Qi Zhiheng didn't offer much explanation, only saying, "Next, I'll refine a batch of pills."
Qi Zhiheng arranged a portion of spiritual herbs, and everyone below could tell that it was a level four spiritual herb.
Many people, upon seeing these spiritual herbs, immediately sent telepathic messages to their familiar disciples.
"A level four spiritual herb? Could it be that Alchemist Qi is truly a level four alchemist?"
"I told you long ago that Master Qi is a level four alchemist, but you didn't believe me."
"It's still early; it's uncertain whether this batch of pills will be successful."
While the crowd below was discussing, Qi Zhiheng's pills were already half-finished, and in the blink of an eye, it was time to start the process of condensing the pills.
"I didn't expect Master Qi to finish processing the medicinal liquid so quickly!"
"It's only been half an hour! Let alone a fourth-grade pill, I couldn't achieve this speed even with a second-grade pill."
Will the elixir condensation process be successful?
"Even if the pill condensation process is successful, the quality is still questionable. After all, the pill is produced so quickly, how good can the quality be?"
"That makes sense!"
However! Qi Zhiheng did not do as these people guessed. Not only did he successfully refine the pills, but he also produced ten perfect pills, all of which were of superior quality or above.
The aroma of the pills as they were fresh from the furnace invigorated everyone in the alchemy room, as if just smelling the aroma made them feel their cultivation level was about to rise.
The pills floated in mid-air, enhanced by Qi Zhiheng's soul power.
Of the ten pills, three were top-grade and seven were high-grade. This was naturally not his limit, but having all ten top-grade pills was too conspicuous. With so many people around, it was easy for word to spread to other sects, which would be detrimental to both the sect and Qi Zhiheng.
Qi Zhiheng proved his strength with the elixir. Those who had previously doubted him fell silent, and only words of praise remained.
The first lesson was quite successful, and Qi Zhiheng's status among the Danfeng disciples rose sharply after the course. Therefore, when Qi Zhiheng taught his second lesson, even more people came to watch.
Qi Zhiheng focused on the alchemy problems of the disciples present, explaining several common issues. Many disciples benefited greatly, and their alchemy quality improved extremely quickly. This phenomenon delighted the Pill Peak Master, who wished Qi Zhiheng could give a lecture every day.
The initial rule for the lecture series was that each person would be responsible for one year, on the fifth day of each month, while Qi Zhiheng would spend the rest of the time teaching his disciples in his alchemy room.
In the blink of an eye, it was a year later.
During this year, in addition to the alchemy techniques taught by Qi Zhiheng, Qi Dong also taught some insights and key points on how to enter the Dao of Alchemy. In the end, five second-level alchemists successfully entered the Dao of Alchemy when they became third-level alchemists.
Three more level-three alchemists successfully became level-four alchemists and entered the path of alchemy. If level-three alchemists are nothing special, then these three level-four alchemists are revolutionary!
Originally, besides Qi Zhiheng and Qi Dong, there were only four fourth-level alchemists on Danfeng. Now, the number has increased by almost half.
With the addition of the two from the Qi family, the Slaughtering God Sect now boasts nine Level 4 Alchemists! This is nothing to the Divine Wood Sect; compared to other sects, nine Level 4 Alchemists are more than enough to rival the number one ranked Heavenly Origin Sect!
Especially at this juncture, the competition for the Enlightenment Tree is about to begin, and the higher the strength of the alchemists, the more slots they can obtain!
After completing his mission, Qi Zhiheng also received twelve spiritual veins from Tang Min. Based on one spiritual vein per month, these twelve low-grade spiritual veins were promised to him by Tang Min beforehand.
Qi Zhiheng showed no courtesy and buried the spiritual vein under the firewood.
After these days of cultivation, the Firewood has grown to two meters tall, with a trunk as thick as a bowl, but it's still a long way from flowering and bearing fruit. Thanks to the spiritual energy generated by the spiritual vein, it doesn't require a huge amount of spirit stones, which is why Qi Zhiheng hasn't gone out to earn spirit stones much lately.
