Published: August 16, 2025
Chapter 144: The Dispute Over the Foundation Establishment Pill
Jianzhou is located in the northern part of Yue Country, ranking second in size among the thirteen prefectures. Its territory is mostly mountains and hills, sparsely populated, and it borders the neighboring Yuanwu Country.
The Taiyue Mountain Range lies to the west of Jianzhou, stretching for thousands of miles. It is not only home to countless wild beasts and fierce birds, making it a primordial forest rarely visited by people, but occasionally, rumors would spread of woodcutters and hunters claiming to have seen immortals and monsters there, adding a layer of mystique to the region.
Ordinary people would never guess that the central part of this entire mountain range has long been occupied by Yellow Maple Valley, one of the seven major immortal cultivation sects, for thousands of years.
From above, this place looks no different from other mountain ranges: steep peaks and lush trees. Yet in reality, it is covered by a massive grand array of mysterious gates, all illusions. Beneath the surface, countless pavilions and grand halls have been densely built. Some immortal cultivators, stepping on magical artifacts shaped like leaves, fly low through the air, busily going about their tasks.
The current sect leader of Yellow Maple Valley, Zhong Lingdao, is over a hundred years old but still looks like a middle-aged man with three long whiskers. He is a late foundation formation stage cultivator, steady by nature and skilled at organization, commanding great respect within the sect. Both his elders and fellow disciples hold him in high regard.
However, this usually calm and confident Great Sect Leader Zhong now furrows his brow deeply as he sits in the main seat of the hall, helplessly watching a heated argument between a middle-aged man and an elder. On both sides of the hall, more than a dozen cultivators with varied expressions sit; they are the administrators of Yellow Maple Valley.
“Senior Brother Murong! The recipients of the foundation establishment pills were clearly assigned months ago, yet now you cancel the pill meant for my grandnephew and give it to a rogue cultivator instead. This is unreasonable!” the elder shouted angrily at the beardless middle-aged scholar.
It was truly surprising that this elder, clearly older than the middle-aged man, still called him “Senior Brother”!
“Junior Disciple Ye, this was an accident! Such things only happen once every few hundred years—someone bearing an ascension command token seeking admission. How could we ignore that? We have to give the newcomer a foundation establishment pill!” The middle-aged scholar said calmly and deliberately.
“But this person isn’t from an immortal cultivation family, just a rogue cultivator. Do they really deserve a foundation establishment pill? I think just letting him enter the sect should be enough. That alone counts as a great blessing!” the elder argued, his face flushed with anger.
“Junior Disciple Ye, you can’t say that! How do you know his ancestors weren’t from an immortal cultivation family? Maybe the family fell from grace and he became a rogue cultivator. And who can guarantee their own family won’t decline? Perhaps someday the Ye Family will fall, and their descendants will come with an ascension command token seeking admission. Will we then refuse them a foundation establishment pill and only let them enter? If you dare to swear such a poisonous oath in front of everyone, I, Senior Brother Murong, will turn my back and never mention foundation establishment pills again.”
The middle-aged man spoke confidently. The elder’s face shifted between white and blue, speechless.
He dared not make such a dangerous oath! Even if he did, it would only mean this current opponent would give up on the matter; who knew if others might step forward?
“But why must it be my grandnephew’s pill to give up? Why not someone else’s?” the elder asked loudly, unwilling to accept it.