Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi-Chapter 134 - 123: Congratulations in Unison, Four-Sided Recruitment

Chapter 134: Chapter 123: Congratulations in Unison, Four-Sided Recruitment

"It should be out of caution."

The elder beside Elder Gao stroked his beard and said with a smile:

"Choosing to establish one’s Foundation on Immortal Gate Island, it shows they are likely of loose cultivator origin, which is extremely rare."

Upon hearing his words, several other Foundation Establishment cultivators nodded one after another.

Establishing the Dao Foundation is a major event for cultivators, akin to a fish leaping over a dragon gate. If one has the protection of a sect or family, they would not choose to complete this step in a bustling and complex marketplace.

Given they are of loose cultivator origin, humility and caution are the most basic qualities, making it even more impressive to cultivate all the way to Foundation Establishment.

"I wonder who this fellow cultivator might be?"

Curiosity arose in the hearts of several Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Not only them:

Away from the entrance of the cave residence, circle after circle of Qi Refining cultivators from Immortal Gate Island were standing, blocking the area completely.

With the Foundation Establishment cultivators having landed, naturally, no one dared to brazenly fly in the air anymore and could only land on the ground, each tiptoeing, eagerly trying to peer inside.

The gathering of so many cultivators drew more onlookers, causing an originally bustling marketplace to witness a dramatically empty scene.

"Has the senior not shown up yet?"

"The senior has just broken through and must be regulating their magical power, why are you in a rush?"

"Yeah, Elder Gao and the others are patiently waiting, what are you clamoring for?"

"Really, Foundation Establishment isn’t anxious, but Qi Refining is. If you want to join the fun, just wait obediently!"

"Who the hell is pushing my butt? Don’t let me catch you!"

"Stop squeezing! We are all Qi Refiners, can’t we be a little more dignified?"

In the midst of the clamor.

The simple door of the cave residence opened.

Zhang Yao, in a simple white Daoist robe and wearing a lotus crown, walked out leisurely.

"Greetings, fellow cultivators."

He smiled, his gaze sweeping across all directions, bowing slightly:

"I, the humble Qingxu, have fortunately broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, which may have disturbed fellow cultivators. I hope for your understanding."

"Haha... where is there need for such words."

Elder Gao laughed heartily first, stepping forward to salute:

"Congratulations to Fellow Daoist Qingxu on your achievement in Foundation Establishment."

The other Foundation Establishment cultivators also stepped forward with a smile:

"Congratulations to Fellow Daoist Qingxu on your achievement in Foundation Establishment."

At the entrance of the cave, hundreds, if not thousands, of Qi Refining cultivators were excitedly exclaiming in unison:

"Congratulations to Senior Qingxu on your achievement in Foundation Establishment!"

"Congratulations to Senior Qingxu on your achievement in Foundation Establishment..."

The uniform wave of sound resembled thunderous rumblings, dispersing the clouds in the sky and creating rippling waves on the water outside the island.

"Thank you, fellow cultivators."

Zhang Yao thanked all directions, the smile on his face becoming brighter.

The Foundation Establishment Stage is not only a symbol of strength and status but also a vanguard on the path of Immortal Dao.

Which Qi Refining cultivator under heaven has not aspired to it?

"Fellow Daoist Qingxu."

Elder Gao, with a warm attitude, said with a smile:

"Fellow Daoist’s promotion to Foundation Establishment is truly a joyous occasion."

"I, Gao, humbly serve as the host of this Immortal Gate Island, and should Fellow Daoist not mind, perhaps you could visit my humble abode for a chat, allowing me to entertain you."

"Indeed."

Another beside him, ’Elder Zhao,’ also smiled and said:

"The few of us could gather and hold a Foundation Establishment ceremony to celebrate Fellow Daoist Qingxu’s advancement."

The other Foundation Establishment cultivators also chimed in, and Zhang Yao naturally agreed cheerfully.

Soon, the escape light of six Foundation Establishment cultivators soared across the sky, heading towards the inner island of Immortal Gate Island.

