Translator: Cinder Translations
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The maid led Song Wen to a vacant house and then left.
Song Wen pushed open the door, finding the house well-equipped with daily necessities.
After resting for a while, it was around the fifth watch of the evening, which was mealtime.
He got up and went outside, heading towards the dining hall as instructed by the maid earlier.
Currently, Song Wen's revealed cultivation level was only Qi Refining Fifth Layer. To better conceal his true identity, he needed to frequently appear in the dining hall.
Soon, he arrived at the dining hall located in the center of the compound.
The dining hall was quite large, and there were many people dining inside, at least over a hundred.
Song Wen found a random spot to sit, and a servant promptly brought him his meal.
Just as he was about to start eating, he heard someone speaking nearby.
"Fellow Daoist, are you a new alchemist?"
Song Wen turned to look in the direction of the voice and saw a middle-aged cultivator around forty years old.
Seeing Song Wen's puzzled expression, the man continued,
"I saw you in the alchemy room this morning. Since you're a new face, I assume you must be a new addition to the Su family's alchemists."
"I am also an alchemist of the Su family. My name is Duan Jie. Seeing that you are dining alone, I would like to invite you to join us. We are all outsiders here, and it would be good to get to know each other and look out for one another."
As Duan Jie spoke, he pointed to a large table at the edge of the dining hall, where six cultivators at the Qi Refining Mid Stage were having their meal.
Song Wen smiled and said,
"I am an old man named Yuan Cheng. It is an honor to be invited by Fellow Daoist Duan, and I wouldn't think of declining."
Song Wen stood up and followed Duan Jie to the large table.
Upon reaching the table, Duan Jie warmly introduced Song Wen to everyone. Song Wen also greeted each person with a smile.
As Song Wen was a newcomer, everyone showed interest in him, as newcomers might bring new pill formulas.
These low-level alchemists, being outsiders in the Su family, were not highly valued. They could only improve their alchemy skills through self-study and mutual exchange.
After they were seated, someone asked Song Wen what type of pills he was skilled at refining.
When they heard that Song Wen only knew how to refine Blood Qi Pills and Qi Gathering Pills, their interest quickly waned.
Blood Qi Pills were not very valuable, and Qi Gathering Pills were something everyone could refine. Since Song Wen didn't offer any new pill formulas, they lost interest.
At this moment, a man named Qi Xiong, who was about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, spoke up.
"Today, I finally refined my first batch of Profound Qi Pills."
He spoke with an unmistakable air of pride on his face.
Profound Qi Pills were first-grade top-quality pills, used by cultivators at the Qi Refining Late Stage to enhance their spiritual energy, containing several times more spiritual energy than Qi Gathering Pills.
His ability to refine first-grade top-quality pills with his Qi Refining Sixth Layer cultivation was a testament to his impressive talent in alchemy.
"Congratulations, Alchemist Qi!"
"Congratulations!"
"In the future, Alchemist Qi will be a third-grade alchemist of the Su family."
Facing the congratulations from everyone, Qi Xiong's face showed unrestrained pride, which slowly turned into arrogance.
He let slip a hidden secret.
"I am already at the peak of Qi Refining Sixth Layer. Steward Su Huayue has promised to grant me a Breakthrough Pill in three months to help me break through."
"Wow!"
Someone couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
The Breakthrough Pill was an extremely rare first-grade pill, similar in effect to the Snake Scale Fruit that Song Wen had used.
The main ingredient for this pill is extremely difficult to find, and the technique required to refine it is very advanced. It is rare for a first-tier alchemist to be able to successfully refine it.
In the market, a single Breakthrough Pill is worth at least a thousand spirit stones, and it's still hard to come by even at that price.
Hearing this, several people cast envious glances at Qi Xiong.
"May I ask if Fellow Daoist is cultivating the 'Longevity Technique'?" Suddenly, Song Wen, who hadn't spoken much, inquired.
Qi Xiong nodded, puzzled, and replied, "Indeed, I am cultivating the 'Longevity Technique.' Why do you ask, Fellow Daoist?"
Song Wen's face showed a smile, his eyes filled with envy.
"I'm just curious. The 'Longevity Technique' has life-extending effects. Since Fellow Daoist Qi has broken through to the seventh layer of Qi Refinement, you should enjoy a lifespan of about a hundred and ten years. Truly enviable."
"Alchemist Qi is young and has already broken through to the late stage of Qi Refinement. Moreover, he is a third-tier alchemist with great potential for the future. He might even have a chance to build his foundation someday."
Qi Xiong was slightly flattered by Song Wen's praise, and soon forgot about Song Wen's inquiry about his technique.
"Fellow Daoist praises me too much," Qi Xiong replied, trying to suppress his pride.
While conversing with the group, Song Wen was secretly astonished.
To gain a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator of the 'Longevity Technique,' they actually bestowed the Breakthrough Pill upon an outsider. It seems the Su family has a significant ambition.
This made Song Wen even more curious about why the Su family was capturing cultivators of the 'Longevity Technique.'
The group continued to eat and chat, and soon the topic shifted back to alchemy.
"Today, Elder Wan came looking for me again," Duan Jie suddenly said.
"Elder Wan wants you to sell him the leftover pills outside of your tasks again?" Qi Xiong asked.
Duan Jie nodded.
Another person nearby interjected, "Steward Su Huayue manages the pill room well, but Elder Wan keeps meddling, trying to buy our leftover pills with threats and higher prices, creating chaos in the pill room."
"Shh! Keep your voice down. The infighting among the Su family's higher-ups has nothing to do with us outsiders. We are just here to make a living under their protection."
Hearing this, Song Wen curiously asked, "What exactly is going on? Can you tell me so I can be prepared?"
Duan Jie, sitting beside Song Wen, leaned over and whispered.
"Su Anqing, the patriarch, and Su Wenshi, the great elder, have always been at odds, vying for power."
"It didn't matter much to us low-tier alchemists before since they didn't care about our minor contributions. Recently, however, their conflict has escalated, and they even want the excess pills we have beyond our clan tasks."
"The pill room is managed by Steward Su Huayue, who is aligned with the great elder Su Wenshi. The extra pills usually ended up with the great elder."
"Elder Wan is on the patriarch Su Anqing's side and has recently started interfering in pill room affairs."
"You need not worry too much. After the end-of-month settlement, just sell your extra pills to whoever comes to you first."
Song Wen nodded, "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Duan, for the advice."
...
The next day, Song Wen went to the pill room early, collected medicinal materials from Su Huayue, and began refining pills.
By the time evening came, Song Wen had used three sets of materials and refined two furnaces of Qi Gathering Pills.
Alchemy, like talisman-making, requires strong mental strength. With Song Wen's late Foundation Establishment spiritual awareness, refining first-tier mid-grade pills was an easy task for him.
Had he been more familiar with the Earth Fire, he might have succeeded in all three attempts.
After three consecutive days of alchemy, Song Wen didn't go to the pill room on the fourth day.
He came to the Su family not to refine pills and enhance their strength but for his own purpose.
Today, he planned to explore the surroundings.
Since unauthorized entry into Qingping Mountain was prohibited, he could only wander at the foot of the mountain.
When he reached the shady side of Qingping Mountain, a small town came into view.
This was the town the maid had mentioned, where those in the Su family without spiritual roots or with poor aptitude lived.
(End of the Chapter)
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