Xu Luochen was getting serious.
Teaching a craft was teaching a craft, but Xu Luochen had not forgotten Grand Hua Daoist's instructions.
He had to act like a Peerless Expert before his little junior brother.
During this time, aside from reviewing alchemy knowledge every day, Xu Luochen had spent all his remaining time thinking about how to put on an act.
At last, after nearly a month of effort, it was finally time to put it into practice.
With that thought, Xu Luochen looked at Ye Ping.
"There are three thousand Great Daos, none higher or lower than another. Yet the Way of Alchemy contains the mysteries of heaven and earth. Junior Brother Ye, in your eyes, what sort of existence is a powerful Alchemist?"
What sort of existence was a powerful Alchemist?
Ye Ping froze.
This question sounded somewhat familiar.
Hiss!
Could Second Senior Brother also be a hidden expert?
As for the Qingyun Dao Sect, Ye Ping felt that it resembled one of those Hidden Sects. But regarding the other senior brothers and sisters within the sect, he was not too sure. He only knew that Su Changyu was a Peerless Expert.
But now that he looked at him, Second Senior Brother also seemed to possess the air of a hidden expert.
Still, Ye Ping answered earnestly.
"Brother Luochen, in this junior brother's view, powerful Alchemists stand above all else. A single pill can drive countless powerful cultivators mad. No matter how peerless a prodigy you are, no matter how your aura swallows the eight wildernesses, there will always be an end. But Alchemists can defy heaven and alter fate."
Ye Ping spoke of his own understanding.
In countless web novels, Alchemists always held extremely high status.
Think about it: medicinal ingredients worth one hundred spirit stones, once refined by an Alchemist, could instantly double in value—or even increase tenfold or a hundredfold.
A true Alchemist could hardly be called anything less than a money tree. Once one became that kind of true Alchemist, no matter how powerful your cultivation was, you would still have to show some respect. What the cultivation world lacked most were powerful cultivators, and what it lacked least were also powerful cultivators.
When your lifespan was nearing its end, no matter how strong you were, you could not defy heaven. Yet a single life-extending pill could grant you another hundred or even thousand years of life. Under such circumstances, who was weak and who was strong?
"Not so."
Yet the next moment, Xu Luochen shook his head with a solemn expression. Looking at Ye Ping, he spoke seriously.
"Junior Brother Ye, the Alchemists you have described are not true Alchemists!"
"You are far too shallow!"
Xu Luochen's expression was calm, making him appear unfathomably profound.
Shallow?
Ye Ping grew curious and could not help looking at Xu Luochen.
"I ask Senior Brother to enlighten me."
Ye Ping was curious.
"The powerful figures of the Way of Alchemy you speak of are, when all is said and done, merely Alchemists. Let me ask you: what abilities do you think the strongest pill in this world possesses?"
Xu Luochen asked, then added one more sentence.
"Think boldly."
What abilities would the strongest pill possess?
Ye Ping fell silent. He pondered, wanting to answer this question properly.
After a while, Ye Ping gave his answer.
"Senior Brother, the strongest pill should be able to improve one's physique, turning someone with abysmal aptitude into a cultivator with the finest aptitude beneath heaven and earth. It could also enhance one's fortune, perhaps even allow one to ascend directly into immortality."
Ye Ping answered seriously.
In most novels, the most precious pills either allowed one to become immortal directly, or changed one's aptitude and innate bones, defying heaven and altering fate.
Yet Xu Luochen shook his head, his expression incomparably grave.
He cast a glance at the heavens.
Then he slowly spoke.
"At Peak Attainment in the Way of Alchemy, one can transform all things into divine pills."
"Yet that is merely the Alchemist in the eyes of ordinary people. A true Alchemist does not refine pills, but refines heaven and earth. Every pill refined is a world. That is a true Alchemist."
"Do you understand?"
Xu Luochen spoke, describing Alchemists in the most exaggerated terms.
After hearing these words, Ye Ping was utterly stunned.
Refining heaven and earth?
Every pill was a world?
Th-this-this!
