I have the face of a great demon.

With a hint of displeasure, Liu Xingchen left Zuixianlou and turned into another bustling street.

This place is a shopping paradise for cultivators. The shops on both sides of the street are lined up one after another. From "Lingbao Pavilion" to "Zhenbao Workshop", every shop is filled with a dazzling array of magical treasures and elixirs, making people's eyes dazzled.

Here, Liu Xingchen hopes to find the Foundation Building Pill he has been dreaming of.

He stepped into a rather impressive-looking shop and asked bluntly, "Shopkeeper, do you have Foundation Establishment Pills here?"

The shop assistant replied, "Foundation Building Pill? Our shop is small and we don't carry that kind of elixir. Please ask elsewhere, sir."

Liu Xingchen was slightly disappointed, but nodded politely: "I understand, thank you."

Then, he turned and left the shop, rushing off to the next one without stopping.

"Foundation Building Pill? No, no, that's a rare item."

"Foundation Establishment stage cultivation techniques? Are you kidding me? How could you possibly buy something like that on the market?"

I asked more than a dozen companies, and they all gave the same answer.

There are no Foundation Establishment Pills, and no Foundation Establishment cultivation techniques, but there are plenty of Qi Refining cultivation techniques. Do you want one?

Liu Xingchen scratched his head in frustration. It turned out that the Foundation Establishment Pills and the Foundation Establishment cultivation techniques were controlled by various sects and would never enter the market.

No wonder the situation of independent cultivators is so difficult. Without the support of a sect, they can't even get Foundation Establishment Pills and Foundation Establishment cultivation techniques. How can they cultivate?

That's why independent cultivators are so keen to explore secret realms and ruins, hoping to obtain the inheritance of their predecessors and acquire these unclaimed elixirs and cultivation techniques.

His master, Master Hua, received the Wuhua Sect's inheritance in this way.

Logically, the Wuhua Sect's lineage should include Foundation Establishment stage cultivation techniques, but now that the master is gone, he cannot enter the Wuhua Sect's secret realm, and this path is cut off.

I'll have to figure out how to get Foundation Establishment Pills myself.

Should I go and explore a secret realm myself?

As he was lost in thought on the street, a voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

"Fellow Daoist, are you looking to buy Foundation Establishment Pills?"

Liu Xingchen looked up and saw an ordinary-looking man in a gray robe standing in front of him.

It seems this person has noticed me for a long time, knows that I frequent many shops looking for Foundation Establishment Pills, and has come here specifically to promote them.

Liu Xingchen became very wary. Based on his experience, he knew that most of these people who approached him to sell things were scammers, and he needed to be careful.

The gray-robed man, however, seemed to have read his mind and quickly added:

"Fellow Daoist, please don't misunderstand. I am by no means a fraudster. If you want Foundation Establishment Pills, you might as well come with me to the Treasure Pavilion. You will surely find what you want there."

“Treasure Pavilion? I just came from there. The shopkeeper clearly said they didn’t have Foundation Establishment Pills.”

"Hehe, if you ask like that, of course they'll say they don't have any. Don't worry, I'll take you to the manager of the Treasure Pavilion. As long as you can afford the spirit crystals, the Foundation Establishment Pill will be no problem."

So there was such a trick involved.

Liu Xingchen nodded and followed the man.

The man led him through the streets and alleys, to the back gate of a courtyard, inside which was the Treasure Pavilion.

Liu Xingchen was led into a simply furnished small room, where a waiter attentively served him tea. He had just taken a sip when he heard footsteps outside the door.

Immediately afterwards, the door was pushed open, and a chubby shopkeeper appeared in the doorway with a friendly, prosperous smile on his face.

"I heard that you are interested in Foundation Establishment Pills?"

Liu Xingchen nodded and said frankly, "Indeed, I need a Foundation Establishment Pill, but I just asked your shop assistant and he said that the shop does not have such a high-grade item."

"Hehe, fellow Daoist, please don't take offense. That's what we say to outsiders."

"Fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but the Foundation Establishment Pill is no ordinary product. Only major sects can refine it, and it is used exclusively by their own disciples. It is not passed on to outsiders."

He paused, then continued, "However, our Treasure Pavilion has some special channels that allow us to obtain some Foundation Establishment Pills. But we won't display these treasures openly to avoid attracting unnecessary trouble."

Liu Xingchen nodded; it was just as he had thought.

Foundation Establishment Pills are indeed treasures controlled by sects and are not easily leaked out. However, as sects grow larger, there are bound to be some greedy parasites who will always find ways to leak out some Foundation Establishment Pills.

He didn't care where the Foundation Establishment Pill came from, as long as he could get his hands on it.

"So it seems I've come to the right person. Shopkeeper, I need a Foundation Establishment Pill, do you have any in stock?"

"Haha, sir, you've come at just the right time. If you had come ten or eight days earlier, our shop really wouldn't have had any stock to offer."

“A while ago, the great demon committed heinous crimes at Yuqing Temple, making everyone live in fear and hide at home, even Tianhe Sect closed its mountain.”

The shopkeeper shook his head, recalling those days of widespread anxiety.

"Business was terrible back then, and we ran out of Foundation Establishment Pills."

"However, the Heavenly River Sect was unsealed a few days ago, and everything is fine now."

"Well, we just got our hands on Foundation Establishment Pills, and you've just arrived, sir. What a coincidence!"

Liu Xingchen was relieved upon hearing this: "It's good that you have Foundation Establishment Pills. Give me one."

"No problem." The shopkeeper chuckled and took out an exquisite brocade box. Upon opening it, he found a crystal-clear, round pill inside.

This elixir is as white as jade, with a faint blue tint, and has exquisite cinnabar patterns on it. These patterns are formed naturally during the elixir's preparation, and each type of elixir has its own unique cinnabar patterns.

Liu Xingchen had once robbed a Foundation Establishment Pill that was worth too much money, so he knew what it looked like. He picked up the pill and examined it carefully for a while, then nodded and said, "Not bad, this is a Foundation Establishment Pill. Shopkeeper, name your price."

"Haha, you have a good eye, sir. It seems you know your stuff. How about this, I won't ask for more. You just need to offer 4000 spirit crystals, and the Foundation Establishment Pill is yours."

4000 spirit crystals was indeed not cheap, but Liu Xingchen did not haggle any further, nodded in agreement, and quickly got the goods in his hands.

Just as he was about to take out the spirit crystal, the door creaked open and a person dressed in a bright red brocade robe rushed in.

"Manager Wu, that's not fair of you. Didn't you promise to save me a Foundation Establishment Pill? What? You're going back on your word?"

"If I hadn't asked the guy outside, I would have almost missed out on this Foundation Establishment Pill."

Upon seeing the newcomer, the shopkeeper exclaimed "Oh dear!" and greeted him with a forced smile:

"Fellow Daoist Cheng, I'm sorry. I haven't heard from you for several years, and I didn't know if you still needed Foundation Establishment Pills, so I didn't save any for you. I'll definitely do it next time."

The man surnamed Cheng immediately became unhappy: "You think I'm dead? I'm still alive and well."

Seeing that the man surnamed Cheng was throwing a tantrum, the shopkeeper had no choice but to put on a smile and apologize to him.

Fellow Daoist Cheng persisted, turning to Liu Xingchen and saying, "This Foundation Establishment Pill is mine. Fellow Daoist, you should buy it next time."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xingchen turned to look at Fellow Daoist Cheng, who was dressed like a conspicuous bag. The two stared at each other, their eyes practically spitting fire.

It seems this Foundation Establishment Pill won't be so easy to obtain; I'll have to compete with this person for it.