. However, Qin Sang had never expected the pain to be this intense—far worse than any bodily cleansing!

At first, when the pill entered his stomach, the sensation wasn’t too bad. But once its effects fully erupted, his dantian felt as though it were being violently squeezed, and his Qihai was on the verge of shattering. Simultaneously, his limbs and bones were tortured as if countless tiny insects were gnawing at his flesh.

Under the relentless waves of excruciating pain, Qin Sang felt as though his body no longer belonged to him. He had no idea how long it took before the pain gradually subsided. Trembling, Qin Sang crawled to a corner of the cave and grabbed a jade bottle he had kicked away. He gulped down the healing pills inside, finally feeling a bit of relief.

His body was sticky, reeking with a foul stench, as though he were covered in a layer of mud. Gathering a stream of water, Qin Sang washed away the filth and then returned to his mat, sitting down in a daze.

His cultivation had broken through to the eleventh stage of the Qi Refining Realm, and the cleansing of his body had improved his aptitude slightly. Some of the medicinal energy still remained in his body. Once refined, it would deepen his cultivation further. However, there was no joy in his heart, as this result was expected.

If the Foundation Building Pill couldn’t even achieve this much, it would hardly live up to its grand reputation.

Qin Sang was troubled because, despite taking the Foundation Building Pill, he hadn’t even glimpsed the threshold of Foundation Building, let alone achieved a breakthrough. From the looks of it, even if he gritted his teeth and took another pill, the results wouldn’t be any better. In fact, the pill’s effectiveness would gradually weaken. Even if he consumed both remaining pills, at best, if he was lucky, he might break through to the twelfth stage.

Hoping to reach the peak of the thirteenth stage of the Qi Refining Realm before his vital energy began to decline at the age of fifty, and still having enough Foundation Building Pills to attempt a breakthrough, seemed almost impossible.

Sigh...

A long sigh echoed through the quiet cave dwelling. After tidying up the disarray, Qin Sang calmed his scattered thoughts, entered meditation, and began circulating his cultivation method, making the most of his time to absorb the medicinal energy still stored in his body, lest it go to waste.

Three months later.

Qin Sang returned to Shaohua Mountain and sought out Senior Uncle Wen.

"You’ve taken a Foundation Building Pill, haven’t you?"

With a single glance, Senior Uncle Wen noticed the change in Qin Sang’s cultivation and frowned slightly.

Qin Sang smiled bitterly and nodded, looking utterly ashamed.

"You… You are too impatient. Did you really think a single spiritual fruit could change your aptitude and protect you for life? I had hoped you’d be more composed than Zhuang Yan, but it seems you’re just as impulsive. So, what’s your plan now? If you have no other options, why not return to the Sunken Cave and take over Zhuang Yan’s duties? You can be my right-hand man."

From Senior Uncle Wen’s perspective, since Qin Sang had wasted his only Foundation Building Pill, his chances of achieving Foundation Building were now nonexistent. If Qin Sang could settle down and serve the sect, understanding his place, he could still be a useful helper.

Qin Sang thought to himself that the two spirit stones he had spent to ask Zhuang Yan for advice had not gone to waste, but he hadn’t given up on his cultivation path just yet. He asked, "Senior Uncle Wen, I’ve always been curious—why is the Foundation Building Pill so scarce? Even our righteous sects cannot guarantee that each disciple receives one. Are the spiritual herbs required for it truly so rare? Do the major sects not cultivate them?"

In fact, not just the Foundation Building Pill, but after Qin Sang had left Shaohua Mountain last time, he had visited several nearby immortal cultivation markets. Previously, due to his low cultivation and limited wealth, he had only taken quick glances at things in passing.

Now that he had thoroughly investigated, he found that the markets rarely sold high-quality spiritual pills.

The best healing pills were only slightly better than the ones Sun De carried.

As for pills that could stabilize and enhance the cultivation of those above the tenth stage of the Qi Refining Realm, they were exceedingly rare and prohibitively expensive. Most of them could only be found at auctions.

It was said that the Taiyi Core Sect was unparalleled among the eight righteous sects in terms of alchemy. However, not only were their pills rarely seen outside the sect, but even when they were available, they were so expensive that people like him couldn’t afford them.

This was one of the reasons why Qin Sang had decided to take the gamble.

Senior Uncle Wen immediately saw through Qin Sang’s thoughts. "You want to refine the Foundation Building Pill yourself? Setting aside how difficult alchemy is to learn, with your current Qi Refining Realm cultivation, you wouldn’t even be able to gather the main ingredients for the Foundation Building Pill. Not just the Foundation Building Pill, but many ancient pill recipes are stored in the sect’s Treasure Tower Peak. Yet, they all lie unused, covered in dust. The reason is simple—there are no spiritual herbs available to refine them. Even a skilled wife cannot cook without rice."

As Qin Sang listened to Senior Uncle Wen’s explanation, he finally understood the true situation.