In truth, the Ling Clan was a low-tier Foundation Establishment clan. Obtaining Foundation Establishment Pills was no easy feat for them. Lacking the ability to refine these pills themselves, they had to purchase them at exorbitant prices from auction houses.
Even then, they could only acquire Low-Grade Foundation Establishment Pills with the Lower Three-Pattern markings.
Such pills merely guaranteed a 30% chance of a Qi Refining cultivator successfully breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, and even if the attempt failed, the cultivator's cultivation and physical body would remain undamaged.
Even if successful, the resulting Dao Foundation would be of Low-Grade, offering virtually no hope of advancing to the Golden Core True Person realm.
In contrast, Mid-Grade Foundation Establishment Pills not only boosted the success rate to over 40% but also allowed cultivators who failed to reach the Great Perfection of the tenth layer of Qi Refining. At this level, a second Foundation Establishment Pill would almost guarantee success.
Furthermore, using a Mid-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill to establish one's Dao Foundation greatly increased the likelihood of achieving a Mid-Grade Dao Foundation, offering genuine hope for eternal longevity.
And what Luo Nichang held before her was a Six-Pattern Mid-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill—the pinnacle of Mid-Grade quality!
With a slight chance of establishing a High-Grade Dao Foundation, such a pill would be beyond the Ling Clan's means, even if they sold their entire estate at auction!
"That's right, it's a Foundation Establishment Pill, and I guarantee your breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage!"
Seeing Luo Nichang's fervent excitement, Ji Chang smiled faintly. With a flick of his wrist, three more brocade boxes materialized, each containing another Six-Pattern Mid-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill.
Such treasures remained scarce precisely because of the upper echelons' tight control over their distribution.
For major sects and powerful factions, these pills held little exceptional value.
At the Divine Dao Sect, any Outer Sect Disciple who cultivated to the ninth layer of Qi Refining could exchange 3,000 contribution points for a Mid-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill or 10,000 contribution points for a High-Grade one.
In the original novel, the male protagonist, Ling Feng, had exchanged for a High-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill, allowing him to establish a High-Grade Dao Foundation. From then on, he had soared like a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate, shining brilliantly in the Inner Sect and eventually reaching the final round, where he competed with Ji Chang for the True Inheritance.
Unfortunately for Ling Feng, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Ji Chang was certain to claim the True Inheritance position.
Because...
*Whoosh~*
Under the scrutiny of his divine sense, an ancient cauldron in his Qi Sea Dantian radiated strands of violet qi.
The Purple-Patterned Dao Cauldron—the pinnacle of High-Grade Dao Foundations—was just a hair's breadth away from reaching the supreme-grade.
Combined with his innate double pupils, Ji Chang's combat prowess far surpassed that of ordinary High-Grade Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Not to mention his Mystical Arts and Divine Powers, which dwarfed theirs in power. By any measure, the newly risen protagonist, Ling Feng, stood no chance against him.
"I... I..."
One Foundation Establishment Pill might carry some risk, but three or four would undoubtedly ensure her success in reaching Foundation Establishment.
Luo Nichang's gaze wavered visibly.
Sensing her hesitation, Ji Chang abruptly closed the distance, his double pupils locking onto her eyes.
"Now, kneel and serve me properly!"
Her double pupils seemed to swirl like whirlpools, drawing Luo Nichang's attention into their depths.
She mindlessly followed Ji Chang's instructions...
The Soul-Seizing Eye Technique, a Profound-Grade Mystical Art, combined with the vast cultivation gap between Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining, and the earlier verbal assault that had breached her defenses, produced this overwhelming effect.
As an Eternal Longevity Clan, the Ji Clan might not have possessed techniques specifically tailored for double pupils, but they certainly hadn't neglected collecting ocular arts. The Soul-Seizing Eye Technique stood as the highest-ranked method within the Ji Clan's Scripture Pavilion.
In the Azure Origin Realm, where only Transformation God Ancestors could reside, Heaven-Grade materials and Earth-Grade Dao Techniques and Divine Abilities were the highest tier achievable.
