Guan Qiu: The young master wants this old woman to teach a genius like this?!

Green Creek Market.

This is a market town located fifty miles west of Eastward Prospect Mountain, within Green Creek Ravine, named after a clear stream that meanders out from the depths of the mountain.

The stream remains clear and blue year-round, never freezing even in the dead of winter. A thin layer of white mist floats on the surface, shrouding the scattered pavilions on both banks in a hazy glow.

Within the territory of the Yue Kingdom, this market town was not large, only about two or three streets in size, but it was the closest market town to Eastward Prospect Mountain.

Most of the cultivators from the Lu Household come here to make a living, either by hunting Demon Beasts to sell, collecting spirit medicine to exchange, or working in shops in the market, earning a few Spirit Stones a year to supplement their cultivation.

There is only one restaurant in the market that sells Spirit Cuisine, called He Family Restaurant, which is run by the He Lineage, He Household family that has Foundation Establishment.

Because the cultivators in the vicinity are not particularly strong, the He Household, as Foundation Establishment Lineage, is already considered a top power in this area.

As the only restaurant in the market that can serve Spirit Cuisine, He Family Restaurant is naturally quite grand, with a three-story facade and upturned eaves, making it quite impressive even in the small place of Green Creek Ravine.

Even the waiters were all cultivators in the Early Qi Refinement.

Lu Xiao then worked as a waiter at this restaurant.

Lu Xiao has worked at this restaurant for over five years, so he's considered a veteran.

Because of his handsome appearance and eloquent tongue, he stood out among the waiters.

The He Household steward in charge of the restaurant valued him highly and even revealed that he intended to promote him to a junior steward position.

Unfortunately, Lu Xiao's talent was quite ordinary, his Cultivation Practice Method were unremarkable, and he lacked resources. After all these years, he was still only at the Early Qi Refinement Refining.

If someone with this level of cultivation were to be promoted to a minor steward, it would be difficult to gain the respect of the people.

Therefore, the matter has remained unresolved, with no substantial progress.

However, even this slight sign was enough to give Lu Xiao a sense of hope for the future.

Besides working as a waiter in the restaurant every day, he would lock himself in his rented room and bury himself in his cultivation, working very hard.

Because of his hard work, and the fact that he has been cultivating since he was thirteen years old, for a full Shiliu years now, his cultivation level finally reached the threshold for a breakthrough a few days ago.

He immediately asked for leave from the restaurant and secluded himself at his residence to begin breaking through his bottleneck.

It was precisely because of this seclusion that when Lu Zimu arrived at Green Creek Market and found him, he was unable to immediately bring him back to the Lu Household for the New Year.

At present, Lu Zimu is guarding outside Lu Xiao's residence, protecting him.

The soul link between Lu Yang and the puppet bodyguard transcends distance.

He quickly learned the whole story from Wang Wu.

This relieved Lu Yang.

He thought Lu Xiao had run into some trouble.

It turns out it's a good thing!

That startled him!

However, Lu Xiao's Spirit Root is only of the low grade, and his cultivation Cultivation Method is also mediocre. Even if he is at the bottleneck Early Qi Refinement, it will probably take him several months to break through it.

After a moment's thought, Lu Yang decided to make a trip to Green Creek Market tomorrow.

On the one hand, she had just promised Hongdou that she would take her to the market to buy some fun things; on the other hand, she also wanted to send some Supreme-Grade Qi Nourishing Pills to her older brother.

The Supreme-Grade Yellow Dragon Pill is too potent for Lu Xiao in his current state. Unlike Lu Yang, who possesses strong Cultivation Method, a superior Spirit Root, and an extremely strong physical body, he cannot absorb such a powerful medicinal force.

If Lu Xiao, who was in the Early Qi Refinement, were to use the Supreme-Grade Yellow Dragon Pill, its violent medicinal power would probably sever his meridians.

The Supreme-Grade Qi Nourishing Pill would be just right.

This should greatly reduce the time it takes for him to break through.

After confirming that Lu Xiao was safe and sound, Lu Yang gathered his thoughts, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and entered a meditative state.

