Chapter 22 Song Yin Confidently Refines Pills Oh no, the furnace explodes! ...

Qi Zibo: "You are now my disciple. Remember this: you cannot lose to those people from Lingdan Peak in the art of alchemy!"

Song Yin: "Reason."

Qi Zibo: "Don't worry about that. As long as you can surpass those people, I will appoint you as the next elder of Danque Peak."

Song Yin: "Are you kidding me?"

Seeing that Song Yin was softening, Qi Zibo intensified his efforts: "How could I joke? As long as we ensure that Lingdan Peak can never surpass us, we will hand over Danque Peak to you in the future."

Song Yin's small hands were itching to try, so she placed them on the alchemy furnace and asked uncertainly, "Shall we start with alchemy?"

"No problem, with your master here, I guarantee you'll be able to successfully refine a first-grade pill!"

Qi Zibo was secretly overjoyed; he hadn't expected Song Yin to be so easily fooled. Luckily, she didn't know that Danque Peak was originally meant for her. As long as she didn't commit any crimes and her cultivation reached the Nascent Soul stage, she would be the next elder of Danque Peak.

Song Yin did suffer from the information asymmetry. She assumed that the elders of each peak were selected from among the prospective elders, and she really did not expect that the elders of each peak were passed down from master to disciple.

As for Danque Peak and Lingdan Peak, since Qi Zibo and Xin Huailiang took over, the two peaks have been competing for the title of the number one alchemy peak in the Xianxiao Sect.

The main competition is between Qi Zibo and Elder Xin Huailiang of Lingdan Peak. The two have been competing since they first entered the sect, and every time they meet, they argue that Qi Zibo has the strongest alchemy skills. Clearly, only two peaks in the entire sect have alchemy lineages, and both belong to the same sect. The other elders and sect leader don't understand what the point of the competition is.

For sects, competition is a good thing, as it greatly improves the alchemy skills of the Immortal Cloud Sect. Therefore, the sect leader turns a blind eye to the competition between the two peaks, only requiring them not to cause any deaths.

Holding the alchemy furnace, Song Yin still had questions to ask her master: "Why are the two peaks of the inner sect dedicated to sword cultivation, and the same goes for the outer sect?"

Qi Zibo: "For disciples who are unaware of the inside story, the biggest difference between the inner and outer sects lies in the different cultivation resources they receive. For elders and a small number of disciples who are aware of the inside story, the inner sect represents the orthodox lineage of the Immortal Firmament Sect. The six peaks of the inner sect are all directly passed down from the six founding patriarchs."

"The outer sect inheritance is a new inheritance left by outstanding disciples from all generations of the Immortal Firmament Sect. Regardless of whether it is the inner or outer sect, it is all part of the Immortal Firmament Sect's inheritance."

"For example, the sword cultivation lineage has four peaks, including the inner and outer sects. They all seem to be sword cultivators, but their lineages are actually quite different. However, if a lineage can stand on its own, it will definitely not be too bad."

Song Yin: "Which has a more powerful lineage, Danque Peak or Lingdan Peak?"

He had barely finished speaking when Qi Zibo tapped him on the forehead.

Qi Zibo said confidently, "Naturally, our Danque Peak's heritage is more powerful. The founder of Danque Peak has successfully ascended and is a famous hero who quelled the Xuan Tian Rebellion! As for the first master of Lingdan Peak, I heard that he did not even succeed in ascending."

Qi Zibo could always talk endlessly about the glory of Danque Peak. Song Yin even secretly yawned as she listened, her attention drawn to the pair of small lion paperweights on Qi Zibo's desk.

After Qi Zibo finished speaking, Song Yin finally felt liberated.

It was comparable to a leader's speech—terrifying!

Seeing that he had stopped, Song Yin quickly said, "Master, I'm going to cultivate now. I've also taken the alchemy furnace. I'll start learning alchemy tomorrow." Before leaving, she freed her left hand and reached for a pair of paperweights. "Master, your paperweights are so beautiful. Your disciple will take them first."

After recounting the glorious history of Danque Peak, Qi Zibo waited for his disciple to show an expression of pride.

