Chapter 116

After several months of tireless effort—by the peak lords, Uncle-Master Yunyangzi, and the entire Luoxian Sect’s disciples—Han Luo finally had it.

Finally.

At long last.

The materials required to refine four supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pills had been gathered.

Originally, he had planned to wait until he could collect enough ingredients to craft ten pills in one batch. But the materials were simply too rare and difficult to source, and based on his ten-year plan, he urgently needed to enter the Foundation Establishment stage.

Delaying even one or two more years would throw off his entire schedule.

So despite knowing that his success rate had dropped slightly to ninety-eight percent, he decided to forge ahead with the four pills now rather than risk further delays.

—

Inside a pristine and orderly alchemy chamber, Han Luo washed his hands thoroughly and began the refining process. Thanks to his prior rounds of practice, he had already become proficient in producing high-grade Foundation Establishment Pills from ordinary herbs.

He was confident.

After all, he was no stranger to successfully refining supreme-grade pills in the past.

Still, caution first.

He began with a few warm-up batches using regular herbs—getting his hands steady and the furnace warmed up. The results were excellent.

Only then did he take out the treasured ingredients required for the supreme-grade pills and officially begin the main process.

Before he started, he snapped his fingers—snap!—and activated the Tenfold World domain.

The chamber instantly transformed into a land of blazing fire: molten ground cracked like parched skin, burning ancient trees crackled in the distance, and thick magma surged from below. Fire-elemental spiritual energy filled the air.

Perfect.

Han Luo was quite satisfied. This environment would intensify the pill flames and boost the efficiency of refining the herbs.

He waved his hand, and his bronze ring flashed. A bronze cauldron appeared before him.

With meticulous precision, he added each ingredient in its proper ratio.

Alchemy was a tedious and demanding process—but Han Luo had always been the patient type. He never rushed, and he never skipped steps.

He ignited his spiritual fire from within, beginning the refining phase.

It all went smoothly—he was already very familiar with these ingredients. The only real difference between a high-grade and supreme-grade Foundation Pill was the age of the herbs. These were several times more potent, but structurally identical.

After refining the ingredients nine full times, he transitioned into the fusion stage.

But as time passed, he began to feel... strained.

This was the first time he had ever struggled during alchemy.

No matter what he'd refined before, no matter how long it took, he had never felt this level of pressure.

So this was the true difficulty of a supreme-grade Foundation Pill...

He closed his eyes and visualized the mental image of the Ancient Jade Visualization Method—a technique he had practiced for an hour daily ever since he discovered it.

Without it, he wouldn’t have dared to attempt such a pill at all.

Then he altered the Tenfold World, changing the hellish landscape to a calm, lush valley with rustling trees and gentle breezes.

Now seated on soft grass in a serene glade, he continued guiding the process. Under such conditions, the success rate for supreme pills improved significantly—by nearly ten percent.

But he wasn’t done yet.

To ensure the spiritual energy wouldn’t fall short during the final condensation phase, he activated a Spirit-Gathering Formation, pulling in rich qi from the surrounding air.

And just in case...

A chain reaction of formations activated:
– Soundproofing formations to block out noise
– Cushion formations to absorb tremors
– Mental shielding formations to prevent spiritual interference
– Dehumidifiers to keep moisture away
– Humidity balancers to avoid over-dryness

...More than dozens of formations, each dedicated to protecting the alchemy chamber.

And each formation had three backups.

If even a thread of instability occurred, the malfunctioning formation would instantly be redirected into a separate space for destruction, while the backup seamlessly took over.

With the Ancient Jade Visualization, Tenfold World, and all those defensive arrays working together, Han Luo finally felt some relief.

Inside the cauldron, the various energies began to coalesce. At last—after a gradual fusion process—the pill began to form.

A small, round pill, about the size of a fingertip, emerged, glistening with rich spiritual light.

As the critical point approached, Han Luo moved decisively.

"Release!"

He flicked two fingers upward. The cauldron lid lifted with a metallic hum, and a brilliant rainbow-hued pill shot into the air.

