A year had passed, and Shu Han was like a lonely boat drifting in the sea, wandering alone in the vast world. Along the way, he asked for directions multiple times, heading toward the rumored boundless Great Cloud.

During this period, he crossed the moat around a city mountain range known to mortals, crossed wide rivers, and passed through desolate lands where no one lived. Finally, a year later, he rode a boat downstream to the north and arrived at a small town on the edge of Great Cloud, Green Mountain Town.

This year, his cultivation had not progressed an inch, and the bottleneck of Foundation Establishment was still as insurmountable as a moat. However, a year of travel and exploration broadened his horizons.

Having ordered a pot of clear wine in an inn at Green Mountain Town, Shu Han poured and drank by himself, watching the ordinary people coming and going downstairs, he couldn't help feeling restless in his heart.

How was he supposed to find a cultivation sect in Great Cloud? He had thought about it himself. As he was alone and helpless in Great Cloud, it would be more reliable to join a sect. Moreover, his own cultivation method hadn't acted up yet, but because he had not made a breakthrough for a long time, his meridians were already showing signs of swelling.

Shu Han couldn't afford to be careless. He had heard that there were many immortal sects in Great Cloud, but how could he find out information and find a suitable sect? He didn't want to join a sect that was as exploitative as Mystical Dragon Sect again.

Just as he was thinking and drinking, Shu Han suddenly heard the laughter from the next room and keenly caught the words "Spirit Stone" and "Cultivation" related to cultivation. His heart couldn't help but throb. He had been in Great Cloud for some time and finally encountered a fellow cultivator!

However, Shu Han hesitated. This was his first time interacting with cultivators from Great Cloud, and he didn't know if their character was good or bad. It would be better to investigate first. If they were at the Foundation Establishment level, it would be better to avoid causing trouble, as he no longer had the resources he used to have when dealing with Master Mystical Dragon.

He called for the waiter and ordered a pot of fine wine. When the waiter brought the wine, Shu Han invited him to sit down and took his hat and towel.

The waiter was puzzled and wanted to ask, but when Shu Han slapped two silver ingots in front of him, he didn't say anything.

Thus, Shu Han exerted his full effort to use his Qi hiding technique, carried the wine, and knocked on the door of the opposite room.

Inside the room, two middle-aged men were laughing and talking. As soon as Shu Han entered, he immediately saw the spiritual light surging above their heads. One taller man was at the eleventh level of Qi Refining, and the other shorter one was at the twelfth level! The shorter man was playing with a shining green gem in his hand, looking very pleased.

The two men were taken aback by Shu Han's sudden intrusion and angrily scolded, "Waiter? We didn't call you, get out!"

Seeing that both of them were at the Qi Refining stage, Shu Han was relieved and slightly relaxed his Qi hiding technique, emitting the aura of the ninth level of Qi Refining. He smiled and said, "Please calm down, fellow Daoists. I have just arrived in Great Cloud and it's rare to meet fellow cultivators, so I've brought a pot of turbid wine to share with you."

The shorter man quickly put the gem in his hand into a storage bag at his waist. The two looked at each other, stood up, and said with a bow, "So it's a fellow Daoist! Please sit down and let us know if you have any advice."

Shu Han took a seat and introduced himself, "I am Shu Han, a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining. Nice to meet you two."

The taller man laughed and said, "I'm Xie Ming, a cultivator at the eleventh level of Qi Refining."

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"And I'm Kang Wenguang, a cultivator at the twelfth level of Qi Refining."

Shu Han pretended to be surprised, "So you're both my seniors! My apologies for my lack of respect."

The two seemed very satisfied with the title of "senior" and laughed, "Not at all! We are all at the Qi Refining stage, so we are of the same generation. But looking at how young you are, Fellow Daoist Shu Han, and already at the ninth level, you must have great talent. May I ask where you come from and what plans you have in Great Cloud?"

Shu Han replied, "I come from Great Yan, a place you two may not have heard of, it's a remote and desolate land. I feel it would be more beneficial for my cultivation to come to Great Cloud, and I might even get the chance to achieve Foundation Establishment!"

