The Politics of a Foundation Establishment Pill

Chapter 144: The Dispute Over the Foundation Establishment Pill

Jian Prefecture sat in the northern reaches of the Yue Kingdom. It was the second largest of the thirteen provinces, a land of mountains and hills with a sparse population, bordering the neighboring state of Yuanwu to the north.

The Taiyue Mountain Range stretched across western Jian Prefecture, covering several thousand li of continuous peaks. Wild beasts and fierce birds were a common sight in these untouched primeval forests. Woodcutters and hunters occasionally returned with stories of immortals and demons, adding a layer of mystery to the region.

No one of the mortal world could have imagined that the very heart of this mountain range had been occupied for thousands of years by the Yellow Maple Valley Sect, one of the seven great immortal cultivation sects.

From above, the place looked no different from any other mountain range—steep peaks and lush trees. But this was merely an illusion, created by an enormous, esoteric formation. Beneath that veil, layer upon layer of pavilions and grand halls had been densely constructed. Cultivators could be seen flying at low altitudes on leaf-shaped magical tools, hurrying about their endless tasks.

The current sect leader of Yellow Maple Valley, Zhong Lingdao, was over a hundred years old but still retained the appearance of a middle-aged man with a three-stranded beard. He was at the late Foundation Establishment stage, steady by nature, skilled at organization, and held great prestige within the sect. His seniors and fellow disciples trusted him implicitly.

But this always-composed and self-assured Grand Sect Leader was now frowning. He sat at the head of the main hall, watching a middle-aged man and an old man engaged in a heated argument. On either side of the hall sat a dozen or more cultivators of varied expressions. These were all the administrators of Yellow Maple Valley.

“Senior Martial Brother Murong! The allocation of Foundation Establishment Pill takers was settled months ago! Now you’re telling me my great-nephew’s pill has to be given to some wandering cultivator? That’s completely unacceptable!” the old man shouted indignantly at the pale, beardless, scholarly man.

It was startling to anyone watching. The old man was clearly much older than the middle-aged scholar, yet he called him “Senior Martial Brother”!

“Junior Martial Brother Ye, an unexpected matter has come up! An event that only happens once every few centuries. Someone has come to join the sect bearing an Ascension Token. How could we simply ignore that? We must make way for one Foundation Establishment Pill,” the middle-aged scholar said calmly, his tone unhurried.

“But this person isn’t even from a cultivation clan! He’s a wandering cultivator! And he still gets a Foundation Establishment Pill? I think letting him into the sect is already generous. He should consider himself deeply fortunate!” the old man argued, his face red with anger.

“Now, Junior Martial Brother Ye, you can’t say that. How do you know his ancestors weren’t from a cultivation clan? Perhaps his family simply declined, making him a wandering cultivator! Besides, who can guarantee their own family will prosper forever? What if, one day, Junior Martial Brother Ye’s Ye Clan falls into decline, and a descendant comes to our door with an Ascension Token? Should Yellow Maple Valley refuse to give him a Foundation Establishment Pill then? Just let him enter the sect and be done with it? If Junior Martial Brother dares to swear to that before us all, I, Murong Shan, will turn and leave this instant and never mention the Foundation Establishment Pill again.”

The middle-aged man spoke smoothly, but his words made the old man’s face turn white, then green. He was left speechless.

How could the old man dare to swear such a catastrophic oath! And even if he did, it would only make this lifelong rival of his back down. Who knew if someone else wouldn’t step up to take his place?

“But why does it have to be my great-nephew’s pill? Why not someone else’s?” the old man asked resentfully, his voice rising.

“That, Junior Martial Brother, you must ask your great-nephew himself. He simply didn’t test well enough. His ranking was far too low,” the middle-aged man said, shaking his head with an expression of regret.

Seeing the man across from him play-acting so openly, the old man ground his teeth in fury. But this was about his great-nephew’s interests. He couldn’t afford to back down over pride. He still pressed on: “My great-nephew’s ranking might have been low, but he wasn’t the very last on the list for the Foundation Establishment Pill! Weren’t there two others ranked behind him?”

“What Junior Martial Brother says is true. There were indeed two others who ranked below your great-nephew in the test. But their situations are rather exceptional, I’m afraid. That means Junior Martial Brother Ye’s great-nephew will have to bear the burden,” the middle-aged man said, his tone full of exaggerated sympathy.

“Exceptional? If you don’t give me a reason I can accept, I won’t swallow this!” the old man said, losing his temper and resorting to threats.

“That’s enough! What do you mean you ‘won’t swallow this’? Those two are indeed exceptional. It was with my consent that we skipped them and selected your great-nephew. As for the reason—even if you hadn’t asked, Junior Martial Brother, I would have explained it to you.”

Seeing that the old man’s words had crossed a line, Zhong Lingdao’s face darkened as he scolded him.

