Decline

He joined the Mystic Origin Sect.

Lu Qingfeng was first led by Gu Buyan to familiarize himself with the Pill Convergence Hall.

Only after meeting the True Person leader and paying homage to the patriarchs of past generations can one be considered a true disciple.

Each hall is different from each peak.

The True Disciple each peak will be qualified to compete for the position of peak leader, or even the position of sect leader, in the future.

The True Disciple of each hall, at most, can only become the head of one hall.

Therefore, becoming True Disciple of the Pill Convergence Hall is much easier than becoming True Disciple of any of the other peaks.

Wen Zhong, the head of the Hall of Gathering Heroes, nodded.

The Venerable Gu Buyan of the Pill Convergence Hall gave his full support.

Nothing happened.

Without any twists or turns.

Lu Qingfeng became True Disciple of the Mystic Origin Sect, ranking among the top three hundred True Disciple, and his name became known both inside and outside the Mystic Origin Sect.

Hall of Masters.

Lu Qingfeng cast the final incantation, extinguishing the furnace fire. With a casual wave of his hand, a burst of light immediately shot out from the Pill Furnace.

Radiant reflection.

There are twelve in total.

Lu Qingfeng held the jade bottle, collected the elixir, and came to Gu Buyan beside him. "The Five-Element Pill Elixir is complete. Please have Master appraise it."

[Essence: Five-Element Pill]

[Grade: Tier 3]

[Evolving Method: Five Enhancements]

[Note: This is a pill containing the Five Phases Spiritual Qi, suitable for cultivators in the Spirit Void Stage to enhance their cultivation.]

"Not bad, not bad."

"Skilled and experienced."

Gu Buyan read it from beginning to end, nodding repeatedly.

This fourth disciple is indeed a rare genius.

He was skilled in alchemy and had extensive experience in handling various key points. Every time he refined a batch of elixirs, he would produce a surprising and impressive performance.

Taking the jade bottle, Gu Buyan poured out a elixir and examined it closely.

A moment later, a look of surprise appeared on his face. He then poured out the other eleven pills from the bottle and examined them one by one.

"This batch of Five-Element Pill has almost completely extracted all the medicinal power, making it nearly fourth-grade!"

How did you do that?

Gu Buyan's gaze toward Lu Qingfeng immediately changed.

Lu Qingfeng respectfully replied, "This disciple enjoys alchemy and often ponders it. I have dabbled in various pharmacologies and alchemy techniques. When I am refining pills, it just happens naturally. This disciple does not know the reason for it."

This is because the formula for the Five-Element Pill Formula has been enhanced through the Evolving Method.

Gu Buyan never expected that his newly accepted disciple possessed Cultivation Method like the "Yellow Court Scripture," nor did he expect that he could directly enhance the Pill Formula and make the combination of medicinal materials in the Pill Formula more reasonable.

In this way.

Only then can the medicinal power of various spirit medicine be fully unleashed, making the medicinal power of a third-tier spiritual pill almost approach the level of a fourth-tier pill.

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Buyan immediately felt the urge to test him.

As the head of the Pill Convergence Hall and a Core Formation True Person, Gu Buyan has been immersed in the art of alchemy for over a thousand years. Although he only reached the fifth level in his lifetime, he was very proficient in pharmacology, various alchemy techniques, and many theories.

Let's examine it.

Even newly promoted fifth-level Alchemist might not be able to answer fluently.

But Lu Qingfeng is different.

Whether it's pharmacology, alchemy techniques, or the control of fire, the combination of pills, and the release of the elixir, everything is so solid it's astonishing. The breadth and depth of his theoretical knowledge are so profound that even Gu Buyan finds it difficult to keep up.

Two full hours later.

The Gu Buyan, so they stopped.

At first, they were testing each other, but later they simply discussed things with each other, with no one able to decide who was better.

"Genius!"

"Truly a genius!"

Gu Buyan n't ask Lu Qingfeng where he learned these theories, he just praised him, and then suddenly laughed, "I originally thought that you came from a self-taught background and your foundation was not solid, so I was thinking of taking you under my wing and teaching you well to solidify your foundation. Now it seems that there was no need for that."

"This disciple still has much to learn from Master."

Lu Qingfeng said.

"What is there to be humble about in front of your teacher!"

