Just as Lin Dongfang had said, the reason Qiu Lingshan and the others had all succeeded in breaking through to Foundation Establishment one after another within a mere half month was not entirely due to their own efforts. More than anything, it was because of Wei Zhao's covert guidance behind the scenes. Otherwise, even if a few of them managed to succeed, it would at most have been a small minority; there was no way they could all have surged through at once like this.

After all, assailing Foundation Establishment was an exceedingly difficult affair. Unless Wei Zhao simply elevated their strength directly as he had done before, there could be not the slightest distraction throughout the entire process, much less any interference or disruption. So even though he knew perfectly well that every one of them was just one step short of the goal, Wei Zhao had always been unable to help.

Even though he understood the entire Foundation Establishment process inside and out, and even though he had already devised a way to use the five-element killing qi to guide them through that final, crucial step, he was still helpless. The moment Wei Zhao drew near, they would inevitably be affected and lose that do-or-die breakthrough state, and then it would no longer be merely a question of being one step short; no matter how much Wei Zhao helped at that point, it would all be for nothing.

Fortunately, through this period of exploration and cultivation, Wei Zhao had already come to master the half-primordial-spirit state with practiced ease. This state had an enormous range of uses. Not only could it evade physical attacks, as it had when he subdued Bing Wushuang, it had another unexpected benefit: he could freely manipulate true qi at a distance.

This was an entirely different matter from controlling the five-element killing qi after releasing it. Remote control of the five-element killing qi after it left his hand amounted to nothing more than crude control at best; to rely on that to guide the others through Foundation Establishment was utterly impossible.

This guiding process demanded surgical precision. Even if Wei Zhao physically laid hands on them, he might not be able to manage it, let alone do so remotely. Yet the half-primordial-spirit state he had recently mastered made the impossible possible.

For in that state, so long as something fell within the range of his primordial spirit's perception, the five-element killing qi was as easy to control as if it were inside his own body. And in that state his primordial spirit's perception was far more acute than usual. Using it to guide the others through the final, crucial step was no longer a wild fantasy, but a living reality.

"This is the fruit of months of hard work. If I couldn't even manage a little thing like this, I'd weep myself to death," Wei Zhao said with a faint smile, looking at the others who were still completely in the dark.

"Go on, show off," Lin Dongfang said, rolling his eyes. He had watched the whole thing from beginning to end and knew it was purely an unexpected delight. This brat Wei Zhao was getting more thick-skinned by the day, bragging to the heavens without so much as a blush.

Wei Zhao could not help but smile, and said with some relief, "Good thing everyone broke through in time. Otherwise we'd have missed the upcoming Trial Grand Tournament."

Xin Yi'an had long since briefed him on the Trial Grand Tournament. If he meant to take the others to the Primordial Trial for a share of the spoils, then naturally he had to have them take part in the Trial Grand Tournament. The tournament itself had no threshold; even those with only Heaven-rank strength could sign up. But that would place them at the very bottom of the pack. Not only would they have no hope of a satisfactory ranking, they might well be unable to guarantee their own safety. That would be a loss outweighing any gain.

Still, even though they had broken through to Foundation Establishment one after another, compared with those Primordial Alliance disciples their strength still bordered on the bottom. The situation remained less than optimistic. Fortunately, they had closed the qualitative gap, and so there was, at last, a glimmer of a chance.

"Are you really sure?" Lin Dongfang asked.

"I'm sure." Wei Zhao nodded and said gravely, "After you told me those things, I've had a sense of urgency I can't shake. It's not just that I need to raise my own strength; everyone around me must find a way to raise theirs as well. This Primordial Trial is a rare opportunity, and I don't want them to miss it."

Before this, Wei Zhao's attitude toward their participation in the Primordial Trial had been ambiguous. But now things were different. Having learned of the Center, that omnipresent and formidable threat, he simply had no sense of security unless he raised the others' strength as quickly as possible.

"In that case, you'd better put some real thought into this Trial Grand Tournament. Otherwise, if they have to rely on themselves, it'll be rough going," Lin Dongfang said, arching an eyebrow.

"True. But if that item I asked for arrives in time, it would save a great deal of trouble," Wei Zhao said, smiling as he looked Lin Dongfang up and down.

"Don't waste your effort. You can handle this little mess yourself. Stop trying to conscript an old man like me. Besides, in a few days I have to go back to West Star Mountain Village," Lin Dongfang said hastily.

"How did you know I wanted to conscript you? You guessed it spot on!" Wei Zhao said with a look of astonishment.

"Nonsense. With you, I can tell what you're going to do the moment you wiggle your backside. As if I'd need to guess," Lin Dongfang said with a snort of contempt.

On Cloud Terrace Island, Tian Chan and the others finally received Wei Zhao's reply. Learning that all was well with him, they were overjoyed, one and all, and the hearts that had been hanging in suspense for months could at last be set at ease. As for the matter he had asked them to handle in his letter, Wei Shenjin stepped forward to see to it at once. He was thoroughly familiar with every inch of the Central Isle, and with the black market as well; so long as one had enough spirit jade, there was nothing that could not be bought.

Sure enough, in just half a day Wei Shenjin had obtained twenty-one copies of entry-level cultivation methods from various sects. Three days later, that number had grown to thirty-two. Though still far short of the number of sects on Cloud Terrace Island, it was already quite respectable.

These thirty-two entry-level cultivation methods came chiefly from the various sects of the Central and North Isles; those of the other isles were not among them.

The South Isle was the territory of the spirit beast clan, where there was no such thing as cultivation methods at all. The West Isle was a solid, impenetrable bloc, and far from the Central Isle besides, so its entry-level methods naturally would not find their way to the Central Isle's black market. As for the East Continent, needless to say, ordinary people could not obtain them in the first place, and even if they did, they would not dare sell them on the black market. After all, the East Continent's deterrent power was nothing to be trifled with.

Yet even so, this was still only half the total number of sects across the Central and North Isles combined, a far cry from the figure Wei Zhao had in mind. Wei Shenjin then doubled the prices outright, using lavish sums to tempt the black market brokers into taking risks with those sects that kept the tightest lids on their secrets. Only thus did the number climb a few more notches, to thirty-six. (To be continued.)