Starting My Immortal Life by Upgrading Buildings

Chapter 133: Foundation Establishment Pill Acquired

The jade bottle had double ears, with finely carved images of birds, beasts, insects, and fish on its surface.

As Ji Yuan reached out, the jade bottle was already in his hand. It felt cool to the touch—turned out, it was crafted from a Spirit Stone ore vein. No wonder it looked so high-quality.

Coincidentally, nestled within this jade bottle was a single pill.

Ji Yuan’s previously calm mood began to stir with excitement.

Foundation Establishment Pill.

It should be, right?

At that moment, Ji Yuan finally understood the meaning of “a heart filled with excitement, and trembling hands.”

He gently removed the bottle stopper, and instantly, a strong medicinal fragrance filled the entire stone chamber. Ji Yuan merely took a whiff—

And already felt a ripple within the pill cloud inside his dantian.

Foundation Establishment Pill!

This was definitely a Foundation Establishment Pill!

He looked down into the bottle and saw a round, brown pill lying inside. On its surface, two lines of red-gold pill patterns were visible.

It was even a dual-pattern Foundation Establishment Pill!

Even a single one of these would start at a base price of 500 mid-grade Spirit Stones. If auctioned, the price would only go higher, without an upper limit.

Ji Yuan couldn’t help but feel excited.

He hadn’t expected to acquire a Foundation Establishment Pill this quickly—let alone one with dual patterns.

Given this, how should he handle the pill?

Taking it directly was definitely out of the question. With a pseudo-spiritual root, he couldn’t expect to succeed at Foundation Establishment with just one pill. Even most cultivators with genuine spiritual roots would prepare two to three such pills before attempting Foundation Establishment.

Keep it for later use?

For ordinary cultivators, that would certainly be the best plan. But Ji Yuan didn’t think that way. Others lacked Foundation Establishment Pills—but he only lacked the materials for them.

Once his pill refining reached tier two and he had a sufficient supply of materials, Ji Yuan would basically never be short on Foundation Establishment Pills again.

So rather than keep this one, it would be better to sell it!

Exchange it for Spirit Stones, then buy Qinghui Grass and other ingredients. He could refine more Foundation Establishment Pills himself—now that would maximize profits.

After all, the rarest ingredient in Foundation Establishment Pills, the Millennium Illusory Spirit Grass, was something he could get through basic welfare.

In that case, this one pill could become many more.

If he were to sell it, Ji Yuan didn’t plan to do it immediately. He intended to upgrade the Pill Refining Room to level 2 first, obtain the method to refine Foundation Establishment Pills, and then sell it.

It never hurt to be cautious.

With the pill in hand, he held the initiative.

Having settled that, Ji Yuan stowed the Foundation Establishment Pill away. The rest of the pills were mostly tier-one, with only two bottles of tier-two pills—both were Spirit Gathering Pills needed for cultivation.

Ji Yuan was already at the peak of the Qi Refining stage, so they were of no use to him. He would only need them after succeeding in Foundation Establishment.

After checking the talismans and pills, Ji Yuan’s attention turned to the magical tools.

A flying boat, a vine-wood shield, a talisman brush, a flying dagger—and a large blood-colored blade.

First, Ji Yuan picked up the snow-white flying boat. After a bit of refining, he obtained information about the boat.

He had experienced the speed of this flying boat before. Initially, he assumed it was of spiritual weapon grade—it had even been able to keep pace with the Thunder Falcon Boat at full speed.

But after refining it, he found out—

It was merely a top-grade magical artifact. Its name was “Snowflight.”

Thinking about it, the boat’s high speed had likely been due to the use of a specialized Divine-Walk Talisman. However, Ji Yuan didn’t find such a talisman in the storage pouch.

He figured that must have been the last few talismans used in the pursuit.

Though not as good as the Thunder Falcon Boat, Ji Yuan intended to sell it for Spirit Stones—but carefully. Jian Zong’s flying boat was probably a recognizable magical artifact.

If he wasn't cautious, someone might track it down.

Next, Ji Yuan summoned the flying dagger.

Red Lightning, a high-grade magical artifact.

Comparable to Ji Yuan’s Qingfu Flying Sword—it lacked Red Lightning’s disguise effect but was slightly faster.

Ji Yuan planned to keep it for his own use.

