Li Derong stood before Wang Yanzhao, her expression pleading. She had come to ask for a favor that concerned the future of her clan.

“Senior,” she said softly, “I implore you. Would the Wang family agree to this junior’s request to refine the Essence Condensing Fruit into Foundation Establishment Pills?”

Wang Yanzhao stroked his beard, pondering for a moment.

If the Li family provided the supplementary herbs, the Wang family wouldn’t lose anything. In fact, the supplementary ingredients for three batches alone were worth nearly twenty thousand Spirit Stones.

“The Wang and Li families are branches of the same tree,” Wang Yanzhao finally said. “Moreover, we were only able to capture Ruojun Mountain thanks to the Li family’s assistance. Naturally, I can agree.”

Li Derong’s eyes lit up.

“However,” Wang Yanzhao added, “the specifics of this arrangement require the Li family head to travel to Wang Family Ridge and discuss the details directly with the Patriarch.”

“Thank you, Senior! This junior will return to the mountain immediately to inform the family head.”

Having received a positive answer, Li Derong didn’t want to delay for even a moment. She hurriedly took her leave.

Wang Yanzhao saw her out, intending to speak with Wang Hao privately. Once Li Derong was gone, he dismissed Wang Yanfeng as well.

The moment they were alone, Wang Yanzhao turned on Wang Hao, his expression exasperated.

“You brat! How dare you share a treasure like the Essence Condensing Fruit Tree with the Li family?”

“How is that my fault?” Wang Hao retorted, feeling wronged. “She found the location herself. Besides, without her help, Eighth Uncle and I wouldn’t have obtained the fruit so easily.”

He paused, then shot the elder a look. “I say, Old Wang, isn’t Li Derong your sister-in-law? Can’t you spare a single Essence Condensing Fruit?”

“Hmph!” Wang Yanzhao’s expression turned stern.

“Do you understand what kind of treasure an Essence Condensing Fruit Tree is? Even the Qingyuan Sect possesses only one! There is absolutely no reason to share it with outsiders. Even if she were Derong’s own sister, let alone a cousin, it wouldn’t be allowed!”

“Alright, alright, what’s done is done. No use complaining about it now, Old Wang,” Wang Hao said, waving his hand dismissively.

He was far more concerned about the pills than the politics. “Can the Patriarch really refine Foundation Establishment Pills?”

Wang Yanzhao glared at him. “Of course there is no problem. The Patriarch is exceptionally talented. He established his foundation at thirty and reached the peak of Foundation Establishment by one hundred. His alchemy skills have long been perfected.”

Wang Yanzhao’s voice lowered slightly, tinged with regret. “If he hadn’t been injured during the last Beast Tide, breaking through to the Golden Core stage wouldn’t have been impossible.”

“That impressive?” Wang Hao was startled.

A doubt arose in his heart. How did a cultivator with hopes of forming a Golden Core end up so severely injured? Wang Guang’an was the pillar of the family, more important than all other members combined. Even if the Wang family suffered losses, it shouldn’t have reached a point where the Patriarch had to risk his life on the front lines—unless the family was facing total extinction.

Wang Hao narrowed his eyes. “Could the Patriarch’s injury have been a plot by the Qingyuan Sect?”

The Qingyuan Sect only had three Golden Core cultivators. They certainly wouldn’t want a fourth emerging from a subordinate force. It would mean losing control and sharing significant benefits.

Wang Yanzhao looked at Wang Hao with a flash of appreciation.

“It is good that you can think of this,” he said quietly. “However, matters here are complicated. You are not qualified to know the full truth yet. You will understand naturally once you establish your foundation. From now on, keep your wits about you. Do not trust outsiders easily.”

Just as expected, Wang Hao sighed inwardly.

The world of cultivation was fraught with hidden daggers. It seemed that even after establishing his foundation, he would need to continue lying low. He had to hide his clumsiness and avoid attracting the Qingyuan Sect’s attention.

For now, the priority was the Foundation Establishment Pill. His own alchemy skill was only at the lower grade of the second rank. Who knew how many years it would take to reach the upper grade?

“Old Wang,” Wang Hao asked, “can I have two Foundation Establishment Pills?”

“Do you think Foundation Establishment Pills are cabbages? How could you possibly get two!” Wang Yanzhao snapped irritably.

Seeing Wang Hao’s face fall, he softened his tone. “But don’t worry. I will refine a batch of Vein Protection Pills for you. Combined with the family’s insights on breakthrough, your chances of succeeding with one pill are quite high.”

“But I have five Spiritual Roots!” Wang Hao smiled bitterly.