Little did anyone know that Song Yin couldn't wait to slip away after hearing this, and even took his newly bought pair of paperweights with her!

This time, Qi Zibo didn't break down (pretending), and began to reflect on himself. Song Yin had initially been a very well-behaved child, always politely calling him Grandpa Qi whenever they met, but her attitude changed drastically after she became his apprentice. How did such a well-behaved child become so mischievous? Could it be that he had done something wrong?

Qi Zibo, who was taking on his first apprentice, had no experience in teaching apprentices and decided to seek help from someone with experience, his Daoist partner.

When Song Yin returned, she was puzzled because she didn't hear Qi Zibo scolding her. Qi Zibo wasn't angry at all? She looked at the paperweight in her hand, "But I didn't even ask him if he wanted to before taking the things away. Logically speaking, a normal person would be angry in such a situation. Is it because I'm a gifted disciple that I'm not angry?" For the first time, Song Yin felt the weight of being a gifted disciple.

Even when they met again the next day, Qi Zibo did not show any sign of anger.

Song Yin didn't see Shi Heming today, and no one answered when she knocked on the door. She didn't see her classmate, but she did see her master.

Qi Zibo spoke calmly and gently: "Shi Heming has been accepted as a personal disciple by the elders of the Dao Asking Peak. He was taken to the inner sect yesterday afternoon. He has a senior brother above him, so Elder Yuan took him to meet him."

Song Yin shivered. Qi Zibo's voice was so strange, too gentle, wasn't it? And you, a middle-aged man with a beard, really shouldn't be speaking in a high-pitched voice!

Seeing his apprentice's undisguised expression of disgust, Qi Zibo frantically tried to comfort himself.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry. I asked Madam yesterday, and she said this is just the child showing affection for his elders. When interacting with children, you can't just be respectful and polite." Madam took on an apprentice a long time ago, and that child is indeed doing very well. With such an excellent example, Qi Zibo believes Madam's words even more.

Song Yin: "Master, your paperweight is so cute, do you have any more?"

Qi Zibo: "You like it? I have other paperweight designs, I'll make one for you after I finish refining the elixir today."

"You're not angry yet?" Song Yin: "Okay, thank you, Master."

Qi Zibo: "Go directly to Danque Peak. The alchemy room and alchemy furnace are fully prepared."

So Song Yin returned to Danque Peak.

At the summit of Danque Peak, there are magnificent palaces and pavilions. The various areas for entertaining guests, cultivating, refining pills, and resting are all separate and do not affect each other. The pill refining room occupies a large area and has many rooms.

Qi Zibo: "All the alchemy rooms here are empty. Choose whichever one you want."

The rooms were all pretty much the same, so Song Yin chose the nearest alchemy room.

Qi Zibo handed Song Yin the key to the alchemy room she had chosen. "Take this key. You can teleport here yourself when you come to the inner sect to refine pills. If you don't want to come to the inner sect, go to the academy. The academy has places for alchemy, weapon crafting, and talisman drawing. You should know this after a year at the academy. The advantage of refining pills at Danque Peak is that you can freely browse the notes in the alchemy room; the advantage of refining pills at the academy is that there are pill cultivators sharing pill refining techniques every day, and if you're lucky, you might even get a chance to be taught one-on-one. You can only refine first-grade pills at the Qi Refining stage now, and any pill cultivator can give you some pointers on first-grade pills."

Today, Qi Zibo taught Song Yin the First-Grade Rejuvenation Pill. Its effects are similar to the Spirit Rejuvenation Pill, and it's the pill most alchemists choose to refine for the first time. After all, the formula is simple, using only a few types of spiritual herbs.

"There is another crucial condition for alchemy: fire control. Since you do not have a fire spirit root, the flames you generate by manipulating spiritual energy cannot compare to those of a fire spirit root cultivator. The greatest advantage of a wood spirit root alchemist is the ability to control the changes in spiritual herbs, while the disadvantage is that the flames cannot be controlled at will. To compensate for this shortcoming, the only thing a wood spirit root cultivator can do is to find a cluster of rare and extraordinary fire from heaven and earth."

“Different flames are rare, and everything depends on fate. Now you can only do your best to control the flames. I will teach you the art of fire control.”