In addition to these twelve spiritual veins, Tang Min also gave Qi Dong and Qi Zhiheng three high-grade spiritual veins and eight fourth-grade spiritual veins. This was a reward for helping those second- and third-grade alchemists break through. Qi Dong and Qi Zhiheng had put in a lot of effort in this, so they were not ashamed to accept the rewards.
Qi Dong didn't need these spiritual veins very much, so he handed them all over to Qi Zhiheng.
Qi Zhiheng then dispersed and injected the energy into various parts of the space.
Within a year, his disciples made rapid progress. Rong Gu and Ye Hanyuan exchanged ideas and both became third-level alchemists. Although they still often failed in alchemy, their reputation as cross-level alchemists was already very well-known, which made Qi Zhiheng famous in the sect.
Feng Yuanyi, the third disciple, was extremely adept at handling affairs, and Qi Zhiheng treated him very well. He had become a Level 2 Alchemist half a year ago, and his ten formal disciples had also become Level 2 Alchemists one after another, making a group of Alchemists envious.
There were alchemists of all ranks among them, and the lower-ranking disciples felt incredibly lucky to have become Qi Zhiheng's disciples! They could all become alchemists of higher ranks!
The high-level alchemists felt that Qi Zhiheng was incredibly lucky to have so many outstanding disciples! Each and every one of them could become a higher-level alchemist!
Qi Zhiheng also heard some outside comments, but he didn't take them to heart. In addition to teaching his disciples, he did not slack off in his cultivation this year. After acquiring the gray mist, his cultivation progressed very quickly, and he has now reached the peak of the Golden Core stage.
His cultivation level is one of the reasons why he has become a hot topic of discussion in the sect. Even in the Slaughtering God Sect, no one has been able to cultivate to such a level in such a short period of time.
His exceptional cultivation and alchemy skills earned him an excellent reputation within the sect, thus the title of the sect's number one genius was bestowed upon him.
In reality, only Qi Zhiheng knew that Yang Yitian had reached the peak of the Golden Core stage even faster than he had.
Even Qi Zhiheng, who possessed the Gray Mist cheat device, couldn't match Yang Yitian's speed. Yang Yitian only needed to draw talismans and create new ones every day for his cultivation to rise rapidly. Unlike Qi Zhiheng, Yang Yitian had been keeping a low profile these days, spending his days picking up and dropping off his son at school, drawing talismans at home, or going out to do some tasks that weren't too difficult. As a result, not many people paid attention to his true cultivation level, which is why the title of the sect's number one genius was bestowed upon Qi Zhiheng.
Yang Yitian didn't care much and just focused on taking care of the child at home.
The sects selected participants for a competition to gain enlightenment under the Enlightenment Tree. Yang Yitian went and won a spot in the competition.
Besides Yang Yitian, several other family members also had the opportunity to win. These included Qi Zhiheng's two great-grandfathers, Qi Wantian and Si Yuan; Qi Zhiheng's grandparents, Qi Dong and Yang Yao; his father, Qi Zhenhe; his uncle, Gu Qinglin; his younger uncle, Qi Zhenhao; and his Daoist partner, Yan Yu.
The remaining members of the group, including Qi Zhiheng's mother Qiu Yuerong, his aunt Qi Zhenhua, his great-uncle Qi Nan, Yang Yao's mother Ye Xin, and several children, accompanied him. They did not participate in this competition. After all, Tang Min had said last time that as long as Qi Zhiheng could win the top ten in the alchemy competition, he could bring three spots. He believed that Yang Yitian and the others could also get some spots, and then the whole family could go in without any problem.
Not only that, Qi Zhiheng also brought along his three disciples. If there was a chance, it would be good to fight for benefits for his disciples. Who knows, after his disciples become Golden Core cultivators, he might be able to get the spiritual vein reward ahead of time.
