“Don't wander off, and for the love of the Dao, don't cause any trouble, alright?” the Sect Master had warned, a clear thread of exasperation in his voice.
“Got it,” Lu Xuan had replied casually, already mentally filing the instruction under ‘suggestions I will definitely ignore’.
He knew perfectly well that he had to let Ye Chen compete in the upcoming Pill Refining Exchange Conference. This was an opportunity to observe Heaven-tier Alchemists in action, a golden chance that would greatly benefit Ye Chen.
Just then, the familiar chime of the System echoed in his mind.
“Ding! Disciple Cultivation Quest issued!”
“Ensure your second disciple, Ye Chen, secures first place in the Younger Generation Alchemy Competition at the Pill Refining Exchange Conference!”
Lu Xuan paused, a slight flicker of amusement in his eyes. Well, that settled it. The alchemy competition was officially a must-attend event.
Sorry, Sect Master, he thought, a mischievous grin playing on his lips.
He looked up, and a colossal shadow draped itself across the sky. It was an enormous spirit boat, its towering pavilions rising like a majestic mountain, vast as an entire domain. Dazzling spirit runes flowed across its surface, and a massive banner, emblazoned with a proud crest, whipped fiercely in the high-altitude gales.
“The Pill Fragrance Sect!”
An Overlord-level Power from the Southern Wilds! The immense spirit boat exuded a terrifying pressure, causing the very void to ripple and warp, sending a buzz of excitement and trepidation through the Grand Dao Sect.
Boom! The Pill Peak Peak Master, Gu Yuefang, shot into the sky on a divine rainbow, rushing to greet the esteemed arrivals.
“Fellow Daoists of the Pill Fragrance Sect, please follow me,” Gu Yuefang called out.
A Heaven-tier Alchemist from the Pill Fragrance Sect chuckled, bowing respectfully. “Daoist Gu Yuefang, it's been too long.”
They exchanged knowing smiles.
“Now that’s a display of power,” Lu Xuan remarked, impressed by the sheer spectacle.
A short while later, Ye Chen emerged from his cave dwelling, ready to prepare Lu Xuan's meal. He glanced up at the colossal spirit boat in the sky, a slight smile on his face. “Master, many powerful factions are arriving at the sect lately.”
Lu Xuan nodded, a casual hum in response.
This was Ye Chen's first time witnessing such a grand affair. He'd once thought the grand gatherings of Qingcheng's major powers were impressive, but compared to this? They were utterly insignificant. A thrill of excitement, mixed with a touch of nerves, surged within him. He was about to compete against other alchemists in the Pill Refining Exchange Conference. Master has given me so many cultivation resources—the Heaven-Devouring Cauldron, the Bone-Chilling Ghost Flame, the Pill Emperor's Memories! If I'm crushed by other young geniuses, wouldn't I be bringing shame to him?
Ye Chen stepped into the humble kitchen, already preparing sweet and sour spirit fish. He deftly descaled the fish, made a few incisions, and then generously coated it with Lu Xuan's special “honeyed seasoning,” beginning the meticulous cooking process. His movements were fluid and skilled, refined over nearly three months to a heartbreaking degree of proficiency. Each word of praise from Lu Xuan was Ye Chen's driving force.
As he worked, Ye Chen couldn't help but recall Lu Xuan's words. In his master's eyes, his cooking seemed to earn the most approval. Not his alchemy, nor his martial arts? A tiny pang of disappointment flickered in his heart.
Soon, the steaming sweet and sour spirit fish was placed on the stone table. “Master, dinner is served!” Ye Chen announced.
Lu Xuan quickly took his seat, taking a small bite. “Excellent, excellent. Keep up the good work!”
Mid-meal, Lu Xuan chuckled. “Ye Chen, I have a small request for this Pill Refining Exchange Conference.”
Ye Chen looked up, completely serious. “Master, please speak.”
“I want you to win first place in the Younger Generation Alchemy Competition.”
Ye Chen froze. First place? That sounded like a monumental challenge! After all, he was only a King-tier Alchemist!
Just then, Yao Yan's voice echoed from within the jade pendant. “Peak Master Lu, achieving first place... that might be quite difficult!”
“Why?” Lu Xuan asked, raising an eyebrow.
