After passing through a lot journeying towards the so-called great sect, Xu Qing was really eager to learn more about alchemy.
Finally, the impatient girl got to the sect, but all that is left now is how she is going to enter through the locked sect gate.
She began to wonder how a sects gate would be that huge, as far as being located deep in the mountain… "Maybe that is why it doesn't have a gatekeeper".
A voice sounded out of nowhere, "Young miss, who do you seek and your purpose?".
Xu Qing looked at all of her cardinal points but still could not process the location the voice was coming from.
Immediately, she assumed it was a strong figure "I am Xu Qing from within the capital, I have been walking for some time now searching for an influential sect to learn and be impacted the knowledge of alchemy, eventually I found this place".
"Hmm, your luck I'll say, unfortunately there is no quota for recruiting any disciples this year.....so you can come try again in the next five years that is".
"What!" The dumbfounded Xu Qing began to drown in her thoughts "No, I won't be able to come in five years to come, please put in some good words and I know the sect master will be considerate about it" She stated.
"Now take a look at this conspicuous brat, how will I be able to put in words to a total stranger… Anyway, this is a win or lose situation".
"All depends on how strong her luck is" The voice thought.
The large looking door began to open up all by itself and Xu Qing was allowed into the sect while being directed straight to the vice sect master.
"Young miss, how may I address you?".
"Xu Qing" She bowed.
Anyway, As you may know, the sect is not recruiting disciples until the next five years, particularly in the sects' alchemy division since we have no need for a disciple.
The only escape route through all this is having an extreme exceptional ability for alchemy, I guess you understand what I have just stated?
"Yes, I understand".
Ok, now shall we proceed with the test?
"Yes sir" She said really happy.
The vice sect master placed an orb like stone on the table nearest to them.
This is an aptitude testing stone used mainly in alchemy, and it displays five colors in correspondence to the testers' aptitude.
Five color display means an excellent aptitude, four color displays for perfect, three color displays for a good aptitude, two for common and lastly one color display for normal.
He sat down after explaining all he had to, then he began to observe Xu Qing.
She placed her hands on the stone, it drew a bit of QI from her body, and the evaluation process began.
She went into a state of unconsciousness as five excellent colors were displayed, the vice sect master stood up immediately as he saw the result.
"The disciple with the highest aptitude display, was four colors, this girl is an exceptional talent". He thought, grabbing her before she falls.
After an hour.
The feeling of laying on something comfy made her forget what she was going through, as it had been a very long time she felt something so similar to that.
A creaky sound made by the door kicked her out of her daydream as she burst out shouting, "Did I pass the evaluation process?".
"Calm down Junior sister Xu Qing" Said jiyao.
Although you only went through the test, due to your exceptional result master decided to skip the talent test, so you are now officially an inner disciple.
Hmm, no wonder he addressed me as Junior sister, the happiest moment of my life, accepted as an inner disciple of the great pure jade sect.
"Senior brother, since you know my name already, how may I address you?" Said Xu Qing.
"My name is Ji yao, an inner disciple from the alchemy division and a mysterious grade alchemist".
"A mysterious grade alchemist?" She said, looking a bit confused.
Alchemists are graded according to the types and quality of pills they can produce.
"And, thus they are ranked from common grade until saint grade" He explained carefully.
"Wow!" She exclaimed, So you are merely two stages away from being a Saint grade alchemist…so talented.
"I'm flattered" Ji yao said.
"Hmm, I have a question, senior brother".
"Ask away" Ji yao.
"Does cultivation have the same ranking stage as alchemy?".
Cultivation stages are different compared to all other professions like alchemy, and artifact refining.
They all have different stages, as for cultivation realm and stages… Ji yao began to explain better.
Cultivation has six realms, and this realm each has three stages to bypass before breaking through to a new realm.
Qi condescension, foundation establishment, nascent soul, immortal ascension, and the supreme realm.
"How strong is a supreme realm master?" Xu Qing said as she was filled with excitement.
Hmm… That I can't tell because I have not experienced the battle prowess of a supreme realm master, but I assure that they are powerful, formidable, and, of course, our sect master is a supreme realm cultivator.
Therefore, he is addressed as the only supreme power house cultivator.
"Seriously! The sect master is a supreme realm cultivator, can I learn cultivation under the sect master?".
Jiyao stared at Xu Qing, wondering what would make her satisfied… "Hmm, you definitely can with your aptitude, but so unfortunate, he has two disciples and isn't accepting more".
Xu Qing felt a mood swing after hearing what jiyao had to say, although that did not show.
"What is the name of our my senior brothers?".
"Senior brothers? Jiyao was perplexed".
"I meant the sect masters' disciples" She said.
"Oh… Xiao Feng and Xuan ping? They are currently in a secluded cultivation".
If I can't learn under the sect master, at least I could try being their junior sister…she repeated their names in her mind, and… "how can I meet with them?" She asked
"About that, they'll be out of their seclusion in the next three years, and it'll be up to you if you can meet with them".
"I almost forgot, the master told me to relay a message to you, he said to get prepared, you would be entering the tower in the next two days".
"Tower?" She asked.
Yeah-huh, the alchemy tower, In there you would receive teachings on alchemy ways inscribed on slabs right from our ancestors' knowledge until date, and you can also be enlightened and directly breakthrough into a heavenly grade alchemist.
And If you have more than enough luck, a mysterious grade alchemist.
Why the heaven grades? Xu qing asked that because most people come out as a heaven grade alchemist.
[Look at him trying to underestimate the depth of my luck].
"Senior brother, please tell me more about the tower".
