The disastrous fates met by Chen Baxing and Lu Shaojun had left Lu Yifang thoroughly shaken. Chen Baxing's end could almost be forgiven—as he came from a well-known cultivation family and was nothing more than a playboy of the immortal world. But then there was Lu Shaojun's father… his background was far from ordinary.
Lu Shaojun's father was a Saint-Level Alchemist at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment—a "Saint-Hand" in alchemy. This special title distinguished him from ordinary alchemists. While typical alchemists could only produce elixirs suitable for their own cultivation realm, a Saint-Hand could refine pills that far exceeded his own level. In fact, some exceptionally gifted Saint-Hand alchemists could even manufacture Elixirs for those in the Yuanying realm while themselves still at the Foundation Establishment stage—almost defying heaven's mandates! However, it was clear that Lu Shaojun's father was not among these rare transcendent talents; otherwise, the Yuanying Ancestor surely would have granted him even the slightest favor.
"Many thanks, Uncle Fang—please accept this token of my sincere regard," said Lu Yifang as he produced a gift: a small box made of rosewood. When the box was opened, a haphazard arrangement of spirit stones was revealed. A cursory glance revealed at least five hundred stones within—enough to purchase even a low-grade spirit instrument.
"Lu Junior Brother, your heart is in the right place. I shall gladly accept it," Fang Jinyu replied with a calm nod. In that moment, any lingering resentment he had harbored toward Lu Yifang vanished. After all, Lu Yifang was nothing more than a messenger—even though they had exchanged only a few words that day, he had not injured Fang Jinyu's feelings. And judging from the humble offering of that box of spirit stones, it was clear that Lu Yifang had poured his savings—perhaps years' worth—into this gift.
Seeing Fang Jinyu accept the offering, Lu Yifang visibly relaxed. Resolving conflicts with a few hundred spirit stones in hand, appeasing a Foundation Establishment cultivator through even a modest exchange, was an exceptionally good bargain. "I won't take up any more of your time then," Lu Yifang added. Though Fang Jinyu addressed him as "Junior Brother," he dared not call him "Senior Brother"—their speech conventions among cultivators often followed set formalities, much like the way Lu Xun and his old comrade Runtu might address one another in their own reserved manner.
Fang Jinyu said little further and allowed Du Man'er to escort him away. Du Man'er, dispatched by the Lingyao Peak to serve as Fang Jinyu's alchemy apprentice after he declared his intent to study pill refining, was someone Fang Jinyu rather hesitated to keep around. He harbored his own secrets, and he sensed from his careful observation that Du Man'er was not overly eager to stick with him.
On appearance alone, Du Man'er could rival even those famed immortal maidens of the cultivation world—and she was by no means inferior to the female lead in any respect. Yet having witnessed the vastness of the immortal world, such beauty did not compel her to follow someone like him—a straightforward, honest fellow with only three-attribute spiritual roots, still at the Foundation Establishment stage. Although such roots were promising enough to breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, progressing further to attain a Golden Core was notoriously difficult. Even if one did succeed, the resulting Golden Core often languished between an eighth- or ninth-grade quality. Consequently, Fang Jinyu planned to find an opportune moment to subtly indicate that he had no intention of taking her away, thereby leaving matters to develop naturally.
Oddly enough, Du Man'er's radiant appearance was nowhere mentioned in that ancient text he'd once studied. That omission was highly illogical—someone of her beauty and ambition should, if nothing else, be destined to perish within a single chapter as expendable "cannon fodder."
"Also," Fang Jinyu mused later as he continued to labor over the basics of alchemy, "where did this reputation of mine as such an honest, straightforward fellow come from?" He was particularly perplexed by this remark. Could it be simply because his previous incarnation's parents had been known for their honesty, and so it was inherited? The idea, as he mused while stroking his chin, held a curious logic: after all, it is said that one's parents are the first teachers of their children.