Song Yin listened to the incantation once and memorized it. Before summoning the flames, she remembered what Sister Yuan had said: "Don't overcomplicate things."

Thus, Song Yin successfully summoned the flames on her first attempt, and she followed Qi Zibo's example by guiding the flames to the bottom of the alchemy furnace.

Qi Zibo: "Wait a minute. Most alchemists are prone to exploding their furnaces the first time they refine pills. Don't blow up the new furnace I gave you. Go to the wooden shelf in the corner and get an ordinary pill furnace."

Song Yin: "You actually don't believe me? Hmph, I'm a cultivation genius. A mere first-grade pill won't cause the furnace to explode." But her body betrayed her, putting away the pill furnace in front of her and going to the wooden shelf to take down an ordinary pill furnace.

Before selecting the herbs, Qi Zibo stepped aside in front of a pile of herbs and said to Song Yin, "You have been working at the Spirit Herb Peak for some time now. The herbs needed for the Grade One Rejuvenation Pill are all common herbs. Pick out the herbs you need from this pile and take two of each."

Sure enough, the teacher's questions came up anytime, anywhere.

Song Yin's gaze fell on the colorful pile of spiritual herbs, and she stepped forward and quickly picked out the spiritual herbs used in the Rejuvenation Pill.

Fortunately, she worked diligently and wrote down all the medicinal herbs she had picked.

Qi Zibo took out a set and casually picked up a pill furnace from the wooden shelf. He didn't need his precious pill furnace for first-grade pills.

“I’ll do one step, you follow one step. If there’s a risk of the furnace exploding, remember to run outside in advance. It’s okay if you run slowly. Every alchemy room has an array. If the furnace explodes, at most your whole body will turn black.” Qi Zibo quietly took out a recording stone.

She's destined to be an unparalleled genius! Her first attempt at alchemy is a must-success, failure is not an option!

One hour later...

Song Yin, with her dark face and messy hair, sat on the steps by the door, propping her chin up.

Haha, that was incredibly embarrassing! :)

Qi Zibo felt no pity, only amusement. The photo stone captured every detail of Song Yin's embarrassing moment. She was full of confidence; she started to get serious; she became nervous; she became solemn; she started to be surprised; she turned and ran away; she ran so slowly her hair turned into a mess; she sat on the steps questioning her existence…

"Hahahahahahahaha!" Qi Zibo laughed so hard he slapped his thigh.

After being angered by that rebellious disciple so many times, it's so satisfying to finally see her make a fool of herself!

Song Yin stood up, her palms covered in dust. She leaned closer to Qi Zibo and grabbed his white sleeves with both hands.

Song Yin: "Oh my, this rag is so clean. It cleaned my hands too."

Qi Zibo's brow twitched.

Song Yin grabbed her other sleeve. "My face is dirty too. Let me use another one to wipe it."

Qi Zibo's eyebrows twitched.

The smile shifted from Qi Zibo's face to Song Yin's.

At this moment, Song Yinhua's fair face broke into a wide smile, her perfectly aligned white teeth gleaming. "Master, let's continue refining pills. Your outfit is nice; you should wear white for refining pills from now on!"

Qi Zibo turned around, walked to the tree, and broke off a branch.

"You traitor, take this!"

Song Yin took off running out of the alchemy room.

He ran while cursing, "You have no martial ethics! I'm going to complain to my master!"

Qi Zibo: "Go ahead, your grandmaster won't hit me anyway."

Song Yin: "You're shameless for hitting a child! I'm going to find a new master. If you hit me again, I'll go to Lingdan Peak!"

Qi Zibo gasped, then became even angrier.

"You traitor, you stop right there!"

"Fine, I won't stand then!"

A note from the author:

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The kind teacher's stick lashes the rebellious disciple's body. [Dog head holding a rose]

Song Yin: I'm going to sue you!! (Running away) [Clown]

At Danque Peak today, the master and disciple still get along well. [Facepalm and peeking][Starry eyes]

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I'm picking up my little broken bowl and continuing to beg for my collection from all you kind-hearted cyberbeggars [Empty Bowl].