Immortality and cultivation begin at age forty, starting with Foundation Establishment.

The Xuan Yang Sect has hundreds of thousands of Qi Refining disciples, all of whom struggle desperately for a breakthrough opportunity. However, the vast majority of disciples never obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill before they die of old age.

Even during his Qi Refining stage, Chen An was known for his fierce and ruthless fighting skills. In the eyes of ordinary disciples, even after Chen An entered the Foundation Establishment stage, his strength was still outstanding among those of the same level.

Therefore, Chen An's entry into the Foundation Establishment realm was a major event that caused quite a stir among the disciples of Hundred Refinements Peak.

On the second day after the temple was built, disciples in the Qi Refining stage began to visit one after another, bringing gifts.

This includes Liu Hao and Wang Rulong, who cultivate in the Hundred Refinements Peak lineage. They are the two most promising candidates for Foundation Establishment in recent years.

Like Chen An, the two had participated in the trials organized by the three sects of Jin State half a year ago and returned to their sects alive, but unfortunately they did not break through.

"Congratulations, Uncle-Master Chen, on reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm." Liu Hao and Wang Rulong bowed simultaneously. The two, who usually didn't get along on the peak, were surprisingly in sync at this moment.

Chen An returned the greeting with a cupped-hand salute. As fellow disciples of Hundred Refinements Peak, they had often worked together on missions in the past. Occasionally, there would be scheming or sarcastic remarks between them, but all of that vanished now that Chen An had broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

The three sat under the pavilion in the courtyard, eating spiritual fruits and talking about the past, feeling a lot of emotions.

Chen An generously shared his insights and experiences on breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm.

They are both servants of the Xuan Yang Sect, and there's no need for servants to make things difficult for each other. Who knows, the two of them might be able to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm in the future.

Mutual understanding allows for sincere cooperation.

Liu Hao presented a congratulatory gift, a "black stone," which he had found at a bargain price in the market years ago. He didn't know what kind of ore it was, only that it was extremely hard and ordinary weapon refiners couldn't refine it, so he guessed it was a weapon refining material used by high-level cultivators.

Wang Rulong's gift was a three-hundred-year-old medicinal herb. He admitted that he did not collect it himself, but obtained it from another disciple's storage bag.

For cultivators in the Qi Refining stage, the gifts given by Liu Hao and Wang Rulong are definitely considered valuable, and they can fetch a high price at the market auction.

Chen An accepted the gift, which meant that all past grievances had been put aside, and they would still be fellow Daoists when they met again in the future.

Chen An thought it was normal that Liu Hao and Wang Rulong's favorability rating remained around 35 without much fluctuation.

Most people in the spiritual community are like this; they are used to speculating about others with malice and do not easily trust others.

Only those with personalities like Liu Hao and Wang Rulong can go further and further in the cultivation world. Novices who lack a sense of crisis will only become nourishment for the predators.

After Liu Hao and Wang Rulong, there were many other Qi Refining disciples. Chen An received them all without putting on airs as a Foundation Establishment senior uncle and accepted all their kindness.

The cave was filled with a dazzling array of gifts, ranging in value from one spirit stone to five hundred spirit stones.

Shi Ying looked at the various gifts with her eyes practically sparkling, picking up each one and commenting on it.

"The recipe for the Heaven-Mending Pill? They even sent this cheap stuff as a congratulatory gift. I've never even heard of a single one of the medicinal herbs on it. It's utter nonsense. What an infuriating guy. Senior brother, if there's a dangerous mission in the future, just call him and have him send this cheap stuff. He'll be ripped off."

"They're giving away pills here, and they're even first-grade pills. I'm an alchemist, can their pills be as good as mine?"

"This person gave us spirit stones directly. Although it wasn't much, it was still a thoughtful gesture. If you have any good missions to earn spirit stones in the future, you can ask him for help."

"Wow, there's also a century-old medicinal herb, its medicinal properties are perfectly preserved. This is a good thing, let's plant it in the herb garden quickly."

Wang Qian followed behind, recording each of the congratulatory gifts that Shi Ying had seen, and then putting them away. After dressing up and concealing her white hair, she looked even more beautiful than before.

The formation was triggered, and more guests arrived.

