The most terrifying part was that the foundation had been damaged, which would also affect his chances of breaking through in the future. Qin Sang''s hope of forming a Golden Core was already extremely slim. If he wanted to attempt Core Formation, he needed to seize every opportunity to increase his odds, eliminating any unfavorable factors. Naturally, the first step was to find a way to restore his foundation.


    However, based on what Sect Leader Yu and the cultivator with the surname Gong had said, restoring his foundation was going to be incredibly difficult.


    Qin Sang remained in his cave dwelling, isted in seclusion. After ten days, he finally stabilized his cultivation and nursed his body back to health.


    Nevertheless, he was still unable to cultivate.


    The <em>Sutra of Profound Jade Cauldron</em> could not serve as his fundamental cultivation art. He didn''t yet have a cultivation art for the Foundation Building Realm and would need to visit Sect Leader Peak to rece his jade tablet before he could qualify to enter Treasure Tower Peak to choose one.


    But he waspletely clueless about the Foundation Building Realm. He had no idea which cultivation arts were good or bad, and he had even less knowledge about which one would suit someone like him, with his inferior aptitude.


    Choosing the right cultivation art was crucial for an immortal cultivator. If he could select one that suited him, his cultivation would progress more smoothly, and he would have greater chances for sess in the future.


    However, he had previously been just a small cultivator in the Qi Refining Realm. Among Foundation Building cultivators, he only knew Senior Uncle Wen, and now that he had suddenly seeded in reaching Foundation Building, he hadn’t had any opportunities to learn about these matters.


    Now, he faced two options: one, seek advice from other Foundation Building cultivators; or two, hope that he might be epted as a personal disciple by one of the sect’s Golden Core masters.Receiving guidance from a Golden Core master would be ideal, as it would save him a lot of detours. But with his natural talent being so poor—and now his Qihai having shrunk by another tenth—how could any Golden Core master, even without this recent setback, possibly be blind enough to take him in?


    Qin Sang smiled bitterly to himself, realizing that even though he had sessfully reached Foundation Building, his future path remained full of thorns and obstacles.


    After fully refining the medicinal energy of the Nine-Yang Pill, Qin Sang left his cave dwelling.


    It had been ten days, and Shaohua Mountain seemed to have forgotten about him, with no one paying him any attention.


    After a moment of contemtion, Qin Sang summoned his Sky Shuttle.


    His first destination, naturally, was Sect Leader Peak, to rece his jade tablet. When he arrived at the Sect Leader’s hall, he learned from a young disciple that Sect Leader Yu was currently away from the sect.


    Qin Sang waited for a while, but Sect Leader Yu still hadn''t returned. After some thought, he decided to fly to Dao Peak instead.


    He was quite familiar with the ce, and as he descended in a sh of light, he saw several young men walking out of the wooden hall, chatting andughing. They were all Qi Refining Realm cultivators, and Qin Sang recognized them.


    Whenever Senior Uncle Wen gave lectures, Qin Sang would return from Sunken Cave to listen. Though he wasn’t particrly close with his fellow disciples, he had at least be acquainted with them.


    Among these youths was a boy named Qian Yuanzhu, who had once discussed Cloud Evasion with Qin Sang.


    Upon spotting Qin Sang, Qian Yuanzhu’s eyes lit up, and he raised a hand in greeting, "Hey! Junior Brother Qin…"


    But before he could finish, Qian Yuanzhu was suddenly pulled back harshly by the youth beside him.


    That youth immediately bowed with impable formality and respectfully greeted, "Zhou Yan greets Senior Uncle Qin."


    The others followed suit, bowing and paying their respects in the same manner.


    Qian Yuanzhu froze in shock. It was only then that he realized Qin Sang had already be a Foundation Building cultivator. The person he used to stand on equal footing with was now in apletely different league.


    His lips trembled slightly as he hurriedly bowed, his tone filled with nervousness. "I was rude earlier and offended Senior Uncle Qin. I beg Senior Uncle Qin to forgive me."


    Qin Sang, of course, didn’t care about such trivial matters and casually said, "Brother Qian, there’s no need for such formality between us."


    However, Qian Yuanzhu became even more flustered, quickly replying, "I wouldn’t dare."


