"Young friend Ruan, since weapon crafting wasn't your true strength in the assessment, what about alchemy?" Zhou Che asked cautiously.
Upon hearing this, Ruan Xiyan awkwardly touched the tip of her nose.
When Zhou Che saw her like this, he knew that she was definitely not just a fifth-grade alchemist.
He swallowed nervously. "Young friend Ruan, please speak freely and boldly. I can handle it."
Shen Qi, who was standing next to him, also pricked up his ears to listen carefully.
Ruan Xiyan coughed lightly, "Actually, I am a seventh-grade alchemist."
Zhou Che's breath hitched for a moment. "What!"
Then a thunderous sound resounded through the sky.
Ruan Xiyan had the foresight to cover her ears.
Shen Qi wasn't so lucky; the howl made his ears ache and ring.
Zhou Che jumped up from his chair and looked at Shen Qi in disbelief. "Old Shen, did you hear what she just said? Am I hallucinating?"
"I heard you, seventh-grade alchemist, you didn't mishear me." Shen Qi muttered irritably, "My ears are about to hallucinate from your shouting."
Having witnessed the previous incident involving a Saint-level weapon refiner, Shen Qi was much calmer than Zhou Che.
Zhou Che clapped his hands and paced back and forth in the courtyard for a few steps. "A seventh-grade alchemist? Although I had prepared myself mentally, I only thought you would be a sixth-grade alchemist at most."
"Who would have thought you were a seventh-grade alchemist! And one who can even create pill patterns."
Zhou Che swayed back and forth, muttering to himself as if he had been greatly stimulated.
What did he just do to shamelessly ask to take a seventh-grade alchemist as his apprentice?
He really wanted to go back to that time and slap his foolish self.
Seeing Zhou Che looking dazed, Ruan Xiyan hesitated and asked, "Elder Shen, is Elder Zhou alright?"
She might have scared him half to death.
Shen Qi waved his hand, "Young friend Ruan, don't worry, just let him recover on his own."
After Zhou Che finally calmed down, he sat back down in his seat.
He looked at Ruan Xiyan, still finding it unbelievable, "Young friend Ruan, you've been hiding this quite well."
After saying that, he shook his head and muttered, "It's not that you're hiding your talents. After all, the highest grade of pills you can refine in the assessment is a fifth-grade pill."
"Refining fifth-grade pills is the upper limit of the assessment test, but it is not the limit of your pill-refining skills."
"By the way, young friend Ruan, since you can refine pills with pill patterns, could that little girl named Tinghe you mentioned before also refine pill patterns?"
Ruan Xiyan nodded.
Zhou Che stroked his beard and sighed, "We're getting old. It seems we really are getting old. The younger generation will surpass the older generation. In the future, this continent will belong to these exceptionally talented young people."
"It's getting late, young friend Ruan, so we'll be taking our leave now," Shen Qi said.
Before leaving, Zhou Che reminded him with some concern, "Young friend Ruan, remember to bring those two girls. We'll be waiting for them at Ice Feather Palace."
"Understood," Ruan Xiyan replied.
Zhou Che and Shen Qi's steps were somewhat unsteady as they left.
Tonight was full of surprises and shocks; they received so much information at once, it seems they'll need some time to process it all.
After they left, Ruan Xiyan took out a colorful magic butterfly, which gently landed on her finger.
These are illusionary butterflies specially bred by the Illusionary Beauty Pavilion, capable of delivering messages.
Once Yingxue and Tinghe see the illusionary butterfly, they will understand what she means.
Ruan Xiyan looked at the illusory butterfly resting on her hand and whispered, "Go."
The phantom butterfly fluttered its beautiful wings and flew into the distance, disappearing from sight in no time.
Ruan Xiyan also turned around and went back to her room to rest.
The next morning, as soon as Ruan Xiyan left the hospital, she saw Jun Yu standing there with a packed breakfast in his hand.
What brings you here?
"I brought breakfast to Ayan so you wouldn't be too busy cultivating and forget to eat." Junyu smiled as he handed the food over.
"Try it and see if it's something you like. If you don't, I'll change it tomorrow."
"Thank you." Ruan Xiyan accepted it.
If Jun Yu hadn't come, she would have indeed planned to go and take a look at the Heavenly Staircase first.
Junyu pulled her to sit down on a chair in the courtyard. "I've told you so many times, there's no need for thanks between us."
"Eat quickly. After Ayan finishes eating, I'll accompany her to the Heavenly Steps."
"Aren't you going to eat?" Seeing that Jun Yu hadn't moved, Ruan Xiyan looked at him in confusion.
Junyu shook his head, "I've already eaten. I'll just watch Ayan eat here."
And so, under Jun Yu's watchful gaze, Ruan Xiyan finished her food.
The two arrived at the sacred cultivation site located in the back mountain, the Heavenly Staircase.
The Heavenly Staircase is located atop a towering iceberg, shrouded in thick fog, making it impossible to see what lies at the top or where the staircase leads.
At this time, there were already many disciples cultivating on the steps to heaven.
Some people sit cross-legged and cultivate at the top ten or so steps, while others climb to the top twenty steps to cultivate.
At the bottom of the Heavenly Steps sat an elder who was in charge of all matters concerning this area.
It also serves to ensure that if any disciples encounter danger on the Heavenly Stairs, they can be assisted in a timely manner.
Every month, there are disciples who fail to recognize their own strength and try to force their way to the top of the Heavenly Staircase, only to be injured by the oppressive aura emanating from it.
Or perhaps, by staying on the Heavenly Staircase for too long, exceeding the limits of one's body's capacity, the chilling spiritual energy cannot be refined and accumulates within the body, eventually causing backlash and injury.
Ruan Xiyan walked up to the guarding elder and used 10,000 Ice Points to exchange for an hour of cultivation on the Heavenly Staircase.
"Do you want to go up and cultivate together?" Ruan Xiyan asked Jun Yu.
"These things are of no use to me. Go and cultivate, Ayan. I'll wait for you down here."
"Alright." Upon hearing this, Ruan Xiyan walked towards the Heavenly Staircase.
Jun Yu is too mysterious and unpredictable; even the inner sect's sacred cultivation grounds offer him no help whatsoever.
Is he really just visiting Ice Feather Palace for leisure?!
Her mind involuntarily drifted back to their heart-to-heart talk last time, when he said he came to Ice Feather Palace only to find her.
Looking at the towering steps before her, Ruan Xiyan composed herself.
Now is not the time to think about these things. For her, the most important thing right now is to improve her strength.
Only when her strength increases will she be qualified to think about other things.
As soon as Ruan Xiyan stepped onto the first level of the Heavenly Staircase, she felt a faint but powerful pressure coming towards her.
However, this pressure was like a gentle breeze to her, not causing a ripple.
Ruan Xiyan continued walking up the second set of steps, then the third, the fourth...
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