101. Tribute of Ben Dan

  Mò Tiān Gē stood on the grand hall. Carefully sizing up this more like a palace Dong Fu.

  The hall was built with spiritual jade as the steps, and strange rocks as pillars. Carved dragons and phoenixes adorned the walls, surrounded by an aura of immortals. She secretly marveled at it in her heart, thinking that compared to this Dongfu, the main hall of the Hu family, the number one family of Tiandao Sect, was nothing but a common worldly wealthy household, really not worthy of being mentioned in the same breath.

  But what surprised her most was not this palace, but the person sitting - or rather lying - on the dragon bed.

  This is a middle-aged man, seemingly younger than Master Yuan Yin, with short black hair and beard, gentle eyebrows and eyes, wearing a yellow crown and brocade robe, exuding an air of nobility, his face bearing a five or six percent resemblance to Qin Xi, but the overall lazy and indulgent aura is completely different.

  At this time, he was leaning on the dragon bed, surrounded by two well-dressed ladies-in-waiting, one holding tea and the other massaging his shoulders, peaceful and quiet, gentle and obedient.

  Moy Tian Ge was puzzled in his heart, this Jinghe Shizu, why doesn't he look like a Yuan Ying cultivator at all? Moreover, the Xuan Qing Men is a Taoist sect, what does he have to do with the self-discipline of a Taoist cultivator?

  Thinking halfway, he felt the gaze sweeping over from the dragon bed, Mo Tian Ge hastily lowered his head, eyes cast down, and knelt down neatly: "Disciple Mo Tian Ge, paying respects to Master."

  Qin Jing nodded silently, took over the tea from Shi Nu's hand and waved them away.

  She felt that he was sizing her up at a moderate pace, so she took a deep breath and was somewhat worried that this Shifu would be dissatisfied with her failure to build the foundation this time - if Jinghe Shifu no longer recognized her as a registered disciple, her status would be embarrassing.

  She was worried and anxious for a long time before she heard Jing and Shizǔ speak in a calm tone: "You failed to build your foundation, what do you think?"

  Mo Tian Ge paused for a moment. Although he had just thought of this question, he hadn't expected that this Jinghe Shizu would ask so directly. How should he answer?

  She thought for a moment and replied: "The disciple has no particular thoughts."

  "Oh?" Qin Jing was somewhat surprised and couldn't help but frown, "No particular thoughts, isn't that a lack of consideration?"

  He furrowed his brow, and the aura of a Yuan Ying cultivator emanated from him. Even if it was unintentional, how could a small Qi-refining disciple like him withstand it? Mo Tian Ge used all his strength to stabilize his mind and said: "The disciple's foundation-building process has no errors, but lacks innate talent. The two words 'innate talent' are not something the disciple can control, so there is nothing to think about, only continue to persevere."

  As soon as she finished speaking, she felt her body lighten up.

  Qin Jing pondered for a moment, and his heart was quite pleased. This girl really had some meaning, but as a small cultivator of Qi, she could remain so calm and composed under his pressure, and still answer him calmly - it seemed her willpower was also very firm. That kid's judgment of people wasn't bad; if he didn't have the burden of his family background, this child would definitely achieve something.

  He smiled slightly and said softly: "Get up."

  Moy Tian Ge finally put down the air he had been holding and knocked his head respectfully: "Thank you, Master."

  Qin Jing and was still carelessly looking at her, while Mo Tian Ge lowered his head in a well-behaved manner. This was her first time seeing a Yuan Ying cultivator. Only then did she realize that the pressure of a Yuan Ying cultivator was so terrifying, under this pressure, even speaking became extremely difficult.

  As he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard Qin Jing ask: "What kind of elixir did you take when you built your foundation?"

  The question was simple, but Mo Tian Ge's heart skipped a beat. When she built her foundation, apart from the Heart-Calming Pill given by her master, she had also taken the Foundation-Stabilizing Pill and the Foundation-Refining Pill. The fact that her master asked this question meant that he must have sensed something.

  She thought for a moment and immediately replied: "I report to Master Ancestor, the disciple is taking Refining Foundation Pill and Consolidating Root Pill."