The moonlight outside the window was as clear as water, and the winter night at Eastward Prospect Mountain was so quiet that only the rustling of the wind through the pine forest could be heard.

Early the next morning.

Taibai Market.

Alchemy Chamber on the fourth floor of the Miaoshou Pharmacy.

The air was filled with a faint fragrance of grass and trees, and the walls were engraved with soundproofing and spirit-gathering patterns, keeping out all the noise of the market streets.

In the center of the Alchemy Chamber stood a stone Pill Furnace about half a person's height, with dark fire marks left from the refining of pills over the years still remaining on its surface.

Guan Qiu was standing next to an unfolded Yellow Dragon Pill recipe, patiently explaining the key points of refining the Yellow Dragon Pill to Lin Ying in her hoarse voice.

From identifying and processing medicinal herbs, to controlling and adjusting the heat, and then to the rhythm of releasing and withdrawing Spiritual Qi during the condensation of the elixir...

Each point was broken down and explained in great detail.

Lin Ying listened attentively, sometimes frowning in thought, sometimes nodding with a relaxed expression.

Her gaze swept back and forth over the dosage of several of the auxiliary herbs, while a bold idea kept popping into her mind.

I have a feeling that if the main ingredients of the Pill Formula remain the same, slightly changing the dosage of some of the auxiliary ingredients might improve the effect.

This idea surprised and even made her somewhat uncertain.

As a top-tier first-order Alchemist, Lin Ying actually has a deep understanding of the medicinal properties of first-order spiritual herbs.

She knew by heart the properties of each first-tier herb—its hot, cold, warm, and cool properties, its reactions after being used in medicine, and its interactions with other herbs.

She carefully considered the idea several times in her mind and surprisingly felt that it might actually be feasible!

But she had never had such thoughts before!

She always followed the Pill Formula meticulously, never daring to add or subtract anything.

How did I suddenly get this inspiration today?

Lin Ying felt both surprised and apprehensive.

Could it be that I've suddenly had a breakthrough?!

If that were truly the case, then my alchemy skills should improve, right?

Then I'll definitely be able to refine more and better pills for Junior Brother Lu!

The thought of Lu Yang caused her thoughts to drift away.

Junior Brother Lu should be home by now, right?

What is he doing now?

Did he think about himself?

Even though it had only been a day since she last saw Junior Brother Lu, she already missed him terribly.

Thinking of that mischievous yet tender smile on his lips, thinking of the warmth of his fingertips when he pinched her cheek...

Those images floated into my mind one by one, pushing Guan Qiu's explanations further and further away.

For the first time, Lin Ying felt that the Lunar New Year holiday could be so long.

"Young Mistress? Are you alright?"

Guan Qiu's voice suddenly rang in her ears, pulling Lin Ying back from her tender thoughts.

Her pretty face flushed slightly, and she lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes. "I'm sorry, Senior Guan, I... I was just lost in thought."

Guan Qiu pursed her lips, feeling somewhat uneasy.

Was my explanation not good enough? I managed to distract the young mistress.

Before the young master left, he instructed her to properly guide his wife.

If she didn't teach them well, then it's her fault.

Although she, a third-level Alchemist, personally teaches, there are countless Alchemists outside who would line up to hear her but never get a chance.

If anyone else had dared to be distracted during her lecture, she would have stormed off long ago.

But she dared not show the slightest disrespect to the young master's wife.

Seeing that Lin Ying seemed to have recovered, Guan Qiu continued his explanation.

After a short while, she finally finished explaining the recipe for the Yellow Dragon Pill Formula from beginning to end, including how to grasp the timing of adding the medicine, how to process the medicinal materials, how to change the heat, how to gather Spiritual Qi when condensing the pill, and so on. She explained every detail clearly.

Guan Qiu looked at Lin Ying and asked, "Has the young master's wife remembered everything?"

Lin Ying nodded. "Yes, I've got it."

Guan Qiu nodded slightly, her tone gentle. "Then why doesn't the young mistress try refining a batch first, so that I can see your current alchemy skills? Afterwards, I can prescribe the right medicine and explain it to you in detail."

Lin Ying nodded quickly. "Okay, then I'll trouble you, Senior Guan!"