After getting ready, the disciples of the Slaughtering God Sect who were to participate boarded the sect's flying spirit boat and headed to their destination.
This opportunity for enlightenment also means that the return date is uncertain. Some people take a long time to achieve enlightenment, and several years can easily pass. Even now, there are still so many people who go into seclusion for several years at a time.
Sitting on the flying boat, many people recognized Qi Zhiheng. His refined demeanor and good reputation within the Slaughtering God Sect over the years were no joke, but now…
Qi Zhiheng was holding three children who were over three years old in his arms, and his parents also had two twins! There were also several Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining disciples. This family-oriented scene left everyone speechless.
Qi Zhiheng has a good reputation, but most of the people who acknowledge him are alchemists. Other cultivators are not as polite to him as alchemists are. Therefore, some people on this spaceship are whispering about his behavior.
"Qi Zhiheng's reputation is indeed quite high this year, but what does it mean that he even brought a three-year-old child along? Does he think that the sect still has so many spots for him to squander?"
"I heard that the sect leader promised that if he can get into the top ten in this alchemy competition, he will be given three spots to enter the Enlightenment Tree for enlightenment!"
"He has more than three family members with him! This is utterly ridiculous!"
"You don't know this, and rightly so. You only recently came out of seclusion and participated in the competition, so you don't know the Qi family's situation. Qi Zhiheng is a level three alchemist, his uncle is a sword cultivator capable of fighting against a Nascent Soul cultivator in the early stages, his uncle-in-law is a weapon refiner capable of crafting level four spiritual weapons, his grandfather is also a level four alchemist, his partner is a level four talisman master, his grandmother is a level four array master, and the rest of the family members, don't be fooled by the fact that they are all at the Golden Core stage, they are all capable of fighting against Nascent Soul cultivators. It won't be difficult for them to get a chance to enter the Enlightenment Tree to comprehend the Dao. As for the rest, we just need to wait for their families to earn them a chance to come back."
This disciple explained in great detail, showing that he had thoroughly investigated the Qi family. His information was always accurate and reliable. After his explanation, the people who had been discussing the matter around him fell silent.
Of course, he didn't spread the word widely; only a small group of people knew about it. Even if the rest wanted to continue criticizing Qi Zhiheng's family, it was beyond their control.
Over the course of a few days, the heated discussions about the Qi family gradually subsided amidst the Qi family's indifference. In particular, seeing them eating and drinking well on the spirit boat, the initial shock turned into numbness.
Some alchemists even seized the opportunity to approach Qi Zhiheng to discuss alchemy, and Qi Zhiheng, knowing the extent of his hearing impairment, answered their questions one by one. Several of them truly gained some insights, and after seeking his guidance, they hurriedly returned to practice alchemy.
This pleasant atmosphere softened the expression of the team leader who had initially had reservations about Qi Zhiheng's family.
The elder firmly denied that it was because the Qi family always sent him food that moved him!
Before they arrived at the competition venue, the elder leading the team was explaining the details of the event to them.
The Enlightenment Tree grows in a small secret realm, the key to which is controlled by the five major sects.
Of course, the competition was held in a city outside the secret realm beforehand, and the entrance to the secret realm was not far from this city.
This city is called Gui Temple City. It's a medium-sized city that's not too big. Only the once-in-a-century battle for the opportunity to study the Enlightenment Tree brings a brief period of liveliness to the city. At this time, the city is also a gathering place for cultivators from all over the Southern Continent.
After the competition concludes, all participating slots will be allocated. The top one hundred cultivators in each field will be qualified to enter the Enlightenment Tree for comprehension.
The first place winner can lead one hundred people into the village.
The second place winner is someone who can lead fifty people into the village.
The third place winner is someone who can lead twenty people into the competition.
The fourth and fifth place winners can lead ten people in.
Those ranked sixth to tenth can lead five people into the group.
Those ranked eleventh to fiftieth can lead two people into the village.
Those ranked 51st to 100th can lead one person in.
The number of slots may seem like a lot, but how many sects and cultivators in the entire Southern Continent have enough slots?