The tower consists of three floors, the first floor is just an artificial spiritual garden, there you get to become familiar with herbs, studying different types of herbs, their characteristics, and compatibility with one or more herbs.
While on the second floor, there you get to learn the process of refining pills, types of pills and their uses.
Lastly, The third tower and the most crucial of the three floors, there you get to listen to teachings based on what you had learned from the first and second floor.
During the process, the alchemy dao tone would be released, and how much you can gain depends on your insights in alchemy… "So I would advise you as a senior brother to have an open and clear heart whenever you are on the third floor".
"Thank you, senior brother," Said Xu Qing.
She stood up from where she sat and bowed to her senior brother.
"Hahaha… There is no need for all that, I am just doing what a senior brother is meant to be doing, nothing more, so take your time and rest well".
Therefore, don't forget to get prepared. In two days time you will be entering the tower.
As soon as Ji yao left, Xu qing began to feel lonely but was immediately brightened up at the thought of her senior brothers, Xuan ping and Xiao feng...
"Since they will be out of seclusion in three years, I have only three years to breakthrough, becoming a mysterious grade alchemist" She proclaimed with a lit of determination in her.
****************
The fact that Xu Qing became an inner disciple and will soon be entering the alchemy tower immediately became a news that spread amidst the disciples like fire.
Some became envious of her since things went so easily for her, but they did not know it was the vice sects master's decision not to miss an opportunity of gaining a talented disciple.
They cursed her, becoming a disciple of the vice sect master, receiving direct teachings from him.
The more funny thing was that none of the disciples had set their eyes on her, but they were a lot of rumor that, she was the vice sect master's secret daughter and she was stunning.
After three months of entering the tower, Xu Qing was already familiar with the different herbs in the garden to the extent that she had already memorized them all, their properties and compatibility with another.
Although, there were many failures due to assumptions when making her decisions, but one thing was clear, her progress was certain.
Xu Qing began to break records and passed the first level within three months, although she wanted to stay a bit more to make research on her formulated theories, but her anxiousness did not allow because she wanted to meet her senior brothers within the appropriate time they would he out of seclusion?
That fact wasn't a hindrance towards progress.
Finally, she moved on to the next level of what difficulty the tower had in store for her.
After studying all the pill making process that the tower contained, She felt there was more to it than that.
She started to research on how to refine pills without the need for a furnace.
After many trials, all was still a failure to the extent that she almost lost her mind.
She forgot about it and decided to raise the cultivation level instead.
*****
After cultivating continuously for the past three months, Xiao feng cultivation base has finally been consolidated while Xuan ping had successful absorbed Ye Bai Yi enormous QI.
Therefore, the supreme being been finally contented but, he was still dissatisfied because they were still too weak as a cultivator who cultivates using a heavenly divine manual.
The supreme being then prolonged their secluded cultivation until the next two years, laying down a criterion that they must break through the core formation realm within two years.
A feat that had not been achieved by anyone even in the history of the pure jade sect.
The most shocking one was that he gave to them a secret manual he himself wrote… (World concealing depth) and told them as they must learn to conceal their QI totally without exposing it despite being enormous.
Xuan ping and Xiao feng groaned thinking they would have a bit of freedom, but all was tarnished right in front of them, without disobeying their master's order, they started cultivating without a hint of being forced, therefore they progressed.
After two years
Inside the pure jade sect, everything had been going smoothly, no particular arising rumors until a phenomenon occurred.
Three bright lights filled with pure QI stride straight for heaven breaking clouds and sky during the process, with immediate effect all disciples began to gather wondering what was happening in the sect.
"Is someone breaking through?"
"Idiot! For how long have you been a disciple of this sect, yet you don't know the signs of breakthrough?"
"If it isn't a breakthrough, what could it be, then?".
"Well, I can't say, only the elders and sect master would probably know".
"Fools" Said Ji yao passing the two disciples who were busy discussing.
This is definitely the sect master's disciple breaking through the core formation realm, I can't even imagine how strong they would become in the far future.
Even the person I least expected did not fail to surprise me, the master got himself a really talented disciple… "Xu Qing!".
She sneezed… "Who the hell is talking about me, I know I won't be anyone other than that old geezer".
"Phew" Finally, this alchemy dao has been fully comprehended, I never could have imagined it would take me so long to gain exceptional achievements in this.
Xu Qing stood up and dusted her butts, she began to groan due to pain as she had sat in one position for too long.
***
In the vice-master's abode, A voice was heard calling out for jiyao.
The disciple could not imagine the calm, composed and elegant vice master would cause such an uproar with just his voice.
"Master, what is the problem?" Jiyao asked… he was still panting due to how fast he had run.
"To the alchemy tower" The vice sect master could no longer compose himself, so he shouted as he was rushing.
"What happened to the alchemy tower?" He had to run alongside the master since he didn't receive any response.
I wonder what could have happened to make master this excited… Ji yao thought.
Xu Qing coming out of the alchemy tower, it felt as if she hadn't seen the sun for a thousand years without noticing her master and senior brother, she began to embrace the beauty of nature once again.
Finally, the great pure jade sect has finally groomed a new spirit grade alchemist… "Hahaha" he laughed.
"Xu Qing greets the master"
It has been long since someone comprehended the final alchemy dao tone, your enlightenment in alchemy sure would increase gradually.
"Senior brother Ji yao, I am genuinely grateful for all you did back then for me".
"Once again, it is my duty as your senior brother".
"Xu Qing, let's go, we need to discuss on some things," Said the master.
Master, I'm sorry I'll have to decline because what I will have to do from now on depends on my senior brothers.
"Ji yao?" The master asked, perplexed.
"No! Brother Xuan ping and Xiao feng".
What…