Yao Yan explained, “Peak Master Lu, this Pill Refining Exchange Conference will likely feature Earth-tier Alchemists among the younger generation. Ye Chen is currently only a King-tier Alchemist; there's a considerable gap.”
Lu Xuan frowned slightly. Earth-tier Alchemists? In the younger generation? What the hell? That's not playing fair!
Seeing Lu Xuan's confusion, Yao Yan elaborated, “In our path of alchemy, a single breakthrough can take decades or even centuries. So, for these Pill Refining Exchange Conferences, the age limit for alchemists is quite generous. Anyone under three hundred years old can participate.”
Lu Xuan was utterly dumbfounded. Three hundred years old? And they call that ‘younger generation’?! Seriously?
Yao Yan sighed, a hint of bitterness in his voice. “Ye Chen becoming a King-tier Alchemist in three months is already astonishing! If he had more time, he might truly reach Earth-tier. Then, perhaps, he could contend for first place.”
After a brief silence, Ye Chen looked at Lu Xuan, his eyes blazing with unyielding determination. “Master, I will definitely take first place!”
Lu Xuan looked back, genuinely surprised.
Ye Chen offered a faint smile. “Master, you've given me so many opportunities—the Heaven-Devouring Cauldron, the Bone-Chilling Ghost Flame, and even the Pill Emperor's Memories! If, with all of this, I still can't win first place, then wouldn't I truly be a waste?”
Yao Yan fell silent. Ye Chen's youthful passion was commendable, but the gap between a King-tier and an Earth-tier Alchemist was immense, far beyond what mere willpower could bridge.
At that moment, Ye Chen clenched his fists, veins bulging on his arms, his body trembling with raw emotion. He looked intently at Lu Xuan, his voice shaking.
“Master, for seven long years, I've been branded a waste! Now, such an opportunity stands before me—how can I not seize it to prove myself?”
“This Pill Refining Exchange Conference isn't just about my vindication, it's about proving you, Master!”
Lu Xuan laughed, clapping his hands together. “Excellent, excellent, excellent!”
A surging tide in his heart, riding the wind, striking a thousand waves—a youth undefeated by passion! This was the very essence of youth! Seven years drinking bitter cold, no wonder his blood runs hot!
Ye Chen gazed at Lu Xuan, a profound reverence entering his eyes. “If Master believes I can, then I can! The reason I haven't reached Earth-tier Alchemist must be because I'm lacking somewhere.”
Lu Xuan blinked, slightly taken aback. Why is he suddenly reflecting? That's not what I meant at all!
Three months to King-tier Alchemist was already a heaven-shaking feat! His “request” for first place was purely a System quest.
Yao Yan, visibly moved, gritted his teeth. “Peak Master Lu, with only a few days left, this old man will do everything in his power to help Ye Chen! Perhaps we truly can create a miracle!”
He was deeply excited. Three months! Earth-tier Alchemist! If this really happens, it will be an unprecedented miracle in the alchemy world of the Southern Wilds!
At this, Lu Xuan turned to Yao Yan. “Old Yao, what do you think is the fundamental difference between an Earth-tier Alchemist and a King-tier Alchemist?”
Yao Yan replied, “King-tier and Earth-tier—a single character separates them, but it's not truly a difference in refining techniques. It's all about ‘Alchemy Intuition’.”
Lu Xuan raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
Yao Yan explained, “Alchemy Intuition means that after stepping into the Earth-tier, one begins to forge their own ‘Dao’ of alchemy. Refining pills is no longer just about rigidly activating spirit arts and manipulating spirit fire. It also involves imagination!”
Ye Chen looked confused. He felt he didn't quite grasp it. “Old Yao, elaborate, please.”
Yao Yan said, “Before Earth-tier, alchemy is alchemy. But at Earth-tier, alchemy is not alchemy!”
Ye Chen's face was a blank slate as he pondered the true meaning of Yao Yan's words.
Lu Xuan chuckled softly. “It's like how one perceives a mountain. In the first realm, a mountain is a mountain. In the second realm, a mountain is not a mountain. And in the third realm, a mountain is still a mountain.”
Yao Yan was utterly stunned. He had never heard such a novel and profound explanation! He was shocked. Could Lu Xuan also understand the Dao of Alchemy?
