Cultivation starts from devouring the Dao fruits

The Foundation Establishment forefather of the Ling family had died fighting for the Cang Ling Sect, so naturally, the Cang Ling Sect would not kick them while they were down and reclaim their Spiritual Land at such a time. However, the Cang Ling Sect was making all-out efforts to combat the Yin Ghost Sect and thus could not afford to protect the Ling family either.

Zhao Yu asked, "Is Su Bingyun currently alright?"

The Ling family was a Foundation Establishment family with extensive connections, and although their forefather had perished in battle, there were still Cultivators from the Ling family appearing on the front lines of the war among the Five Sects. They were far more well-informed than Zhao Yu.

Ling Qianxue said, "Fairy Su has slain two Yin Ghost Sect Foundation Establishment cultivators on the front lines, and her fame has greatly increased. She did receive some minor injuries and is currently recuperating in the rear."

Upon hearing that Su Bingyun was not seriously harmed, Zhao Yu felt relieved, chatted a bit more with Ling Qianxue, and then left.

In the days that followed, the Ling family began to fully purchase the Spiritual Medicines needed for refining Heartfire Pills and continuously sent them to Zhao Yu.

The Lingxi Wang family also sent a large number of Heartfire Pill Spiritual Medicines, asking Zhao Yu to help refine the Heartfire Pills.

While Zhao Yu was helping the two major families refine Spirit Pills, he increased the prices of the pills in his small Dan Pavilion by thirty percent.

With Zhao Yu being the only Alchemist left in the Jiu Chen Mountain Market, although the Loose Cultivators complained, they had no choice but to honestly purchase the pills.

Ling Qianxue personally took the lead in seeking cultivators within the Jiu Chen Mountain Market to build the Ling family's enforcement squad.

Many Loose Cultivators were attracted by the generous conditions offered by the Ling family and joined the enforcement squad to earn resources.

Four months later.

"Alchemy Cultivation Level: Second-Order Low-grade (50/100)."

"Alchemy—Heartfire Pill: Grandmaster."

"I have finally elevated my alchemy of Heartfire Pill to the Grandmaster level! My Alchemy Cultivation Level has also reached the Second Order! Now I can refine the Second-Order Spirit Pills, Blood Beast Pattern Pill!"

After his alchemy improvement, Zhao Yu finally showed a hint of a smile.

Although Zhao Yu had the talent of a Martial Arts Genius, his cultivation speed with the Vajra Dragon Elephant Art was slowing down. This is because advancing in this mortal martial art also required the Second-Order Spirit Pills, Blood Beast Pattern Pills, to make significant progress; otherwise, he would have to rely on the slow passage of time to inch forward.

"The Superior Grade Heartfire Pill can significantly improve the cultivation speed in the later stages of Qi Refinement, and has a fifty percent chance of improving the rate of successful Foundation Establishment. It's akin to half a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object. If it could be taken to an auction, it would definitely fetch a good price!

Unfortunately, I currently don't have the strength to protect such a valuable item," Zhao Yu said, feeling regret as his eyes passed over the Superior Grade Heartfire Pill.

The so-called Foundation Establishment Spiritual Items are various Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that could improve the chances of Foundation Establishment, all of which are extremely precious and typically controlled by major Foundation Establishment families and the Four Great Sects.

The Changyang Ling family controlled a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Item called Green Jade Milk located in Spiritual Lotus Lake. In this Second-Order Low-grade Spiritual Land of Linghe Lake, a small bottle would only condense every sixty years.

When a cultivator drank an entire bottle of Green Jade Milk at the time of Foundation Establishment, it could increase the cultivator's success rate by ten percent.

While this Foundation Establishment Spiritual Item was nowhere near as effective as Foundation Establishment Pills, it could still fetch a high price of one or two thousand Spirit Stones at auctions.

In the following days, Zhao Yu began using the flesh of a Second-Order Demon Snake, which Su Bingyun had killed, to refine the Blood Beast Pattern Pills.

The primary material for the Blood Beast Pattern Pill is the blood and flesh of demonic beasts. This Second-Order Spirit Pill could greatly strengthen a cultivator's physique and was highly sought after by Body Cultivation cultivators.

