Low-Key Embarrassment

After he failed to concoct a High-Level Sky Grade Pill several times, without batting an eye, he turned his attention over to cultivation. 

Since he had a lot of time to refine and make his cultivation stable, he thought of breaking into the next level of Essence Gathering Cultivation.

So, he used up a several hundred Low-Level Spirit Stones and reached Peak-Level Revolving Core Stage, only a step away from reaching the Body Transformation Stage.

Then, he took his chances and tried to break through into the Gold Stage but it proved futile even before he started.

He figured that it might take a year or more for him to walk that step once he actually tried.

Plus, he took his chances with Soul Forging Cultivation but that ended in failure too. He didn't use Elder Severin's Soul Essence to breakthrough because it was just too wasteful as it was a Mid-Level Elder Soul Stage Soul Essence.