Then came the vine-wood shield. With his personal protective artifact already worn out, Ji Yuan had some expectations for this one.

And sure enough, it didn’t disappoint.

Green Serpent Vine-Wood Shield, a top-grade defensive magical artifact.

No wonder it had withstood a close-range Layered Blast attack at the time. Just right to replace the missing Hundred Fish Shield.

Moreover, the shield also contained an inscribed spell. When activated, a green serpent shadow would extend from the shield, capable of entangling or killing enemies—extremely practical.

After checking these, Ji Yuan finally picked up the large blood-colored blade.

The blade tip appeared to be broken, and the blade itself was full of scars, with dried blood covering the twin blood grooves.

“This thing… looks kind of sinister,” Ji Yuan muttered.

He didn’t dare to perform a full refinement—just a light one. Even so, a wave of thick bloodlust surged toward him, seemingly rushing straight into his mind.

He immediately activated his blood essence, assuming a stance as steady as a mountain, his qi unified in defense.

Instantly, the large blade quieted down.

Ji Yuan then learned its details.

Blood-Remnant, a mid-grade spiritual weapon.

Inscribed on the blade were two intermediate-level spells—“Bloodthirsty Flood Dragon” and “Blood Burst.” With just a brief sensing, Ji Yuan understood it.

The flood dragon Jian Zong had summoned earlier, along with the later spell that overturned the talisman array—both had been unleashed through this spiritual weapon blade. And they were intermediate spells—no wonder they had been so powerful.

Ji Yuan had assumed Jian Zong had cast them himself.

A spiritual weapon—even if somewhat damaged, it was still a spiritual weapon, wasn’t it?

No wonder Jian Zong had been dominant among Medicine King Valley’s Qi Refining disciples—he had some real opportunities and luck!

But now, it all belonged to him—Ji Yuan swung the Blood-Remnant Blade a few times, and immediately, killing intent surged around him, blood energy billowing skyward.

Ji Yuan muttered to himself as he examined the spiritual weapon: “Damn it, the more I look at this artifact, the more sinister it seems.”

It didn’t feel like something used by followers of the righteous path.

Could it be a demonic weapon? Ji Yuan handled the great blade thoughtfully—whether from the righteous or demonic path, strength mattered most. At worst, he could treat it like the Yin Ghost Array—as a trump card.

Once drawn, it would surely be a weapon meant to kill.

He guessed Jian Zong must have thought the same when he first unleashed the Blood‑Remnant Blade.

Ji Yuan pondered for a while, then finally stowed the Blood‑Remnant Blade away—the name itself was unsettling.

Next, he turned to the high‑grade talisman brush, called the “Ink‑Jiao Star‑Point Brush.”

The brush shaft was made of black jade bamboo, and the bristles came from the whiskers of a tier‑two demon beast, the Ink‑Jiao.

No wonder it was called the Ink‑Jiao Star‑Point Brush.

Perfect timing—Ji Yuan planned to practice tier‑two talismans, so he needed this high‑grade brush.

It was like being handed a pillow just when he’d been nodding off.

After reviewing these items, the rest were miscellaneous materials—tier‑one demon‑beast supplies, talisman ink, talisman papers, and similar items.

Ji Yuan sorted through everything and decided what to keep and what to sell.

Once he finished counting, he realized Jian Zong’s storage pouch was much larger than his own.

Even so, Ji Yuan didn’t plan to use it.

Instead, he intended to sell it later at his sect.

He finally lay down in the Pill‑Refining Room, savoring the joy of victory and a breakthrough in cultivation.

All in all, though the battle had been risky, the gains were substantial.

The greatest rewards were clear: the Foundation Pill, the talisman weapon, and the mid‑grade spiritual artifact. With these three things, both his strength and hidden reserves had grown significantly. Through the fight with Jian Zong, he had also gauged the true power of his body cultivation.

Next time he faced a challenge, he'd know whether to fight or flee.

After resting for a while, Ji Yuan patted his clothes, stood, and exited the cave dwelling.

Since learning of Ji Yuan’s return, Big Toad had hovered outside the door like a helpless child, refusing to leave until Ji Yuan emerged and gave him a spiritual pig. Only then did he happily hop away.