After cultivating to the Foundation Establishment Stage, one can rely on one’s magical power to fly at great speed, enough to travel ten thousand miles in a day, though it pales compared to specialized flying escape spiritual artifacts.

Below, many Qi Refining cultivators looked up at the escape light of the six Foundation Establishment cultivators, their eyes filled with envy and longing.

"Foundation Establishment cultivators..."

"This Senior Qingxu, upon achieving Foundation Establishment, has ascended to the heavens in one step!"

"Indeed, recalling yesterday, he was just like us, a Qi Refining cultivator..."

The voices of discussion gradually faded away.

Zhang Yao and several Foundation Establishment cultivators arrived at the ’Lingyang Pavilion’ on the inner island and descended from their escape light.

In the luxurious and expansive main hall, everyone divided into host and guest seats, soon beautiful Qi Refining maidens respectfully delivered Spirit Wine and Jade Dew, Spirit Fruit Elixir Pills.

"The maidens are all at the Qi Refining Stage, truly extravagant."

Zhang Yao felt a sense of wonder but had no further thoughts.

The cultivation realm similarly adheres to survival of the fittest and strict hierarchies, where the status of a Foundation Establishment cultivator soars far above that of a Qi Refining cultivator.

Even a cultivator at Qi Refining Perfection is insignificant on this Immortal Gate Island; yet, upon achieving Foundation Establishment, one instantly becomes the island master’s honored guest.

"Please, fellow cultivators."

Elder Gao sat in the main seat, smiling as he spoke.

"Thank you, Elder Gao, for your hospitality."

Zhang Yao and the other two Foundation Establishment Cultivators took turns expressing their gratitude.

Everyone was drinking spirit wine and enjoying spirit fruits and elixir pills while exchanging cultivation experiences and casually chatting about everything from north to south, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.

During the gathering, Elder Gao and others subtly probed and tested Zhang Yao’s background, and Zhang Yao naturally fabricated an identity, while the others tactfully did not delve deeper.

No matter the past identity, achieving Foundation Establishment equals stepping into a new world.

As long as one is not a demon or evil cultivator, even if born as an evil cultivator or tribulation cultivator, it’s considered a minor issue.

"Fellow Daoist Qingxu..."

Halfway through the gathering, Elder Gao could no longer restrain himself and invited Zhang Yao to join the Lingyang Sect.

"The honored guest elder of our Lingyang Sect, that is..."

He carefully elaborated on the benefits of joining Lingyang Sect, saturating his speech with intentions to recruit.

After Elder Gao finished, the remaining two Foundation Establishment Cultivators couldn’t sit idle, and they too began reaching out to Zhang Yao.

"Fellow Daoist Qingxu, our Haihe Association is eagerly seeking talent!"

The female Foundation Establishment Cultivator, ’Fairy Lichen,’ looked around beautifully and smiled charmingly.

"As long as you are willing to join, we are wholeheartedly welcoming at Haihe Association..."

Within the Da Li Cultivation Realm, aside from the four major Golden Core influences, there are over a dozen second-tier noble families, sects, and loose alliance organizations, all having more than one Foundation Establishment Cultivator stationed, boasting strong power.

Haihe Association is one of these secondary forces, and among them, it is quite strong.

Once Fairy Lichen finished detailing the conditions of Haihe Association, the last Foundation Establishment elder finally smiled slowly:

"Fellow Daoist Qingxu, you must have heard of Celestial Treasure Tower, no need for me to further introduce it, right?"

He stroked his beard with a smile, looking as if he had the victory in hand:

"Please rest assured, the conditions at Celestial Treasure Tower are definitely the best in Da Li."

"Within the Da Li territory, more than half of independent Foundation Establishment Cultivators have joined our Celestial Treasure Tower, you might want to consider it carefully."

Upon hearing his words, Elder Gao and Fairy Lichen, on one side, showed a few signs of helplessness.

