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Foundation Master
Chapter Ten - As a Living Embodiment of Earth

Chapter Ten - As a Living Embodiment of Earth

The next subspace I enter had a glorius fountain spewing forth water nearly five meters high to land in a elaborate catch basin formed by the fountain walls. I stood there gaping at the glistening water tainted with liquified qi. Before I knew it I was diving right in and gulping down as much as I can and refine the tiny streams of liquid qi to deluge my inner world with it's life giving effects. I watch tiny lakes start to form in my inner world and the greenery explodes as is slowly creeps across to fill the surface.

I refined the liquid qi into my inner world until I finally had many lakes and rivers. By then I had taken more than two thirds of the liquid qi from the fountain. But according to master's memories I just need a bit more medicinal earth and then all I need now is to find nine dragon veins. In my master's ring I see a weak dragon vein in it's jade seal box. I can place nine dragon veins in my inner world, but has to be in decending strength. So I need to find the strongest highest quality dragon vein for my first installment.

With all the small time auction houses I been since I left my home town, I know dragons veins are rare but not so rare that I can't find them. It just none of them caught my eye so far and I wasn't expecting to need them so soon. I truely have to thank the spirits of this remnant for having such useful rewards. Not too mention an interesting way to learn new recipes and experience refining unknown herbs.

The hints from the known ingredients and the reason for the pill was enough select the correct techniques and a little fiddling around to successfull crafted a new pill to pass the test. Now all I need is to tweak it and fusing it all together properly and get it up to one hundred percent efficiency to satisfy my requirements for a sellable product.

Divine Alchemist Talonrod was the only one to clear the final test for his branch on his second try. Fortunately his branch of alchemy is the most popular one currently used by most alchemists in the past seven hundred thousand years. Competely on the opposite side of my master's alchemy, so there is a very good chance that I can finding some real treasures.

So basically competing against my master's fellow branch members in this area of the tomb, my master was their hope to break the last test for the honor of the branch. Talonrod faction has been acting snobbishly as the only branch that can produce tier nine pills. So the remaining eight branches of alchemy have become individual war camps and all secrets are forbidden to outsiders. Each branch striving to break though the last test and join Talonrod as another branch that can produce tier nine pills.

Since master was the strongest practitioner of our branch, I stand to profit highly here. So of course I record and map everything here so when master and I return here next time it opens, we won't waste time exploring what I have already done this time around. My master was one stage weaker than me when he first came here, so diligently record all the new areas that master didn't search.

It took a while but I finally found a new simulation pad and step right on. The space swirl around me and I read Soul Sensing pill and look at the list of rare ingrediant and smile in graditude knowing I won't be dealing with an unknown herb. This being the main culprit of me failing so much and my chances are starting to look decent and read the reason for the pill's existence. It will strengthen one divine sense a notch or two and increase your sensing range by half, my mind automatically converts that to one hundred and fifty percent range. It's another interesting pill that good for the soul.

Besides the rewards, actually learning new pill recipes is a great bonus. So I happy delve into my techniques and begin my attempt in make this new pill. It was touch and go on several points, but due to my experience I was able to push though and create the pill. It wasn't anything fancy, just a basic mid grade pill, but that is good enough to get the reward of more tier seven materials.

It took a few more hours of searching to find another secret room, but as I approach, Ugly Mug opens the door and leaves with a face filled with discontentment. It's obvious he failed the create the pill and stumps away is fury. I enter the room and step on the simulation pad and discover the reason, there are two unknown spiritual herbs listed in the recipe for Soul Purification pill.

The first unknown spiritual herb I see is like a gingeroot, it's has three thick stubby growths. It also has a bushy crown of oranges leaves on the top and some tiny purple flowers. I toss the Fartaurkin Pyroroot in the cauldron and instill it Magmasterrin Coreflame.

I was playing it safe and used my earth affinity spiritual fire, it's my second strongest affinity and is best for refining spiritual herbs. I rarely use it since I am trying to level up the other affinities, but today is special as I gaze at the spiritual herb in the cauldron.

So the needs to be spiritual side so I look at the two techniques I have decided to go with Spectralizing technique. It's a technique to drain the essense of a spiritual herb and transfer that essense into a new medium. I used a dose of Earthmilk because is like a universal solvent that just goes well with everything. I begin transferring the Pyroroot essense into the Earthmilk and watch closely for any reaction, but to goes smoothly by using the Earthmilk.