Guan Qiu originally intended to lend his Pill Furnace to Lin Ying, but Lin Ying gently shook her head and refused.

She took out the Crimson Cloud Pill-Heart Furnace that Lu Yang had given her.

As soon as the Pill Furnace hit the ground, a faint crimson glow filled the room.

The furnace body is vermilion, as if solidified from the sunset. The cloud patterns engraved on the furnace wall flow faintly under the firelight, as if clouds are slowly unfurling inside the furnace.

Looking at the crimson Pill Furnace, a warm feeling welled up in her heart.

Supreme-Grade Spirit Artifact level Pill Furnace...

She never imagined that she would be able to use Pill Furnace of this caliber.

Guan Qiu merely glanced at Lin Ying, who possessed Supreme-Grade Spirit Artifact -level Pill Furnace, without being overly surprised.

After all, this is the young master's wife. Given the young master's status and resources, it's perfectly normal for him to prepare Supreme-Grade Spirit Artifact -level Pill Furnace for her.

She took out batches of medicinal herbs from her Storage Bag and arranged them neatly on the wooden shelf next to her.

Guan Qiu stepped back a few paces, his tone gentle and calm. "Young Mistress, there's no need to be nervous. The ingredients for the Yellow Dragon Pill are all here; you can take them at any time."

Lin Ying nodded earnestly. "Thank you, Senior Guan."

Guan Qiu said politely, "Young Mistress, there's no need for thanks. It's nothing I should do. You may begin at any time."

Lin Ying took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and spent a moment calming her mind.

Then, she slowly opened her eyes.

Guan Qiu, who had been watching Lin Ying closely, suddenly stiffened slightly.

She looked at Lin Ying with some surprise.

In her mind, the young mistress who had been somewhat shy and even lost in thought while she was explaining was gone.

Standing before the Pill Furnace, Lin Ying's eyes were clear as a mirror, calm and without a trace of impurity.

A mind as clear as a mirror.

Lin Ying herself also noticed the difference in her current state.

The details of the Yellow Dragon Pill Formula in my mind, the inspiration for adjusting the dosage of auxiliary medicines, the pill-condensing techniques and fire control methods recorded in the "Qinghua Nine-Turn Elixir Essentials"—all these knowledge and insights were linked together by a clear force, arranged in an orderly manner in my consciousness, ready to be used at any time.

A ripple of emotion stirred within her.

This... this state...?!

She had never experienced it before!

However, her Alchemical Heart of Clarity mind quickly suppressed the shock in her heart.

Lin Ying's eyes regained their clarity.

She stopped thinking about it, reached out her hand, and began to refine the elixir methodically.

The furnace temperature was gradually increased using the Azure Radiance Nine Revolutions Fire Control Technique.

Under the licking of the flames, the cloud patterns on the Crimson Cloud Pill-Heart Furnace began to slowly flow.

She meticulously extracted the medicinal properties of each herb, removing the dross and retaining the essence, without any error.

Following the order recorded in the Pill Formula, she added the main ingredients and excipients at a leisurely pace, while slightly altering the dosage of the excipients according to her own understanding.

The control of the heat was like a tamed stream at her fingertips, flowing freely and effortlessly, without the slightest hesitation.

Every step was fluid and graceful, a pleasure to behold!

This caused Guan Qiu's cloudy eyes to widen gradually.

Looking at Lin Ying's current state, the shock in her heart surged up like a tidal wave.

No... this state... it's like the legendary "Alchemical Heart of Clarity"?!

Something's not right, is it?!

A mere first-tier Alchemist, yet he's already Alchemical Heart of Clarity?

This level of alchemy skill cannot be achieved through mere effort!

How many third-tier Alchemists spend their entire lives trying to reach the state of "Alchemical Heart of Clarity"?

Even she only managed to enter this state once by sheer luck!

And this young mistress, who was only at the Qi Refining Realm, actually entered that state of perfect clarity of mind so naturally?!

Guan Qiu felt a surge of absurdity welling up from the bottom of her heart.

Such a genius, young master, you want me to teach him?!

Is it really possible for me to teach her?!

Young Master, you think far too highly of this old woman!