"Qi Refining Eighth Layer!"
Outside the simulation, Zhou Qing's expression was a mix of joy and deep thought.
After two simulations and over a hundred years of lived experience, he was naturally no longer a tenderfoot fresh to the cultivation world.
For a cultivator with a Low-Grade Spirit Root, breaking from the Qi Refining Seventh Layer to the Qi Refining Eighth Layer was undeniably a monumental hurdle.
But Zhou Qing knew his own circumstances well. As a High-Grade Alchemist, coupled with the twenty thousand spirit stones he had amassed during the years the Shanhai Secret Realm was open, he was far from ordinary.
He had poured a staggering amount of resources into his own cultivation, all perfectly complemented by his Pill Toxin Nemesis talent.
Even a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator giving their all to nurture a disciple could only do so much.
How could it possibly take him over a decade just to cross from the Qi Refining Seventh Layer to the Qi Refining Eighth Layer?
If cultivating in the late stages was truly this grueling for Low-Grade Spirit Root cultivators, then how could there be rumors of them ever reaching Foundation Establishment?
Is it because of the Shanhai Art?Zhou Qing thought to himself. The only real difference between him and other Low-Grade Spirit Root cultivators had to be the Shanhai Art.
The Shanhai Art was the cultivation method the Shanhai Ring's artifact spirit had instructed him to practice.
According to the artifact spirit, the Shanhai spiritual energy produced by this art was exceptionally pure and dense, making it utterly effortless to pass the spiritual energy trial—one of the three great hurdles of Foundation Establishment.
Shanhai spiritual energy?
A thoughtful look crossed Zhou Qing's face.
Through the simulation, he was intimately aware of just how pure and substantial his Shanhai spiritual energy really was.
However, since he had never actually engaged in spell combat with another cultivator, he didn't know exactly how massive of an advantage it gave him.
Even so, Zhou Qing had already reaped the benefits of that pure, dense energy while refining pills.
He could complete many highly difficult pills in almost a single, flawless attempt.
No, wait. If the bottleneck is just the difficulty of practicing the Shanhai Art, then what about Ye Feng...
Zhou Qing frowned.
In the first simulation, Ye Feng had spent just over thirty years to soar from the Qi Refining Third Layer all the way to Qi Refining Perfection.
Ye Feng only had a Mid-Grade Spirit Root, yet that sheer cultivation speed rivaled that of an ordinary High-Grade Spirit Root.
And that was while practicing the Shanhai Art.
Either Ye Feng wasn't practicing the Shanhai Art at all.
Or Ye Feng... possesses some other innate talent?
Zhou Qing fell into brief contemplation.
By "other innate talent," he meant an aptitude entirely independent of spirit roots—such as a Treasure Physique or a Dao Physique.
Over the years in the simulation, Zhou Qing had constantly gathered intelligence on the cultivation world and learned of their existence.
Both Treasure Physiques and Dao Physiques were exceedingly rare.
Even the weakest among them boasted an aptitude on par with Earth Spiritual Roots or Mutated Spiritual Roots.
If Ye Feng truly possessed some kind of Treasure Physique or Dao Physique, then everything would make sense...
Thirty-odd years from the Qi Refining Third Layer to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer? While cultivating the Shanhai Art? On top of that, he was incredibly arrogant. Not only did he look down on Zhou Qing, but he didn't even care about Alchemist Yun, who was a fellow Qi Refining Late Stage cultivator and a High-Grade Alchemist...
For a cultivator with a Treasure Physique or Dao Physique, there were absolutely no bottlenecks from the Qi Refining First Layer to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.
They only needed to exercise a little caution when breaking through to Foundation Establishment, but even that was hardly a problem.
To someone like Ye Feng, a Foundation Establishment Pill wasn't a strict necessity.
Even without its aid, crossing into the Foundation Establishment Realm was highly probable.
The benefits of a Treasure Physique or Dao Physique didn't just stop at the breakthrough from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment.
They would also play a crucial role when progressing from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation.