  Qin Jing, who was drinking tea, stopped and turned his gaze: "Lian Ji Dan and... Gu Ben Dan?"

  "It's true." Mo Tian Ge replied calmly. In the instant just now, she had already decided to confess everything. In front of Yuan Ying Sheng, she couldn't hide anything. If she tried to conceal this matter and enraged this master, it was possible that her life would be taken away. It was better to be honest. At least, she was now a registered disciple of Jing He Sheng, so if she voluntarily offered the method for refining the solid foundation pill, there was no reason for him to be angry with her.

  "Ji Ben Dan..." Qin Jing repeated, asking in a low voice, "What is the use of this Lian Ji Dan and Ji Ben Dan? Where can they be obtained?"

  Moy Tian Ge lowered his gaze and replied honestly: "I was previously in the Dong Kun Wu Yunwu Sect, where there is a family with the surname Jiang. This foundation-building pill is an ancestral pill of the Jiang family, said to increase the chances of building a strong foundation. As for this solidifying foundation pill, I happened to encounter a Qi-refining cultivator who possessed the recipe, and he got into a dispute with two other cultivators. By coincidence, they both suffered losses, and I obtained the recipe. This pill is used to enhance the effects of other pills, so I took it together with the foundation-building pill, hoping to increase its efficacy."

  After listening to her explanation patiently, a glint of light flashed in Qin Jing's eyes. That's right, it was the Ben Dan! Two hundred years ago, when the Ben Dan recipe first appeared, he had also heard about it, but at that time he was only in the initial stage of his cultivation and did not have the power to participate in the final struggle for it. Later, the recipe was lost and never appeared again - how could this child be so lucky as to obtain the recipe so easily?

  His gaze fell on Mo Tian Ge again, as if pondering the truth and falsehood in her words.

  Mo Tian's expression remained calm. What she said was originally true, and even if she used magic to distinguish between truth and falsehood, she wasn't afraid.

  Qin Jing and finally withdrew his gaze, lightly asking: "What about the elixir formula in your hand?"

  He immediately took out a jade slip and presented it: "I report to Master Ancestor, this is the formula for the Consolidation of Foundation Pill."

  Qin Jing raised her hand and with a flick of her wrist, the jade pendant flew out of her hand and landed in his.

  A moment later, he revealed a joyful expression: "Guben Dan, it's indeed Guben Dan! Heaven is helping me!" He stood up and walked back and forth for two steps before turning his head to look at Moke Tiansong, his tone gentle. "Moke Tiansong, you have made a great contribution by presenting the Guben Dan. What reward do you want?"

  Upon hearing this, Mò Tiān Gē let out a sigh of relief in her heart. She had gambled correctly; although this Shī Zǔ was overbearing and directly took the Dan Fang for himself, he also intended to give her benefits. In that case...

  Moy Tian Ge looked up, his eyes revealing a hint of surprise, as if he didn't understand why this Dan Fang was so important. However, he immediately spoke with respect: "This Dan Fang was obtained by me unintentionally, Master Ancestor. If you need it, I will present it to you with both hands. Master Ancestor is kind and wants to reward me, so I'll dare to speak clearly - can I have the Zhu Ji Dan?"

  Qin Jing was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Haha, good, you're being honest!" Her response showed her respect while also bluntly asking for a reward, which really suited his taste. After all, if someone clearly wants something, why bother pretending?

  He sank his voice and said, "You want to build a foundation pill, this is also possible. The sect originally has rules, those who make great contributions can be rewarded with foundation pills. This foundation pill is a rare and precious spiritual medicine, I'll take the liberty of giving you three foundation pills."

  Mó Tiān Gē was overjoyed when she heard the words, although she knew that most of it was expected, but she didn't expect her master to be so generous and directly gave her three foundation pills! She immediately thanked him: "Thank you, Master."

  "Uh-huh," Qin Jing said, holding onto Dan Fang, his mind clearly elsewhere and not in the mood to deal with her, "You go ahead, later on, someone will be sent to deliver your reward."

  "Yes, disciple takes leave."

  "Wait!"

  The stranger's song stopped abruptly, and he was startled: "Is there any other instruction from our ancestors?"

  Qin Jing waved his hand: "This is a big deal, don't mention it to anyone else."

