The Eerie Immortal Path: Begin by Devouring Fairy Flesh

Before long, Chu Jun had absorbed all the life force and Fortune from the medicinal men, and her aura became much more stable.

She said somewhat embarrassedly, "Sorry to make you witness that, Junior Sister."

Brandon Jiang quickly waved his hand, indicating it was nothing.

Just as Brandon was about to ask about alchemy techniques, Chu Jun spoke first, "It's getting late. Let me tell you the essentials of alchemy so you can pass the test smoothly tomorrow."

Brandon was delighted but still put on a worried expression, "Senior Sister, are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should rest before teaching me."

Chu Jun's gaze grew even softer. She shook her head and said, "It's just some alchemy essentials; it won't take much out of me. Listen carefully."

"Based on my understanding of Senior Sister Patricia Qing, she will likely refine the Clear Mind Pill tomorrow. The key points she will ask about are..."

Brandon sat cross-legged opposite Chu Jun, listening intently.

In the room, only Chu Jun's gentle voice could be heard.

Two hours later, as the sun set, Brandon finally finished listening.

His face was full of satisfaction, and he couldn't help but marvel at how thorough Chu Jun's knowledge of Patricia Qing's techniques was. With this alchemy knowledge, he could easily achieve a B-grade evaluation tomorrow.

This was definitely the right move!

After the lecture, Brandon didn't leave immediately but asked a question that had been puzzling him, "Senior Sister Chu Jun, I don't understand. Why do the other white-robed senior sisters all kick you when you're down after seeing you suppressed by Senior Sister Patricia Qing?"

"Aren't they afraid you'll take revenge in the future?"

Hearing this, Chu Jun's eyes dimmed slightly, and she said bitterly, "The reason is simple. They believe I won't break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage and will die trying."

Brandon frowned, "Why? Is breaking through to Foundation Establishment that dangerous?"@@novelbin@@

Chu Jun shook her head, "The only difficulty in breaking through to Foundation Establishment is obtaining the Foundation Establishment Pill."

"With the pill and reaching the peak of Qi Refining, one can attempt Foundation Establishment. Success is ideal; failure only means losing a pill and suffering minor injuries."

"I bought a Foundation Establishment Pill a month ago, exhausting my savings."

Brandon's frown deepened, "If the danger isn't high, why do others think you can't break through?"

Suddenly, a thought crossed Brandon's mind, making his heart skip a beat, "Unless... it's internal pressure from the sect."

Chu Jun nodded, explaining helplessly, "You must have noticed, Junior Sister Jiang. The status gap between white-robed and yellow-robed disciples is enormous. All white-robed disciples are merely sacrificial furnaces for yellow-robed disciples."

"From the yellow-robed disciples' perspective, would they allow a former sacrificial furnace to stand on equal footing with them?"

She shook her head and answered her own question, "Of course not. They would only think there are too many players and too few pieces."

"Unless it's their most loyal follower, blood relative, or Dao companion, they would rather devour all the power and Fortune of peak Qi Refining disciples!"

Hearing this chilling answer, Brandon said incredulously, "Doesn't the sect intervene? I remember the sect rules clearly state that higher-level cultivators can't slaughter lower-level ones at will!"

Chu Jun calmly replied, "Foundation Establishment trumps Qi Refining. There's no reason for Foundation Establishment cultivators to suffer while Qi Refining cultivators enjoy life."

"Once a peak Qi Refining disciple starts aiming for Foundation Establishment, the yellow-robed senior sisters who nurtured them will immediately get the news."

"Then, several or even dozens of yellow-robed senior sisters will hold a 'Peak Qi Refining Grand Medicine Contest,' hunting down that peak Qi Refining disciple."

"This contest usually has three outcomes: several senior sisters each get a piece of the remains, one senior sister takes everything, or the peak Qi Refining disciple withstands all the pressure and successfully breaks through to Foundation Establishment."

Brandon was left in a daze.

This grand event for Foundation Establishment disciples was clearly a last chance for them to harvest the Qi Refining furnaces they had nurtured.

How ironic that this rare event for Foundation Establishment disciples was a nightmare for peak Qi Refining disciples!

Facing the pursuit of several or even dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators, how could a mere Qi Refining disciple survive?

There was no way out!

Brandon muttered, "This is unreasonable... There's no hope for peak Qi Refining disciples to break through!"

Chu Jun sighed, "Many peak Qi Refining disciples invite a close Foundation Establishment senior sister to protect them before breaking through."

"Being of the same level, the other senior sisters would give some face, allowing the peak Qi Refining disciple to avoid being hunted."

"But unfortunately, I ruined my relationship with Senior Sister Patricia Qing and am not close to any other Foundation Establishment senior sisters. So when I break through, no one will protect me."

"Even if I wanted to suppress my cultivation and not break through, I would eventually be tortured to death by Senior Sister Patricia Qing..."

Brandon finally understood that normal Foundation Establishment breakthroughs were protected by Foundation Establishment senior sisters.

First, be accepted by Foundation Establishment cultivators, then become one. It made sense.

But unfortunately, Senior Sister Chu Jun couldn't take that path and had to rely on herself.

No wonder other white-robed disciples believed Chu Jun couldn't break through. If he had known this rule earlier, he would have thought the same.

This made Brandon feel uneasy.

He thought he had found a strong backer, but it turned out this backer was about to fall.

But there was no turning back; he had to see it through.

"Senior Sister Chu Jun, are there any examples in our sect of breaking through to Foundation Establishment without protection?"

Chu Jun nodded, "Of course, otherwise, Senior Sister Patricia Qing wouldn't have preemptively injured me."

"If I were in perfect condition, I would have a fifty percent chance of withstanding all the pressure and successfully breaking through!"

Brandon's heart stirred.

A fifty percent success rate was already high in the perilous Heavenly Lotus Sect.

He pondered deeply, thinking this was worth a try.

If Chu Jun failed, she would die, and all his investments would be in vain, even risking exposure.

If Chu Jun succeeded, he would gain a Foundation Establishment backer!

The only obstacle now was Chu Jun's injuries.

"Senior Sister, how many sacrificial furnaces do you need to recover?"

Chu Jun hesitated slightly before admitting, "I need the life force and Fortune of ten thousand mortals to heal my injuries, but to ensure Patricia Qing doesn't attack me again, I need at least fifty thousand mortals to be in perfect condition for the breakthrough."

"So many!"

Brandon was stunned.

Even ten thousand mortals were impossible to gather in a short time.

Even if he earned a B-grade evaluation every day, he would only gain a hundred mortals' worth of life force daily.

To accumulate ten thousand, it would take over three months without any consumption, all for Chu Jun's cultivation!

Moreover, would Patricia Qing give him that time?