If that's the case, in the next simulation, I can't just outright kill Ye Feng...
Zhou Qing thought to himself.
Killing a cultivator with a Treasure Physique or Dao Physique would be a massive waste.
Whether he used the man for his own purposes or "sold" him to another faction, he stood to make a tremendous profit.
As for whether Ye Feng would hold a grudge? He would obviously hide his true identity when doing such a thing.
Even if Ye Feng reached Foundation Establishment or Core Formation in the future, he wouldn't be able to find anyone to exact his revenge on.
[Year 45: You were sixty years old. Alchemist Yun asked you to visit the alchemy shop.]
[You sighed inwardly. In the first simulation, this was the exact period when Alchemist Yun passed away.]
[Just as expected, when you arrived at the shop, Alchemist Yun was lying in bed with a feeble aura. He was clearly close to the end of his life.]
[Alchemist Yun dismissed everyone else, leaving only you behind.]
["I don't know why, but the first time I met you, Brother Wang, I felt entirely at ease, as if we had known each other for many years."]
[Alchemist Yun looked at you and suddenly laughed.]
[You remained silent.]
["Brother Wang, I can't help you with much else, but if you ever intend to attempt Foundation Establishment in the future, take this token to Biyue Immortal City. Seek out an alchemist named 'Zhao Kan'. He is my master in the way of alchemy, and he should be able to offer you some assistance..."]
[Alchemist Yun brought out a token carved from jade, faintly radiating ripples of spiritual energy.]
["This..."]
[You were visibly moved. The alchemist named "Zhao Kan" in Biyue Immortal City was undoubtedly the "Master Zhao" that Alchemist Yun had mentioned before—a Tier Two Mid-Grade alchemist with the profound skill required to independently refine Foundation Establishment Pills.]
["After I'm gone, the Yun Family Alchemy Shop will need you to look after it, Brother Wang. Shu'er is still young. If he makes any mistakes, you must correct him..."]
[Alchemist Yun rambled on, filled with lingering attachment and quiet relief.]
[After Alchemist Yun passed away, Yun Shu, as the designated heir, immediately knelt before you. "Uncle Wang, grandfather is gone. The shop is relying on you now."]
[Looking at the grief-stricken Yun Shu, you felt a surge of emotion.]
[When Alchemist Yun passed away in the first simulation, Yun Shu had been highly respectful to you, but he hadn't gone so far as to kneel.]
[That was because back then, you were merely a Mid-Grade Alchemist at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.]
[But in this simulation, you were already a great cultivator at the Qi Refining Late Stage and a High-Grade Alchemist. You were barely any weaker than Alchemist Yun in all respects, and coupled with the deep trust Alchemist Yun had placed in you...]
[Yun Shu's attitude toward you naturally couldn't be the same as it had been in the first simulation.]
[You didn't make things difficult for Yun Shu. Based on his performance in the first simulation, he was indeed a qualified heir to the shop.]
[Year 46: You were sixty-one years old. Just like in the first simulation, you didn't interfere with the Yun Family Alchemy Shop's development, fully delegating authority to Yun Shu.]
[Year 47: You were sixty-two years old. Because Market Head Ouyang Shen still hadn't cultivated a Foundation Establishment heir, traces of bandit cultivators began faintly appearing near the market.]
[Year 48: You were sixty-three years old. The upper echelon of the Yun Family Alchemy Shop gathered to discuss the shop's future.]
[Yun Shu specifically asked for your opinion. Since Market Head Ouyang was taking so long to produce a Foundation Establishment heir, the market's stability was severely compromised. Yun Shu had already considered relocating their business foundation to another market known as "Tingyu Market".]
[Remembering Alchemist Yun's final instructions, you told Yun Shu to wait a little longer.]
[Your reasoning was that the Ouyang family hadn't sold off any of their core properties in the market, which proved that Market Head Ouyang was still very confident in producing a Foundation Establishment heir.]
[The Ouyang family was Market Head Ouyang Shen's clan. They were also the largest faction in Wushan Market, controlling multiple vital industries.]