Xu Luochen walked through the Qingyun Dao Sect.
He was in an excellent mood.
By nature, he was an optimist. He excelled at alchemy and was also the Qingyun Dao Sect's future cash cow.
After all, if one succeeded on the path of the Way of Alchemy, it would be nothing less than a treasure basin.
Unfortunately, Xu Luochen had already failed the Alchemist Assessment seven times. Yet this had not shaken his confidence. He was still young, and there would be plenty of chances to take the assessment in the future.
For now, he needed to study diligently and, while he was at it, teach his little junior brother alchemy.
At the mention of his little junior brother, Xu Luochen could not help but sigh.
But he was not sighing over Ye Ping.
He was sighing over Su Changyu.
To be honest, everyone knew Ye Ping's aptitude was poor. If it were not poor, would he have joined the Qingyun Dao Sect?
"Alas, Eldest Brother, Eldest Brother. The sages said that as a teacher, one must set an example and impart one's knowledge and teachings. You cannot turn mad and erratic just because your disciple's aptitude is poor, without even a shred of composure. Once you inherit the Qingyun Dao Sect, it will sooner or later be ruined in your hands."
Xu Luochen muttered as he walked.
And so, he arrived at the Qingyun Back Cliff.
Qingyun Back Cliff.
For the past two days, Ye Ping had been carefully studying the Heavenly River Sword Technique.
The Four Thunder Sword Technique now lacked only the so-called Sword Intent. Ye Ping intended to set it aside for the moment and not rush things; haste made waste, after all.
After two days of arduous cultivation, Ye Ping had already deduced the Heavenly River Sword Technique to one thousand eight hundred moves.
The more moves a sword technique contained, the stronger the sword art became.
This did not mean that one had to unleash every single move in battle. What mattered most was Sword Momentum.
Sword techniques had three realms.
Sword Moves, Sword Momentum, Sword Intent.
The more Sword Moves there were, the stronger the Sword Momentum. The stronger the Sword Momentum one comprehended, the stronger the Sword Intent one could condense.
Because if one could gain sudden enlightenment into the Sword Momentum within a sword technique, then any casual stroke of one's sword would carry the might of the entire sword technique.
When the Four Thunder Sword Technique was fused into one, a single strike was equivalent to the added power of one thousand four hundred and sixty Sword Moves.
Thus, the more Sword Moves there were, the stronger the Sword Momentum's power.
In the eyes of Sword Cultivators, the quality of a sword manual could basically be judged by the number of Sword Moves it contained.
One could not simply make up that number out of thin air. Every move had to carry its own reasoning for the technique to grow stronger.
Of course, some cultivators specialized in a single move and cultivated it until it reached the realm of perfection.
But the principle behind such cultivation was much the same.
Because condensing Sword Momentum also meant fusing hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of Sword Moves into a single strike.
The Four Thunder Sword Technique had a total of one thousand four hundred and sixty moves.
As for the Heavenly River Sword Technique, Ye Ping had already deduced it to one thousand eight hundred moves.
And it had not yet reached its end. A sword technique inspired by the Milky Way naturally possessed extraordinary power.
As for the Primordial God-Demon Body Refining Art, Ye Ping had temporarily stopped cultivating it.
The main reason was that he had no spiritual energy.
Ye Ping had been wondering whether he could take the Qi Cultivation Pill himself.
He had considered asking Eldest Brother, but felt too embarrassed to do so. Still, since Second Brother would soon come to instruct him in alchemy, it no longer mattered.
Just as Ye Ping was pondering this.
A voice suddenly rang out.
"Little Junior Brother."
The voice sounded somewhat familiar.
Ye Ping looked over.
It was Second Brother, Xu Luochen.
"Greetings, Second Brother."
Ye Ping rose to his feet and hurriedly cupped his hands in salute.
Xu Luochen was not as handsome as Su Changyu, but he possessed a refined and elegant air. At that moment, dressed in a pale blue robe, he was as gentle as polished jade.
"Little Junior Brother, there is no need for such formality."
Xu Luochen had an exceptionally mild temperament, giving him the air of a scholarly gentleman.
"Little Junior Brother, your Eldest Brother has been occupied with some matters lately, so he asked me to teach you the art of alchemy."
