Chapter 53: Expelled from the Master

Although Chen Mobai knew that the success rate of Foundation Establishment was very low, the real impact of seeing a failure was still immense.

He still remembered the first time he met Wu Wan, who held a book, exuding a refined and elegant demeanor, and whose interactions with others were as refreshing as a spring breeze.

If it weren't for the subsequent attempt to fabricate transactions to earn points, Chen Mobai's first impression of him would have been very good.

"Are you selling gold?"

"Yes, take a look at these. How much can they be sold for?"

Chen Mobai didn't ask about the specific circumstances of Wu Wan's Foundation Establishment failure. After Wu Wan spoke, he immediately placed the forty gold bars he had exchanged from the Nanhui Market's Wuxing Sect silver shop on the table.

"Wait a moment, I'll get the scale."

Wu Wan lightly coughed and took down the magical scale used to measure the weight and purity of gold from the shelf.

Since the gold used for transactions among cultivators in the Tianhe Realm had been refined with spiritual energy, there was no issue with its purity.

"The current gold price has risen a bit. These are valued at 4300 merit points. How about that?"

"No problem, let's go with that price."

Chen Mobai nodded, and the two quickly completed the transaction.

"Has the needle box been sold?"

After recording the transaction, Wu Wan suddenly asked another question.

"No, I'm using it myself."

"If you need any appraisal of magical artifacts in the future, you can come to me. I'll give you a discount."

"Alright."

After agreeing, Chen Mobai bid farewell and left Wu Wan's gold shop.

He wondered if Wu Wan could still cultivate to the peak of the Qi Condensation stage before the age of 60. If he could, he would surely not give up the chance to attempt Foundation Establishment again.

Many cultivators in the immortal sects do not consider marriage before the age of 60 in order to achieve Foundation Establishment.

For example, Chen Mobai's grandparents both attempted Foundation Establishment twice before the age of 60. After surpassing the limit, they began to consider passing on their lineage and forming a family. As a result, after giving birth to the three siblings Chen Xinglan, the two elders, who had exhausted their vital essence, passed away when Chen Mobai was very young.

This is one of the mainstream schools of thought in the immortal sects.

One school believes that having attachments will inevitably hinder the path to immortality. The other school believes that having a broad heart will enable one to transcend the mundane world and achieve the Dao.

Chen Mobai has seen many discussions on forums between the two schools and has pondered this issue himself.

If he could, he would naturally want to focus solely on cultivation and not be bothered by worldly matters. But if he had to give up his family and friends and abandon his emotions to achieve Foundation Establishment, he would definitely be unwilling.

At this moment, he wished he had a teacher who could answer his doubts.

Unconsciously, he had already returned to his neighborhood.

Looking up, he saw the Changqing Pharmacy.

He couldn't help but smile slightly. After selling the gold, his account now had a balance of over 6000 merit points, enough to buy the herbs for another pool of Qi-replenishing spirit water.

However, to avoid attracting the attention of the immortal sect's regulatory department due to excessive gold transactions, he was already planning to investigate the Tianhe Realm's herb market to see if he could acquire the three main herbs there.

The four auxiliary herbs could only be produced on the Didi Star and were cheap, not exclusive to alchemy. Buying a bit more shouldn't draw any attention.

Suppressing his杂念, Chen Mobai didn't think too much.

His cultivation progress was real. As long as the Qi-replenishing spirit water prepared by Qingnü was sufficient, he could advance to the seventh level of Qi Condensation before the entrance exams of the four major Daoist academies.

He walked into the Changqing Pharmacy and waited for a while.

But Qingnü never came out.

Huh?

Did the small array in the back yard fail?

After waiting a bit longer and still seeing no one, Chen Mobai couldn't help but call out.

"Is anyone there!"

He called out three times. Just as Chen Mobai was about to call Qingnü, an old man with a high nose bridge, deep-set eyes, and wearing a purple robe walked out, glaring at him irritably.

"What are you making so much noise for? Can't even let a person take a nap!"

"Excuse me, are you Senior Gu? I'm a friend of Qingnü."

Qingnü had mentioned her teacher's name, and Chen Mobai, who remembered the name of the Foundation Establishment cultivator, politely bowed and asked.

"Don't come here to look for her anymore. I've already expelled her from my sect!"

"What!"

Chen Mobai's eyes widened in disbelief.

"What do you mean, Senior Gu! What happened to Qingnü?"

"Your voice reminds me. You're the little boss who provided the herbs for my unworthy disciple's alchemy. Hmph, don't you know that each alchemist's cauldron and alchemy pool are their personal taboos? I can pretend not to know that the wicked disciple used you as a scapegoat, but she shouldn't have used my alchemy pool to practice. Such a violation of taboos warrants expulsion from the sect. In the past, I would have even stripped her of her cultivation!"

"Is that it? What kind of feudal and narrow-minded thinking is this!"

Chen Mobai couldn't help but raise his voice in defense of Qingnü after hearing Gu Changfeng's words.

"How dare you speak to me like that, you insolent boy."

Gu Changfeng was furious. The powerful spiritual aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator pressed down on Chen Mobai, making it difficult for him to breathe and causing his legs to weaken, almost making him kneel.

Under the无形的重压, Chen Mobai's anger gradually subsided, and his mind cleared. He couldn't help but speak again.

"Senior Gu, Qingnü used your alchemy pool to refine elixirs because I asked her to. If you're angry, I can compensate for your losses, even rebuild an alchemy pool for you. Qingnü is innocent. Expelling her from the sect will make me feel guilty for life."

"Such a big mouth. Do you know how many merit points are needed for the smallest alchemy pool?"

"I don't know. Please tell me, Senior. Even if I don't have that many merit points right now, I won't default on the payment."

"The alchemy pool in my shop is a second-grade lower quality, costing 800,000 merit points."

"I don't have that much now, but once I gather enough, I will definitely pay you. I beg you to revoke your decision."

Hearing this, Gu Changfeng narrowed his eyes. He had already withdrawn his spiritual pressure, and Chen Mobai could breathe freely again.

"It's too late. I have already canceled her registration as my disciple in the Ministry of Education's Hall of Inheritance. She is no longer my disciple, Gu Changfeng."

After saying this, he waved his sleeve, and a powerful spiritual force pushed Chen Mobai out of the pharmacy.

"Don't come here again. You are not welcome here."

"Then tell me where I can find Qingnü?"

Bang!

The response was a heavy door slam.

Chen Mobai, of course, couldn't break through the door sealed by a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He could only turn and head towards the place he remembered as Qingnü's residence.

He remembered the platform where Qingnü got off when they went to see the Yuhuang Theater.

It was two stops away. He couldn't wait for the bus, so he used the Light Leap technique to travel.

Inside the pharmacy, Gu Changfeng watched Chen Mobai's hurried departure, his face expressionless. He turned to look at the blue background, black lettered jade business card on the counter.

[Blue Sea Sky].