Listening to Yao Xi's words, Ye Chen felt a bit helpless.

  When giving gifts, the most annoying thing is the back-and-forth that wastes time. Ye Chen was really looking forward to the feedback reward for the Foundation Establishment Pill. So, as soon as the system's cooldown period was over, he couldn't hold back and ran to Yao Xi's pce in the middle of the night to deliver the pill.

  "Senior Sister, I'll reach the ninth level of Qi Refining next year..."

  "Once I break through, the sect will issue me a low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill."

  "By then, I'll aim for first pce in the grand competition."

  "Turning a low-grade pill into a high-grade one will increase my chances of success."

  "So, you should take this Foundation Establishment Pill, Senior Sister."

  Yao Xi smiled gently and shook her head, "Then keep it! Having an extra Foundation Establishment Pill increases your chances of success."

  Ye Chen's spiritual roots were too poor. Even two pills might not be enough.

  Just as Ye Chen was about to say more, Yao Xi stepped forward and took his hand, "Junior Brother, did you come here in the middle of the night just to tell me this?"

  "Is there nothing else you want to say to me?"

  Yao Xi's eyes were a bit dreamy as she stood close to Ye Chen. If there had been any hesitation in her heart before, Ye Chen's act of bringing the Foundation Establishment Pill te at night had completely won her over. She was willing to offer her most precious treasure to Ye Chen.

  Ye Chen: "..."

  This development wasn't quite right. Yao Xi was certainly very alluring, with her charm amplified thirtyfold, probably half of which came from her figure. But the problem was, Ye Chen hadn't found a suitable repcement with a higher multiplier than Yao Xi. Naturally, he couldn't make a move on Yao Xi. Not to mention, he hadn't even given her the Foundation Establishment Pill yet.

  Ye Chen was clear about the difference between women and his future. So, he decisively let go of Yao Xi's hand. Under Yao Xi's surprised gaze, he spoke earnestly, "I just want to see you establish your foundation with my own eyes."

  Saying this, under Yao Xi's astonished gaze, Ye Chen picked up the pill bottle from the table, then moved behind Yao Xi, wrapping his arms around her slender waist. Yao Xi didn't resist Ye Chen's actions, allowing him to hold her from behind. As Ye Chen felt Yao Xi's soft curves, he whispered in her ear, "Senior Sister, I understand your feelings..."

  "But, I hope we can talk about this after you establish your foundation!"

  The warm breath from his words made Yao Xi's cheeks flush red, and Ye Chen's words moved her even more. She had been so forward, and Ye Chen surely understood her intentions. Yet, he only held her, insisting on waiting until she established her foundation. Clearly, Ye Chen was afraid she might regret it. After all, Ye Chen's chances of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage were slim, and he might never achieve it in this lifetime. Once she established her foundation, the gap between them would be immense, not just in terms of strength but also status. Ye Chen was worried about affecting her foundation establishment and feared she might regret tonight's events after her breakthrough. That's why, even though he wanted to, he firmly refused.

  As for how she knew Ye Chen wanted to, it was because she had deliberately changed into a particurly soft dress. At this moment, she could clearly feel the hilt of Ye Chen's magic sword pressing against her.

  In short, Ye Chen's constant consideration for her made Yao Xi even more moved. After a moment's hesitation, Yao Xi spoke seriously, "Alright! In that case, thank you, Junior Brother!"

  Yao Xi had made up her mind. The cultivation world wasn't that safe. Since her chances of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage were higher, she would do it herself. That way, if chaos erupted in the cultivation world in the future, she could at least protect Ye Chen. Once she successfully broke through, she would immediately seek out Ye Chen to show him she had no regrets.

  As she thought about this, Yao Xi pyfully swayed her waist, clearly feeling Ye Chen's body tense up as he held her. When Ye Chen finally let go, Yao Xi turned around to see Ye Chen's face filled with joy, which made her smile brightly. Even though she was the one accepting Ye Chen's gift, he always seemed so happy. What a fool!

  ...

  "In that case, I'll take my leave!"

  "May you succeed in establishing your foundation, Senior Sister!"

  Ye Chen slightly bowed and decisively took his leave. Yao Xi had been a real enchantress, with her figure being overwhelmingly advantageous. Especially that twist of her waist earlier, it was ridiculously tempting. What man could resist that?

  However, Ye Chen quickly shifted his focus because the system's notification was far more enticing.

  "Gift successfully given!"

  "The gift is a low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill."

  "Feedback in progress..."

  "Thirtyfold feedback..."

  "Detected that the gift given by the host is extremely important to the recipient and exceeded their expectations, causing a significant emotional fluctuation, triggering a critical reward!"

  "Reward: thirty supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pills."

  "Supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pill: Increases breakthrough success rate by 40%, protects the physical body and meridian foundation upon consumption, and failure does not damage vital energy..."

  Seeing the reward, Ye Chen's smile widened. A low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill increases the success rate by 10%. A mid-grade pill by 20%, and a high-grade pill by 30%. The protective effect also increases accordingly. However, none of the three grades can be used indefinitely because each failure still damages vital energy, just to varying extents. Even a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill can only be used seven or eight times before one's potential is exhausted, leaving no more opportunities. A low-grade pill only allows for two or three attempts.

  But a supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pill allows for unlimited attempts. As long as you have enough supreme-grade pills, failing a breakthrough has no impact. This was incredibly useful for Ye Chen, who had little confidence in his breakthrough. His third-grade spiritual roots were indeed quite cking. As for treasures that could improve spiritual roots, Ye Chen had tried to find them. Such treasures did exist in the cultivation world, but Ye Chen had only read about them in books because they were monopolized by top forces like the holy nds for their disciples. Obtaining them from the outside world was extremely difficult.

  Improving his aptitude was currently out of the question. Therefore, for Ye Chen, supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pills were the most important thing. With enough supreme-grade pills, he was guaranteed to succeed in establishing his foundation.

  ...

  According to Yao Xi's multiplier, the system should have returned thirty low-grade Foundation Establishment Pills. But with a critical hit, they all turned into supreme-grade pills. It was simply too satisfying. The price difference between supreme-grade and low-grade Foundation Establishment Pills was at least a hundredfold because supreme-grade pills were incredibly important to ordinary cultivators. With enough of them, a breakthrough was guaranteed. However, Foundation Establishment Pills were difficult to refine, and the main ingredients were nearly extinct, almost monopolized. Alchemists had few opportunities to refine them, making it hard to produce supreme-grade pills. Even top forces like holy nds might not have many supreme-grade pills. Thus, supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pills were priceless in the cultivation world.

  And the system directly rewarded him with thirty of them. It was incredibly powerful. But thirty supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pills weren't enough! Ye Chen needed more. Next year, when he reached the ninth level of Qi Refining and won the sect's grand competition, he would surely receive a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. If Yao Xi hadn't broken through by then, he would give it to her. By gifting a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, he believed the feedback would yield even more supreme-grade pills...

  CPDD