It was the alchemist Lu Nian, accompanied by a simply dressed, plain-looking woman.

Lu Nian's attire has undergone a complete transformation; the slovenly Taoist priest is a thing of the past.

He wore a dark blue robe embroidered with delicate cloud patterns, his hair was tied up with a dark-patterned jade belt, and his face was clean and shaven, making him look decades younger.

"Junior brother, have you settled things with Yu Peiyao?"

Chen An said, "I met with Junior Sister Yu yesterday, and everything was settled."

Lu Qingnian coughed and said, "Okay, that's good. I forgot to introduce you. This lady next to me is Yu Peiyao's aunt, Senior Sister Yu Lanhua. If you want to become a guest of the Yu family, you can ask her to make it happen."

Although Yu Lanhua had an ordinary appearance, her smile was gentle and kind. However, from the moment she entered the courtyard, her eyes were fixed on Chen An and never left him, as if she wanted to see through him.

"Greetings, Senior Sister Yu." Chen An was poised and natural, showing no sign of anything amiss.

"Greetings, Uncle-Master Yu." Wang Qian and Shi Ying followed suit, bowing respectfully.

Yu Lanhua's gaze swept over Shi Ying and Wang Qian again, and she said in a slightly teasing tone, "So that's why you rejected my Pei Yao, you had two more hidden at home."

Chen An was not embarrassed, but smiled and said, "Senior Sister Yu is joking. Junior Sister Pei Yao is a beauty of unparalleled grace, and I am naturally fond of her. However, war is about to break out, and we must all be responsible for each other. If I were to perish unexpectedly, Junior Sister Pei Yao's path of cultivation would also be affected."

"We practitioners should prioritize spiritual practice."

Yu Lanhua then smiled and said, "You said the same thing as Pei Yao, so it seems you really made a promise."

"As her aunt, I can't be stingy. How about this, you join the Yu family as a guest elder, and I'll give you two Foundation Establishment Pills."

Chen An expressed his gratitude, but other thoughts arose in his heart: what exactly did this Senior Sister Yu mean?

He took the bottle of Foundation Establishment Pill, poured the pills into his hand, examined them, and then put them into his storage bag.

Yu Lanhua wasn't angry. Checking the pills was a normal thing to do; it would be foolish not to check them, especially since the two sides had only just met.

"Becoming a guest of the Yu family won't involve much work. When the sect war breaks out in the future, you can just follow the Yu family. The sect leader won't arrange anything else for you."

"Furthermore, although you have only just entered the Foundation Establishment realm, if you can build a team of Qi Refining disciples, the Yu family will offer you a generous reward."

"This is the Yu family's guest token. If you have any other questions, you can contact Pei Yao. She's a smart girl. Or you can contact me directly."

After discussing the matter of the guest elder, Lu Nian took out his congratulatory gift: a bottle of pills used for early-stage second-order cultivation.

Chen An accepted the pills and expressed his gratitude, but Lu Nian's attention remained focused on Yu Lanhua beside him.

Lu Nian is pursuing Yu Lanhua, and Yu Lanhua is also showing goodwill; the two seem to have some feelings for each other.

This is getting more and more interesting.

It's unclear what role Yu Peiyao plays, since she's the biggest beneficiary of the whole affair.

Despite having exceptionally poor talent for cultivation, this disciple of a branch of the Yu family not only inherited the Yu family's weapon-refining techniques but also broke through to the peak of Qi Refining before the age of thirty, and received five Foundation Establishment Pills from his elders.

Are all members of a family guaranteed to reach the Foundation Establishment stage? Not necessarily. Families have been around for so long and have so many members that only those with slightly better talent who break through to the peak of Qi Refining before the age of fifty can be allocated a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Yu Peiyao had already eaten five pills and was about to receive three more.

Aside from Lu Nian's one, the two Foundation Establishment Pills that Yu Lanhua gave to Chen An were clearly meant for Yu Peiyao. If he dared to use them himself, his cooperation with the Yu family would come to an end.

Wow, wow, Yu Peiyao is really something!

Looking back now at Lu Nian's approach to Chen An and his recommendation for them to become Daoist partners, it seems like a carefully planned honey trap.