Chapter 145: Chapter 145: Compensation

「Soon after.」

Cheng Yao personally hurried to Immortal Peach Mountain to deliver a letter to Li Ping, which Qi Hanmo had entrusted to Wang Xingwei.

As Li Ping took the letter, he also learned from her that...

Qi Hanmo hadn’t just written to him; he had written a letter to the other four as well.

Therefore, after handing the letter to Li Ping, Cheng Yao hastily took her leave to deliver the letters to the others.

Sitting in the pavilion, Li Ping opened the letter. A thoughtful expression appeared in his eyes after he finished reading it carefully.

In truth, although he was in Fenglan Immortal City, he had been closely monitoring the changing battle situation in the Yuan Kingdom between the Daoist Guardian Alliance and the four Demon Dao Sects.

After all, Fenglan Immortal City was a member of the Daoist Guardian Alliance. If the Alliance fell into a disadvantage in the great war against the four Demon Dao Sects, the situation in Fenglan Immortal City would also be affected.

It was a case of one slight move affecting the entire situation!

The last time he had written back to Qi Hanmo, he had specifically reminded his fifth brother to send a letter and notify him if the situation changed.

The letter from Qi Hanmo primarily described the changes in the war between the Daoist Guardian Alliance and the four Demon Dao Sects, while also mentioning his own cultivation status.

According to the information he had gathered, after a series of battles between the Daoist Guardian Alliance and the four Demon Dao Sects, the Demon Dao Sects had failed to gain an advantage and were already showing signs of retreating. It seemed the war in the Yuan Kingdom was about to end.

Li Ping naturally welcomed the possibility of the war ending.

After all, he was a peace-loving person. A generally peaceful environment was more conducive to his own growth.

If the Daoist Guardian Alliance was truly defeated by the Demon Dao, the righteous would wane and the demonic would wax in the Western Wilderness’s Cultivation Realm. In the ensuing chaos, he had no Teleportation Array to escape to other regions.

Besides the battlefield situation between the Daoist Guardian Alliance and the four Demon Dao Sects, Qi Hanmo also described his own cultivation progress.

He had entered the Academy Palace and had a master at the Core Formation Stage. The cultivation resources he could obtain there naturally far surpassed what he had as a Loose Cultivator in the Immortal City.

When he left the Immortal City, he was only at the Qi Refining Sixth Level.

But after seven years of arduous training in the Academy Palace, he had already reached the Peak of Qi Refining and planned to attempt his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment soon.

As for resources like the Foundation Establishment Pill, his master had already arranged everything for him, so he didn’t need to worry about it himself.

At the end of the letter, Qi Hanmo excitedly told Li Ping that once he successfully reached Foundation Establishment, he would find time to return to the Immortal City and drink with all his brothers and sisters!

Li Ping felt that Qi Hanmo shouldn’t have much trouble with his Foundation Establishment. After all, he had a master at the Core Formation Stage.

Moreover, this Core Formation Cultivator was a high-ranking member of the greatest power in the Western Wilderness; the resources he controlled were simply astronomical.

Helping a mere Four Spirit Roots Cultivator reach Foundation Establishment was a trivial matter for him!

’If Hanmo also succeeds in his Foundation Establishment, then only Cheng Yao and Bai Qing will be left. Barring any accidents, they might all reach Foundation Establishment within ten years.’ At this thought, Li Ping’s mood couldn’t help but improve.

...

Originally, Li Ping had thought Cheng Yao would bid for a Foundation Establishment Pill in three years to attempt her breakthrough, but what he never expected was...

Less than two months after she delivered the letter, Cheng Yao visited him again, beaming with joy, to inform him that she had successfully reached Foundation Establishment.

Hearing this, Li Ping was a bit stunned. ’Where did Cheng Yao get the Spirit Stones? And where did she get a Foundation Establishment Pill?’

It wasn’t until he heard Cheng Yao’s story that he had a sudden realization, and he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the outcome.

