Without needing Yang Qing's reminder, Ma Bo continued,

"There were two organizations that were known to have used the foundation circle to aid in the evolution of their spirit beasts, and sometimes even to aid in the speeds of their cultivation. One of them should come as no surprise, it was the Myriad Beasts Sect but even they, if what I read is to be believed, their technique was borrowed from another's work, the Ghost Lamp Saccorphagus Sect.

The records show they were the true creators of that technique. Considering their reputation it isn't even surprising.."

Yang Qing felt like a thunderclap had gone off in his mind. Because of the many things he was juggling around when he saw the foundation circle, the Myriad Beasts Sect despite being so obvious, the thought never crossed his mind about them, which was a huge oversight on his mind all things considered.

The Myriad Beast Sect, just like the Radiant Sword Sect, and the Flowing Valley Sect, was a holy land. However, they were found to be experimenting with the vicious Ao Yin beast, which prompted a public outcry among the masses and they were attacked by the entire continent, eventually leading to their destruction.

Researching dangerous blood bloodthirsty creatures like the Ao Yin aside, the Myriad Beast Sect had grown their strength to the rank of a holy land because of their expertise with spirit beasts and rumor had it they even had a mythical one as their sect guardian. If the Myriad Beast Sect claimed to be the second in the nurturing and development of spirit beasts, no one would claim to be first.

They were that good, and after their destruction, the two holy lands grabbed their core secrets, while the rest split what remained. As far as he knew there were a few rank-one organizations that grew from what they pilfered from their ruins. One of those organizations was the Scarlet Blood Ghost Hands Syndicate. Their founder was rumored to have found a bit of the research related to the Ao Yin along with a treasure that he now uses to hide the headquarters of the syndicate.

He wasn't the only one, countless others had their fortunes changed from whatever they harvested from the ruins of the Myriad Beasts Sect.

Yang Qing couldn't help but admonish himself for overlooking such an obvious clue in the Myriad Beasts Sect.

"Grandpa Ma Bo, you said considering the reputation of the Ghost Lamp Saccophagus Sect, it isn't surprising that the technique originated from them. What do you mean by that? As far as I know about the sect, they were famous for creating heinous art like the non-luminous nether flames, the soul-sealing pill, blood parasite string puppetry art, and countless others. Using a foundation circle to help with an evolution, doesn't exactly match the arts they are known for.." Yang Qing said airing his doubt.

"Who says just because they created evil arts and techniques that that's the only thing they were capable of?The founder of the Crimson Tide is famous for creating the blood refinement art, Blood Ressurection, and Damnation Tide, an art rumored to have reached the purple grade.

Whenever he is mentioned that is what people know him for. They ignore the fact that he had mastered the core cultivation arts of his previous sect to perfection. He created the blood resurrection and damnation tide because he was dissatisfied with his former sect's art which he claimed could hardly extract even half his potential.

That was in fact the real reason he fell out with his former sect. They couldn't handle the disdain he showed for their legacies and a fight broke out which eventually ended in that sect's destruction. The story floating around was a misrepresentation of the actual facts, but that's a story for another day.

That founder when he was developing the blood resurrection and damnation tide, he didn't just create it out of the blue. Having improved one cultivation art yourself, you know the effort it requires, right.."

"Mmmh.."

"Then you can imagine how much effort he put into making the well-known instability of blood refinement into something stable. Because of the instability, most blood arts can never reach past the blue grade, even reaching the blue grade is an achievement in and of itself. Creating a blood refinement art at the blue grade has the same level of difficulty as creating a gold grade art.You can only imagine the level of difficulty creating one that touched the gates of the purple grades. In the process of improving that art, he created countless meditation arts that strengthened the soul and mind, along with formation arrays that helped cultivate the mind. A couple of them had reached the gold grade, and they were not blood refinement arts.

The rank two sect, 36 Lotus of Enlightenment sect built their core legacy off one of those meditation arts.

That founder was a blood refinement cultivator but he was a prodigy with orthodox arts too having created a few himself and the Ghost Lamp Saccophagus Sect is the name. It was filled with countless prodigies who had the same talent as the founder of the Crimson Tide, and just like him lacked restraint on what they pursued.

They created countless cultivation arts and techniques across all schools of cultivation and uncovered the properties and mysteries of countless treasures. Be it alchemy, talisman refining, formation arrays, weapon and artifact refinement, soul and body cultivation, herbology, beast taming, herbology, astrology, geomancy, medicine and poison refinement, curses, bloodline activations, they researched it all, and they were the pioneers of groundbreaking discoveries that we benefit from today.

For every 100 foundational techniques, arts, and recipes you see today, four would have their roots inevitably tied to the Ghost Lamp Saccophagus Sect.

