“Discretion sometimes dictates to not resist enemies but to observe instead their strength and use it to one’s benefit to win over them.”

The city lord surrendered any thoughts of resisting Qai’s proposal.

In his mind, he would only have to endure.

And from the way he looked at it, the young lord of the Saints Hall was exactly a ‘backing’ whom he could possibly use.

So in the end, the city lord promised to pay a yearly tribute of resources worth a hundred thousand of Spirit Stones.

He also offered ownership of a certain teahouse in the city, which included its keeper and servants working in it. Apparently, the business property regularly earned the city lord another hundred thousand Spirit Stones yearly.

As a result, Qai would now own 2 shops in the Rising Sun City—something that came unexpectedly in his projected gains.

Finally, the city lord offered a medicinal bottle containing an ‘Ageless Bone Pill’ concocted by a renowned pill master belonging to the Broken Moon Sect.

Evidently, the Qai's overall gain was not really much compared to the entire earning of the city lord. But Qai did not mind it—as long as he could extend his influence over the entire Rising Sun City, it was already enough for him.

Qai also took all the treasures and storage pouches of the city guards and the Devil Dao cultivator whom his giant Ant colony slaughtered.

And before Qai sent the city lord away, he said something that crumbled all the hopes of the latter to get his revenge.

“City lord, in order not to give you an opportunity to renege on our agreement, I will be sealing your cultivation base under my control. Don't worry because it will not affect your cultivation in itself. I will just possess the power to cripple you anytime I want should you try to attempt another attack on me.”

‘What!?’

After he said that, the Queen Ant did her part and overwhelmed the city lord’s dantian with her Dark spiritual Qi energy.

And so with his face pale, the city lord went back to the Rising Sun City defeated to the core. Had he known that such things would happen to him, he would have rather left the Saints Hall alone.

In the following days, Qai consulted Teng Hu about the ‘Ageless Bone Pill.’

However, the latter had no idea about such a pill but he guaranteed Qai nonetheless that it was indeed a ‘cultivation’ pill that, among others, contained effects that could strengthen one’s bones.

As for the rest of its effects, he was honestly clueless although he could tell that it had no side effects or anything like cultivation backlash.

All in all, it was definitely a precious pill.

During that period though, Qai sent the Crag Brothers to hire few people in the city to man their shop and also sent them to the Teahouse to facilitate the change of ownership.

In his mind, the Crag Brothers should now concentrate on their cultivation and their progress in Talisman refinement and Pill alchemy respectively.

Qai also called up Ji Wuheng and asked the latter to take up the position of managing all the halls especially the Treasury Hall now that there would be a stable influx of resources in the Saints Hall.

As for the 3 Fang cultivators, Qai gave each or them some rotational assignments which included upkeeping the breeding ground and the herb garden as well as patrolling the walls.

As for Old Ye Mo, he wanted to pamper him like the Crag Brothers and just allowed him to concentrate in his cultivation and in his craft.

His long term vision was to make Core Formation cultivators someday for his Saints Hall.

And right after revamping all the tasks and responsibilities of the cultivators in the Saints Hall, he felt ready to attempt a breakthrough into the next realm—Foundation Establishment stage!

And so, he let his people know his intention to enter into closed-door cultivation and let them handle all the tasks in the Saints Hall.

Thereafter, he went into seclusion.

Inside the room of his manor, Qai sat cross-legged on a stone bed, looking at 3 vividly blue Foundation Establishment Pills floating in front of him with an expression of deep thought on his face.

Those pills were all the rewards that Qai had received from spending complex planning and efforts which included amounts of, not only his, but also of his own followers’ blood, sweat, and tears during these past years.

Obtaining them was truly difficult beyond comparison!

Also in front him was the ‘Ageless Bone Pill’ which he planned to consume first prior to the Foundation Establishment Pills.

Qai unhesitatingly placed the said Ageless Bone Pill in his mouth, and instantly a rich spiritual Qi energy circulated throughout his body then seeped into his bones.

He guided flow to evenly spread in his bones.

However, what Qai did not know was that while the pill did have good effects on his bones, its primary function was actually to invigorate his outward appearance.

Outside, the pill was better known as the ‘Eternal Youth Pill’—a pill that would slow down the rate of ones aging by practically a hundredfold so much so that a hundred years of a life cycle that could pass by in a cultivator’s lifespan would only have a year worth of the natural wear and tear in terms of external looks.

Apparently, the key to understanding its hidden effects was in the word ‘ageless’ and not in the ‘bones.’

And little did Qai know, that the Ageless Bone Pill that he had just taken was actually a pill that was famous among female cultivators.

Of course, Qai had no idea of its famous effect all because Teng Hu, his chief Pill alchemist, had no idea as well.

The city lord, on the other hand, did not intend to deceive Qai.

Back when he was caught, it really was the only precious treasure he had in possession at the time that he felt worthy of Qai’s attention.

At any rate, the pill did not fail to live up to its name since Qai could feel his bones became renewed.

And with the addition of his Grandmaster rank physique, he felt that his bodily strength advanced by another layer.

After consolidating the effects of the Ageless Bone Pill, Qai began to place a thousand Spirit Stones around his bed before he put in his mouth all 3 Foundation Establishment Pills.

He gritted his teeth as he closed his eyes and began to repeatedly narrate the incantation of the ‘Transcending Autumn Arts’ in his mind.

Immediately, he felt like heaven and earth, and everything around him melded into one while the viridescent bronze color of his own spiritual Qi energy transformed into a much radiant one.

As the pills simultaneously dissolved in his mouth, boundless spiritual Qi energy surged around him. It was as if he was a falling leaf being thrown around by blowing wind.

Qai dramatically absorbed the spiritual Qi energy and circulated them within his body.

He was already at the great circle of Qi Condensation for quite some time and was already feeling very confident in his ability to make a breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage.

He already knew that his cultivation method requires a lot of resources that was why he took 3 Foundation Establishment Pills all at the same time.

About 5 years ago, Shu Liang, Ao Tian and the rest of the Precious Tree Sect inner disciples who came to Kamaria Island to participate in the Trial by Fire were all in the Foundation Establishment stage—and back then, they were all around the same age as him.

‘Finally, I will be able to catch up with all of you.’

Once in the Foundation Establishment stage, he would already be considered to have stepped into the path of a true immortal. And his life would extend to 5 60-year life cycles.

Meanwhile, Qai continued to repeat the incantation of his cultivation technique.

Unknowingly, a month had already passed.

Then another.

And another.

Three months had already gone by and he was still stuck in his room circulating the spiritual Qi energy within his body.

Until one day, he finally opened his eyes and immediately extended his Spiritual Sense.

Boom!