He never would have imagined it. The Wang family’s old ancestor had scammed Loose Cultivators, and Ye Chen had used the opportunity to set a trap for the Wang family. Both sides had schemed endlessly and used every trick in the book.

But in the end, the one who benefited the most was his unremarkable fourth sister.

While Li Ping was still feeling dumbfounded, Cheng Yao brought up another matter. "Oh, by the way, Big Brother, I’m going to become Dao companions with Xingwei."

Li Ping knew about her relationship with Wang Xingwei, so he wasn’t surprised by her choice. However, the Wang family’s reputation in the Immortal City was stained. From Li Ping’s perspective, Cheng Yao marrying into the Wang family wasn’t a very good choice.

After some thought, he offered a subtle reminder, "Now that you’ve reached Foundation Establishment, you should have taken a Master. Does your Master know about you becoming Dao companions with Wang Xingwei?"

Cheng Yao nodded affirmatively. "My Master knows Xingwei is from the Wang family, but after I told her our story, she smiled and approved of our marriage."

"Since your Master approves, then I wish you both the best," Li Ping said with a smile.

Though he said that, he actually looked down on Fenglan Master quite a bit.

If Cheng Yao married into the Wang family, she would naturally become one of them. Yet, she was also Fenglan Master’s disciple. This undoubtedly broke the rule Fenglan Master herself had set: ’Members of the Wang family may not hold positions in the Immortal City.’

Breaking a rule she herself had established—it might seem like Fenglan Master was moved by Cheng Yao and Wang Xingwei’s story and wanted to grant them their happiness, creating a feel-good tale.

But rules were rules!

For the ruler of such a massive Immortal City to casually break her own rules, Li Ping could only think one thing: ’What an amateur-hour operation.’

Of course, within the Immortal City, Fenglan Master was supreme. She could do whatever she wanted.

...

Considering Cheng Yao hadn’t used the Foundation Establishment Fund, it meant she had contributed for so many years for nothing, only to voluntarily give up her own benefits in the end.

She might not have minded, but Li Ping couldn’t let his fourth sister suffer a loss.

After some thought, he took a palm-sized red shield from his Storage Bag, then retrieved four bottles of Peiyuan Pills and placed them all on the table before him.

"Big Brother, what’s this?" Cheng Yao asked, confused.

Li Ping smiled. "You reached Foundation Establishment without using the Foundation Establishment Fund. Consider this Tier Two Upper Grade Dharma Artifact, the ’Red Armor Shield,’ and these four bottles of Peiyuan Pills a congratulatory gift from your Big Brother."

After obtaining the Tier Two Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact ’Blood Transformation Shield’ from Yan Liming’s Storage Bag, the Red Armor Shield was no longer as helpful to him.

However, considering the Red Armor Shield had been with him through many victories against powerful enemies, he had developed an attachment to it and had never sold it.

Giving it to Cheng Yao now was a fitting choice.

A second-hand Red Armor Shield, plus four bottles of Peiyuan Pills, was worth around two thousand Spirit Stones—enough to make up for Cheng Yao’s loss.

Hearing this, a surprised Cheng Yao repeatedly refused, "Big Brother, I can’t accept this."

After some back and forth.

Ultimately, on Li Ping’s insistence, she had no choice but to accept the items on the table.

After Cheng Yao took her leave, Li Ping nodded with a smile. ’Only Bai Qing is left.’

...

In a courtyard in the Outer City.

Bai Qing was treating a Cultivator’s injuries. Beside him stood a girl of about eighteen or nineteen with bright, spirited eyes.

After a diagnosis, Bai Qing prescribed several types of Spirit Medicine for the injured Cultivator to treat his wounds.

Afterward, he collected his fee and left with the girl with the bright, spirited eyes.

Walking on the streets of the Immortal City.

Bai Qing spoke with a slightly quizzical tone, "Little Hui, do you know why I made such a diagnosis and prescription for him?"

