Chapter 21: Time Waits for No One!

After a long while.

An aged voice finally emerged from Meng Guan's mouth.

"Sigh, Breakthrough Elixirs are so hard to come by..." he sighed.

Meng Guan shook his head, picked up the teacup beside him but did not drink, his brows tightly furrowed as if he still did not want to give up this opportunity.

He had been stuck in the sixth-tier Qi Refining for so long.

He knew full well that he only needed to slowly accumulate spirit stones, and he would be able to go to the Green Wall Immortal City to buy a Breakthrough Elixir.

But... as a cultivator of the Immortal Pavilion with no power or influence, once he arrived at the Green Wall Immortal City, his treatment would be no different from ordinary loose cultivators.

Immortal Pavilion cultivators only have some privileges within their own Immortal Pavilion.

In a higher-level Immortal City, compared to true disciples of a Golden Elixir Great Faction, what difference is there between Immortal Pavilion cultivators and ordinary loose cultivators?

At most, they know a bit more than loose cultivators.

They have a fixed residence.

And a stable income, that's all.

When it comes to their actual fighting abilities, Immortal Pavilion cultivators aren't even generally as good as those loose cultivators who have licked blood off their blades.

Moreover.

The journey to the Immortal City to purchase a Breakthrough Elixir is not so smooth either.

Not to mention the various dangers on the way to Green Wall Immortal City.

Even if he arrived at the Green Wall Immortal City without any obstacles, would he have enough spirit stones on him to bid for a Breakthrough Elixir?

Even if he was lucky enough to obtain a Breakthrough Elixir, he would immediately be targeted by others.

With the Breakthrough Elixir in hand, he would have to be careful on his return journey.

However, there is a solution to this: by paying some spirit stones to stay in an inn in the Immortal City, and then using the Breakthrough Elixir to advance his cultivation level, he could resolve the issue.

But who could guarantee that after bidding for the Breakthrough Elixir, he would still have enough spirit stones left to stay in an inn?

If he wanted to make everything foolproof, the time needed for saving up spirit stones would be extended once more.

By then, even if he managed to break through to the Qi-refining late stage with the aid of the Breakthrough Elixir, he would have no time to touch the Foundation Establishment realm.

For ordinary cultivators,

Establishing one's Foundation before the age of sixty is optimal.

Starting from the age of sixty, the difficulty of Foundation Establishment increases and the success rate decreases.

If one fails to cultivate to the perfection of the ninth-tier Qi Refining before the age of sixty, and also obtain a Foundation Establishment Elixir,

It means that there is almost no hope of establishing the Foundation in this lifetime.

Unless one has exceptionally good luck, he can succeed in Foundation Establishment after the age of sixty.

But that is just a rare occurrence.

Not even a few appear in a hundred years.

Meng Guan is already forty-three, with his current savings, if he hurries up and takes a risk, maybe he can still touch the threshold of Foundation Establishment.

If he doesn't take the risk and continues to delay like now, the Qi-refining late stage might be his limit in this lifetime.

This is the reason why Meng Guan is so conflicted in his heart.

The life in the Immortal Pavilion, where one can see the end in just one glance, truly puts great pressure on him.

Meanwhile.

He Song and Wei Fan exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of helplessness in each other's eyes.

Having known each other for so many years, He Song and Wei Fan had a good understanding of Meng Guan.

At the moment, it seemed that Meng Guan's heart was still wavering and undecided.

Although the two had advised him before, they also knew the dilemma Meng Guan faced at the moment.

Should he take the risk and seek a chance to establish his Foundation?

Or should he hold back and stay in the Qi-refining late stage for the rest of his life?

This question is indeed difficult to answer.

At the same time, He Song and Wei Fan didn't feel comfortable persuading him any further now.

If they needed to say something, once would be enough. If he could take it to heart, he would naturally do so.

But if they said too much, it would inevitably annoy him and do more harm than good.

Again, hindering someone's path to success is like killing their parents. Only if the relationship between the three of them was extremely good could they make a suggestion.

If their relationship wasn't this good, even just based on their past interactions, Meng Guan might have fallen out with the other two.

Time passed bit by bit.

He Song poured another cup of tea for each of them.

Meng Guan still didn't drink, his brow furrowed, lost in his world.

Wei Fan picked up his teacup and gestured to He Song. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hide the reluctance in his eyes.

He Song did the same, holding up his teacup and gesturing to Wei Fan, feeling a similar sense of reluctance deep within him.

He had advised as much as he could, and so had Wei Fan, but sadly, Meng Guan was still struggling in his heart.

So it had come to this.

He Song could only wait for the final result of Meng Guan's struggle.

Regardless of whether the outcome was good or bad, all he could do was bless him, rather than forcefully try to persuade him.

Blocking someone's path to success was no joking matter.

Even if he knew that the Red Spirit Gold Mine was a pit of fire, He Song could not use his own speculation to stop Meng Guan any further.

This was the path he had chosen for himself.

"Perhaps, with Meng Guan's sixth-tier Qi Refining ability, he can protect himself in the Red Spirit Gold Mine."

This thought flashed through He Song's mind.

His gaze, however, collided with Wei Fan's worried eyes.

For a moment, both men fell silent, not knowing what to do.

After a long silence.

It was only then that Meng Guan opened his eyes, downing the tea in one gulp.

With a gulp, Meng Guan grinned.

"Hahaha, I, Meng Guan, possess the Five Spirits Roots and have been cultivating in the Thick Earth Mansion since I was young. Unfortunately, due to my mediocre aptitude, I couldn't enter the outer gate of the Thick Earth Sect, and was sent to the Bamboo Mountain Immortal Pavilion."

"I thought I would never be able to reach the Foundation Establishment stage in this life, but I didn't expect to come across such a chance!" Like he was talking to himself or stating a fact, Meng Guan's voice carried a multitude of emotions.

At this moment, He Song's face was heavy, and he felt increasingly uneasy.

Wei Fan, too, wanted to say something but hesitated, his anxiety showing on his face.

"Time waits for no one! Instead of letting time slip away, it's better to take a bold step forward and seize the opportunity!" Finally, under He Song and Wei Fan's watchful gaze, Meng Guan resolutely pronounced these words.

At this moment, Meng Guan's face was filled with determination.

His right hand clutched the teacup tightly, oblivious to the fact that it was beginning to shatter piece by piece.

A ray of sunlight shone in through the window, falling right on Meng Guan's hand.

It was as if he was holding the sunlight in his hand.

Silence.

He Song fell silent.

Wei Fan was also silent.

For a moment, the entire room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, except for the faint sound of the three men's breathing.

After a while.

"Lao Meng, we don't know when we'll see each other again after this parting. Is there anything you want us to take care of?" Seeing Meng Guan's resolute decision, He Song knew that persuasion was useless and stopped trying. Instead, he asked about other matters.

The Red Spirit Gold Mine was extremely dangerous, and Meng Guan's chances of survival were slim.

Even though his cultivation level had reached the sixth-tier of Qi Refining, and he had accumulated a significant amount of spirit stones in the Immortal Pavilion, as well as a variety of artifacts and spirit amulets, He Song still couldn't be sure if he would come back alive.

Instead of trying to discourage Meng Guan's morale by persuading him further, it was better to ask if he needed any other help.

On the side.

Wei Fan's face turned pale upon hearing these words, but then seemed to remember something and suddenly froze.

He opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, he only let out a sigh.

He also realized that at this point, further persuasion would only cast a shadow in Meng Guan's heart. It was better to clear away his worries, which might even increase his chances of survival.