I run a casino in the immortal realm.

Colorful flags fluttered in the main square, and bells rang and food was served.

Tens of thousands of disciples stood solemnly, gazing up at the high platform.

Today is a sacred moment for distributing the rewards.

Surrounded by a group of elders, Sect Master Xu Tianyang personally presided over the award ceremony.

"The sect competition has come to a successful conclusion. The fourth to tenth place winners will each receive a low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill and a low-grade Yellow-rank magic weapon."

Xu Tianyang's authoritative voice resounded in every corner as seven outer disciples went on stage to receive their awards, drawing countless envious glances.

A low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill costs 150,000 spirit stones on the market, and it's not always available. For an ordinary outer disciple, saving up 150,000 spirit stones might be a lifelong struggle.

"The top three winners of the competition, come forward to receive your praise!"

After the sect stewards finished distributing the rewards, Xu Tianyang spoke up again.

Zheng Yifei, along with two other disciples who were covered in injuries and had fought their way into the top three, slowly walked onto the high platform.

Xu Tianyang's gaze swept over the three of them, finally settling on Zheng Yifei, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

"In this competition, you have demonstrated the spirit and strength of the disciples of my Qingyun Sect."

With a wave of his sleeve, Xu Tianyang summoned three exquisite white jade brocade boxes that floated in mid-air, emitting an alluring fragrance.

"Third place will be awarded one low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, three thousand spirit stones, and one high-grade yellow-rank magic weapon!"

"Second place: One mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, five thousand spirit stones, and one low-grade Xuan-level magic weapon!"

A chorus of envious gasps immediately erupted from the audience.

A mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pill can increase the chance of establishing a foundation by 50%, which is a treasure that outer disciples would never dare to dream of.

The two disciples were so excited that they trembled and knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly to express their gratitude.

Then, all eyes were on Zheng Yifei, waiting for the first place reward.

As is customary in previous years, the first place winner is usually rewarded with a mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, but the spirit stones and magic artifacts will be of a higher grade.

Xu Tianyang smiled slightly, his voice suddenly rising a few decibels: "First place goes to Zheng Yifei! Not only did he win first place in this competition, but he also made outstanding contributions to the sect in matters such as tax reform, the establishment of a newspaper, and the preparation for the establishment of a logistics company, breaking with conventions and enriching the sect's foundation!"

"After discussion with the elders, I have decided to make an exception and offer a generous reward!"

Xu Tianyang flipped his right hand, and a sandalwood box radiating multicolored light appeared in his palm.

As soon as the box was opened, an extremely rich medicinal fragrance, which even turned into a tangible spiritual mist, instantly swept across the entire area.

"A reward! One top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill! The privileges of an inner core disciple! Free access to the fourth floor of the Scripture Pavilion!"

These words caused an uproar in the entire square, as if it had been detonated.

"A top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill?! Did I hear that right?!"

"Heavens! That's a top-grade pill that can increase the chance of Foundation Establishment by 80% and cleanse the marrow! The Pill Peak can only refine a few a year, and they're usually consumed internally by the nine major families. The sect leader actually gave it away as a reward to an outer disciple!"

"You know nothing! Director Zheng has made an enormous contribution! Didn't you hear what the sect leader said? He was the one who made the greatest contribution to the establishment of the Logistics Department!"

Countless eyes were fixed on the sandalwood box, filled with a mixture of emotions: jealousy, envy, madness, and greed.

If it weren't for the Golden Core stage elder suppressing it, someone would probably have rushed up to snatch it on the spot.

Fourth Elder Hu Lie sat on the high platform, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

He originally wanted to kill Zheng Yifei on the arena, but he not only lost Zhao Kuang, a promising talent, but also watched helplessly as Zheng Yifei trampled on the Hu family's reputation to obtain the top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.

Seventh Elder Li Zhan stroked his beard, secretly glad that he had switched sides in time and invested in the logistics company, instead of fighting this monster to the bitter end.

Zheng Yifei accepted the sandalwood box with both hands, feeling the round, full pill inside, brimming with terrifying vitality. His heart surged with emotion: "Thank you for your guidance, Sect Master! This disciple will repay the sect's kindness even at the cost of my life!"

In the stillness of the night, in the backyard of Tingfeng Pavilion.

Zheng Yifei activated all the defensive and soundproofing formations and sat alone in his study.

On the desk, two sandalwood boxes sat side by side. He gently opened them, and inside lay two top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills, radiating a five-colored glow, like two dazzling stars.

One of them was a private gift from the sect leader to allow him to focus on the news department.

The other one was awarded to the winner of today's competition by the sect leader as a special reward in public to recognize his contribution to the establishment of the logistics department.

"Two now."

Zheng Yifei muttered to himself, but his eyes showed little ease; instead, they were filled with seriousness.

To outsiders, a single top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill would be enough for an ordinary disciple to perfectly establish their foundation; two would be a complete waste. But only Zheng Yifei himself knew just how useless his body's five spiritual roots were.

The simultaneous cultivation of the five elements means that his dantian capacity is several times that of an ordinary person, and the width and toughness of his meridians far exceed those of people of the same level.

This gave him the ability to fight beyond his level during the Qi Refining stage, but it also meant that the spiritual energy required for him to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage was more than ten times that of ordinary single or double spiritual root cultivators!

If he fails to establish his foundation, not only will the two top-grade foundation-establishing pills be wasted, but the violent spiritual energy backlash within his body will also instantly destroy his meridians, turning him into a complete cripple with no chance of ever establishing his foundation again.

"Not enough, still not enough to be safe."

Zheng Yifei took a deep breath, closed the two wooden boxes again, and carefully put them into the safest place in his personal storage bag.

"According to my previous calculations, to achieve a 100% perfect Foundation Establishment and complete the fusion and transformation of the five elements' spiritual power at the moment of Foundation Establishment, at least the combined medicinal power of five top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills is required."

Three more are needed.

Zheng Yifei tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his brain racing.

He had already asked the young sect leader Xu Zhengkun to pull some strings with Peak Master Wan of Dan Peak to buy two spirit stones. Since Xu Zhengkun had agreed, given his status as a Golden Core stage young sect leader, the matter was highly likely to succeed. That left only one missing piece.

"Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills are extremely rare and expensive. Even if one occasionally appears on the black market, it will be instantly snapped up by those old monsters, and the price will be driven sky-high."

A glint of light flashed in Zheng Yifei's eyes.

He has money now.

The 1.5 million low-grade spirit stones he received from the competition were a huge sum of money. But he couldn't touch this money; it was his start-up capital to make a name for himself in Qingyun Market.

"It seems we need to urge Zhao Wenyuan and Zhang Biao."

Zheng Yifei stood up, walked to the window, and looked in the direction of Qingyun Market. "As long as my 'new-style gambling den' can open smoothly, a huge amount of spirit stones will flow into my pockets like water."

With a steady stream of cash flow, he could not only buy the last top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, but also pave the way for cultivation resources after he established his foundation.

"The cultivation world is ultimately a game of capital. As long as you have enough chips, you can even buy your way into the Heavenly Dao."

Zheng Yifei curled a confident sneer at the corner of his mouth, turned around and walked back to the bed, sat down cross-legged, and began to close his eyes and regulate his breathing, preparing to face the even bigger storm that was about to come.