Translator: Cinder Translations
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After Fang Pengyi announced the rewards and punishments for everyone, he left the alchemy room.
As soon as he departed, Zuo Shuiyun approached Zhou Siyi.
"Congratulations, Senior Sister Zhou, on your promotion!"
Zhou Siyi's lips curled into a slight smile, but she did not respond.
Previously, Zuo Shuiyun had called her "Junior Sister Zhou," but upon seeing her promoted to Elder of Alchemy Peak, she immediately switched to addressing her as "Senior Sister Zhou."
What a schemer.
Zhou Siyi felt disdain in her heart and chose to ignore Zuo Shuiyun.
"Congratulations, Junior Sister Zhou," Huo Ding also chimed in at the right moment.
Zhou Siyi treated Huo Ding with courtesy and nodded with a smile.
Huo Ding asked, "Junior Sister Zhou, can you tell us what happened at the Spirit Beast Breeding Workshop in the Great Yan Kingdom that allowed you to suddenly be promoted to Elder of Alchemy Peak, and even Wu received a considerable benefit?"
His question quickly piqued the curiosity of Zuo Shuiyun and Wei Ding; they too wanted to know what had transpired at the Spirit Beast Breeding Workshop.
Especially Wei Ding, who had been demoted without knowing the reason behind it.
What was so unusual about the mission at the Spirit Beast Breeding Workshop that the sect valued it so highly?
Zhou Siyi shook her head, "Senior Brother Huo, the sect has regulations; matters concerning the Spirit Beast Breeding Workshop are prohibited from being disclosed."
Huo Ding then looked at Song Wen, hoping to gather some information from him.
However, Song Wen similarly shook his head, indicating he could not disclose anything.
Not wanting to discuss the Spirit Beast Breeding Workshop further, Zhou Siyi shifted the topic.
"I wonder which elder will be sent to teach us alchemy techniques?"
Huo Ding replied, "It might be Elder Cai Jinglue. Long ago, my master mentioned that once I advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage, I should follow Elder Cai to learn alchemy. At that time, when I successfully established my foundation, Elder Cai happened to be out on a mission, so it was put on hold. Now that Elder Cai has returned to the sect, it is likely that he will be the one to teach us."
"Elder Cai Jinglue? I've heard he is proficient in the refinement of dozens of second-grade elixirs and is quite upright as well."
Zuo Shuiyun echoed from the side, her face showing some anticipation, clearly holding Elder Cai in high regard.
"Elder Cai Jinglue? I have also heard of his name," Zhou Siyi responded.
The four of them quietly discussed this, while Wei Ding was left out and ignored.
Wei Ding cleared his throat a few times, but no one paid him any attention. Growing somewhat displeased, he raised his voice and said, "Zuo Shuiyun, come help me with alchemy. Elder Shen from the Peak asked me to refine a batch of Yuan Cultivating Pills. Assist me, and I will teach you the method for refining the Soul-Destruction Pill."
Zuo Shuiyun turned to look at Wei Ding.
"Elder Wei, thank you for your kindness, but I've been feeling unwell lately, so I won't be helping you with alchemy."
"You..."
Wei Ding's face turned an unpleasant shade of red and white, looking extremely grim.
He had not expected that, right after being demoted by the Peak Master, Zuo Shuiyun—who usually fawned over him—would immediately turn her back on him.
Wei Ding glared resentfully at the four of them. He couldn't afford to offend Zhou Siyi and Huo Ding, but Song Wen and Zuo Shuiyun had little standing in the sect.
Especially Song Wen, who, after completing the mission, had said nothing about the events at the Spirit Beast Breeding Workshop, leaving him completely unprepared and resulting in his demotion.
"Don't let me catch you off guard; otherwise, I will definitely make you regret it."
Wei Ding thought viciously to himself.
"Hmph!"
With a cold grunt, Wei Ding turned and walked toward the alchemy room at the back.
His departure did not draw the attention of Song Wen and the others.
"Today, Elder Rong Jingyun will be teaching alchemy techniques to the Qi Refinement stage disciples in the Huang Alchemy Room. Do you want to go listen?" Zuo Shuiyun asked.
