The recipe for the Foundation Establishment Pill was already secured, so that was no longer a concern.
The true difficulty lay in gathering the ingredients. The herbs required for the Foundation Establishment Pill were extremely rare, and the sect never sold them to the public. If he wished to obtain them, he would have to find another way.
According to what Wang Jianqian knew, the upcoming Outer Sect Grand Competition offered a rare opportunity. The top fifty disciples would not only receive a Foundation Establishment Pill as a reward but also gain the right to enter the Cold Pool Secret Realm.
The top ten disciples would even be granted an extra attendant quota—two slots in total.
The Hehuan Sect had three main avenues for acquiring the ingredients for Foundation Establishment Pills, and the Cold Pool Secret Realm was one of them.
Wang Jianqian disliked the notion of performing like a monkey in front of a crowd on the arena stage. That was why he had encouraged Wang Yuyao to participate in the competition instead. As long as she ranked in the top ten, she could take him with her into the Cold Pool Secret Realm.
"Two months remain until the competition begins. It's time to make some preparations."
An hour later, at the Outer Affairs Hall.
When he saw Elder Dongyue again, Wang Jianqian couldn't help but notice how different she seemed compared to before.
Her expression was clouded, her brows faintly knitted, as if weighed down by heavy concerns.
"Elder Dong?"
Noticing her moment of distraction, he gently reminded her.
Dongyue blinked back to her senses. "What did you just say?"
Wang Jianqian could only give a wry smile. He had already said it twice, and she hadn't heard him either time.
He had no choice but to repeat himself: "I would like to purchase some artifact blueprints."
"You can refine artifacts as well?"
Dongyue's delicate brows furrowed slightly.
Seeing her displeased expression, Wang Jianqian felt uneasy, unsure how he had offended her. He answered cautiously, "I only know a little."
Dongyue shook her head. "The path of cultivation lies in focus, not distraction. The more disciplines you study, the more divided your efforts become. If you dedicate yourself to alchemy, you may yet have a chance—no matter how slim—of forming your foundation before your lifespan runs out. At that time, your years will double, and you'll have plenty of time to study artifact forging."
Wang Jianqian chuckled lightly. "I appreciate your concern, Elder. This disciple has confidence in becoming a Rank Two Alchemist."
Dongyue's face darkened, a flicker of displeasure in her eyes.
This Wang Jianqian was far too arrogant. Were it not for the small hope she placed upon him, she would never have spoken so earnestly to persuade him.
"I don't know if you've obtained some kind of fortuitous encounter recently, allowing you to make breakthrough after breakthrough in alchemy."
"But to become a Rank Two Alchemist… that is a great chasm compared to Rank One, not just a small step. If you continue with such blind arrogance, regret will come too late."
She looked at him deeply, suppressing the irritation in her chest, and tried to advise him patiently.
Her tone was noticeably harsher, and Wang Jianqian was momentarily stunned.
He didn't know why this cold and aloof elder suddenly cared so much about him, but he recognized that her words came from good intentions.
Thus, he endured his impatience and replied, "Elder's words are naturally correct. But if I speak so boldly, it is because I have my reasons. In truth, I have already touched upon the threshold of Rank Two. At most, in two or three months—half a year at the longest—I will certainly become a Rank Two Alchemist."
If he wished, he could use cultivation points to break through immediately. But saying so would be far too shocking. Better to give a conservative answer.
Even so, Dongyue was clearly stunned.
She froze in place, speechless even after his words fell.
After a long pause, Wang Jianqian was just about to speak again when his vision blurred.
In the next instant, Dongyue had appeared before him like a ghost, seizing his arm with both hands. Her voice trembled slightly with urgency. "Everything you just said—was it true?"
Feeling the strength in her grip, Wang Jianqian grimaced inwardly and nodded quickly.
"Every word is true."
"Good. That's… that's wonderful."
Seeing his steady expression, Dongyue suddenly broke into a radiant smile.
