A cool, damp sensation immediately wafted over him.
Yang Che noticed that the ground beneath his feet was carved with a complex formation pattern, covering the entire surface of the lake pavilion.
Straight ahead, a long, azure stone bridge connected the pavilion to the verdant and crimson intertwined lakeshore.
Walking onto the stone bridge, he looked around, and the lake surface shimmered with ripples.
The lake water was clear, and fish swam happily among the water plants beneath the surface.
Large expanses of Red Ripple trees surrounded the lake, their reflections inverted on the water, creating a charming contrast with a few specks of green.
Not far from this pavilion, there was a small island in the lake, brimming with vitality.
Upon seeing the small island, Yang Che immediately smiled and flew directly onto the island using his Dunjxing Shuo.
Although the island was not large, ancient Red Ripple trees towered over it, and a winding pebble path led to a secluded spot.
Following this stone path to its end, over a dozen rustic yet elegant wooden houses appeared.
These wooden houses formed a 'times' (hui - meaning 'return' or 'circle') shape, enclosing a tranquil courtyard.
On the plaque above the courtyard gate, the four ancient characters 'Red Ripple Secret Realm' were carved.
Pushing open the courtyard gate, a rich Spiritual Qi immediately enveloped him.
In the courtyard, a rather large Lingyan Spring bubbled upwards, then flowed into a spring pool, circulating endlessly.
"It's actually a Medium Grade Lingyan Spring. This small Qing Jian Sect's Secret Realm actually has some interesting aspects to it."
Tianxie Ziyin, the Purple-haired girl, Tianxie Ziyin's cold voice suddenly echoed in Yang Che's mind.
Yang Che smiled and said, "I chose this Red Ripple Secret Realm precisely because of this Lingyan Spring. With this, my Spiritual Soil can finally truly advance. Moreover, if my Tongyou Medicine Garden is continuously watered with this spring water, it will definitely bring me surprises."
"You're not that stupid after all. You chose the right Secret Realm with this Red Ripple Secret Realm. However, your Foundation Establishment won't be easy next, so you'd better prepare at least twenty Foundation Establishment Pills first."
"Mm. I'll adjust my breathing for a bit, then start refining Foundation Establishment Pills."
As Yang Che spoke, he chose a room closest to the Lingyan Spring, tidied it up, and made it his living quarters.
Sitting cross-legged on a futon, Yang Che closed his eyes, sensing the surrounding green water and blue sky, green grass and red trees, listening to the insects chirping and birds singing, and the gentle breeze, his heart gradually becoming more peaceful and indifferent.
After an unknown amount of time, Yang Che slowly opened his eyes, and a serene, water-like demeanor appeared on him.
The first thing Yang Che did was to carry a large amount of Lingyan Spring water into the Void Illusion Magic Stone Space and arrive at the Tongyou Medicine Garden.
Numerous Winged Fire Dragonflies, still evolving, quickly flew over, affectionately circling him up and down.
Yang Che did not drive them away; instead, he took out the Spirit Beast food he had obtained from the Beast Controlling Sect Cultivator's Storage Pouch and let them share it.
However, Yang Che found that although the Winged Fire Dragonflies also ate this Spirit Beast food, they clearly did not like it.
Instead, they preferred to chew on the flowers, leaves, and fruits of the nine-leaf dark yang fruit.
In recent years, it was precisely because of the small Lingyan tree and the nine-leaf dark yang fruit that these Winged Fire Dragonflies were able to grow and even evolve so quickly.
Yang Che naturally did not want to expose them now, letting them continue to grow and evolve in this Medicine Garden.
"You are truly generous. You are willing to let them chew on Heaven-Defying Immortal Plants like the nine-leaf dark yang fruit so casually."
Tianxie Ziyin, who was sitting beside the small Lingyan tree, still spoke with a cold tone.
And around Tianxie Ziyin, all those Winged Fire Dragonflies dared not approach.
"I have ordered them never to chew on the roots. As long as the roots don't die, what's wrong with letting them chew on the flowers, leaves, and fruits to evolve?"
Yang Che smiled and began to pick the Medicinal Plants needed to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill.
To refine enough Foundation Establishment Pills, Yang Che's picking reduced the Spiritual Plants in the Tongyou Medicine Garden by nearly thirty percent.