The old man felt a chill run down his spine at Zhong Lingdao’s words. He had only known that there were two people ranked behind his great-nephew in the test. Who they actually were, he hadn’t known. That was the very source of his indignation! Could it really be that there was some exception, some reason that even their usually fair and stern sect leader would bend the rules for?

Zhong Lingdao waved his hand, signaling the middle-aged scholar to return to his seat, then sighed and said:

“Junior Martial Brother Ye, I’m afraid your great-nephew will truly have to make this sacrifice. Of the other two, one of them is the only living descendant of the Red Whisk Senior in the mortal world. That’s why, even though the girl originally failed the test, I still selected her and placed her on the list of Foundation Establishment Pill recipients. Surely, Junior Martial Brother, you wouldn’t want to revoke her pill?”

At the mention of Red Whisk’s name, the old man flinched. His expression shifted dramatically, and he adopted a look of fearful reverence.

“Since she is the descendant of Senior Red Whisk, it is only right that we look after her. How could I, a junior, show such disrespect to a senior? I am entirely satisfied with this arrangement,” the old man said, his face pale.

Grand Sect Leader Zhong was not surprised by the old man’s reaction. After all, who in the room didn’t know of Senior Red Whisk’s notoriously protective temper? She was the only female Core Formation cultivator in Yellow Maple Valley. If that girl’s Foundation Establishment qualifications were truly stripped, it wouldn’t just be the old man who would suffer. He, the sect leader, would be in for a rough time as well.

“And the other one?” the old man asked, still unwilling to give up. He knew the remaining person must also have a strong reason, but he clung to a thread of hope.

“The other one possesses a wind-attribute mutated spiritual root. Do you think that reason is sufficient?” Zhong Lingdao stroked his long beard and said slowly.

Hearing this, the old man fell silent. There was a clear rule in the Yellow Maple Valley sect regulations: those with Heavenly Roots or mutated spiritual roots receive Foundation Establishment priority. There was nothing more to complain about.

But his great-nephew… He wasn’t his biological grandson, but the old man had watched him grow up day by day since he had entered the sect. He was dearer to him than any true grandson. How could he bear to tell him that his qualification for the Foundation Establishment Pill had been revoked?

“Then… my great-nephew has no hope at all? If he has to wait another ten years, he will have missed his optimal window for Foundation Establishment. He will never break through,” the old man said, his voice carrying a note of desolation that stirred a murmur of whispered discussion among the onlookers.

“Junior Martial Brother Ye, there might still be a way,” said a man with a gloomy face and an aquiline nose, stepping forward to console the Ye Clan elder.

“What? Senior Martial Brother Wu has a solution?” The Ye Clan elder’s spirits lifted. This Senior Martial Brother Wu was famous in the sect for his clever schemes. Maybe he really did have an answer!

Senior Wu smiled faintly. He did not answer immediately. Instead, he turned to Grand Sect Leader Zhong, offered a respectful bow, and asked in a clear voice: “May I ask the Sect Leader, has this person bearing the Ascension Token had his spiritual roots tested? What was his aptitude?”

“It seems it was not very good. Junior Martial Brother Wang, you brought him in and conducted the test. Please explain,” Zhong Lingdao said, addressing someone on the left side of the hall.

“As you command, Sect Leader,” said a slightly green-faced middle-aged man, standing up and speaking in a flat tone. “He is a young man, about eighteen or nineteen years old. He is at the peak of the ninth layer of a basic wood-attributed cultivation technique. His spiritual roots are of the four-attribute variety, lacking metal—a case of False Spiritual Roots. Overall, his aptitude is low. However, he must have encountered some fortuitous opportunity and trained diligently, or else he could not have reached his current realm. Barring further opportunities, he will likely only reach the eleventh or twelfth layer of basic techniques in his lifetime. He has no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment on his own. Even with one Foundation Establishment Pill, his chance of success is only about one percent.”

“Good!” Senior Wu shouted, cutting off Wang before he could finish.

“What’s good?” the Ye Clan elder asked impatiently.

The others also looked at Senior Wu with confusion. Only Zhong Lingdao furrowed his brow slightly, having guessed part of the plan.

“May I ask the Sect Leader, if this newcomer were to voluntarily give up the Foundation Establishment Pill, would that not violate our sect’s promise?” Senior Wu asked.

“Of course not. But no one is permitted to use threats or coercion to force this. Otherwise, the reputation of Yellow Maple Valley would be ruined,” Grand Sect Leader Zhong said with a gentle warning.

“Hehe. Sect Leader, rest assured. Of course not,” Senior Wu said with a faint smile. He turned to the Ye Clan elder. “Junior Martial Brother Ye, would you be willing to spend a little something to purchase that Foundation Establishment Pill from him? His aptitude is so low, his chance of Foundation Establishment is pitifully small. There is a very good chance he will give up the pill in exchange for something more practical.”