After Guo Xingyue took Ye Kai as his disciple, he moved into Ye Mingcheng's home and formulated a detailed training plan for Ye Kai. First, he sealed Ye Kai's golden core, preventing him from using its power. Then, he required Ye Kai to train according to the martial arts methods of the Pangu Star, recording various techniques of punches, kicks, and swordplay in a jade token, allowing Ye Kai to practice on his own. If he encountered any difficulties, he could ask questions at any time. Although Ye Kai was already at the early Golden Core stage, with his golden core locked, he lost all true essence and had to start learning martial arts from scratch. The hardships of this process were undoubtedly hard to bear. Fortunately, Ye Kai was both intelligent and resilient, diligently practicing without pause.
At first, Guo Xingyue often guided Ye Kai in his training, but seeing Ye Kai's high self-motivation and comprehension, he gradually let him train independently. Guo Xingyue would only check on Ye Kai's progress once a month, spending the rest of the time visiting the Jinshi Sect with Ye Mingcheng to discuss insights into artifact refining. The Dongxu Elder would also frequently visit Guo Xingyue. Known for his generous nature, Guo Xingyue never held back on sharing his cultivation insights and had plenty of minerals at hand, earning deep admiration from everyone in the Jinshi Sect.
As time flew by, several years passed, and Ye Kai's martial arts training was on the right track, which made Guo Xingyue very satisfied. Seeing that Ye Kai no longer needed constant guidance, he decided to visit various sects to meet prominent figures in the martial world. Since Ye Mingcheng's wife, Huang Ying, was a disciple of the Baicao Sect, and Guo Xingyue was planning to refine the Tribulation Elixir, the first sect he would visit was naturally the Baicao Sect, which ranked seventh among the seven major sects.
The Baicao Sect wasn't large, and its strength was relatively weak, primarily focusing on alchemy. The demand for elixirs among cultivators was significant, so no one dared to offend this sect (offending the Baicao Sect could provoke public outrage). The Baicao Sect secured its place among the seven major sects through its expertise in alchemy.
The Baicao Sect was located on Linlong Mountain, not too far from Jinshi Mountain. After flying for over an hour, Ye Mingcheng and the others arrived at the foot of Linlong Mountain. The Baicao Sect didn't have a mountain gate; instead, several temple-like buildings stood on the mountainside, and one could faintly smell the aroma of herbs from below. Surrounding the temples were large herb fields, where many rare medicinal plants were cultivated, and dozens of cultivators were busy working in the fields. Huang Ying quickly walked toward an elderly man with white hair working in the fields, bowing respectfully as she greeted, "Master, I'm back." The old man stood up, stroked his white beard, and chuckled, "Little Ying, you're back home! What elixir do you want me to help you refine this time? If there's no flower brew, I'll have to go on strike." (The elixir used by Ye Mingcheng and his wife to overcome the Out-of-Body stage calamity was refined by Huang Ying's master, Cheng Qian.) Huang Ying smiled lightly, "Master, you're teasing me again. I brought you quite a lot of flower brew this time. I also brought a guest; this is my husband's sworn brother, Guo Xingyue."
Stepping forward, Guo Xingyue quickly greeted, "Junior Guo Xingyue greets Elder Cheng." Cheng Qian's cultivation had reached the early stage of the Combined Body; with a sweep of his divine sense, he immediately sensed that Guo Xingyue was extraordinary. This person's divine sense was incredibly strong, seemingly at the late stage of the Combined Body, yet his cultivation was only at the early stage of the Dividing Spirit, and he appeared relatively new to cultivation but had achieved such a high level—truly remarkable. He smiled and said, "Friend, you're too polite. Please come in and rest for a moment; I'll go inform everyone and be right back."
Guo Xingyue and the others waited in a grand hall for a while before Cheng Qian walked in with a smile. The three of them quickly stood and bowed. Cheng Qian waved his hand, saying, "No need for such formalities. Ying'er, you should know I dislike such pretenses. Just bring out the flower brew already." Huang Ying chuckled, taking out four jade cups and a pot of flower brew from her storage bracelet, filling each cup before sitting down. Cheng Qian picked up his cup and took a large gulp, saying, "Ying'er's skills are really quite good. Ever since you married this brat, my culinary fortune has gone with you—what a pity!" The room burst into laughter.
Cheng Qian looked at Guo Xingyue and said, "You're quite young, yet your cultivation is profound—truly impressive. What brings you to our Baicao Sect? What kind of elixir do you need?" Guo Xingyue was taken aback for a moment but quickly understood: most cultivators coming to Baicao Sect were here to request elixirs, and he felt Cheng Qian had assumed he was one of them. Guo Xingyue smiled slightly and replied, "I'm not here to seek elixirs. I plan to open a furnace to refine the Tribulation Elixir, but I'm missing three ingredients: Nine-Loop Grass, Morning Mist Flower, and Rebirth Fruit. I came to see if you have any usable herbs."
Cheng Qian, who was enjoying the flower brew, nearly choked at this and coughed loudly before responding, "You also understand alchemy? Refining the Tribulation Elixir is no small matter. I've been cultivating for over four thousand years and have only refined it once, yielding only two Tribulation Elixirs."
Guo Xingyue smiled slightly and said, "I have some knowledge of alchemy. The Tribulation Elixir requires a total of eighteen ingredients and a Fire Crystal, among which the Seven-Grade Lotus Platform, Blood Fungi, Golden Mushroom, and Fire Crystal are the most precious. I have everything else, just missing these three ingredients. Additionally, refining the Tribulation Elixir requires a treasure-level cauldron, which I also possess."
Cheng Qian, deeply immersed in alchemy, was well-acquainted with various elixir formulas and refining methods. Upon hearing Guo Xingyue's words, he realized that this young man was indeed knowledgeable and not an outsider, which piqued his interest. He put aside Huang Ying and Ye Mingcheng and began discussing alchemy with Guo Xingyue. Although Guo Xingyue was not a complete novice in alchemy, he was still somewhat lacking in understanding pharmacology, knowing only a rough overview. However, through his conversation with Cheng Qian, Guo Xingyue gained substantial insights into the nature of medicinal properties. At the same time, Guo Xingyue's knowledge of various elixirs greatly benefited Cheng Qian, as many of these formulas had been left behind by the remarkable figure Haotian, and even with Cheng Qian's extensive knowledge, there were still many formulas he had never encountered.
As the two continued their lively discussion, Guo Xingyue even took out his treasure cauldron and started refining a Return to Origin Elixir on the spot. By this time, Guo Xingyue's cultivation had reached the early stage of Dividing Spirit, significantly stronger than when he first began refining elixirs. The energy of the lightning sphere had also increased considerably due to his experiences in the underwater maze, allowing him to control the heat and force during the alchemical process with great skill. With Cheng Qian's guidance at his side, he refined the Return to Origin Elixir for over three months, producing more than fifty pills. Cheng Qian praised Guo Xingyue's alchemical techniques and the remarkable use of the lightning sphere, remarking that had he been the one refining, he would have managed no more than forty pills and continued to call him "a formidable talent."
In the end, Cheng Qian stated that he had all three herbs: Nine-Loop Grass, Morning Mist Flower, and Rebirth Fruit, but the Rebirth Fruit would take another five years to mature. They agreed that Cheng Qian would personally deliver the herbs to the Jinshi Sect in five years to refine the Tribulation Elixir together.