Celestial Treasure Tower is considered the most special force in the entire Da Li Cultivation Realm, offering the best conditions, even better than several major Golden Core powers.

In their opinion, this newly advanced Foundation Establishment ’Lord Qingxu,’ unless he wants to establish a sect or noble family, is most likely to choose Celestial Treasure Tower.

"Hmm..."

Zhang Yao pretended to ponder, thoughts swirling in his mind.

The reason these Foundation Establishment Cultivators are so enthusiastic towards him, apart from his newly achieved Foundation Establishment status, is his background as a loose cultivator.

A Foundation Establishment Cultivator, no matter where, is a strong and absolute core force, even the major Golden Core powers have to compete over them.

He also wasn’t planning to refuse, as achieving Foundation Establishment then remaining a solitary loose cultivator would raise too many suspicions and make it inconvenient to interact with cultivators of the same stage.

However, at present, Zhang Yao has not decided which side to join.

"...Let’s do this."

After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Yao showed a trace of apology:

"Permit me to think this over well, how about giving a reply to everyone tomorrow?"

Upon mentioning this, the elder from Celestial Treasure Tower was slightly taken aback, whereas Elder Gao, Fairy Lichen, and the others sighed in relief.

"No problem, no problem, Fellow Daoist Qingxu, please take your time considering..."

Elder Gao chuckled to gloss over the matter.

Everyone continued to drink and chatter, discussing Daoist techniques, until half an hour later the gathering ended and each dispersed.

Elder Gao arranged a top-tier cave residence for Zhang Yao in the residential area of Immortal Gate Island, and it was free.

Inside the cave residence:

"Celestial Treasure Tower..."

Zhang Yao sat on a chair, brows furrowed, pondering matters regarding Celestial Treasure Tower.

Celestial Treasure Tower is an extremely unique force, its organizational structure different from sects, noble families, and alliances, rather resembling those large companies from his previous life.

Several Golden Core forces are major shareholders, and over a dozen secondary forces like Haihe Association are minor shareholders.

In other words:

Behind Celestial Treasure Tower stands not just one family, but the high-level power of the entire Da Li Cultivation Realm.

Just like behind Four Seas Pavilion, Moyu Hall, Yu Hua Tower, stand the three other great cultivation countries in the Southwest Land.

Only in this manner can they diffuse their influence widely and conduct business across the Southwest Countries.

Major and minor ’shareholders’ support them while also inserting many personnel within, enjoying dividends and a certain degree of decision-making power, the internal personnel structure is exceedingly complex.

"Inside Celestial Treasure Tower is a complete mix of fish and dragons."

"The major Golden Core influences check each other, along with more secondary forces interference, after years of development, Celestial Treasure Tower now possesses a semi-independent posture."

Thinking of this, Zhang Yao couldn’t help but squint his eyes.

Celestial Treasure Tower, after years of development, has over a hundred branch towers under its jurisdiction, its power spanning the Southwest Land, with dozens of Foundation Establishment Cultivators belonging just to Celestial Treasure Tower itself.

One could say, except not having a Golden Core Ancestor stationed, this is practically a new Golden Core-level great power.

Celestial Treasure Tower is so forceful and wealthy, not only does it offer high conditions, but the internal rules and constraints are not as stringent as those of major Golden Core powers, thus attracting a great number of loose cultivators to rely on it.

"The recruitment order for Five Spirit Roots years ago created waves thousands layers deep."

"Though the event has long past and the aftermath dissipated, being once bitten by a snake, one fears the rope for ten years..."

Zhang Yao’s heart was filled with concerns.

He still wasn’t clear about the true insider of Celestial Treasure Tower recruiting Five Spirit Roots Cultivators, only having some guesses and deductions.

While joining Celestial Treasure Tower is the best choice for independent Foundation Establishment like himself, being a Five Spirit Roots Cultivator makes it problematic.

He still remembered, just asking one question at the Wei Kingdom’s Celestial Treasure Tower and he... got marked!

This kind of experience, he never wants to have again!

"Therefore, it’s better to pass on this..."