Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Lin Zhao took it and glanced at it; it was indeed more detailed than his original version.

His original pill formula was a fusion of demonic foundation-seizing techniques, demonic transformation techniques, sect accumulation, and overseas pill formulas. He relied on violent deduction under the "heavenly state" to cobble together a usable pill formula in a short period of time.

But in the field of "Foundation Building Pills", Yan Lie is the expert.

Some details cannot be deduced through simulation; they are revealed through the explosion of the furnace.

"You mean," Lin Zhao tapped the stack of papers with his fingertips, "to change this secret technique from taking pills to long-term refining of demonic beast blood?"

Yan Lie nodded: "The Foundation Building Pill is used to help break through the three barriers, but if the foundation is not stable, it is easy to collapse after breaking through."

If one can gradually refine the essence blood of a first-tier demon beast during the Qi Refining stage, allowing the body to adapt in advance... then when it comes time to take the Foundation Establishment Pill, things will proceed more smoothly.

Lin Zhao remained silent for a moment.

He closed his eyes, and in his mind, he activated the sword tower to enter the Heavenly State.

Several hours later, he opened his eyes.

"It's done."

He opened his hand, and a patch of blood appeared in his palm—the prototype of the new cultivation technique he had just deduced.

"Before reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, Qi Refining cultivators first cultivate this technique to gradually refine the essence blood of first-tier demonic beasts and condense it into the essence blood of hundreds of beasts within their bodies."

Lin Zhao paused, "When the essence blood accumulates to a certain level, it will naturally nourish the body. Moreover, during Foundation Establishment, one can use the essence blood of a second-tier demonic beast to replace a portion of the Foundation Establishment spiritual items."

Then, take the Foundation Establishment Pill—with this combination, the success rate of Foundation Establishment will be at least 30%. After Foundation Establishment, you'll also gain an additional talent spell that allows you to transform into a second-tier demonic beast.

Yan Lie stared at the blood-red mass, his eyes shining with an alarming intensity.

"What's this technique called?"

"You reminded me, so take it."

Yan Lie thought for a long time, then whispered, "The True Technique of a Hundred Beasts."

---

The following months

Yan Lie seems like a completely different person.

The despondency was gone, the emptiness in his eyes was gone, replaced by an almost obsessive fervor.

He spent every day in the alchemy room, either refining elixirs or deducing the details of the "True Manual of a Hundred Beasts".

When we occasionally go out to eat, all I can say is, "This recipe can be improved," or "That herb would be better if we replaced it with a three-leaf variety."

One night, Lin Zhao passed by the alchemy room and heard low murmurs coming from inside:

"...One hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators, one hundred... Let's see how long the Shen family can keep up then..."

Lin Zhao paused, then rolled her eyes.

Well, I still haven't gotten over my inner demons.

But he was certain of one thing—

Yan Lie is not a mid-grade second-tier alchemist at all.

Before coming to Cangyun Mountain, this person must have already touched the threshold of the second-tier high-grade level, or even stepped into it.

What does it mean that he is not even a hundred years old this year, yet he has already become a second-tier high-grade alchemist?

This means that he is very likely to advance to become a third-tier alchemy master within the next hundred years.

No wonder his family was in a hurry to send him out.

If the Shen family knew that Yan Lie was not a mid-grade second-level alchemist, but a high-grade second-level alchemist, they would absolutely not let him live.

A mortal enemy of a family that may one day become a third-tier alchemy master.

The only option is to eliminate this kind of person beforehand; there is no other way.

---

The day the first batch of Hundred Beast Foundation Building Pills were produced

Lin Zhao was at the garrison headquarters, with Yan Chiheng and Elder He sitting next to him.

He held a pale red pill in his hand, with animal patterns faintly appearing on its surface, as if something alive was swimming inside.

"This is the first Hundred Beasts Foundation Building Pill."

He looked at Yan Chiheng and Elder He beside him, "With the 'True Technique of a Hundred Beasts' and the essence blood of demonic beasts, cultivators at the tenth level of Qi Refining can increase their chances of Foundation Establishment by 30%."