TL: Huang = Yellow (Lowest level)
Huo Ding said, "Although Elder Rong Jingyun is skilled in alchemy, what she teaches the Qi Refinement disciples are the basics of alchemy. I won't be going."
Upon hearing this, Song Wen's eyes lit up.
He hadn't expected to have another chance to meet Rong Jingyun.
He often studied the jade slip containing her insights on alchemy and held her refining skills in high esteem.
"I come from a loose cultivator background, and the alchemy techniques I've learned are not orthodox. I have only a partial understanding of the basics of alchemy, so I would like to go and listen."
"Then I will go too," Zhou Siyi said.
Hearing that Zhou Siyi was going, Zuo Shuiyun's eyes brightened. "Great! Let's go together, the three of us."
...
A moment later, the three of them arrived at the entrance of the Huang Alchemy Room, flying on their swords.
The Huang Alchemy Room had many alchemists, numbering in the hundreds. All of them were at the Qi Refinement stage and were responsible for refining pills for the thousands of Qi Refinement disciples of the Beastmaster Sect.
At this time, a crowd of two to three hundred had gathered in the square outside the Huang Alchemy Room, all there to hear Rong Jingyun teach alchemy.
Rong Jingyun had not yet arrived.
When Song Wen and the others showed up, they quickly caught the attention of the other Qi Refinement disciples, who conscientiously made space for the three of them to sit closer.
After waiting for about half an hour, Rong Jingyun arrived, flying in on her sword.
After landing, she glanced at Song Wen and the others, said nothing, and began explaining alchemy.
As Huo Ding had mentioned, in order to accommodate the disciples who were just starting to learn alchemy, Rong Jingyun primarily covered the fundamentals.
This made it quite dull for Zuo Shuiyun, Zhou Siyi, and some Qi Refinement alchemists who had been immersed in alchemy for many years.
However, Song Wen found it incredibly enlightening and listened intently.
The content Rong Jingyun taught inspired him greatly.
After two hours, as the sky began to darken, Rong Jingyun concluded her lecture on alchemy.
She stood up and prepared to leave, but Song Wen called out to her.
"Elder Rong, please wait! I am Wu Sheng and have some doubts I'd like to consult you about. I hope you can kindly share your wisdom."
Rong Jingyun raised her eyes slightly to look at Song Wen, feeling quite favorable toward this earnest Foundation Establishment cultivator who listened attentively.
"Please, Elder Wu, go ahead."
"Before I established my foundation, I had a friend who obtained a fragment of an ancient alchemical recipe. My friend researched it for many years but was never able to successfully refine the pill. Each time at the final step of condensing the pill, it would automatically break apart. I would like to ask Elder Rong how to resolve this issue."
"May I see that ancient recipe?"
Hearing about the ancient recipe piqued Rong Jingyun's interest.
Song Wen shook his head in refusal.
"That would be inconvenient; the recipe is not in my possession. Although I remember the contents of the recipe, I cannot disclose it without my friend's permission. However, I can tell you that it records a type of mid-tier first-grade pill, which has effects similar to the Blood Qi Pill."
Seeing that Song Wen was unwilling to disclose the recipe and that it was merely a first-grade pill, Rong Jingyun's interest diminished significantly.
"Without the recipe, I can't give you precise advice, but I can offer some general analysis."
"Since the effects of the pill are similar to the Blood Qi Pill, its purpose is likely to forcibly enhance spiritual energy cultivation at the cost of consuming blood qi, in an attempt to break through a bottleneck. Your friend probably wanted to use this pill to advance to the late Qi Refinement stage."
"There could be several reasons for the failure to condense the pill."
"Firstly, the method of condensing the pill might be incorrect. Some special pills require specific techniques to condense properly."
"Secondly, there might be issues with controlling the heat."
"Thirdly, the timing for condensing the pill might not be right."
...
Rong Jingyun spoke at length, providing eight possible reasons for the failure to condense the pill.
(End of the Chapter)
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