Chapter 160: Again · Taking a Golden Core Master

Feng Yichen fell silent.

But that eerie voice spoke again, coldly, “What, you think an old thing like me, who managed to survive in this Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven, would truly not know the taboos of soul possession?”

“You’re a mortal now. Possessing you would be certain death for me. But don’t worry, I’ll definitely help you restore your cultivation before I possess you.”

The Three Taboos of Soul Possession.

First, only a cultivator may possess another cultivator, not a mortal.

Second, only a cultivator with higher cultivation can possess one of lower cultivation.

Third, a body can only be possessed once.

Feng Yichen couldn’t help but speak this time. He smiled bitterly and said, “I don’t even have my spiritual root anymore. How could I possibly restore my cultivation?”

“You really think there’s such a strange method in this world that can take away someone’s spiritual root?” The voice continued to chuckle eerily. “It only took away the surface of your spiritual root. After some time, your spiritual root will naturally recover.”

Hearing this, Feng Yichen felt both joy and fear.

Joy, because his spiritual root was still there—it hadn’t been taken.

Fear, because he was truly about to be possessed by this old monster.

“I have three wishes yet unfulfilled in this life. Senior, I beg you to fulfill them for me then——”

Ji Yuan returned to the long-unseen Hatchling Dragon Island.

On the way, he passed by the doorway of his old residence, Unit D-18. He took an extra glance. A newcomer had already moved in, the door tightly shut. He didn’t dare to rashly disturb the new resident.

In any case, he had left his words and his opportunity.

How far the other could go depended on their own ability.

When Ji Yuan finally walked through the familiar street and arrived at Du Wanyi’s door, he looked up—and the heart that had been hanging finally settled.

The restriction glowed faintly.

This meant someone was inside.

Du Wanyi had not died in the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven. She had returned alive.

Regardless of whether she had gained anything, her return alone was enough.

Ji Yuan stepped forward and gently knocked on the courtyard gate. Footsteps quickly sounded from within.

The door opened.

Seeing Ji Yuan standing outside, Du Wanyi’s beautiful peach blossom eyes instantly turned red, her eyes even beginning to brim with tears.

“Fourth Brother, I——·I’m back.”

Though it had only been a little over a year, for Du Wanyi, it felt like a lifetime had passed. The dangers within the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven were unforgettable for the rest of her life.

“It’s good that you’re back, good that you’re back.”

Seeing Du Wanyi unharmed, Ji Yuan let out another breath of relief.

This time, coming to Everything Island, Ji Yuan planned to gather more information, so he activated the 《Breath Concealment Art》 and also changed into the robe of a Qi Refining stage disciple.

Thus, Du Wanyi didn’t realize that he was already a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

“Come in quickly, come in and tell me.”

Du Wanyi stepped aside and hurriedly called out.

“Mm.”

As soon as Ji Yuan stepped into the courtyard, Du Wanyi quickly closed the door and then said excitedly, “Fourth Brother,

You’ll never guess—I picked a few stalks of Millennium Illusory Spirit Grass in the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven!”

“Two stalks?”

Ji Yuan guessed.

If it were just one stalk, Du Wanyi wouldn’t be this excited.

But more than that wouldn’t be likely either.

“You———-, fine, you guessed it.” The joy in Du Wanyi’s eyes faded a little, but she quickly grew excited again. “Here, I’ll share one with you. Then we can establish our foundation together.”

As she spoke, Du Wanyi took out a jade box from her storage pouch.

She gently opened the box. Inside lay a stalk of spirit grass, entirely glowing a deep, ghostly blue.

“What, never seen Millennium Illusory Spirit Grass before? Hurry and take it.”

Du Wanyi handed the jade box toward Ji Yuan and even shook it slightly, signaling him to take it quickly.

Ji Yuan glanced down at the Millennium Illusory Spirit Grass in the jade box, then looked up at Du Wanyi. In his normally calm gaze, a trace of emotion finally emerged.

He had expected Du Wanyi to be generous with him—but he hadn’t expected her to be this generous.

This was Millennium Illusory Spirit Grass used for refining Foundation Establishment Pill. And Du Wanyi only had two in total—yet she was willing to give one to him. Truly, if he were in her place, Ji Yuan wasn’t sure he could have done the same.

Seeing Ji Yuan staring at her without speaking, Du Wanyi became a little flustered. She stammered, “I-If Fourth Brother wants to try Foundation Establishment first, then I’ll give both stalks to you. Just———just don’t forget to help—help me establish my foundation once you succeed.”