He soon returned to his studies, delving back into his manual on the fundamentals of alchemy. To his delight, his diligent efforts soon reaped rewards.
[Today is a day of painstaking study of alchemy basics] [Extraction: Acquired Alchemy Essence +1]
In an instant, the alchemical knowledge he had crammed into his mind seemed to come alive. When the torrent of information subsided, Fang Jinyu found that he now had a basic grasp of the art of pill refining.
"I really am a genius—I've grasped the very essence of alchemy in one stroke!" he declared shamelessly. Emboldened by his sudden insight, he then spent one hundred spirit stones to rent an alchemy furnace and purchased a batch of medicinal herbs. With methodical precision, he commenced the process: lighting the fire, adding the medicinal herbs (lingyao), and initiating the refinement.
After the fire blazed and the spirit herbs were added, he started the alchemy process. When he finally extinguished the flames and reopened the furnace, thick smoke billowed forth.
"Even a novice will fail the first time around," Fang Jinyu muttered to himself, accepting his second failed attempt as entirely normal.
Undeterred, he cleaned away the scorched ash from the furnace's base and restarted the process. Again, he lit the fire and added the herbs—but once more, after going through the steps of initiating the refinement and then extinguishing, disaster struck: this time the furnace detonated before even completing its cycle.
"Junior Brother, alchemy isn't about forging Thunder Techniques!" one of the Foundation Establishment cultivators on Lingyao Peak admonished him. "If you need guidance, why not ask your alchemy apprentice? I recall you were assigned Du Man'er, yes? That clever girl has proven her mettle before by successfully refining a full batch of pills on her own. If it weren't for the Sect Master's favor, she wouldn't have even been granted under your charge."
Fang Jinyu's face flushed with embarrassment. No wonder true alchemists were so few—despite claiming to have mastered the essence of alchemy, his first three attempts had all met with failure. In his third trial, the furnace had even exploded! Thankfully, the furnace was but a talisman instrument rather than a true spirit instrument; otherwise, his losses today would have been ruinous.
Seeing his plight, Fang Jinyu quickly offered, "Since Du Man'er can refine pills on her own, why not cultivate her into a full-fledged alchemist?" His suggestion was an attempt to steer the conversation away from his own shortcomings. Deep down, he was, after all, puzzled by the fact that this same Du Man'er—in spite of his repeated failures—could refine her pills so successfully. It spoke volumes to her innate talent in alchemy, which at the very least must be above average.
"Her spiritual roots are fivefold," the cultivator remarked regretfully, "and when she first broke through to the Qi Refinement stage, it was purely by chance. Had fortune not favored her as it did, she might have reached Foundation Establishment long ago." Another cultivator added, "Even if her roots were only fourfold, with such innate talent we would have already pushed her to further cultivation."
Fang Jinyu nodded. No wonder the sect was so willing to invest in her. And with that, he summoned Du Man'er and earnestly inquired after her methods.
Perhaps it was his respectful, genuine manner of asking that led Du Man'er to explain everything without reservation—and her words confirmed for Fang Jinyu that the senior cultivator from Lingyao Peak was indeed not exaggerating.
Du Man'er's explanations regarding alchemy were both lucid and comprehensive, and many of the things Fang Jinyu had been uncertain about suddenly became crystal clear.
Grateful for her generous teaching, Fang Jinyu produced a ring from his pocket. "Thank you, Junior Sister Du. Please accept this talisman instrument as a token of my gratitude." It was one of the talismans he'd once used—a mid-grade talisman, and though there were two in his possession, he had originally planned to present one to Xin Qianqian. Since Xin Qianqian possessed earth and wood attributes, only one of the two rings suited her. The other, at present, made for a cordial gesture.
"Mid-grade talisman—thank you, Uncle Fang!" Du Man'er exclaimed, clearly delighted to recognize the quality; after all, for someone who had only reached the first level of Qi Refinement, a mid-grade talisman was a rare and highly prized asset.