    It was then that Qin Sang suddenly realized his status had changed. There was now an unbridgeable gap between him and Qian Yuanzhu. Unless Qian Yuanzhu could break through to the Foundation Building Realm, the familiarity they once shared would slowly fade, and they would never return to how things were.


    In the world of immortal cultivation, strength reigned supreme, and the hierarchy was strict.


    Qin Sang silently sighed to himself and refrained from saying anything unnecessary. His tone turned colder, which ironically made Qian Yuanzhu and the others rx. After bidding farewell, they quickly took their leave.


    Only after their figures disappeared from sight did Qin Sang turn and enter the wooden hall. Fortunately, he didn’t run into Zhuang Yan inside.


    On Shaohua Mountain, the person Qin Sang had the closest rtionship with was Zhuang Yan. It was thanks to Zhuang Yan’s timely warning that Qin Sang even had the opportunity to sell himself for the chance to reach the Foundation Building Realm. If Zhuang Yan now started treating him the same way Qian Yuanzhu and the others had, Qin Sang would not feel pleased at all.


    "Congrattions to Junior Brother Qin on achieving Foundation Building!"


    Previously, he addressed him as "Senior Uncle Wen," but now it should be "Senior Brother Wen." He didn’t seem surprised by Qin Sang’s breakthrough. The moment he saw Qin Sang enter, he stood up with a beaming smile to offer his congrattions.


    "I didn’t expect Junior Brother Qin to have such incredible tenacity, not only passing through the Gourd Illusion Realm but also earning the recognition of Senior Uncle Mawu. I feel ashamed. I barelysted a few hours in the illusion before almost losing control. I’m far from being able topare to Junior Brother Qin!"


    Seeing the slightly ttering tone in Senior Brother Wen’s words, Qin Sang was momentarily stunned, but he quickly understood.


    Aside from Sect Leader Yu and the six others who had passed through the Gourd Illusion Realm, no one knew the truth. They all genuinely believed that Qin Sang had be the dual cultivation partner of Sage Mawu.


    This rumor had likely spread throughout all of Shaohua Mountain by now. No wonder Qian Yuanzhu’spanions had looked at him so strangely earlier.


    Qin Sang knew himself well—there was no powerful backer supporting him. It was all just a transaction. Even Fairy Chenyan wouldn’t care about the life of someone like him.


    But Qin Sang wasn’t foolish enough to expose the truth. Firstly, he couldn’t reveal the secret, and secondly, by borrowing the name of Sage Mawu, he could gain many hidden benefits without needing to explicitly state anything, as long as he didn’t act too arrogantly and knew when to stop.


    He had initially intended to ask Senior Brother Wen for advice on a cultivation art, but now it seemed that wouldn’t be possible.


    After exchanging pleasantries with Senior Brother Wen over tea for a while, Qin Sang finally said, "Senior Brother Wen, I just went to Sect Leader Peak, but Sect Leader wasn’t in the sect, so I haven’t reced my jade tablet yet. I’m still carrying my Qi Refining Realm waist token. Do you think the seniors at Treasure Tower Peak might make an exception?"


    Senior Brother Wen replied boldly, "What’s the problem with that? If you’re worried, you can take my waist token for now. They won’t dare give you any trouble."


    With the waist token in hand, Qin Sang headed to Treasure Tower Peak. His first stop was the grand hall that housed external records on alchemy, artifacts, formations, and talismans.


    The hall was guarded by a cultivator surnamed Zhang, who was dozing off in his chair. A cup of tea sat on the table in front of him. He appeared to be quite old, likely having already given up on the path of immortality, which exined hisziness.


    "Qin Sang greets Senior Brother Zhang." Qin Sang bowed in greeting.


    Senior Brother Zhang stretched and opened his cloudy eyes, his expression slightly annoyed at having his nap interrupted. But when he heard Qin Sang introduce himself, he froze, leaning forward to get a better look at Qin Sang. "Which Qin Sang are you?"


    Qin Sang chuckled. "As far as I know, there should only be one Qin Sang on Shaohua Mountain. Have you met another?"


    "No, no…"


    Senior Brother Zhang waved his hands repeatedly and quickly stood up, enthusiasm recing his earlier grumpiness. "I must have been too groggy from my nap. Please forgive me, Junior Brother Qin. What brings you here today?"N?v(el)B\\jnn