  "Yes."

  Left the Dongfu, Mo Tian Ge stroked his forehead and found that he was already sweating profusely.

  This Jinghe Shizu is said to be very good at killing. If she hesitated and hid, I'm afraid it would have been impossible to leave this Dongfu now. However, he is also very generous, as long as he gets his favor, there will be great benefits. Fortunately, she gambled correctly.

  There are three more foundation-establishing pills, and she has already made a breakthrough in establishing her foundation once. The possibility of establishing her foundation is very high now. As for the solidifying foundation pill, although it was snatched away by someone else, she would have refined it herself soon anyway. It can be said that today, not only did she suffer no loss, but also gained the favor of Master Jinghe and her master, greatly benefiting from this.

  Mo Tian Ge left, and in the great hall, Qin Jing was laughing heartily without any reserve, looking at the jade slip in his hand with extreme satisfaction: "Guben Dan, Guben Dan! With this thing, it's not a fantasy to reach the late stage of Yuan Ying!"

  The importance of Dan Yao to cultivators is clear to every cultivator in the cultivation world. Even if someone has poor innate talent, if they can afford to eat Dan Yao as food, their cultivation progress will not be much worse than those with extremely high innate talent who do not take Dan Yao. Unfortunately, the cost of Dan Yao is not something that everyone can afford. For Qi Refining cultivators, it's still manageable - a single Qi Refining pill, the most basic Nourishing Qi Pill, only costs two Spirit Stones. Therefore, if a Qi Refining cultivator can focus on their cultivation and has some financial resources, they can generally cultivate up to the tenth layer of Qi Refining. However, when cultivation advances to the next major stage, the cost of Dan Yao increases almost a hundredfold - a single Foundation Establishment pill, the basic Yuan Cultivation Pill, costs 300 Spirit Stones! As a result, most Foundation Establishment cultivators are stuck at the initial stages of Foundation Establishment.

  But by the time of the Congealing Dan and the Embryonic Breath periods, it's even more embarrassing. The spiritual medicine is hard to find, the dan medicine is hard to refine, and they often go a whole year without having a few pellets of dan medicine to take, relying solely on absorbing spiritual energy, how difficult their cultivation is.

  This Zhuben Dan is not very useful for cultivators who refine their Qi, as they take basic Dans like Yangqi Dan and Juqi Dan. They can't afford to eat Zhuben Dan at the same time. However, if given to a cultivator in the Yuandan or Yuanying period, it would be extremely useful. They can only take a few Dans per year, and the materials for Zhuben Dan are not difficult to obtain. If each Dan has the effect of Zhuben Dan, it's equivalent to having many more Dans - after all, the Dans taken by Yuanying cultivators are all rare and precious.

  Qin Jing calmed down quickly and sent out a message symbol.

  A moment later, Qin Xi hurried over, and as soon as he entered the door, he received a jade slip thrown by him. For a moment, he was confused: "Master, what did you call me for?"

  Qin Jing nodded and raised his chin, extremely pleased: "Take a look at this Dan Fang."

  Qin Xi was surprised, probing into his mind, but the next moment he was shocked: "This... where did it come from?"

  Qin Jing and finally burst out laughing: "It was given by that new disciple of mine, what do you think?"

  "How could this be? She... how didn't I know?"

  He sat back on the dragon bed, and Qin Jing said casually, "Maybe she doesn't even know how important this thing is - alright, hurry up and refine this Gu Ben Dan, I'll be going into seclusion soon."

  Qin Xi thought for a moment and didn't say anything. He didn't believe that Mo Tian Ge didn't know the importance of the Gu Ben Dan, probably he knew how important it was, which is why he never mentioned it.

  "Master," he thought for a moment and asked, "What benefits did you give her?"

  Qin Jing raised three fingers: "Three Zhu Ji Dan, how about it, is it a good deal?" The Zhu Ji Dan was invaluable to others, but to Yuan Ying cultivators, it was worthless.

  "I understand." Qin Xi put away the Dan Fang, seemingly deep in thought.

  Yesterday I forgot to say thank you to classmates 5000 years ago, Lí Yàn and Celrer for the rewards!