The Second-Order Spirit Pill known as the Red Blood Beast Pattern Pill broadly strengthens a cultivator's physique significantly, and it can be used even by those who practice the Golden Sha Beast God Body Refinement, although its effects are not as potent as the Golden Sha Spirit Pill of the same order.

The Red Blood Beast Pattern Pill is also a low-grade Second-Order Spirit Pill, requiring either a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Flame or a stable Earth Fire Chamber for its refinement.

In the Market at Jiuchen Mountain, there were Earth Fire Chambers available; Zhao Yu directly rented one and day and night refined the Red Blood Beast Pattern Pills inside it.

Three months later, after completely refining the flesh of the entire Second-Order Demon Snake, Zhao Yu's alchemy skills with the Red Blood Beast Pattern Pill had advanced to the expert level, and he also acquired ten Red Blood Beast Pattern Pills.

Inside his cave mansion.

"Ten Red Blood Beast Pattern Pills should be able to break my Vajra Dragon Elephant Art through to the sixtieth stage… right?"

Zhao Yu pinched a Red Blood Beast Pattern Pill and swallowed it whole; a immensely strong heatwave spread throughout his body, strengthening his physique.

Zhao Yu began cultivating the Vajra Dragon Elephant Art, with the help of the power from his Foundation Establishment Spiritual Sense, he precisely utilized the heatwave to enhance his physical body.

"Vajra Dragon Elephant Art stage fifty-one (0/100)."

Zhao Yu's lips slightly curled upwards, "Not bad!"

One month later, inside the cave mansion.

Zhao Yu swallowed the ninth Red Blood Beast Pattern Pill, activated the Vajra Dragon Elephant Art, his body surged with boiling blood, countless blood energies converged into a mass, ultimately underwent a transformation and sublimated into a strong force that nourished his physical body.

A large amount of impurities were expelled from Zhao Yu's body through the pores, covering him as though he had been smeared with black mud.

"Vajra Dragon Elephant Art stage sixty (0/100)."

"I've finally cultivated the Vajra Dragon Elephant Art to the sixtieth stage! This way, my combat prowess is comparable to some of the weaker Foundation Establishment first-stage cultivators! Actually, I should be considered among the weakest within the Foundation Establishment cultivators! However, even so, I am much stronger than an ordinary Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivator!"

Zhao Yu felt the powerful surging blood qi inside him and revealed a trace of a smile.

Body Cultivators generally are a notch below their peers of the same stage. That is because peers of the same stage master various powerful spells and can use various Magic Artifacts and magical treasures.

Of course, in the Cultivation World, there are countless Extraordinary Skills and Strange Methods, and those who cultivate the topmost Body Cultivation Secret Techniques can be much stronger than peers of the same stage. Zhao Yu's self-created Vajra Dragon Elephant Art was far from matching the topmost Body Cultivation Secret Techniques in the Cultivation World.

Zhao Yu had cultivated the Vajra Dragon Elephant Art to the sixtieth stage, yet if he were to confront Bingyun from his Qi Refining Great Perfection phase, he could kill Bingyun before being burned to death by the Fire Crow in the Fire Crow Mirror, but he would also be injured by the Fire Crow.

If Zhao Yu, at this stage, was to confront Bingyun who had already established her foundation head-on, if he did not escape in time, his only fate would be getting burned to ashes by the Fire Crow.

After his breakthrough in Martial Cultivation, Zhao Yu still kept a very low profile, investing his energy in crafting the Golden Light Talismans and Wood Yuan Gong, showing no difference from the past.

As the battle among the Five Sects intensified, many cultivators fled from the markets in the front lines to the Market at Jiuchen Mountain, resulting in an increasing number of cultivators there.

Next to Zhao Yu's cave mansion, two new neighbors arrived: one was Luo Jiuniang, who had an attractive appearance and enticing manner with Seventh-Level Qi Refining; the other was Meng Yinghan, who had the look of a rat and did not seem trustworthy, a Talisman Master in the late phase of Qi Refinement.

The moment Luo Jiuniang arrived, she became the top hostess at the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion. She also made several proactive attempts to entice Zhao Yu, all of which he subtly avoided, and subsequently, they maintained an intriguing neighborly relationship.