“You cultivate the True Scripture of Red Lotus and Phantom Wood,” Wang Yanzhao countered. “Your Qi is much purer than that of an ordinary five-spiritual-root cultivator. Your probability of establishing your foundation isn’t lower than that of someone with three spiritual roots.”

He patted Wang Hao’s shoulder. “Your contributions this time are significant, plus your previous merit in presenting the pill formula. If you fail once, it won’t be difficult for me to request another pill for you.”

He then offered some advice. “I see you haven’t been at the ninth level of Qi Refining for long. There is still some time before you reach perfection. During this period, study the insights on Foundation Establishment thoroughly. You must have a clear understanding in your heart!”

Wang Yanzhao sighed wistfully. “When it comes down to it, you are much luckier than I was. I wasted a full ten years waiting for a Foundation Establishment Pill! Fortunately, those ten years allowed my Qi to become extremely pure, enabling me to break through in one go.”

Wang Hao groaned internally. That’s not how you should calculate it! I’m exchanging my Essence Condensing Fruit for this pill!

Still, he held his tongue. One pill was better than nothing. With the Ice Muscle and Jade Bone Technique, his success rate was already higher than most.

Wang Hao decided not to return to the market. All his belongings were in his storage bag, so it made no difference where he stayed.

Old Wang treated him well, assigning him a cave dwelling near the mountaintop. While both Ruojun Mountain and the Green Bull Market sat on upper-grade second-rank spiritual veins, the peak of Ruojun Mountain had a much higher concentration of spiritual energy.

Given his contributions to the family, no one would blame him if he didn’t work for several years—though some youngsters would inevitably grumble behind his back.

Wang Hao didn’t take such gossip to heart. It wasn’t because he was broad-minded, but because he considered himself above their level. Bothering with ants was a waste of time.

Showing off and face-slapping might feel good, but there was no sense of achievement in flexing before weaklings.

Wang Hao arrived at his new cave dwelling. It was quite spacious, featuring a small courtyard for daily living and caves carved into the mountainside behind it. The caves connected to the spiritual vein below, where wisps of energy rose through channels to form a thin, misty fog.

He was quite satisfied.

The courtyard was extremely secluded. Once the defensive formation was activated, outsiders couldn’t enter or disturb him. He released Yaya and Xiaobai, letting them play freely within the walls.

He also released the two Phantom Moon Butterflies.

These two insects had grown considerably plumper. Unfortunately, they lacked intelligence, unlike the communicative Xiaobai and Yaya. They were now nearly three chi long and were usually kept within the spirit beast bag.

The problem was, they ate a lot and excreted just as much, turning Wang Hao into a professional poop scooper. Cleaning the spirit beast bag was a hassle, so he placed a large vat in the courtyard for them.

He took some spirit fruits from his Penguin Farm and piled them into the vat.

Smelling the fragrance, the two Phantom Moon Butterflies quickly crawled atop the pile, crunching away happily. Before long, a corner of the fruit hill was missing.

Wang Hao watched them, shaking his head with a wry smile. “Apart from me, probably no one else could afford to raise you two gluttons.”

Although the consumption of the two butterflies was several times greater than that of Yaya and Xiaobai, their growth speed was satisfying. They had reached the upper-grade of the first rank. His own Foundation Establishment might not necessarily happen faster than their advancement to the second rank.

Once he possessed two second-rank Phantom Moon Butterflies, all these years of effort would finally yield a harvest.

Days turned into months. Every few days, Wang Hao emerged to feed his beasts. The rest of his time was spent cultivating or practicing spells in the open areas of Ruojun Mountain.

Another year passed in a flash.

One day, Wang Yanzhao found him. He handed over a jade bottle.

“This is the Foundation Establishment Pill. Keep it safe.”

He then took out another jade bottle and several jade slips. “This is the fourth layer of the True Scripture of Red Lotus and Phantom Wood, along with the family’s insights on Foundation Establishment. This bottle contains the Vein Protection Pills I refined to help you.”

Wang Yanzhao looked at him with a serious expression.

“Originally, I hoped you could temper your Qi further before attempting the breakthrough. But the once-in-a-century Beast Tide will arrive in two years. It is best if you can establish your foundation before then. The family needs every ounce of strength to withstand what is coming.”

Wang Yanzhao sighed heavily.

He frowned, his worry evident. Beast Tides were extremely dangerous. Not only would there be massive numbers of first and second-rank beasts, but third-rank beasts would also occasionally appear.

The Qingyuan Sect claimed they would send reinforcements, but judging from past incidents, they were likely untrustworthy. They might even use the chaos to suppress the Wang family, seeing the rapid expansion of Ruojun Mountain as a threat.