Yan Chiheng exclaimed, "Yan Lie is truly skilled; the success rate of refining this Hundred Beasts Foundation Establishment Pill is quite high!"

Lin Zhao put away the pills. "This one is a sample. Yan Lie will refine them in batches over the next six months."

"With the current stock of second-tier demon cores we have, once we've refined them all—based on the Foundation Establishment probability—the market will have at least ten more Foundation Establishment cultivators in the future."

Yan Chiheng's eyes lit up: "Ten Foundation Establishment cultivators? Then our market is in good shape."

Old He nodded, his eyes filled with eagerness.

He has lived in Cangyun Mountain for over a hundred years and has witnessed too many storms.

Whether the market is stable or not ultimately depends on how many Foundation Establishment cultivators there are.

There are still thirteen Foundation Establishment cultivators in the market. If there are ten more, there will be twenty-three Foundation Establishment cultivators. With the addition of Lin Zhao and Yan Chiheng, who are both capable fighters, Cangyun Mountain can now truly establish a firm foothold in the Zixuan Dynasty.

I just don't know how the Foundation Establishment Pills are planned to be distributed.

Elder He asked, "Governor, the market needs to replenish its ranks with Foundation Establishment cultivators. Are Foundation Establishment Pills...?"

"A batch will be prioritized for internal supply." Lin Zhao glanced at him. "The first batch refined will be supplied to market personnel, who can exchange it based on their contributions or by exchanging it for second-tier resources."

Old He felt a surge of warmth in his heart, stood up and bowed: "Thank you, Garrison Commander."

He knew that Lin Zhao was trying to curry favor with him—giving him, the head steward, face, and also telling the others in the market that if they followed her, they would have good fortune.

Lin Zhao pondered for a moment, then said:

"I plan to hold an auction for Foundation Establishment Pills in six months, releasing five pills, and then three pills every year thereafter."

Old He was taken aback: "Five? Isn't that too many?"

"Not much." Lin Zhao shook his head. "We need a reputation to open up the trade route to Dingfengyuan."

"Once the Foundation Establishment Pill auction is held, independent cultivators from surrounding countries will flock here. With people coming, business will follow, and the market will truly come alive."

He looked at Old He: "You're in charge of this. You set the bidding rules, but there's one condition—whoever wins the bid must explain the side effects in person."

Old He stood up and bowed, saying, "Yes."

As he sat down, he began to consider in his mind—he had several juniors whose aptitude wasn't particularly good, making them perfect candidates for this Foundation Establishment Pill.

Even if it makes him prone to turning into a beast in the future, he still needs to establish his foundation first. A lifespan of two hundred years is better than one hundred.

And... he secretly glanced at Lin Zhao.

Since this garrison commander dared to offer this elixir, he might not be without a solution.

Lin Zhao nodded.

He actually had another trick up his sleeve—he did have a method to suppress and resolve beast transformation, but it was a sensitive matter, so he would reveal it later.

Yan Chiheng asked from the side, "Are the materials enough? How is the profit sharing calculated with the Bihai Chamber of Commerce?"

"Lan Jingchi sent a message," Lin Zhao said. "The Chamber of Commerce has decided not to distribute Foundation Establishment Pills for the first few years. They will continue to supply auxiliary materials and demon beast essence blood, and we will supplement them with spirit stones and resources."

Yan Chiheng raised an eyebrow: "So generous? Doesn't seem like a businessman."

"Firstly, they wanted to see how it went, and secondly, they had faith in us," Lin Zhao said calmly. "Lan Jingchi has placed another bet, but he's a junior member of the Chamber of Commerce."

The Chamber of Commerce's higher-ups might not agree, but if we achieve results in Dingfengyuan, he can persuade the Bihai Chamber of Commerce to support our actions.

Lin Zhao then added, "Fang Yue has replied."

Yan Chiheng's eyes flickered: "What do you mean?"

Lin Zhao took out a dark gold compass from his storage bag and placed it on the table.

The compass is about the size of a palm, with densely engraved runes along its edges. There are seven holes in the central recess, from which a faint, eerie light shines through.