It wasn’t just Big Toad—Tu Yue also stood at the door. When she saw Ji Yuan emerge, she lowered her head and, with some timidity, pointed toward the small wooden hut.

“Is something wrong?” Ji Yuan asked, puzzled. Unfortunately, Tu Yue couldn't speak and only motioned ahead.

Ji Yuan didn’t wait and strode across to the small wooden hut.

The chicken coop was intact. Several dozen reed‑water chickens had grown plump—he could slaughter a few soon for soups, BBQ, or stir‑fry.

The pigsty was equally well maintained. The spiritual pig inside had trembled in fear upon hearing Big Toad's call.

He then approached the Spiritual Field—whew!

Ji Yuan stepped another pace and looked at the herb that stood there, its entire plant glowing a deep indigo. To claim he wasn’t delighted would have been a lie.

Unknowingly, a year had passed since he upgraded the Spiritual Field. The field’s "Thousand‑Year Illusory Spirit" efficacy had triggered again, producing a second millennium‑age Illusory Spirit Grass plant.

Ji Yuan glanced at the panel: it showed a 30% chance of double yield, and a 5% chance of triple yield.

He recalled last year, when the 30% effect triggered and he obtained two plants at once.

This time, he dared not hope.

He wouldn't be greedy.

He merely wished the 5% chance would trigger, so he could harvest three millennium‑age Illusory Spirit Grass plants at once.

With that desire in mind, Ji Yuan took a jade shovel from his storage pouch and carefully dug.

He didn’t see any prompt on the panel as he removed the entire plant. He didn’t see the grass duplicate in his hands.

“+!” He muttered, watching the plant in his hand and grumbled as he stood.

“Can’t strike gold every time, can you? There’s no justice in this!” Though disappointed, he still carefully placed the plant into his pouch.

In total, he now had three stalks of Millennium Qinghui Grass and three stalks of Millennium Illusory Spirit Grass.

Thus, the materials for refining Foundation Establishment Pills were now ready—he had three sets.

According to the pill recipe, one furnace could yield five pills, but the actual yield depended on the alchemist’s skill.

Ji Yuan estimated that, with his alchemy skill and the building bonuses, a conservative yield of three pills per batch was achievable.

So he had three pills' worth in hand, plus one that Jian Zong had sacrificed with his life—four total. Still a bit short of his target.

Among the three predecessors using pseudo‑spiritual roots inside, one had taken five pills to succeed, another seven, and a third eleven.

From what Ji Yuan had learned, even in Huixi Palace, one pseudo‑root cultivator had needed sixteen Foundation Establishment Pills to succeed—

Foundation Establishment was a one‑shot affair—miss once, and each subsequent attempt became increasingly difficult.

Ji Yuan was in no rush.

He planned to wait another two years, gather more materials, then refine the pills.

For now, even if he wanted to refine them, he couldn’t—his alchemy hadn’t yet reached the required level, so it was time to work hard. “Enlightenment Room, give me maximum allocation!”

That day, on Mist Island, Ji Yuan slaughtered chickens, pigs, fish—and even had Big Toad capture a tier‑two early-stage demon beast. All the meat was for feasting.

After two days of living it up, Ji Yuan resumed his closed‑door cultivation mode.

This time, at least one of his alchemy or talisman drawing techniques had to reach tier two!

If not, he swore he wouldn’t emerge from secluded cultivation!

Half a month later.

“Jian Zong died somewhere near here. You go listen for any news,” the voice commanded.

That night, Dong Qing led an ancient, frail-looking old man to the spot where Jian Zong had perished.

Recently, he had located cult‑ground-based cultivators who had “voluntarily” taken Downgrading Pills for Foundation Establishment—two of them, and this meant one mission was complete.

But the other mission showed no sign of progress.

The Sect Master of Medicine King Valley, Danyang Zi, kept pressing urgently, repeatedly ordering Dong Qing to quickly find the person who killed Jian Zong.

Dong Qing figured the sect master was likely planning to use some underhanded tactic to weaken the strength of the Water Dragon Sect while the Nine Nether Grotto Heaven was about to open.

He’d also heard that north of the Falling Star River, the Corpse Herding Mountain and the Beast Taming Sect were locked in fierce conflict.

The Sword Ruins remained aloof from worldly matters—no faction dared to provoke them.

As for Joy Palace, they were already busy enough with their internal strife; outsiders had no need to interfere.