Xu Luochen spoke thus.
"I understand. Eldest Brother mentioned it a few days ago."
Ye Ping also found the art of alchemy quite novel.
"Second Brother, did Eldest Brother think my aptitude was too poor, so..."
Yet in the end, Ye Ping could not help voicing the doubt in his heart.
Eldest Brother had suddenly claimed to have matters to attend to, so Ye Ping could not help letting his imagination run wild.
Hearing this, Xu Luochen fell silent for a moment. Then he revealed a gentle smile. "Little Junior Brother, your aptitude in the sword path truly is not very good, but Eldest Brother is not that sort of person. It is simply his first time imparting knowledge and teachings, so naturally his temperament is somewhat lacking."
"Do not feel bad. Today, Second Brother will teach you alchemy, so you must study well. No one is perfect. Perhaps your talent in the sword path is utterly ordinary, but you may possess considerable attainments in alchemy?"
Xu Luochen comforted Ye Ping.
Once those words were spoken, Ye Ping's mood immediately worsened somewhat. Though Xu Luochen was comforting him, it did not help much.
"I understand. Thank you for comforting me, Second Brother."
A trace of pain appeared on Ye Ping's face, but he was not discouraged because of it. On the contrary, his heart grew even more resolute. He had to practice his sword well and make Eldest Brother acknowledge him.
Of course, he also had to practice alchemy well. Eldest Brother had been driven away by his aptitude; he could not drive Second Brother away too.
"Junior Brother Ye Ping, this is not consolation. Being poor at the sword path does not mean your future is bleak. For some reason, I feel that you have considerable talent in the Way of Alchemy. Oh, and do not keep calling me Second Brother. Just call me Brother Luochen."
Xu Luochen truly was not merely comforting him. His own talent in the sword path was poor as well, yet he could refine pills. It was not as though the cultivation world regarded the sword path as supreme above all else.
The sages said: if one refines pills well, one need not fear having too few wives.
"Yes, Brother Luochen."
Ye Ping nodded.
"Alright, Junior Brother Ye Ping. Calm your mind now. Your brother will explain the Way of Alchemy to you."
Xu Luochen told Ye Ping to settle his heart and stop dwelling on matters of the sword path.
Since he was learning alchemy, he had to learn it properly. He had to be like Xu Luochen—earnest and diligent—and must not be half-hearted.
"Brother Luochen, please speak. I am listening."
Ye Ping's expression turned serious. He immediately cast all other trivial matters to the back of his mind and listened intently as Xu Luochen explained the Way of Alchemy.
"Junior Brother Ye Ping, listen carefully."
"There are three thousand Great Daos, and none ranks above another. No matter which Dao it is, as long as one walks it to the end, one will become someone the world looks up to."
"Whether it is the sword path, the spiritual path, the Way of Alchemy, the Way of Artifacts, the Way of Talismans, or the Way of Formations, when you stand at the pinnacle of any one path, you will be no weaker than anyone who walks another."
"Though the three thousand Great Daos have no ranking, practitioners of the Way of Alchemy become more valuable with age."
"Do you know why?"
Xu Luochen asked.
Ye Ping pondered for a moment before answering.
"Brother Luochen, is it because the older an alchemy cultivator becomes, the more proficient he is, and the higher his success rate in refining pills?"
As soon as he said this.
Xu Luochen's eyes lit up.
This little junior brother was not bad at all. His aptitude was decent. Sure enough, there were no poor disciples, only poor teachers. Thinking again of Su Changyu's performance during this period, Xu Luochen sighed inwardly. He was still not mature enough.
"Mm, it seems Junior Brother Ye truly has some talent."
Xu Luochen smiled lightly.
"Could it be that Brother is merely comforting me?"
Ye Ping was somewhat suspicious, afraid that Xu Luochen was deliberately trying to console him.
"Not at all, not at all. Junior Brother Ye, you must never become dejected over a small setback. Remember your brother's words: among the three thousand Great Daos, every path has extraordinary people. Being poor at the sword path does not mean you will also be poor at the Way of Alchemy."
Xu Luochen continued comforting Ye Ping.
Then Xu Luochen drew a deep breath, his expression turning slightly solemn.
He was about to formally teach Ye Ping the art of alchemy.
Before you continue