Fang Hong stood in the square, his eyes fixed on the notice, recalling the description of the Foundation Establishment Pill he had once read in "Mo Li's Travel Journal."
The Foundation Establishment Pill, that was a treasure coveted by Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators, capable of cleansing meridians and marrow, helping to condense true Qi, and greatly increasing the success rate of Foundation Establishment, making it very popular among the vast number of Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators.
Although this Foundation Establishment Pill was a good thing, Fang Hong didn't pay too much attention to it in his heart.
After all, he had the demon gourd in hand; as long as he had enough materials, refining a hundred or so Spirit Pills would not be difficult, and he figured their effects wouldn't be much different from the Foundation Establishment Pill...
What Fang Hong cared about most was still the Cultivation Technique.
Therefore, for him, obtaining a Cultivation Technique was the top priority at this Ascension Gathering.
As for the Foundation Establishment Pill, it would naturally be great if he could get it, but not getting it wouldn't affect his grand plan for cultivation.
Thinking this, Fang Hong secretly set a small goal for himself: first, to get into the top 150, join a sect, and obtain a Cultivation Technique. This was the most urgent matter at hand.
Having made up his mind, Fang Hong took a deep breath and walked towards the queue for registration in the square.
Time passed bit by bit, the scorching sun hung high, and sunlight shone on the Cultivators, but Fang Hong remained calm...
Finally, an hour passed, and it was Fang Hong's turn to register.
He stepped forward and told his name to the staff member responsible for registration. The staff member quickly wrote it down, then handed him a black identity token.
The staff member admonished, "You must keep this token safe. It will be used to record your Rank at the Ascension Gathering, so don't lose it."
Fang Hong nodded solemnly, took the identity token, and carefully put it into the Storage Pouch at his waist.
After completing the registration, Fang Hong left the East Square and walked briskly towards Taiyi Pavilion in the city.
The Ascension Gathering was still a month away, and he decided not to set up a stall to sell Talismans during this period, but instead to prepare thoroughly, striving for good results at the gathering.
To quickly increase his combat power, purchasing high-Rank Spiritual Artifacts and powerful Talismans was a good method.
He could draw Talismans himself, and with his current skill, he might even try drawing Intermediate Talismans, so he only needed to buy a few handy Spiritual Artifacts now.
Since earning spirit stones, Fang Hong had not bought any Spiritual Artifacts, so this was a good opportunity to make a careful selection.
Soon, Fang Hong arrived at Taiyi Pavilion.
As soon as he entered, a shop assistant greeted him with a beaming smile, his voice loud: "Honored guest, please come in! We have everything here: Spiritual Artifacts, Talismans, Medicinal Pills, and various books. What would you like to buy?"
Fang Hong nodded slightly and calmly said, "Hmm, I want to buy a handy Spiritual Artifact. The higher the Rank, the better. Preferably a top-Rank Spiritual Artifact."
Upon hearing this, the assistant's eyes lit up instantly. He was asking for a top-Rank Spiritual Artifact right away, thinking he had finally met a big customer!
But the assistant said with a slight regret, "Sorry, honored guest, we don't have top-Rank Spiritual Artifacts in our small shop for now, but we do have quite a few high-Rank Spiritual Artifacts. Please come this way."
Saying this, the assistant enthusiastically led Fang Hong to a counter in the pavilion.
He quickly moved ten boxes, opening them one by one and placing them on the counter.
The Spiritual Artifacts in the boxes were dazzling, including swords, sabers, and circular rings of various kinds. Each one emitted a faint spiritual glow, clearly not ordinary items.
Then, the assistant explained the characteristics and effects of these Spiritual Artifacts to Fang Hong. Fang Hong listened while picking up and briefly trying out these Spiritual Artifacts to see which ones suited him.
After about the time it takes to eat a meal, the assistant finally finished introducing all the Spiritual Artifacts. Fang Hong had also understood the effects of all these Spiritual Artifacts, his expression slightly calm.
Although these Spiritual Artifacts were all high-Rank, in his opinion, most of them were quite ordinary, without any particularly stunning effects.
However, they were sufficient to deal with the Ascension Gathering.
After some selection, Fang Hong finally chose two Spiritual Artifacts.
One was the "Blue Lightning Flying Needles." These were three seven-inch long flying needles, exquisitely crafted, with their bodies shimmering with a faint blue light.
When activated, the flying needles were extremely fast, and striking an enemy could also produce a paralyzing effect, making them perfect for sneak attacks.
The other was the "white cloud shield." This was a white circular shield, its surface smooth as a mirror, with faint cloud-like patterns flowing subtly.
When magical power was infused, a layer of white light barrier would form around the shield, which could not only defend but also reflect most Spell attacks. Fang Hong was very satisfied with it.
"These two Spiritual Artifacts cost a total of 1,800 spirit stones," the assistant said with a smile.
Fang Hong took out spirit stones from his Storage Pouch and handed them to the assistant.
The assistant took the spirit stones, his smile becoming even brighter: "Honored guest, would you like to see other Talismans or Medicinal Pills? Our goods here are all top-grade..."
...
Half an incense stick later, Fang Hong left Taiyi Pavilion. Besides buying Spiritual Artifacts, he also bought "Intermediate Talisman Books," an "Intermediate Talisman Brush," "one hundred Grain Fasting Pills," and two thousand blank Talisman papers.
With his current skill in drawing Talismans, he might be able to try drawing Intermediate Talismans.
If he could really succeed, then at the Ascension Gathering, he would have a few more trump cards.
After all, the power of Intermediate Talismans was enough to threaten Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators, which would be a considerable help to him!
After strolling around the city, Fang Hong arrived at a famous inn.
This inn had a serene environment, and he rented a small courtyard. The space here was not large, but it was very quiet, suitable for practicing Spiritual Artifacts and allowing him to rest peacefully.
Entering the courtyard, Fang Hong closed the gate and eagerly began training with his Spiritual Artifacts.
He took out the bamboo tube containing the Blue Lightning Needles from his Storage Pouch, and with a gentle flick, three seven-inch silver needles hovered before him.
Fang Hong's eyes narrowed, and he immediately infused them with magical power.
In an instant, electric arcs flickered around the flying needles, making a "sizzling" sound, and they began to spin rapidly around him, flashing with electricity...
Thus, in the days that followed, Fang Hong hardly left his residence, focusing wholeheartedly on preparing for the upcoming Ascension Gathering.
Training Spiritual Artifacts, honing Spells, and drawing Talismans, these three activities permeated Fang Hong's daily life, especially drawing Talismans, as he had already begun to learn how to inscribe Intermediate Talismans.
However, the difficulty of inscribing Intermediate Talismans exceeded his expectations. With his current level of magical power and Divine Sense, the success rate for inscribing Intermediate Talismans was very low; only two or three out of a hundred attempts succeeded.
Fortunately, Fang Hong had a good number of spirit stones, enough to support his continuous attempts. Although the success rate was low, with his persistence, he managed to accumulate thirty Intermediate Talismans.
With these thirty Intermediate Talismans, he could sweep through the entire Ascension Gathering, which also boosted Fang Hong's confidence. He decided he had to contend for that Foundation Establishment Pill, no matter what...