I don't know how far back the sect existed, but even now people are still discovering their research projects all over the continent and some are way ahead of what we have now. They were absolute lunatics who would go to any lengths for their research which was often not a pretty picture, but it can not be denied, a bit of the cultivation in this continent was pulled forward because of them, something we are still harvesting even now. The spirit beast evolution foundation circle process more than likely originated from them.

Yang Qing, assumptions could cost you your life. Never assume cultivators only have one root, you never know how many branching roots they have hidden in the ground. Do well to remember that, especially in your role.. It will prevent you from being blindsided."

Yang Qing's eyes widened in fear with cold sweat forming from his hairline. When he was training Mao Yunru, he always warned her against being closed-minded as it restricted one's view of things, but here he was doing the same thing and he wasn't even aware. Subconscious habits were sometimes the scariest of things.

With a solemn expression even though Ma Bo was not in front of him, Yang Qing bowed as he said,

"Thanks for the reminder, Grandpa Ma.."

"It's nothing..."

"Grandpa Ma, how much do you think it would cost to acquire that foundational circle evolution technique?"

"Are you looking to buy it? I am sorry to break it to you, Yang Qing, you might have considerable wealth from your ceremony, but I doubt even if you sold it all you'd be able to acquire it.

Neither can I, sadly. I did try to redeem a copy here, but the merit points required is something that would require me to work tirelessly to nurture a single blue-grade alchemist every year for the next two hundred years.

That should tell you how hard it is to acquire it. As an individual, it's hard, not unless you're a well-established domain expert with considerable repute and resources. If not, the only other way is by being affiliated with a powerful organization that has the resources to acquire it.

I think the Order more than likely has it, and like the Jade Leaf Academy that has one too, the means of acquiring it from them is likely to just be as stringent.

I advise you to give up getting your greedy hands on it, but if you can't help yourself you can always try your like exploring the continent. The Ghost Lamp Saccophagus Sect had thousands of mysterious realms and other research grounds spread all around the continent. Not all have been unearthed, maybe you can find a record of the technique there for free, but knowing you...

How can you be stingy and cowardly at the same time? If you want something for free, you'll have to risk yourself out there. Nothing is truly free, stingy kid and before you ask, I don't have any spirit stones or treasures for you to borrow. .."

"I wasn't going to do that, Grandpa Ma. Even I am not that shameless.." Yang Qing said as he rubbed his nose in embarrassment and guilt. He had indeed been entertaining the thought but with the statement that was made, he was too embarrassed to go through with it.

"You're sure?"

"Yes, I am sure. Can't you trust my character just this once? I've grown. I'm not that bratty child from before. I have matured.." Yang Qing said with righteous indignation.

"Okay then.."

Yang Qing knowing Ma Bo didn't buy it, decided to change the subject to the doubt he had in his heart borne from the information provided.

"Do you think the White Rose Pavilion could have something like that?"

"They definitely do. It goes without saying.. They're merchants.."

"Is it something that their staff members can gain access to easily?"

"Depends on the rank of the staff member. One of their executives and high-ranked elders might have access to it, but for the rest, I think it would be even harder for them than us. Merchants would bleed even their family members dry, given the chance.

For any low-ranking staff member to gain access to it, they would have likely have to trade something of an equivalent value to the technique. Why do you ask?"

Yang Qing went on to explain his findings in the Deer Mountain Range, restricting the subject matter to the foundation circle, the evolution process, and those involved.

"Evolution into a flood dragon? Even with the treasure bone, it couldn't have been easy. Jiang Xiang might not be a simple character, he might be a prodigy, because even with the technique, not many would be able to help an obsidian serpent evolve into a flood dragon given the contradictory foundational natures of the two, but they were able to pull it off?

I can give him being a spirit beast maybe gives him an advantage of having intimate familiarity with the workings of the body of a fellow spirit beast, but he would need the same matching knowledge with the foundational technique to pull it off. Having the method isn't enough. Extreme familiarity with it is the defining factor and with spirit beasts' struggles with human cultivation arts he must be quite the talent.."

"He must be.." Yang Qing said, his thoughts drifting elsewhere accompanied by a deep frown.

"Thank you very much, Grandpa Ma.."

"I don't want your thanks, I want spirit stones and spiritual herbs. Next time I pass by, I want several kilograms worth, preferably the ones tainted by the aura of your physique. I have had a lot of success with them in my experiments...

Take care, Yang Qing."

Not giving Yang Qing a chance to weasel out, Ma Bo quickly ended the call leaving Yang Qing smiling bitterly as he went into his abode.

"Luckily Ma Yuan had already harvested some when he was redoing the backyard.."