Fang Jinyu nodded and dismissed her with a wave before setting off to purchase another batch of medicinal herbs. Yet, less than an hour later, he reappeared with a dejected expression. This time, although the furnace had not exploded, not a single successful pill had emerged. "This is insanely difficult!" he grumbled.
As he prepared to go buy more herbs, the ever-watchful Du Man'er approached once again. Observing his troubled face, she inquired earnestly, "Uncle Fang, are you about to go purchase more spirit herbs?"
Fang Jinyu paused, a small frown creasing his features. Although Du Man'er's countenance was serious, he couldn't help but feel that she was secretly snickering. Shaking off that thought as nothing more than his own wounded ego, he simply nodded without comment.
"Uncle, although every Lingyao Peak sets a fixed price for its herbs, the quality of the hidden spiritual veins varies from peak to peak. As a result, some herbs grow more abundantly—and in greater quantity—at certain peaks," Du Man'er continued quickly. "What I mean is that in some places you might be able to buy herbs at a cheaper price. I've heard that several senior brothers from other peaks have collaborated in an underground market. Each purchase there requires a minimum of one hundred batches of herbs, but the price is significantly lower. For example, what you normally purchase for ten spirit stones a batch—one hundred batches would cost you one thousand spirit stones. But if you buy from this underground market, one hundred batches only cost about seven hundred spirit stones."
Instantly, Fang Jinyu's interest was piqued—saving three hundred spirit stones was nothing short of spectacular. When he came over here, he'd painstakingly accumulated only about six hundred spirit stones from his previous life's struggles and his parents' leftover fortune. In effect, this would equal half of his current reserves.
"Where did you learn this?" Fang Jinyu asked cautiously. It wasn't a matter of doubting Du Man'er—after all, with her Foundation Establishment cultivation, which Qi Refinement cultivator could lie? His concern lay in the possibility of Du Man'er herself being deceived by someone else.
"I once attended a gathering among the disciples of Lingyao Peak—a meeting exclusively for those at the advanced stages of Qi Refinement. There, several senior brothers who were all on the verge of reaching Foundation Establishment mentioned it," she explained.
"Qi Refinement senior meetings? And you were allowed to attend?" Fang Jinyu was visibly surprised. In his recollection, during his Qi Refinement stage at level five, any attempt to attend a mid-to-late Qi Refinement gathering had been swiftly rebuffed.
"Perhaps it's thanks to my looks," Du Man'er replied with a rueful smile.
That settled it for Fang Jinyu; he understood the situation all too well. With such striking appearance, a Qi Refinement cultivator like Du Man'er might be invited simply to add to the group's aesthetic appeal. Even so, possessing such beauty could bring about hidden ambitions—hidden in the sense that appearances sometimes concealed ambitions that far exceeded one's cultivation level.
And so the day's events, with their bitter lessons and small victories in the art of pill refinement, continued to shape Fang Jinyu's long journey. His mind swirled with conflicting thoughts: the shock and stern lessons delivered by the fates of Chen Baxing and Lu Shaojun; the promise and mystery of refining his innate qi-luck; and the tantalizing possibility of procuring herbs from an illicit underground market. Every step was measured, every failure a lesson to be learned.
Even as he recalled the old saying—"Honesty is inherited from one's parents, for they are the first teachers"—he remained perplexed by the label that had followed him. Was it truly because his previous incarnation's parents had been paragons of honesty that he too was thought of as such? That question, left to simmer in his mind, spurred him to continue to study the alchemical basics, determined to transform his setbacks into stepping stones for future breakthroughs.
Fang Jinyu's resolve was unyielding, for he knew that in the immortal world of cultivation success was as much about personal ingenuity as it was about seizing the slimest opportunities. And as fate continued its inscrutable dance, advancing his destiny required not only mastery of alchemy but also the wisdom to know when to accept a gift, when to heed advice, and when to quietly refine one's inner strength.