Dong Yue's Hope

The formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill has already been found, so there's no need to worry about it further.

However, the ingredients for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill are extremely rare, and the sect does not sell them externally. To acquire them, one must find alternative methods.

As he knows.

In this upcoming Outer Sect Competition, the top fifty disciples will not only receive a Foundation Establishment Pill as a reward but also gain entry into the Cold Pool Secret Realm.

Among them, the top ten will receive an additional follower entry, equivalent to two entries.

The Joy Union Sect has three main ways to obtain the raw materials for the Foundation Establishment Pill.

The Cold Pool Secret Realm is one of them.

Wang Jianqiang dislikes being watched like a monkey in arena battles, which is why he encouraged Wang Yuyao to participate in the Outer Sect Competition.

As long as Wang Yuyao ranks in the top ten, she can take him along into the Cold Pool Secret Realm.

"With two months left until the competition begins, it's time to make some preparations."

An hour later.

External Affairs Hall.

Upon seeing Dong Yue again, he couldn’t help but notice that she seemed quite different from before.

Her expression was somewhat gloomy, and there seemed to be a hint of worry between her brows.

She seemed to have heavy thoughts.

"Elder Dong?"

Seeing her somewhat dazed, Wang Jianqiang couldn't help but remind her with a word.

Dong Yue immediately snapped back to reality, "What did you just say?"

Wang Jianqiang smiled wryly; he had already said it twice, and it seemed she hadn't listened at all.

Helplessly, he had to repeat himself, "I would like to purchase some artifact blueprints."

"You know how to forge artifacts?"

Upon hearing Wang Jianqiang's words, Dong Yue's slender eyebrows furrowed.

Seeing Dong Yue's face turn somewhat displeased, Wang Jianqiang was momentarily confused, unsure of how he had offended her, and cautiously said, "I know a little."

Dong Yue shook her head, "The path of cultivation lies in focus, not in spreading oneself thin. The more you learn, the more you scatter your energy."

"If you focus on the path of alchemy, you might have a slim chance of successfully establishing your foundation before your time runs out, thereby greatly increasing your lifespan. It wouldn't be too late to pursue artifact forging then."

Wang Jianqiang smiled at her words, "Thank you for your concern, Elder. I am confident that I can become a second-tier alchemist."

Dong Yue's expression darkened, somewhat displeased.

Wang Jianqiang was being overly arrogant.

If she didn't have some expectations for him in her heart, why would she be so earnest in advising him?

"I don't know if you've recently stumbled upon some opportunity that allowed you to make successive breakthroughs in alchemy."

"But the path of alchemy, the second tier and first tier are vastly different realms, far more challenging than minor breakthroughs."

"If you remain blindly arrogant, you'll regret it when the time comes."

She gave Wang Jianqiang a deep look, suppressing her anger, and patiently advised.

Upon hearing Dong Yue's noticeably harsher tone, Wang Jianqiang was taken aback.

He didn't understand why this cold and elegant elder suddenly cared about him, but he knew she meant well.

Patiently, he said, "Elder, I understand your reasoning, but since I said so, I naturally have my reasons."

"In recent days, I've made further progress in alchemy and have already touched the boundary of becoming a second-tier alchemist. In two to three months at the shortest, or half a year at the longest, I will definitely become a second-tier alchemist."

In fact, if he wanted to, he could rely on cultivation points to break through at any time.

But if he spoke the truth, it would be too shocking, so he had to express it conservatively.

Even so, Dong Yue seemed to be taken aback.

The moment Wang Jianqiang finished speaking, she froze in place.

For a while, Wang Jianqiang noticed she still hadn’t snapped out of it and was debating whether to remind her.

Suddenly, his vision blurred.

Dong Yue appeared before him like a phantom, gripping his arm in excitement. “Is everything you said true?”

Feeling the strength of her grip, Wang Jianqiang winced slightly and quickly nodded.

“Absolutely.”

“Good, that’s excellent.” Seeing the certainty in Wang Jianqiang’s expression, Dong Yue suddenly broke into a radiant smile.

In that instant, it was as if a hundred flowers bloomed, breathtakingly beautiful.

Wang Jianqiang was momentarily spellbound.

Normally, Elder Dong always wore a cold expression when dealing with others. When had she ever shown such a dazzling smile?

