Cultivating Immortality: Starting from Ferrying Passengers

Chapter 158 Taking Over Black Toad Island

Fang Jingxuan had never seen the Foundation Establishment Pill in person before, but he had seen many illustrations while collecting information in order to plan for it, so he could recognize it at a glance.

Not only could he recognize it, Fang Jingxuan could also determine the grade of the pill based on the Dao patterns on it.

Upon seeing the pill, Fang Jingxuan suppressed his joy and excitement, carefully picked up the Foundation Establishment Pill, and examined it closely.

But the longer Fang Jingxuan observed it, the more disappointed he became; this Foundation Establishment Pill was of very low quality.

Its surface is completely bare, without even a single red pattern.

Foundation Establishment Pills are divided into five grades, with the lowest being the inferior grade, also known as the poison pill or the waste pill. Although taking this pill may give a Qi Refining cultivator a chance to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm, there is a high probability that they will not succeed.

With a success rate of less than 20%, only cultivators with limited time left are willing to give this pill a try, while cultivators with higher aspirations would disdain it.

It is estimated that Chen Heichan also wanted to try to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage when he was around sixty years old, so he tried every means to obtain this inferior Foundation Establishment Pill.

Although it is an inferior product, it is still a Foundation Establishment Pill. The materials used are the same three main ingredients. However, during the pill refining process, the proportion of pill toxins was too high, resulting in low quality.

Even so, ordinary cultivators wouldn't have the money to buy it. If this inferior Foundation Establishment Pill were auctioned, it could be sold for three high-grade spirit stones.

From inferior to superior, there are four grades: low-grade, medium-grade, high-grade, and top-grade.

Normally, the Foundation Establishment Pills that appear most often at auctions are of medium to high quality, but they still require at least ten high-grade spirit stones to start.

Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills can increase a Qi Refining cultivator's chances of establishing a foundation by about 50%. They have always been monopolized by major Golden Core sects and are rarely sold, so they are very hard to find.

Fang Jingxuan didn't care for this inferior Foundation Establishment Pill. He didn't crave top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills, but he still wanted high-grade ones. So even though this Foundation Establishment Pill was right in front of him, Fang Jingxuan only had one thought in mind: to sell it.

After sealing the Foundation Establishment Pill, Fang Jingxuan calculated his gains. The inferior Foundation Establishment Pill was the most valuable, and with the 'Earth Origin Grass', it totaled 38,000.

Adding to the previous count, the total is 68,000.

Hmm, no, there's also a high-grade magic weapon that's almost top-tier, the 'Dragon-Subduing Spear,' and Chen Hei Chan's companion item, a black toad statue. These two items combined are worth three to four thousand low-grade spirit stones.

Including all of these, he received over 70,000 low-grade spirit stones this time. The tattered robe could also be sold for several hundred low-grade spirit stones, plus this Ten Directions Storage Bag.
After deducting the 15,000 low-grade spirit stones invested, the net profit was around 60,000.

Fang Jingxuan was in a great mood. He had suddenly become rich, and it was good to eliminate demons and protect the righteous path.

Only cultivators like Chen Heichan have money. As a disciple of the Qingxuan Sect, it is my duty to eliminate demons and protect the righteous path in the future.

Fang Jingxuan chuckled a few times, picked up all the items on the ground, cleaned up the mess, and after confirming that nothing was missing, he sat cross-legged on Tuoyuan's back and sang loudly as he rode away.

The waves continued to tirelessly pound against the rocks on the shore. The small, deserted island remained as desolate as ever. No one cared what had happened here.

In front of the main peak of Black Toad Island, Fang Jingxuan took out a token from his storage bag. This was the key item that Chen Heichan used to control the formation.

Fang Jingxuan didn't understand formations, but he was skilled in talismans and could understand formation patterns by analogy. After studying it for half a day, he tried to activate the token and quietly opened a passage in the mountain-protecting formation.

Seeing that it was effective, Fang Jingxuan probed into it with his divine sense, not rushing in but first investigating. After a short while, Fang Jingxuan had a basic understanding of the operating mechanism of the formation. With the token in his hand as a medium, he successfully took over the highest authority of the formation.

With Tuoyuan in tow, Fang Jingxuan walked safely into the core area of ​​the island and went directly to Chen Heichan's cave to check the quality of the spiritual vein.

Finally, it was determined that the spiritual vein of Black Toad Island was of Grade 1, and even higher quality than that of Auspicious Cloud Island.

Based on Fang Jingxuan's experience over the years, he made a simple division of the spiritual energy concentration in the places where he had cultivated.

When in Red Leaf Workshop, the spiritual energy concentration was three without the Spirit Gathering Array. After adding the Spirit Gathering Array, the spiritual energy concentration was ten when burning spirit stones.

Normally, the wilderness is one place, and Xiangyun Island is a top-grade spiritual vein with more than eighty veins.

Now, Fang Jingxuan's initial assessment of the cave revealed that the area with the most concentrated spiritual energy had a value of ninety-five.

If it exceeds one hundred, then it meets the minimum standard for a second-tier spiritual vein. If it exceeds one thousand, then it is a third-tier spiritual vein, which is enough for a Golden Core cultivator to cultivate.

Black Toad Island is quite large, but most of it is abandoned. Chen Black Toad only occupies the area where the spiritual vein is located, and this part accounts for less than one percent of Black Toad Island.

Even so, Chen Hei Chan did not allow any other cultivators to settle on the island, let alone mortals. Thus, the beautiful island remained in its original state.

Fang Jingxuan spent several days traveling all over the island and made a preliminary estimate that the island's area was about 16,400 square kilometers.

Fang Jingxuan was used to using the units of measurement from his previous life, since square kilometers were much more intuitive than the units of measurement used in the cultivation world, such as qing, mu, and long.

The entire island is more than 70% mountainous and hilly, with plains accounting for only about 30%, which is very typical of an island.

Chen Hei Chan's cave dwelling is located at the foot of the highest peak on the island. The protective array only covers the size of one peak, not the entire island.

The island is high in the east and low in the west, with three rivers running through it. The western coastal area has been washed out of the plains by the rivers, making it suitable for planting.

As Fang Jingxuan walked, he planned out how to use the land in his mind. After some thought, he decided that he would not choose Chen Heichan's path.

Imagine if there were hundreds of thousands of mortals and a couple hundred cultivators on this island, and if they managed to cultivate relationships with other Qi Refining families through marriage, Fang Jingxuan probably wouldn't even bother with Chen Heichan.

While individual strength is powerful, the strength of the group is indispensable, especially in the Qi Refining and Foundation Building stage, where individual abilities are not yet sufficient for a qualitative change.

After witnessing the power of the Chu family of Red Leaf Workshop and the Cui family of Guixu Workshop, Fang Jingxuan understood his next direction.

That means simultaneously planning the foundation building and solidifying the existence of the Qingxuan Sect.

With the Qingxuan Sect as a front, I can try recruiting rogue cultivators and experience what it's like to be a sect leader.

When you're out in the world, you give yourself your identity. Qingxuan Sect, hehe, that's a pretty good name.

(End of this chapter)