The other spiritual plant is an Oskonney Velaseed. A dark green lopsided heart shape seed. My divine sense tells me there is a good measure of liquid inside and that sixty percent of it's spiritual power is in the liquid. So I can't drain and discard it. So I decide to use my Deepwater spiritual fire for this herb.

I don't want to refined the husk and sudden vaporize the liquid insides because of too much heat. By using the water affinity of my Deepwater I should be able to protect that liquid. It works beautifully and I find I have the spiritual essence of two new herbs.

However combining all the eighty six essences was a bust as I watch the half formed pill fade away in my cauldron. I chalk it up to experience and left happily with new data on two more herbs. It's better than nothing, so I record my impression on my first attempt at crafting a Soul Purification pill. Recording these two new spiritual herbs with the rest of my experience since I arrive at this amazing remnant has made my researcher self very happy.

In the end I did exceptionally well as I felt I gain good deal of treasures but I learned a great deal more so I am as happy as I can be. But I was kicked out of the remnant by a tomb wide mass teleporter array after a month of exploring and the remnant disappears into it's hidden dimension for another thousand years.

All the alchemists present all began a debate on alchemy and the grandmasters brag how close they are in defeating the final test. I couldn't leave because of the huge crowd of cultivators surrounding us just to listen on to the grandmasters of alchemy leading the debate until the nine branches of alchemy entered the stage. I'm just tripping out on such an idea that the nine branches would debate on who was going to the next branch of alchemy to be able to produce tier ten pills in front of such a large crowd of people.

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At one point I couldn't help laugh out loud at the absurdity of having to stay and watch this alchemy debate that has nothing to do with me. My master was an aloof personality even with his fellow branch members. He didn't really hate anyone in the branch, but he didn't like any of them either. So he only deal with branch members who have a good reason to bother him. So he always pretended to be in closed door cultivating or traveling for lucky chances.

Of course my laughter isn't taken kindly even from my own branch, so I simply state "this debate has nothing to do with me, I just find is absurd to debate on alchemy in front of so many non alchemists." With that thought, I flew off and head towards the teleportation gate. I could tell many of my fellow juniors feel the same way, but they have no courage to speak up against their elders.

The audience also not happy about my declaration, but I let my cultivation break though to early stage eight and those who thought to teach a junior like me a lesson quickly settle down. Top rank experts aren't stupid, a stage eight alchemist as young as me has good chances of becoming another grandmaster. None of them is willing to make a enemy of me, so I fly away on my sword without mishap. They just chalk it up to me being the typical extravagant alchemist making a scene. However, I feel seven sets of eyes on my back, but I don't bother looking back since it's obvious who they are.

No one bothers me as I finally spot the teleportation gate, just as I land Mara's danger jade goes off and forms a portal in front of me. I send my divine sense though as I step into the portal and my divine sense can see Mara running from a bunch of trash and I see a old man leading them use a peak stage seven battle skill with lightning arcing from his sword.

I flash forward and begin powering up to save my apprentice and yell out "trash you dare attack my apprentice!" and use my qi fused with earth qi to fuel Titan's Fist, an early tier eight battle skill that suppose to creates a giant first to materialize over my head and strike forward smashing anything in it's path. My divine sense see thousands of sand particals form above me and my Profound Qi diving to each sand crystal which causes them to expand at an enormous rate. In an instant the growing sand merge together until they formed into a giant fist of living rock about thirty meter tall.

Massive amounts of earth qi penetrates the surrounding air as it drums the space as it passes though. This slow measured beat vibrates out as the earth qi causes the titanic fist to come to life. As a living embodiment of earth, the fist squeezes itself before striking forward. The ground shakes in joy as if it's god was passing though.

That dark lightning strike shatters on impact on my Titan's First and slams home on the old man that attacked Mara. I see the bastard tumbled about fifty paces and finally rolls on his back still spitting gouts of blood. His blood covered face and spattered blood trail made the on lookers gasp in shock seeing a peak stage seven expert knocked rolling like that.

