Han Li picked up a jade cylinder and gently blew on it, revealing its lush, vibrant green essence. He pressed the cylinder against his temple, allowing his mind to slowly sink into its inner depths. Suddenly, a complete method for crafting a foundational pill appeared before him—precisely the method he had long dreamed of. From raw materials to the precise process of condensing the essence into a pill, every detail was clearly outlined, leaving him both astonished and delighted. He momentarily forgot to examine the second jade cylinder and hurried to absorb all the information. However, as his mind passed over the words—“the pill must be tempered with primordial true fire to succeed”—Han Li froze, feeling utterly stunned. Primordial true fire was the Daoist aura accessible only to cultivators at the foundational stage, a natural ability that developed with time through meditation and qi cultivation. Its power grew stronger with each session of meditation and qi refinement, eventually evolving into the legendary Three Flavors of Fire by the time one reached the Condensation stage, capable of burning away all things in the world. Yet how could the naturally occurring true fire at the beginning of his cultivation allow a Qi Condensation stage cultivator like Han Li to manifest it? Only after achieving Foundation Establishment could he truly utilize it. However, if Foundation Establishment required the creation of a Foundation Establishment Pill, and that creation in turn depended on the naturally occurring true fire developed after Foundation Establishment, a closed, interdependent loop would be formed—an unbreakable deadlock. Han Li found himself so frustrated that he felt a strong urge to bang his head against the wall! Seeking assistance from other Foundation Establishment cultivators to refine the pills was even worse. It would be equivalent to revealing the secret of his small bottle to the other party, and at that point, the very person he had invited to help might become the one who would ultimately prove fatal to him. Han Li stood at the table, restless and agitated for a long while, before finally removing the jade tube from his forehead and placing it back in its original position. Then, with a distracted mind, he picked up another jade tube, wiped it a few times, and revealed a deep crimson hue. "The matter of the Foundation Establishment Pill can be addressed later! For now, let's examine what's inside this one—perhaps it contains other remarkable pills Han Li was also a decisive and resolute man. He immediately set aside the matter of the Foundation Pill and turned his attention to this red jade cylinder, hoping for a major surprise. As soon as his mind entered the cylinder, the characters "Stable Appearance Pill" appeared clearly in his thoughts, instantly giving him a sense of unease. Though he comforted himself, saying, "Although it's named thus, the effects of the pill may not necessarily match what I expect—perhaps it has other remarkable properties!" However, the following sentences completely shattered his hopes. The description of the pill's effects was simply: "It can preserve youth and maintain a youthful appearance"—no other benefits were mentioned at all. Han Li stood there motionless, as if frozen, saying nothing. Yet within, a surge of fierce frustration boiled over, and he silently cursed under his breath. "What kind of library is this? How come it has absolutely no essential recipes, only all sorts of random, cluttered items! These things—golden needle techniques, complexion-stabilizing pills—what use could they possibly be for us cultivators? Yet they're displayed so proudly here..." Just as Han Li began to think this trip had been entirely in vain, that same irritating voice resumed. "It's time again. If we don't act soon..." "Then I'll come down!" This time, Han Li wasn't going to leave without giving the other party at least one spirit stone. So he picked up the jade cylinder containing the recipe for a Foundation-Stage Pill and prepared to leave. But as he stepped at the stairwell, he hesitated. While the complexion-stabilizing pill didn't help him advance in cultivation power at all, he thought it might still be useful to sell it to other cultivators. Most importantly, it didn't require the so-called innate true fire—something he could easily prepare right now. Thinking of this, Han Li turned around and hurried back to the table, grabbing the red jade cylinders in his hands, then quickly made his way to the staircase entrance, descending the stairs with a steady pace. "How about it, young friend? Did you find anything worthwhile?" the elder immediately smiled warmly upon seeing Han Li arrive, yet Han Li found the question strangely insincere. "Master Xu, isn't the upper floor indeed where