Thankfully, he had plundered young seedlings from the 'Hanging Waterfall Medicine Garden' back then, and during his experience in the Mist Hidden Sea Inner Sea, he happened to collect several extremely rare main ingredients for refining Foundation Establishment Pills; otherwise, just the medicinal ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill would have given Yang Che a headache for a long time.
After picking the Medicinal Plants, Yang Che immediately took out the Lingyan Spring water and first thoroughly watered the Spiritual Soil, then continued to water the rest of the Medicine Garden.
"If this Spiritual Soil could be several times larger, that would be great," Yang Che thought with a hint of 'greed'.
"Are you planning to refine Foundation Establishment Pills right here?" Tianxie Ziyin suddenly asked.
"What? Can't I perform Alchemy here?" Yang Che asked in surprise.
"Of course you can. But I must remind you, both Alchemy and Foundation Establishment take quite a long time. If you stay here the whole time, and the Fourth Peak Master comes looking for you here, only to find you're not here at all..."
Yang Che immediately understood what the Purple-haired girl meant.
If he stayed here the whole time, the Void Illusion Magic Stone would be at great risk of exposure.
This Purple-haired girl had solemnly warned him earlier that he must never expose the Void Illusion Magic Stone, no matter when or where.
Yang Che exited the Magic Stone Space and reappeared in the Red Ripple Secret Realm courtyard.
He took out his Pill Furnace, and the Nine Heart Thunder Flame immediately surged forth.
Yang Che, single-minded, quickly entered the process of refining the Foundation Establishment Pill.
Regarding the proportions of medicinal ingredients, the order of their addition, and the steps, the Pill Formula explained everything very clearly and plainly.
The key points and difficulties Yang Che had to grasp were the control of the heat and the timing of opening the furnace.
Having experience refining a large number of Eight Treasures Pills, Nourishing Yuan Pills, and even Pseudo Overlord Pills, Yang Che was extremely confident in this.
...
Seven days later.
Yang Che's face, however, was filled with bitterness.
It seemed that every time he refined a new Medicinal Pill, the failure rate was very high.
The amount of Medicinal Plants Yang Che had prepared was enough to refine over forty Foundation Establishment Pills.
Yet, in the end, he only obtained eighteen finished Foundation Establishment Pills; all the others failed.
Fortunately, he originally had four, and with these eighteen, he now had twenty-two Foundation Establishment Pills.
"Don't look so crestfallen. That's already a forty percent pill formation rate. You have one of the three Ancient God Flames, the Nine Heart Thunder Flame. If it weren't for your trashy Pill Furnace, increasing it by another twenty percent wouldn't be a problem."
Tianxie Ziyin looked at Yang Che's heartbroken expression and actually felt an impulse to rush out and punch him.
However, on second thought, this kid probably didn't have a clear and concrete understanding of Alchemy talent and the standard of an Alchemist.
"Is it because of the Pill Furnace?"
Yang Che pondered for a moment and quickly returned to his normal expression.
But his heart was vaguely excited.
He was finally about to begin Foundation Establishment.
Possessing Mutated Dual Immortal Roots, he had consulted countless ancient texts and scrolls, all of which, without exception, pointed to one conclusion: inability to achieve Foundation Establishment.
It wasn't until he met this Purple-haired girl, Tianxie Ziyin.
With the opening of his middle Dantian, he truly saw hope.
No one knew how heavy the shackles he carried deep within his heart were.
The ultimate grand aspiration of eternal life had always been buried deep in his heart.
If he couldn't even cross the hurdle of Foundation Establishment, then what was the point of anything else?
At this moment, Yang Che suddenly felt a sense of anxiety and uncertainty.
His state of mind actually showed signs of instability.
Fear, anxiety, unease, vexation.
Accompanied by an indescribable frenzied emotion, he felt his blood Qi begin to surge, his internal magical power stirring restlessly, and a strange voice in his head kept repeating something, making him even more agitated.
"Yang Che, Yang Che..."
It seemed that from an endless distance, a woman's voice suddenly called out, causing Yang Che's heart to tremble violently.
Immediately after, the Ancient God Power seemed to be activated, quickly circulating repeatedly through his limbs and bones.
Gradually, Yang Che finally calmed down, his internal magical power returned to his Dantian, and his mind slowly became clear.
"What happened to me?"
Yang Che recalled everything that had just happened, and couldn't help but feel a lingering fear, realizing that his clothes were soaked with cold sweat.
"You almost suffered a Qi Deviation just now."
Tianxie Ziyin's usually cold voice now subtly carried a different tone.