She said this as she took out a second jade box.

Before she could open the box, Ji Yuan had already deactivated the 《Breath Concealment Art》. A wave of Foundation Establishment cultivator aura radiated from his body.

Du Wanyi, just lifting her head, was instantly stunned.

“Fourth Brother, you—”

Looking at the unchanged Ji Yuan before her—only his aura was different—her voice trembled, “You actually achieved Foundation Establishment——..—”

“Just a lucky success.”

Ji Yuan finally smiled and pushed Du Wanyi’s hand back. “So this Millennium Illusory Spirit Grass—Second Sister, you should keep it for yourself.”

“Of course, if you want me to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill for you, that’s fine too. Don’t worry—I won’t charge you.”

“Fourth Brother, you can actually refine Foundation Establishment Pills too?”

Du Wanyi felt the news today was just too much to handle. First, seeing her long-lost Fourth Brother, then learning he had reached Foundation Establishment, and now even the Foundation Establishment Pills were made by him.

“I can. And my skill is slightly better than others.”

In this time, Ji Yuan had learned that among the sect’s other alchemists, those who could reliably produce three pills from one set of ingredients were already called “Masters.”

Ordinary alchemists had a success rate fluctuating between two and three pills.

It was said that some unreliable rogue cultivators could only refine one Foundation Establishment Pill from a full set of ingredients. Yet even so, people still sought them out to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill. So not long ago, Ji Yuan deliberately registered his name at the Pill Hall of Four Directions Island, preparing to take commissions to refine Foundation Establishment Pills.

For this, he refined several furnaces of second-tier pills on the spot to prove his strength as a Second-Tier Alchemy Master.

As for the price he set—··

Ordinary alchemists charged around 80 pieces of Middle-Grade Spirit Stones for a single furnace of Foundation Establishment Pills. But Ji Yuan directly quoted 100 pieces of Middle-Grade Spirit Stones.

Of course, his confidence in asking this price was different.

He could guarantee that each furnace of Foundation Establishment Pills would yield more than three pills.

It wasn’t that Ji Yuan hadn’t thought of secretly taking the fourth pill he refined, but before refining pills for others, a heavily binding agreement had to be signed to prevent alchemists from secretly withholding pills.

But even without withholding, a single furnace at 100 Middle-Grade Spirit Stones was enough for him to earn a large sum.

Not to mention using other people’s ingredients to increase his own pill refining experience—this kind of good thing… many alchemists did it.

One of the main income sources for alchemists was refining pills for others.

Only, to Ji Yuan, refining other pills was less profitable than refining his own, so he never got involved in that route.

But Foundation Establishment Pills were different.

The ingredients were too scarce.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone to Four Directions Island.

"Alright then, I’ll trouble you to refine them, but I won’t pay you."

Du Wanyi said as she again shoved the two jade boxes into Ji Yuan’s hands. "But you’ll have to wait a bit longer, until I’ve gathered the other ingredients."

"Alright. Since Second Sister has returned from the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven, then there’s no rush for anything."

"Exactly."

As they spoke, the two of them returned inside. Du Wanyi immediately flopped onto the soft chair she was accustomed to sitting on, curling up entirely inside like an injured little fox.

"Fourth Brother——good thing you didn’t go to that Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven."

Du Wanyi spoke softly.

"Do you know? Even Feng Yichen died in there."

"What? He died in there too?"

Ji Yuan was genuinely surprised by these words. He had originally thought that among the Qi Refining disciples of the Water Dragon Sect, Feng Yichen was the least likely to die. Who would have thought… he actually died—

A once-celebrated figure of the Water Dragon Sect, hailed as the most likely to establish foundation among False Spiritual Root disciples.

And yet, he died within the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven.

It seemed, then, that not taking the risk was indeed the right decision.

"Yes. After we came out, even the Golden Core elder was greatly surprised when he heard the news."

"What about Han Feiyu?"

"He made it out alive, but he was seriously injured. It’ll probably take him a year or more to recover," Du Wanyi said and then recalled something. "Also, do you remember? The two Qi Refining Ninth Level disciples from Yunyu Marshlands who joined the Water Dragon Sect with us."

"You mean Chu Jingtong from Heishui Market and Sang Zhongyuan from Huaiyin Market."

Of course, Ji Yuan remembered those two. Back then, they had even taken his spot and gone to Liancheng Mountain.

"Right. I even encountered them in the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven and traveled with them for a while. But I didn’t see them come out in the end."

Not seeing them come out naturally meant they had died in there.

