go down the mountain

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, another half a month has passed.

During this half a month, Ye Tian diligently cultivated every day, and his cultivation had reached the peak of Qi Condensation, just half a step away from breaking through to build his foundation.

However, he hesitated to take that half step.

"Ye Tian, it's time to eat!"

On this day, Cheng Yuhai's voice sounded as usual from outside the cave.

After coming out of the cave, Ye Tian was taken aback.

"Teacher?"

In his field of vision, Chen Su stood behind Cheng Yuhai, one hand behind his back, smiling kindly at him.

"Disciple."

Seeing this, Cheng Yuhai sensibly placed the food and turned to walk away.

"Teacher, why are you here?"

Seeing Chen Su, Ye Tian's expression was somewhat complex.

Chen Su smiled at Ye Tian and said, "I came to see how you've been lately, ask about your recent well-being, and whether the food is to your liking."

Ye Tian nodded and replied, "Senior Cheng's cooking skills are quite good, and I enjoy it very much."

Hearing Ye Tian's answer, Cheng Yuhai nodded and then walked up to Ye Tian, squeezing his arm and saying, "Your cultivation progress is quite fast. Looking at how your blood qi is, you've been at the peak of Qi Condensation for some time now."

"Hmm." Ye Tian didn't hide anything from Chen Su's question.

"Why haven't you built your foundation yet?" Chen Su looked at Ye Tian and asked.

Ye Tian hesitated for a moment and replied, "Teacher, I have obstacles in my heart, and my mind is unstable. It's not suitable for breaking through."

Upon hearing this, Chen Su let out a gentle sigh and said, "Alright, continue with your cultivation. I've come to give you some Foundation Establishment Pills. When you're ready to break through, taking these pills together can increase your chances of success. If you decide to break through, you can take these Foundation Establishment Pills together."

Saying that, Chen Su reached into his robes and took out a box of Foundation Establishment Pills.

Seeing the pills that Chen Su offered him, Ye Tian couldn't help but stare in surprise and quickly said, "Teacher, these Foundation Establishment Pills are extremely precious. The disciples of the sect would fight tooth and nail for them..."

Before Ye Tian could finish his sentence, Chen Su waved his hand to interrupt him and said, "For others, these Foundation Establishment Pills are indeed precious, but you are my disciple, Ye Tian. I will give you as many as you want! If you feel like you need more, you can always tell me."

Upon hearing Chen Su's response, Ye Tian fell silent for a moment before nodding solemnly and saying, "I will, Teacher."

"Good." Chen Su gave Ye Tian some caring advice and then left the mountain.

Ye Tian watched Chen Su's departing figure and looked at the Foundation Establishment Pills in his hand. Memories of the pulsating meat-like eggs flashed through his mind, and with a snap, he closed the box.

Beside him, Cheng Yuhai had somehow appeared and was looking at the direction Chen Su had left with envy in his eyes. He sighed and said, "I envy you for having someone who cares about you so much."

Ye Tian turned his head to look at this honest and sturdy man and asked, "Don't you have someone who cares about you?"

A trace of nostalgia appeared in Cheng Yuhai's eyes, and his face was filled with melancholy as he replied, "I used to, but not anymore. I only realized how much I missed that care after I lost it. Don't be like me."

Saying that, Cheng Yuhai sniffled and gave Ye Tian a simple smile before continuing, "It's getting late. I should head down the mountain. Three days later is the elite disciple competition of our sect. I need to rest well to watch it."

Upon hearing Cheng Yuhai's words, Ye Tian's heart stirred, but his expression remained unchanged as he nodded and said, "Alright."

After Cheng Yuhai left the mountain, Ye Tian reopened the box of Foundation Establishment Pills, gathered his qi in his dantian, and rushed towards his spiritual platform!

A sharp pain emanated, and the Foundation Establishment Pills that had been peacefully lying in Ye Tian's hand transformed back into disgusting, pulsating meat-like eggs.

He stared at the pulsating eggs in front of him, narrowing his eyes slightly.

There was something he had hidden from Chen Su. The reason he hesitated to break through wasn't because of an unstable mind but because he didn't trust the Foundation Establishment Pills!

Although he felt guilty towards Zhou Yun, he still harbored some doubts about this absurd cultivation world.

As for the bizarre Foundation Establishment Pills, Ye Tian had his suspicions.

Chen Su had never told him the origin of the Foundation Establishment Pills, which must hold a great secret!

He intended to find an opportunity to investigate the secret behind the Foundation Establishment Pills before deciding whether to take them!

If everything he saw was truly an illusion, then there would definitely be inconsistencies in the logic.

On the contrary, if everything he saw could be logically consistent and form a perfect closed loop, then it wasn't an illusion!

Fortunately, according to Cheng Yuhai, there would be an elite disciple competition in three days. All the disciples of the sect would surely gather at the sect's square to watch the competition, giving Ye Tian a chance to sneak into the sect and investigate the truth behind the Foundation Establishment Pills!

Ye Tian had already made plans regarding where to investigate.

There were only two places in the entire Qingcheng Sect where Foundation Establishment Pills could be freely obtained: the Internal Affairs Department and Chen Su's place!

Compared to the strict record-keeping practices of the Internal Affairs Department whenever a Foundation Establishment Pill was dispensed, Chen Su seemed to be much more lenient with him, fulfilling his requests whenever he asked.

Therefore, there must be other Foundation Establishment Pills in Chen Su's alchemy room!

The secret of the Foundation Establishment Pills might be hidden there!

Through his observations over the past few days, Ye Tian discovered that despite Chen Su's claim of punishing him with a solitary confinement on the mountain, there were actually no defensive measures set up, not even a restriction.

Chen Su really treated his disciple well!

Thinking about this, Ye Tian felt a little ashamed of his actions.

Chen Su had treated him so well, yet he had repeatedly doubted him.

However, he quickly stabilized his emotions.

His actions this time weren't meant to harm Chen Su but to prove his own suspicions.

If his suspicions were proven wrong and what he saw was truly an illusion, then he would no longer doubt Chen Su and would strive to be an obedient and diligent disciple!

With that, Ye Tian took a deep breath, turned around, and walked back into the cave to continue his meditation and adjust his state to the best possible condition!

...

Three days later.

Cheng Yuhai neatly packed away the bowls and chopsticks, saying to Ye Tian, "Ye Tian, my friend, since you've finished eating, I'll pack up and head down the mountain to watch the elite disciple competition."

Seeing Cheng Yuhai's actions, Ye Tian enthusiastically said, "Cheng, let me see you off."

Despite Cheng Yuhai's protests, Ye Tian insisted, "It's fine. I'm just idle here on the mountain anyway, so seeing you off is like taking a walk after a meal. Consider it as a casual stroll."

As they walked, the two chatted about the interesting rumors regarding the competition, with Cheng Yuhai's face filled with excitement while Ye Tian responded with polite laughter, secretly scheming his next move.

Before long, Ye Tian escorted Cheng Yuhai to the secluded path connecting the mountain and the sect.

Ye Tian stood there, watching Cheng Yuhai's figure gradually disappear, narrowing his eyes slightly.

He took out a new bamboo hat he had woven for himself, gently put it on, lowered the brim, and then proceeded down the mountain.