Zhao Di, who had never considered such a situation before, had countless thoughts flashing through his mind.

  In just two or three short breaths, Zhao Di made his final decision and resolutely crushed the bamboo slip in his hand.

  Since discovering the mysterious small tripod's heaven-defying effect, his originally firm heart towards the Tao became even more solid, and his goal was no longer just to become a foundation-building cultivator or a legendary Nascent Soul stage expert, but rather the far-reaching dream of ascending to immortality.

  Cultivating immortality requires not only strong magical powers but also the cultivation of one's heart. Cultivators value a clear mind and few desires, cutting off the demons of the heart.

  But what made Zhao Di personally defeat Jian Xiang'er, who had grown up with him since childhood, and stop her from going further on the path of cultivation, he asked himself if he could do it.

  Even if he did, with his current state of mind, it would be impossible for him to have no guilt. If there was such a factor affecting his mood, it would inevitably intensify and eventually become his heart demon, making his future path to immortality extremely difficult. Even a slight carelessness could lead to the backlash of the heart demon, turning him into a monster who only knew how to crave blood and kill without any human emotions.

  Rather than defeating Jian Xian'er and leaving behind a hidden heart demon, it would be better to give the opportunity of competing in the foundation building trial to the opponent instead.

  In terms of emotions and reason, Zhao chose to remain silent and give up his rights.

  There is another reason, Zhao Di also had a way out. He had thought that if he was extremely unlucky and encountered a cultivator with a strong family background in the foundation building trial, who possessed an extraordinary treasure such as a top-grade artifact, and he couldn't win. If he couldn't win in the foundation building trial, he could still obtain the foundation pill by taking on the task from the Dragon Subduing Valley.

  But that so-called Jiǔ Sǐ Yī Shēng (Nine Deaths One Life) Lowering Dragon Valley, is naturally his last resort. Unless absolutely necessary, who would be willing to recklessly risk their own life?

  But now, he has no other choice but this road.

  The thoughts in his heart were like a stormy sea, turning and twisting, but Zhao Di's face was still smiling. He replied to Jian Xiang'er: "I drew over 100 numbers, and I'm not in the same venue as you. But the time of the trial is almost the same, so this time, I still can't go watch Xiang'er's trial."

  "En, then I'll go to the Listening Rain Pavilion to prepare for the competition. Fifth Brother, you must work hard!" Jian Xiner didn't ask any more questions and playfully made a fist-pumping gesture of encouragement towards Zhao Di.

  "Ah, Xiang'er must work hard too!" Zhao Di nodded with a hint of a smile and said warmly.

  ……

  Three or four hours later, by the side of the Valley Brook in the Kuanglu Mountains.

  "Wugeng, I've been searching everywhere for you and knew you must have come here." The young girl shouted out as soon as she saw the handsome youth sitting by the spring water on a huge rock from afar.

  "Not bad, I came here on purpose to wait for you." The young man said with a smile after the girl also landed on the giant rock.

  The girl said excitedly: "Oh, I'll tell you a good news first, you definitely won't believe it! The lottery ticket I drew today is actually a blank ticket!"

  "What's an empty check? What does it mean?" The young man's face was filled with puzzlement.

  "It's just that there is no opponent, and I can directly advance to the next round. Today, when it was the 59th group's turn to compete, only I showed up on stage, but half a day passed without any opponent appearing. One of the masters hosting the competition said that I probably drew a bye or my opponent forfeited, so I can directly enter the next round."

  "Then congratulations to Xīn'er! Unfortunately, I encountered a formidable opponent with thirteen layers today. Due to my momentary carelessness, I lost the match!" The young man's words were extremely calm, as if he had only lost an ordinary game of chess.

  "What! Brother Wu lost?" The girl was extremely shocked upon hearing this, her two big eyes wide open and shining with a red glow, with tears welling up.

  "It's true I lost, but it doesn't matter, perhaps I still have another chance." The young man nodded and smiled slightly.

  "Which senior brother or sister won against Wu Gen? Is he even more powerful than Sun Ming senior brother?" The girl sighed and asked.

  The young man furrowed his brow, seemingly recalling something. He said, "The opponent's strength is about the same as that of Senior Sun Ming, but I don't know what their name is. After coming to Tai Xu Gate, I've been hiding in the alchemy room almost all the time, and I don't know many people."

  "Wu Gen Ge, what are you planning to do next?" The girl's voice was much lower, and her expression was far from the excitement she had when she first arrived.

