Xiao Chen opened his eyes, frustration flickering within them. His first attempt at refining Foundation Establishment Pills had failed due to a minor lapse in controlling his divine sense. The misstep had ruined the entire batch.
After a brief rest to regain composure, he swiftly cleared the remnants and began his second attempt. This time, Xiao Chen was meticulous, making no errors from start to finish. Half an hour later, a rich medicinal aroma wafted from the furnace.
A smile of satisfaction appeared on his face as he opened the furnace to find over a dozen freshly refined Foundation Establishment Pills. He inspected one closely and confirmed it matched the sample. Pleased, he stored the remaining pills in a jade bottle.
With experience on his side, his efficiency improved dramatically. By nightfall, Xiao Chen had processed all thirty sets of materials he had prepared. Out of these, only two batches failed, resulting in a total of 400 pills from 28 successful attempts.
Staring at the four full bottles of Foundation Establishment Pills, Xiao Chen couldn't help feeling a surge of pride. Even the core disciples of prestigious sects likely hadn't seen so many Foundation Establishment Pills at once.
After some thought, Xiao Chen placed three bottles into his storage pouch. "Three hundred pills should suffice for my own use. The remaining hundred... I'll try purifying them into higher-grade pills. If I can create mid-grade or even high-grade pills, the effects will undoubtedly be far superior."
Five hours later, Xiao Chen gazed at the 19 mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pills in front of him, both pleased and pained. Despite his cultivation at the tenth level of Qi Refinement and enhanced divine sense, the process of purifying the pills was far more difficult than he had anticipated. He failed repeatedly before finally finding success. Out of 100 low-grade pills, he had only managed to refine 19 into mid-grade ones—a success rate of barely 20%.
Sighing, he carefully stored the mid-grade pills, swallowed a few recovery pills, and began meditating to restore his energy. Even with his vast supply of pills, it took him three full hours to regain his peak condition.
Xiao Chen took a Foundation Establishment Pill and swallowed it. Instantly, a surge of cool, potent energy coursed through his body, traveling wildly through his meridians. As the medicinal power was absorbed, his spiritual energy grew denser and more refined.
Half an hour later, the storm of energy subsided. Xiao Chen opened his eyes with a faint smile of self-deprecation. Despite reaching the tenth level of Qi Refinement—far beyond the eighth level where most cultivators with decent aptitude could succeed—he had failed to establish his foundation. It was a sobering reminder of just how poor his natural talent was.
However, Xiao Chen had anticipated this outcome. After verifying that the pill had indeed strengthened his spiritual energy, he remained calm and swallowed another pill, resuming the process.
By the third attempt, Xiao Chen noticed a subtle shift in his energy, sparking a glimmer of hope. But as the medicinal power faded, it became clear that he still hadn't succeeded. While his spiritual energy had become denser and his divine sense sharper, he remained stuck.
"What is this supposed to be?" Xiao Chen muttered bitterly. "The eleventh level of Qi Refinement?" The idea was absurd—this stage didn't officially exist. Yet his progress suggested he was venturing into uncharted territory.
Unwilling to give up, Xiao Chen steeled himself. "I have pills in abundance. If one isn't enough, I'll take ten. If ten don't work, I'll take a hundred. I refuse to believe I can't succeed!"
For the next two months, Xiao Chen remained in seclusion, repeating the cycle of pill consumption, meditation, and energy refinement.
On his 25th pill, he experienced his second breakthrough but still failed to establish his foundation. Tentatively, he labeled this state as the twelfth level of Qi Refinement.
By his 64th pill, he reached a third breakthrough, which he called the thirteenth level of Qi Refinement.
At the 157th pill, his fourth breakthrough brought him to the fourteenth level of Qi Refinement.
After another failed attempt, he reached the fifteenth level of Qi Refinement.
Each breakthrough enhanced his spiritual energy and divine sense, but none resulted in Foundation Establishment.
After refining yet another mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, Xiao Chen sat silently, staring at it in frustration. "It seems this is the absolute limit of Qi Refinement," he sighed. "Even now, I can't break through to Foundation Establishment. Could it be that I'm fated to stop here, despite all my alchemical talents?"
Still unwilling to accept defeat, Xiao Chen decided to try a different approach. Activating the Primordial Divine Codex, he concealed his cultivation, suppressing it to appear at the seventh level of Qi Refinement. He then consumed a Morphing Pill, altering his appearance entirely.
The Morphing Pill was a rare and expensive item that temporarily changed the user's appearance for three hours. However, the transformation wasn't perfect; those more than a realm above the user could see through it. Fortunately, with Xiao Chen's immense spiritual energy and divine sense, even Foundation Establishment cultivators would find it difficult to see through his disguise.
Confident that the sect master, the only person capable of exposing him, was preoccupied with Yaodaozi's Golden Core breakthrough, Xiao Chen ventured out of the medicine garden.
Leaping into the air, Xiao Chen flew swiftly without using any magical tools. In less than half an hour, he arrived at the sect's Archive Pavilion.
Landing at a distance, Xiao Chen approached the pavilion on foot. It was surrounded by powerful anti-flight wards, restricting all non-Foundation Establishment cultivators from flying near it. Though Xiao Chen could bypass the restriction, he chose not to draw attention to himself.
His goal was clear: to uncover the secrets behind his inability to break through.