Within the Wulong Temple, a lot of knowledge concerning the cultivation society, including detailed explanations and descriptions about the Foundation Establishment, could be found. They matched with what Xu Baocai had said, filling Bai Xiaochun with excitement.

He thought that if he managed to master the Foundation Establishment, it would be a huge step in his path to immortality.

It was especially so when he discovered the three methods that the Foundation Establishment actually had, each of them increasing the lifespan by different amounts. With his excitement only growing more and more, Bai Xiaochun studied without stopping, acquiring a clear comprehension of the Foundation Establishment.

“Sky, Earth and Human, a total of three types of Foundation Establishments…”

“Human Foundation Establishment requires the consumption of a Foundation Establishment pill. Not a high probability of success, but success does increase the lifespan by a hundred years.”

“Earth Foundation Establishment, merges with the Qi within the veins. It has an even smaller rate of success, but success gives jaw-dropping strength and double the lifespan of the Human Foundation Establishment.”

“Lastly, the legendary Sky Foundation Establishment. Rare to the absolute extreme, impossibly low probability of success, but success adds an insane five hundred years to the lifespan!” After a minute of research, Bai Xiaochun decided that the Sky Foundation Establishment purely had too small of a chance, while the earth Foundation Establishment required certain locations that provided earth energy.

So the simplest way to go was the Human Foundation Establishment, the one that required a Foundation Establishment pill.

“I need to plan the whole thing out now for the future. Preparations must be perfect, calculations should be stable, and there’s that pill I need…” Bai Xiaochun took a deep breath and put down the bamboo scroll. His eyes were shining with light.

“The Foundation Establishment pill is too costly. There could be accidents, so I need backup pills as well… The best way to do this would be to refine them myself!” Bai Xiaochun’s eyes brightened up. He had always aspired to be the great Medicine Master who would refine the Longevity pill, and at this moment, that aspiration strengthened.

“Spirit Child, Medicine Apprentice, Medicine Master… I’m a Spirit Child right now and if I want to become an Apprentice and refine real stuff, I need to go take the promotional exam. For that exam, I need at least the knowledge of five of the herb’s volumes, and even then, it may not be enough. I also need to comprehend five of the spirit beasts’ volumes before I’m sufficiently prepared.” With determination in his eyes, Bai Xiaochun took out the third volume of herbs. After he went over it, he charged out with everything memorized in his head.

But it wasn’t long before he ran back. Standing in the courtyard, he thought deeply for a while before taking out heaps of clothing, covering himself up before running back out again, feeling more confident.

“Those admirers of Zhou Xinqi are way too scary, saying that they’d tear me into eight pieces… no choice but to lay low now.” Bai Xiaochun felt unease.

“Hmph, wait until I’m done with my Foundation Establishment. Then I will look down at tens of thousands from above, telling them that I, Bai Xiaochun, am the Little Turtle. We’ll see who would tear me to eight pieces then.” Bai Xiaochun weighed the distance between the admirers and him as he said those words.

The Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion was always filled with people from not only the Scented Cloud Mountain, but also those from the Green Peak Mountain and the Purple Cauldron Mountain. Any disciple with a yearning for herbal knowledge would eventually find himself there.

At this moment, Bai Xiaochun squeezed past the crowds, making sure no one was watching, and walked into the wooden hut under the third volume of herbs’ stone stele. Soon after he pushed the door open, he immediately blended in with the crowd in a few quick steps.

He wanted to leave right away, but he couldn’t control his urges. Soon after, sounds of surprise could be heard as everyone saw the Little Turtle placed above the Aquarius symbol on the stone stele above the wooden house.

Bai Xiaochun couldn’t help but be pleased with himself. When the crowds were getting riled up, Bai Xiaochun also put on a surprised expression to blend in, adding in a few shouts. Zhou Xinqi’s admirers made their appearance moments after, their faces covered with fury. Bai Xiaochun clenched his fists tightly.

“It’s because of these people that I have to lay low.” Bai Xiaochun gave them a furious glare, then turned around and left.

In the following days, any information regarding the Little Turtle was spread throughout the Outer Sect of Scented Cloud Mountain. Everyone was talking about it. After all, that symbol was very conspicuous on the stele.

But a month later, just as things were settling down, the disciples in the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion suddenly saw another Little Turtle above the Aquarius symbol on the fourth stone stele, again in the first place.

The crowd went wild once more.

“This turtle is already first place on four of the steles, it has almost surpassed senior sister Zhou Xinqi!”

“He’s first on four of the stone steles, Senior Sister Zhou Xinqi is on five, who on earth is this Little Turtle…” Bai Xiaochun who was hiding among the crowd shrieked, his heart filling with satisfaction. Seeing the admirers ready to explode, he gave a dry cough, lowered his head and displeasedly hid himself.

Several days later, Zhou Xinqi appeared in the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion, took a look at the stone stele, and paled. She went in the hut underneath the tenth stone stele, taking first place with her as she came out.

At this moment, the outer sect disciples of Scented Cloud Mountain started paying attention to the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion. Zhou Xinqi’s six steles against the Little Turtle’s four steles…

Everyone was wondering if the Little Turtle would appear once more to claim the first spot on the fifth stele to stand on equal grounds as Zhou Xinqi.

Some disciples were even betting on it, betting whether the turtle could take first place on the fifth stele. Even the elders of Scented Cloud Mountain were interested.