Ji Yuan gently rubbed a jade pendant at his waist with his fingers and slowly said, "On the path of cultivation, the Great Dao is a competition—

No one is immune to death."

"Mm. In short, very few people made it out alive this time. I heard other sects were the same. Those who survived were far fewer than in previous years. Oh right, more people from Corpse Herding Mountain survived."

"Maybe they were more cautious."

"Alright, enough about them. Do you know how I got those two stalks of Millennium Illusory Spirit Grass? Actually, I only picked one myself. The other was obtained through a stroke of luck. Just when the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven was about to close and I was preparing to leave, I ran into two disciples from Joy Palace and Medicine King Valley fighting. I played the role of the oriole and picked up a leak."

"Who would have thought, inside the Medicine King Valley disciple’s storage pouch was another stalk of Millennium Illusory Spirit Grass."

Now recalling the incident, Du Wanyi still felt thrilled and slightly frightened.

"What was the situation like inside the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven? Second Sister, can you tell me about it?"

Ji Yuan hadn’t gone, but he was still curious about the place.

It wouldn’t be proper to ask others, but asking Du Wanyi posed no problem.

At the same time—

Water Dragon Island, inside the main hall.

Real Person Xuan Shui calmly looked at Han Feiyu who stood before him. "You’re saying that you and Feng Yichen went to that place together, he died inside, and you barely managed to retrieve that item?"

"Exactly."

Han Feiyu stood with hands cupped.

"Where is that item?"

Real Person Xuan Shui asked.

Han Feiyu extended both hands. In his palm, a pure white bracelet silently appeared, floating in the air. It emitted a faint white glow and the moment it was taken out, the entire main hall was filled with an awe-inspiring aura.

Real Person Xuan Shui’s breath quickened upon seeing it.

This object—he had dreamed of it for over two hundred years. Now that it was finally in his hands, how could he not be overjoyed?!

"This is it, this is the treasure——"

With a thought, Real Person Xuan Shui made the bracelet land in his hand.

Only then did he truly relax.

With a shift of mind, he forced out a drop of blood that fell upon the bracelet. Once the blood recognized the master, the bracelet was immediately stored into his storage pouch.

He then regained the appearance of an immortal with Daoist grace.

"Han Feiyu, you——are quite good."

Real Person Xuan Shui looked at Han Feiyu with great satisfaction.

"All thanks to Sect Master’s guidance."

Han Feiyu replied with polished words.

Real Person Xuan Shui stroked his beard and laughed, "Oh? Still calling me Sect Master now?"

Han Feiyu seemed to recall those words spoken before departure. A sudden realization dawned upon him, and he stepped forward, showing even more respectful etiquette.

"Disciple Han Feiyu, pays respects to———Master!"

While Ji Yuan was preparing to depart and return to Misty Island—

The entire Water Dragon Sect had grown lively. Disciples riding flying boats came and went one after another, and even many Foundation Establishment cultivators who had been in seclusion came out to join the excitement.

But before he could set out, he received another message.

Li Changhe sent a message, inviting Ji Yuan to visit the Li Family. In the message, he also subtly hinted that this invitation carried the will of the Li Family.

The meeting was set for three days later.

This placed Ji Yuan in a rather awkward position.

He definitely couldn’t refuse, but how to go about it was the problem—Ji Yuan figured that rather than inviting him personally, they were really trying to invite Hua Yaoyue behind him.

But Hua Yaoyue was certainly not going to go, so they could only invite him instead.

So after agreeing, Ji Yuan immediately went to Wuyou Island to tell Hua Yaoyue about it.

"It’s a small matter. If you want to go, then go. If you don’t want to, then don’t."

"As for what you’re worried about regarding the First Elder and the Third Elder——-if you were taking another Golden Core as your master, you might have to consider a bit. But since you’ve taken me as your master, then there’s no need. No matter how the two of them fight, they wouldn’t dare show me any disrespect."

Hua Yaoyue still spoke with that calm tone.

And this was the first time she had clearly stated her position and shown her backing to Ji Yuan.

"Yes, then your disciple is reassured."

After asking, Ji Yuan also handed over this month’s batch of Wishful Wine. Previously, it had always been 20 jars of two jin each, but this time Ji Yuan gave 22 jars.

The reason, of course, was simply a slightly higher yield.

Naturally, if there was more this time, then there would be less next time, with the reason being he couldn’t prepare as much.

Just as Ji Yuan was about to leave, Hua Yaoyue called out to him again.