Even though Ye Ping had read countless novels, he had never imagined that the limits of an Alchemist could be so terrifying.
One pill was a world.
All things were pills.
Heaven and earth were pills.
The universe was a pill.
Everything in this world was a pill.
What a terrifying realm was this? What an invincible existence was this?
A casually refined pill was a world.
Hiss!
At this moment, Ye Ping finally understood why Xu Luochen had said that the sword was not the only path.
If the Way of Alchemy could truly be this powerful, then it was indeed no weaker than the Sword Dao.
Hiss!
Second Senior Brother was also a Peerless Expert?
The next moment, Ye Ping suddenly came to his senses.
Eldest Senior Brother was an unparalleled Sword Dao expert, while Second Senior Brother was an unparalleled expert of the Way of Alchemy.
How could someone capable of speaking such theories possibly be an ordinary Alchemist?
Ye Ping had thought that Second Senior Brother would teach him some basic Alchemy Techniques. But after hearing those words, Ye Ping completely understood: every person in this sect was an absolute master.
Seeing Ye Ping's face full of shock.
Xu Luochen could not help laughing inwardly.
He had spent the past month racking his brains to come up with those words.
They sounded unbelievably awesome, but in truth, they were complete nonsense.
There was a tiny shred of reason in them, but if those words were spoken aloud, probably none out of ten people would believe them.
Heaven and earth as pills, indeed.
Refine one for me to see?
Xu Luochen was not worried about misleading Ye Ping beyond repair. His main goal was to first bluff Ye Ping, then teach him some basic Alchemy Techniques—one step at a time.
If he did not first bluff Ye Ping, how would he display how impressive he was?
With that thought, Xu Luochen continued speaking.
"Little Junior Brother, do you understand now?"
His voice brought Ye Ping back to his senses.
"This junior brother understands."
Ye Ping nodded, though his eyes remained filled with shock. He had never imagined that the arts of the Way of Alchemy could be so terrifying.
"It is good that you understand. However, what I just spoke of is the pinnacle of the Way of Alchemy. This senior brother still does not know what your aptitude is like, so I can only teach you the most basic Alchemy Techniques first, and see what your aptitude is like. Do you understand?"
Xu Luochen continued.
"This junior brother naturally understands. Many thanks for Senior Brother's guidance."
Ye Ping nodded heavily.
Naturally, he understood this principle. Rice had to be eaten one mouthful at a time, and roads had to be walked one step at a time. If one wanted to ascend to heaven in a single step, one should first consider one's own aptitude.
"Mm. Junior Brother Ye, this senior brother shall now impart to you a one-of-a-kind Alchemy Technique. Listen carefully."
Xu Luochen suddenly said.
Ye Ping immediately became solemn and serious as well.
"As the saying goes, every medicine carries three parts poison. Between heaven and earth, every pill possesses its toxicity. Even the most skilled Alchemist cannot strip a pill of its toxicity."
"At its root, the problem still lies with the medicinal ingredients."
"Today, the alchemy method this senior brother will teach you is Poison-Free Alchemy. As its name implies, pills refined through this method contain not the slightest trace of toxicity, nor the slightest side effect."
"Therefore, you must remember every word this senior brother says next. You cannot miss even a single character. Do you understand?"
Xu Luochen spoke with utmost seriousness.
But every word of this was nonsense he had made up.
The saying that every medicine carried three parts poison was correct.
But Poison-Free Alchemy?
Only Xu Luochen would dare brag about that to Ye Ping.
If he said it outside.
That bunch of Alchemists would probably come running over one after another to slap Xu Luochen's mouth to pieces.
Because in this world, there was no such thing as Poison-Free Alchemy.
Things like Pill Toxin originated in the medicinal ingredients themselves. No matter how one refined them, medicinal properties and toxicity existed in a symbiotic relationship.
If the toxicity was gone, then the medicinal properties would be gone as well.
Fortunately, Xu Luochen was only fooling Ye Ping. If any Alchemist heard this, he would probably come straight over to slap Xu Luochen's mouth.
Yet Ye Ping listened with rapt attention.
Before you continue