In that moment, it was as though a hundred blossoms had bloomed at once, dazzling in their beauty.
Wang Jianqian was stunned.
This elder, usually so cold and distant, had never shown such a vivid, breathtaking expression before.
After a heartbeat, Dongyue seemed to realize her loss of composure. She hurriedly released his arm and pulled back her smile, restoring her frosty demeanor in an instant.
With a flicker of movement, she returned to her original seat. Her voice regained its cool steadiness. "Since you're on the verge of breakthrough, why not focus on achieving it sooner? Why still distract yourself with artifact forging?"
"I want to refine some artifacts to prepare for the Outer Sect Grand Competition," Wang Jianqian answered.
Dongyue's eyes widened slightly, then she quickly understood. "You intend to enter the Cold Pool Secret Realm to gather materials for the Foundation Establishment Pill?"
Wang Jianqian nodded with a faint smile. "Elder's insight is sharp as ever."
Hearing this, Dongyue's lips curved into another smile. "So you're that confident in reaching Rank Two. Since that's the case, I won't stand in your way. What blueprints do you want?"
But when she finished speaking, there was no reply.
Puzzled, she glanced up, only to find Wang Jianqian staring at her blankly. Her voice unconsciously rose in sharpness.
"Wang Jianqian, what are you doing?"
He jolted, his face flushing with embarrassment. "Elder, your smile is too beautiful. I didn't mean to stare."
"See that it doesn't happen again."
Dongyue shot him a glare, then repeated firmly, "Now, what artifact blueprints do you need?"
Wang Jianqian had already decided beforehand. He quickly replied, "Chasing Wind Boots, Violet Cloud Flowing Skirt, Dark Soul Sword, Darklight Seal, and the Small Thousand Mountain Seal."
"You… you're a High-Rank Tier One Artifact Refiner?"
Dongyue was stunned.
In her eyes, he should have been no more than a Low-Rank Refiner at best. Yet every blueprint he mentioned was for high-rank artifacts.
"I only advanced recently."
Seeing her surprise, Wang Jianqian gave an awkward smile, speaking humbly.
Dongyue was left speechless.
At this point, she couldn't help but suspect that Wang Jianqian had been hiding his true ability all along. His talents in both alchemy and artifact forging weren't inferior at all—in fact, they surpassed most of the outer sect.
Perhaps he had already reached High-Rank in both arts and was only now revealing glimpses of his ability.
If that were the case, then his inexplicably fast progress in alchemy could finally be explained.
After a long pause, Dongyue's face grew thoughtful. At last, she said slowly, "Outer sect disciples are only permitted to buy high-grade artifacts, not the blueprints for them. At most, you're allowed to purchase mid-grade blueprints."
Wang Jianqian's expression fell in disappointment.
Dongyue looked at him, then clenched her teeth. "I can make an exception and sell you one high-grade blueprint. But only one. As for the rest, you'll have to either buy the artifacts directly or settle for mid-grade blueprints."
Wang Jianqian's eyes lit up.
Indeed, having someone above to pull strings always made things easier.
After some thought, he finally chose the Small Thousand Mountain Seal blueprint.
As for the others, direct purchases of high-grade artifacts or mid-grade blueprints would suffice. Optimized and perfected, a mid-grade artifact could rival or even surpass an ordinary high-grade one.
Naturally, blueprints were the more cost-effective option.
In the end, he obtained the Small Thousand Mountain Seal blueprint along with several mid-grade ones.
He also stocked up on forging materials before bidding farewell to Dongyue.
After he left, Dongyue could no longer restrain the excitement on her face.
He could truly reach Rank Two in alchemy.
In that case… did that not mean her hope was not completely lost?
"Should I speak with him about it now?"
Her eyes flickered with hesitation before she shook her head.
"No. There's no rush. I'll wait until he successfully builds his foundation. If he fails… then it will all be nothing but empty words."