Just as Dong Qing found himself troubled, a friend introduced him to the rogue cultivator known as “Real Person Tongling.” This man had a secret art—

One that could “hear the wind of the past,” allowing him to listen in on conversations that had previously occurred at a given location.

Upon learning of this, Dong Qing had immediately paid a hefty price to bring him here.

Jian Zong wasn’t some ordinary weakling. Though he was dead, he had surely spoken to his attacker before dying, and perhaps from that, they could deduce the attacker’s identity.

“This is the place, huh.”

Real Person Tongling looked around and said in a low voice, “This kind of devastation doesn’t look like something that happened during a Qi Refining fight. Fellow Daoist, don’t lead me astray.”

“My secret art can only hear the echoes of people with lower cultivation than me. If this was the site of a Foundation Establishment battle, and the opponent was stronger than me, I could die or have my soul destroyed just by listening!”

“No, no,” Dong Qing waved his hand. “The one who died was a Qi Refining stage disciple from our sect. Don’t worry and listen—I’ll take responsibility if anything happens.”

“Hah. If I’m dead, your responsibility won’t be worth a damn,” the old man snapped back. Still, despite his harsh words, his hands had already begun forming hand seals.

He had no choice—Medicine King Valley was wealthy, and the pay was just too good.

Seeing the old man begin casting the spell, Dong Qing backed off a few steps and refrained from disturbing him.

Real Person Tongling chanted under his breath while forming seals, a faint green light shimmering around him. He walked in a specific pattern, performing a kind of “Gang Step” ritual as he paced back and forth.

Dong Qing nodded repeatedly at the sight.

Those Spirit Stones had been well spent. This old man probably did have real skill.

After pacing around for a while, Real Person Tongling suddenly stopped. He placed both hands behind his right ear and leaned forward, as if silently listening for something.

After just a moment, he began to hear snippets of voices carried by the wind of the past.

“Jian Zong—”

“Water Dragon Sect—Qiu Qianhai!”

So it was a battle between two major factions, and the dead was Jian Zong—damn, this was serious.

Real Person Tongling turned pale. As a rogue cultivator, he had taken the Spirit Stones and now found himself tangled in a major conflict between powerful factions—not good at all.

Dong Qing, seeing this, didn’t rush to ask questions. He waited until the spell was fully withdrawn before hurrying forward.

“How was it?”

“I heard something.”

Dong Qing clearly sighed in relief. “Quick, tell me.”

“The man claimed to be a rogue cultivator. His name was Qiu Qianhai!”

“Rogue cultivator Qiu Qianhai?” Dong Qing repeated. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure!” Real Person Tongling said firmly.

After all, a conflict between two major factions was not something he could afford to get involved in. But since he had taken Spirit Stones, he couldn’t do nothing either. So changing “Water Dragon Sect” to “rogue cultivator” was the perfect solution.

It appeased his conscience,

It kept him out of trouble,

And even if this was later investigated, he hadn’t lied. At least, he had truly heard the name “Qiu Qianhai.”

As for being a rogue cultivator?

That’s what the man had said. If they didn’t believe it, they could try hearing it for themselves.

What? They couldn’t hear it?

Then that wasn’t his fault.

Soon after, Dong Qing paid the remaining Spirit Stones and left.

Real Person Tongling felt he had dodged a war between two great factions and made a nice pile of Spirit Stones—it was a win. Everyone profited.

He summoned his flying boat with a single thought.

But before he could leave, a flying sword appeared out of nowhere, piercing straight through his forehead. A blinding light erupted from the wound and split his body in two.

Only after confirming his death did Dong Qing emerge from underground.

Breathing slightly heavily, Dong Qing knew that instantly killing a Foundation Establishment cultivator had taken a toll.

But it was worth it. Dong Qing weighed the storage pouch in his hand, glanced at Real Person Tongling’s corpse, and spat on the ground with a curse.

“Damn it. Did you really think a mere rogue cultivator was worth that many Spirit Stones from me?”

He really was chasing money with no regard for his life.

After burning the body and erasing all traces, Dong Qing finally departed.

Meanwhile—

In the distant depths of the sea, a figure who had sat for ages, unmoved by time, seemed to stir ever so slightly.

“Another avatar… dead again?”