A moment later, Dong Yue seemed to realize her lapse. She quickly released Wang Jianqiang’s arm, withdrew her smile, and in the blink of an eye, returned to her usual aloof demeanor.

Her figure flickered as she returned to her original position. She looked at Wang Jianqiang and asked, “Since you’re on the verge of a breakthrough, why not focus on achieving it as soon as possible? Why are you diverting your attention to artifact crafting?”

“I wish to refine some magical artifacts to prepare for the Outer Sect Grand Tournament,” Wang Jianqiang replied.

Dong Yue was momentarily stunned but quickly understood. “You’re planning to enter the Cold Pool Secret Realm to gather materials for refining Foundation Establishment Pills?”

Wang Jianqiang smiled and nodded. “Elder, your insight is unparalleled.”

Hearing this, Dong Yue’s face lit up with a smile. “It seems you’re quite confident about advancing to a second-tier alchemist. In that case, I won’t stop you. What blueprints for magical artifacts do you need?”

As soon as she finished speaking, she didn’t receive an immediate answer from Wang Jianqiang.

Puzzled, she glanced at him and found him staring at her blankly. Her voice involuntarily rose a few notches.

“Wang Jianqiang, what are you doing?”

Wang Jianqiang snapped out of his daze, his expression a little embarrassed. “Elder, your smile is too beautiful. I didn’t mean to...”

“Don’t let it happen again,” Dong Yue said, glaring at him before repeating herself. “What blueprints for magical artifacts do you need?”

Wang Jianqiang had already decided on the blueprints he needed before coming here, so he immediately replied, “Chasing Wind Boots, Purple Cloud Flowing Light Dress, Mystic Soul Sword, Mystic Light Seal, and Small Thousand Mountain Seal.”

“You’re a high-level first-tier artifact crafter??”

Dong Yue was taken aback.

In her eyes, Wang Jianqiang was, at most, a low-level first-tier artifact crafter.

But she hadn’t expected him to name nothing but high-level magical artifacts.

“I just recently advanced,” Wang Jianqiang said, letting out an awkward chuckle as he tried to appear humble, noticing the surprise on Dong Yue’s face.

Dong Yue was momentarily speechless.

She was now seriously suspecting that Wang Jianqiang had been hiding his true capabilities all along. His talent in both alchemy and artifact crafting was not only not inferior but might even surpass that of most Outer Sect disciples.

It seemed he had already mastered high-level first-tier skills in both alchemy and artifact crafting but had only recently begun to reveal his abilities bit by bit.

If that were the case, it would explain his seemingly incomprehensible progress in alchemy.

Returning to her senses, Dong Yue’s expression turned contemplative. After a moment, she slowly said, “Outer Sect disciples are only authorized to purchase high-level magical artifacts, not high-level blueprints. The highest you can acquire are mid-level blueprints.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Jianqiang’s face showed a hint of disappointment.

Dong Yue glanced at him and bit her lip. “I can make the decision to sell you an advanced blueprint, but I can only sell you one. For the rest, you’ll either have to directly purchase magical artifacts or settle for exchanging them for intermediate-level artifact blueprints.”

Wang Jianqiang’s eyes lit up.

Indeed, things are much easier when you have connections.

After some deliberation, he finally decided on the blueprint for the Lesser Thousand Mountain Seal.

As for whether to directly purchase advanced magical artifacts or intermediate-level artifact blueprints?

After optimization and upgrades, a perfected intermediate-level artifact would undoubtedly rival the power of an ordinary advanced artifact.

Naturally, buying the blueprint was the more cost-effective option.

In the end, Wang Jianqiang purchased the blueprint for the Lesser Thousand Mountain Seal along with several intermediate-level artifact blueprints.

Afterward, he also bought a large quantity of refining materials before bidding farewell to Dong Yue.

Once Wang Jianqiang had left, Dong Yue could no longer contain the excitement on her face.

She might actually be able to break through to a second-tier alchemist.

If that were the case, wouldn’t she have a glimmer of hope after all?

“Should I discuss this with him?”

A hint of hesitation flashed across her face, but she quickly shook her head.

“There’s no rush. I’ll wait until he successfully establishes his foundation before approaching him. If he fails to build his foundation, then all of this would be nothing but idle talk anyway.”