16. Rise to the top easily_1
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He visited Xiao Le Peak once again.
Song He headed straight for the Elixir Pavilion inside the sect, straightened out his slightly disheveled clothes from hurrying, then walked in with a calm and indifferent expression.
This time, he was the customer, the one who came to buy.
With over two thousand Spirit Stones in his pocket, he could be said to have full confidence. Even purchasing two Foundation Establishment Pills should be well within his budget.
This was the treatment he should receive after winning the wager.
Upon entering the pavilion, he habitually scanned the area.
The sect seemed to particularly favor jade. The entire Elixir Pavilion, whether it was the floor, the ceiling, or the walls, was made of emerald jade.
Cultivators were examining their desired elixirs at the counters, a faint fragrance lingering in the air.
The spacious pavilion was quite quiet, with no one speaking loudly.
Compared to the Flower Guessing House which was like a gambling den, this place was truly the epitome of elegance.
"Brother, have you come to the Elixir Pavilion to purchase some elixirs?"
A young cultivator in a blue robe approached him.
Song He gave him a sweep with his Divine Sense.
His cultivation level was laid bare under Song He's Divine Sense, which had been enhanced by the Wood Gourd—Late Qi Refining Stage, Class I.
Moreover, Song He could feel that the spirit Qi at his dantian seemed to be locked, and although he was handsome, he did not have the vibrant aura that other cultivators possessed.
It was as if... he had been artificially elevated to the Qi Refining period, somewhat stiff and uncoordinated.
'Strange, is he specifically assigned to welcome guests?' Song He thought curiously, keeping his face expressionless and calmly spoke, "I came to purchase some elixirs suitable for Late Qi Refining Stage cultivators to consume, which can also increase the chances of successfully breaking through the Foundation Establishment bottleneck."
"Brother, please follow me."
It seemed this blue-robed cultivator had already encountered many cultivators of Song He's level, as he quickly led Song He to a counter.
He explained:
"Brother, these are the elixirs suitable for those in the Late Qi Refining Stage and for breaking through the Foundation Establishment bottleneck. Take your time looking, I shall take my leave."
Having said that, he turned and left.
It seemed his role was just to show the way, and further inquiries were to be handled by another cultivator in blue robe sitting behind the counter.
Song He glanced at his retreating figure, then turned his gaze to the blue-robed cultivator behind the counter—he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, so Song He refrained from probing with his Divine Sense.
The blue-robed cultivator gave Song He a slight smile and gestured to a chair in front of the counter, saying warmly:
"Junior Brother, please have a seat. That person is a plant man; he is incapable of explaining the specific effects of the elixirs."
"Plant man?" Song He, intrigued by the novel term, asked, "This is the first time I've heard of such beings; could Brother enlighten me?"
"They were originally mortals who could not cultivate. They chose to undergo symbiosis with a special Spirit Plant, which allowed them to attain the cultivation of Late Qi Refining Stage, Class I."
Huh... even those without a Spiritual Root could become Qi Refining cultivators?
Song He felt his worldview was being constantly refreshed.
One must know the disparity between mortals and Qi Refining cultivators is vast; the latter could easily slaughter thousands of mortals with the help of talismans, magic artifacts, and other items.
"Everything has its price, Junior Brother needn't be surprised. They have chosen symbiosis with Spirit Plants, which means they can only stay on Xiao Le Peak for all eternity."
The blue-robed cultivator gave a mysterious smile and did not continue the topic. Instead, he took out three jade boxes and placed them on the counter.
Opening the first jade box.
Lined with red silk inside was a green Spirit Pill the size of a longan fruit, emitting a refreshing fragrance.
"Junior Brother, please look at this. This is the Treasure Green Pill suitable for cultivators between Class VII and Class X of the Late Qi Refining Stage. Consuming one is equivalent to three days of strenuous Cultivation.
The price is twenty Spirit Stones per pill, and after consuming more than twenty, the effect will diminish."
Three days, that sounds trivial.
And indeed, it was.
Based on Song He's estimation, to break through the last class and attain Perfect status and then challenge the bottleneck of Foundation Establishment, at least two months of hard Cultivation was required.