This girl with the bright, spirited eyes was none other than Bai Qing’s younger, paternal half-sister, Bai Hui.

Of course, the generational name for the Bai family in their generation was ’Zheng,’ so their full names were actually Bai Zhengqing and Bai Zhenghui. However, when addressing each other, young people usually didn’t bother with the generational name.

Ever since coming to the Immortal City seven or eight years ago, Bai Hui had found life with Bai Qing more comfortable than within the clan, so she had stayed with him and refused to go back.

Helpless, Bai Qing could only let her be.

And after discovering Bai Hui had quite a talent for the way of the Pharmacist, he started bringing her along on his house calls to teach her the trade.

Hearing Bai Qing’s question, Bai Hui thought for a moment before answering confidently, "That patient just now was careless in his cultivation, causing his Magical Power to stagnate and injure his internal organs. Therefore, he needs medicine to ’clear heat and guide out stagnation,’ to draw out the accumulated qi. It would be best if, while taking the medicine, he also stimulates his Taichong Acupoint with Magical Power to enhance the effects."

Bai Qing nodded and patted Bai Hui’s head in approval. "Not bad."

Hearing Bai Qing’s praise, Bai Hui couldn’t help but blink smugly.

As the two of them walked, another matter surfaced in Bai Qing’s mind.

His own Foundation Establishment.

He was currently at the Qi Refining Eighth Level. He only needed about five more years to cultivate to the peak of the Qi Refining Ninth Level and gain the qualification to attempt Foundation Establishment.

But breaking through to Foundation Establishment required a Foundation Establishment Pill. He was a member of the Bai family, and his background registration in the Immortal City was listed as ’Cultivation Clan.’

Therefore, he couldn’t just go to the Immortal City’s auction to bid on a Foundation Establishment Pill like his second and third brothers could.

Because Cultivators from clans were not qualified to bid on Foundation Establishment Pills at all.

Thinking of this, Bai Qing couldn’t help but resent his long-dead father.

’If only I were a Loose Cultivator,’ he thought, sighing inwardly at how difficult it was for clan Cultivators to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill.

A Loose Cultivator could directly buy a Foundation Establishment Pill with Spirit Stones, but for a clan Cultivator to obtain one, they had to go through life-and-death trials.

According to what Bai Qing understood.

The Academy Palace that his fifth brother, Qi Hanmo, had entered controlled a worldly secret realm.

It was said that this secret realm was created by an ancient Cultivator of Great Divine Abilities, and that the flow of time inside was ten times faster than in the outside world.

In other words, Spirit Medicine grew ten times faster inside the secret realm than outside.

For this reason, the ancient Cultivators had used the secret realm to cultivate Spirit Medicine. Vast quantities of precious Spirit Medicine grew there, including the main ingredient needed to refine Foundation Establishment Pills: ’Golden Marrow Jade Ginseng.’

In fact, more than eighty percent of the Golden Marrow Jade Ginseng in the entire Western Wilderness’s Cultivation Realm came from this secret realm.

Due to the different flow of time, the Academy Palace opened the secret realm once every thirty years. During this period, Cultivators could enter to harvest Spirit Medicine.

However, because the secret realm had been created countless years ago, many of the Restrictions inside were damaged beyond repair. Furthermore, if a Cultivator at Foundation Establishment or above were to enter, they would cause irreversible damage to the realm.

Therefore, the Academy Palace forbade Cultivators at Foundation Establishment or above from entering.

In other words, only Qi Refining Cultivators could enter the secret realm to harvest Spirit Medicine.

This might seem like a great opportunity for Qi Refining Cultivators, but that was not actually the case.

Because the secret realm was filled with numerous dangers, some of which could even threaten Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

On top of that, the other Qi Refining Cultivators who entered the realm would also act ruthlessly toward each other for the sake of Spirit Medicine.

If a Cultivator entering the secret realm wasn’t careful enough, they could easily lose their life.

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