Each major cultivation stage was further divided into lower, middle, and upper ranks. The Soul-Seizing Eye Technique was a middle-ranked Profound-Grade eye technique.
The Foundation Establishment Stage, as its name implied, laid the groundwork for one's Dao Foundation. Five years prior, Ji Chang had broken through to Foundation Establishment. Though he remained at the early stage, his strength had increased by hundreds or even thousands of times.
Only mediocre cultivators fixated solely on advancing through minor cultivation stages, ultimately stagnating at the late stage or even failing to form a False Core.
Phoenix Cry Peak—
At the mountain's base, a figure clad in a pitch-black Daoist robe lurked in the shadows, eyes fixed on a centipede-like insect before him.
This man was none other than Ling Feng, the male protagonist of the novel *Immortal Maiden's Records*.
To ensure his plan went off without a hitch, he used a Profound-grade Invisibility Talisman, which he had painstakingly acquired. Even with this, he dared only lurk at the foot of Phoenix Cry Peak.
He watched helplessly as his foster mother, a woman of mature charm and captivating allure, changed into a semi-transparent gauze robe and entered Ji Chang's cave dwelling. His face, shadowed beneath the trees, twisted in anguish.
*This is the woman who raised me, who taught me the basics of cultivation!*
Now he could only stand by and watch her walk into the wolf's den. How could he not seethe with hatred?!
Yet as the Mother Gu began to hiss excitedly, a sliver of excitement pierced through his grief, rage, and resentment.
*Tomorrow's final match is in the bag!*
The Void Centipede Mother Gu would react as soon as the toxin was activated.
*Ji Chang, I, Ling Feng, will never forget this humiliation. One day, I will make you repay this blood debt tenfold!*
If it weren't for tomorrow's True Inheritance competition, he would never have resorted to such a desperate measure.
Born into a minor clan, orphaned at a young age, and left without support, Ling Feng had endured relentless bullying. In such circumstances, clinging to ideals of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, justice, integrity, and shame would have left him ignorant of which way the gates of the Divine Dao Sect even swung open.
Only by abandoning all scruples and seizing every advantage, regardless of the means, could Ling Feng ever hope to soar through the nine heavens!
The great immortal cultivation clans would rather let their cultivation techniques and elixirs rot in their treasuries than share even a single morsel with the lower-tier cultivators.
*If I had a family like Ji Chang's, I wouldn't have to sacrifice my foster mother!*
*She was the only person who had ever shown him warmth during his childhood!*
The thought made his teeth grind audibly.
Ling Feng stood motionless, staring at the hissing Void Centipede Mother Gu in his palm. He remained uneasy. While the Mother Gu would react once the toxin took effect, he needed to be closer—at least halfway up the mountain—to confirm its success.
Stealthily advancing several dozen meters under the cover of an invisibility talisman, Ling Feng suddenly felt a primal sense of danger surge through him.
*Whoosh!*
Maximizing the talisman's effect, he instantly flattened himself against the shadows of a nearby boulder.
Moments later, a wave of divine sense swept past, sending shivers down his spine.
"Strange... I thought I sensed some movement just now."
A Foundation Establishment Stage Inner Sect patrol disciple muttered to himself, scanning the area two or three more times. Finding nothing amiss, he resumed his patrol elsewhere.
"Damn second-generation heir relying on family connections!"
Once the patrol disciple had left, Ling Feng carefully retreated back to the foot of the mountain, glaring resentfully at the summit of Phoenix Cry Peak.
It was common knowledge within the Divine Dao Sect that Ji Chang, though not a True Inheritance disciple, wielded power greater than many who were.
Upon entering the Inner Sect, he immediately attracted a swarm of followers and even splurged on renting an entire mountain peak.
In the Divine Dao Sect, only True Inheritance disciples were entitled to possess an entire mountain peak as their personal cave residence. While Inner Sect disciples could lease peaks, the cost was astronomical, far beyond the means of ordinary disciples.
Thus, Ji Chang stood alone in the entire Divine Dao Sect as the only one capable of such extravagance.
And as a result, the ranks of his followers swelled daily!