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Twenty Spirit Pills, although equivalent to two months of hard Cultivation, also had to consider the absorption of elixirs and the elimination of any elixir toxins to ensure the purity of the Dao foundation.
To be honest... it was a bit too slow.
Song He wanted to establish his foundation within a month; the earlier, the better.
"Is there an elixir with better effects?" he asked directly.
"Naturally, there is, Junior Brother. Please look at this."
The cultivator in blue robes, unsurprised, opened the second box.
It was still laid with red silk, and upon it rested a red elixir the size of a lotus seed, faintly exuding a spicy scent.
"This pill is made by blending the Flame Cloud Fruit with several types of Spiritual Materials. One pill is equivalent to half a month of hard Cultivation for a cultivator at the Late Qi Refining Stage. However, its fiery nature is too abundant and not suitable for cultivators with water and wood Spiritual Roots."
Song He: "..."
How could it be so coincidental? He himself had water, wood, and earth Spiritual Roots. Swallowing such a fiery elixir could negatively affect him.
Seeing Song He's silence, the cultivator in the blue robe guessed that the Junior Brother in front of him was probably with water and wood Spiritual Roots and gave a helpless smile.
He then opened the last box.
"Junior Brother, please look. This is the Azure Cloud Spirit Pill, jointly refined by the Elders of the Elixir Pavilion and the Spirit Plant Pavilion. Upon consumption, there's a chance to directly improve one's cultivation level from Class I to Class II."
"Can there truly be such a miraculous thing?" Song He was astonished.
To directly raise one's cultivation level... Such an item would be highly sought after anywhere, surely it must be...
Song He thought to himself, his gaze shifting down to take a closer look at the pill when suddenly the familiar panel appeared—
[Name]: Azure Cloud Grass
[Class]: ?
[Status]: Mature, imbued with spirit Qi (300%)
①. Soaring through the Azure Clouds - Late Qi Refining Stage Class II (exclusive to Azure Cloud Grass): After consumption, it can directly increase one's cultivation level by two classes. Can only be used once at each stage.
He gazed silently; the golden pill before his eyes bore no traits of Spirit Plants and looked just like a golden sphere.
Yet the panel could not be a lie.
However... with the panel's explanation, Song He truly believed it could directly enhance his cultivation level by two classes, lifting him to the full circle of the Late Qi Refining Stage.
"Junior Brother seems to be a spirit planter himself. Inside this elixir is an extremely special Spirit Plant, cultivated by the Elders of our sect.
In the entire Cultivation World, you won't find it anywhere else but in our Spiritual Leaf Sect," he said proudly, not out of arrogance, but pride in the sect.
"Such a wonderous Spirit Plant, does Brother know what it is?"
As a spirit planter himself, if Song He were not concerned at this moment, it would be rather strange; the curiosity towards unknown Spirit Plants was something every spirit planter possessed.
"This... I truly do not know." He shook his head and glanced at the cultivators waiting behind Song He.
Seeing this, Song He did not ask further, simply asked for the price, and bought the elixir.
He intended to inquire about the Foundation Establishment Pill, but the cultivator in blue robes shook his head again and pointed towards the stairs leading to the second floor.
"Foundation Establishment Pills are sold upstairs, and the price for one is around one thousand Spirit Stones."
"Thank you, Brother."
After thanking him, Song He turned to ascend the stairs and quickly managed to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill—known throughout the Cultivation World for Spirit Grass and Spirit Plants, the Spiritual Leaf Sect naturally had plenty of the necessary Spirit Grass for refining Foundation Establishment Pills.
That's why Song He could purchase it so easily.
Content with his purchase of the two elixirs, he prepared to leave, but by chance glanced at the Elixir Pavilion where he bought the Spirit Pill. The cultivator in blue robes was promoting the Azure Cloud Spirit Pill to another cultivator.
Out of curiosity, he took a look at the elixir.
He noticed that the "Soaring through the Azure Clouds" benefit had changed from hiking two levels in the Late Qi Refining Stage to one, and the effect from increasing by two classes to raising one cultivation class.
Learning this made Song He even happier.
It seemed he truly had some luck on his side; otherwise, how could he have directly bought the Azure Cloud Spirit Pill that increased two classes of cultivation level?