"Congratulations, Senior Sister. Not only are you about to reach Foundation Establishment, but you'll also become the disciple of a Golden Core Ancestor. Your future is truly limitless!" Lin Haoming looked at the peerless beauty before him, but his voice was devoid of emotion.
He knew his tone betrayed his resentment, but he couldn't suppress it.
Xie Ruolan looked at him with a smile. She propped her chin up with both hands, staring at him for a long moment before teasing, "Oh! You're angry! It was your discovery, yet you could have been the one to reach Foundation Establishment and be taken in by an Ancestor. Now you have nothing. If I were you, I'd be angry too!"
Seeing her smug, fearless expression, Lin's temper flared. "What are you here for? To give me some hush money?"
"Do I really need to pay you to stay quiet?" she countered mockingly. "Would you even dare to spread the word?"
Lin went silent. She was right. If he went around complaining, he'd likely disappear before the sun went down. For a moment, he even considered using the token Ling Shengjie gave him to flee the sect entirely. But fleeing right after a major discovery would look suspicious; he likely wouldn't get far. He was stuck.
---
The Unexpected Gift
"For you!" Xie Ruolan flipped her hand, revealing a small vial which she tossed to Lin.
Lin caught it and opened it. His heart skipped a beat as he poured out a single, translucent, jade-like pill. "A Foundation Establishment Pill!"
"At least you recognize it," Xie Ruolan said, triumphantly crossing her legs.
Lin put the pill back, his confusion outweighing his anger. "This... is for me?"
"If you don't want it, I can give it to someone else," she said casually.
Lin immediately stowed the vial away, his face softening. "Is this part of your reward?"
"The Sect Leader gave each of the three of us three pills. If we fail to break through, we can ask for more," she explained.
"You haven't even tried to break through yet. Aren't you afraid of running out by giving one to me?"
Xie Ruolan's voice was full of confidence. "I kept one as a backup. If I can't succeed with two, then I might as well give up on the path of cultivation entirely."
Lin was stunned by her self-imposed rigor. He realized that while she only needed two to be certain, he—with his poor aptitude—wouldn't feel confident even with four.
---
The Real Game
"Alright, stop making that sour face," Xie Ruolan continued. "Don't feel too slighted. If just you and I had reported this, we probably would have only received one or two pills total. By bringing those two idiots in, their respective Ancestors pulled strings for their descendants. Why do you think the rewards were so heavy? It's a massive mine, yes, but it's not in Blood Refining Sect territory. It's on the border of three different sects, and they're currently locked in a fierce dispute over it."
Lin wasn't stupid. He realized that pulling in the Young Masters had effectively secured the sect's political backing for the discovery. His anger toward her faded, and looking at her playful expression, he actually found her somewhat charming—a realization that made him feel a bit disgusted with his own fickleness.
"I remember that inner disciples can exchange spirit stones for Foundation Establishment Pills once they reach Great Perfection, right? Ten thousand stones per pill?" Lin asked.
"True, but you also need one hundred Sect Contribution Points per pill. Do you have those?"
"Contribution points... how do you earn them?"
"Missions, or donating rare items. A sixty-year-old Crimson Sun Ginseng is worth one point. A three-hundred-year-old one is worth ten. You can also buy points with spirit stones—one hundred stones for one point. So, technically, a pill costs twenty thousand spirit stones."
Lin calculated quickly. With his Spirit Accumulation Bead making twelve stones a day, it would take four and a half years to save twenty thousand—and that's if he didn't spend a single one. Besides, an outer disciple suddenly flashing twenty thousand stones would be a death sentence.
"I had enough points and stones saved up," Xie Ruolan added, "but since I just received the sect's reward, it would look suspicious if I exchanged for more. Besides, I have no reason to give all my savings to you."
"Then why mention it?" Lin grumbled.
Xie Ruolan grinned. "As your Senior Sister—or perhaps your future Martial Aunt—I'm pointing you toward a bright path."
"What path?"
She leaned in mysteriously. "Because of the mine's location, the three sects reached an agreement. Each sect gets thirty percent of the mine. The final ten percent will be decided by a competition among Qi Refining disciples."
"A competition?"
"Each sect will send three hundred disciples into the mine for three days. Whichever sect mines the most spirit stones wins that final ten percent share."
"Three hundred people?" Lin gasped. "That's going to be a bloodbath! It's possible only thirty people will walk out alive!"
"Exactly. But the rewards are immense. The top three contributors from the winning sect will each get three Foundation Establishment Pills. The next three get two, and the three after that get one. Everyone else who survives gets a generous bonus."
Lin's eyes lit up. Three pills! Combined with the one he just received and his own secret methods, his chance of successfully reaching the Foundation Establishment stage suddenly became very real.