"If Li Gang sees you, give him this. My disciple of Hua Yaoyue has studied their Li Family’s 《Sword Manual》—it naturally wouldn’t be right to have studied it for free."

A jade slip fell into Ji Yuan’s hand.

He didn’t dare to inspect its contents, only cupped his hands once more. "Disciple thanks Master."

After leaving this time, Ji Yuan didn’t return to Misty Island. With only three days total, traveling back and forth would take too long.

So he stayed on Wuyou Island for a few days.

But unexpectedly, on the third day, just as he was about to leave, his neighbors came knocking again.

Though they had only met once, Ji Yuan had remembered their names. Smiling, he cupped his hands and said:

"Greetings, Brother Yunyang, Brother Hanjiang, and Senior Sister Youlan."

Island Lord of Yunyang Island stepped forward aboard his flying boat, shook his sleeves, and laughed heartily. "It’s rare to see Brother Ji back. The three of us were thinking of visiting, but seeing your current state, I fear you’re about to leave again?"

Island Lord of Hanjiang chuckled beside him.

"If Brother Ji isn’t in a hurry, perhaps delay your trip a bit. It’s rare for us four to be gathered together."

Island Lord of Youlan only smiled without speaking, though she clearly meant the same.

Seeing this, Ji Yuan instantly understood. These three were clearly trying to drop by for some ‘socializing.’

Likely, they had found out something about his background.

"It’s truly unfortunate today. Real Person Duocai is already waiting. I must hurry over. Another day, how about another day?"

"Next time, I’ll host a banquet here on Wuyou Island and invite you two Senior Brothers and Senior Sister to visit. You must give me the honor then."

It’s hard to refuse a smiling face. Ji Yuan could only bring up the name Li Gang.

Li Gang, also known as “Real Person Duocai.”

Ji Yuan recalled meeting him at Qingye Auction House some years ago, where people called him “Old Wealthy Li.”

Now it seemed that nickname was well earned.

"Oh? Real Person Duocai invited you? Then Brother Ji must indeed hurry on."

Upon hearing this, Island Lord of Yunyang immediately stepped aside to show his stance, and the other two did likewise.

A Golden Core Real Person extended an invitation—yet here you are, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, blocking the door. What’s the meaning of this? Do you think you’re more important than a Golden Core?

"Next time, next time for sure."

Ji Yuan cupped his hands to them, then activated the Thunder-Gather Boat, flying straight between the three of them and toward the northwest.

Island Lord of Yunyang watched the direction Ji Yuan flew off until he could no longer see him. Then he finally looked back and said in a low voice, "First it was Sect Master Martial Uncle and Real Person Wangyou, now it’s Real Person Duocai. It seems our neighbor might not be simple at all."

"Didn’t you hear what he said earlier? He’s called Wuyou—Wuyou, Wangyou—it seems he’s very likely Real Person Wangyou’s disciple. If that’s the case, then Real Person Duocai inviting him makes perfect sense."

Island Lord of Youlan spoke softly.

"I think the same as Senior Sister Youlan."

Island Lord of Hanjiang folded his arms. "Nine out of ten, it’s just as you said. No need to say more. Let’s just wait for Ji Yuan to invite us next time."

Island Lord of Youlan glanced at him but said nothing. In her heart, she thought—judging by the recent days, that “next time for sure” Ji Yuan spoke of might not come until the year of the monkey.

But thinking again, it made sense. He clearly had no intent to befriend them. If he did, would they have waited until now?

Island Lord of Yunyang, however, was pensive. Hearing Island Lord of Youlan’s analysis, he had a feeling—there might be profit in this matter.

Ji Yuan, of course, was unaware of their thoughts.

He only knew that upon arriving at “Li Family Island,” where the Li Family resided, he immediately heard a piece of news from his good big brother Li Changhe.

Sect Master Real Person Xuan Shui had accepted a disciple.

And the one accepted was—just like Ji Yuan—from Zengtou Market in Yunyu Marshlands——.-Han Feiyu!

That night.

Inside Han Feiyu’s cave dwelling, he sat cross-legged, inspecting himself inwardly. At this moment, floating in his dantian was a... bracelet.

If Real Person Xuan Shui could see this scene, he would surely notice that this bracelet was exactly the same as the one Han Feiyu had offered him.

Except that this bracelet was pitch-black in color.

At this moment, a voice was echoing in his mind.

"These bracelets come in male and female. The one you gave him was the female. He won’t detect anything wrong. Let him nurture it for some time—what harm is there in that?"

"The path of the Great Dao ultimately lies at your feet!"

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