Ascending from the mortal realm to become an immortal begins with taking charge of a grotto-heaven.

"After so many years of arduous cultivation, I have barely reached the threshold of the late stage of Qi Refining. I am no match for Senior Brother Qin."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Li bowed slightly and politely replied.

Then his tone changed, and he became somewhat disappointed: "Besides, my aptitude is poor. This threshold of the late stage of Qi Refining is even more difficult for me than climbing to the sky. Whether I can break through smoothly, and when I can break through, is still unknown."

He deliberately lowered his stance and made self-deprecating jokes.

"Junior brother, there's no need to belittle yourself. On the contrary, even after using the Foundation Establishment Pill and secluded cultivation for many years, I still failed to break through. I have no idea whether I will have another chance to establish my foundation in this lifetime."

Zhang Li was taken aback. He had deliberately avoided the other person's sore spot, but Qin Ying had brought it up herself. He didn't know how to respond for a moment, so he could only comfort her: "Senior brother has a solid foundation. As long as you slowly search for spiritual herbs and medicines to repair your meridians and recuperate for a few years, you will definitely have another chance to establish your foundation."

Qin Ying forced a bitter smile, shook his head and said, "It's not that easy. It's already a stroke of luck to get a Foundation Establishment Pill from the sect. Where would you find a second one?"

"Even with Uncle Wu's status, he can't ask for another one for Senior Brother?" Zhang Li asked subconsciously.

In his view, Wu Feng, as one of the few late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators in the sect, should hold a considerable share of the sect's resources and should have room to maneuver.

"My master has already helped me once. If it weren't for his intervention, I don't know when I would have gotten that Foundation Establishment Pill. Moreover, the distribution of Foundation Establishment Pills in the sect requires the approval of several elders. If a cultivator fails once, he will not have a second chance."

Qin Ying's words were filled with helplessness.

The wind rustled through the bamboo forest in the mountains, and the atmosphere between the two was heavy. No amount of comforting words would change anything, so Zhang Li could only remain silent.

Qin Ying forced a bitter smile, shook her head, and, unwilling to dwell on her own situation any longer, changed the subject: "Let's not talk about these unpleasant things. Junior Brother, you must have returned from Yulin County to report back to Master, right?"

"Exactly." Zhang Li nodded.

"Then junior brother, go quickly. I, Qin, have also been assigned a task and should set off."

After saying their goodbyes, Qin Ying walked down the mountain. The warm sun shone on him, yet he felt a strange sense of desolation.

Zhang Li watched Qin Ying's receding figure until it completely disappeared at the end of the mountain path, and couldn't help but feel a little wistful.

Back then, he almost died from a qi deviation caused by the Foundation Establishment Pill. Now it seems that even with the Foundation Establishment Pill, one might not be able to successfully establish a foundation.

Even for a cultivator with dual spiritual roots like Qin Ying, Foundation Establishment is still so difficult. If I want to break through to Foundation Establishment in the future, the difficulty will only be greater. I really can't afford to take any chances.

After a while, Zhang Li finally calmed down. Just as he turned around to ask to see Wu Feng, he noticed that a passage had appeared in the bamboo forest behind him.

Seeing this, he knew perfectly well that Wu Feng had overheard his conversation with Qin Ying.

He dared not hesitate, immediately straightened his robes, straightened his posture, bowed deeply towards the depths of the passage, and said loudly, "Disciple Zhang Li, my seven-year term of duty at Crescent Lake has ended, and I have come to report to my master."

From the depths of the tranquil bamboo forest, a gentle, aged voice drifted out, tinged with a faint sigh: "Come in. I heard everything you and Qin Ying were saying just now."

"Greetings, Martial Uncle."

Zhang Li walked into the main hall and bowed.

Get up.

Wu Feng raised his hand and gently waved it, a soft force supporting Zhang Li's arm and helping him up. His gaze fell on Zhang Li, and after examining him closely for a moment, a hint of approval flashed in his eyes.

"Seeing that your cultivation has not been delayed because of your duty outside, I can finally put my mind at ease."

These words sound sincere, but only Wu Feng himself knows how much of it is true and how much is false.

It was as if he had gone to Yulin County on his own initiative back then.

Zhang Li knew the truth perfectly well, but he didn't show it at all.

Wu Feng walked slowly to the bamboo window, his gaze passing through the bamboo forest outside the courtyard to the empty mountain path below. His tone was full of regret: "Qin Ying's failure to establish his foundation this time is ultimately partly due to my fault as his master. I failed to find him another foundation-establishing talisman, otherwise his foundation-establishment would not have failed this time."

Zhang Li stood quietly to the side, listening without saying a word.

Ultimately, this is a private matter between Wu Feng and his apprentice Qin Ying, and it's not appropriate for an outsider like him to interfere.

Although he wanted to avoid suspicion, Wu Feng had no intention of letting the matter drop. He turned to Zhang Li beside him and asked, "Zhang Li, you were just chatting with Qin Ying and you know how difficult it is to reach the Foundation Establishment stage. Now that you're almost at the late Qi Refining stage, what are your thoughts on Foundation Establishment?"

In the world of cultivation, Foundation Establishment is a difficult hurdle that almost all Qi Refining stage cultivators must face.

Only those born with a heavenly spiritual root can successfully establish their foundation without the aid of external aids like Foundation Establishment Pills. Once the foundation is established, they can naturally condense their golden core.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of cultivators do not have such good aptitude; most are like him with four spiritual roots, or even worse, five spiritual roots.

A bottleneck in the late stage of Qi Refining might be something they can never overcome in their entire lives.

Regarding the Foundation Establishment process, Zhang Li currently has no good solutions and can only proceed cautiously, trying his best to collect Foundation Establishment spiritual items.

As for the most crucial Foundation Establishment Pill, he currently has no good solutions and can only rely on luck.

In the world of cultivation, spirit stones can solve most problems, but not all of them. Foundation Establishment Pills are one type of pill that cannot be solved by spirit stones alone.

Thinking of this, Zhang Li truthfully told Wu Feng, "With my aptitude, it would be too difficult for me to reach the Foundation Establishment stage. I can only take it one step at a time. I don't have any plans."

Do you regret it?

After hearing Zhang Li's words, Wu Feng didn't say anything more, but simply spoke calmly.

No regrets.

Zhang Li did not hesitate at all upon hearing this; no matter how difficult the cultivation was, he would not regret it.

"That's quite ambitious."

Wu Feng nodded slightly, his tone finally showing more genuine approval.

"If you really want to establish your foundation, then cultivate diligently. If you can reach the ninth level of Qi Refining within ten years and participate in the Blood Trial, you might have a chance to establish your foundation. If you don't even reach the ninth level of Qi Refining, it will be difficult to establish your foundation."

"The Crimson Trial?"

This was the first time Zhang Li had heard of this. He wanted to ask, but Wu Feng had already sat down cross-legged again and closed his eyes.

Seeing this, he suppressed his doubts, bowed to Wu Feng, and silently left the courtyard.

The mountain path leading down was quiet and deserted. Zhang Li walked slowly, pondering Wu Feng's words over and over again.

He had never heard the words "Crimson Trial" anywhere else, and just from the name, he knew that this trial was anything but simple.

Judging from Wu Feng's tone, Zhang Li must participate in the Crimson Trial if he wants to successfully establish his foundation.

"Keep training hard..."

He muttered something to himself, dispelling the chaotic thoughts in his mind.