Ye Chen's mind buzzed. It felt like he had just touched upon something extraordinary. A profound, ethereal aura began to swirl around him, gentle breezes carrying a faint, shimmering light. Ye Chen had entered a state of profound enlightenment.
No wonder I always felt my alchemy had hit a bottleneck! he mused internally. It's because I've always been constrained by the rigid frameworks of the Herbal Scripture, fire control, and refining techniques. The Pill Emperor's Memories were undoubtedly a towering peak, but they had inadvertently led him into a passive imitation, following the Five-star Pill Emperor's path step by step.
‘Learn from me and thrive, imitate me and perish!’ Ye Chen muttered in his heart. He understood now. He had to forge his own Dao! The Five-star Pill Emperor was a pinnacle, but he would rise even higher, building a magnificent tower upon that very peak!
Instantly, in Ye Chen's mind, the insights into herbal properties that he had accumulated day and night over the past three months transformed into a torrent of memories, rapidly merging and colliding. Tens of thousands of spirit herbs shimmered into dazzling light, floating and sinking, reorganizing themselves. He suddenly understood so much—the characteristics and medicinal properties of different spirit herbs, the laws governing spirit fire manipulation, the extraction of spirit herb essence... Ye Chen felt he could even modify some King-tier pill formulas, his understanding of spirit herbs having reached an unprecedented level.
Several hours later, Ye Chen slowly opened his eyes, looking at Lu Xuan with fervent excitement. “Thank you for your guidance, Master. A single word from you is worth refining ten thousand pills!”
Yao Yan was also stirred. He sensed that Lu Xuan possessed some truly unique insights into alchemy. He decided to ask Lu Xuan a deeper question.
With this in mind, Yao Yan asked Lu Xuan, “Peak Master Lu, what do you believe alchemy truly is?”
Lu Xuan smiled faintly. “The Great Dao shares a common source, and the Dao follows nature. Everything is like alchemy! And alchemy, too, is like everything!”
Yao Yan frowned, utterly bewildered. Ye Chen fell into deep thought, trying to decipher Lu Xuan's meaning.
Lu Xuan clarified, “Cooking is like alchemy; ingredients are like spirit herbs; a wok is like a pill furnace.”
Yao Yan suddenly understood, a light dawning in his eyes.
Ye Chen, however, looked at his master with profound shock. Master is right! Aren't dishes ‘refined’ as well?
Lu Xuan smiled. “Open your mind, expand your imagination. When you see alchemy as not alchemy, that's when you'll truly grasp something different.”
“What else is like alchemy?” Yao Yan pressed, eager for more.
Lu Xuan casually pointed at Ye Chen. “Cultivation is like alchemy! Taking the physical body as the furnace, the power of heaven and earth as the spirit fire, condensing the essence of spiritual energy to enhance the foundation of one's Dantian cultivation—isn't this also alchemy?”
Yao Yan was left dumbfounded. This theory of alchemy was truly revolutionary, completely beyond his previous understanding! His reverence for Lu Xuan deepened yet again.
“Peak Master Lu,” Yao Yan asked, his voice filled with newfound respect, “what do you believe is the ultimate goal of alchemy?”
Lu Xuan offered a faint smile. “What do you think it is?”
Yao Yan's heart swelled with emotion, and he spoke with excitement, “To refine an unsurpassed pill, one engraved with ten pill halos, drawing forth heavenly lightning, with not a single wisp of spirit herb essence wasted, achieving a perfect elixir!”
Ye Chen nodded in agreement. This was surely the ultimate goal of any alchemist—the pursuit of perfection, striving for excellence!
Lu Xuan shook his head. “Old Yao, expand your horizons, open your imagination. You're still on the first layer of alchemy.”
Yao Yan stared, genuinely shocked. “Peak Master Lu, please enlighten me.”
Lu Xuan spoke casually, yet his words carried the weight of ancient wisdom: “‘Indeed, Heaven and Earth as Furnace, Creation as the Craftsman! Yin and Yang as the Charcoal, and all things as the Bronze!’”
Yao Yan was utterly stunned. Heaven and Earth as the Furnace! Creation as the Craftsman! Yin and Yang as the Charcoal, all things as the Bronze! What a magnificent scope!