"Oh, so you came for the Foundation Establishment Pill?"

Foundation Establishment Pill?

Shu Han's heart skipped a beat. They were getting to the crux of the matter. He no longer hid his curiosity and asked, "What is this Foundation Establishment Pill? Does a cultivator need to use the Foundation Establishment Pill to assist in reaching the Foundation Establishment stage?"

The two looked at each other again, both with a look of surprise in their eyes.

"You don't know about the Foundation Establishment Pill?"

"Sorry for my ignorance, but my hometown is lacking in spiritual energy, and it's been a long time since we've seen a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage. Over time, the method of Foundation Establishment has been forgotten."

Xie Ming laughed heartily and began to explain the method of Foundation Establishment to Shu Han. As Shu Han listened, it turned out to be consistent with what he had guessed. There were two common methods of Foundation Establishment in the cultivation world!

One was to use the Foundation Establishment Pill for Foundation Establishment. The Foundation Establishment Pill can instantly provide a large amount of spiritual power to help cultivators break through the unattainable threshold. However, this method has a high failure rate, and if the talent is not good, it may take several pills to succeed.

The second method is a more high-end approach. It requires a cultivator at the Core Formation stage to consume their own True Essence, stimulate the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and perform spiritual power empowerment, using the profound spiritual power of the Core Formation stage to replace the Foundation Establishment Pill. This method will not fail and is greatly beneficial for the cultivator's future cultivation. The disadvantage is that there are few Core Formation cultivators willing to expend a large amount of True Essence to assist others in the Foundation Establishment.

Shu Han nodded. Being alone and helpless, he could only choose the Foundation Establishment Pill. So he asked, "Where can I get this Foundation Establishment Pill, and how many resources do I need to exchange for it?"

Kang Wenguang laughed, "Brother Shu Han, this Foundation Establishment Pill is priceless! You can't buy it! The Foundation Establishment Pill is extremely rare. The three main ingredients must grow around a spiritual spring and mature for sixty years. Those who have the ability to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill are all immortal sects of the Great Cloud, and they only distribute them to their own disciples. Looking at Brother Shu Han, who is young and has a high level of cultivation, if you join an immortal sect and endure for more than a decade, you will definitely get a Foundation Establishment Pill."

Shu Han frowned deeply upon hearing this. Join a sect and endure for more than ten years? Would he still be alive by then?

"Do I really have to wait that long?"

Kang Wenguang laughed, "More than ten years is not long. But if you want to get the Foundation Establishment Pill faster, you must make a huge contribution to the sect or have exceptional talent."

Shu Han then asked, "May I ask, what are the criteria for the immortal sects of Great Cloud to recruit disciples?"

"Generally, as long as they have triple spiritual roots, a few large sects even require dual spiritual roots or even special spiritual roots."

Triple spiritual roots!

Shu Han was so anxious that he wanted to scratch his head. He forced a smile and said, "Then aren't my quadruple spiritual roots not eligible for any sect?"

He dared not say that he had five spiritual roots. Looking at the two of them, even quadruple spiritual roots were not qualified, let alone his five spiritual roots.

"Brother Shu Han also has quadruple spiritual roots?"

Shu Han was stunned, "Are you two also?"

Kang Wenguang laughed, "Yes, otherwise we wouldn't be wandering around in Great Cloud. But I'm curious, how did your quadruple spiritual roots cultivate to the ninth level at such a young age? I'm really curious!"

Shu Han explained, "My ancestors passed down a few bottles of pills that can rapidly enhance cultivation. After I finished them, I barely reached the current stage. Alas, listening to you two, it seems that I have no chance of reaching the Foundation Establishment in this life!"

Xie Ming suddenly interrupted, "Brother, you mustn't say that! In fact, besides the Foundation Establishment Pill, we rogue cultivators have another way to go!" After saying this, he took out a gem with a dazzling green light from his storage bag.