Therefore, sects generally assume that they will send Golden Core cultivators and Nascent Soul cultivators in.
At this point, the elder leading the group looked at Qi Zhiheng and said, "Of course, your Qi family has been given special treatment by the sect. You can bring as many people as you want, as long as you can obtain enough slots." These slots are not all that they can obtain, but at least they can allocate a portion to them.
Qi Zhiheng smiled faintly and nodded in response, saying, "Elder Wu, please continue."
The elder leading the team was Elder Wu, who then proceeded to introduce the Enlightenment Tree.
After the competition in Guimiao City is completed, the five major sects will gather together, merge the tokens, and open the entrance to the secret realm. Those who have obtained a spot will receive a key to enter the secret realm.
As for what happens inside the secret realm, we'll have to wait until after the competition ends to discuss that.
Not long after Elder Wu finished explaining the situation, they arrived at their destination—Guimiao City.
Elder Wu was the first to disembark from the flying boat: "Come down, we'll be walking in from here."
After the disciples disembarked, the group walked into Gui Temple City and arrived at the meeting point.
This is a mountain resort, and the resort is so vast that it is equivalent to a small sect, capable of accommodating a million people.
The group was then assigned to various mountain peaks.
Not long after Qi Zhiheng entered the manor, he discovered a message on the jade slip Guan Yunmo had given him. He guessed it might be related to the upcoming competition.
The communication jade slip that Guan Yunmo gave to Qi Zhiheng was tampered with, so he never used that jade slip to send messages to the other party. Guan Yunmo did try to contact him a few more times, but Qi Zhiheng ignored them all. Now that Qi Zhiheng has reached the peak of the Golden Core stage, he no longer avoids cultivators from Nanzhou.
His plan was to achieve enlightenment within the Enlightenment Tree and successfully enter the Nascent Soul stage.
With his strength, even if he were to reach the Nascent Soul stage, he could suppress his abilities after becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator. He could also learn to refine level five pills! Therefore, he didn't intend to hide his strength in this competition. There were also level five alchemists among the participants. Qi Zhiheng thought to himself that even if he couldn't get first place, a top-five finish should be assured. After all, there were only two level five alchemists in Nanzhou, one from the Slaughtering God Sect and the other from the Divine Wood Sect.
How could Qi Zhiheng know that level-five spiritual herbs are hard to find? Even level-five alchemists wouldn't dare to easily refine level-five pills, because they couldn't afford the consequences of failing to refine pills.
If one fails frequently in refining level 5 pills, then forget about getting any ranking; one might even lose all face as a level 5 alchemist.
Qi Zhiheng opened the message on the jade slip. As he expected, the message inquired about Qi Zhiheng's whereabouts and invited him to join the sect as a guest elder and participate in the upcoming competition. The message had been sent several days ago, but Qi Zhiheng hadn't noticed it until he communicated with a disciple of the sect and discovered the message.
Qi Zhiheng naturally had no intention of paying attention to Guan Yunmo. He knew that Guan Yunmo wanted to befriend him only to win him over for the sake of the Shenmu Sect. In the future, Yi Yun's identity would probably not be mentioned again, and there was no need to continue to maintain relations with the Shenmu Sect.
Meanwhile, Guan Yunmo was guarding the jade slip. A fourth-level alchemist beside him asked, "How is it? Has that Alchemist Yi responded yet?"
Guan Yunmo shook his head, feeling somewhat disappointed: "No, I suppose Master Yi isn't interested in the Enlightenment Tree."
"Impossible! Even people from the Central Continent rarely get such an opportunity to comprehend the Dao. How could he not be tempted?" The alchemist couldn't believe it.
Guan Yunmo said, "Never mind, our sect has quite a few excellent alchemists anyway, so it won't be difficult to get a spot."