Gu Buyan his hand dismissively, saying, "I am not good at teaching disciples or imparting skills. Since your foundation is so solid, there is no need for you to continue learning from me. Just go to the Alchemy Pavilion and look around."

Gu Buyan originally worried, not knowing how to teach Lu Qingfeng and guide him on the basics of alchemy.

Having met him today, I can see that Lu Qingfeng's foundation in alchemy is so solid and his theoretical knowledge so extensive that he needs no guidance at all.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, Master."

Lu Qingfeng responded.

He has been refining pills in the game for over a thousand years. Although he may not be able to surpass Gu Buyan in terms of years of experience, the pills he refines are extremely profitable because they are based on Pill Formula enhanced by the Evolving Method.

Therefore, a virtuous cycle is formed.

The more you earn, the more you train!

The more you train, the more you earn!

Over the past thousand years, Lu Qingfeng has refined countless pills that are not of high grade, as well as countless first, second, third, and fourth grade spiritual pills.

I dare not speak of anything else.

At least in the refining of pills below the fifth rank, Lu Qingfeng is definitely the one with the most experience in pill refining.

Even if Gu Buyan is the master of a palace, he is still no match for Lu Qingfeng.

Extensive experience in refining.

Solid theoretical knowledge.

Lu Qingfeng really didn't learn anything from following Gu Buyan around.

Gu Buyan looked at Lu Qingfeng with admiration in his eyes and said, "The Pill Convergence Hall has declined under my leadership, but it will surely rise again under my leadership."

" In the Pill Convergence Hall, every Third-Order Alchemist must teach the disciples of the Pill Convergence Hall on my behalf. Now that you are True Disciple of the Pill Convergence Hall Third-Order Alchemist, go to the east and find an island. I will assign you two Second-Order Alchemists, five First-Order Alchemists, and two hundred Pill-Refining Apprentice to guide you well."

"However, you must not slack off in your own cultivation. On the first day of each month, come to Sunset Peak with your senior brothers and sisters, and I will check your progress."

The Pill Convergence Hall fell into decline.

Gu Buyan felt guilty.

Therefore, they sought various ways to rebuild and strengthen the Pill Convergence Hall.

One method involved casting a wide net, allowing a small number of Third-Order Alchemist in the Pill Convergence Hall to establish their own islands to instruct first-tier and Second-Order Alchemist, as well as numerous Pill-Refining Apprentice.

Gu Buyan initially thought that Lu Qingfeng, being of humble origins, lacked a solid foundation and wanted to keep him by his side to personally guide him. He planned to release him only after his foundation was solidified.

Today's examination shows that Lu Qingfeng's level is not so high.

It can then be directly played outside.

Seven days later.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Lu Qingfeng stood on Flying Cloud Island, watching the large ships continuously transporting various alchemy equipment, medicinal herbs, and spirit medicine, and secretly shook his head.

Seven days ago.

Lu Qingfeng was examined by Gu Buyan and then sent to a post outside the capital.

To the east of Sunset Peak, numerous islands of varying sizes dot the landscape, all belonging to the Pill Convergence Hall. Some of these islands house Alchemist cave abode, while others are medicinal gardens cultivated by the Pill Convergence Hall.

Lu Qingfeng took a look around and chose an island of moderate size as his base in the Mystic Origin Sect, as well as a place to teach and guide the Alchemist in the Pill Convergence Hall.

That is Flying Cloud Island.

Seeing everyone busy, Lu Qingfeng thought of Gu Buyan and was not optimistic.

Firstly, Alchemist are never something that can be mass-produced.

Train an Alchemist.

First, you need talent.

Without talent, no matter how hard you Postnatal, you'll only achieve half the results with twice the effort.

Secondly, you need renowned teachers.

The Pill Convergence Hall has no shortage of various classic texts, but to become a qualified Alchemist solely based on alchemy texts is utter nonsense. Classic texts are merely the foundation; the key is to have a renowned master to guide you.

Alchemist are hard to find, but renowned masters are even harder to find.

As Gu Buyan, his alchemy skills were not low, but his teaching level was poor, which led to the gradual decline of the Pill Convergence Hall.

A great teacher is one who can accurately answer a disciple's questions and even guide the disciple to think of solutions on their own.

Conversely, a mediocre teacher is one who does not.