our sect stores the secret formulas for elixirs? It seems rather cluttered and unimpressive—wouldn't there be other, more valuable storage rooms as well?" Han Li didn't pay much attention to the elder's light teasing, instead asking the question he'd been holding onto for a while, his face showing clear frustration. Seeing Han Li's expression, the elder couldn't help but chuckle softly. "Since I've been in charge of this area, few visitors have come to this floor with questions like yours. Almost every new arrival who has climbed upstairs to view the space has asked me the same thing." But if you'd like to know the full details of this matter...” Master Xu deliberately drew out his words, though his intent was unmistakably clear. The other party’s stubborn, money-hungry expression left Han Li utterly speechless. This man—once thought to be merely a Foundation Stage cultivator—was clearly a shrewd merchant from the mundane world, behaving like a literal iron rooster when it came to spending. At this point, Han Li finally understood the reason the other had initially refused to call him “Senior Brother” and instead referred to Sun Old Man. It was clear that by positioning himself as a senior family elder, he hoped to avoid openly demanding favors. Thus, he had resorted to a clever, self-deceiving maneuver. Han Li slightly raised his brow, then, without further hesitation, gave two crisp taps on the table, placing the two jade tubes before the elder. “I originally intended to make copies of both jade tubes. But now I realize the spiritual stones may not be sufficient! In that case, I’ll only copy one of them, and return the other one.” "Han Li hadn't just been drifting through the mortal world without making any impact—he'd taken a few defensive measures, just in case the other party's appetite kept growing. "Would you like two copies?" Xu, the elder, beamed with delight, eyes wide open. "Originally, yes—but my younger companion still wants to review the answers to the questions just now. It seems like two copies aren't quite enough!" "Ah, well," smiled the elder. "Since you're so eager, the questions are now completely free. I'll prepare the copies right away!" The elder hurriedly took the two jade tubes in his hands and then quickly fetched two more white jade tubes from a shelf behind him, rushing to duplicate them, as if afraid Han Li might change his mind. "Done! Here you go!" With astonishing speed, the elder completed the duplication while Han Li stared in sheer astonishment, then placed the copies right before him. He then fixed him with a direct gaze—one that clearly said, "Now, don't hesitate—go fetch your spirit stones!" Han Li's lips twitched slightly, trying to speak, but ultimately managed to say nothing. After a brief silence, he smoothly produced twenty low-rank spiritual stones from his storage bag and silently handed them to the elder. The elder received the stones with a joyful expression, beaming with delight, unable to stop smiling. Only after he checked the stones several times—counting them over and over—did he notice that Han Li was still waiting for his response. At that moment, Xu, the elder, felt satisfied, and with a gaze now reserved like that of a major patron, he carefully studied Han Li once again. "It truly is that one can't judge a person by their appearance! Young friend, your wealth and standing are far more impressive than I expected. Though I am a man who values wealth, I am also someone who keeps his word. So, whatever questions you have today, please feel free to ask—old man Xu will certainly ensure you are fully satisfied!" With his gaze returned, the elder adopted a serious and dignified posture and spoke with solemnity. Han Li was slightly surprised but promptly and directly asked the questions he had previously raised. "In fact, the answer is quite simple—the formulas for most of the elixirs have already been lost. Not only in our Huangfeng Valley, but also in other families and indeed throughout the entire immortal cultivation realm!" The elder spoke slowly. By the time the cultivators of the immortal realm had become aware of the severity of this issue, the world's finest natural resources had already been completely extracted, leaving only a few scattered remnants in certain special locations. Even for accomplished cultivators, these remaining sites were perilous, and rarely ventured into them. As a result, recipes that had lost their raw material sources became utterly worthless—what reason would anyone have to value them? After an exceptionally long period and through several great calamities that struck the immortal realm, these medicinal formulas gradually faded from history, surviving only in a handful. Among these, the Foundation-Base Pill was one of the few that endured.