Another alchemist disagreed, saying, "How can that be the same? Our sect has the most alchemists. Even if we could win all ten spots in the alchemy field, the number would be extremely small. Unlike other sects, which have many talented disciples in various fields. Not to mention, Tianyuan Sect has a fifth-level alchemist who will compete with us for second place." In reality, they had already tacitly agreed that the first place would go to Shenmu Sect, and the second to Tianyuan Sect. As for the alchemists from other sects? They didn't believe that a fourth-level alchemist could be a match for a fifth-level alchemist.
Guan Yunmo sighed and said, "If Master Yi could join the sect, then the third place would be his. If he could refine more top-grade pills, second place wouldn't be out of the question! It's just a pity..."
Unfortunately, Yi Yun lost contact after his last trip to the Divine Wood Sect. Guan Yunmo even suspected that Yi Yun might have returned to the Central Continent.
Qi Zhiheng led his entire family into the villa, which aroused a lot of discussion.
The disciples of the sect are used to them, but just because the disciples of the Slaughtering God Sect are used to it doesn't mean that the disciples of other sects are!
However, since the disciple from the second-ranked sect was wearing the robes, the disciples from lower-ranked sects dared not approach and risk offending him. Who knew if he might be a descendant of some powerful figure from the Slaughtering God Sect?
However, just because some people dare not say it doesn't mean that no one dares to say it at all. Above the God Slaughtering Sect, there is also the Heavenly Origin Sect.
Upon seeing the arrival of the disciples of the Slaughtering God Sect, some people from the Heavenly Origin Sect led others to come and watch the spectacle.
A young man dressed in the robes of a Tianyuan Sect disciple was leading several disciples behind him, swaggering towards their direction.
"I've been arrogant all my life, but today I heard there's someone even more arrogant than me. They even brought their whole family to the competition. Do they think this event is just for fun?" This arrogant man had the right to be arrogant. As a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Tianyuan Sect, he had exceptional talent and became a Nascent Soul cultivator at the early stage at the age of 102, surpassing most people.
A few days ago, he heard that a genius, the number one genius in the sect, had appeared in the Slaughter God Sect. He was already a late-stage Golden Core cultivator before he was even thirty years old, so he was naturally a little unconvinced.
He was originally a cultivator who entered the Golden Core stage at the age of thirty, but he struggled to make progress in the Golden Core realm. The bottleneck between the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages was not easy to overcome, and it was at this level that he was stuck in the Golden Core stage for decades. He had thought back then that if the Enlightenment Tree had appeared a few decades earlier, he might have become a Nascent Soul cultivator long ago.
The so-called number one genius of the Slaughtering God Sect is incredibly lucky. He encountered such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity not long after reaching the late Golden Core stage!
This so-called number one genius of the God Slaughtering Sect is even more arrogant than him, bringing his whole family with him! Does he really think he can bring his whole family into the Enlightenment Tree by himself? So he brought his people to see Qi Zhiheng's true face.
Qi Zhiheng and Yuanyuan heard the voices of the troublemakers and frowned slightly, thinking, "Could it be that they are too high-profile, which has brought this trouble upon themselves?"
He handed all three children to Yang Yitian, saying, "You take the children to rest, I'll handle that person."
Yang Yitian put his arm around the three children: "Are you alright? Does that guy have some powerful connections?"
Qi Zhiheng said, "I don't know. I'll change my attitude towards him depending on the situation." After saying that, he said to the other members of the Qi family, "Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, please take Xiao Rui and Xiao Wu into the room. It's not safe outside."
After the Qi family members left, Qi Zhiheng hurriedly went to find Elder Wu.
Elder Wu happened to be coming this way. He had already heard the commotion outside their courtyard. Since the reason given was that they wanted to visit and meet someone, he couldn't keep stopping them.
Qi Zhiheng directly asked him what attitude he should take towards outsiders. If he could offend them, he wouldn't bother holding back.
Elder Wu said, "That person is not easy to offend. His ancestor was a Nascent Soul stage cultivator from the Tianyuan Sect, and he is the most talented disciple among that Nascent Soul stage descendant."
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