Master Yan!

That day, Master Yan Ming, an alchemist of the Alchemy Hall renowned for his eccentric temper and exacting standards, happened to pass through the medicinal-herb processing area.

While the other apprentices laughed and slacked off, Li Qingshan alone worked with meticulous care, sorting through a pile of freshly delivered, mixed-together "air-dried Thousand-Silk Vine" and "Withered Blood Whisker" according to the records in the Hundred Herbs Catalog.

The two herbs looked extremely similar, but their medicinal properties were diametrically opposed. A single mistake would ruin an entire batch of pills.

Li Qingshan worked slowly, but with extraordinary precision. He didn't misplace a single herb.

"Is that Master Yan?!"

"Could Master Yan be here to choose alchemy apprentices? Everyone, perk up! Maybe he'll choose one of us!"

"That's Master Yan! They say he personally trained many Foundation Establishment Realm alchemists!"

"Master Yan is one of the few people in our Alchemy Hall who can refine Foundation Establishment Pills!"

"If Master Yan hadn't damaged his foundation when he was young, he'd have broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm long ago. He wouldn't have spent all those years stuck at the peak of Qi Refining, only to reach over a hundred with his lifespan nearly spent!"

"..."

The moment the many alchemy apprentices saw Master Yan, they straightened with a start, each of them overcome with excitement and anticipation.

They hoped Master Yan would choose them.

If he did, they'd soar to the heavens in a single bound!

Master Yan Ming paused. He didn't pay the others any mind. His cloudy yet keen gaze lingered for a moment on Li Qingshan's steady, calloused hands before sweeping over his calm, expressionless face.

"You. What's your name?"

Master Yan's voice was hoarse and cold, like metal scraping against stone.

At the sound of his voice, Li Qingshan set down the herbs and bowed respectfully. "This disciple is Li Qingshan, Master."

"Li Qingshan?" Master Yan Ming seemed to recall the recent rumors, and his brows furrowed. "A hundred years old? You want to learn alchemy?"

"Yes. Though this disciple is old, my heart yearns for the path of alchemy. I'm willing to give it my all and see how far I can go." Li Qingshan answered without arrogance or servility.

Master Yan Ming stared at him for a long while, then suddenly snorted. "Hmph. You yearn for the path of alchemy? More likely you've run out of options and want to waste your days here! Alchemy is no child's play. It takes talent, and even more, perseverance! How many years do you have left? How much perseverance can you muster?"

His words were harsh, but Li Qingshan heard in them a scrutiny unlike what he'd received from others—not pure contempt and mockery.

He replied calmly, "This disciple knows he's slow-witted and has little time left. That's precisely why I value every moment more and wouldn't dare slack off in the slightest. Whether I succeed or not, I only ask that I have no regrets."

Master Yan Ming fell silent again for a moment. At last, he tossed out a command. "Come to Alchemy Room No. C-7 tomorrow. Within a year, if you can't recite Elementary Understanding of Ten Thousand Herbs backward and identify a thousand common spiritual herbs and their medicinal properties, then get out on your own. Don't waste my time!"

With that, he swept off.

Watching Master Yan's stooped yet upright figure, Li Qingshan bowed deeply. "Thank you, Master!"

He knew this cold-faced but warm-hearted Master Yan had given him a chance.

"What?! Master Yan actually chose Li Qingshan?"

"Old Li got lucky as hell! What's so special about him? Why didn't Master Yan choose me? How am I worse than he is?"

"Old Li sure is lucky. I'm green with envy!"

The alchemy apprentices stared at Li Qingshan in utter shock and jealousy. None of them had imagined Master Yan would take an interest in him.

Li Qingshan, however, remained calm. He finished sorting the spiritual herbs at his usual unhurried pace before turning to leave.

The next day, he went to report to Master Yan and officially became his alchemy apprentice.

From then on, Li Qingshan's life became a routine between two places: Alchemy Room No. C-7 and his little hut.

Master Yan was every bit as strict as expected.

He either had Li Qingshan handle more complicated herbs or tossed him several thick manuals to memorize by a set deadline. The slightest mistake earned him a merciless scolding.

"Li Qingshan! The time to harvest Three-Leaf Green Ganoderma and the method for processing it are written plain as day in the book. Are your old eyes failing, or did you not bother to memorize it at all?!"

"Heat! Heat! How many times have I told you that Stone Marrow Liquid must be extracted by simmering it over a low flame for twelve hours? One moment too long and it burns; one moment too short and the impurities remain! What kind of fire control is that? Are you trying to burn down the stove?!"

Master Yan spat as he berated him, showing not the slightest mercy.

Li Qingshan silently endured every reprimand, committing each word to memory.

His powerful divine sense proved invaluable. He had a photographic memory and exceptional comprehension.

Master Yan might have scolded him fiercely, but he soon realized that the old apprentice grasped whatever he taught him with a single hint. Sometimes, he could even draw inferences from one example. His progress was astonishingly fast!

It was just that the old fellow's spiritual power was weak, and his fire control was crude beyond use.

Master Yan silently lamented, His comprehension and character are both excellent. What a pity... He's too old, his foundation too poor, and his control over spiritual power is a crippling weakness. Otherwise... Ah, what a pity.

By day, Li Qingshan studied the knowledge of alchemy with tireless diligence. At night, he returned to his little hut, set up a simple ward, and immersed himself in cultivation.

Gradually, Master Yan began letting Li Qingshan assist him while he refined pills, giving Li Qingshan a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

He devoured every bit of alchemy knowledge he could learn.

Though reaching a hundred years of age had made his path to immortality incredibly arduous, it had also given him a state of mind far beyond the ordinary.

Even Master Yan failed at alchemy sometimes.

The pills he casually tossed aside—or gave to Li Qingshan to clean up—became Li Qingshan's greatest treasure!

He carefully collected the failed pills, selecting some each night to place inside the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd.

The next day, when he poured them out, they had become flawless, plump pills, etched with clear patterns and giving off a rich medicinal fragrance!

If Master Yan knew that the apprentice he considered "weak in spiritual power and crude in fire control" was eating his failed pills like candy, he'd have no idea what to think.

With a vast supply of top-grade pills to support him, along with the power of the Longevity Technique, Li Qingshan's cultivation steadily advanced at a terrifying pace.

The Longevity Mana in his dantian continued to build, growing ever more vast and surging.

In the eyes of outsiders, he was still that old apprentice, struggling along at the sixth level of Qi Refining.

A year passed in the blink of an eye.

Li Qingshan's cultivation had advanced from the ninth level of Qi Refining to the tenth.

In other words, he had reached the peak of Qi Refining!

He was just one step away from establishing the foundation of the Great Dao and breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

That day, Li Qingshan was processing a fresh batch of Blazing Sun Herb in the alchemy room. His movements flowed like water, and his grasp of the herbs' medicinal properties was precise beyond compare.

Master Yan Ming seemed to be resting with his eyes closed nearby, but in truth, his divine sense had been watching Li Qingshan all along. Over the past year, Li Qingshan had far surpassed his expectations. His solid knowledge of herbal medicine and steady character were nothing like those of a novice who'd only started learning at a hundred years old.

Suddenly, Li Qingshan's aura rippled faintly. A burst of spiritual pressure, far more powerful than that of someone at the sixth level of Qi Refining, flashed out and was instantly concealed without a trace.

Master Yan Ming's eyes flew open. A gleam flashed in them as he stared at Li Qingshan. "You... broke through?"

That momentary aura was definitely not that of someone at the sixth level of Qi Refining!