  "A lucky person has a good destiny! Besides the foundation trial, there are many ways to get the foundation pill, such as the next trial or participating in the task of the Dragon Valley." The young man said casually.

  The girl heard this and asked anxiously: "Descend Dragon Valley? I've heard that's extremely dangerous, a place where you can die nine times out of ten!"

  "It's not that exaggerated, besides, I didn't say you must go. Let's not talk about this for now, Xiang'er, the day after tomorrow is the final round of the competition, it's already very difficult for you to have made it to the fifth round, you must seize the opportunity well!"

  "I can, but you, Fifth Brother..."

  "Never mind me, let's talk about the next trial tomorrow. Those who can enter the final round are all seniors with far superior strength to their peers. I've brought some mid-grade talismans for the Refining Qi stage, both offensive and defensive, which may come in handy at that time."

  "It's already this late, and Wu Gen Ge is still thinking about helping me."

  "These talismans were all made by me personally, and can be used in multiple ways at the same time. In a duel, they have some wonderful uses. As long as you use them at the right moment, they can even turn the tide of battle and reverse defeat into victory. I've got some experience with this, let me tell you slowly..."

  ……

  Two days later, the foundation-building trial entered its final stage. On this day, the last round of trials would come to an end, and more than 50 lucky ones would emerge, receiving a reward of a Foundation Establishment Dan. According to the usual ratio, among these more than 50 winners, less than ten people would enter the Foundation Establishment period within two years and become true cultivators with a lifespan of over 200 years.

  On the windy platform, Jian Xiner was fiercely competing with a short and stout young man who was also at the 12th level of Qi refining.

  Jian Xiner's three-piece "Qian Kun Quan" ritual instrument combination was cleverly seamless, often leaving the opposing short and chubby youth defenseless. But that short and chubby youth's shiny silver round plate was also a versatile, multi-changing high-quality ritual instrument that could both attack and defend. The two went back and forth, with neither gaining the upper hand.

  Just as the two were in a stalemate with their magical instruments, Jian Xiang'er took out four or five fire snake talismans and was quietly reciting incantations.

  Zhao Di, who had been watching from the sidelines, silently thought to himself what a pity! If Jian Xiang'er was as skilled in using talismans as he was, she could have taken out these few fire snake talismans in just one breath and would have definitely succeeded in launching a surprise attack, easily winning the trial.

  However, Jian Xiner's movements with the talisman were slightly slow, giving the opponent a chance to defend. The short and stout youth immediately broke free from the entanglement of the three copper rings, withdrew the silver round disk artifact, and held it up in front of him for protection. At this time, the four or five fire snakes that had rushed over let out a burst of explosions on the round disk artifact, turning into tiny red lights that disappeared into thin air.

  Jian Xiner saw that Fu Lao didn't get the upper hand, and wasn't angry at all. He manipulated the three golden copper rings to continuously attack his opponent. The short and stout youth also skillfully commanded the circular artifact to left and right, striking back. The two artifacts entwined again in battle.

  Not long after, Jian Xiner found another opportunity and took out three fire snake talismans. This time, the short and stout young man also defended against them, but in his haste, he was already somewhat exhausted. Jian Xiner temporarily gained the upper hand.

  After using three Flame Snake Talismans again, Jian Xiner finally seized the opportunity, shattering the opponent's defensive light shield with a copper ring and knocking them off the trial platform, spitting out a mouthful of blood on the spot.

  After seeing Jian Xian'er finally win the competition, Zhao Di, who had given up and refused to fight, also let out a sigh of relief, figuring that his sacrifice hadn't been in vain.

  It is believed that with Jian Xin'er's qualifications and under Zhu Ji Dan's guidance, there is a high probability of entering the foundation period.

  And he asked himself, with his own poor spiritual roots and qualifications, even if he had a foundation-building pill, the possibility of successfully building his foundation was almost zero. If he used a small cauldron to upgrade the foundation-building pill into an extreme-grade spirit pill, there might still be some hope.

  Jian Xin'er finally got the Zhugidan, and Zhao Di's heart was also settled. Next, he had to carefully consider how to obtain the Zhugidan.

  Will he have another chance to build his foundation in five years? He indeed has a great opportunity, but by then he will be over thirty years old, almost missing the best age for building his foundation. Even if he succeeds in building his foundation, it will be even more difficult to make rapid progress in his cultivation afterwards.

  Since time waits for no man, he can only take the road to Dragon Descending Valley for now. Risks and gains are always directly proportional.

  (First update, seeking recommendations, collections, and advertisements!)