Bai Xiaochun was fired up as well. Each time he took first place on a stele and exchanged for a jade tablet, he didn’t even study it before exiting. Furthermore, he hated those admirers of Zhou Xinqi, so each time he took first place, he stayed with the crowd to yell out for a bit, displaying his admiration for the Little Turtle.

Slowly, he got to know quite a few of the Little Turtle admirers. He had, of course, also contributed to the existence of these admirers. He never gave up on a chance to promote the Little Turtle, just like what he did with Sister Hou, who now had extreme respect for the turtle.

Finally, a month later, on a nice day, the Aquarius symbol on the fifth stone stele flashed and dropped, the Little Turtle appearing above it once again.

At this moment, the outer sect disciples of Scented Cloud Mountain burst into an uproar. Many came to see what was happening, and in the following days, the Little Turtle was the hottest topic in Scented Cloud Mountain.

“This Little Turtle must have memorized the herb scrolls to such an indescribable extremes to reach such heights.”

“Amazing. Both this Little Turtle and Senior Sister Zhou are …”

It wasn’t as if no one suspected Bai Xiaochun of being the turtle, of course. Even the admirers of Zhou Xinqi, in their rage, paid attention to him, not letting a single person overlooked.

Deep down, Bai Xiaochun was even more displeased. To wash off the suspicions he could only put on a facade and sigh, walking to the fourth stele. He stared at it for a while, before declaring his intention to show everyone what he’s made of.

After that, the admirers of Zhou Xinqi often focused on people other than Bai Xiaochun. After all, without evidence, there wasn’t much they could do about their suspicions of him.

But threat was announced to everyone. If they ever managed to find the turtle, it’s not eight pieces, they’d tear him into eighty!

Hearing this, Bai Xiaochun thought about his body split into eighty pieces. Gritting his teeth, he was getting fired up again.

“So you guys are pissed off. The more pissed off you get, the more I want to be first!” Bai Xiaochun gritted his teeth again. He couldn’t fight them openly, so he used this method to wage war with the admirers.

A month later, the turtle topped the sixth stone stele.

Another month later, the seventh was also claimed by the Little Turtle.

Applause erupted from the surroundings once more.

“First place of the seventh stele! Go Little Turtle! Go for the top of the ten steles that even Zhou Xinqi could not reach!”

“Haha! I have faith in this Little Turtle. He can do it!”

As the masses of people cheered, more than ten youngsters had dark faces. Especially the few outer sect disciples in the group - they had a cold expression on their faces. One of them, who had his face covered in freckles, looked even more furious than the rest in the long robes of an outer sect disciple.

“My brothers, if anyone has any information regarding the identity of this Little Turtle, he will be rewarded if he brings it forth!” The freckled man said suddenly, his mouth wide open, his voice booming, silencing everyone.

A lot of the people present turned immediately to the man, and recognized him at once, avoiding eye contact. Some were displeased at that outburst, but didn’t dare to speak up.

“It’s the senior brother who joined the law enforcement, Qian Dajin…”

“I heard he’s going after Zhou Xinqi and Du Lingfei…”

Bai Xiaochun, upon witnessing this scene, glared furiously at the freckled man with the people beside him. Even when he was back at the courtyard, he would burn with anger every time he thought about his face.

“You can’t find me anyway. I’ll fight you, what about it?” Bai Xiaochun lifted his chin. His studies in the volumes of spirit beasts only intensified, comprehending the materials within spirit beasts that could be used for finer pills. His knowledge about herbs improved greatly.

Especially after combining the two studies together, Bai Xiaochun’s herbal knowledge improved by the day.

A month later, the Little Turtle claimed the eight stone stele.

The month after that, the ninth stele was claimed.

He was first in nine of the stone steles.

All the outer sect disciples at Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion were burning with fervor and excitement, chanting for the Little Turtle to claim the final stele. His supporters increased even more.

Even Zhou Xinqi’s admirers couldn’t do anything to stop the ruckus caused by him. They could only look at the Turtle’s advance desperately as the cries and cheers drowned those for Zhou Xinqi out.

Finally, on the conclusive month, Bai Xiaochun waited until Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion was filled with the most people. With neat clothes and a glare of stern determination, he slipped in the wooden hut under the tenth stone stele while no one was paying attention.

Looking at the millions of herbs and spirit beast fragments in front of him, the determination in his eyes brightened. His two hands flew out, assembling piece after piece of herbal and spirit beast fragments, combining them together.

One thousand, five thousand, ten thousand…

Thirty thousand, fifty thousand, eighty thousand…

This was the hardest examination of all. His forehead gradually became covered with beads of sweat, and his eyes were bloodshot. He was like a demon, ignoring everything and focusing solely on the combinations in front of him, to the point where sharp pain pierced his hands, to the point where his head throbbed. He gritted his teeth, and proceeded.

Unaware of how long it had been, the examination ended. Bai Xiaochun’s hands trembled slightly as he finished the last herb, his body drained and his sight blurred. When he could clearly see again, he was in the wooden hut once again.

He was breathing heavily, but his eyes were shining with confident satisfaction. Wiping off the sweat and tightening his fist, he grinned with excitement.

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Regular chapter 1/3 for the week

A bit late but special thanks to Jake Vieweg, Louis-Maximilian Gerhardt and Austin McFarlane for sponsoring the first sponsored chapter of A Thought Through Eternity, chapter 35.