The old man struggles to raise his head so he can see over his fat belly to glare at me and struggle to respond with "your apprentice raided my house, killed my people and looted my treasures. Don't you think I have the right to seek revenge and recover my treasures?"

"Mara, are you causing trouble?" I turn my head to face Mara but keep my divine sense locked on the group of trash.

She looks meekly away in guilt and give me an imperceptable nod before facing me again and supporting herself with "but they deserved it! They hurt my friend!" She looks at me with hope.

I reach over and pat her head and give her a smiling encouragement "since you have good reason to cause trouble, then relax and I will take care of this" then my eyes glare at the old man "you should have accepted my apprentice's punishment for hurting her friend. Had you done so, you wouldn't be facing me right now" and I unleash my killing intent upon his people and I watch them scream and vomit in agony as I snuffed out their weak life force, the strongest was only an early stage six cultivator. I watch the old man's face turn to horror as he struggles to sit up.

I quickly form a soul cage formation and form my qi into a simple spear that extended to shoot the struggling old man though his heart. Then I withdraw my qi spear with the his soul struggling on the spear's tip which I promptly thrust into the soul cage. I watch the soul struggle to escape before the sealing finish closing. In his weaked condition he has no hope of beating the suppression from the suction coming from the center of the soul cage and could only watch helplessly as the opening of soul cage seal itself into an impenetrable barrier.

My divine sense tells me there are two stage seven experts among the watchers so I pull out a late tier seven sword and announce "fellow stage seven cultivators, would either of you want to earn this blade? All you have to do is wipe out this trash's clan" and I give the soul cage a shake for emphasis.

"I'll do it young master!" yells the closest one.

I followed up with "give me a pledge and you can use his clan to wet this blade for the first time"

Then he announces "on my word I shall destroy that one clan" and point at the soul cage in my hand.

"That's good enough for me" and I toss the blade over to him and stored the soul cage into master's ring. I see him marvel at the blade before cupping his hands and bowing "thank you young master, I have a grudge with one of his sons, with his old man gone I can finally seek revenge."

I nod with approval before facing Mara and muttered "you cost me a tier seven weapon my beloved little trouble maker" and I watch her pout, then and give her a grand kiss as I fought her tongue for top position. Then I watch her snuggle my left arm while sporting her happy victory look of anticipation. Which forces me to give her a smile of good sportsmanship then followed it up with "is your friend ok?"

She nods and supplies "I healed her! When I learn their clan lord was leaving for a dinner party, I snuck in and beat the girl who hurt my friend. Then her elders jumped in so I beat them too. Because they wasted my time, I decided to raid their vault."

I blink at her and provided "you do know I don't care if you have a reason or not, so cause all the trouble you want, I have your back my precious" and I brought her in for another round for who's on top. I give her a satisfied smirk since I won that round.

She pouts then gives me a hug, as she buries her face I hear her mutter "your so mean leaving me like that."

I laughed and sprout "I said good bye to you for two weeks before I finally left," then I humphed and state "if your gonna be like that, then the next time I leave I'll only spend just one week to say goodbye. I see her face pop up and disparagingly utter "no! Master, I'm a good girl, don't leave me so suddenly!" Then she clutches me possessively, so I hug her back and stroke her head comfortably.

Then I smile and poke her with "how are you a good girl? Today you proved to be a trouble maker that cost me a peak tier seven sword that took me, well um, a whole candle mark to make! What a troublesome girl you are," then I began tickling her to make her giggle and laugh. Before she could recover I fought her a third time to win two out of three for who's on top, so I picked her up in my arms as she pouted adorable in my arms.

But soon a flood of words pour out of her as she shares her adventures to find me. They mostly consisted of pervy men trying to get their hands on her. After her stories she adds "if it weren't for the cultivation technique you gave me and the weapon and protective gears, I couldn't have made it this far to find you master. I did make a new friend and some sisters I owe a small favor for helping me in a bind."

"Oh? What kind of bind?" I inquired.

"I breath in some poisonous fumes from a demonbeast I was killing and was wondering around aimlessly when some sisters from the Garden of Blooming Lillies sect found me. They knew how to cure the poison and brought me back to my senses" was her response.

"I see, shall visit your friend and this sect?" I asked.

Mara looks happy and replies "please master, I really want to see them again."