Gu Buyan had Lu Qingfeng and other Third-Order Alchemist develop the island to teach lower-tier Alchemist and Pill-Refining Apprentice. Besides hoping to cultivate more lower-tier Alchemist, thus increasing the chances of producing alchemy geniuses, he also wanted to prevent Lu Qingfeng and the others from ending up like him.

Even though he was quite skilled in alchemy, he never knew how to teach his disciples.

Otherwise, it's just treating the symptoms, not the root cause, Pill Convergence Hall might still decline.

Besides talent and a renowned teacher, the last and most crucial point is—

That is practice.

No matter how talented a cultivator is, or how much guidance they receive from a renowned master, it's all for naught if they can't put their talent to use in actual alchemy and fully grasp their master's teachings.

Lu Qingfeng was praised as a genius by Gu Buyan.

However, his talent for alchemy was truly mediocre.

Fortunately, Lu Qingfeng had the means to refine large quantities of materials and continuously refine them.

As the saying goes, "Read a book a hundred times and its meaning will become clear."

The same applies to alchemy.

However, most Alchemist cannot dedicate as much time to alchemy as Lu Qingfeng, nor can they earn a large amount of Spirit Stone from the pills they refine to support their alchemy expenses.

Alchemy!

Burning money!

The two are actually equivalent.

Especially in the early stages of practicing alchemy, repeated failures resulted in the waste of countless medicinal herbs and a great deal of effort.

Those with good talent may see results quickly and thus persevere.

Those with less talent, after repeated setbacks and losses, gradually begin to doubt themselves and eventually give up on the path of alchemy.

Even those with good talent might only succeed once in the early stages of refining seven or eight, or even a dozen, batches of pills.

However, it is still difficult to achieve a balance between income and expenditure.

Most Rogue Cultivator, if they are passionate about alchemy, will even need to find other ways to supplement their diet to support the demands of alchemy.

Those who cannot persevere, even if they are talented, will eventually give up alchemy.

This is also the biggest reason why Alchemist are so scarce among Rogue Cultivator.

Even within the Mystic Origin Sect, there would never be an endless supply of medicinal herbs to waste in the Pill Convergence Hall.

If no results are seen in the short term, the market share will still be limited.

This is also the biggest reason why Lu Qingfeng is not optimistic about the Pill Convergence Hall.

"The reason why the Pill Convergence Hall exists is that it can refine the medicinal materials and spirit medicine obtained from various peaks and Hall of Rare Treasures into pills."

"Self-sufficiency, without relying on external sources, is one aspect."

"The second point is that there are no middlemen taking a cut."

"But the Pill Convergence Hall has declined, and most of the high-grade pills are now made by Master alone. At this moment, with such a large-scale training of disciples, the income and expenditure have long been unbalanced. Ten or twenty years is fine. With the foundation of the Pill Convergence Hall and Master's seniority and prestige in the Mystic Origin Sect, no one will question it."

"But after thirty or forty years, the foundation of the Pill Convergence Hall will eventually be exhausted. The various peaks and halls of the Mystic Origin Sect will not allow the Pill Convergence Hall to continue to be depleted in this way."

"If we cannot balance the costs of training disciples in the Pill Convergence Hall with the profits from refining pills before then..."

"The Pill Convergence Hall is in grave danger."

Lu Qingfeng had just entered the Pill Convergence Hall, and although he was outside of it, he could see its drawbacks.

Even.

Gai Yunshan, Wen Zhong, Kou Xuan, and others could also see it.

Gu Buyan. He was solely focused on restoring the Pill Convergence Hall to its former glory, a desperate gamble that blinded him to the true situation.

Or rather, he could see it clearly, but had no other way to do so.

"How could the decline of such a Pill Convergence Hall be solely the fault of Master?"

"Only--"

Lu Qingfeng had no idea what secrets lay behind it.

However, it would be a stretch to say that the decline of the entire Pill Convergence Hall was due to Gu Buyan's lack of expertise in teaching.

Lu Qingfeng was unable to investigate the reasons for this at the moment.

"With Master's support, there won't be any problems for the time being in the Pill Convergence Hall."

"As long as we can balance our income and expenditure, it is not a problem to train disciples on a large scale."

Lu Qingfeng pondered.

Seeing people as gay through a BL lens...