As expected of a supreme-grade pill—it had developed a will of its own and tried to escape.

“So naughty,” Han Luo chuckled, raising his fingers.

The pill danced in circles around the room, then obediently landed between his thumb and index finger.

He could feel the warmth.

This was the exact sensation he wanted.

The supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pill—complete.

He snapped his fingers again. Snap! The Tenfold World faded, and the alchemy chamber returned to its normal state.

With the pill in hand, he walked to a secluded chamber designed for breakthroughs.

“Jiutong!”

The loyal dog appeared instantly.

Han Luo fed Jiutong the pill, then took out his notebook, carefully observing and recording every change.

Jiutong, ever the professional test subject, immediately sat cross-legged on a cushion, palms up, and activated the Luoxian Technique like a proper cultivator.

Though a dog by birth, Jiutong had long served as Han Luo’s trusted assistant for experimental pills. And while there were risks, the benefits he’d gained were enormous.

He had been nothing more than a regular mutt with barely twenty years of lifespan.

Now?

A nine-time refined spiritual beast, a true anomaly.

Even though Han Luo would continue to test all kinds of experimental pills, talismans, and formations on him, it was still far safer than the brutal cultivation paths of ordinary disciples.

After taking the supreme pill, Jiutong entered Foundation Establishment.

Han Luo activated Tenfold World again, this time creating an earth-elemental domain, perfect for Jiutong’s breakthrough.

In this realm, all spiritual qi turned to earth-type energy, ideal for tempering Jiutong’s body.

Unlike demonic beasts, who cultivated via beast cores and physical strengthening, spiritual beasts practiced human cultivation methods. In ancient times, these two branches had split—demonic beasts faded, while spiritual beasts survived by adapting.

As Jiutong pushed through the five meridians, Han Luo watched with keen interest.

He had to admit: this silly dog’s talent was no joke.

Han Luo had spied on thousands of Foundation breakthroughs using his Bronze Mirror, observing every cultivator in the sect—Li Jun, Chi Xiao, Wang Huan, Xiao Long…

From all those observations, he’d compiled a master guide of tips and tricks, which he taught to Jiutong.

Now Jiutong applied them flawlessly in battle—no, in cultivation.

Though he was still a notch below Han Luo himself, Jiutong could easily crush the rest of the current generation.

Not bad at all. Han Luo was proud.

This dog truly deserved all those rare spirit herbs he’d fed him over the years.

Seven days later.

Jiutong opened his eyes, divine light flashing within. His coarse fur began to shed, replaced by sleek, shimmering new fur—so smooth and radiant, it looked like it had been woven from jewels.

Gone was the mutt.

In his place stood a majestic hound, every bit like a divine beast from the heavens—refined yet playful, playful yet dignified. Dignified yet... okay, Han Luo ran out of adjectives.

He gave a satisfied nod.

Jiutong now looked almost as polished as Xiaobai, the elegant white cat with mysterious origins.

If Xiaobai saw this, she’d be green with envy.

“Woof!”

Jiutong barked as always. In truth, he could now speak, but he barked to show respect to his master.

He understood all too well—Han Luo had given him new life.

Even Xiaobai, who acted aloof with Shen Xian’er, only spoke human words when addressing Han Luo—and always in the most profane, foulmouthed way.

“How do you feel? If anything feels off, tell me immediately. No toughing it out.”

Han Luo stroked Jiutong’s silky fur, completely enamored. Honestly, it was as smooth as Chi Xiao’s skin. Ahem…

“Woof woof woof!”

Jiutong wagged his tail excitedly, clearly feeling great.

Han Luo smiled.

From his aura alone, it was clear Jiutong had fully broken through. His five spiritual meridians were broad as rivers, channeling torrents of earthy spiritual energy that repeatedly washed through his body—making it tougher and more spiritually resonant by the second.

Han Luo didn’t rush to craft more pills just yet.

He needed a proper rest, time to recover both mentally and physically.

After waiting this long, what were another day or two?

Steady progress always wins in the end.